Nike and Gender

Gender advertisement refers to the images in advertising that look at stereotypical gender roles. Throughout the years of advertising, gender displays have always been the battle between masculinity versus femininity, and it has not changed one bit. Gender displays are used heavily in advertising in order to establish the role of one gender in relation with the other, and some argue that advertisers are obsessed with gender. It is this relationship that advertisers focus on, because people define themselves by gender, and gender can be “communicated at a glance,” making it easy for advertisers to use this theme in their work.

“Women are depicted in quite a different way than men not because feminine is different from masculine, but because the ideal spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him.” – John Berger

Nike ad campaigns are some of the most successful in the world because they concentrate their ads on the view through the male eyes.

Nike advertisements portray men as powerful, dominant and overtly masculine. The male athlete is engaged in activity. This gives him a kind of anonymity that allows his strength to be applied to anyone who buys Nike’s products.

Women, however, are portrayed very differently because Nike displays them in advertising as overly sexualized and objectified. The ads that feature women bombard the viewer with images of good looking women. They are often shown in ways that accentuate their features and appeal to men. The commercials and ads that Nike run for women suggests that a woman who buys Nike products is sexy just like the women who appear in the ads.

Nike exploits female gender stereotypes to capture the attention of viewers of both sexes. Today, Nike has a huge amount of power and influence in the advertising world and takes advantage of strengthening these stereotypes that they portray to their audiences.

“Men act and women appear; men look at women and women watch themselves being looked at.” –John Berger

Swedish House Mafia and Visual Understanding

Swedish House Mafia is a Swedish electronic dance music trio consisting of three very popular DJs and music producers of Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso. As solo artist, each of the three DJs have been very successful all hitting under #30 in the Top 100 DJ Poll 2011 by DJ Magazine. As a group Swedish House Music is responsible for house music exploding in the United States in the past two years. The group has headlined festivals from Coachella to Electric Daisy Carnival and has even sold out Madison Square Garden. Together since 2005, the three DJs formed the group Swedish House Mafia to bring their fans great music and a chance to witness collaboration never before seen in the electronic dance music culture. But they did not want to influence their fans with their individual household names or their past works but by the music they make as a group. The way the group does that is by using Visual Understanding and Semiotics to reach out to their fans through unique graphic and video art.

Their name of Swedish House Mafia does not mention or even point to anything other than their nationality, but through visual understanding fans are able to see that three iconic DJs as one group. By using simple art like three spray paint dots or stars fans immediately recognize Swedish House Mafia. When looking at the three sprays or stars many notices that they are not connected in any way but are standing side by side, not one shape is a different size or shape and does not take significant over one another. That is because Swedish House Mafia did not want fans to think anyone DJ is the leader of the group but are all equal partners within it. Same in their visual art within their music videos that the release to the public. In normal band music videos usually the league singer is the main character or has a main role throughout the production. Swedish House Mafia does not do that. What is interesting is that they are barely featured in their music videos but is concept around their message of unity as a group of three.

These simple art forms are very powerful to the culture because it represents the code in which every raver lives by; Peace Unity Love Respect or in other words PLUR. Swedish House Mafia represents that acronym to its highest because the group did not do it for the fame or the fortune but for the love of the music. Forming a group in that ways shows that peace, unity, love, and respect can be found in one place and at one time. These three huge and widely popular DJs can unite with one another, peacefully, and respect each other’s views and opinions enough to make great music together.

It is very interesting to see how Swedish House Mafia has put deep meaning in their artistic style of music. Their music has inspired a movement throughout America and does not seem to slow down. Although the band is taking a break after their next tour all three DJs still live to what they preach promoting peace, love, unity and respect. On 24 June 2012, it was announced via the group's website that the final leg of their 2012 tour would be their last: "Today we want to share with you, that the tour we are about to go on will be our last. We want to thank every single one of you that came with us on this journey. We came, we raved, we loved." 

DJ Artists Are Brands?

DJ Artists Are Brands?

            When you look at the title you must think this isn’t true. But before you starting doubting me and exiting out of this page and move on, hear me out (or in this case read). Yes, musical artist are and can be established as brands even though they are not a tangible product. In today’s Northern American society electronic house music is becoming an epidemic, spreading across the nation, like a wildfire. But this type of music has been around for some time now and these DJs associated with the music have been building up their names as brands. These DJs names alone attract millions of consumers just like a successful brand would. Brands are products that provide functional benefits and added values that consumers value enough to buy. But instead of a product, it is a lifestyle that is being sold. These DJs represent a culture that is about music and making millions doing it.

            In a business stand point these DJs work exactly like how brands would operate. These DJs have the ability to mass produce a product out to high demanding customers and their top selling product is their music. Their sound is what makes their type of branding unique because they are, essentially, still selling a product that brings value to their audiences. By doing this their fans also buy products that are associated with them. These products are a vast majority of items like brand clothing, accessories, and other items.

            As a brand these DJs have their own individual identities where their fans can distinguish themselves from one another. Although they are all from the same, generic genre of music they all standout from one another because of their specific variety of traits like, their unique style in their music to how they mix when they perform on stage. Each DJ has their loyal fan base and, most important, customers. Having that much of a loyal fan base gives DJs the drive to keep making music and bringing great music to their fans. Without loyalty from their fans these DJs would not be the icons that they are today. Their identity to their fans makes them a one of a kind product and brand that cannot be duplicated by any other.

            Having these fans and customers they can control their pricing from when they perform to the products they sell. Their fans will spend the money to see them perform and buy their products no matter what the costs are. This is so because of the value they bring to their customers. These DJs are capable to bring a unique kind of value because they sell both tangible and intangible products. These tangible products are the items that they sell that are attached to their names but what is most interesting is that they can sell their music. Music can only be heard and felt but cannot be held. Some say it is hard to sell an intangible item but these DJs are doing a pretty good job doing that. DJs most valuable product is their music live where they set the price high. Music festivals, also called raves, are priced high because of the value that they bring to their fans.

            These DJs promise is to bring a great experience to their each and every one of their fans though the sound of their music. They do that by consistently interacting with their fans through concerts and events, releasing new music, and selling brand products. Without that promise between the DJs and their fans their music would never strive.

            So if any time you hear or see one of these DJs perform don’t think their just artist playing music because they are so much more than that. They represent a culture that many love, they represent the evolution of music, they represent peace, unity, love, and respect, they represent a brand.