tide Flashcards
who created tide?
procter and gamble
when was tide created?
1946
what advertising agency handled p&g’s accounts in the 50s
dmb&b
what character was used in both the print and radio advertising campaigns?
the ‘housewife’ character who loved and adored tide
historical context
post ww2 consumer boom which included rapid development of new technologies (eg washing machines) and the products linked to these technologies (eg washing powder)
cultural context
more copy was used than we would see today. consumer culture was in the early stages of development and with so many new brands, customers needed more information about the products than a modern audience would, including more advertising and branding
codes and conventions present in the text
z line; rule of thirds; headings, subheadings and slogans; informal lexis in sans serif and serious information in serif
what can be said about the colours in the advert?
bright primary colours the connote positive associations that producers want the audience to make with the product
what reinforces the informal mode of address?
comic strip style image in the bottom right with two women talking using informal lexis (eg ‘sudsing whizz’); sans serif font
what can be said about barthes’ hermeneutic and proairetic codes?
suspense is created through the enigma of ‘what women want’ and this is emphasised by the tension building use of multiple exclaimation marks
what can be said about barthes’ semantic code?
the hearts and the woman’s gesture codes have connotations of love and relationships - it is connoted that this is ‘what women want’ as well as to do domestic jobs around the house
what can be said about the use of hyperbole, superlatives and tripling?
phrases like ‘worlds whitest wash’ and ‘miracle’ oppose the connoted superior cleaning power of tide compared to its competitors
what can be said about barthes’ symbolic code?
the symbolic code was clearly successful as p&g’s competitor products were rapidly overtaken, making tide the brand leader by the mid 50s
what can be said about levi-strauss’ binary oppositions theory?
‘tide gets clothes cleaner than any other washday product’ reinforces the binary opposition between tide and its competitors. it is ‘unlike soap’ and gets laundry ‘whiter than any soap or washing product known’ which connotes that other products cant offer the same as tide can
intertextual references
possibly references ww2 adverts for the ‘womans land army’ and ‘rosie the riveter’
how can you describe views towards women during the war?
stereotypical views were being subverted as women were needed in traditionally male roles when men were sent to war
how can you describe views towards women in the 1950s?
women were targeted for more domestic products as they were seen as needing to go back to being in more domestic roles after the war - they needed to go back to being ‘domestic perfection’, serving the ‘man of the house’
how are representations constructed through processes of selection and combination?
dress code: stereotypical hairstyle made popular by film stars - the fashion of women having their hair shorter was made popular in the war as longer hair was dangerous in machinery; headscarf also links to practicalities developed at this time - having her hair held back connotes she is focused on her work - this binary opposes the full makeup
what can be said about hall’s representation theory?
despite the comic strip visual, the images of domesticity and the scenario represented is familiar to the audience as a representation of their own lives
what can be said about gauntlett’s identity theory?
the women represented act as role models of domestic perfection that the audience may construct their identity against
what can be said about van zoonen’s feminist theory?
contradicts the theory that the media contributes to social change by representing women in non traditional roles and using non traditional language
what can be said about bell hooks’ feminist theory?
reinforces the western beauty standard as the only women represented are White and conventionally attractive
cultural context
domestic products at this time were still aimed towards women despite the changing roles in society during ww2
who is the likely target audience of this advert?
lower-middle class women who wanted innovative domestic technologies and products. increasing popularity of these products from this target audience led to an increased focus on unique selling points
who is the likely audience demographic?
young, newly married women with young families. this is created through the use of women with whom they might personally identify (eg the types of clothing seen on the washing line)
what is good about the endorsement from good housekeeping?
makes them an opinion leader for the target audience, reinforcing the idea that tide is the market leading product
what is the preferred reading? (hall)
despite being a new product, tide provides solutions to the audience’s domestic chore needs
what can be said about the indirect mode of address? (hall)
connotes that her relationship with the product is of prime importance. this is the hegemonic encoding of the primary message that should be received by ‘you women’
what can be said about the direct mode of address? (hall)
link to the imperative ‘remember!’ and the use of personal pronouns
what ideas does the tide advert aim to cultivate? (gerbner)
this is the brand leader; nothing else washes to the same standard; its a desirable product for its female audience; its ‘miracle suds’ are an innovation for the domestic washing market. gerbner argues that the repetition of these messages will cause the audience to align their own ideologies with them
