Are Women Targeted in Advertising?

American advertisers have targeted women in several ways. According to Sivulka, one of the ways in which advertising targets women is abusing their hidden fears. Sivulka also lists sex appeal as a way advertisers appeal to women. Another form of targeting women portrayed women in middle-American, everyday type situations. These tactics began to emerge in the early 20^th century.

Sivulka writes that advertisers often planted their idea of a woman's worst fear, giving offense, and exploited it. (Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes, 150) An example of this exploitation is the series of ads that promoted the two-volume set Book of Etiquette. The books gave ways to avoid the embarrassment of not knowing what to do in a situation, and the ads echoed this concept. One such ad showed a girl at a French restaurant, along with the tag line "Again she orders -- 'A chicken salad, please. (Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes, 151) The ad suggests that the girl did not know how to pronounce the names of other dishes on the menu, and that the book could help women get out of similar sticky situations.

The sex appeal tactic first appeared in 1911, with a Woodbury soap ad. The ad contained a portrait of a nice looking couple, and the tag line "A skin you love to touch. (Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes, 110) This ad also had an offer for a week's supply and art from the advertisement. Sivulka writes that the ad "discussed the benefits of using the product, suggesting softness, sex appeal, and even romance. (Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes, 110) The ad is clearly aiming to touch on the advertiser's perception that women desire to have sex appeal.

Another method of trying to appeal to women through advertising is the portrayal of the little woman With this approach, admakers often promoted women as middle-American, doing everyday household activities. (Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes, 254) One such ad that perpetuated this stereotype was a 1960 Frigidaire ad. The ad showcased a new frost-proof model, and showed a housewife and her child wearing crowns while admiring their frost free fridge. In an effort to appeal to women, the ad implied that the typical housewife "would feel like a queen for owning a Frigidaire." (Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes, 254)

Many angles have been used to appeal to women. Some have been in play through most of the 20^th century, starting with the debut of the Woodbury soap ad in 1911. Sivulka shows in her book that there are three main ways in which women are targeted by ads. Advertising targets women's fears and exploits them, as well as telling women they will have sex appeal by using a product. Women have also been targeted in ads by being shown middle class images that are similar to them.

Sources:

The Ad and the Ego, Parallaxpictures.org, 1997

Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising, by Juliann Sivulka, Wadsworth Publishing; 1997