Advertisements R Us Questions

1. The insight Melissa offers is that the Coca-Cola advertisements are almost like time capsules that capture the moods and social tendencies in society during that time. She breaks down every aspect of the image, by showing the white male dominant crowd, the bright, shinning factories, the many men in military garb (since this was after WWII), the blue collar workers, and the white collar. It implied that everyone was friends, boss and employee could share a coke together. The fact that the ad is drawn into a city shows the massive industrialization that was still taking place after the war. There are no signs of suburbia in this ad. She provides further evidence by applying facts to the images that were portrayed in that time. I accept her conclusion that the ads helped reflect the values of that time. It is obvious when you view the ad.
2. Her historical context is helpful in understanding some parts of the ads. She points out how every branch of the military is present (men in uniform), and how they are in the front of the image. This applies to how important the military was to us at that time after WWII. Another historical context is how the factories are not portrayed in a bad light. Today, factories are seen as environment-killers. But in the ad, they are just another part of the scene, and the American life at that time. Another historical context piece was the lack of colored people in the ad. It shows the structural racism that was much worse at that time. How "normal" people are seen as white. She explains how only black celebrities or athletes had been portrayed in any Coca-Cola ads.
3. Her answering the question of what the society was like back then is the biggest thing you can draw from these ads. You could also answer questions like how prices of products have changed, how their design has changed, or how ads as a whole have changed. Then, the most used type of ad was printed, but today it is on TV. You can use ads like these to create a timeline of this industry in the United States.
4. Many ads today can shows the general values or lack-there-of in today's society. For example, cologne or swimwear ads show the structural sexism that is ingrained in our society today. Companies use scantly dressed, or nude women to give their product attention. Today, the female body is exploited in so many ways. I think that these ads are a good example of where we are wrong today. They are not much different from the ads of the past, because they show what we as a society still have to work on. In the Coke ad, it was the racism, industrialization, and sexism. Today, sexism is still a massive issue.