Dimensions of Racism in Advertising: From Slavery to the Twenty-First Century

112 Pages·2015·7.42 MB·English

by  Edward Lama Wonkeryor (ed.)

Wonkeryor_cpi_cb_NealArthur.qxd 6/3/2015 6:33 AM Page 1
W P E T E R L A N G
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y
o
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Advertising has had a racial dimension from slavery to the present. Contributors to this book ed
i
explore the role of institutionalized racism and bigotry in multicultural marketing since its tor Dimensions
inception in the 1920s. Promoting ethnic diversity in the advertising industry is not just an
important regulatory issue but essential for representation of ethnic images in marketing.
D
i
m
Dimensions of Racism in Advertising will be useful for both research and teaching purposes.
of Racism in
It can be used as a textbook in upper-level courses in African American studies, ethnic stud- e
n
ies, advertising, mass media, public policy, sociology, and history. For policy makers, it will
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provide an alternative explanation for the stereotypical portrayal of Africans and African i
o
Americans in the United States and elsewhere. It will be similarly useful for nongovernmental n Advertising
organizations in fighting institutional racism and the marginalization of ethnic and racial groups s

in advertising and marketing. o
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Edward Lama Wonkeryoris Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor sm TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
of Media and Communication and African Studies at Cuttington University. He also taught

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courses in African studies, African American studies, and mass communication at Temple n
University from 2003 to 2013. His research interests are mass communication, race and A
ethnic relations, security studies, African political history, military, globalization, and demo- d
v
cratic governance.
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L EDWARD LAMA WONKERYOR
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www.peterlang.com
Wonkeryor_cpi_cb_NealArthur.qxd 6/3/2015 6:33 AM Page 1
W P E T E R L A N G
o
n
k
e
r
y
o
r
,

Advertising has had a racial dimension from slavery to the present. Contributors to this book ed
i
explore the role of institutionalized racism and bigotry in multicultural marketing since its tor Dimensions
inception in the 1920s. Promoting ethnic diversity in the advertising industry is not just an
important regulatory issue but essential for representation of ethnic images in marketing.
D
i
m
Dimensions of Racism in Advertising will be useful for both research and teaching purposes.
of Racism in
It can be used as a textbook in upper-level courses in African American studies, ethnic stud- e
n
ies, advertising, mass media, public policy, sociology, and history. For policy makers, it will
s
provide an alternative explanation for the stereotypical portrayal of Africans and African i
o
Americans in the United States and elsewhere. It will be similarly useful for nongovernmental n Advertising
organizations in fighting institutional racism and the marginalization of ethnic and racial groups s

in advertising and marketing. o
f

R
a
c FROM SLAVERY TO THE
i
Edward Lama Wonkeryoris Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor sm TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
of Media and Communication and African Studies at Cuttington University. He also taught

i
courses in African studies, African American studies, and mass communication at Temple n
University from 2003 to 2013. His research interests are mass communication, race and A
ethnic relations, security studies, African political history, military, globalization, and demo- d
v
cratic governance.
e
r
t
i
s
i
n
g
P
E
T
E
R
L EDWARD LAMA WONKERYOR
A EDITED BY
N
G
www.peterlang.com
Dimensions
of Racism in
Advertising
PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Dimensions
of Racism in
Advertising

FROM SLAVERY TO THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

EDWARD LAMA WONKERYOR
EDITED BY

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dimensions of racism in advertising: from slavery to the twenty-first century /
edited by Edward Lama Wonkeryor.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Advertising—Social aspects—United States—History. 2. Advertising—
Moral and ethical aspects—United States—History. 3. Racism—
United States—History. 4. African Americans in advertising—History.
5. Minorities in advertising—United States—History. 6. Mass media and
race relations—United States—History. I. Wonkeryor, Edward Lama.
HF5813.U6D52 659.1089’00973—dc23 2015005820
ISBN 978-1-4331-1548-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4539-1581-3 (e-book)

Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.

