Like many others, my phone knows me pretty well. The means by which our pocket technology gathers that information is obviously a touchy, controversial, and ethically concerning subject. However, I feel that I still should give advertisers the credit they’re due. More often than not they do their jobs exceptionally well. They influence mass opinion without us realizing it most of the time. Perhaps we give ourselves too much credit to believe we’re more in control of our media consumption than we really are. The way that advertisers have influenced the general public has obviously changed in the last hundred years. As our society has become increasingly saturated with ads through print media, digital media, social media, and everything in between, the more they’ve come to be scrutinized.
In my experience, when I analyze the ads that I tend to see most often on my social media feeds (especially Facebook and Instagram), they aren’t necessarily as explicitly gendered as I might expect. My ads are traditional in a sense; I see a lot of makeup and fashion. But as times are changing I see more males incorporated into what used to be exclusively female ads. YouTube make-up artist, Manny MUA, has recently been featured as a brand ambassador for Maybelline (left) and James Charles for Covergirl (right).
In most cases, though, these kinds of advertisements are explicitly gendered. James Charles’s Covergirl ad features 6 women while he is the only male. I do find it refreshing to see variation and inclusiveness in advertisements even if it is just a sliver of distinction. We must consider how this benefits advertisers, too. They are appealing to broader audiences in anticipation of higher sales and public support of their “woke” brands. Personally, I don’t mind too much if the products are good. At the end of the day business is business, and if that means appealing to a public that embraces diversity I’m here for it.
I find that looking at my own ads, I can’t make myself too upset over what they’re trying to do. Many people complain about seeing so many ads, that they’re odd and out-of-place, but more often than not I find that they’ve accurately pinned me down as a consumer. The issue of the ethical nature of information storage and cookies aside, I find that as long as adds are not obnoxious and unseemly, I don’t mind being shown them; if they’ don’t interfere with what I’m trying to accomplish then they’re not a big deal. I haven’t noticed the same inclusive habits, however, but I think that is just due to me ignoring ads most of the time. In general, I agree with you, that business is business and that at the end of the day, I understand what they’re trying to do.