Women In Advertisement Analysis

The introduction of women into the economy market was slow, and gradual. Even before the creation of a market, the economy has very much been male dominated, where women took only secondary roles. During the household economy, women participated in the family’s business, but only following the family’s patriarch. The constitution of the market, which should, in theory, constitute a much more democratic economy, still excluded women. It was not until the rise of the culture of consumption, in the victorian era, that women began to acquire more attention under the public light. That did not mean, however, that the statuses of all women were elated. The rise of consumption also accentuated the difference between social classes. The rich were

With the rise of consumption, brands were now competing for the public’s attention. The necessity for advertisement grew, and people who worked on such advertisements had to come up with inventive ways to entice its target audience. Since women were the ones responsible for shoppings, many of the advertisements targeted women. A study of ad for irons, entitled ““Crownall Gas Irons”, for example, offers an interesting take on the economic significance of such ads. The ad consists of three images. In the first, a sad-looking woman, dressed in a maid’s outfit, is ironing pieces of cloth. The text the accompanies the ad says “Toiling hard near a Blazing fire. Neath the heat of a burning Sun. Makes ironing day a Weary day. My work seems never done.” Then, following that image, there is another picture, this time of a satisfied looking woman, ironing cloth, with the words “Crownall Gas Irons Beetall Gas Irons, Save the World from Worry.” Finally, there is a third image. In it, the woman working is smiling while ironing, with a text that follows: “Gliding along neath a Summer Sun. In every Home a Treasure. The Crownall is The only One. Makes Ironing day a

The ad for “Brooke’s Soap” consists of a single image of a woman, dressed as a maid, cleaning tableware. Everything in the house appears so clean, that the maid’s reflection can be seen in the already polished tableware. Underneath the image it says the soap, “Makes Bright Reflections”. Further under the image, it reads, “will do a day’s work in an hour.” Much like the iron advertisement, this ad promises to facilitate household work. This ad, however, might appeal much more to high class women. Contrary to the crownall iron ad, this ad is not only promising increased efficiency, but also increased quality. The advertisement simultaneously promises to reduce the time spent cleaning, while making the house appear much finer. It is no coincidence that the image primarily depicts the a beautiful house, and that the text promising “bright reflections” comes before the promise to increase efficiency. The creators of this ad knew exactly who they were targeting. High class women were more likely to value products that would benefit them (and their houses) than their maids. That is why the product places such an emphasis on it. The fact that Brooke’s soap increases efficiency is placed in this ad in a way it seems more like a bonus than a marketing