Racist Stereotypes in Advertising

Black Herbal Toothpaste AD

 

 

 

I was shocked when I saw this advertising at first. I never understood why the advertiser made the ad like this. In the ad, a tiny girl was crying because she missed a balloon. The balloon stuck on a utility pole. A black man who saw crying girl climbed the pole and found the balloon for her. At the moment the man was about to give it back to her, her mother brought her, looking scornfully at the man. The man went back to his home with the balloon. In his room, there were already so many balloons which seem to be abandoned like today. The man lies in bed weakly. Then, the fact that the bed is a toothbrush reveals and he changes into black toothpaste. It was black herbal toothpaste advertising!

According to the advertiser, this advertising means that toothpaste is usually white but new black toothpaste can keep white teeth regardless of a color. That is, whites who represent white teeth and blacks who represent the black toothpaste which have good effect and pure mind should co-exist. I could understand the purpose of this ad a little until I noticed that advertiser didn’t have a bad meaning like what I thought. However, I still think that this idea is racial discrimination in itself because this ad basically includes the meaning that white is good and black is bad. This ad separates people into blacks and whites. It tries to deliver the meaning that although the toothpaste is black, it is good.   

As time goes by, racial discrimination is decreasing but it still exists. I think the difference between the past and present is people’s attitude or reaction toward it. For example, there were so many ads which include racial discrimination in the past but nobody blames or minds it. On the other hand, people are sensitive about it these days. I think it means public awareness of it is changing in a positive way.  

I think advertisers have ethical responsibilities although the government can’t force them to have ethical responsibilities legally. Advertisers always try to show their advertising many people to promote their products. Accordingly, many people must be influenced by the ad. For example, if an ad has connotation that something is good although it might be not, people are likely to think that it is good without realizing it because the ad makes only good image about the something. Like this, advertising have a power to make people trust it and even to persuade them. I think power entails responsibility as much. That’s why advertisers have ethical responsibilities.