Gender Representation in PR

I have always found the use of gender in PR campaigns an interesting subject, and this week’s media has provided topic for interesting debate.

VW stereotyped women as bad drivers

Christmas is fast approaching, and so the battle of inventive campaigns from organisations has begun in a quest to be considered the perfect place to shop for presents.  John Lewis released their adorable advert, ‘The Journey', Debenhams are on a mission to make Christmas fabulous and Asda, well, their advert has caused some controversy to say the least.

Since it’s launch on November 4^th, the ad, which carries the strapline “Behind every great Christmas, there’s Mum”, has received 160 complaints branding it sexist, patronising, and an outdated representation of modern women. This could mean the advert is subject to investigation, and could potentially be banned just before Asda’s festive shopping period.

Using this example as a basis for a dissertation topic then, a study of the representation of women in PR campaigns could be conducted to determine whether sexism is still very much in existence, or if this was just a badly-judged mistake and poor choice of campaign from the supermarket giant.

We typically consider ourselves to live in a modern, open society, where previous gender-stereotypes have firmly become a thing of the past. Imagine if the featured Volkswagen campaign was used today!

A joke, or a sexist chocolate bar?

Yet there are some organisations that seem get away with the use of sexism and gender discrimination to promote their products. Take Nestle’s Yorkie Bar and the ‘Not For Girls’ campaign. Of course, this is made to entertain, and not offend, but where is the line drawn when it comes to using gender discrimination as a joke? In a society where gender equality is widely promoted, is this ‘joke’ even acceptable when generating brand awareness?

When thinking about gender equality, consider the use of other supermarket or parenting campaigns. It is only recently that men are shown doing the weekly shop, or playing the doting father role and even then it’s sparse.

With this is mind, this dissertation topic seeks to explore whether PR has really moved where gender representation is concerned, or if women are still, and always, going to be portrayed and the mother and housewife types. Think about the last time that you saw a Dad successfully doing the house work in a campaign. Fairy Liquid offers audiences a 'montage' of housewives in their advertisement, not a man in sight. Generations have bought Fairy Liquid yes, but guess the gender of these consumers. 

This dissertation will also focus on the stereotype of the ‘dumb Dad’ and how this negative representation could potentially be painting a picture of men being incapable and irresponsible, such as in the Huggies ‘Dad Test’ campaign which got pulled.

Although women are portrayed in these instances as competent and wise, it is still a stereotype that defines them as the domestically-orientated gender. It could be argued that it is not showing any progression from the ‘housewife’ stereotypes of previous decades.

Of course, there would be an uproar if women were perceived as the ‘dumber’ sex, as society has, in theory, moved on from this. Yet, is it fair that men are now being portrayed in this 'dumb' light and what implications could such campaigns have on the stereotypes held about them in the future?

Has gender representation really moved on?

Stop Smoking Campaigns: Fear, Guilt and Shock

Shock tactics, and fear and guilt appeals, are not limited to just the charity and non-profit sector.  When researching campaigns for my last post, it became apparent that stop smoking campaigns commonly use them too.

By focusing my dissertation on one particular subject area, this could allow me to conduct more specific research and apply stronger arguments.

The NHS use children in their campaigns

Social marketing campaigns use these, and various other communication techniques, in order to persuade audiences to change for the greater good. Persuading people to give up smoking is nothing new and so could provide interesting study when looking at the variation and development of past and previous campaigns. What exactly then are the most successful forms of communication? Is it being attention grabbing with shock tactics, enabling an emotional connection, or being creative and eye-catching instead?

Although it is obvious to many audiences, regardless if they smoke or not, that the benefits of quitting far outweigh the perceived costs, an addiction can make it seem impossible to give up. By researching the communication strategies and tactics, and also by looking further at persuasion theories, studying such campaigns could provide insightful discussions regarding how and why organisations aim to change audience  habits. Are organisations bordering on being propagandistic and manipulative when trying to change stakeholder opinions or behaviour for the better?

