berrylicious my foot !

i am old enough to long for the days before all these alco-pops flooded our market place – when the promotion of liquor was a lot more single-minded and plain.nowadays these alco-pops that litter every available advertising space are doing anything and everything to be attractive to a younger target sector – in their desperation they recycle stereotypes, they throw out half-baked ideas as ads, they pump up the volume while toning down substance — they just get it royally wrong

this blog and my life’s work therefore focusses on mass media (advertising) precisely because it channels and offers a stage upon which controlling images (of Black women) are showcased and often paraded as ‘reality’. Nowhere do we see the reflection of the body-mind dichotomy more starkly than in the media- whether it is print, visual or radio. The objectification, commodification and subjugation of black women are at their worst in the media. Adverts for goods are often placed in such a manner as to present women themselves as the commodities.

The attached image is a case in point… instead of promoting whatever ‘virtues’ a berry-flavoured alco-pop delivers INSTEAD it is the woman, the black woman, who is commoditised – it is SHE who must be berrylicious, SHE who must gyrate her hips and release whoops of pleasure in the air – for whose benefit ? what was wrong with her or missing in her life before the call to be berrylicious ? who is she supposed to be berrylicious for and to what end ? can this brand not just sell its product without diminishing the black woman.

to the unconscious mind this is a ‘nice’ ad with a ‘ happy black woman shaking it because black people love to dance’- right ? WRONG i say, and here is what’s wrong with this superficial reading. it fails to recognise that the power dynamics have been inverted here – it is the woman who is placed in the servile position, instead of the drink bringing something to her life, there is now a perfomative requirement placed on her – she is the one who must perform and ‘be berrylicious’. the brand is elevated and her stature is relegated.

 

We must consume media consciously, forever alert to those images which offend and diminish the stature of black women as ‘complete’ human beings.This image and many like it must be rejected and challenged, because sexist ideologies if disbelieved lose their impact.

And no, i will not lighten up, commodification of the black woman is no laughing matter.

art or insult ?

the African continent is filled with people who are as brown or even darker than me and we are peppered throughout the world, bar the North Pole perhaps. so why then would creative souls at magazines(in this case French Vogue) choose to fake blackness rather than capture, in all their glory and divaness, the thousands of black sisters and brothers who making a living from modeling ?

it is pictures such as the attached that jolt one of out a state of grace into an uncomfortable realisation, and dare i say acceptance, that things have not changed much. what we see as a kaleidoscope of colour is nothing more than a shift in aesthetics not a displacement of racist tendencies. much as i think in colour, the world at its core still thinks in terms of black or white. no disrespect to the King of Pop, but it really still does matter whether you are black or white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i embrace the politics of colour – what bothers me is the falsehood of darkening a white model instead of just hiring a black model. what angers me is the reduction of blackness as an identity signifier into a colour-game. what enrages me is the total ignorance on the part of the folks behind this fashion spread. if they are not ignorant then, to borrow from jennifer arniston, they are definitely missing a ’sensitivity gene’. i don’t know which is worse, so you decide…

some brand truth(s)

if an idea requires a black person, find one do not fake one

faking blackness is worse than excluding black folk

south african football – suffering the perils of blackness ?

is there any correlation between the fact that football/soccer in our beloved country (SA) has a majority Black following and the shambles relating to its governance and overall administration ?

we have less than a year to figure ourselves out and rather than be using this time to finesse our game we are still searching for ‘miracle coaches’ who, because they are summoned at five-to-the-hour  will also come at a premium ! it’s the way the market works, demand at a crucial hour attracts the highest costs..and we are paying that price again – because we’ve been down this road before !        what have we learnt from history ? apparently NOTHING !

do not be quick to dismiss me as a coconut who roots for ‘pink’ people  or a chick who knows nothing about football- quite the contrary, i am a patriot frustrated with how we who are ‘darker than blue’ can also stand in the path of our own success. if you feel differently do not call me names, put your thoughts on paper and let the conversation begin !

Namaste !

there are enough black people, why paint blackness ?

it is a tired tale of magazines who are too afraid to ‘offend’ the ‘mainstream’ (read : white) readers and decide rather than feature people who are born black – they paint a white person black. what is the logic to this madness? is there any at all ?

now french vogue joins the race (pun intended)- featuring yet another white model ‘painted’ black ! do these publications truly think that who are darker than blue can’t tell when a shade is painted on ? or do they imagine we’d be eternally grateful that ‘one of them’ is pretending to be ‘one of us’…

for as long as we beat about the burning bush of racism and race, we (as a multi-hued human race) can never rise above our wounds and beyond our prejudices..

and no, i am not going to lighten up – this madness must be abhorred in the strongest terms for if we who are re-presented in poor light do not object, it may be re-framed as consent !!!

enough already !!!

just for the fun of it…

a detour from my usual subject- i spotted this attached image in one of the many alleys & passageways which make european cities a delight—and wondered out loud ‘ if sushi and water (l’eau, aqua, amanzi, ) were not related – i’d be concerned !!

so it this sign re-assuring or worrisome ?

blackness and brand images

regular visitors to this blog would know (by now) that i rant and rave about brands and brand messages targeted at consumers who are black. with each passing day i continue to be challenged, irritated or occasionally delighted by such.

so imagine my excitement when i discovered the attached story- the story of a brother who is also on the same tip – except he is looking at it from a black male angle. how refreshing to know that there are some out there who are equally committed to continue the discourse, in order to probe and re) contextualise the imaginings and reflections of blackness in the branding world.

