Okay, true confessions: That E-Trade commercial with the two little guys in the pic is my absolute favorite. Maybe it appeals to my softer hope for A-merry-ca side. I think that's what all these advertisers are trying to do; appeal to our softer more inclusive side. Well damn it, I think it might have worked with me.
But not so fast; as with everything else in A-merry-ca, there just might be an agenda. I think those slick advertisers are just trying to appeal to my softer more inclusive side to get to my pocket book.
The following comes from AP writer,Todd Lewan:
"Ever see an inner-city schoolyard filled with white, Asian and black teens shooting hoops? Or middle-aged white and Latino men swigging beer and watching the Super Bowl on their black neighbor's couch? Or Asians and Latinos dancing the night away in a hip-hop club?
All it takes is a television.
All it takes is a television.
Yes, that mesmerizing mass purveyor of aspiration, desire and self-awareness regularly airs commercials these days that show Americans of different races and ethnicities interacting in integrated schools, country clubs, workplaces and homes, bonded by their love of the products they consume.
Think about one of Pepsi's newest spots, "Refresh Anthem," which debuted during the Super Bowl. The ad, which features Bob Dylan and hip-hop producer will.i.am, is a collage of images from the '60s and today that celebrate generations past and present.
Whites and blacks are shown returning from war, surfing, skateboarding, dancing and waving American flags at political rallies, while a boyish Dylan and a present-day will.i.am take turns singing the Dylan classic, "Forever Young," each in his signature style.
Or, take the latest hit spot from E TRADE, which stars the E TRADE Baby, a 9-month-old white boy, and his newest buddy - a black infant who, from his own highchair, agrees with the wisdom of online investing even in a down economy. Ads like these are part of a subtle, yet increasingly visible strategy that marketers refer to as "visual diversity" - commercials that enable advertisers to connect with wider audiences while conveying a message that corporate America is not just "in touch," racially speaking, but inclusive.
It wasn't always like this. For much of the past century, 'minorities were either invisible in mainstream media, or handed negative roles that generally had them in a subservient position,' says Jerome Williams, a professor of advertising and African-American studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
'Today, you're starting to see a juxtaposition of blacks and whites together, doing the things people do ... Now, advertisers are not in a position of pushing social justice. But to the extent that they can put whites and blacks together in situations, I think that's a good thing.'"
It's nice to see that corporations are in touch, but will they give a brotha a job? I mean working on the field's heart strings is one thing, but would they put the field on their pay roll or *hire (thanks e-zmun, it was late) the field's firm to to do some legal work?
Hey, give me a job, put some money in my pocket, and then I might even buy my new white friend a drink.
