I've selected a series of commercials aired to promote Reebok and increased participation for Fantasy Football. The commercial can be seen here: Pick Me
The commercials are incredibly entertaining, while sending the message that if you are to wear Reebok shoes, you will be able to perform at the same level as the featured athletes. The "Pick Me" commercial is meant to be taken lightly, as it is clear that the various stunts performed are not entirely possible. Regardless, the "Pick Me" commercials clearly communicate gendered messages and ideals of what it means to be an athlete and a man. The messages sent through the commercials are straightforward. Chris Cooley punches through drywall in order to catch a football he cannot even see. This demonstrates that real male athletes have the physical strength and pain tolerance break the physical and metaphoric barriers faced in sport activity. Along with promoting any of the ads feature physical quickness and agility. The men are all physically fit and clearly fit the hegemonic model of masculinity. Professional athletes are expected to deliver outstanding performances during their games, and the men featured in the advertisements perform nearly impossible feats. This creates an intangible standard for aspiring athletes and men alike. They are professionals, but their athleticism is clearly superior as portrayed in the commercials. Jacquelyn Cuneen and M. Joy Sidewell write, "Gender-defining messages in advertising photographs may have an especially profound impact on children because children understand meanings in pictures before they understand meanings in text" (39). If this is true, then advertising on television cannot deviate too far from causing the same impact on youth's perception of gender norms. The "Pick Me" advertisements are entertaining and meant to be light-hearted. To an adult these messages are clear, and it is understood that the athletes featured in the commercials are not actually performing the seemingly impossible activities shown. However, to a younger viewer, these men are role models, and they may strive to be in their shoes one day.
Source:
Cuneen, Jacquelyn and M. Joy Sidewell. 2012. "Research and Reviews Gender Portrayals in Sports Illustrated for Kids Advertisements: A Content Analysis of Prominent and Supporting Models." Journal of Sports Management 12(1):39-50
Great commercial choice and write up! I too found most of those very entertaining and remember seeing some of them on TV. As we are talking about gender also, I found it extremely weird that these only featured men, especially with how many they made. The creativity is definitely there, and pretty amazing...but with that much creativity, I bet they could have made some really, really, cool examples of Women doing unbelievable feats in their own sports. For trying to send such a large message of dreaming to younger athletes, it makes no sense to not feature a women. There are just as many little girls out there watching these commercials as boys.
ReplyDelete-Benji Delman