Black Maled, the Remix* : A Report on Advertising, Representation and the Rebranding of Black men.
1. Black Maled, the Remix*
A report on advertising,
representation and the re-branding
of Black-men
2. The Present Study
• This study will focus on current trends of
commercial advertisement, paying special
attention to :
•Portrayal of African-American
men
•Stereotyping
•Remixing*, or unconventional
representations
3. Background
• African-Americans represent 12.3% of the country and
have buying power of an estimated $913 billion (rising
to 1.3 trillion by 2013; 9% of the nations buying power)
• However, not explicitly advertised to or considered a
separate segment
• Studies show that African Americans are
underrepresented in and across product
advertisements. Most often featured as athletes or
entertainers and in shoe/fashion apparel
advertisements. Lack association with high-value
products. (Bailey, 2006).
• Increased Inclusion ≠ fair representation
4. Black Men: The Stereotypes
• Historical Representations of African-
American men rely on several primary
stereotypes:
• Hyper masculine
• Brutish
• Sexually deviant
• Natural Athletes
• Buffoonish/Cool
5. remix (rē'mĭks') : n., tr.v., from music; an
alternative master recording of
a song made from an original
version. Minor or substantial
changes may be made to the
dynamics of the original for
varied reason in order achieve a
variety of effects, to include: 1
artistic purposes; 2 to alter a
song to suit a specific genre or
format; 3 to improve the fidelity of
an older song for which the
master recording has been lost
or degraded
6. The Remix
Sean Combs & CÎROC
Vodka
•Sophisticated
•Representative of
growing Black
middle class and
young professionals
•Still draws on
celebrity and
advertises alcoholic
product.
7. The Remix
Allstate: “Are you in good hands?”
•Rather than a violent
threat to family and
tradition, is the protector
•Serious appeals to
universal notions of family
and safety
•Interesting use of celebrity.
Not athlete or singer.
• Connection to politics
8. Old Spice: “Smell like a man”
Campaign
The perfect man! Rich, smart, attractive, well-spoken,
charismatic…
-adweek poll suggests that in post Obama era, most AF AM don’t believe that their lot has improved or that race is no longer an issue.-, according to 2008 data from the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. -The study, called Black America Today, was the largest of its kind. It surveyed 3,400 African-Americans and identified 11 different consumer segments, ranging from "digital networkers" to "broadcast blacks," each group with its own diverse preferences and needs. Digital networkers tend to be in their 20s and are heavy users of social-networking sites, whereas broadcast blacks are significantly less tech-savvy and rely more on TV and radio. -Black consumers have been underrepresented and negatively portrayed in print media (Larson, 2004). Over the past seven decades, they have been portrayed in the media as unintelligent and lowly servants, entertainers, and athletes (Saffer, 1998). Black male consumers, in particular, are shown as hypersexual, money-hungry, and non-intellectual subjects (Hooks, 2004). Black models appearing in more socially desirable roles did not appear until the late 1900s (Beard, 2008; Seiter & Gass, 2004).
Ciroc has been on market since 2003, but sales increased over 300% since Sean Combs became official spokes person he’s a hip-hop star but the campaign doesn’t draw on that, it’s about a truly luxurious lifestyleNothing ‘distinctly Black’ about it besides the charactersRemixing the coon
-Features actor DennisHaysbert- Remixing the Uncle Tom stereotype
Represents a step in the right direction Here we have the perfect man, the man you wish your man was and he just happens to be Black Inclusive, but does not really on essential BlacknessOne of the most successful viral campaigns ever! For a time held top 8 of top 12 viewing spots on YoutubeRemixing the Black bruteSales have increased moderately, but what’s more important is that this campaign has gotten mind share. It’s changed the way the consumers view the product and subsequently on an implicit level, how they may think about black males.