It's interesting how quickly a commercial can get into your mind and plant an advertisement. I recently saw television ad for a TNT drama Raising the Bar. The commercial was only about thirty seconds but the message was provocative and quite clear.
It started with a deep announcer voice telling when and where the show could be seen. The voice over played during a montage of episode clips. As the commercial was coming to an end the screen went grey and bold, white words filled the middle of the screen as the voice over announced them: Sex, Justice, Betrayal. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I couldn't believe how blunt this commercial was. I realized that this was a cable ad but most homes today have cable.
As I tried to analyze this ad I realized it was a social statement. This ad says quite a bit about what audiences like to see in their primetime dramas. There is hardly any video media out there that doesn't have some kind of sexual reference or scene. Sex sells and that's why it's there. It's sad when the "wholesome" films and shows that don't carry sexual references get cancled or don't sell as many copies.
I think this ad could be used in a class room by asking students what it is saying about the society they live in. After a short discussion the students could make a list of similar ads or shows that would capture the same audience or portray the same messages. This activity could be done in groups. Each group could give a mini presentation on the media they chose and the characteristics that are being portrayed by society. After the presentations the students could engage in a class discussion about how to personally filter out unnecessary themes or subject matter. The discussion could include how to avoid harmful media and how to get out of situations containing such media.
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