To ask if you’ve noticed this? Race-related.

[OffRampHilton]

I grew up (not UK) in an area that was entirely populated by white people but that’s changed since I was a child (I’m 40) and I’ve moved away to live in a big city so my friends and colleagues now are very racially diverse. I know couples of all races/ethnicity from same-race/ethnicity to every mix you can think of.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been really happy to see more diversity on tv, especially in terms of race. I grew up seeing nothing but white people on tv shows, unless it was a programme specifically about black or Asian families. I remember the fact that Coronation St was introducing their first non-white family was covered in the newspaper. The default was white people unless non-white people had a specific “reason” to be there- and that reason was pretty much always race-related.

I’m noticing lots more diversity, especially on ads. However, I still don’t see a lot of black or Asian families. I see mixed families where one parent (normally the mother, for some reason), is white, then a black parent (usually a dad) and two mixed children (normally a boy and a girl!). Great, it certainly represents a lot of families, but there seems to be a lack of depiction of families that are entirely black or entirely Asian or entirely anything other than white.

From paying attention to a few ad breaks tonight, I saw the following, in order of most common-

White families.
Mixed-race families.

I didn’t see many wholly non-white families.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Also, if I’ve used any clumsy wording in this, please don’t jump on me, but educate me instead.

Representation is tricky. Do you represent society as it is, or as you'd like it to be?

What does this mean in an advertising context exactly?

Your money is good enough and I want you to spend it on my product. However, I don't like it very much that you are part of this society, so I will ignore (the whole 60% of) you and won't include someone like you in any of my ads. It's madness!

some companies have massive budgets this client was a charity and we use the biggest image bank and believe me the image banks are more American than UK

I can see it can be tricky for charities Smallkeys

@Bythemillpond

White British aren't a minority in London they are a plurality - ie the largest ethic group but dont constitute a majority.

@youshallnotpass9

I have assumed same as PP that they have 30 seconds to get their message across so picked an interraical couple.

Therefore hoping they will get less abuse on their social media sites.

It must be tough be an advertisor as the moment, they have black people in it they are woke, have asians in it they are woke all white they are racists, no woman they are sexists, lets not forget the trans issue, then you get to sexuality no gay couples homephobic, gay couples, you are defying gods law. oh I haven't even got onto disability

How they hell do you get all of that into 30 seconds.

^ this

It is impossible to get the balance right as you will offend someone.

If it's an all white family then black people will be offended. If it's an all black family then white people will be offended.

There is an awful lot of overthinking happening at the moment. I'm white and couldn't care less myself who appears in an advert.

My hope is that the better representation of all types of people will eventually lead to colour blindness - from the left and the right.

We need more grown up discussions around this this, our demography had been radically altered since the 1990's and we Need to keep figuring out how to make it work. It's not a uniquely western issue - all around the world there can be ethic tension and violence. I think we are doing quite well so far, the failings of organisations is exposed and rightly so.

I hope in 2100 if we are still around, we will be in a place where skin colour is a akin to eye colour - right now we aren't there, there will need to be a continued effort. IMO classifying people by race isn't a good thing - but that being said we aren't mature enough as a species yet to see past it.

Advertising is more reflective of the society it is selling too - and it obviously works otherwise they wouldn't do it.

You have to remember % so there may not be a huge pool of Asian actors and those that are will be spread across the UK ditto other ethnic groups. Someone up thread said their dd was inundated with job offers.

Comefromaway

By Asian I mean Pakistani/Bangladeshi etc

I have. I lived for years growing up in a street where my neighbours were from Pakistan. They came across with nothing and the only indication that a particular ethnic famil lived there was the smell of cooking
I have a few Indian friends and I can’t see any sort of bling or anything that would indicate that someone came from South Asia

They might indicate they shop a lot at Costco but that is as far as it gets and I know a lot of British people who have the same stuff in their house.

There’s a tragic aspect to people in developed countries bickering over representation in advertising and marketing as we continue to merrily consume our way to an environmental catastrophe, which will likely fall first and hardest on people in the developing world.

@Bythemillpond

Comefromaway

By Asian I mean Pakistani/Bangladeshi etc

I have. I lived for years growing up in a street where my neighbours were from Pakistan. They came across with nothing and the only indication that a particular ethnic famil lived there was the smell of cooking
I have a few Indian friends and I can’t see any sort of bling or anything that would indicate that someone came from South Asia

They might indicate they shop a lot at Costco but that is as far as it gets and I know a lot of British people who have the same stuff in their house.

