EOC Week 2: Ethics in Commercials

GoDaddy.com ads have always had a particular “what the hell?” effect for me whenever I’ve seen them. GoDaddy.com is in fact a large, well known internet website hosting service. I have seen their service in use, and being a web design major, all I can really say about the speed and quality of their service is, well, I’m not impressed. But despite what I consider to be a number of shortcomings to their service, speed being the first, ease of use and simplicity of design being two other equally important problems the website provider suffers from, they have managed to overcome this with a very specific advertising campaign.

This campaign, as you may well know, centers around sexually racy depictions of women. That’s it. Upon seeing the commercials you are not endowed with a supreme understanding and appreciation of what the service is, or what you can do there, nor are you any more intelligent or complete as a human being (as I believe should be required by modern day commercials). In fact all you see is the logo of the company displayed in various ways on scantily clad, unrealistically endowed women with a promise to “see what happens next” at godaddy.com. I already knew that sex sells, but I didn’t know that that’s all you need to sell anything at all.

The question of course is not whether these ads are effective (as they obviously are), but whether they are ethically questionable. And I say yes. Of course it is every woman’s right to project her own image however she sees fit within the parameters of what the law allows. What is ethically questionable in my opinion is the portrayal of women as mere objects of physical perfection to be objectified in a society (the USA) that already places far too much importance on physical appearance as a means of social placement. I seriously doubt that young girls growing up want or need the added pressure of growing up with negative self images, but further objectifying these girls once they get there surely isn’t helping. As nice as some of these girls are to look at given the situation, I think we can do without the GoDaddy.com ads, but that’s just me.

My Voice

For the past seven years following my graduation from Seattle University with a degree in English, Creative Writing, I diverged from the path of writing and worked as a graphic designer. After years in the industry I have a desire to move onward and upward in my own experience. Now as a Web Designer I am working towards bridging the growing gap between graphic art and communication over the World Wide Web. I am also working towards finishing writing my first science fiction novel which will be completed soon.

My goal in this industry has been to use design to effectively display the true nature of the company in a clean and clear way that optimally represents to mission and personality of the company. During this pursuit I have worked as the creative director for both a nationwide hospitality and room service company, as well as a regional holistic healthcare center.

As a writer, I have been working towards completing and publishing science fiction and fantasy novels for the past ten years. Until recently have I given up my pursuits before the job was finished. But now I have found drive and work ethic, combined with a great story that is pushing me through to the end.

EOC Week 1: Volkswagen Lemon Ad

Few advertising campaigns were able to make such a mark on the history of the industry like the one made by Volkswagen in the 1960’s. Not only were the German auto manufacturer’s tasked with the challenge of surmounting strong odds against them, but they were able to do so with style and a lasting impact that changed the face of advertising for decades to come. “How could Volkswagen sell Hitler’s favorite car to the American people only a decade and a half after World War II? This was the question asked of the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1960. In order for them to solve this problem, they would have to find a new way to advertise their products.” (http://www.writingfordesigners.com/?p=1731)

In order to get past the problems, not only with advertising to a world that still remembered the horrors of World War II, but to break past cultural stereotypes and other barriers, Volkswagen utilized this ad agency to its greatest affect, endearing itself to consumers worldwide in ways that would almost never be repeated. “The large copy printed at the bottom of the ad says “LEMON” which caused the viewer to question his intuitive knowledge about Volkswagen’s high standards. The ad agency successfully caught the viewer’s attention by using self-effacing humor. With any luck, these ads drew you into the joke, and you would read the rest of the copy looking for the punch line.” (http://designhistorylab.com/?p=1755)

Humor, as shown by this legendary ad campaign, would later grow to become the backbone to successful advertising, especially when it came to winning over American consumers, was built upon. Not only that, but the ad itself effectively set itself apart in terms of quality and high standards in ways that American cars could not hope to match. “America loved 1960s Volkswagen Beetle advertising, and with good reason. In an age of blustery pitches glorifying size, power, and prestige, 1960s Volkswagen Beetle advertising was the calm voice for a different set of values. Plus, it made you smile.” (http://www.howstuffworks.com/1960-1969-volkswagen-beetle4.htm) Now we not only see humor (or at least a vigorous attempt at it) in nearly every ad on TV, but we are forced to realize that nowadays the only ads that are truly successful in the modern advertising environment are the ones that truly connect their humor with that of the worldwide market. Humor, plus established and reliable quality, equals a recipe for successful advertising.