VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ PHƯƠNG QUỲNH MALE REPRESENTATION IN SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS (Chân dung nam giới trong quảng cáo Super Bowl) M. MAJOR PROGRAMME THESIS HANOI – 2020 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES VŨ THỊ PHƯƠNG QUỲNH MALE REPRESENTATION IN SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS (Chân dung nam giới trong quảng cáo Super Bowl) M. MAJOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201.01 Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Hạnh, PhD. HANOI – 2020 [ LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify the thesis entitled “Male representation in Super Bowl commercials” as my own work in the fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Hanoi, 2020 Vũ Thị Phương Quỳnh i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude and utmost appreciation to my beloved supervisor, Dr. Hoang Thi Hanh, for her concise guidance and invaluable advice from the beginning to the end of this research. Without her, this study would have been left unfinished. My deepest thanks also go to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, ULIS, VNU, and Dr.
Huynh Anh Tuan, who has gone to great lengths to make my study journey feasible once again. Besides, I am extremely grateful to Ms. Hoang Phuong, MA, who has wholeheartedly assisted me during the process of doing this study. Last but not least, so as not to sound pretentious, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to myself for being utterly invincible.
ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Gender representation in advertising has been a thriving field of research in recent decades. However, since most research focus on the comparison between the two genders or the depiction of females, studies regarding male representation are few and far between. The aim of this research was to find out the contemporary depiction of men in commercials through both visual and linguistic means. The study found a continuation of the overrepresentation of men in advertisements in comparison with women.
In addition, despite the recent transformation in societal male roles, the depiction of men is still largely confined by traditional male norms. They are portrayed as experts, heroes, competitive individuals, and subjects of ridicules. The study can be helpful for the reinvention of masculinity in today‘s world, and serve as an appeal to society for more visible, creative effort to challenge traditional male stereotypes in advertising and media. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF IMAGES. vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION. Rationale of the study.
Aims of the research and research question. Scope of the study. Significance of the study. Structure of the study .4 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Contextual background of the study. Gender equality movements. Super Bowl commercials .Gender representation in media studies and linguistics: An interdisciplinary approach. Gender and media studies.
Gender and Linguistics. A cross-disciplinary approach to gender representation in media. Masculinity in advertising. Gender bias in advertising.
Masculinity ideologies in advertising and their impacts. Recent changes in male stereotypes in Super Bowl commercials .23 CHAPTER III: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY. Gender equality assessment in advertising. CDA as a theoretical approach .28 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Principles of CDA. Fairclough‘s CDA analytical framework .35 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Men as experts and leaders. Men as heroes.
Men of power. The world of men as the world of competition. Men as the subjects of ridicule. Consistency and change in male representation in Super Bowl commercials 77 4.
The dualism of male representation in Super Bowl commercials. multi-dimensional male representation in Super Bowl commercials. Summary of major findings. Limitations and suggestions for further research.
I v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF IMAGES Image 1 (AD23) - male technological expert .38 Image 2 (AD30) - male cleaning expert .38 Image 3 (AD27) - male animated expert .39 Image 4 (AD46) - professional male bellhop.39 Image 5 (AD7) - male main guard .42 Image 6 (AD28) – animated male superhero .43 Image 7 (AD36) - male knight .43 Image 8 (AD5) - Andy the powerful influencer .50 Image 9 (AD11) – rich technophilic footballer .51 Image 10 (AD40) - rich male baller .53 Image 11 (AD32) - man with super powers .55 Image 12 (AD44) - creepy masked man .57 Image 13 (AD51) - male monster .57 Image 14 (AD29) – Male bullies .60 Image 16 (AD24) - powerful man vs.61 Image 17 (AD9) - competitive younger boys .63 Image 18 (AD52) - father and son playing a console game .64 Image 19 (AD38) - helpless man choking on a cashew .70 Image 20 (AD46) - ―Captain Colon‖ .72 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION This chapter states the rationale of the study, research’s aims, the scope of the study, how it can contribute to the current research landscape in gender and advertising. It also proposes the research question that serves as the guiding line for the whole research. Rationale of the study Gender representation in media has been a research area that garners attention from scholars across different disciplines. The majority of research provides a comparison between female and male depictions; however, recent trends have shown that studies are shifting from gender juxtaposition to the depiction of single sex, which mostly focuses on females (Fowler & Thomas, 2015).
Meanwhile, male representation appears only on a minority of studies, and is often employed as a point for comparing and contrasting to female portrayal. According to Gentry and Harrison (2010), this apparent discrepancy could be attributed to the widespread belief that changes should be prioritized in female depiction in advertisement. Male portrayal, thus, has received scant attention. Studies on men are often disregarded and ridiculed, because male privilege as well as male entitlement still prevail and are deeply engrained in the various strata of society.
