CONTEXTS OF MEDIA

CONTEXT:

Historical, social and cultural contexts:
The Score hair cream advert is an historical artefact from 1967; as such, it can be examined productively by considering its historical, social and cultural contexts, particularly as it relates to gender roles, sexuality and the historical context of advertising techniques. 1967 can be seen as a period of slow transformation in Western cultures with legislation about and changing attitudes to the role of women – and men – in society, something that the advert can be seen to negotiate. Produced in the year of decriminalisation of homosexuality, the representation of heterosexuality could be read as signaling more anxiety than might first appear. The reference
to colonialist values can also be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of Empire. The advertising techniques of fifty years ago are fundamentally similar to today – if more
explicit.

1960’s was period marked by rebellious understandings of gender and social roles. Rock music and youth culture bring about what is usually understood as sexual revolution. Seen through this light, the representation of men and women in this advert might be ironic — or consciously ambiguous, in view of addressing large audiences.

This is also a post-colonial moment. While ex-colonies in various continents of the world, including Africa become independent, a new critical reading of the way these places are represented started to emerge during that period. The ‘exotic’ or ‘over-sexed’ style of depicting African culture is often criticized for being reductive and based on a persisting tradition of prejudice. This so called ‘exoticization’ — the understanding of Africa as place of fun, pleasure and ‘safari’ colours the ways ‘white’ or first world consumer see other racial cultures, even when they achieve political independence.

Social and cultural context

This video points on new forms of visibility of race and gender within a contemporary commercial contexts. The use of progressive messaging around diversity as a form of
marketing can be seen as characteristic of how brands are targeting contemporary consumers and some of the contradictions around this approach. In this celebratory representation of black heritage, many less idealistic and comforting experiences of the black experience (for example income inequality) are omitted.

Social and Cultural context (https://media-studies.com/sephora-black-beauty/)

Social movements are now shaped by social media. Activists can reach across digital networks with their memorable hashtags and clever slogans to bring their agenda to the attention of a global audience. Social media has normalised conversations and debate about important issues, such as climate change, misogyny, poverty, and racial inequality.

For instance, the Black Lives Matter movement highlighted terrible acts of police brutality and demanded reform of the criminal justice system with its legacy of discriminatory processes and negative attitudes towards ethnic minorities, but their message was shared around the world through retweets, follows, likes, and collaborations. Everyone could express their anger and despair with just a few swipes and taps on their screens.

Social activism went mainstream and became the dominant ideology.

Commercial Context

Digital activists are also consumers.

The Edelman Earned Brand study explores the most effective ways brands have developed and reinforced their relationships with consumers. In 2018, their survey revealed the “majority of consumers across markets, age and income” were belief-driven buyers who were interested in both a brand’s products and its principles.

Put simply, businesses and organisations could sell more services and products if they aligned their brand values with their target audience’s attitudes and ideologies.

This deep engagement was epitomised by Nike’s controversial decision to support Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police violence by making the American footballer one of the faces of the brand’s 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” slogan.

There was the inevitable backlash with some people burning their trainers and threatening to boycott the company. Despite an initial 2% drop in share price, Nike soon saw a $6 billion brand value increase and a 31% boost in sales.

Another good example was Starbucks’ reaction to the ridiculous arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia coffee shop which ignited widespread criticism on social media. The chief executive quickly apologised, saying, “Starbucks stands firmly against discrimination or racial profiling”. The company later closed over 8,000 shops in the United States for anti-bias training sessions in an attempt to improve its profile and regain the support of its customers.

People expect more than just a virtue-signalling message from the CEO of the company. They want to engage with brands that actually demonstrate firm commitment to ethical issues and social movements. They want brands they can trust.

Historical, social, political, economic and cultural contexts

Ghost Town by The Specials conveys a specific moment in British social and political history while retaining a contemporary relevance. The cultural critic Dorian Lynskey has described it as “a remarkable pop cultural moment’’ that “defined an era’’. The video and song are part of a
tradition of protest in popular music, in this case reflecting concern about the increased social tensions in the UK at the beginning of the 1980s. The song was number 1 post-Brixton and during the Handsworth and Toxteth riots.
The continued relevance of Ghost Town (particularly in light of the 2011 London riots) and its political context of Thatcherism is discussed in the following articles which would be useful for
study:

• The Specials: How Ghost Town Defined an Era (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine13780074)
• Abigail Gardner (an academic specialising in pop music and the media) Ghost Town: A
  Haunting 1981 Protest Song That Still Makes Sense Today: https://theconversation.com/ghosttown-a-haunting-1981-protest-song-that-still-makes-sense-today-88733
• Alexis Petridis (Guardian music journalist) Ska for the madding crowd: The Specials and the
  story of the UK’s most remarkable chart-topper | Culture | The Guardian
  In 1981, opportunities for revenue directly from music videos were very limited and their economic value came as a marketing tool to advertise the single. This function was particularly important pre-Internet, with the popularity of broadcast pop shows such as Top of the Pops. (MTV was
  launched in 1981 but had limited availability in the UK initially). However, the Ghost Town video is now on YouTube with revenue opportunities through viewing and advertising. It also provides a link to The Specials YouTube subscription channel which has opportunities to purchase their back catalogue and new material.

Social, political, economic and cultural contexts
Old Town Road explores the relationship between genre and race, specifically in the country music industry but also, through the use of film genre conventions, the media more widely. The
exclusion of Black artists from the US’s country billboard charts has been controversial and Old Town Road crystallises those concerns. Lil Nas X, known as a media influencer before his
music career, came out as gay in 2019, which has also affected the way in which the music video has been understood.
The music video reflects aspects of society and contemporary cultural issues in its discourse on race, gender and musical categorisation. An interesting area of discussion might be to what extent the music video as a form can transmit political messages. The economic context would include the ways in which artists make money from music videos, in this case the different iterations of video and song can be seen as a strategy to maximise the audience and profit