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canyonwalkerHawk and I have been watching the 2021-2024 reboot of The Equalizer, starring Queen Latifah. I don't recall hearing anything about this show or reading anything about it online a few years ago. I mean, not that I make any effort to stay on top of what's airing on TV or streaming, but generally if it's something people are buzzing (or memeing) about it'll come across my radar.
One thing that makes me wonder is who's the audience? The show aired on CBS, so there are certain demographics associated with that traditional cable channel. We're watching it on Roku Streaming, though. And one way you can tell who the audience is— or who the people with money believe it is— is to consider the ads.
The ads on The Equalizer all scream "Middle aged women with kids." That's pretty unusual for an action-oriented series The Equalizer. The genre skews heavily male. But it's not surprising considering this is a gender-bender show within the genre. Latifah, the improbable action star, was a 51 year old woman in the show's first season. One of her partners in action is also a woman. And every episode features "home life" scenes and a minor plot, where the main character lives with her older sister/aunt and her daughter. So there's plenty of screen time for women actors and women characters.
Why do I say the ads are pitching to women? It's pretty obvious. Most of the ads are for cleaning products: laundry detergents, spray cleaners, etc. Yes, there are men shown in these ads, but the women, the moms, are always the focus characters. Everyone knows that domestic labor is performed primarily by women in the US. That includes not just the use of cleaning products but also the shopping for them and the choice of which to put in the cart.
Oh, but there is one car commercial we're seeing repeatedly. Car advertising tends to be a male thing, right? Except the car ads are for Volvo. ("They're boxy but they're good!") They feature kids in the back seat talking to their mom about where they want to go in the car. It's vaguely implied that there's a second parent in the passenger seat up front, though the only adult shown is mom behind the wheel. They're boxy, but they're good! 😂
One thing that makes me wonder is who's the audience? The show aired on CBS, so there are certain demographics associated with that traditional cable channel. We're watching it on Roku Streaming, though. And one way you can tell who the audience is— or who the people with money believe it is— is to consider the ads.
The ads on The Equalizer all scream "Middle aged women with kids." That's pretty unusual for an action-oriented series The Equalizer. The genre skews heavily male. But it's not surprising considering this is a gender-bender show within the genre. Latifah, the improbable action star, was a 51 year old woman in the show's first season. One of her partners in action is also a woman. And every episode features "home life" scenes and a minor plot, where the main character lives with her older sister/aunt and her daughter. So there's plenty of screen time for women actors and women characters.
Why do I say the ads are pitching to women? It's pretty obvious. Most of the ads are for cleaning products: laundry detergents, spray cleaners, etc. Yes, there are men shown in these ads, but the women, the moms, are always the focus characters. Everyone knows that domestic labor is performed primarily by women in the US. That includes not just the use of cleaning products but also the shopping for them and the choice of which to put in the cart.
Oh, but there is one car commercial we're seeing repeatedly. Car advertising tends to be a male thing, right? Except the car ads are for Volvo. ("They're boxy but they're good!") They feature kids in the back seat talking to their mom about where they want to go in the car. It's vaguely implied that there's a second parent in the passenger seat up front, though the only adult shown is mom behind the wheel. They're boxy, but they're good! 😂