Nonetheless, this does not rule out the fact that men could also be marginalized and have to conform to masculine norms which prevent them from expressing their feelings, getting close to their children or other men, and having the freedom to pursue unconventional roles. Research on men and their representation in advertisements, hence, is warranted to ensure the balance that should exist in gender studies, as well as to shed light on masculine roles and the influences of their portrayals in mass media. Previous studies have looked into the representation of males in different forms of advertisements, including print ads and TV commercials, but mostly concentrating on their stereotypical roles. Kervin (1990) pointed out the ideal configuration of traits for males that were projected in magazine advertisements.
1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com According to Kervin (1990), central to male representation was the capacity to provide for his family as the breadwinner, and this was surrounded by other characteristics such as being admired by others, affording great measures of money and powers, as well as being self-reliant, strong, and confident. This has been perpetuated for years and hailed as the desirable, traditional masculine symbol; however, recent societal changes regarding genders, especially with female advancement in equality, means that men‘s roles are being transformed drastically. This threat to the bureaucratic breadwinner image urges men to ―reaffirm their status as real men‖, and more often than not men find the instructions to do so in advertisements (Holt & Thompson, 2004, p. Therefore, advertisements are of an increasingly important role in navigating men with regards to their definition of masculinity and self-concept.
Studies on male representation in advertisements, accordingly, are justified, particularly those that focus on the contemporary depictions of men in advertisements and investigate the changes over the last few decades. The representation of men in TV commercials is a field which requires continuous research. Mass media have evolved enormously with the invention of the Internet and other advancements of technology. Nonetheless, despite the increase in online advertising, TV commercials are still the primary sources of product promotion and marketing.
This is firstly because the Internet itself also has become a platform for television, and thus TV commercials, as the majority of television networks have applications that operate on mobile phones or computers which allow users to watch television programs as long as they have Internet connection. Over-the-top television, or television programs which are broadcasted on the internet and can be watched on various devices, (Wolk, 2018), has demonstrated its impressive potentials in advertising sales, with a whooping eight- fold year-over-year increase by 2018 (Munson, 2018). In addition to the large scale on which advertising on connected TV is presented, other compelling reasons for advertisers to pour investment in TV commercials include a safe environment for 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com brands, high-quality commercials, and correct demographic targeting (Wolk, 2018). Therefore, TV commercials continue to be at the center of attention of the advertising world.
Among the major TV programs in which advertisers vie for a spot, the US‘ broadcast of Super Bowl was by far one of the most popular, easily ranking as the most-watched television program in US history (Bon, 2015). The Super Bowl commercials have become a phenomenon themselves, especially when a significant share of the audience reported watching the commercials only (Siltanen, 2014). The commercials are exposed not only to an unprecedented viewership, but also a diverse demographic. Since 2010, Super Bowl has recorded an annual audience of around 100,000 million, with 74% of American males and 59% of American females watching the show in 2017 (Gough, 2019), and a roughly balanced distribution of viewership by gender (54% men and 47% women) (Marketing Charts, 2018).
Super Bowl commercials have been featured in numerous studies, yet most of these studies focused on advertising impacts (e. Outra, Hatzithomas & Zotos, 2010), gender stereotypes of both males and females (e. Vierra, 2014; Hatzithomas, Boutsouki & Ziamou, 2016). Studies that pay exclusive attention to male depiction are few and far between.
All the conditions above indicate an expressive need for research on male representation in TV advertising, and the US‘ Super Bowl commercials can be a relevant and reliable source for gender studies that look at advertisements. Aims of the research and research question This study aims to elucidate how men are represented in Super Bowl commercials and how both visual and linguistic factors contribute to male representation. In other words, the paper expects to shed light on the contemporary depiction of males in Super Bowl advertising, and to identify, if any, the ideals and beliefs that govern this depiction through both visual and linguistic means. Ultimately, the study hopes to provide a balance in understanding of the current gender representation in mass media with the new focus on males instead of females.
3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com The research question below is proposed: How are men represented visually and linguistically through Super Bowl TV commercials? 1. Scope of the study The paper chooses 57 commercials that were aired during Super Bowl 2019 TV broadcasting. These commercials feature a wide range of products and services, with diverse audience approaches. The study examines the visual and linguistic factors in both the characters in the commercials and the voiceover.
Movie trailers and TV program teasers are excluded, as well commercials that have no distinctive human visibility. Significance of the study The study is hoped to serve three main purposes. First, it explores gender representation in contemporary mass media, and provides a balance in gender studies that have long been inclined towards females.