Advertisement Standards in Canada

Advertising Standards Canada is an organization devoted to creating and maintaining the professional practice in advertising where criteria is set distinguishing acceptable advertising forms. The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards forms the basis upon which consumers evaluate advertising and are able to place complaints about advertisements to the ASC.

The ASC states many guidelines but I am only going to choose a few that relate to the content of our blog. In many of our posts we discuss sexuality and the portrayal of a product to middle school students.. Please read about the following provisions on advertising in Canada!

The code of advertising standards follows 14 clauses developed to enhance the knowledge and understanding the interpretations made by the code for industries and other advertising companies. Among others, the interpretation guide specifically states caution towards the impression of the portrayal of women in any advertisement. It has been stated that if an ad violates “the spirit of gender equality” the ad will be prosecuted. Under the code there is a section completely devoted to  ‘Gender Portrayal Guidelines’ which explain the guidelines against discrimination and the portrayal of women in advertising. Guidelines one through six specifically refer to sexuality, violence, diversity and language used indecently toward the equality of men and women. For example: “3. Sexuality: Advertising should avoid the inappropriate use or exploitation of sexuality of both women and men.” This point also refers directly to number 14 in the code provisions Unacceptable Depictions and Portrayals. This provision recognizes distasteful advertisements violating clause 14 where an advertisement may be offensive to some people or gender. Clause 14 states four sub-points but I would like to bring attention to the first one that state that advertisements shall not condone personal discrimination against race, national origin, religion, sex or age.

Another interesting provision I want to discuss is the guideline against comparative advertising. This provision states: “Advertisements must not, unfairly, discredit, disparage or attack other products, services, advertisements or companies, or exaggerate the nature or importance of comparative differences.” Canadian advertising restricts publishing falsified advertisement that may unfairly discredit or attack the competitor or its product. I find this provision to be particularly interesting because of the major loop hole the following ad compares.

In this ad the comparative nature of the “ripple brand” does not directly compare the competitor but it is clearly implied. In my opinion there are an abundance of ads on air right now that defy many of the provisions discussed by ASC. Obviously there are loop holes these advertisements get through otherwise they would not be on air.

Here is the final question: Do you know of any commercials that violate any of the provisions stated by the ASC? These provisions include any advertisement that defies the appropriateness of an advertisement. If you do the ASC provides Ad Complaint Reports, which you (as the consumer) fills out a complaint report, which is submitted to ASC. These complaint reports are intended to inform both the industry and the public about consumer issues on their advertising techniques.

Here is the link to Ad Complaint Report: http://www.adstandards.com/en/Standards/report.asp

AN EXTRA: Possible Questions for Middle School Students

Take the questions below and create a discussion with middle school students so that they may understand their reactions to television media.

1. How many of your favorite shows feature men/women as the principal character, the center of the plot or the action? 

2. What messages do they suggest about the importance of men/women in our society relative to men/women and children?

3. List some of the roles men/women play on TV? How do they compare to their roles in the "real" world? How do they influence your expectations of how men/women actually behave.

4. How are the characteristics displayed by men/women on TV comparable to those of the men/women in your own life? How do they differ?

5. How does the portrayal of men/women differ in various types of programing? Do TV ads seem to portray the "new" man/woman and sportscasting the more traditional man/woman?

6. List your own male/female TV heroes. What qualities attract you to them? Do any actual men/women you know share them?

7. List the various ways men/women are shown on TV in relationship to other men/women, such as controlling/sharing, caring/abusive, fighting/friendly, etc.

8. In thinking about these TV men/women, how do they make you feel about other men/women? Do you feel inferior to them or do you feel validated by them? In other words, how well do men/women on TV function as role models, as viewing spectacles, or as people to relate to?

Spectrum of Commercials

As we know there are a wide range of commercials out there for viewers, and we think that there is a spectrum that they should be used to rate them. The spectrum should be described as safe - moderate - extreme.

Based on this spectrum, safe commercials would be commercials like: YOP commercial. This commercial is one that shows adolescents a healthy food that they could drink when they are growing and they would still be getting something nutritional for breakfast. I fell like this is a pretty safe commercial for young adolescent viewers.

