1995-03-05: Do You See What I See? Media Images and Manipulation (part 1)

Vol. III, No. X

Transcription:

Valery Bates-Brown, VSU
Ted Smith, VCU
Do You See What I See?
Media Images and Manipulation
WITH GOOD REASON
Volume II, Number X
Greeting
The media bombards Americans with commercials and informational
messages. Next on With Good Reason we look at some assumptions
and motives of advertisers and journalists. I'm Laura Womack.
Music
Background
From the time we get up to the time we go to bed, most Americans
have a constant companion -- the media. We get dressed with the
morning news anchors. We read the paper with our coffee.
Commute to work with the morning drive d.j.. And in the evening
we unwind with the undemanding entertainment of the television
set, absorbing countless commercials exhorting us to buy, buy,
buy!
While we're consuming the words and images of the media, we're
also absorbing unspoken messages about social order and values.
Today we look at how the people who make up the media operate and
how their concerns effect the media product we consume.
In the second half of the show, media analyst Ted Smith talks
about how journalists' expanded concept of their role in
communicating the events of the day colors the news product.
First, though, we'll look at a case study in advertising -- how
commercia-ls portray African-Americans. There's been some
progress, but not enough according to Mike Hughes, vice-president
and creative director of the Martin Agency, the largest
advertising agency in Virginia. Valery Bates-Brown is a
professor at Virginia State University. She studied commercials
aired on the cable channel, Black Entertainment Television.
Womack
Valery Bates-Brown one of your articles you looked at a day
of advertising on Black Entertainment Television, there are two
different kinds of ads that seem to be showing up on this
network. One, that were specifically targeted at AfricanAmericans,
that they had African-Americans in a lot of those.
And then there were other ads that were just more generic ads
that maybe had a few African-Americans in them or didn't and it
just seemed to have been produced for an general audience. Did
you find any significance in the difference in those two kinds of
ads -- difference in maybe what kinds of products were being
sold or the techniques that they were using to sell to that
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audience.
Bates-Brown
Well, yes. It was interesting that some of the old themes
were popping in to view. Some of the serving scenes of the
1800's, then the negro would have to roll of the servant in ads.
And I'm still seeing that in ads today.
Womack
You want to describe one of those commercials for us.
Bates-Brown
Well, in this particular ad, it was a picnic scene. Many,
many people having fun -- African-Americans and whites all have
fun at a picnic. The thing that I noticed, though is that the
only people serving were the African-American people. They had
on the aprons, the bib aprons, they had the food stains on their
aprons. They were actually moving trays and dishes around, and
also eating as well. Whereas all the other individuals in the
commercial were either scoring because they had races and big
games going on during the day. They were doing roles like that
and I just thought that this was a prime example of a
stereotypical commercial in the 1990s that parallels with
commercials of the past.
Womack
Mike Hughes I know you haven't seen that particular
commercial, but have you noticed that sort of pattern in
advertisements that include African-Americans?
Hughes
One of the things that we are facing right now is that at so
many advertising agencies most of which are run by white males,
I think that what happens is that there is a fear of being
criticized for how minorities or women are portrayed in
advertising. I think it is a healthy stage that we are going
through, but it has some ramifications that are kind of
complicating. I think we often face situations where -- I think
the black actors and actresses have a legitimate beef that
sometimes they are not cast for comic parts because people are
afraid that they will be typecast, they will be stereotyped
somehow for those parts. And it is true -- they are. And what I
am afraid of is that they are going to be afraid to cast blacks
at all because of the criticism that will come.
Womack
Well that's real interesting especially with what you were
saying about -- that they are afraid to cast them in more
comedic, humorous roles. Because in what you're talking about
Valery Bates-Brown is again going back to the older stereotypes
of the clown and the black for humor.
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Bates-Brown
That's right -- the parallel. The existing image is ..
questioned, and researchers like myself are out there questioning
it. And other civil rights organizations are questioning them.
And these types of commercials do not air that long, if you
noticed. They are pulled.
Hose
Absolutely! I mean I think if somebody does that today, it
is amazing what the force of one letter to one chairman of the
board can_ do today. Because people actually they both want to be
sensitive and they are afraid of the consequences if they are not
sensitive. So some people might do if from good motives and some
people might do it from fear.
Womack
What's interesting is, if you look at commercials and you
start thinking about these issues of how African-Americans are
portrayed, and how often they are portrayed and whether they are
in dominate roles in the commercial. You start noticing that
they aren't there as much as you think they are. I mean, when
you first start seeing African-Americans in commercials, well,
that's great-- this is progress.
Hose
Absolutely! You will never see an executive board meeting
in a commercial. If you see the board of directors of a company
portrayed in a commercial, you will always see a mix of blacks,
whites, males, and females. That's probably more ideal than
actually exists in most companies in America, today. I think
that's probably healthy and moving us in the right direction.
But then when you get into one of the jokes in the advertising
business these days, if you need a bafoon cast, the only person
you can cast is a white male. Maybe that's good right now too,
but I hope it's a phase we are going through because I'm afraid
that some communities including the African-American community
are not being shown as a full well-rounded people anymore. We
are in danger of creating a new stereotype of blacks who are
portrayed too often as being white only with black skin. And I
think that's a trap for us going ahead.
Womack
What do you think of that Valery Bates-Brown? Do you think
that there's that sort of fear, I was talking about a commercial
in which, the car commercial, and it's basically a white middle
class American family only they're black. I mean there's no
cultural markers.
Bates-Brown
I don't see it as a black person being portrayed as a white
person in black skin today in the 90's. That was something that
happened definately in the 5s and 60s. And when blacks were
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trying to look white and act white, but not today. I think
everyone is on the same path now. I think anyone can have the
