Advertisement has always been connected with stereotypes both racial and gender stereotyping. The aim of the advertisement is to help an organization sell its product, but when it represents an ethnic group or gender in a specific way, it ends up losing its purpose and interest. Marketers need to make ads that make the entire audience regardless of their gender or race feel good about themselves and their culture. In this regard, it is not right to racially stereotype to meet the purposes of an advertisement.
One thing that is certain is that regardless of the campaigns that have been held across the world on equality, stereotyping in advertising is still an issue in the 21st century. For instance, gender stereotype is common in most advertisements. Women are always depicted as sex objects whereby their naked bodies are exposed showing them as sex objects. At the same time, racism is still evident in some ads. According to Business Insider, “whether international or domestic, national or local, brands and agencies continue to put out material in print, television, and web ads filled with racism (Business Insider 1).” A recent example is where PopChips aired an ad where Ashton Kutcher is an Indian character named Raj. The ad has been criticized for being racist. Another ad with racist content was on the PSP billboard which was criticized by many Americans. The read “White is coming” had an image of a white woman who was holding a black woman as is fighting her (Business Insider 1).
However, regardless of the ways in which ads are being made and aired on various media, every advertiser has strong ethical responsibilities which they need to maintain. There are jurisdictions that define the regulations and rules that every advertiser has to follow. For instance, in several nations like Canada, it is illegal to advertise harmful substances such as tobacco (Divinsky 1).
Works Cited
Business Insider. “10 Recent Racist Ads that Companies Wish You Would Forget.” Business