Module 6 – Discussion Board Activity 

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Discussion Board #4: Bias in Advertising

Think about the brands associated with your morning routine – Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Pantene, Carol’s Daughter, Dove, Crest, Oral B, Sonic, Toyota, and so on. Make a list of them. Now go to YouTube and spend 10 minutes viewing ads for five of your brands. If they don’t have ads, visit the company’s website and poke around whatever interests you. Respond to the following questions:

• Do the people in the ads/on the website physically mirror the way they look, dress or act? Why might that be/not be?
• Who is the intended target audience?
• Who might be left out?
• Is there an opportunity to add more people of color or another gender, age group or ethnicity?
• Do you think add ads should be equally representative, or should there be separate “male ads” and “female ads” (e.g., for the same brand)? Why/why not?