Racism in TV adverts

Emp_Fab

Is it me or are TV ads trying too hard to be multicultural and in the process actually being racist ?

I see lots of ads with interracial couples but it always seems to be a white guy with a black, usually African/Afro-Caribbean woman.  Rarely it will be an Asian woman.  In any case, the number of interracial couples on adverts seems to exceed the actual proportion in real life by a significant degree.

However, even rarer, to the point that I can't recall ever seeing any of them, are couples where; both partners are black or any combination of a white woman with any other race.

It's almost as if the ad agencies are thinking "Right, we want to appear modern and with-it, so we'll have an interracial couple.  It will have to be a white bloke as white men with women of other races is acceptable.  We can't reverse that as a white woman choosing a black guy, or worse, an Asian man over a white guy is too controversial.  We can't have them both black as what's the point in doing that?  We're not going to appeal to anyone other than the black minority.  At a push, we might consider a homosexual couple but it will have to be two women.... we can't have two gay men, that's likely to alienate some viewers plus it doesn't have the sex fantasy element of two women getting jiggy with it."

Has anyone else noticed this or am I just missing all the ads that balance it all out ?

Legionreturns

I think, on the whole... You're watching too many adverts. I honestly can't remember the last time I sat through adverts

Sky+ is a thing...

Emp_Fab

Posh git.  I can't ffw through them unless I've paused the programme I'm watching. 

WezV

more to do with demographics and target markets than racism

Axe_meister

It's all the current TV series that have gone overboard with having gay couples.
Supergirl, The Green Arrow, Flash, All the Marvel Series on Netflix and Even "Once upon a time". 

richardhomer

I think it's the lack of chav scum in ads which disturbs me the most. A very under-represented demographic.... 

professorben

It's more the underrepresented boating chavs that I find most upsetting.

In the north particularly there there is a significant percentage of speedboat owning chavs, largely due to a controversial 80's Tory social mobility policy code named 'Bullseye'

EricTheWeary

Spent five minutes on google on this which suggest a) I'm wasting my life b) about one in ten couples in the U.K. are of mixed ethnicity and the trend is growing amongst younger people so I don't know how disproportionate it is and c) people complaining that these ads invariably feature black men with white women ( i.e. the opposite of what Emp says they do). 

I guess ad agencies have been accused of using stereotypes ( the good looking white couple )and so now want to play with or invert those. There are a lot of non British ads too ( things like mobile phones or cars especially) so the advertisers will have been looking for their ideal pan European couple. 

If if I take any notice of to ads it usually concerns me that the programmes I watch seem to have a demographic of people interested in either paying for their own funerals or playing Nintendo so either way I should be watching something more age appropriate. 

richardhomer

EricTheWeary said:

 the programmes I watch seem to have a demographic of people interested in either paying for their own funerals 

I think the accepted euphemism is 'meeting your final expenses'.

It would be wrong to disparage these ads - they've kept Parker pens in business....

BloodEagle

Did you think of creating this thread before or after your nightly bottle of wine?

Bridgehouse

Personally I think cartoon characters are grossly over represented in ads.

I hardly see any on the streets

Emp_Fab

BloodEagle said:

Did you think of creating this thread before or after your nightly bottle of wine?

No alcohol at... no, hang on...  I did have one can of lager left over from Sunday's barbecue with my dinner.  Either way, alcohol played no part in it.  I was just watching telly and several ads came on that featured white blokes with black women and it occurred to me that I couldnt recall ever seeing a black couple, or a 100% black family ever in an advert.

Not controversial at all.  Just having a conversation with me peeps.

CabbageCat

Axe_meister said:

It's all the current TV series that have gone overboard with having gay couples.
Supergirl, The Green Arrow, Flash, All the Marvel Series on Netflix and Even "Once upon a time". 

Yeah. And don't get me started on all the hetero couples. They seem to be everywhere!!

EricTheWeary

I've definitely seen ads with black couples or families. Interesting inasmuch as if you are trying to appeal to a broad demographic then in the UK an all white or mixed race couple probably makes more sense ( on the assumption the advertisers want you to identify with the people in the add). 
I'm fairly sure there's also a trend in ads that flick between scenarios - a few seconds each of a white family, elderly couple, Asian family,etc, sort of saying we love everybody and everybody loves us. 

Emp_Fab

Can you name a product that uses an all-black family or a white woman with a guy from a different race ?  I just haven't seen any, though I'd be happy to be proved wrong.

Drew_TNBD

It's the job of an advertiser to sell a product. They'll do it any way they can. If that means appealing to an in-group at the exclusion of an out-group, they'll do it.

Fretwired

Emp_Fab said:

Can you name a product that uses an all-black family or a white woman with a guy from a different race ?  I just haven't seen any, though I'd be happy to be proved wrong.

Oh this is too easy. John Lewis Christmas advert ...

Funkfingers

Emp_Fab

My theory is that the ad agencies or their clients are being racist by not representing interracial couples fairly.  I think that perhaps they feel that white women are sacrosanct and that portraying a white woman with a black guy would upset some viewers, or subconsciously negatively affect the image of the product by tying in with people's closet racism, and that's a risk they don't want to take in an industry that is all about image and perceptions.

I believe that a LOT of people, probably over 50%, are closet racists to some degree, most probably not even realising it.  Though perhaps the word 'racist' is too strong, when it really is about the phenomenon of suspicion and concern about other nationalities or folks who are different to you, particularly if they are moving in next door.  That's less of an overt dislike than a natural suspicion of something they've never had any experience of.  

shrinkwrap

I think you're correct. Lot of ads with dark skinned females and white guys with beards. Far fewer the other way round (white girls with beards)
Being in a mixed race marriage myself, I have noticed it.
But racist it it not, unless you're a pathetic Daily Mail whitey. Are you?

Fretwired

Emp_Fab said:

My theory is that the ad agencies or their clients are being racist by not representing interracial couples fairly.  I think that perhaps they feel that white women are sacrosanct and that portraying a white woman with a black guy would upset some viewers, or subconsciously negatively affect the image of the product by tying in with people's closet racism, and that's a risk they don't want to take in an industry that is all about image and perceptions.

Utter bollocks .. just check out adverts from the likes of DFS and the bed company and John Lewis again .. black guy married to a white woman and they have kids .. generations ..