1 LopezIsabella LopezAshley HumphriesENC 1101Cleaning up Mr.CleanMr.Clean is a brand name cleaning product manufacture under the company Procter & Gamble. For most Americans Mr.Clean has become a household name. Its easily recognizable mascot Mr.Clean himself is a bald, tan, muscular, older man. He usually in seen standing with his arms by his side or crossed over his chest, always wearing a bright white t-shirt and a small hoop earring in his left ear. Since its launch over 50 years ago, he has been the face of Mr.Clean cleaning products and appears in all ads and products. (Look Back Over 50..)In most advertisements for Mr.Clean products, the ads present the products in a witty or cute way, the cleaning product always being the main focus. In one particular print ad for the Mr.Clean Magic Eraser released around Mothers Day 2011, viewers were shocked that such a big brand was using an offensive stereotype to sell their products. The ad shows a woman, who represents a mother, and a young girl, the daughter, using the Mr.Clean Magic Eraser to clean a white wall. In big bold blue letters in the top left corner the text reads: This Mothers Day, Get Back To The Job That Really Matters. The mother and daughter are both pictured smiling. Mr.Clean is shown in the bottom left corner with dazzling white rays coming off of him, the Mr.Clean logo going across his chest and an image of the Magic Eraser. Although this ad is considered offensive and unethical, the visual elements that are used can be successful in advertising Mr.Clean cleaning products. The landscape and background of the ad is simply white, the text is in a light blue color. The models are dressed in simple purple and white shirts and are pictured smiling and having a good time. Mr.Clean is seen in his signature bright white t-shirt with white rays coming off of him. He and the Magic Eraser are sparkling. The Mr.Clean logo is shown in a vivid red color, this is done so it stands out and the brand name is not missed. Everything about this ad is meant to represent cleanliness, and in doing so it associates cleanliness with the Mr.Clean Magic Eraser. The image itself isnt what offended viewers, the image on its own is quite innocent. The text on the ad and how it affected the message of the ad in conjunction with the image made for a highly controversial advertisement. This ad uses the stereotype that women are the ones expected to clean and take care of the children. In big bold blue letters in the top left corner the text reads: This Mothers Day, Get Back To The Job That Really Matters. It implies that domestic life and being a mother is something all women aspire to attain. And by having a male figure like Mr.Clean in the ad it almost makes it seem like Mr.Clean is telling the woman to get back to her job which is cleaning and looking after the children. The young girl helping her mother clean further expands on this sexist stereotype by implying that women need to teach their young daughters to clean because it will be expected of them from the men in their lives. The child in the ad is not even a young boy because according to this chauvinistic stereotype Mr.Clean is perpetuating, men dont need to learn to clean. The text is offensive because it reinforces the stereotype as well. It insinuates that even on Mothers Day, a day reserved for celebrating and pampering mothers, women must still look after the children and cleaning and all other household activities that are expected of her based solely on her gender.In my anti- ad I used an image of a smiling woman in a nice suit sitting at a desk in an office, the office is spacious and luxurious. I decided to decorate her office with diplomas, including one from Florida State, and many business awards. She is seen using a Magic Eraser to clean one of her business awards; the box of Magic Erasers sits on her desk. Mr.Clean and the Mr.Clean logo are located in the bottom left corner. The text now reads Get Back To The Job That Really Matters, and is on the bottom right corner.In making an anti-ad for this particular ad, one might start by putting the woman in a non-domestic position of power. By doing so it removes the stereotype present in the original ad, the stereotype that a womans job is to clean and take care of the kids. One must be careful not to make the woman in the anti- ad appear like an assistant or secretary because then it can still be assumed that the woman is working for a man and is expected to clean for him. It is also important not to have the woman in the ad wear anything too casual or revealing so as not to sexualize the ad or belittle her status and position.The awards and diplomas displayed all over her office show that she is a successful, educated business woman who has worked hard to get to where she is. The Mr.Clean Company has many products that they make advertisements for so it is imperative to clearly exhibit which product is being endorsed. In the original ad viewers are informed that the ad is about the Magic Eraser because the mother is shown holding it and a big image of the product takes up the entire bottom half of the ad. In the anti-ad viewers can realize that this is specifically made to advertise the Magic Eraser because the woman is holding the Magic Eraser to clean her awards and a box of Magic Erasers is placed on her desk in plain view. In this version of this ad, the Mothers Day element is removed because it is not was necessary in reaching and appealing to the target audience, which can be anyone who needs a Magic Eraser, man or woman, young or old. I wanted the new message for this ad to be that the job that really matters for the woman in this ad in particular is not be cleaning and looking after children but to be a successful business woman. That the Magic Eraser is simply making the task of cleaning her office and awards fast and easy so she can get back to work. The message in regards to the product is similar to what the original ads was trying to get across but also works well with the anti ads message. This message is that the Magic Eraser is the perfect cleaning product to get cleaning done, an activity that is usually time consuming and dull. The original ad was placed in a popular womens magazine, because it was trying to appeal to women viewers. The anti-ad, with a completely different message than the original, could work well almost everywhere. The anti-ads audience is now men and women, basically anyone who would need to purchase cleaning products. Since it is trying to reach a broader audience, its placement is much more flexible. It could be placed in mens and womens magazines, on billboards, bus stops, taxis, subway stations, etc. Anywhere would really be effective in presenting this new ad to the public. This anti ad appeals to logos and ethos. It appeals to logos and ethos because it is more ethically acceptable and will hopefully be a step in the right direction to end the stereotypical thinking that went into making the original advertisement. Making an anti-ad is a lot harder than one might think. It takes a lot of analyzing and creative thinking. The original ad was highly offensive and making it into this anti ad required a deep understanding of why exactly it was so offensive to viewers, women in particular. The new anti ad reaches a broader audience and doesnt offend anyone. It is empowering for women and makes the overall message of the ad more positive and ethical.

Bibliography"Look Back Over 50 Years." Mr. Clean Through The Years. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. .