STEREOTYPICAL AND CONTROVERSIAL CAMPAIGNS IN LEBANON
We stand in an era of mass production and selling. With more technological advances and studies being conducted on people of different societies and cultures, marketers’ jobs have become more complex than ever. Marketing for products and services nowadays is part of the cause of globalization; and the effects of brands’ and companies’ advertisement campaigns are starting to create chaos. People of various genders and ages are being psychologically affected by the harsh messages advertisements are portraying; thus, changing society’s norms of values and morals. In this essay, we are going to take a look at three different advertisement campaigns throughout different years, respectively 2007/2010/2013, to analyze the elements used by marketers that are constantly creating new images holding chaotic messages.
The image (1) chosen to be criticized and studied is an advertisement campaign for one of the biggest fashion houses worldwide, “DOLCE & GABBANA” (since 1985). The IAP banned the advertisement in 2007. D&G’s images went viral on social platforms being criticized as simulating “gang bang” or “gang rape”. Supposedly, woman’s heels were being promoted in this ad, and they are neglected as oppose to everything else that screams “objectify woman”. It is unfortunate to say that the message behind the image empowers a common dominant discourse, which could be defined as, “it’s a man’s world”. This idea of a reality is created by fashion industries (and others) by the objectification of women and more specifically their bodies. To begin, the woman is outnumbered and dazed. As if it were a norm to be shared or passed on through men. The look on her face is as if her mind was elsewhere, absent of what her surrounding is and knowing she has no say in the acceptance or refusal of the situation. Moreover, the men are fully covered, dressed in formal suits. Making them appear very successful, sophisticated and most importantly respectful. Whereas, the women’s body unveils a generous area of bare skin, uncovered by any sorts of material. Making her appear as a sexualized object, degraded in the eyes of the men around her and helpless. To add to this, the advertisement campaign was aimed to masses by attracting them with the image of a “sexual game” or a sort of “fantasy”. A fantasy to whom? Women wanting to be degraded disrespected and subjected by men? Or men wanting to dominate and disregard women of their choice? When women of societies will look at this image, unconsciously they will internalize it to becoming part of their identity. Women all over the world follow fashion icons, models, and representations yet don’t realize that their unconscious behavior and perspective of gender roles and power limits are suddenly under pornographic media’s hegemony. Women are left with the idea that being sexualized and degraded by men will make them as beautiful and as worthy as those up on the billboards. D&G released another advertisement campaign after this one where the women this time are watching over undressed men who are bent over in order to cover themselves out of humility. People thus criticized the advertisement as controlling men’s mind in “excessive bodybuilding” and “reverse anorexia”. Where does this place women? Creating that campaign after women being represented to masses as sexual toys doesn’t make it just or equal for them, and definitely does not bring back the respect and worth stripped away.
On another hand, we have the billboard advertisement created by the Lebanese brand company Cable Vision TV Cable (image 2), dated back to August 2010. It is an advertisement for a package promotion, where the slogan reads “Buy two for 15$”. First of all, we can start off by saying that the advertisement is represented by an Arab looking woman, meaning she has Middle Eastern features such as dark skin and dark eyes, to appeal more to the Lebanese population. The background is a very dull dark grey color, making it neutral and insignificant to the viewer in order to draw their attention towards the woman. Specifically, her skin and chest. Simply, because the key light used is directly aimed at her chest, collar bone/shoulders and breasts. This area chosen to be lit on the woman’s body is a highly sexualized body portion. Also, her face is slightly tilted down looking directly at the camera, with an open mouth, suggesting an air of seduction. Her shirt is unbuttoned till the midst of her torso, showing a generous amount of cleavage. The cable channels that the brand offers on TV are stamped onto that unrevealed breast portion. Several brands are shown such as OSN, E!news, MTV, Star, EuroSport, MBC, and Al Jazeera ect., all sorts of brand channels that adults might like. But cable Vision even crossed the line by adding the logo for the children’s television channel Disney Channel literally on her breast, when a child sees the logo they will be directly attracted to the add, and the fact that it is on her breast is sexualizing children at an even younger age than they are supposed to be exposed to these ideas, they will thus internalize this idea is even younger. CableVision could have put that logo on her shoulder for all I know. The brand company is using the female body to sell their cable satellite offerings through her seduction. To add to that fact, Cable Vision’s chosen slogan is “two for 15$”, put next to this young woman using her breasts to display the TV channels, it is as if CableVision is insinuating the sale of breasts for 15$. It is very cheap and disappointing to have Lebanon, especially one of the most known satellite companies, to have the brilliant idea of selling breasts that represent subscriptions for household families, including children.
Lastly, the third advertisement I have chosen is the billboard ad by Lebanese bank Société Générale de Banque au Liban, SGBL, (image 3) in 2013. The advertisements of this bank are usually very inspirational and relaxing. In this advertisement for the celebration of their 60-year mark, with the slogan “we stand by you” through 60 years of financing, the TV personality Marcel Ghanem is represented. He is a journalist and the host of the political talk show called “kalam el-nas”, meaning “the words of the people”, the Lebanese community. They used him because he is looked up by the local community and trusted by his opinions and “kalam”, words. The slogan “excellence is an attitude” is proved by Ghaenm’s presence, he is the face of excellence. Excellence is a rich man who wears a suit, a nice watch and big smile. Men in suits are constantly represented to the public’s eye as success, respectful and the right route to take. Having a local bank send this message to the public is pushing forward this world-wide dominant discourse of the position men are asked to take in societies: men in regular cloths are below those in suits, men with mediocre watches are the nobodys, they are the ones who did not succeed. This idea embedded within young men’s minds is constantly being poked at by corporations and big banks. If you give us your money, we will stand by you such as how we have been doing for the past 60 years, and we will promise you success, you will become the man in the suit who owns that nice car and a nice watch, most importantly you will be happy.
In conclusion, men and women shown together in ads are represented as men owning women’s bodies, with women having the lack of awareness of being dominated. Second of all, women’s bodies and sexuality are used in ads to sell products to adults and children, embedding these norms into younger generation’s minds to make them lifelong consumers of the brand. And lastly, men are portrayed in ads as being happy and sophosticated in life only if they fit the “suit profile”.
Image #3: Lebanese bank Société Générale de Banque au Liban, or SGBL. Slogan: “Excellence is an attitude”, “we stand by you”.
Sources:
Battah H., (2013). “finance, on promoting Lebanese banks”, Beirut Report.
Duncan A., (2015). “Dolce & Gabbana in hot water again after ‘gang rape’ advert resurfaces just days after IVF furor”, in Metro Entertainment UK.
Lahoud I., (2010). “on sale, an advertising industry…”, ilahoud wordpress.
Maynak2194 9, (2015). “Dolce and Gabbana’s use of controversial and stereotypical advertisements to appeal to the masses”, in The Silver Screen reality & other things.