Another example of a safe commercial:

This ADIDAS commercial shows a product for everyone. It can target young adolscents because of the context in which the clothing is being portrayed. This particular commercial shows many different role models using the product, and by using  the different role models the commercial targets a wide range of young adolescents.

A moderate commercial would be one like: Dove – True Colors commercial. I feel this Dove commercial is different than the one Kalee posted because of the way the children are being represented. They went to being sad to happy, and the description words in the commercial.

Another example of a moderate commercial:

This commercial expresses reality, in which some parents may not want their children to be exposed to in middle school.

An extreme commercial would be one like: The AXE Effect – Women – Billions. Even though this commercial has adults acting in it, and was probably intended for an older audience I believe that this commercial hits young adolescent boys as well. As they hit and go through puberty, adolescent boys are going to think about things like what would be the best cologne to use to make them more attractive to girls and which cologne is the best smelling. In this particular example of an extreme commercial, the women are dressed in only bikini’s and the expression on the man’s face is arrogant (like he conquered the world of women) when he realizes all the women were running for him.

Another example of an extreme commercial:

The langauge Kenny Powers uses in this commercial is inappropriate for young adolescents. We also have to consider that he is in movies that young adolescent would watch, for example: Superbad and Tropic Thunder. So when seeing a commercial with him in it they would be more intrigued watch it and remember the message that is being protrayed.

TV Commercials

This Herbal Essence commercial may seem innocent but it is commercials like these that have a hidden message behind them. This is one type of commercial that young adults label as being “sexy.”

This commercial is advertising is Bailey’s and the intended audience may not necessarily be middle school students but because these types of commercials are so available to young adults they are being influenced by alcohol at a much younger age. If these ads were not so accessible to middle school students the effects would not be as influential.

Accessibility of Commercials

How does the accessibility of commercials impact young adults?

It is a widely known fact that today more than ever young adults are being consumed by technology. One of the major types of technology teenagers are fixated on is the TV. Companies now have the opportunity to market specific products depending on what TV shows these young adults are watching. Commercials are readily accessible to young adults, especially commercials that are judge as controversial commercials. An American stat reveals just how available TV commercials are to young adults proving that the average child is exposed to around 40,000 television commercials a year. This turns out to be over 100 commercials in one single day.

A study completed in the US found that teens see more commercials on alcohol than any other product. When I found this out I thought to myself – What kind of message is this sending to the youth? To prevent underage viewers seeing these there has been an effort to not air such commercials where at least half of the intended viewers are underage. I think that even though advertisers may be trying to control the accessibility of the ads there are still young adults watching shows that are probably beyond their age category. With that being said the accessibility of commercials based on alcohol is very open to young adults. Strategic thought has been placed on when certain commercials are aired depending on the audience.
However, I do not think that they have thought about the repercussions teens may face after being influenced by these commercials. It’s evident that these ads about alcohol are accessible to all young adults who watch TV.

I was also wondering if teens really understood the intended message that was trying to be portrayed? A study completed in the US found that the “sexy message” that advertisers were trying to get through is effective. Many teens were able to list commercials in which they thought were sexy. Some of the top commercials included; Victoria Secret, Herbal Essences, and Levi’s. The fact that young teens are able to make a list of these commercials is evidence that proves teens do understand what the intended message of the ad is.

Male Audience Commercial-AXE and Old Spice

These commercial's are directed at the male audience where the emphasis is on the product that attracts a woman automatically because of his scent. It shows that males should buy this product to attract women. The Old Spice commercial is more directed at the masculinity. It portrays that men need this product to maintain their masculinity to "become a man". Middle school students are going to view this commercial and see the message that men need these products to be successful with girls. When in fact, they just need to be themselves.

The Male Audience

On the other end of the spectrum, we must also ask ourselves what impact does television commercials have on the young adult male audience? By the time a young male has turned 14 he has been exposed to more than 350,000 television commercials. So how can young males not watch a commercial and be influenced to follow its underlying message?

