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Mixed race couples on tv ads **Mod Warning in Post #556**

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,562 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    Put like that the over representation of Black and Mixed seems startling. But put another way, it is less so. Blacks make up 3.3% of the population, and they are represented in 5.65% of all advertising measured. Mixed is 2.2%, 3.86%. Hardly anything like every second ad. But it is from 2014 and things would probably be different now.

    It is a commercial decision both ways. They think they can sell more of a product by doing that, you can boycott the products if you find the advertising offensive. It is not something that bothers me in the slightest.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,645 ✭✭✭Hamachi


    That’s quite presumptuous of you to declare that the ‘average’ interracial couple is comprised of a white and a black partner.

    I live in a very diverse part of West Dublin and am aware of three mixed race couples in the area. Just one of them involves a white partner. The first couple is a Chinese woman and an African man, the second is a woman from the Indian sub-continent or possibly Mauritius and an African man. The third is a Lithuanian father and an East Asian mother, possibly Chinese.

    All of these combinations need to reflected and represented in advertising targeted at middle Ireland too.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,645 ✭✭✭Hamachi


    That is a splendid idea. Like I said earlier, it would create opportunities for ethnic minorities to establish a foothold in the notoriously incestuous world of Irish media.

    I’m sure Sorcha Pollak will be only too happy to do the honorable thing and step aside.



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Great suggestions. We need more of these types of people to put up or shut up. She needs to check her privilege and use her platform to amplify the voices of less privileged marginalised people. That's California liberalspeak for "gib me free stuff".



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,778 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    So just to be clear, having a job in a newspaper translates to "gib me free stuff". Does this apply to all jobs, or all journalists, or just the ones who write stuff that raise your personal hackles.

    I'm not sure if you get how journalism works. It is a profession or trade, based around writing skills. People talk to journalists, and journalists write articles. Maybe we should do away with all journalists and get people to write their own stories? I think that's called 'Facebook' for those who want it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,778 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    The only hysteria I see is those who keep describing a corporate rebranding to improve profitability as 'Uncle Ben cancelled'.



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    You evidently don't know what hysteria is then if that's the only hysteria you see. Weary irritability is not hysteria. You won't find any posters in this thread engaging in street protests against "racism", vandalising statues or looting shops.


    Uncle Ben wasn't a vanilla corporate rebranding. It was a knee-jerk reaction to the ACTUAL hysteria that swept the English-speaking media after George Floyd in 2020. I believe there was a brand of syrup called Aunt Jemima's that was similarly cancelled.


    Hell, I even remember seeing some article at the time saying Coco Pops cereal was racist as well.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,495 ✭✭✭Arthur Daley




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,778 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    I don't recall too many street protests or vandalising statutes or looting of shops involved in the cancelling rebranding of Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima or any other relatives, so that's a slight overreach there. Uncle Ben LITERALLY was a rebranding. The product was rebranded. It is still available, under a different brand. It was rebranded, not cancelled, regardless of how many times you want to play the victim card. They made commercial decisions to rebrand, as corporates do all the time.

    You seem mightily offended (or wearily irritated perhaps) about the reasons for the rebranding - the decision to listen to their customer base and move with the times. Should they just have listened to their middle-aged white customers instead?



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,814 ✭✭✭Real Donald Trump


    Noticed a lot of this myself recently, 4/6 ads have a black person in it, even though they make up a very small number in the total population. Never much Asians in them though, for some strange reason.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,773 ✭✭✭DeadHand


    If your only exposure to Ireland was advertisements, you'd be forgiven for thinking the country was 70% black.



  • Registered Users Posts: 828 ✭✭✭Juran


    Some adverts are made for the company, and not regional eg. Proctor & Gamble (tampax, oral-b), Unilever (Dove, Radox, Persil), roll out the same advert in US and Europe, with only the voices differ (british english, or french, german, etc).

    If you are in India or SE Asia you see similar adverts with local people, rather than the US/Europe version.

    But I do agree with previous posters, adverts for Irish companies (BOI, AIB, Vodafone ireland, local insurance companies, Milk, Butter, etc) do almost all have mixed race couples.

    Is it to look PC, or are the advertising companies following the formats set by US, UK and some european advertising companies?

    We holiday a lot in France, and have noticed the same for french adverts the past 3 or 4 years. French Adverts for peas, yogurts, shampoos, car tyres, etc. Have only coloured families or mixed race. We both said last October when watching tv at night, we didnt see one advert with a white family all week.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,898 ✭✭✭✭Geuze


    It's pandering to the woke agenda.

