![](https://sites.psu.edu/harringrcl/files/2018/09/sexist-ads-1m943xa-300x181.jpg)
An Awful Advertisement
“You mean a woman can open it…?”
Yikes.
This is a 1953 advertisement for a new ketchup bottle design by Alcoa Aluminum. It depicts what can be assumed to be a housewife holding a bottle of ketchup and looking oddly surprised. Why is she so surprised you might ask? The answer that the creators of this ad would tell you is that she is able to open this new bottle cap for their ketchup! Thank goodness she will not have to ask her husband to open it for her while she is preparing his meal ever again.
The thing about this ad that definitely qualifies it as terrible is the fact that it does not include any information that you would expect from a ketchup ad.
- How does the ketchup taste?
- What are some of the ingredients that puts it above other ketchup brands?
- How much does it even cost?
An Amazing Advertisement
- What are some good meals to pair the ketchup with?
None of these questions are answered by Alcoa Aluminum. The answers are what would persuade me to purchase the ketchup over a different brand.
For the sake of comparison, I have included a Heinz Ketchup ad from 1931 that I found to be extremely successful. This ketchup is “made with superior materials” in “clean kitchens.” The visuals in this ad show fresh tomatoes next to their ketchup, which insinuates that the ingredients are fresh and delicious. For other heartwarming Heinz ads over the years, visit this article that highlights their plethora of ads while they celebrate their 140th birthday.
Heinz makes logical and persuading arguments compared to Alcoa Aluminum, who bases their arguments solely off of a woman’s ability to open the bottle. The ironic part of this is, the Heinz ad came out 22 years before the Alcoa Aluminum ad.
Breaking down the rhetorical appeals of the 1953 ad, it is obvious that the author is a man. He is trying to appeal to other men and their misogyny to market his product. From a modern point of view, I see no logic in his arguments. Today, it is clear that women are not this frail and delicate that they have problems opening a ketchup bottle. However, in the 1950’s, a woman’s place was in the kitchen. Men were the breadwinners and their wives catered to the family. So, from a historical point of view, I understand the context of the ad, but nonetheless the ad itself has nothing to do with the ketchup inside of the bottle. It is almost as if they are marketing the bottle and not the ketchup.
“What were they thinking?”
There are three things to be taken away from this sexist advertisement.
- The logic used to try and encourage the purchasing of the ketchup does not make sense. An ad from 22 years prior is extremely more successful than this one. The Heinz commercial would still be successful in today’s society, while the Alcoa Aluminum one would most likely cause its own bankruptcy due to public outrage. Longevity of an ad’s success proves that the arguments are solid and logical.
- The sexism portrayed by the visuals is the author’s ineffectual attempt at aiming to appeal to a male audience. The woman is portrayed as someone who before this life-changing bottle of ketchup was too weak to be able to do a simple task such as open a bottle or jar.
- The lack of important information truly makes this article one of the worst I have seen. Its basis of argument is based only on the ability to open to bottle and has nothing to do with the ketchup itself. The point of ketchup is to eat it, not to open the bottle.
As much as I wish I could say that sexists ads like this are a thing of the past, it just is not true. Until they are gone for good, we as society need to make sure we support those brands who avoid misogyny at all costs and steer clear of the ones who do, due to the face that their arguments are invalid.