Furthermore, Daddy and Junior “really dig” spending time together, not to mention “ridin’” and “rappin’.” Except for the “going” in “going to games,” the copy text drops the “g” from words that end in -ing. While not specific to African American speech, this habit is often associated with casual conversation amongst African-Americans (Cran and Macneil). Finally, the last sentence and call to action declares that while the usual activities that the duo take part in are fun, they do not beat getting McDonald’s.

The copy’s message is further amplified by the imagery, which places emphasis on capturing a “real” moment. The son, with food in his mouth, looks over to his father, who is in the middle of saying something. Junior’s face is in full view, Daddy’s face in profile. Holding half-eaten burgers, the two seem to be actually enjoying the food. Junior’s cup is barely in frame and the father’s burger is out of focus, a naturalist style reflecting the casual experience of fast food: it can be eaten anywhere, and for these two subjects, anyplace.

Reflecting a Black audience back to themselves without pretension, the “Get Down” advertisement relies on “positive realism,” a term Tom Burrell coined when staffing his agency. With a staff made up of both Black and white Americans, Burrell wanted to express the importance of them understanding the nuances of marketing to Black people. Hence, Burrell and his peers needed to depict “Black people in a positive, realistic light” (Jones 11:02). Positive realism required a fundamental understanding of what it meant to be Black in America (ie how African Americans came to be American). Moreover, one needed to be able to express Black culture in a way that wasn't patronizing or condescending. Burrell and McBain thus made the conscious decisions to choose language and imagery that best represented a typical Black father and son outing. Indeed, by showing a favorable relationship between a Black father and son, the ad challenges preconceived notions of Black family units, reflecting the efforts of the 1970 Black community to change perceptions of themselves (Bristor et al. #44).

However, Burrell and McBain may not have anticipated how the ad’s intended positive attributes of the branding led to modern day oppositional readings. For instance, reader responses to Lenika Cruz’s article “Selling the Seventies" characterized the original ads as “lame and stereotypical” (Bodenner). These responses grow out of a common notion that African-American vernacular English is not ‘proper’ English—that it is wrong, incomplete, or uneducated.  While this couldn’t be further from the truth, some audiences may choose not to look beyond the advertisement’s presentation of that vernacular: as Bodenner writes in his reflection on Cruz’s piece, anyone taking the advertisement at face value would be under the impression that all African-Americans speak this way (Bodenner). Moreover, in retrospect, the copy reminds us of hip hop music: according to the Emmett McBain Afro-American Advertising Poster Collection from the Smithsonian, the advertisement was to be featured in the February 1973 issue of Ebony magazine, while hip hop as we know it was arguably established in August 1973 (Browne). While hip hop music only existed in its early form at the time, the use of “rap” today seems to reinforce the ad’s one-dimensional conception of African-Americans. Emmett McBain and Tom Burrell may have sought a more positive depiction of African Americans in the “Get Down” ads, but evolving opinion about these ads now demands a re-examination of what the ad could be today.

Reflecting a Black audience back to themselves without pretension, the “Get Down” advertisement relies on “positive realism,” a term Tom Burrell coined when staffing his agency.

Indeed, even "positive realist" stereotypes do not show the whole story, but rather present a misconstrued narrative about, specific ethnic groups. For instance, cigarette companies, such as Kool and Newport, have disproportionately targeted black communities with their marketing  (Citation: Stanford University). By relying on simplified elements of what advertisers deemed Black culture, menthol cigarettes would become synonymous with Black consumers  (Citation: Holloway). Cigarettes were characterized as cool, pleasurable and fun, all while tobacco use remained extremely harmful. Messages such as these can be prevented only through advertisers prioritizing unbiased inclusivity, authenticity, and open conversation with the demographics they wish to represent. There is still much more work to be done in regards to representation and portrayals. And while the intentions of the 1970’s “Get Down” advertisement campaign were positive, its reliance on stereotypes has arguably warped its meaning over time - an outcome advertisement agencies can learn from.