    It's partly based on fear, feel they must "look good".



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 305 ✭✭89897




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,847 ✭✭✭RobbieTheRobber


    Apparently the woke agenda today is privately owned companies putting mixed race couples in their advertisements.

    What has the world come to.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭tesla_newbie




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,386 ✭✭✭✭Strazdas


    No, it's pandering to their actual customers. Ageing racists and bigots are a much smaller demographic and often not likely to even buy anything off these companies, so their opinion on this is irrelevant.

    I've studied marketing, digital marketing and market research and demand for this type of inclusive advertising frequently comes from their own customers (companies and brands know this through polling, surveys, focus groups etc).



  • Registered Users Posts: 402 ✭✭cal naughton


    Why is there no members of the traveling community in ad's ?

    Not very inclusive to exclude them. They are also actual customers.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    How would you tell if there are or aren't travellers in ads?



  • Registered Users Posts: 402 ✭✭cal naughton


    For a start they could get members we are all aware off. Martin beanz word, John Connors and Eileen Flynn.

    Good idea don't you think?



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  • Registered Users Posts: 280 ✭✭Arthur Pants
    Overlord




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,386 ✭✭✭✭Strazdas


    I would agree on that 100%. You could definitely argue that certain minorities are over represented in the quest for diversity, whilst others are seriously under represented.

    This can apply to all types of minorities too - not that often you see disabled people in adverts for example or any representation of people on the autism spectrum or with special needs.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH




  • Posts: 0 ✭✭ Daniella Rancid Gent


    I've noticed this alot with advertising and marketing in Ireland and it it's me but I understand why companies jump on the band wagon.

    It's odd that the recruiting for the advertisements are racially motivated.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    It's not "racially" motivated. It's REVENUE motivated. Companies want to appeal to as broad a demographic as possible so they can hock their wares to more people.

    It's pretty much the same schtick that's been going on since Bernays convinced women that smoking was a sign of "independence" and "freedom" and encouraged ad companies to include women in their adverts so they could sell more of their crap to them.

    Post edited by Boards.ie: Mike on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,321 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    Surely if they wanted to appeal to more buyers, they'd have more Asian, Polish, Indian, Ukrainian folk in Irish adverts?

    There is more Chinese in Ireland than black people.

    Over twice as many Polish. Same for Ukrainians.

    If it's positive discrimination, all races should be included.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    Maybe there's more Asians and Indians on the way? And the people losing their shit about a few blacks on their tele can have a further meltdown.

    Again though, how would one know if there aren't already Polish or Uranian folk in adverts? Not everyone in an advert has a speaking role. In fact, the vast majority of people in adverts don't have speaking roles. You can't tell if someone is Polish, Ukrainian, or a traveller if they just show up on an ad and don't open their mouth.



  • Registered Users Posts: 123 ✭✭Tavrin Callas


    I'm surprised that people even watch ads close enough to notice something like that. I can't remember the last time I actually sat through an ad, and that's not because I don't watch terrestrial TV. I do. But when the ads come on, I flick channels, or check my phone, or pause and go to the loo and then fast forward back to the programme, or whatever. The few glimpses I get are hardly enough to even register what the ad is for, never mind the ethnicity of those who appear.

    And even if I did notice, I wouldn't care. This is a gigantic non-issue.



  • Registered Users Posts: 123 ✭✭Tavrin Callas


    any representation of people on the autism spectrum

    How exactly would you expect to spot an autistic person in an ad??



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,812 ✭✭✭✭padd b1975


    Or a few of the lads from the call out videos.

    Plenty front of camera experience too.



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  • Posts: 0 ✭✭ Daniella Rancid Gent


    Of course its racially motivated. These actors in these adverts are solely hired based on their skin colour.

    It would be some coincidence that actors of different skin colours are appearing in most ads now only due to their acting skills.

    Funny enough I would say that in my areas the largest ethnicity is Asian but I don't see them in Irish adverts. Funny that.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    Sigh...

    So you just didn't understand what I said then.

    Post edited by Boards.ie: Mike on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,599 ✭✭✭newmember2


    I can't remember the last time I actually sat through an ad, and that's not because I don't watch terrestrial TV. I do. But when the ads come on, I flick channels, or check my phone, or pause and go to the loo and then fast forward back to the programme, or whatever. The few glimpses I get are hardly enough to even register what the ad is for, never mind the ethnicity of those who appear.

    Cool story an' all, but if you don't watch the ads then that's your contribution to the topic?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,398 ✭✭✭Jaffa3000


    I fail to see how it is revenue motivated when the way to do that would be to exclusively hire white Irish people. Plus as others have said, its never Asian people in these ads



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    Yep. You certainly do fail to see it.

