Does denigrating men in television commercials serve a social purpose other than getting women to buy products

Question

which they didn't even know they needed?

Jazzy, in your case, just consider this question a hypothetical

Answer 1

No other purpose.

Answer 2

It is a combination of feminist inspired misandry (initially), and as Gnu pointed out - the almight £ and $. Advertisers realised that anything showing women (or minorities of various forms) in a less than superb light would be met by hostilities, but nothing if men were the targets of the ridicule.

As an example, this is a really old one though, there was an advert for a fruit yoguht depicting a mother dropping her child off at school. He forgot to pick up his lunch box and continued on his way. She sees is, grabs it, and it slips open, revealing the all-too-tempting goodies inside.
She dips into his lunch box (with a devilish grin) and begins scoffing down the yogurt.
I recall reading in the newspapers that women's groups had inundated the agency with complaints (that it portrayed mothers as selfish) and so it had been pulled. Quite literally, that advert was never seen again.

Now, compare that with adverts of endless bumbling fathers, abusive fathers, incompitent men, second rate lovers, etc. and even when the agancies DO receive complaints - they ignore them or fob us off with excuses that repeatedly showing useless buffoons as being the norm somehow is not sexist or misandrist. Clearly, it is both.

The fact that the women's groups do not complain about male portrayals in advertising (and television in general) sends a clear sign of condoning the misandry to these advertisers. They, knowing women's groups carry considerably more clout than any men's group/s could hope for, listen to what the women's groups say (after all, it's in their interests to) while blatantly ignoring the men's complaints - because the women's group are condoning the misandry & sexism. If the women's groups complained as well (just as many men wrote in on behalf of women & groups back in the day - and even today) then the advertisers would certainly listen more attentively to what is being said.

Answer 3

This practice has been around since at least the 1950s when TV sitcoms came up with the formula of showing fathers to be bumbling idiots, mothers to be all-knowing and put-upon, and children as being smarter than the adults. The reason why this formula is used is because it works. Many people find it to be funny even though I don't. Since they find this to be funny, people are more likely to buy the products. It's all about money and selling products.

Answer 4

I used to work in the advertising industry, and in my experience, most marketers have the IQ (not to mention the sensitivity) of your average building brick. They will milk any stereotype they can if they think they won't get sued for it. Que misandrist and gynocentrist views of men, which most advertisers believe is a politically correct guaranteed bet.

Not that I really minded their stupidity. It's the back-slapping performed afterwards that really sickened me.

Answer 5

sure, I rather have observed this sentiment and likewise the buffoonish portrayal of adult men on television. Fathers are all too usually portrayed as an fool that merely cares approximately whats on the dinner plate. is going to teach that, the two facets of the equality war, bypass away some thing to be needed. ???????ã????... super post. very concept frightening.

Answer 6

Well, the commercial is still saying "you don't look good enough as you are" so I think they're cruel to men and women.

Answer 7

I think it does. I think it goes hand in hand with the idea that fathers are an "extra" - not important, really, and probably more trouble than they're worth. They are shown to be incapable of caring for children or running a household. That may be comforting to some women, but I don't think it's right to demean some folks to cheer others up about their life choices.

Answer 8

It's all about the Benjamins! It's not caused by feminism, it's caused by condescending ad execs who think flattering women with "cute" jokes about men's incompetence, stupidity, and insensitivity will make their ads memorable.

It's also why ads focus on women's appearance and play on their insecurities: to sell a product. It isn't patriarchy, it isn't backlash, it's just about the Almighty Dollar!

They'd make jokes about blacks, jews, or any other group, if they thought the net effect would be increased sales. Their only agenda is selling the product.

Answer 9

The classic was an old cold medicine commercial where a sick man woke up his sleeping wife: "Barbara, are you up? Barbara, are you up?" She replied, irritated, "I'm up NOW."

She went to the medicine chest to get him some cold medicine. Next thing you see, he is happily asleep and she is playing solitaire, saying "I'm glad one of us can sleep." The implication was that he was just too stupid to figure out how to get up and take some cold medicine on his own.

Answer 10

Actually Gnu Sense is right - its about $$$$. Anything to sell a product.

Answer 11

No. Do ads serve a social purpose at all? Not really...