To be annoyed at McCains advert

[Shouldputcheeseonit]

Not just McCains doing it but theirs is particularly annoying. Companies now are really going for the adverts with mixed race families, L and G families (have any tried BT or Q?), and families with someone with a disability. I am an outspoken ambassador for inclusion and equality (and proud to say my family contains some of these elements) but I feel annoyed at how these companies are using this to advertise and make money. Car adverts, supermarkets, all sorts. It’s only this year they’ve started, it’s like they are using BLM and other areas of heightened awareness for their own gains, and it bothers me.
Rant over. Anyone else noticed?

Bloody hell, adverts showing a wide range of human beings with different skin colours, sexualities, abilities etc is WRONG?

I find it hard to believe the OP is an outspoken ambassador for inclusion and equality.

To those questioning board rooms and actual BAME corporate culture. This article is an excellent read: www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-black-lives-matter-brands/

The bit on Nike, what they say versus what they actually do is particularly rage inducing.

'We make change by enacting it within our organisations and therefore becoming the exemplars for others. If you care about black lives, you don’t get inspired by an Instagram post. You get inspired by black faces in the boardroom. Companies need to become the change they are tweeting about. Walk the walk before you tweet the tweet. Though that second step really isn’t necessary.

But Adidas cannot do that. Once again, its leadership team is just as white-bread as Nike despite also being in a predominantly, or certainly significantly, African American-influenced business. Its own executive board looks like it has just come in from a fun day of golf at an exclusive Scandinavian country club.'

How the feck would anyone know whether someone in an advert was B or Q? I'm bisexual, but I'm happily married to a man and feel no need to broadcast my sexuality, it's not like people look at us and go "ah, a bi family"
Same with Q - no need to be discussing sexual kinks on the telly whilst advertising chips.

@HeIsAVeryBadBoy

I think a lot of it is bandwagon jumping (I work in marketing and there's a lot of 'buzz' around inclusivity at the mo).

If these companies really cared, they'd fill their board rooms with BAME, LGBT and people with disabilities. But they don't. That's why it annoys me. It's like a minimum effort thing to get social media likes.

YES

I get what the OP is saying.
Companies are doing it, not due to a genuine desire to represent diversity, but to make money, and it is not reflected in the actual company's policies.

Hi there,
We're just posting to hopefully cut down on confusion in what is an interesting discussion.
For those just coming to the thread, further posts have made it clear that the OP is referring to the practice of tokenism. As ever, we would suggest giving the thread a read before responding.

@Alez

I think it's great to show diversity on ads. My gripe with it is that the mixed race families are always a white dad and black mum (actually usually looks mixed too, but obviously I don't know the details of the actresses ethnicity). It's like that's the only acceptable version of mixed, which should obviously not be the case.

I heard this a while ago, that if you look at ads, they way they do diversity is veyr specific.

White dad, black mum, always mixed race, rarely whole black family.
Very few Asian etc families, and if there are, again, mixed race.

At the time (a couple of years ago) they were right, and we used to play diversity bingo with ads.

But actually since then I think it has changed. There are some great ads out there.
I loved the maltesers ads with disabled people, mainlybecause the humour and the story were the point, the actors just happended to be disabled.
And now, in terms of race, there is definitely a better mix.

My dd is 15 and gay, and she really really loves any ad with a gay couple in. She really does do the - look at the TV and think there is someone like me- thing.

an interestingly, in children's fiction, it is the other way round.

I have mixed race nieces and it was extrememly difficult to find a mixed race family in a book. And further, most of the books with black families in, they tended to be quite heavily based around the families culture, either in the storyline or the pictures.

@Shouldputcheeseonit

Not just McCains doing it but theirs is particularly annoying. Companies now are really going for the adverts with mixed race families, L and G families (have any tried BT or Q?), and families with someone with a disability. I am an outspoken ambassador for inclusion and equality (and proud to say my family contains some of these elements) but I feel annoyed at how these companies are using this to advertise and make money. Car adverts, supermarkets, all sorts. It’s only this year they’ve started, it’s like they are using BLM and other areas of heightened awareness for their own gains, and it bothers me. Rant over. Anyone else noticed?

You are not seeing the point. It’s about representation. There’s a great explanation of the power of representation here.

medium.com/@Gesilayefa/on-representation-fdf61fd11eef

Your rant smacks of “I’m not racist BUT...” type rants.

Yes, these companies are making these advertising choices because they think it will be good for their profit. That's true.

But it is also true that is helps everyone to see themselves reflected on screen in a variety of different ways. For too long, representations of different aspects of socety have been pinned into very specific boxes and often at the expense of including them in a happy, successful, loving family scene. I am really enjoying seeing the wider interpretations of family on the screens, regardless of the cynicism behind it.

Was just thinking they’re only doing it because they think they’ll look good and sell more chips/cars/whatever

Yes. That's called advertising. It's literally the point. Companies try to sell their shit.

WTF did you think adverts were for?

I take pp point about the boardroom but a child looking at the TV knows nothing about that. They just appreciate seeing someone like them.

*Yes. That's called advertising. It's literally the point. Companies try to sell their shit.

WTF did you think adverts were for?*
This is absolutely true.

You’re criticising companies for finally being broadly representative

But the adverts are not representative. They are overly representative for the demographic of this country

Yes I've noticed im watching carefully to see how long it lasts

But the adverts are not representative. They are overly representative for the demographic of this country

Are they? Are you sure?
And if so, why is that a problem?

As ever, we would suggest giving the thread a read before responding.

Is AEWWSGTTARBR the new RTFT?

"Some of these elements" jog the fuck on.

Thanks MNHQ, and everyone who has commented. It is really interesting to hear opinions.

If it helps to explicitly state - I am not white or straight myself, and there is disability within my family. I didn’t express myself very well initially and apologise for that, but I never intended my point to read that I don’t want to see diversity.

Anyway I’ll be quiet now. But I really like hearing everyone’s views on the subject, thanks to all that took the time.

I'm loving the fact that there is more inclusivity on on televisions. I had my middle son ten years ago and have just had a baby daughter. CBeebies, for example, is definitely more inclusive than it used to be, even a decade ago.
There was a brilliant episode of Waffle The Wonder Dog recently. A blended family is featured. Woman and man both white and there are two kids from previous relationships. The lad is mixed race, the girl is white. The episode shows nan and Grandad visiting. They are both black and the little girl asks "Are you my real grandparents?" They explain who the lad's bio parents are and who the girl's bio parents are. But that they all family and nothing changes that.
Further on the little girl then asks mum about her "real" dad and mum talks very openly with her about getting in touch with him.
I thought it was awesome.

Personally I'm not against tokenism and I'm not against virtue signalling either. There's been a lot of real progress this year because racism and bigotry has been spotlighted and I'm not so naive that i don't see that it also lines up with commercial interests.

But what is wrong with that?

Conversely, I'm very very suspicious of anti BLM and anti 'virtue signalling' because I feel it comes from a closeted bigoted place.

Conversely, I'm very very suspicious of anti BLM and anti 'virtue signalling' because I feel it comes from a closeted bigoted place.

💯 we all see through it!

These companies are just jumping on the bandwagon. It pure tokenism and its sickening for bame when they are just seen as a token, a trend, a moment.

Yes of course diversity is good but not when it's used in a token nature.