The Representation of Race in Advertising: A Case Study of the Representation of Race in Procter & Gamble’s Campaigns' The Lookand The Talk. Besides, an Examination of Consumers' Perception Thereof.
Author
Bencker, Kirsten Michaela
Term
3. term
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-01-02
Pages
101
Abstract
This thesis is prompted by Reni Eddo-Lodge’s call in Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race — a book that drew renewed attention after the police killing of George Floyd — to confront white supremacy, understood as a social system that structurally privileges white people. It examines how race and power are shown in advertising from a market and consumption perspective, focusing on two Procter & Gamble (P&G) campaigns that explicitly address race to surface the social assumptions behind racial categories and move the debate forward. The study combines Stuart Hall’s theory of representation with semiotic analysis (how images, sound and words create meaning) and critical discourse analysis (how messages reflect power relations). Using an intersectional lens, the qualitative reading of multiple semiotic modes finds that the campaigns seek to challenge white supremacy by depicting whiteness from Black perspectives. At the same time, some elements still reproduce stereotypical roles for certain social actors. The campaigns also display features of cultural branding: by taking on sensitive cultural issues, P&G invites consumers to question taken-for-granted norms and talk about racial bias. To examine reception as well as production, the thesis conducts a netnographic study of YouTube comments, interpreted through Hall’s encoding/decoding model, which explains how audiences can read the same message in different ways. This unobtrusive approach reveals mixed responses: many viewers welcome the ads and consider their portrayal of race authentic, while others reject them as inaccurate or anti-white. Such disagreement may reflect persistent ideologies that uphold white dominance. Overall, the findings suggest that dismantling systemic racism requires sustained effort, but P&G is taking initial steps by sparking difficult yet necessary conversations about racial bias.
Afhandlingen er inspireret af Reni Eddo-Lodges opfordring i Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race — en bog, der fik fornyet opmærksomhed efter politidrabet på George Floyd — til at konfrontere hvidt overherredømme, forstået som en samfundsorden der giver hvide mennesker strukturelle fordele. Den undersøger, hvordan race og magt fremstilles i reklamer, set fra et markeds- og forbrugsperspektiv. Fokus er på to kampagner fra Procter & Gamble (P&G), der eksplicit tager race op, med det mål at synliggøre de sociale antagelser bag racekategorier og flytte debatten fremad. Studiet kombinerer Stuart Halls teori om repræsentation med semiotisk analyse (hvordan billeder, lyd og ord skaber betydning) og kritisk diskursanalyse (hvordan budskaber afspejler magtforhold). Med et intersektionelt blik viser den kvalitative analyse af flere semiotiske modaliteter, at kampagnerne søger at udfordre hvidt overherredømme ved at fremstille hvidhed set fra sorte menneskers perspektiv. Samtidig reproducerer nogle elementer fortsat stereotype roller for bestemte sociale aktører. Kampagnerne udviser også træk af kulturel branding: Ved at tage følsomme kulturelle emner op inviterer P&G forbrugere til at udfordre selvfølgelige normer og tale om racemæssige bias. For at forstå modtagelsen såvel som produktionen gennemfører afhandlingen en netnografisk undersøgelse af YouTube-kommentarer, fortolket gennem Halls kodnings-/afkodningsmodel, som forklarer, hvordan publikum kan læse det samme budskab på forskellige måder. Denne uforstyrrende tilgang viser blandede reaktioner: Mange seere byder reklamerne velkommen og opfatter deres fremstilling af race som autentisk, mens andre afviser dem som unøjagtige eller anti-hvide. Uenigheden kan afspejle vedvarende ideologier, der understøtter hvid dominans. Samlet peger resultaterne på, at nedbrydning af systemisk racisme kræver en vedvarende indsats, men at P&G tager de første skridt ved at sætte svære, men nødvendige samtaler om racemæssige fordomme i gang.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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