That said, I have a more negotiated reading of the advertisement. The ad's subject matter was undeniably important for the 1970s, as more positive imagery of African Americans in the “Get Down” advertisement significantly impacted the perception of Black people in the US. One of the first of its kind, the “Get Down” campaign thus set the precedent for greater racial inclusion in media. After this shift, the Black consumer base has made strides in representation in both advertising and film. For example in 2007, American consumer goods manufacturing company Procter & Gamble launched the ‘My Black is Beautiful’ campaign initiative in partnership with ESSENCE magazine. The initiative aimed to positively challenge how African American women are portrayed in media through the use of film (Citation: Benoit and Carter). The films addressed biases about black beauty by using the real life experiences and stories of black women  (Citation: Mountford). Also, as of 2023, black actors were featured in about 40% of televised ads in the US.

As stereotypes based on gender, age, and even ethnic background continue to make their way onto the drawing board, advertisers must remain cognizant of societal biases and work to promote a more balanced form of inclusivity. Now more than ever, graphic designers and advertising agencies bear a crucial social responsibility to their audiences.

Works Cited

“About EBONY - EBONY.” Ebony Magazine, Ebony, https://www.ebony.com/about-ebony/.

Benoit, Michele, and Christina Carter. “Procter & Gamble Unveils 'My Black Is Beautiful' - Inspires National Conversation On Beauty Among African American Women.” Procter & Gamble, 9 August 2007, https://news.pg.com/news-releases/news-details/2007/Procter--Gamble-Unveils-My-Black-Is-Beautiful---Inspires-National-Conversation-On-Beauty-Among-African-American-Women/default.aspx.

Bodenner, Chris. “When Do Multicultural Ads Become Offensive? Your Thoughts.” The Atlantic, 22 June 2015, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/advertising-race-1970s-stereotypes-offensive/395624/.

Bristor, Julia M., et al. “Race and Ideologu: African-American Images in Television Advertising.” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, vol. 14, no. 1, 1995, pp. 44-59, https://www.jstor.org/stable/30000378.

Browne, David. “Kool Herc and the History (and Mystery) of Hip-Hop’s First Day.” Rolling Stone, 11 Aug 2023, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/kool-herc-hip-hop-50-august-11-1973-1234802035/.

Burn, David. “Tom Burrell, Ad Legend.” Adpulp, 18 October 2021, https://adpulp.com/tom-burrell-ad-legend/.

Cran, William, and Robert Macneil. “Do You Speak American . For Educators . Curriculum . College . AAE.” PBS, MACNEIL/LEHRER PRODUCTIONS, 2005, https://www.pbs.org/speak/education/curriculum/college/aae/#aaepro.

Cruz, Lenika. “'Dinnertimin' and 'No Tipping': How Advertisers Targeted Black Consumers in the 1970s.” The Atlantic, 7 June 2015, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/casual-racism-and-greater-diversity-in-70s-advertising/394958/.

“Emmett McBain: Pioneer in African American Advertising.” The American Academy of Art, 15 February 2023, https://www.aaart.edu/emmett-mcbain/.

Holloway, Kali. “The Ridiculously Racist History of Menthol Cigarettes.” The Daily Beast, 10 May 2021, https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ridiculously-racist-history-of-menthol-cigarettes.

Jones, Robert. “Thomas Burrell Tent Talk.” YouTube, 1 April 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DRwmi1nEXU.

Kass, Jeffrey. “Stop Putting Dancing Black People in Ads | by Jeffrey Kass | ZORA.” Zora Medium, 30 March 2023, https://zora.medium.com/stop-putting-dancing-black-people-in-ads-8a619e79901a.

Mcbain, Emett. “Emmett McBain Afro-American Advertising Poster Collection | Collection: NMAH.AC.0192.” Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives, 1985, https://sova.si.edu/record/NMAH.AC.0192.

Mountford, Leila. “How P&G's My Black is Beautiful campaign started a conversation about "The Talk."” Creative Moment, 19 June 2018, https://www.creativemoment.co/starting-conversations-with-talk.

Stanford University. “Collection: Recent Black Ads.” Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising, https://tobacco.stanford.edu/cigarettes/african-americans/recent-black-ads/.

Wood, Peter H. “Great Performances: Free To Dance - Behind The Dance - Gimme De Knee Bone Bent.” THIRTEEN.org, THIRTEEN, https://www.thirteen.org/freetodance/behind/behind_gimme2.html.