A Level Media Tide

Tide Advert Representation and Audience

Why does she have a full face of makeup and perfectly styled hair?

Signifies appearances are important for women to make it aspirational for women.

• And they can copy the woman in the photo. Reflects the style popular for the time.

• Hair pulled back = more focused on putting more effort into work.

What are the symbolic codes of hearts used for?

Shows that women enjoy doing laundry.

• Reflects the time period of the 1950s as women were housewives.

Why is there a slogan for the Tide Advert ‘Tide’s got what women want!’?

Women want to do housework and really enjoy it.

• When men were fighting in WW2, women did more work outside of home and the Tide Adverts encouraged women to enjoy housework again to push traditional gender norms.

Why is the woman covering most of the poster?

Because, they are the target audience for the Tide Advert

• Powerful representations.

Why is there intertexuality in the Tide Advert?

Because the woman is wearing a headscarf similar to the woman in the ‘We Can Do It’ advertisement for women. But has an apron to show that she is a domestic housewife.

• Empowerment in the advert, makes it seem to women that it’s desirable and patriotic to buy Tide.

• A hairstyle that emulates Old Hollywood Stars

How does Tide link to Van Zoonen?

Shows that women are in domestic roles.

• Shows that women are in those traditional gender roles made by the Patriarchy.

• However it challenges Van Zoonen’s theory as it doesn’t sectionalise women.

Why does Tide have a comic strip and an illustrated advertisement?

Takes away the realism as they were trying to entice women to continue being a traditional housewife and it sells more.

• Women were looking for a fantasy version of their world.

-Why does it show the symbolic code of the woman hugging the product and using the hyperboles

‘What Women Want’ ad

‘No other-washing product known- will get your wash as CLEAN as TIDE!’

- And the superlatives:

‘cleanest’

‘whitest’

‘brightens’

Because it is persuading women to buy the product and that men are advertising the product in a way that women will instantly buy it.

What is the USP of Tide?

Mentions facts of the product on the right hand side of the advert.

What is the Binary Opposition between Tide & Commercial Rivals?

Composition of a Z formation (Rule of 3rds)

How does it reflect Hooks Theory?

Because the women in the advert are white, suggests that white women are more desirable.

How does it link to Gilroy’s colonialism theory?

White women are powerful and ethnic minorities aren’t

What is the Semantic code of Tide?

Red hearts implies love

What is the Proairetic Code (Action Code)?

The lady hugging the box with adoration and love

How does Tide link to the Stuart Hall Reception Theory?

Encourages ‘Preferred Reading’ that Tide is a great product.

What was the Negotiated or Oppositional Readings for the Tide product?

Those women who developed feminist ideas in the 50s or early 60s. Saw it as sexist and over simplified their lives and modern women.

• Cultural context and historical contexts plays a role on this.

How does Tide link to Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory?

Audiences had seen more and more adverts of women doing household chores. ‘Cultivated’ over time.

What are the examples of Cultivation?

Use of superlatives but also saying that it is a product that’s ‘got what women want’