While examining these medical advertisements, it is important to keep in mind the way cultural diversity shapes the commercials. The use of specific themes including, language, diversity, and visual elements target specific audiences. Audiences of different genders and cultures may find themselves as prospective customers for the market of distinct products targeted towards their cultural group. Gaining an understanding of who drug commercials are specifically being marketed towards and why these cultural groups are being targeted.
Gender differences can play a role in specific advertising for medical products, especially if it is a female specific product that is directed solely for female oriented market. Mathes (2016) found that female primary characters would be more likely to be seen in ads for toiletries, beauty products, personal care, and cleaning products, whereas male characters would more likely be associated with telecommunications, electronics, technology, computers, or cars. These stereotypes allow companies to design their campaigns with actors of the gender they are trying to attract to buy the product in an attempt to better relate to the intended consumers.
Rosengren (2021) notes that attitudes towards gender roles had stayed at a standstill, but had suddenly shifted their basis, in which the portrayal of different gender roles did not affect the audience’s opinion related to distinct gender roles portrayed throughout the advertisements. This helps support the claim that not all advertisements involving one gender are directly marketed toward the specific gender being represented.
‘You can do Hard: Women’ by Leqvio
Negative stereotyping and misrepresentation of cultural groups are predominant in many advertisements. In an effort to relate to a specific cultural audience by creating characters and situations they can relate, they often cross the line and end up stereotyping the characters or unintentionally exhibiting prejudice. Shankar (2019) cites the Taco Bell chihuahua, the Metro PCS guys, and Ashton Kutcher in brownface for Popchips as recent examples of advertisers attempting to reach different markets with campaigns that stereotype a culture.
Shows how companies updated historically black spokespersons, such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, to eliminate negative stereotypical aspects throughout their advertising. (Shabbir 2014) Companies will recognize their mistakes eventually, and force themselves to finally change the negative stereotyping in their advertisements to not upset contemporary, and future customers.