Racism In Advertising By Anthony Cortese

To advertise is to draw attention to a product to promote its sale. Advertising impact on society has been significant for years. Advertising dates as far back as the Industrial Revolution. Advertising appears in newspapers, magazines, television, the internet and even public transportation. Not a day goes by where humans do not come across an advertisement. It impacts what gets shown on television and other media forms, how people perceive themselves along with others. Advertising can help structure our beliefs about the world and how it operates.
Advertising is one of the driving forces that limits the content of the media. Advertising influence what gets shown in the media. The media’s content has to be "advertising friendly", meaning no one should be offended and should be appropriate for everyone. The advertising industry realize that they would make less money and people would get turned off of advertising if television content was too serious. The author states, "Gleaming white-toothed smiles and sales pitches for sugary breakfast cereals appeared absurdly superficial when placed directly after a dramatic scene of a family worrying about where its next meal would come from" (Kelso, 61) . This was a way for advertising to influence non- …show more content…
“Symbolic Racism in Advertising” by Anthony J. Cortese speaks on the stereotypes of minorities in the advertising industry and how it transformed from being completely obvious to more subtle. Inclusion, roles, and control are three ways in which minorities are undermined in the advertising industry. Inclusion is the amount of people in a certain group that gets shown. Roles are how people belonging in certain identity groups are shown. Control is the amount a power people in different identity groups have when it comes to what gets shown. The advertising industry began to feature non white ethnic groups in order to appeal to a larger audience for more