"Smoking is to be a slave to tobacco"

I have first-hand experience of when creating a sense of fear has proved successful in stopping me from smoking. If the images of black lungs and throat cancer on the packs of tobacco and cigarettes are not persuasive enough, then there are numerous examples of campaigns we can consider, such as The British Heart Foundation’s 2003 ‘Cigarettes and Arteries’, that create shock and fear.

But do gruesome images like these run the risk of audiences turning their heads or are they crucial in making the impact needed to stop people from lighting up?

Consider also the pictured  Les Droits des Non-fumeurs (The Rights of Non-smokers) campaign poster for shock factor. Is this sexual reference going too far when it comes to creating shocking imagery and negative connotations? Is it counter-productive? 

Guilt appeals, I have found, are especially relevant when it comes to stop smoking campaigns and children are frequently used when directing campaigns at adults and parents. The various NHS Smokefree campaigns include some excellent examples of when children are used to create a sense of guilt. But is this unfair blackmail, or is making people feel guilty the ‘right’ way to go in order to prevent smoking?

Real appeals from children to their parents

Creating shock, fear, and guilt are tactics that are frequently used and so it could be that their impact is limited and, as previously discussed, audiences have become 'immune' to them. This dissertation could study not only their relevance and effectiveness, but look overall at how motivational campaigns, such as 'Stoptober', provide positive results instead, concluding with future recommendations and determining which strategy is most effective.

What preventative campaigns are there in place to prevent adolescents from starting smoking? Should the focus be on them to stop another generation from smoking when the habit of adults is often extremely hard to break and, arguably, the damage is already done?

With this in mind, this dissertation could focus on the tactics behind social marketing, audience reception, and explore which social platforms are best when it comes to persuading people to quit smoking. The study could also lead onto how the subject of addiction is approached as it can often be a challenging behaviour to change. Overall, is it better to have a hard-hitting campaign or one that motivates audiences with positivity?

Shock Tactics in Charity and Non-Profit PR

A second potential topic I am considering for my dissertation would focus on the charity and non-profit sector of public relations.

This is the sector I am most passionate about, and the one that I would eventually like to work in. I would love to be able to put the skills I have learnt on my postgraduate degree to good use by communicating the messages of causes that I really believe in. Researching this area of PR could also enable me to create industry contacts which may be useful when looking to establish my career.

A disturbing image taken from 'Silver Spoon'

The reason behind suggesting this as a dissertation topic stems not only from a strong personal interest, but also from issues covered in lectures that I feel could lead to insightful discussions.

In ‘PR The Developing Discipline,’ I have found concepts and theories of persuasion and influence very thought provoking. The lecture also touched briefly on ideas of manipulation and coercion and the techniques that are used in order to influence audience behaviour and opinion to an organisation’s favour. One topic of discussion that particularly interested me was that of fear and guilt appeals.

Charity organisations typically depend on donations for survival and so shock tactics are often practised. We are all familiar with images of ill and starving third-world children on our television screens that seek to create a sense of guilt, and, in theory, donations from audiences. However, as images such as these are used so frequently, could it be that audiences have become somewhat immune to such ‘distressing’ content and so the impact has lessened? 

With this in mind, a study of the effect of fear and guilt appeals could be used to determine their effectiveness and relevance in today’s society. If audiences are considered ‘immune’ then where does this leave the future of PR for charity and non-profit organisations? Are they going to have to change their techniques and become even more shocking in order to generate guilt, fear and awareness or take a more positive approach (as suggested in this Guardian article) to motivate audiences instead? Consider, for example, the Kony 2012 video, which successfully connected to audiences worldwide by showing the positive effect of generosity and action. 

Another image taken from 'Silver Spoon'

The use of shock tactics and the consequences of using images that are considered to be too shocking could also be explored, determining if audiences are likely to be put off donating if they are offended, upset or made to feel uncomfortable by content. This could lead to a study of the controversial nature of certain campaigns, questioning if some organisations take it too far when aiming to raise awareness of particular issues. 

