Gender pitched advertising

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Gender pitched advertising:

Now in today's consumer-oriented society, these kind of gender differences have not gone unnoticed by marketers. Ad agencies often ask "What makes an effective ad for a man or for a woman?

For women, ads often are more detailed. Take for example toiletry ads. For one thing, women are more concerned about grooming and appearance. And they appreciate very fine distinctions, such as 5 different variations of shampoo-for curly hair, straight hair, oily hair, dry hair, etc. For men, by contrast, toiletry ads focus on a single product. Men are likely to pick up on one or two very salient and obvious kinds of cues. Men think in a more macro way, and need to be shown the big picture. Also, men are less likely to process complex metaphors.

Do advertisements influence our self-image and our self-esteem?

What are the images that ads present? Everywhere we turn, advertisements tell us what it means to be a desirable man or woman. Ads paint limited images of what men and women can be. Because ads are everywhere in our society, these limited images sink into our conscious and unconscious minds. In this way, ads help limit our understanding of our worth and our full potential.

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Ads tend to present women in limited roles. Girls and women in ads show concern about their bodies, their clothes, their homes, and the need to attract a boy or man. Seldom are women shown in work settings, business roles, or positions of responsibility and authority. Our society recognises many valid roles for women, but this isn't always reflected in ads.

Also, the girls and women in ads are presented as "beautiful." But ads offer a very limited, narrow image of beauty. The advertising industry favours models with facial features that look Anglo, even if the model is Black or Hispanic.

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