"Advertisements R Us" Summarized

         The reading “Advertisements R Us” is a typed analysis by Melissa Rubin and is formally found in the “Everyone’s an Author” textbook. The purpose of the reading is to highlight how advertisements such as the Coca-Cola ad in the 1950s can manipulate an era, and us today. The author provided details explaining how stereotypes were intertwined into the 1950s ad, so that it would appeal to a certain audience, or in this case the American culture at that time. She also describes the features of the ad such as how only white uniformed men of different varieties (military to businessmen) were dominant, with a few white women present, positive lighting, industrialized background, and the towering deity like white haired Sprite Boy hovering over a towering red Coca-Cola vending machine. Then the author explains that Coca-Cola is associated with American’s boost in winning the war (WWII), coming together as a community, and how it expanded to other countries because of a cheaper deal they offered for the military overseas. However she further examined the fact the ad did not represent equality because it excluded African Americans (unless a celebrity). Thus shedding light on the  values Coca-Cola had were just trying to appeal to mainly the white man then other ethnic groups because that was modern culture then, but now they would be seen as segregated, and the ad would be frowned upon. Still the author concludes the ad captured the American identity during the time by showing off the carefree smiling Americans holding bottles of coke, so instead of just scanning the ad forever in disbelief that a life like that is possible, they should live that life themselves with a Coca-Cola in hand!