Ep. 33 - Advertising in the Activist Resurgence

BrownTown reflects on the recent turn in the advertising industry
to co-opting social movement optics, messages, and dialogues. As
this industry has always run monetized media and the digital age
has made media literacy ever-more important, BrownTown unpacks
recent attempts of companies using progressive narrative shifts
for their bottom-line. Originally recorded April 2019.


 


Advertising is a pillar of consumerism serving as a jester for a
larger capitalist economic structure. However, the last two years
have brought a unique wave of commercials using the
now-mainstream appeal of social movements to sell their products.
BrownTown takes a dive into the relationship of transformational
advertising and “activist chic” in addition to the critiques from
all sides. The conversation begins broadly about the role of film
and media when BrownTown takes a brief look at SoapBox’s
placement in the current landscape. The guys then go down the
line of recent ad campaigns (listed below), for better or worse,
and give personal insight as filmmakers/writers/consumers as well
as broader macro-analyses into how these companies and people
live up to their promoted messages. From Nike and Kaepernick (see
Know Your Rights Camp) to Gillette calling out toxic masculinity
(but that pink tax doe?) to Wells Fargo’s apology tour (still,
#NoDAPL) to, of course, the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad, we are only
beginning this new age of mass advertising. Thus, consumers and
audiences must revamp their media literacy toolkit to better
recognize the coded messaging and curtailing of real struggle,
power-building, and systemic change before we become completely
pacified consumers.


How do we resist, reimagine, and rebuild while simultaneously
creating and consuming? If the revolution will in fact be
televised, Pepsi will not be the one to broadcast it.


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Ad Campaigns Discussed:


Nike and Kaepernick - “Dream Crazy”

Nike and Serena Williams - “Dream Crazier

Gillette - “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be”

Pepsi and Kendall Jenner

Wells Fargo - “Earning Back Your Trust”



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CREDITS: Intro/outro music by Fiendsh. Intro
soundbite from “Sell & Spin: A History of Advertising”.
Episode photo by Sean Kelly.


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