Ideology is a system of beliefs that help to explain, shape, and judge the values of the world (Croteau, Hoynes, &, Milan, 2012). Roland Barthes ideology asks the audience to look at a piece of media or advertisement and accept the narrow view of society that is relayed in the media source; in other words, Barthes asks audiences to look for the denotation, connotation or the literal and sociological meanings associated with the media (Chandler, 2008). Barthes was also concerned with the analysis of myths associated with the media, or the true intentions behind the media (Chandler). The denotation, connotation, and myth of Barthes ideology as well as dominant and cultural war ideologies are evident in the famous Marlboro Man ads.
According to the course text, it is best to look at ads that are at odds with our contemporary opinions as this helps differences in assumptions to be more readily apparent (Croteau, Hoynes, &, Milan, 2012). Following this guideline an infamous ad campaign was that of the Marlboro Man (Tobacco.org, 2011). I can remember as a child seeing the Marlboro ads on the backs of magazines. To me the denotation was always very simple. I saw a cowboy, rigid, hardworking, and smoking a cigarette. In fact as a child the cigarette was always the thing I overlooked in the picture. I was mesmerized by the cowboy, the rough, tough, free cowboy I longed to be.
The connotations of a picture are more open to interpretation because they are based on the observers age, gender, social class, race, religion, etc. (Chandler, 2008). Again, at a young age the ads signified the type of man I wanted to be. These men had no stress, they were enjoying life, riding horses, they were outdoors, and they were wealth...
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...or the ads are anything but attractive.
Works Cited
Capps, L. (2007). Poisonous in pink. Retrieved from, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/11/AR2007101102065.html
CDC. (2011). Lung cancer statistics. Retrieved from, http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/statistics/
Chandler, D. (2008). Semiotics for beginners. Retrieved from, http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem06.html
Croteau, D., Hoynes, W., & Milan, S. (2012). Media/society (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
NPR. (2002). The Marlboro man. Retrieved from, http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/marlboroman/
Stop Smoking. (2011). Why do people smoke? Retrieved from, http://www.stop-smoking-updates.com/quitsmoking/cigarette-cessation/understanding-cigarrete-fumes/why-do-people-smoke.htm
Tobacco.org. (2011). Ads. Retrieved from, http://www.tobacco.org/ads/
The media’s influence over the masses of society is great. With every passing generation, the media’s ability to access and relay information to the general public with seemingly the greatest of ease continues to impress. Given the expanse of time that has passed since the 1990s, the media, even more so to this day, shapes our lives, our perceptions, and influences our opinions greatly. The 1990s served as an important decade in our country’s young history. Since the mid-1800s, and even before that time, our country has experienced its share of societal issues, from racism to sexism, to religious bigotry, and police brutality, to name a few.
The meaning of a picture results in different opinions from many viewers. These images, such as artwork and advertisement, have become a source of communication in this new age of society. The advertisement I chose was a Coach perfume advertisement, a popular brand marketed towards women. This advertisement has a combination of physical features: lighting, text, and camera angles. These provoke an emotional appeal received by pampering with the perfume and gathering a sensation of love and peace, causing the audience to buy this product. A woman is born a nurturing loving creature. The world can make a woman harsh and intimidating, but when wearing this perfume it brings out the natural essence and reminds women of their true power but also
How is it that the advertisers take our mind from the image on the page to the thoughts that progress in our head? To figure this out let us more closely examine the images, or signs, that have been presented to us. Let us first examine the image of the man in the ad. He is dressed casually "preppie", wearing khakis and a blue, collared shirt. Tucked under his left...
Looking the historical moment we are living at, it is undeniable that the media plays a crucial role on who we are both as individuals and as a society, and how we look at the...
David. "Mass Media and the Loss of Individuality." Web log post. Gatlog. N.p., 11 Sept. 2007. Web. 10 May 2014.
Mass Media. Ed. William Dudley. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 121-130.
Ott, B. L, & Mack, R. L. (2010). Critical media studies: An introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley-
The first image I have chosen to discuss is a smoking advert from the 1950’s. It features John Wayne smoking a Camel cigarette. It is a commercial advert, because it is trying to sell a product. Conversely, the advert that I will be comparing with is an advocacy advert, because it is trying to persuade you not to smoke. It is giving you advice about an activity which is considered controversial. It is an advert from ‘Alghanim Medical services 2000’. It uses a very formal font and adds formal authenticity.
Campbell, Richard. Media & Culture: an introduction to mass communication. Bedford/St. Martin?s: Boston, N.Y. 2005.
Marlboro is currently one of biggest cigarette distributer in the world. Originally, Marlboro was targeted towards women with the slogan “Mild As May” Campaign until Philip Morris repositioned Marlboro at 1950, with the objective of attracting a wide target audience of American men to save their failing brand. The company began to advertise towards men because they wanted to increase customer while hoping to increase their profits. Therefore, in order to attract their targeted audience, Leo Burnett took the initiative to design the new brand image in which they use an American symbol, the cowboy. The Marlboro Man campaign was not successful merely because of the cigarettes that it advertised but instead, “Marlboro Man” represented the ways in which white males defined their status in American society. The “Marlboro Man” transformed from an advertising campaign to a representation of white American men.
Ideology is a set of ideas held by an individual or group to shape their common values, beliefs and expectations of the world around them. Media uses ideology is develop an order in which the nature of the world can be developed.
Bazalgette, Cary (2000) “Why Media Studies is Worthwhile”, in Dan Fleming (ed.), Formation : A 21st Century Media Studies Textbook, Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp.5-14.
Curry and Clarke’s article believe in a strategy called “visual literacy” which develops women and men’s roles in advertisements (1983: 365). Advertisements are considered a part of mass media and communications, which influence an audience and impact society as a whole. Audiences quickly begin to rely on messages sent through advertisements and can create ideologies of women and men. These messages not only are extremely persuasive, but they additionally are effective in product consumption in the media (Curry and Clarke 1983:
...bout the “real” real world.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Vol 2(4). Oct 2013. 237-250. PsychARTICLES. 29 Nov 2013
What is ideology? And how can it help our understanding of media? There are many different theories as to what ideology is, from being about people’s beliefs and how people see themselves in the world. In this essay I shall be looking at different theorists and how each of their theories helps us to understand what ideology is, and how ideology can help us to understand media.