Ethnic representation in advertising: the case of the jamii telecommunications’ faiba commercials

This paper sought to find out whether commercials with ethnic representations perpetuate and reinforce ethnic stereotypes in Kenya, using the case of Jamii Telecommunications Limited Faiba Commercials as case study. Particularly, the study sought to investigate the main frames of ethnic representation in the Jamii Telecommunications Faiba adverts. The study was guided by three theories, namely Social Identity theory by Tajfel Turner, George Gerbner’s Cultivation Analysis theory and the Framing Theory by . The research adopted descriptive research design and a qualitative approach while the method used was case study. The study examined the responses of a range of audiences to ethnic frames in the content of thirty (30) Faiba commercials and the effect of the messages conveyed in the advertisements on viewer assumptions of ethnicities. Purposive sampling was used in recruiting key informant interviewees. The study findings showed that there were various ethnic frames in the adverts by Jamii Telecommunications. These included the deliberate choice of characters from different ethnic affiliations. In addition, various ethnic-based symbols have been used to portray different communities during the advertisements. For example, the producers have used accents, tunes and stereotypes associated with the different communities they target. Some of these stereotypes include the notion of economic dominance, food such as fish and chicken, culture simplicity, slow assimilation to modernity, lavish spending and desire for good things, and preoccupation with scholarly pursuits. The study recommends that Faiba advertisements should focus on the minority ethnic groups in Kenya so that they do not feel isolated from the message shared. In addition, the study recommends that Faiba advertisements should develop a new understanding of the new generations to determine their perception of authentic ethnic advertising and incorporate in their future advertisements.