The Ad description and connotation
The League against Anti-Semitism & Racism advert was the work of Publicis Conseil advertising agency located in Paris, and it was released in February 2010 for the purpose of public awareness. The printed advert shows a picture of three babies, three are white and the other one is black. The white babies are in diapers while the black one is dressed in a cleaner’s clothes and is holding a broom and a wiper. Beneath the black baby’s cot, there is a pink pail of cleaning water.
The two out of three babies, whose faces can be seen, seem to be very happy while the black baby seems to be frowning, which presumably shows sadness. Behind the babies, there is a text message, which reads, “Your skin color shouldn’t dictate your future”. The first part of the message is written in white and the other in black. Generally, the foreground of the image shows the picture of the babies, the middle ground shows the open doors, the baby bottles and the diapers on the picture’s top part. The background is the written sentence, which preferably acts as a slogan.
Explanation
The image of the babies in the advert shows unfair and unequal treatment based on one’s color as explained by two aspects. First, the white babies are dressed in diapers, which normally depict a symbol of comfort and luxury while the black baby is dressed in a blue cleaning uniform and boots, which shows how devalued the black baby is as compared to the white babies. Secondly, the white babies seem to be idle and enjoying themselves in their cots while the black one is frowning and presumably she is supposed to do the cleaning, and that is perhaps why she cannot have fun like the other babies. The entire picture shows the differences in treatment among the three babies. The use of the babies helps to show how helpless they are on their cots as they do not have the freedom to do what they want, protest, or oppose their imposed situation.
The analysis of the advertisement
The advert carries a hidden message and the visual aspect can exclusively show it. The white babies represent the white race and the black one represents the black race. The fact that they have the same type of cots shows that both whites and blacks live and work in the same land, meaning they live together. The discrimination and racism occur right on their faces and the viewer can notice it. Given that the white babies are happy and do not seem to empathize with the black one who seems to be treated unfairly, shows their ignorance and the racism practice has become part of them such that they do not view it as unfair or an abnormal practice. It aims at creating public awareness of racism and specifically between blacks and whites.
The difference in the dress code and the roles and responsibilities given to them bespeaks the deep-rooted discrimination. The text message on the ad also explains that racism can affect the future of the two different races. The blacks, from the ad, are doomed to work for the whites or even have a less-satisfying lifestyle as compared to whites. Such racism practices have been rampant in many countries with the different races, which is the sole reason why this NGO has undertaken the initiative to show the emotions and indirectly the effect of discrimination and how it occurs. The ad has used the babies, who are perceived innocent, as a persuasive strategy to the audience. The ad is structured in a way that it gets the attention of the audience easily and reaches their emotional and intellectual levels.
Social and cultural relevance of the advertisement
According to Wise (2012), racism is a practice against humans and it should be discouraged. However, it has been practiced in several countries and the NGOs have taken the initiative to fight it, with LICRA being one of them. Socially, racism has created a great divide between the white and the blacks. Some of the social practices due to racism include different shopping centers, buses, and even hotels. The whites affected by the racism are believed to do anything to avoid contact with the blacks, which is the kind of fight that the LICRA ad is fighting by letting people realize we are all the same and how unfair the practice and the situation appears.
Culturally, the whites have made their culture, which is different from that of the blacks. The black people have a culture of working and dating back to the colonization period they have been under the whites. However, this culture is changing with time through sensitization. On the other hand, the whites, as shown on the ad, have a culture of having someone do their work as they relax and perhaps enjoy life just like the two white babies appear in the advert. All these differences are aided by racism, but through such ads and much more efforts, both the whites and blacks can be united to get rid of this monster called racism.
Reference
Wise, T. (2012). Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority. San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books.