The Barnardo's ‘Silver Spoon’ campaign is an excellent example of a project that many people feel went overboard when it came to generating fear and guilt, and shocking audiences. The images used were deemed highly offensive and were eventually banned which, could further be argued, was a strategic plan of the organisation to attract more media attention and awareness.  
                                                    

As not to limit research, looking at the use of shock tactics in NGOs and Social Marketing campaigns could also be relevant in providing debate. Consider the haunting nature of the Department of Transport's 'Kill Your Speed'  campaign and the graphic images used  in 'Hooked' by the NHS in a bid to shock people into quitting smoking. It would not be hard to understand how these campaigns could be viewed as upsetting or offensive, and in turn, cause audiences to turn their heads in the opposite direction and ignore the messages being communicated.

An image taken from the 'Hooked' campaign

With these examples in mind, are such tactics forms of bullying and manipulation, or are they in fact clever strategies to make the messages stick in audiences’ minds and ‘wise up’ to the issues happening around them?

Should shock tactics be toned down or are the hard-hitting, emotive nature of many campaigns  crucial  to create the awareness and impact that is needed today?

Food & Drink PR

Trying to pin point a dissertation topic has proven harder than I initially thought it would be. There are several different sectors of PR that I find inspiring, so I’ve had to think hard about which sector I would be confident to conduct a comprehensive research study on.

Admittedly, when writing my undergraduate dissertation, I chose a subject that I felt would be easy; studying the representation of British Royal Women at the time of the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. However, my interest in the topic was slight and, although I achieved a high grade, it meant that I couldn’t really enjoy the in-depth writing or research involved. I want to make sure that this time around, I select a subject that interests me so it will make writing the dissertation more gratifying, especially as it will be of a greater challenge at Masters level.

Food Design by Mark Northeast

One area of the PR industry that I am particularly interested in is the food and drink sector. I feel food especially is a tool that can be used in so many unique and creative ways to grab attention, provide talking points, and communicate a message effectively.

The variety of PR stunts and campaigns in this sector is vast and seems to have few limitations. Take, for example, the Giant Coffee Cup that greeted me outside of Canary Wharf tube station the other morning to promote coffee machine makers De’Longhi (and set a new world record), or Unity’s ‘PizzaPortrait of Political Britain. Both of which were extremely successful in communicating specific messages in a dynamic and unusual way. Another recent example can be seen with Heston Blumenthal’s 6 foot Christmas pudding to generate awareness of his new C4 television show.

With various campaigns promoting a healthier, fitter lifestyle (such as the government’s ‘Change for Life’) an interesting point of research could be to explore the tactics being used in PR to promote ‘better’ food choices, a topic inspired also by the work of foodscape photographer Carl Warner.

This 'foodscape' by Carl Warner aims to make healthy food fun

Comparisons between healthy and non-healthy food PR could be analysed to determine if one is typically more successful than the other. Is this down to the campaigns themselves or are audiences always going to prefer a bar of chocolate to a carrot?! It could also question the tactics used by companies to promote themselves as being beneficial to the consumer in other ways, such as Divine Chocolate’s ‘Choctober’. Are such campaigns using manipulative or propagandistic strategies in order to sell to an increasingly diet-conscious public, aiming to disguise their unhealthiness with a positive message?

A second issue of research could see an exploration of alcohol-based PR campaigns. This not only coincides with the idea of improving the nation’s health but also raises questions regarding whether glamorising alcohol with the use of lavish parties and celebrity endorsements is morally right in a time where the dangers of drinking are often highlighted in the media. Are celebrities with young teenage demographics promoting underage drinking? As the cheap sale of alcohol is continuously criticised, has this subsequently created restrictions for PR practitioners and campaigns? If so, what recommendations could be suggested for future campaigns? 

Concentrating on food and drink public relations then, my initial idea is to explore the tactics used by companies to promote themselves as beneficial to publics when the media is seemingly favouring healthier habits. In turn, this could provide the opportunity to study manipulation and persuasion theories, creating discussions regarding how and why audiences are targeted. This may lead to an exploration of how public opinions are ‘shaped’ by the media, and how certain campaigns may seek to change or adhere to stakeholder wants or needs.