Taboo in Advertising


Book Description

Taboos are much more than just a synonym of 'forbidden'. Proof of the concept's complexity can be found in the way ads often try to hide the taboo inherent to their products or, conversely, in the way certain taboo readings are foregrounded on purpose in other ads. This volume shows why and how that happens, using print and television ads to exemplify (a) the elaborate strategies used by ads for certain products to cleverly hide the taboo inherent to them, and (b) the deliberate recourse to taboo references in ads for products that do not present any taboo connotation. The linguistic analysis undertaken takes into account the different modes (verbal language, music, sound effects, moving and static images) that convey meaning in ads. Taboo is very often conveyed or disguised through one of the channels while the others play the opposite role, thus achieving a balance that prevents the ad from being too obscure to be understood or too daring for the general public to accept it. For this comprehensive approach, concepts are drawn from different disciplines: textual and semiotic analysis from linguistics, theories of taboo from anthropology, and background to advertising from media studies.




Consumer's Perception of Taboo in Advertising


Book Description

In a highly competitive market, advertisement became of great importance to ensure the spread of ideas, products and services. However, some critical issues that are placed by the environment play a major role in shaping advertisement. This research studies particular aspects that marketers should take into consideration through advertisements, by highlighting major factors that contribute to the success of advertisements. This study assesses four aspects; the influence of unorthodox advertising, the presence of taboos, society norms, and gender in shaping the perceptions and behaviors of consumers towards advertisements through an online questionnaire on Qualtrics filled by 213 participants. The results indicate that within the Lebanese context, unorthodox advertising and taboos shaped the perceptions and behaviors of consumers and their subsequent reaction to the subject of advertisements. The results also indicate that the society norms are great influencers towards the consumers through categorizing certain topics or issues as taboos. The perception of taboos was found to be gender sensitive as well, with women perceiving high taboos in ads.




Sex and Death


Book Description

Advertising is based on the concept of getting an audience to become aware of an idea, product or service. Many methods have been used to make advertising stand out. I hypothesize that companies that use taboo advertising are not likely to increase, but rather decrease advertising using taboo imagery in order to protect their bottom line. Do companies persist in using taboo imagery in advertising? Is there an increase in the use of one type of taboo imagery in advertising? Can advertising make taboo imagery non-taboo by the use of a non-taboo message? Benetton aimed to establish itself as a "thinking-man's" brand, one that people would associate with a strong sense of awareness of various issues. Their ads, sparking controversy through the use of taboo imagery and minimalist wording, are almost custom-designed to spark interest, if for no other reason than to make sense of the situation the ads present. Benetton uses both eros- and thanatos-type image to provoke debate and outrage throughout the research period.




Taboo Comedy


Book Description

The essays in this collection explore taboo and controversial humour in traditional scripted (sitcoms and other comedy series, animated series) and non-scripted forms (stand-up comedy, factual and reality shows, and advertising) both on cable and network television. Whilst the focus is predominantly on the US and UK, the contributors also address more general and global issues and different contexts of reception, in an attempt to look at this kind of comedy from different perspectives. Over the last few decades, taboo comedy has become a staple of television programming, thus raising issues concerning its functions and appropriateness, and making it an extremely relevant subject for those interested in how both humour and television work.




Taboo


Book Description

You Can’t Say That! Do you have a right to be offended by the facts? Against all the evidence, the mainstream media insist that America has never been more racist and sexist. The police are waging a war on Black people. “White privilege” means minorities never get a fair shake. Although this narrative of oppression is demonstrably fictitious, it is taboo to question it, and those who do so risk being labeled racist or sexist themselves. America needs an honest conversation based on common sense and cold, hard facts. Honesty and respect for the facts are the specialty of Wilfred Reilly, the celebrated author of Hate Crime Hoax. In Taboo, he fearlessly examines ten forbidden truths that have been buried by political correctness. They include: -The Black rate of violent crime is roughly 2.5 times the white rate. When demographic variables are taken into account, there are no racial differences in the rate of police-involved shootings. -Interracial crime is remarkably rare, but 75 to 80 percent of it occurs against white people. -Minorities can be racist—take the Nation of Islam, which holds that white people are an inferior race created by a Black scientist. -Disparities between racial groups in IQ testing and SAT performance are the result of cultural variables, such as the presence of a father in the home, not racism. Reilly goes where most social scientists fear to tread, using objective statistics and common sense to tackle taboo topics. Taboo is an essential takedown of the lies you hear every day from ideological activists and lazy, biased media.




Do's and Taboos Around the World for Women in Business


Book Description

What Women Need to Know to Succeed in International Business From meeting protocol and sexual harassment to dining and gift giving, the rules for conducting business abroad can be dramatically different from those at home--and they can also vary from country to country. But with this indispensable resource, you'll have everything you need to successfully interact with your business counterparts, whether you're doing business in Caracas, Calcutta, or Copenhagen. Bestselling author Roger Axtell combines his 30 years of experience working abroad with the advice of three cross-cultural consultants to provide you with guidance and specific advice on: * Survival --Knowing the culture, protocol, safety, and staying healthy * Cultural differences --A country-by-country listing of the rules for proper dress, speech, table manners, etc. * Climbing the career ladder --Resources listing the best schools, courses, and language training, advice on finding mentors, and more * Personal issues --Dating rules in different cultures, balancing an international career and family life, dealing with harassment and discrimination




Consumer Perception of Sexual Taboo in Ads and Its Effect on the Brand in the Lebanese Market


Book Description

The subject of "Taboo" and advertising has a long history of controversy involving issues in Lebanon of both culture and ethnic traditions that might discomfort its viewing audience. Taboo advertisements topics are mostly related to sex, death, drugs, nudity and religion. Although the use of taboos in ads can enhance brand awareness but still it can lead to a negative attitude toward the advertisement, which carries over into negative attitudes toward the brand image and negative purchase intentions. In this thesis we want to understand and analyze the Lebanese consumer perception of sexual taboo in advertisements. We will also separate these consumers into Males and Females groups to study the effect of gender on the perception of sexual taboos. Furthermore we will stress on the effect of the perceived sexual taboo on the brand image, the brand awareness and the purchase intentions. Date.




The Book


Book Description

A revelatory primer on what it means to be human, from "the perfect guide for a course correction in life" (Deepak Chopra)—and a mind-opening manual of initiation into the central mystery of existence. At the root of human conflict is our fundamental misunderstanding of who we are. The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the universe, has led us to view the “outside” world with hostility, and has fueled our misuse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world. To help us understand that the self is in fact the root and ground of the universe, Watts has crafted a revelatory primer on what it means to be human—and a mind-opening manual of initiation into the central mystery of existence. In The Book, Alan Watts provides us with a much-needed answer to the problem of personal identity, distilling and adapting the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta.




The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language


Book Description

This volume brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines to define and describe taboo words and language and to investigate the reasons and beliefs behind them. It examines topics such as impoliteness, swearing, censorship, taboo in deaf communities, translation of tabooed words, and the use of taboo in banter and comedy.