Participation and Social Representation of Afro

ASSOCIATION FOR CONSUMER RESEARCH
Labovitz School of Business & Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth, 11 E. Superior Street, Suite 210, Duluth, MN 55802
Participation and Social Representation of Afro-Descendant Individuals Portrayed on Brazilian Magazines Advertisements:
1968 – 2006
Luiz Valerio de Paula Trindade, Centro Universitario Nove de Julho - Brazil
Claudia Rosa Acevedo, Centro Universitario Nove de Julho - Brazil
The main purpose of the present study concerns the investigation of how afro-descendants individuals have been portrayed by
Brazilian magazine advertisements along the timeframe ranging from 1968 up to 2006. The aim is to identify any progress, setback or
stabilization on the way these individuals have been represented along the years on what regards their social roles. On what concerns
the chosen methodology it consists of Content Analysis of advertisements published in 144 magazines of three categories (general
interest, feminine and business) alongside a Qualitative Analysis of two selected automobile related advertisements displaying at least
one afro-descendant individual on it.
[to cite]:
Luiz Valerio de Paula Trindade and Claudia Rosa Acevedo (2008) ,"Participation and Social Representation of Afro-Descendant
Individuals Portrayed on Brazilian Magazines Advertisements: 1968 – 2006", in LA - Latin American Advances in Consumer
Research Volume 2, eds. Claudia R. Acevedo, Jose Mauro C. Hernandez, and Tina M. Lowrey, Duluth, MN : Association for
Consumer Research, Pages: 190-191.
[url]:
http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/14129/la/v2_pdf/LA-02
[copyright notice]:
This work is copyrighted by The Association for Consumer Research. For permission to copy or use this work in whole or in
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190 / WORKING PAPERS
Participation and Social Representation of Afro-descendants Individuals Portrayed on
Brazilian Magazines Advertisements: 1968–2006
Luiz Valério de Paula Trindade, Universidade Nove de Julho, Brazil
Claudia Rosa Acevedo, Universidade Nove de Julho, Brazil
The main purpose and focus of the present study lies in the investigation of how afro-descendant individuals have been portrayed
by Brazilian magazine advertisements along a period ranging from 1968 up to 2006, on what concerns their social representations.
According to Jones (2004), Brazilian society has been facing a growing process of social mobility in the recent past that has
contributed to an increase in the number of afro-descendants individuals with purchasing power as well as diversified social roles.
Nonetheless, still according to Jones (2004), it is possible to notice that the presence and usage of afro-descendant individuals on
advertising has not evolved at the same rate as the verified social mobility.
Moreover, it has been observed through the review of previous studies (Acevedo et al, 2006; Ferreira, 1993, 2001; Stevenson;
Swayne, 1999; Corrêa, 2006; Cunha; Gehardt; Lengler, 1997) that both the low level of presence of this group of individuals as well as
their stereotyped representation on advertising are able to cause negative influence on them. According to the mentioned studies, among
such influences it can be highlighted the following: a) feeling of social invisibility or exclusion; b) effects on the construction and
maintenance of an individual ethnic identity; c) impact on an individual self-esteem.
In order to assess this phenomenon the study makes use of content analysis methodology on advertisements published in 144
magazines of three categories (general interest, feminine and business) alongside a qualitative analysis of two selected automobile related
pieces of advertisements that display at least one afro-descendant individual on it meant at assessing how ads portray them and build their
social representation.
The methodology approach chosen for the present study is in accordance with similar previous researches such as the ones conducted
by Dominick; Greenberg (1970), Kassarjian (1969; 1977), Cox (1970), Humphrey; Schuman (1984), Taylor; Landreth; Bang (2005),
Ahmed (1996), Rocha (1990), Roso et al (2002), Sabat (2001).
The supporting theories and concepts that contribute to the analysis and understanding of this phenomenon comprise: a) Whitening
Ideology; b) Myth of Racial Democracy; c) Theory of Stigma; d) Theory of Established and the Outsiders; e) Social Representation Theory.
This study has its relevance justified within consumer behaviour research due to the fact that it deals with: a) a subject of study by
many scholars abroad on numerous graduate business schools; b) assessment of issues regarding the creation, reinforcement and diffusion
of stereotypes and stigmas of afro-descendant individuals; c) a significant portion of the country’s population that has been experiencing
an increasing diversification of social roles along the recent past.
Moreover, on an exploratory research covering a period of over a decade, it was possible to identify that there is a lack of articles
on this subject on leading Brazilian journals such as Revista de Administração Contemporânea (RAC), Revista de Administração de
Empresas da Fundação Getúlio Vargas (RAE-FGV) and Revista de Administração da Universidade de São Paulo (RAUSP). On the other
hand, the same exploratory research has revealed that on a international level this subject has been discussed and analyzed on leading
journals such as the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Macromarketing and Journal of Consumer
Research. Besides that, it is also understood that the scope of the present study is positioned within the field of macromarketing due to
the fact that it analyses the consequences and impacts of businesses marketing actions and strategies upon society (Hunt, 1976; Nason,
1988, 2006).
So that, the comprehension of the mentioned phenomenon, represents a fundamental prerequisite for organizations make business
transactions with society on a fairer, more equitable and no discriminatory basis.
The literature review conducted on the present study has allowed to realize that there is an interplay among the mentioned theories
and concepts, the advertisements published in magazines and their effects on society as a whole and on the afro-descendant individuals
in particular. Besides that, it is observed that Oliva (2003) stated that as a mean to interpret reality, any individual recapture his cultural
stock (or in other words his values and beliefs) as a helping tool to deal with the unknown. Similarly, a piece of advertisement makes use
of social representations in order to interpret and depict the reality before it and then convey the message to the consumer. However, what
is seen is that, when it comes to represent afro-descendant individuals on advertising messages, values and beliefs are strongly influenced
by the Whitening Ideology, Myth of Racial Democracy and Stigmas (Moscovici, 1994; Horta, 1995; Quenza, 2005; Goffman; 1963; Elias;
Scotson, 2000).
So that, it is discerned that a piece of advertisement conveyed to society (or consumers) has the capability to: 1) construct; 2) reinforce;
3) spread social representations. It is observed that on the moment that society as a whole is subject to those advertising messages
impregnated with the mentioned prevailing cultural stock, it is realized that they are prone to cause influence on: a) consumer behaviour;
b) construction of consumer values and beliefs; c) process of reality interpretation and perception of social representation. On this way,
such factors act as strengthening of the actual cultural stock and so the current system of social representation is kept unchanged.
On what regards the afro-descendant individuals as members of the same society and recipients of the very same pieces of
advertisements that usually underepresent them (quantitatively speaking) or stereotype them (qualitatively speaking) it is understood that
they are prone to affect afro-descendant individuals on the following aspects: a) ethnic identity; b) self-esteem; c) feeling of social
invisibility or exclusion. All those factors were revealed on numerous previous researches such as the ones conducted by Acevedo et al
(2006), Carneiro (1999), Rahier (2001), Bristor; Lee; Hunt (1995), Appiah (2001), Corrêa (2006), Baptista da Silva (2005), Fagundes
(2006).
Therefore, through a quantitative approach represented by the content analysis technique alongside a qualitative approach trough the
analysis of two pieces of advertisements displaying afro-descendants individuals, the present research aims to investigate the evolution
of this phenomenon in Brazil along nearly four decades and add a contribution to the betterment of marketing practices.
Latin American Advances in Consumer Research (Volume 2) / 191
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