I think we’ve all seen, heard and discussed about various advertisements. However, we have never wondered about or doubted their purpose and the means to reach it.

I’m talking specifically about ads featuring parents and children or grandparents and children. All these advertisements exploit the so-called “generation gap” to promote their product. Let us not forget that all ads are aimed at promoting their products and not to «steal” a few laughs.

But how do they manage to create all these humorous situations? Of course by using appropriate vocabulary and sometimes displaying the habits of young people. In all ads, parents are conservative and sunk in ignorance of the language of young people and children are almost foreign language speakers «opponents» of the parents. The language gap is presented to be huge whereas in reality contrasts are milder.

Through these ads, both the value of the product and its ability to bridge the «generation gap» are highlighted. For example, the slogan “Break, so that adults can understand you» is not reasonable. By eating a chocolate bar you do not acquire the ability to understand the thinking, language and beliefs of the other….

Generally, ads tend to use false stereotypes and other social events to promote their product. But we should not accept all the values ​​which are presented because, as I pointed out, the purpose of advertising is to promote, so exaggeration is almost obligatory.

Dimitropoulos Paris, A3

November 2013