my goal is to challenge and encourage brands to see the consumer who is black as equally intelligent, culturally unique and independent. the haste with which most corporates and brands (sadly the majority is white-led) rush to tone-down,simplify or caricature black consumers in their advertising messages is the reason why the conversation must continue and voices of dissent amplified. whether this be the south african state broadcaster SABC, or DSTV aiming for hipness, or MINI sourcing street-cred – the challenge is the same – these brands and others must side-step the stereotype of the jiving black person, the big mama, the children-filled house-holds, the party-loving black youth – to reflect us as ‘we see ourselves’. rather than assume they must  engage, rather than reduce they must respect. poking fun at consumers who are black is not ‘funny’ …

yes, black consumers are a separate category but  this does not make us simple or stupid or even reduce us to commodities – our difference, if understood and reflected with insight and respect – is what can give brands which aim to extend their reach – a new found legitimacy and consumer set.

respect for the whole black person not the ‘buyer in her’ or the ‘consumer in him’ – is what i am rooting for…

Namaste.

another brand type – power feminised

today i break from talking about branded products to speak of a branded movement – feminism – yeah the type that embraces men also and is focussed on gender justice- not the anti-men angry type which drives a bigger wedge between the sexes and our respective life journeys.

oh what an honour and humbling experience it was to be in the presence of sheer she-greatness – the likes of gloria steinem, gill marcus,preggs govender, that old-soul called lebo mashile and other fabulous she-beings last night in conversation about embracing the power we have as she-beings -  and using such power not to prop up shallow self-esteem or demand respect or inflate our egos but to use such power to add value to the world.

what a beautiful flip on a subject often misunderstood and a terrain most-contested. so unless and until i use my role and position in the world of work and life to add value to others i dare not call myself powerful ! a humbling re-definition which compels one to introspect and truly truly question what matters.

we also agreed that focussing on the girl-child is a beautiful thing but no boy-child should be left behind either – because the girl we ‘empower’ is invariably going to relate to the boy we ‘disempower’ and that is a recipe for the disaster which plays itself  out in our communities, lives, television screens, newspapers and elsewhere. if gender justice be the ultimate goal then we as a branded movement of feminists are challenged to ‘lift as we rise’ to expand our embrace and extend ourselves beyond those we know by name.

it takes a lot to move this cynical brand activist – and last night i was shaken to the core (in a most beautiful way!)

Namaste !

Mr Finance Minister, is advertising really non-core ?

many who sit outside the marketing field may be quick to nod yes, yes, yes if asked whether advertising is non-core…yet for those of us who are in the field shudder at the mere suggestion that advertising is optional.

this line of thinking is now being espoused by  the South African Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan who in an attempt to bring down spending by provincial governments has ruled that consultants and advertising are non-core. yes, you read right, he said non-core ! which then begs the question why are provinces even given money to do anything if in the process of such doing they can not broadcast their progress, success, intentions and etc etc. that’s what advertising is, at its most basic it is about publicising what you as a brand/organisation are doing or plan to do…so if you just plan on doing with no means of consumer or end-user dialogue and connection, you are no different from the guy who winks in the dark and wonders why the pretty girl at the bar is not making her way towards him !!!

yes i agree, cellphones, golf-days, unessential travel and shopping sprees disguised as study-tours all these are non-core, but advertising, I beg to differ Mr Minister.

Until next time….

the stolen rhyme & the cheeky marketer

yesterday we had a fantastic time on Radio 702 having a conversation about where branding stops and parenting starts.

i must admit surprise (without falling into the race trap) that my brethen (in case you have not figured this out, i am black) did not call in – is this because of limited access to telephones , dis-interest or did the subject touch a raw nerve ? i suspect it was more the nerve than the phone access issue.

anyway moving along swiftly… for those who called in it was clear that  the topic was not only relevant but significant in helping parents (both social and biological) negotiate their relationships with young people and also validate their right  to challenge their kids to ask ‘why brand X is more desirable/important than ‘plain-garment A’. I was encouraged to hear some parents say they are challenging their young ones to know the difference between wants and needs so that these young people don’t confuse indulgence with affection and refusal with neglect!

the overall objective is to empower young people so they become ‘conscious consumers’- fully aware of what they give in order to get brand X,Y,Z.

on the show i made reference to a story from the USA of a young-one who would fly into a tantrum each time her folks walk past McDonald….see link below and then judge for yourself as to whether this marketer has gone too far..

http://www.bizzia.com/brandcurve/building-brand-loyalty-like-mcdonalds/

until next time…consume consciously

our branded lives

brands have become so ingrained in our lives that we do not even give second thought when we un-intentionally punt marketers and product makers.we speak of one’s Gucci bag, Nike sneakers and/or a Louis belt. What about your CD bag ? in this case Christian Dior not a Compact Disc bag.

even my mother in the  later part of her 60’s  is not protected from the clutch of brands. She is very protective of her Nokia brick, yes i know Nokia does not make bricks but she is referring to the earlier version Nokia cellphone, which in comparison to newer versions is heavier  and brick-like

i can hear you mutter under your breath ‘ is she is taking issue with all brands now?’ On the contrary, i am raising this topic just so we can be reminded of what we need and what we want. and i argue that your 18-year old needs a cellphone (to stay in touch with friends and family) but wants a Nokia E61 and your 12-year old daughter needs cotton vests but wants a Barbie-vest. So for those kids who are raised in un-branded settings, how does this affect their sense of self and their rating on the cool-o-meter ? More pressingly, for those kids who are raised in branded settings, how much of their self-worth is linked to these brands? and who are they when there are no brands ?

Some thoughts…

if we are the brands we choose, do we cease to exist when those brands disappear ?

if kids’ sense of worth is linked to brands, what lengths will they go to get those brands that make them feel ‘they matter’?

more worringly where do un-branded kids go to feel cool and accepted ?

how do parents  raise children who are ‘complete and self-defined human beings’ in a world that emphasizes possession over character ?

Just thinking out loud…