Representations of Race in Television Commercials: A Content Analysis of Prime-Time Advertising

Mastro, Dana; Stern, Susannah R.

doi:10.1207/s15506878jobem4704_9

Cited by 143 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This is in keeping with the findings of Henderson and Baldasty (2003) and Mastro and Stern (2003) in the US. Since household products were primarily cleaning products, and personal products related mainly to hygiene, the strong historical association between Whiteness, cleanliness and hygiene appears to be reinforced within this sample (Dyer, 1997).…”

Section: Comparative Analysis Of White Versus Non-white Women and Mensupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Summarising the existing research, African American characters tend to be most visible in advertisements for low-cost, low-nutrition foodstuffs (Henderson & Baldasty, 2003;Li-Vollmer, 2002, US;Mastro & Stern, 2003), cheap clothing, alcohol, entertainment products, sporting equipment, and athletic apparel (Bramlett-Solomon & Roeder, 2008). Henderson and Baldasty (2003) suggest such associations potentially affirm stereotypes of African Americans as less responsible, less focused on good nutrition, and less home-focused.…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Bramlett-Solomon & Roeder, 2008, US). While Māori/Pasifika peoples were more visible than indigenous groups in other countries (Higgs & Milner, 2005, Australia;Mastro & Stern, 2003, US) the nature of their representation remains problematic. Scott (1990) has observed the tendency for well-known Māori/Pasifika actors and entertainers to feature predominantly in local advertisements for DIY/hardware products, a category in which this group was indeed over-represented.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In terms of the international research, US research suggests Asian-Americans are significantly more likely than other ethnicities to be cast in minor non-speaking roles rather than as product representatives, and most often feature in the background as anonymous minority faces in a crowd (Coltrane & Messineo, 2000;Mastro & Stern 2003, 2006Taylor & Stern, 1997). This general pattern has also been identified in relation to depictions of Asians in Australian television (Higgs & Milner, 1995).…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Wilson and Gutierrez (1995) note historically prevalent depictions in the US of Asian men as business men or martial artists, and Asian women as seductive china dolls or geishas. But as Cohen (1992) notes, Asians are now more often regarded in the US as the "model minority" (as cited in Taylor & Stern, 1997), and this is reflected within advertising via positive stereotypes of Asian-Americans as intelligent, disciplined and hardworking over-achievers, as having scientific, mathematical and technological aptitude, and as affluent, educated, professionals (BramlettSolomon & Roeder, 2008;Mastro & Stern, 2003;Taylor & Stern, 1997). Also of note is that Asian-American women remain less visible than Asian men, and, unlike White women, are less often shown as sex objects (Coltrane & Messineo, 2000) or at home (Taylor & Stern, 1997).…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Co-Constructions of Gender and Ethnicity in New Zealand Television Advertising

Michelle

2011

Sex Roles

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This paper reports key findings from a content analysis of gender and ethnic depictions in a sample of 2,120 New Zealand prime-time television advertisements screened in 2006. The study explored the following questions: With what product categories are male and female White, Māori/Pasifika and Asian characters most commonly associated? What are the most common occupational roles of male and female White, Māori/Pasifika and Asian characters? The results reveal highly stereotypical depictions of women and men within each ethnic category. White men dominated advertisements for foodstuffs, telecommunications and financial/corporate/legal services and were over-represented as professionals/white collar workers, while White women were over-represented in advertisements for household products, personal products, and medical products and featured predominantly as homemakers. Māori/Pasifika men were overrepresented as athletes and service and sales workers. Non-White women featured prominently within multi-ethnic groups in advertisements for personal grooming products and most frequently featured as glamour models, while non-White men were over-represented as blue collar workers. Largely absent were Māori/Pasifika women and Asians of both genders, potentially exacerbating the multiple axes of subordination encountered by these groups in the New Zealand context.

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Section: Comparative Analysis Of White Versus Non-white Women and Mensupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Co-Constructions of Gender and Ethnicity in New Zealand Television Advertising

Michelle

2011

Sex Roles

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Media and Group Representations

Mastro¹

2010

The International Encyclopedia of Communication

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Research examining the influence of media exposure on audience members has long revealed that both the frequency and the nature of messages play a role in determining the outcomes of exposure. Consequently, documenting the manner in which different groups are represented in the media (alongside the rate of these depictions) is critical to understanding the possible implications for consumers, as exposure may be associated with the formation and application of group‐based cognitions (→ Attitudes, Values, and Beliefs, Media Effects on; Media and Perceptions of Reality).

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Why do I identify with thee? Let me count three ways: How ad context influences race‐based character identification

Brumbaugh

2009

Psychology and Marketing

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Three quasi-experimental studies with nonstudent samples reveal that one's ability to identify with a character shown in an ad based on shared race depends on the construction of the ad and the context in which characters are depicted. Results show that race-based identification overshadows both gender-and role-based identification for a racially targeted ad for distinctive black subjects but occurs for both black and white subjects for a culturally ambiguous ad. Further, results show that race-based character identification is absent when black and white characters are depicted in a mainstream inclusive ad and that dominant cultural norms predominate. Theoretical and managerial implications regarding the contextuality of race-based identification, processing of source cues, and construction of ads in a pluralistic society are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Consider the results of an in-class discussion among a diverse mix of evening part-time MBA students in a Consumer Behavior elective. Throughout the lecture, the instructor showed a variety of ads that differed in content, format, and type, to illustrate different concepts. At one point, students were asked to consider Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 26 (11) an ad depicting a black man and boy, presumably father and son. Students were asked to raise their hands if the ad resonated with them and to share why. Black and white students in their 30s or older raised their hands. So, too, did younger black students in their early 20s, both African Americans and foreign nationals. Only younger white students failed to raise their hands.In the discussion that ensued, it became clear that the ad resonated with the older students (black and white) because they had the role of parent in common with the adult character depicted, not shared race (even if applicable). In contrast, the younger black students identified with both characters based on shared race (not role), a more relevant source of identification for these participants who did not yet have children. In this unscientific inquiry, younger white students perceived no basis for identification, including shared gender with the males shown, which seemed to have no effect on the remaining men in the class.In research exploring racial identification and similarity, researchers have presumed a priori that a match in race between a viewer and ad characters will lead to similarity and identification effects based on race, irrespective of other possible bases of similarity and identification that may be more relevant (Whittler & DiMeo, 1991;Williams & Qualls, 1989). The previous example shows that this may not be a valid presumption. Further, what happens when a character in an ad is similar in race, but different in gender or role? Will a black male viewer find an ad with a white male character or an ad with a black female character more appealing? Will a working mother be more likely to identify with a stay-at-home mom of the same race or a working mother of a different race? In an increasingly diverse m...

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Representations of Race in Television Commercials: A Content Analysis of Prime-Time Advertising

Cited by 143 publications

References 17 publications

Co-Constructions of Gender and Ethnicity in New Zealand Television Advertising

Co-Constructions of Gender and Ethnicity in New Zealand Television Advertising

Media and Group Representations

Why do I identify with thee? Let me count three ways: How ad context influences race‐based character identification

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