There was a study that showed, "People react better to advertising when they see themselves reflected in it"(Sweeney). With minorities underrepresented in commercials and advertisements, people of other ethnicities beside Caucasians cannot picture themselves as using that certain product or brand. Compared to Whites, minorities such as Asian's, African Americans and Latinos are given lower statuses in commercials and ads, portraying negative and false stereotypes of the these populations.
Asian's are given a stereotype of smart and nerdy, which sometimes could be a good thing, but the way some commercials portray these stereotypes have a negative affect on the population's self-identity. In a Verizon advertisement, a young Caucasian male is the customer, showing that he has money and is higher than the Asian man. The sales person is Asian, portraying the stereotype of technologically savvy and must work in order to survive. "Asian Americans are strongly associated with technical know-how" (Farhi). This "nerdy" stereotype given to Asian's negatively affects their self-image. In CVS's advertisement, the Asian woman was given the role of the "smarter" person in the advertisement. As one news article explained, "CVS's TV ads feature a lab-coated pharmacist of Asian descent dispensing advice about medication to a baffled Caucasian lady" (Farhi). Advertisers are again playing on the negative and untrue stereotypes that are given to certain ethnicities in this case the smart Asian pharmacist and the dumb Caucasian lady. From ads like these, ethnicities are viewed differently because of what people see on their TV screen or in magazines. .
Asian's are looked down upon when they are not smart and do not get good grades. Asians are always portrayed as knowledgeable and wise, they are known for being smart. Sometimes this can be viewed as a good thing, but it creates pressure from those around them who always see them as knowing everything.
