Family in advertising

[1][2] Advertising changed, from information about the availability of goods in 17th- and 18th-century Europe for an audience who lived and worked near the vendors (and their wares) to multi-million-dollar campaigns which attempted to connect and persuade people around the world.

Advertising's size and scope changed as marketing strategies began to target specific audience, using symbols, representations, and stereotypes (including the family).

[8] The family, a popular symbol in commercial advertising, is used to increase profit and develop a positive reputation with consumers.

[11] Advertising is used to attract customers to a business's products or services, making statements about race, social class, gender, values, and family.

[3] According to Belk and Pollay (cited in Burke's master's thesis), advertisements show the ideal life and instruct in how to live.

[12] Targeting specific groups of people for products and services, advertisements reflect changes in social norms and acceptable behavior.

[8] Sociologists have challenged the public to study ads with family images as marketing messages and vehicles for behavior and attitudes towards society.

[15] Like fathers, other male family members (including sons and grandsons) are primarily portrayed in play activities with children.

[16] Young female family members are more likely depicted in activities related to household chores and child care.

[22] Since then, as housekeeping becomes a less-important family role,[23] the number of advertisements depicting women performing household tasks has declined.