© 2015 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Edward Lama Wonkeryor
The History of Race in Advertising 4
Multicultural Marketing and Its Impact on African American Identity 8
Conclusion 12
The Organization of This Book 13
Chapter 2 History of the Regulation of Ethnic Diversity in Advertising
Agency Employment 15
Dana Saewitz and Edward Lama Wonkeryor
Employment Discrimination in Advertising: Realities and Perceptions 15
History of Labor Regulation in Advertising: Why Is This Regulation
Necessary? 17
Civil Rights Struggles and Advertising Employment 20
Why Representation Is the Primary Concern: Exploring Advertising’s
Cultural Impact 21
Overview of Racism in Nineteenth-Century Advertising 23
Early Twentieth Century 26
Mid-Twentieth Century 26
The 1960s and 1970s: Representation Improves, But Is It Positive? 29
The 1980s: A Fundamental Turn to More Positive Images 29
Late Twentieth-Century Multicultural Marketing Efforts 30
The 1990s and 2000s: Rise of Multicultural Marketing 31
Conclusion: Why Is Regulation of Minority Hiring Essential? 33
Chapter 3 Modern Newspapers and the Formation of White Racial Group
Consciousness 35
Natalie P. Byfield
Normalization of Whiteness a Vital Issue in Race and Media Studies 36
White Group Consciousness and Mass Culture in the Early Nineteenth
Century 37
The Penny Press Signals the Formation of a New Social Group 43
Articulations of White-Race Discourse in the Penny Press 44
vi dimensions of racism
The Penny Press as an Articulation of Class/Labor/Race Distinctions 46
The Penny Press and the Elevation of “White” Labor 48
When Race Is the Story: The Advent of Modern Journalism 50
The Practices of Modern Media Approaching the Twenty-first Century 53
Notes 55
Chapter 4 Racism, Political Communication, and American Presidential
Elections 57
George Klay Kieh, Jr.
The Theoretical Framework 58
The American Architecture of Racism: Nature and Dynamics 59
Racist Political Adverstisements and American Presidential Elections 61
Case Studies of Presidential Elections 62
The 1968 Presidential Race 62
The 1972 Presidential Contest 63
The 1980 Presidential Election 64
The 1984 Lopsided Race 65
Willie Horton and the 1988 Race 65
The Epochal 2008 Contest 66
Obama’s Election: Farewell to Racist Advertisments in Presidential
Elections? 68
Conclusion 69
Chapter 5 Diversity in Advertising in the Twenty-First Century 71
Edward Lama Wonkeryor
Aims 72
Conceptual Analysis 72
Dimensionality of Diversity in Advertising in the 21st Century 78
Conclusion 83
Chapter 6 Lessons and Conclusion 85
Edward Lama Wonkeryor
References 87
List of Contributors 93
Index 95
Preface
From the evolution of the United States, advertising was developed and practiced
in the republic. In present-day America, it is still being practiced. The leading
orthodoxy of the advertising industry has been to advertise to those who are will-
ing and have the ability to buy; previously, this concept was widely limited to the
mainstream populace—the predominantly white Americans. African Americans
and other non-white Americans were sidelined, because the advertising indus-
try regarded them as being financially incapable to buy any advertised products.
This trend continued up to the end of the Second World War. When the Second
World War ended, African Americans had significant purchasing power, the high-
est since the demise of slavery. Having worked in diverse industries during the
war and having amassed capital and property, African Americans began to see
more advertisements directed at them. In the second half of the twentieth century,
advertising agencies extended their advertising campaigns in varying degrees to
other racial and ethnic groups including Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Ameri-
cans, and Hispanics and Latinos.
In colonial America, African Americans and Native Americans were portrayed
in derogatory ways in advertising. Similarly in 19th and 20th centuries Ameri-
ca, the mischaracterizations of all non-white Americans and products aimed at
them in advertising were equally denigrating. The majority of advertising agen-
cies were owned by members of the mainstream culture who disavowed the idea
of depicting the non-white populations in positive ways. Non-white Americans
pressured the advertising industry to portray them positively in commercials as
a part of the American populace. The structural changes in advertising to depict
non-white Americans from a stereotypical identity to a positive one was based on
the multicultural marketing concept that marketers must connect with the non-
white consumers, including African Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific
Americans, and Hispanics and Latinos. In so doing, diversity in advertising and
American market democracy was enhanced.
In this volume, we illuminate the historical evolution of race in advertising
and how racial identity in the communications media was formed. We discuss dif-
ferent topics—multicultural marketing, regulation of ethnic diversity in the ad-
vertising agency employment practices, modern newspapers and the formation of
white racial group consciousness, racism and political advertising, and diversity in
advertising. In response to the stereotypical portrayals of non-white Americans in
the media, African Americans and others have fought against negative depictions
and they continue to demand the advertising industry to present positive racial
and ethnic images in advertisements. If the former is done, we believe the culture
viii preface
of diversity that that has made America a multicultural society will resonate in the
advertising industry.
We think this volume will serve as a contribution to the existing literature
that addresses inequalities and stereotypical characterizations of African Ameri-
cans and other non-white Americans in advertising.
Edward Lama Wonkeryor
Cuttington University
Dana Saewitz
Temple University
George Klay Kieh, Jr.
University of West Georgia
Natalie P. Byfield
St. John’s University