Ackermans TV

Date: January 1, 1970

In this advert, Ackerman’s, a clothing store is urging people to come and buy affordable comfortable clothes for the whole family. Advert shows women and men modeling in the clothes being advertised. The essence of the advert is that the shop caters for everyone.

This video clip may be used to:

1. Show audiences how advertising can challenge stereotypes. This is a good example of an advert that acknowledges men’s presence in the fashion industry which has been previously seen as a women’s domain.

2. Demonstrate that advertising to target both men and women is a good advertising strategy.

Trainer’s Notes

In the Mirror on the Media Advertising research conducted by GL, audiences felt that the advert is gender aware as it deviates from the general pattern of having women only advertising clothes. It also dispels the myth that shopping is a woman’s hobby. Men pointed out that they were happy because men like looking good too and they enjoy shopping for new clothes. Both groups also felt that there is equal gender representation in terms of subjects and voice-overs. One participant, however, questioned why only blacks were used in the advert and asked if this is because Ackerman’s is a cheap store. (Though it should be noted that the first part of the advertisement shows a black family, and the second a white family) This advert shifts from the traditional stereotype that women are present in media only as models. The advert acknowledges men’s presence in the fashion world.

Discussion Questions

1. How are men and women portrayed in this advertisement? Is it significant that men are portrayed happy in a domestic role?

2. Does gender aware advertising make business sense?

3. Read "Learning to Be a Dad." (below) How important is it for men to see themselves in different gender roles?

Training exercises

1. Ask participants to go to the nearest big department store and take a quick count of the number of women and men shopping, as well as their different interests. In what ways dooes their advertising either conform to or challenge prevailing stereotypes?

2. Call the marketing department of Ackerman’s to enquier about why they chose this strategy.

3. Compare this advertisement with "Castle Lite TV" (below). Have participants work in two groups to list the characteristics that each portray about men. Then see how these same characteristics could have been used in the other advertisement (i.e. happy domestic role to sell beer, women in secondary roles to sell clothes). This will demonstrate that advertisers do have choices to use different strategies.

Additional training resources

VRC – Castle Lite TV

Related GL Commentaries

Missing the mark? Gender and advertising in Southern Africa

Learning to be a Dad

Download : South Africa - Ackermans