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?

Sorry, but that's not true! And I say that as someone who used to work in advertising, and who also had McCain as a client for a number of years.

Advertisers may be experts in their field, but I can assure you that all clients have very firm views about what they want to see on screen representing their brand.

Then why do advertising agencies need to exist?

Brands I've worked with do give some direction (in terms of 'we never say this specific thing', 'our tone of voice will never be that') but rely heavily on the 'creative', I.e. The agencies, to come up with the ideas and to execute them.

@SkedaddIe

"Away from the trendy multi ethnic buzz of the London metro bubble and from its advertising office blocks...maybe there's some white working class kid in a former mining or steel town like Rotherham, who sits gazing at the TV thinking "this says nothing to me about my life"

Then for 30 seconds of that child's life they would live the minority experience. @Flaxmeadow

The majority of the remaining 568,036,770 seconds of that childhood they are very very very likely to be surrounded by white representation.

Exactly!

@UnderperformingSeal

Then why do advertising agencies need to exist?

In 'times gone by' many clients would have their own creative teams (indeed some still do, although not many these days as it's become so specialist).

Agencies take responsibility for utilising the findings of/and or commissioning market research into their target audience(s) and using this to brief creative teams to come up with campaign ideas. All of this is worked through with their clients; at no stage in the process does an advertising agency have free rein to do what they want. (There are a few agencies who try to do this, and they can create a very difficult relationship with their clients as a result!)

Once the ideas have been created, they're worked up into 'rough' executions and will then go into further rounds of research - again, with the full participation of the client teams too - till a final concept/specific approach has been settled on.

Then it's over to the creative and production teams to work these up into actual ads - a hugely specialist area these days. There will be pre-production meetings before any filming is done, and again clients will be involved in these to approve everything. And then the actual shoot itself, which will never go ahead without the client's involvement/approval.

For some clients, there will then be yet more research, so that the final execution gets the ''nod' from consumers (and the client) before it goes on air.

All of this is the reason why the majority of clients now outsource their advertising to agencies. It's the same reason why they also outsource their market research and their media planning and buying.

I’m white F married to white M, and I’m pleased that the adverts now reflect more diversity. If I walk down the street, I never only see one race, gender style, so why should the adverts show what is essentially 1930’s Britain?

I spoke earlier about subtle racism and stereotyping. Just one example from the Gp today. That's really not positive representation now is it

Out of interest, as I haven't really noticed that there way too many not white and straight people in ad, I took notice of the ad breaks more.

This is what I saw

Break 1

White woman
White man sexuality unknown no disability revealed
White family (mum and dad with boy and girl)
White family (mum and dad with boy and girl)
Man's voice, race unknown, sexuality unknown, no disability revealed
7 people - I black and 6 white their sexuality unknown no disability revealed
Family father white and mother and children (boy and girl) both black
Man's voice - race unknown, sexuality unknown, no disability revealed
White woman

Break 2

White woman
Cartoon all people coloured in white
14 people seem. 11 white adults, 1 black adult with black baby and one white baby
3 men - 2 white, 1 black
White woman

(All the above their sexuality wasn't revealed nor was it noticable is ther had a disability.)

None of the actors appeared to be Asian. All ad breaks were bookended by a brief add for whoever sponsors the channel.

I could wait for another break but so far not exactly overwhelmed by 'token' people. I'll continue to keep checking for then though ...

@Nina9406

I spoke earlier about subtle racism and stereotyping. Just one example from the Gp today. That's really not positive representation now is it

I can't work out what on earth that picture is - could you be a bit more explicit with your post, please?

@biwi it's an umbrella campaign, with the word chlamydia misspelled and saying "hard to spell, easy to catch"
With the black young man wondering (how to spell it I guess)

@Nina9406

I spoke earlier about subtle racism and stereotyping. Just one example from the Gp today. That's really not positive representation now is it

Really not so subtle racism, classism and disgraceful stereotyping

Agree it's a bit heavy handed and could be done in a better way, but it's good for inclusivity.

[quote Nina9406]@biwi it's an umbrella campaign, with the word chlamydia misspelled and saying "hard to spell, easy to catch"
With the black young man wondering (how to spell it I guess)[/quote]
Thank you! I couldn't work out what the picture was!

But I don't agree that's racist or stereotyping. Why shouldn't it feature a black man? it may also be part of a campaign - so there would be other posters with a white woman, or a black woman or a brown man, etc.

I'm really not seeing how it's 'disgraceful stereotyping' either - can you explain why?

@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.

This, with bells on. It's pathetic.

DEI tickboxing…groan
unfortunately bud light showed how this can go spectacularly wrong lol