;)
Tuesday
Jul312007
Perception in Advertising
Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 4:56AM
Does
this picture have racist connotations, is it an example of subtle racism or is there simply nothing wrong with it? It is an advertisement for the new Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor, which is supposed to be faster and better than anything else on the market........"40% more performance with improved energy efficiency" and "delivers unparalleled multi-tasking capabilities". The powerful new chip is exemplified by the "cloned athlete ready to go" at a moment's notice, only waiting for the command to start running. The symbolism is in fact quite appealing and conjures up images of athletic strength, speed and ability. The new chip is ready and willing to take on the competition .....and win!! Great ad and compelling imagery.......Right !?!
Not so fast...........The athlete is black, in a kneeling position, with his head down while the "commander" is white and apparently in control, ready to give the orders. Is there a deeper meaning behind this depiction, attempting to perpetuate old stereotypes of a bygone era? Does the mere mention of a possible racist connection before viewing the picture, color the perception of the beholder? In other words if there was no mention of racism would this picture be OK? Some may see nothing wrong in this ad while others would be ready to protest to Intel about their insensitivity to matters of race. What do you think?
Often our perception of the world and the things around us are influenced by how other people perceive things. We often take our cues on how to think, behave and react from observing the actions and attitudes of our peers, the people we look up to, and the so-called experts. We tend to try to see things the way they do. That is why it is so important when using advertising to promote a product, that the wrong or unintended impression is not portrayed. It would be interesting to take a poll of you, the readers of this article.
Did the words here in any way influence your perception of this ad? or did you hold to your original impression, regardless of what was written?
this picture have racist connotations, is it an example of subtle racism or is there simply nothing wrong with it? It is an advertisement for the new Intel "Core 2 Duo" processor, which is supposed to be faster and better than anything else on the market........"40% more performance with improved energy efficiency" and "delivers unparalleled multi-tasking capabilities". The powerful new chip is exemplified by the "cloned athlete ready to go" at a moment's notice, only waiting for the command to start running. The symbolism is in fact quite appealing and conjures up images of athletic strength, speed and ability. The new chip is ready and willing to take on the competition .....and win!! Great ad and compelling imagery.......Right !?! Not so fast...........The athlete is black, in a kneeling position, with his head down while the "commander" is white and apparently in control, ready to give the orders. Is there a deeper meaning behind this depiction, attempting to perpetuate old stereotypes of a bygone era? Does the mere mention of a possible racist connection before viewing the picture, color the perception of the beholder? In other words if there was no mention of racism would this picture be OK? Some may see nothing wrong in this ad while others would be ready to protest to Intel about their insensitivity to matters of race. What do you think?
Often our perception of the world and the things around us are influenced by how other people perceive things. We often take our cues on how to think, behave and react from observing the actions and attitudes of our peers, the people we look up to, and the so-called experts. We tend to try to see things the way they do. That is why it is so important when using advertising to promote a product, that the wrong or unintended impression is not portrayed. It would be interesting to take a poll of you, the readers of this article.
Did the words here in any way influence your perception of this ad? or did you hold to your original impression, regardless of what was written?
in Ads, Advertising, Intel, Our World, Psychology, Racists, Technology, news, racism, tech, world
Ads, Advertising, Intel, Our World, Psychology, Racists, Technology, news, racism, tech, world
Reader Comments (4)
The mental suggestion we are meant to conjure-- that black sprinters necessarily represent super-capable processors of information-- is indeed amusing.
http://podblanc.com
anyways the black represent power and stamina, and the boss who stands there should have been a black too;
You are so stupid. Why try and look for racism? They obviously didn't mean anything by it you bigot. This is the 21st century, not 1960's Alabama. Moron.
i think that the ad is not affending because the athelet is fit, muscular and ready to sprint so its just commenting on there progress. But it is kind of wierd that the boss is standing there like he owns them