    Look, Ireland's demographics are changing, whether you like it or not. So ad companies will want to target those demographics in an effort to expand their market and accrue more revenue from possible sales. Whether this will work or not is still up in the air as there's no data to show that it has or hasn't worked.

    But that's what ad companies have been doing since marketing began.

    Again, look up Bernays in the early part of the 20th century and you'll get a good idea of where the modern ad campaign originated from and why certain people are gathered within certain ads for products.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,398 ✭✭✭Jaffa3000


    Well over 90% of people in Ireland are white and there are more Asians than black people. You’re totally ignoring reality.

    We can quite accurately say this strategy doesn’t work, based off other recent media productions such as Rings of Power and Bud Light (and many more).



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    Irish companies ALREADY sell the majority of their goods to white Irish people. They want to expand beyond that.

    This isn't hard to understand.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,496 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    No, it's pandering to their actual customers. Ageing racists and bigots are a much smaller demographic and often not likely to even buy anything off these companies, so their opinion on this is irrelevant.

    But are their customers really mixed race couples/families, ?

    And what I mean by mixed race is that one of the couple/parents is white, the other black.

    There are lots of different ethnic groups in Ireland at this stage, but in reality there is very little mixing of those groups.

    In everyday life I see black families/couples, white families/couples, Asian families/couples, Indian families/couples but I rearly see a mix of any of them.

    So if the ad agencies were actually pandering to their customers then they would show single race families rather than mixed ones.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,398 ✭✭✭Jaffa3000


    Your proposition before was that having highly disproportionate amount of black people in ads means selling more products to black people. But now you are saying the converse isn't true (that having less white people means selling less to white people). Which is it?



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  • Posts: 693 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Sick to death of this!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,822 ✭✭✭✭Tony EH


    Fuck me. Really?

    Go away. It's too late for this fucking nonsense.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 461 ✭✭jface187


    All PR campaigns are carefully orchestrated to push an agenda.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,645 ✭✭✭Hamachi


    That’s the every day reality, even in the most multicultural parts of Dublin. Having said that, advertising and the media in general has never been reflective of reality.

    A particular poster has a somewhat unhealthy fixation on race and ethnicity, particularly as it pertains to anybody who is non-white in this country. It’s borderline creepy at this stage.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,847 ✭✭✭RobbieTheRobber


    You fail to see how privately owned companies are motivated primarily by profits?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,847 ✭✭✭RobbieTheRobber




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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,303 ✭✭✭daithi7


    Yup, for me what's annoying about this is that imho it is a deliberate misrepresentation of modern Irish life & families to appeal to a woke trend to try to sell more product via a make believe way of life.

    Why this is a bit pernicious imho is that TV adverts are both trend setters and trend exploiters. The slick marketing & productions sell more than a product, they sell a way of life. (A totally Candy flossed one to try to look just so dandy) So if enough TV adverts consistently positively discriminate to show mixed race families as the norm in Ireland, when it isn't in reality, this nudges the trend that way (say for kids, teenagers, & those who are more impressionable). It also becomes a trend in itself, so if you want your ad to look modern & with it, then it must include mixed races even in the oddest, most unlikely scenarios.

    Personally, I resent adverts & marketing companies pushing an unrealistic multiracial family stereo type to my impressionable relatives & those I care about, just as much as I would resent a racist all white image of modern family or society say being continously pushed on them by any other media outlet.

    Imho, family life depicted in ads for families in Ireland should roughly reflect current family race & ethnicities, and not be pushing any agenda one way or another.

    For me, that's what I don't like about it tbh.



    P.s. positive discrimination is discrimination , and I don't like discrimination.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,778 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    Based on your logic, car adverts in Ireland should show people stuck on the M50 for hours, snapping at their missus and threatening the kids with violence.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,303 ✭✭✭daithi7




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,847 ✭✭✭RobbieTheRobber




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,846 ✭✭✭✭Peregrinus


    "A deliberate misrepresentation of life & families" and "trying to sell more product via a make believe way of life" is basically the whole of advertising, Daithi.

    All we've established is that the make-believe offered by these particular ads doesn't appeal to you. But all that means is that you are not their target market (or, if you are, the ad is poorly targeted). Nothing more sinister than that.

    What is slightly more worrying is that you may not realise that all the other ads you see, that don't resent, are just as much using misrepresentation to sell make-believe. If you don't understand this, you're very vulnerable to exploitation. That's the real issue of concern here.



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