A Comparative Study of the Ideologies in Selected Television Advertisements

A Comparative Study of Ideologies in Selected Television Advertisements of Jollibee and McDonald’s in the Context of Filipino Cultural Identity

ABSTRACT

Mass media, particularly the television, is so pervasive that it has the power to disseminate information and ideas to viewers. As such, a lot of institutions invest in television advertising to forward their interests. In the Philippines, among these advertisers are the commercial establishments Jollibee and McDonald’s—the leading fast food chains in the country.

This study looked at the ideologies embedded in selected television advertisements of Jollibee and McDonald’s using Louis Althusser’s Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses as theoretical lens. As a theoretical guide, Virgilio Enriquez’s Kapwa Theory was employed. This theory states that kapwa, defined as “recognition shared identity of inner self and others,” is the core value of Filipinos. This study also identified in the advertisements the Filipino values which have implications to Filipino cultural identity. Textual analysis was the methodology in analyzing six (6) television advertisements of Jollibee and McDonald’s

The results show that there are three main components in the advertisements: product, Filipino values, and ideology. The most manifested Filipino values were pakikiramdam (shared inner perception) and pakikisama (companionship). The most recurring ideology is choice as a factor of happiness.

The findings also imply that utilization of the concept of kapwa in advertisements can elicit favourable perceptions of the product from the Filipino viewers. The researcher highly recommends audience studies on the topic to further validate these perceptions.

Keywords: television advertising, ideology, cultural identity, Filipino, kapwa Italic text

Sesuca, P. M. S. (2013). A Comparative Study of Ideologies in Selected Television Advertisements of Jollibee and McDonald’s in the Context of Filipino Cultural Identity, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

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