Original Ad
Advertisements can be powerful and influential tools, it uses a variety of strategies to manipulate and persuade their target audience. I have chosen the Dr Pepper Ten ad, which is selling their new soda that is explicitly targeted towards the male population. It is transparent their objective is to intentionally exclude women as displayed on the ad. It also sends the message that they are not “manly” enough to consume this drink. Perhaps it is the company’s poor attempt at humour to increase sales on their product, however, ads with sexist components can create a divide between genders and reinforce traditional gender rules and stereotypes, which is problematic as women have been fighting against it for so long and they are still struggling with sexism in society today.
The use of colours was done intentionally to reinforce the stereotype that women tend to like pink-y colours as the word “women” was illustrated in pink, while “manly” was in black, which is often perceived as a more common color for men. In the ad, the slogan “Just 10 Manly Calories” appears to indicate that men do not have to be afraid of calories or have to go on any diets based on the fact that they are men. It seems to be making a reference that many women in society are constantly on diets and attempts to lose weight through calorie restriction.
This type of advertising promotes that sexism is normal and that women are inferior to men. It is unnecessary for an ad that is explicitly excluding women to be distributed, as it is offensive and sexist. The effects of this ad can have a strong influence on young men, they may perceive it as normal and live up to those expectations that they are more superior because of their gender. This can be detrimental for the young generation because they are passing down a negative impression regarding women to future generations.
Jammed Ad
The objective of this culture jam was to show the real intentions and the overt sexism the ad utilized to sell their soda. First, I crossed out the word, “manly” and replaced it with “misogynistic.” In my view, this is exactly what the ad portrays, to display that women are not strong or good enough to drink their soda.
I also added a new message underneath “It’s not for women.” which states, “it’s for misogynists.” to illustrate the offensiveness and anti-women message of this ad. I interpreted this ad’s target audience is not for all men, but misogynists, those who believe they are the dominant gender and that women should revert back to traditional ways as opposed to the progressing society we are currently fighting for.
My goal was to address the overt sexism in the ad and how ridiculous and absurd their attempt was to sell a product utilizing misogynistic slogans and to boost the ego of men. By buying this soda, this might be a way for men to feel a sense of power and like a “real” man as they might be insecure about themselves and require something to strengthen their belief they are “manly” enough. Something ridiculous like a soda should not be gender specific in the first place, or perhaps the company can try to create a captivating ad by being inclusive and without offending women.
Women in the past and still today are being oppressed and suffer from a male dominant society and this ad is only furthering the problem. Ads can be humorous and sell a product successfully, but it is unnecessary to insult half the world’s population in order to do so.
Source: http://www.thegloss.com/odds-and-ends/sexist-dr-pepper-campaign-causes-facebook-fights-mansplaining-357