BY ECE OZDEMIR
Advertisements are the most frequent images we encounter while watching television. Whether during breaks in television series or news broadcasts, numerous commercials appear across various channels. The primary objective of these advertisements is to market products directly to a specified target audience. For instance, baby products are presented to parents, while toys target children.
Corporations attempt to attract interest and acquire new customers by demonstrating how high-quality, innovative, beneficial, affordable, or convenient their products are.
The most basic example of this is toothpaste advertisements. In these commercials, we often see an expert figure recommending the product to the viewer. However, today we are aware that these individuals, presented as “experts,” are merely actors wearing white lab coats to appear more knowledgeable and reliable.
These are the conventional advertising models we most frequently encounter in daily life, and we often bypass them without a second thought. Indeed, we are all familiar with the general commercial function of advertisements; however, have you ever considered the power of advertising in terms of creating social awareness?
While the majority of advertisements are sales-oriented, some serve a distinct purpose: promoting social awareness, informing public opinion, and transforming established attitudes or behaviors. These initiatives are defined as social advertisements. While traditional commercials emphasize product advantages, social advertisements aim to evoke empathy and a sense of conscience in the viewer.
Although this advertising model may appear to be another method of generating profit, it is considered one of the most effective and accessible ways to initiate change. Indeed, these messages are omnipresent; they span from digital advertisements on social media platforms and websites to physical posters found on streets and buildings.
Consequently, social advertisements possess a unique potential to trigger social transformation and foster a collective consciousness by reaching broad audiences.
The first step in creating awareness through advertisements is to provide the audience with clear information on the subject. To persuade viewers to change their opinions or take action for a specific cause, the advertisement must present factual and concrete information related to that objective. In other words, while the social advertisement represents the primary mission, the informative advertisement functions as the fundamental method for achieving that mission.
Through this approach, organizations prove that they are not merely addressing a social issue superficially, but are instead giving the matter the value it deserves and are committed to creating awareness through high-quality work. Because this approach resonates with individuals experiencing these issues and makes their experiences visible, such campaigns are rendered far more convincing than traditional advertisements.
The advertisement prepared by Ford for International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023, was remarkably impactful and memorable. The creative approach exhibited in the commercial allowed the brand to stand out among its competitors and once again emphasized the vital importance of women within the social structure. In this advertisement, Ford introduces a “redesigned” vehicle ironically titled the “Ford Explorer (Men’s Only Edition).”
However, this model is presented as lacking essential equipment invented by women, such as windshield wipers, heating systems, turn signals, rearview mirrors and the GPS. By highlighting the absence of these features that make an automobile functional, the campaign conveys the message that society would lose its integrity without the contributions of women.
Ford’s celebration of women in this manner possesses a significance far deeper than a standard message of congratulations. The campaign does not merely praise the achievements of women; by removing vital components they invented from the vehicle, it tangibly demonstrates how “dysfunctional” life would become without their contributions.
In conclusion, Ford’s approach to gender equality demonstrates that advertising is a resonant power used not only to sell products but to build values. While traditional advertisements appeal to the consumer’s wallet, social advertisements speak to the individual’s conscience and collective future.
Today, audiences no longer wish to know only what they are purchasing; they also seek to understand the values embraced by brands and institutions. These campaigns, constructed with an informative and creative understanding of social advertising, do more than clarify complex global issues; they transform the viewer from a passive observer into a participant in conscious change.