“Whoever marries, wants a home”: an analysis of real estate advertising for subsidised housing in Chile

Abstract

Chilean social housing policy has shifted from a productivity-focused approach to one self-described as qualitative. The policy of social and urban integration is a hallmark of this approach, deploying measures that subsidize social mixing. The aim of this study is to analyze the real estate advertising of these dwellings and their influence on the construction of social representations through the values and lifestyles they propagate. The discursive and visual strategies used in advertising to promote real estate properties are examined. Furthermore, the research explores how advertising instills needs in society and alters individual values, introducing new perspectives on reality through the act of consumption. Methodologically, subsidized housing advertisements in public spaces and on real estate listing websites in Gran Concepción, a city prone to suburban expansion, are analyzed. The findings reveal how advertising contributes to the production and reproduction of dominant cultural stereotypes, the way in which social mixing and proximity are depicted, how nature is appropriated and reinvented, and the shift from a market more oriented towards investors than homeowners. Finally, the conclusions reflect on this new generation of policies and how subsidized housing real estate advertising influences the dissemination of consumer values and reshapes the relationships between the market, politics, and inhabitants.