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 Long time no see, everyone. It's been dull yet turbulent in this locked down year of 2020. A lot happened out in the world but not really over here. Thankfully my marketing studies has given me something to kill the day. The topic is on stereotypes in marketing. I gave it some thinking over, but I find that I don't have much to say. So I'll just talk brief on three points and put this out to the world. I doubt many prying eyes will see me rocking any boats.

The first matter is on whether or not it is morally right, or proper form, to apply any racial stereotypes for the purposes of advertising. It should go without saying that racial stereotyping or profiling within in advertising is No Bueno. Personally, I don't think stereotyping is in itself not too harmful as a concept, as the idea of simply categorizing a group of people (not even on a strictly racial basis) and compartmentalizing common traits within said units or cliques isn't a malicious force. It's simply a convenient means of preconceiving a notion that doesn't always quite fit the reality. For this reason, I find that when stereotyping goes into advertising, I find it most effective to stereotype by common interest and bring together several immediately distinguishable people to give the impression of a wider accepting appeal. Or something like that. It's not a precise science given how people are.

The next point is on whether or not racial stereotypes within the realm of advertising is a thing of the past. In terms of the West, I haven't really seen much one way or the other. I'm tempted to say that it is but it would be highly ignorant of me to assert such with total certainty. On a worldwide basis, racism remains plenty present away from the English speaking spheres. In China alone, there was a fairly recent ad for laundry detergent where a black man was put in the wash and emerged as a conventionally attractive Chinese man after the fact. In addition, John Boyega has a documented troubled history with doing promotional work in the Chinese market, which includes being repeatedly minimized in promotion for Star Wars materials and having work he did based on his life chucked out and ripped off. On the whole, racism in advertising goes on, not very strong but present all the same.

Lastly is on whether or not advertisers have ethical responsibility. Given that women products like razors cost more on average because a stray marketer or two found success in promoting conventional beauty standards and preying on related insecurity, which caught on and got exacerbated with time, I would have to say: duh.

This was fun to muse over. Hope to see you lovely readers again before the year is over.