Young males are more apt to believe a message that a specific brand or a piece of clothing will make them irresistible and essentially attract women. There is an unspoken set of rules that are provided to men through the making of television commercials. The message for men is “you need to look for women who look like and behave like this”. For example, television commercials keep the attention of most men and boys focused mostly just on the women and girls that are presenting the product being advertized. Many campaigning advertisements will show women seductively drinking alcohol, dressed seductively or sexually eating food that will somehow arouse the male audience viewing the commercial. For example, there is a commercial “Here Kitty, Kitty” that features a woman seductively licking a lollipop, much to the delight of the male actors aroused by her actions. The advertisement was targeted at the 14-24 age range.

On the other hand, commercials aimed at children usually portray boys building, fixing toys, or fighting. They are also shown out of the house and in the yard up to 85 percent of the time. Many males in commercials are generally leaders and problem solvers that are portrayed as funny, confident, successful and athletic. It is very rare to see men or boys crying or otherwise showing vulnerability and could not be described as “sensitive”. They are very rarely seen at home performing domestic chores and one third of boys most likely have never even seen a male do a simple household chore in their own household.

The underlying message of men shown in media such as television commercials are portrayed as socially powerful and physically violent. This causes concern for how this message will show young adult males of how they should act in society, how they should treat each other, as well as how they should treat women and children.

When you first turn on the television, there is a 90 percent chance that the first person you view is male. Commercials perpetuate male stereotyping in two ways. There is a restricted range of male traits that “key” character roles portray and the “less manly” characteristics are displayed as flaws in the character or as a source of humor. There is a major emphasis on a male’s strength, performance and skill.

When young adult males view television commercials, they need to understand how to relate to the characters presented, how specific characterizations influence their ideas about masculinity and how they relate to the men in their day-to-day lives.

Female Audience Commercial-Victoria's Secret

These video's were chosen as a portrayal of the way media can influence the female audience. Although it may attract the male audience as well, the female image is depicted as thin, beautiful and sexual. Although many will argue that majority of the population do not appear this way, the middle school student may take this message and apply it to their own lives.

The Female Audience

The most important question that we must ask ourselves is how are the commercials on national television affecting our female generations? It has been found in a study that the average North American girl will watch 5,000 hours of television including 80,000 ads, before she even starts kindergarten. So what message do we intend to send to the young adult female audience especially when television takes up so much of their lives before even reaching middle school?

It is known that the strongest message sent to females in television commercials is "You must look like this. You must act like this. You must dress like this. If you want to attract a man or achieve some level of relational `success' with a man, you need to follow these rules.” Essentially, sexy ads that promote this message can be viewed by children that watch programming during prime time television. For example, “An 18-year-old female described a more recent Herbal Essences ad by saying, that “The three men in back make the ad sexy. They are attractive and muscular, and the camera sometimes focuses on their hands touching the woman's body. It makes me, as the consumer, want to open the bottle of shampoo and have three strong, handsome men wash me." There are multiple commercials created by Victoria’s Secret and fragrance/shampoo companies that promote models in push-up bras or dressed in scantily clad outfits that have become the basis of female advertising. It has become so common in the media that most females do not even notice the ads that promote this message and they do not understand its true power.

In essence, this ultimately means novelty for the female generation. Companies are creating these commercials because it is new and exciting to discover romance and crushes while moving into the realm of sexuality is stimulating. There is a level of danger if their parents should ever find out what they are doing when viewing these television commercials. Commercials that touch on these specific topics can be seen during any time of the day.

An American 1996 study “Images of Female Children in TV Commercials” found that there are 33 commercials per hour during Saturday morning cartoons alone. The commercials aimed at the female audience show girls 77 percent of their time laughing, talking or observing others while in the home. Is this an accurate depiction of the female gender? This audience is surrounded by images of beauty that are unrealistic. In the same study, two out of three girls stated “I want to look like that character on TV” and one out of three “want to change something about their appearance to resemble that character”.

But as these young adults get older, most will tune out the messages being portrayed about sexuality and “who you should be” but there still are some that will continue to base their image and personality on a character seen on television.