Adbusters practise exam question

Adbusters practise exam question. 

"Genre conventions are completely informed by the social and historical context to which they are made."- Jack Avery
Evaluate this statement with references to Adbusters make references to genre hybridity.

Introduction: Talk about agreeing with the statement but disagreeing because genres can change.  

Paragraph 1: Subverts to genre conventions because it doesn't have a cover line advertising the articles inside which is usually used to make people want to buy the magazine.

Paragraph 2: The model on the front cover is unconventional because he looks angry and isn't smiling and trying to entice the viewer into buying the magazine. 

Paragraph 3: Information about who Adbusters are and why they do not conform to stereotypes. 

Conclusion: Explain that Adbusters have been able to go against the stereotype and build their whole company off of being rebellious and changing the way that people look at these magazines. 

For the most part, I agree that genre conventions are informed by social and historical context. However I also think that stereotypes of genres can be changed slightly or all together as the world progresses. 

The first thing that i noticed about the cover for the adbusters magazine is that it didn't have a cover line. The cover line is used to tell the reader the main articles within the magazine in the hopes that he viewer will see this and want to buy a copy. However the cover for the adbusters magazine is different and only shows a main image and a headline underneath the reads "Post - West" in a bold white sans serif font. The bold lettering stands out against the darker background and draws the viewers attention to this. The font cover also uses hermeneutic codes to make the audience feel a sense of mystery while they are trying to decode the mise-en-scene of the front cover. 

Another way that this magazine's front cover subverts to genre paradigms is that the model that has been used for the image has not been used to sell an idealistic lifestyle. Traditionally front covers have been used to portray a certain life style which makes the audience want to buy the product in the hopes of having that life too. Instead the main image has been used to covey a message to the audience for them to decode and find meaning from. This means that the cover is a polysemy, meaning it can have more than one message depending on how the individual decodes it.

The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, pro-environment organisation founded in 1989. Describing itself as "a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age." they have never bene one to conform to stereotypes and have built their company off of being rebellious and not conforming to genre paradigms. Devoted to challenging consumerism, some have labeled Adbusters as anti-capitalist. Despite this they have gained a strong following and was selling 120,000 copies in the late 2000's. despite the name the magazine doesn't actually have an advertising which is yet another way that this product has been able to challenge stereotypes and create their own unique brand identity.  

In conclusion, I think although many genre conventions have been influenced by the social and historical context on which they are made, i also think that it is very possible to change those stereotypes and still be as successful as Adbusters have been.