Editorial Introduction

Abstract

Editorial Introduction Edward Timke From Advertising & Society Quarterly’s inception 22 years ago, the journal has closely examined debates about advertising’s role in society, culture, history, and the economy, including how much (or how little) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) concerns have been taken into account by the advertising industry and corporate America in general. It is not surprising, then, that much of this issue’s content examines DEI issues in advertising from various vantage points. From Emily Contois’ (University of Tulsa) examination of hard seltzer advertising’s attempts to be gender inclusive, to Shu-Chuan Chu’s (DePaul University) in-depth assessment of diversity and multicultural issues in scholarly journals focused on advertising, readers will encounter original research asking important questions about power and privilege in advertising as well as the enterprise of advertising research. Further, despite what the advertising industry has self-professed, this issue’s roundtable presses viewers to think carefully about how inclusive and equitable the industry has become in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the racial reckoning of 2020.1 Additionally, the latest Author Meets Critics installment encourages us to untangle the long, troubled history of large, powerful organizations and individuals exploiting aspirational desires and regulatory loopholes to push dangerous products and ideas on historically marginalized groups of people.2 Several articles underscore the need to contextualize our understanding of advertising today through the application of historical methods. Keith Wailoo (Princeton University), in our Author Meets Critics discussion, explains how various legal cases involving tobacco in the 1990s made decades of internal documents available to the public through large digital archives. Without these lawsuits, such significant historical documents likely would have never seen the light of day for researchers to examine carefully. Rachael Huener’s (Macalester College) original article on miniature advertisements found on small, highly collectible stamps in early twentieth century Germany showcases the ways in which companies and advertisers have used new technologies and creative techniques to draw attention to various products, places, and ideas.3 Jason Chambers (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) shares how he gives his students an opportunity to conduct historical research about major advertising campaigns. By requiring students to package a wealth of information into infographics—digital charts that summarize research through compact visuals—Chambers has found a way to get students excited about and appreciative of historical perspectives on classic ad campaigns. The journal’s third Advertising in Popular Culture discussion assembled scholars with expertise and interest in clandestine modes of persuasion and selling, such as stealth marketing and native advertising.4 In analyzing the 2009 dark comedy The Joneses, starring David Duchovny and Demi Moore, the group explored the ethics of hidden persuasion, as the titular characters take advantage of personal relationships and apply peer pressure to sell products. It delivers a cautionary tale as their neighbors try to “keep up” with the Joneses’ undisclosed marketing and end up in ruin. The issue includes two Key Concepts articles. In the first, Jacqueline Lambiase (Texas Christian University) and Carolyn Bronstein (DePaul University) explain the concept of objectification; a major scholarly and public criticism of advertising over the last half century. Drawing from the significant work of sociologist Erving Goffman and feminist, activist, speaker, and writer Jean Kilbourne, Lambiase and Bronstein show the relevance and dangers of exploiting and depersonalizing people’s bodies through advertisements today. In the second Key Concepts article, I discuss how the theory of technological determinism reveals debates about the power of technology in everyday life. Today, people may blame many of our social, cultural, and political ills on new technological tools, such as smartphones and social media applications. However, if new technologies dictate social and cultural life, critics remind us that people created those technologies in the first place, which, in theory, means that people have the power to regulate and control them. In other words, we are not beholden to manipulative algorithms or addictive advertising-based technologies if we find ways to not let them control us, which might be easier said than done. People need to be knowledgeable about technology’s impacts, who controls technology (and for what purposes), and how they can resist and utilize technology...