Exactly I have seen some people hang up cultural bling but - it’s not the ethnicity it depends on how much they care about their culture to show it off in decorations. I guess us ‘whitewashed’ Asians don’t count lmao

@SomethingOnce people in the developing world think all of this bickering is rubbish. Because in most of the developing world the idea of equality doesn’t really exist. Social inequality is not only socially accepted as common sense but in some countries it is law that people of certain ethnicities have more rights/privileges than others. The majority of people of certain ethnicities have a much better life in Western countries than they would had they gone to other places.

The UK advertising industry is run by middle class white people. The creatives who write the scripts and the marketing clients who pay for the budgets, are overwhelmingly white.

They feel guilty about this and don't want to exclude people and so throw in a couple of mixed race faces to feel like they are trying to be diverse.

It's hard to appear authentic in a society with as many differences as there are across the UK - due to geographical and class differences, as much as racial - they often seem to fall short and land in some kind of unconvincing middle ground.

About 2 years ago I picked up the Waitrose free newspaper. There were NO non-white people in the magazine. Another time there were black and Asian people included. Black people were sports stars (athletics) and the Asian people were servers in the store.

I was teaching GCSE Media at the time and took the paper in and asked pupils what they noticed. Immediately they understood that the experts in wine, recipes etc were all white, middle aged and middle class whilst black people were valued for their sporting skills and Asian people for their ability to serve others.

The Waitrose magazine earned itself the nickname the Whiterose after this. Since then, I have seen POC represented in more ways but about 2 years ago it was definitely white biased.

Advertising is more reflective of the society it is selling to - and it obviously works otherwise they wouldn't do it

The current approach of erasing whole groups out of marketing campaigns and favouring only a few to appear 'virtuous' obviously isn't working, otherwise there wouldn't be so many complaints from all sides

DH and I have commented on this a lot. It’s got to the point where the racial diversity in TV programmes is almost being done to tick boxes.

The UK advertising industry is run by middle class white people. The creatives who write the scripts and the marketing clients who pay for the budgets, are overwhelmingly white

They feel guilty about this and don't want to exclude people and so throw in a couple of mixed race faces to feel like they are trying to be diverse

What should they feel guilty about?

But more to the point...is advertising about exonerating guilt or is it the objective to entice the customer base to purchase the client's product by means of showing them how they would look in a certain garment, doing a certain activity, etc? i.e. identifying themselves with whoever is cast on the ad?

@HotChocolateLover

DH and I have commented on this a lot. It’s got to the point where the racial diversity in TV programmes is almost being done to tick boxes.

Definitely feel this

In the race to be diverse though there’s often a lack of white working class people represented I find. Even the mixed and black/Asian families depicted are nearly always MC.

I thought it was just me that had noticed that the adverts are like the op says

I don't believe it's a conspiracy, or to assuage white guilt. Ad spending is huge money, especially in TV. So they will have done research and focus groups and testing and found that the demographics they are advertising to respond well to this type of casting.
It's about maximising profit, that's all.

I'd assume products were aimed at black/Asian people if only they were portrayed on an advert. Just as certain haircare products etc are advertised.

Those who are a bit older may remember some of the 1980s ads by United Colors of Benetton.

They were probably the closest to getting it right. In one picture they featured someone who was very blonde, POC, Asian, red haired, etc It wasn't perfect and proportionality was probably off for most markets, but still a good inclusion effort.

Also everyone in the pictures was equally prominent, good looking, smiley and the same size.

Often nowadays you find that when several ethnicities are pictured together, those who are 'on trend' are shown in the foreground, being 'cool', with a triumphant stance, and the rest are almost an afterthought, placed in the background, smaller and with a taciturn expression (as if they needed to be hidden and apologised for).

I have noticed this since George Floyd and the BLM protests happened

@Gubanc

I'd assume products were aimed at black/Asian people if only they were portrayed on an advert. Just as certain haircare products etc are advertised.

Really?

So if you see a white family advertise fish fingers, you think it’s because black people don’t eat fish fingers?

What about, say, a moisturizer that anyone can use? Should there be a bunch of different ads each featuring a different model so everyone can see the version relevant to themselves?

Should there be a bunch of different ads each featuring a different model so everyone can see the version relevant to themselves?

I don't think you need to be cross about this. A lot of people need to identify with the models (probably a moisturiser is not the best example, but it does work that way often for clothes). Why is it so difficult to accept what people feel and perceive?

@Gubanc

I'd assume products were aimed at black/Asian people if only they were portrayed on an advert. Just as certain haircare products etc are advertised.

Are you serious?! I hope you’re being facetious because the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.