The impact of advertising on male consumer Essay

The impact of advertising on male consumer - Essay Example This "The impact of advertising on male consumer" essay outlines how advertising shapes consumer patterns of male consumer and tools that it uses. A man's identity used to be dependent upon his role as a provider and his place of employment – this has been the traditional way that has defined the essence of the male identity in the modern society. This is known as the â€Å"hegemonic gender identity.† This morphed into contemporary society, in which, it is argued, Henry Ford is responsible for the increase in consumption, for he pioneered the idea that workers should be paid well, which led to more disposable income and, thus, more consumption. In advanced capitalist societies, Ford made consumption more egalitarian, and less the province of the rich. Modern consumption is driven by the choices that were being offered in modern society, choices that were not offered in earlier societies, before mass production of goods became the norm. According to Naomi Klein (2000), t his led to competitive branding and, ultimately, to the rise of designer labels, such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. During this period, men were traditionally thought of as producers – too busy working to bother with consuming – marketers traditionally have catered to females, as they were considered to be the consumers to the male producers. Advertising and marketing in the modern era catered to women, with particular emphasis upon women in their traditional gender-defined roles – looking beautiful and doing domestic chores, while men were in the background.