black maled, the remix* : a report on advertising, representation and the rebranding of black men

C. Dickerson

Black Maled, the Remix*

A report on advertising, representation and the re-

branding of Black-men

C. Dickerson

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

C. Dickerson

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

C. Dickerson

Black Men: The Stereotypes

• Historical Representations of African-American men rely on several primary stereotypes:

• Hyper masculine• Brutish• Sexually deviant• Natural Athletes• Buffoonish/Cool

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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

C. Dickerson

The RemixSean Combs & CÎROC Vodka

•Sophisticated

•Representative of growing Black middle class and young professionals

•Still draws on celebrity and advertises alcoholic product.

C. Dickerson

The RemixAllstate: “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

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Old Spice: “Smell like a man” Campaign

The perfect man! Rich, smart, attractive, well-spoken, charismatic…

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Questions? C. Dickerson

Done.