same material things and I think just because you have it doesn't
mean that you are trying to portray another race.
Womack
Do you think that there is, on the part of the people who
are looking at the ads, a sensitivity to the kinds of things that
Mike Hughes is talking about. If these advertisers are afraid of
the way it is going to be perceived. Is there maybe an over
vigilance, an over sensitivity in the audience as to what
advertisers are doing?
Bates-Brown
I don't think there is an over sensitivity from the
audience. Some audience will just take an ad as face-value.
They don't think of it the way that I do. You know your watch
groups will look at ads like I do, but not your average everyday
person. No.
Hughes
Valery has a collection of older ads and those stereotypes
in those ads are just appalling. I mean, it's appalling. You
think, well, that must be from the early part of the century. It
actually extends remarkably close to today and there is probably
still a lot of that going on today. But for someone like Valery
who is aware of what that history has been, I don't think there
can be too much sensitivity. I think people need to push the
advertising industry ahead in these areas. People can debate for
whether advertising leads society or follows society, but in many
ways it is a reflection of society. And it needs to be
responsibly administered.
Womack
When you are designing an ad for different audiences, how
much do you pay attention to the difference in those audiences?
How much do you consciously go out and think these little images
here are going to appeal to this group more than some other types
of images?
Hughes
Well, we want to be inclusive in the sense of making sure
everyone knows that they are invited to be part of our community.
We do work for a brand of children's clothing. When you go out
and you talk to young mothers, first time mothers, we find that
there is remarkably little difference in their concerns about
buying clothes for their children. Both of those whether it's
white or black. Both groups of mothers who are the busiest
people in America. Young working mothers are the busiest people
in America, but they will take the time to read a lot of
information about being the best mothers they can be. And so
when we do ads for that, we won't show the babies in our
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clothing, we'll show a mix a black, white, hispanic, oriental.
But the information that we portray doesn't have to be much
different. In other cases, there are strong differences in usage.
For some alcohol brands, the way the black audience relates to
the brand is very different than the white audience. And you
need to be culturally correct in both areas. And culturally
sensitive in both areas. And so there can be strong differences
and there can be strong similarities. It would be dangerous to
start stereotyping or typecasting people and saying "Well, this
is the way all whites or this is the way all African-Americans
feel about this".
Womack
Have you seen that in the ads that you were looking at on
Black Entertainment Television -- this concern with including
everybody in them in say ads that Mike Hughes is talking about
ads directed at parents.
Bates-Brown
Definitely! There's an ad in "Carnation" where in, like
four or five mothers are featured holding one baby and the baby
is moved from woman to woman. And I see this as an inclusive
such situation of different groups of races.
Hughes
Can I add something? I think one thing that the advertising
industry has been awful at, is attracting people from the mix of
society into its profession. In the sos, the industry did a
wonderful job of bringing into what had been a WASP profession.
They brought in a lot of Italians and Jews, and Irishmen who
actually changed the way advertising was done. The famous
advertising of the 60s for Volkswagen and Avis wasn't done by the
WASP boy's club that had been doing it up until that time. I
think the advertising agency business hasn't done a good job of
bringing in African-Americans. And now everybody is trying to
play catch up -- and everybody is trying to get someone on their
executive committee or board of directors. When for 20 years, no
body has done anything to bring people along in that line.
Womack
Valery Bates-Brown in your analysis of these commercials,
you have not been, pretty mixed in your reviews. Some
commercials are bad and have some of these stereotypes in them
and others are more progressive. And I am just wondering if you
are encouraged by what you are hearing from Mike Hughes or if you
still think there is a long way to go. Just to put you on the
spot right in front of him here.
Bates-Brown
Sure!
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Hughes
I'm listening Valery.
Bates-Brown
And my answer is -- well actually I think there has been
major improvement in the types of ads that are produced and are
shown on the air. It's just that -- sometimes I think they are
trying too hard to show a black and a white, for example, and an
oriental, or an asian person. Sometimes it's very obvious that
they are trying to mix the different groups of people. But I do
see that there is improvement, there's change. And I do see more
speaking roles for African-Americans. I do see them stand out
more and I am happy to say that. It's just that those others
still remain. Those commercials where you see a shadow of an
African-American in the background or you see them looking more
like decoration instead of carrying on the main role in this
commercial for example.
Womack
Okay, I'll put you on the spot one more time. From what you
were saying that you are concerned that sometimes there is an
obvious effort to mix and that may not necessarily be a wholly
good thing and yet sometimes minorities, in particular, blacks
are a blur in the commercial. This is sort of confusing message
for an advertiser like Mike Hughes, who is trying to say "Well
what should I do. Should I make the effort or should I let the
chips fall where they may?". Is that a confusing message that
you are sending?
Bates-Brown
Yeah! I think that an advertiser or the agency should not
try to make it unreal. I think try to make it as natural as
possible. Just think of the African-American actors as people.
They are doing the same thing that any other group of people can
do and just put them in that cast, regardless of what the theme
of the commercial is or the role itself. Just actors doing their
part.
Hughes
I'm seeing more in the last year or two. I'm seeing a
greater number of blind casting sessions where qualification is
no longer -- we want a white male 30 to 40, it's we want a male
30 to 40. And we will look at all the actors who come in for
that. I won't say that usually happens. But I'm seeing that
more and more.
Womack
Okay, thank you both so much for joining us on With Good
Reason -- Mike Hughes and Valery Bates-Brown.
Bates-Brown
Thank you.
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Hose
Thank you.
Mike Hughes is creative director of the Martin Agency, the most
award-winning ad agency in the U.S. last year. Valery Bates-Brown
is a professor at Virginia State University studying the
media.
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