Over these past few months, I have noticed a huge change in my attitude toward school and my aspirations. Changing my major to advertising is exciting because I am learning about things that interest me and I have the freedom to use the creativity that was neglected when I was a Kinesiology major. Now when I see ads I don't just notice the images or text, I think about the motives behind them and try to come up with how I would personally advertise for these products. This class has opened my eyes to the world of advertising and my goal is to find my place in this world and make an impact on people. We learned about the history of advertising and how it has evolved into what it is today. Due to this progression in our society and new media technology, we have so any new possibilities to take advantage of. I'm looking forward to using these technologies and strategies to reach out to people and be a part of the evolution of popular culture and mass media.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Failed Products
I remember when I was a kid I really wanted to try the green colored ketchup that I saw at the grocery store, but my mom being the health freak she is refused to buy something so packed with food coloring. I no longer see this product on the shelves and it's not surprise that it was a huge flop.
It was an interesting and weird concept obviously aimed at children with the bright fluorescent colors, but it definitely did not look appealing to eat. Advertisement claimed that it contained even more vitamin c than the original ketchup, but this does not take away the fact that children would be ingesting loads of unnecessary food coloring. I'm assuming this product failed because all mom's had the same mind set as my mom when looking at this product. I give Heinz credit for coming up with something bright and unique, but the concept ending up being more gross than anything.
It was an interesting and weird concept obviously aimed at children with the bright fluorescent colors, but it definitely did not look appealing to eat. Advertisement claimed that it contained even more vitamin c than the original ketchup, but this does not take away the fact that children would be ingesting loads of unnecessary food coloring. I'm assuming this product failed because all mom's had the same mind set as my mom when looking at this product. I give Heinz credit for coming up with something bright and unique, but the concept ending up being more gross than anything.
Why Advertising
I spent the last two years struggling as a Kinesiology major. I was struggling instead of thriving because I discovered I have no interest in the subject, and the process of learning was dull and tedious. I know that I will be more motivated and successful in a creative and interactive environment. Switching majors to Advertising is intimidating because I am so new to this field, but that is what makes it exciting. I am excited to learn new skills, find my voice, and become passionate about everything that Advertising has to offer.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Propaganda
Propaganda is used in advertising to affect your emotions. In the past, it was used negatively in racist posters trying to make fun of non-Aryan races. Propaganda can be incredibly influential because as humans we cannot help but be impacted by ads that tug at our heart strings or boil our blood.
When I hear a slow piano into and "In the arms of the angels..." start to play during a commercial break I change the channel because I can't stand seeing the montage of sad kitty and puppy faces and Sarah McLachlan asking for us to help these hurt animals. I change the channel because the propaganda in this ad is effective on me and makes me want to go out and adopt and fill my house with animals.
When I hear a slow piano into and "In the arms of the angels..." start to play during a commercial break I change the channel because I can't stand seeing the montage of sad kitty and puppy faces and Sarah McLachlan asking for us to help these hurt animals. I change the channel because the propaganda in this ad is effective on me and makes me want to go out and adopt and fill my house with animals.
Another ad that attempts to get our money through big sad puppy eyes is the Childfund ad. They force us to watch cute orphans dressed in rags rummaging for food and taking care of their little siblings. They try to make us feel guilty for having all these first world luxuries while these children don't even have access to clean water.
Semiotics in Advertising
Semiotics serve as the meanings behind the ad we are trying to decipher. They give purpose to the ads that we see everyday. The "signifier" is the physical advertisement while the "signified" is the concept that the advertisement is trying to convey. Symbolisms and things that we connect to the particular product help ads get their point across.
Denotation: We see a photo of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's next to a photo of a watch.
Connotation: Wearing this watch will make you as elegant as Audrey Hepburn.
Semiotics come in many forms including visuals, sounds, and text.
Denotation: We see a photo of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's next to a photo of a watch.
Connotation: Wearing this watch will make you as elegant as Audrey Hepburn.
Semiotics come in many forms including visuals, sounds, and text.
Not only is it a creative way to convey a message, but just through a simple image it might convince someone to chose Heinz ketchup over another brand of ketchup due to the assumption that it is packed full of real tomatoes. The use of semiotics is a clever strategy that we don't always notice in the ads we see everyday or notice that they do in fact impact our views on these products as consumers.
Gender Roles
"Women belong in the kitchen."
We've all heard this saying. Today it is most commonly used as a punchline, but in the past this saying was 100% acceptable and seen as the truth. We can give thanks to the brave women who decided they should be allowed to vote, play sports, and wear pants, for our gender equality. But some advertisement makes it feel as though this equality is only prevalent in the law and not in everyday life. We still see women being used as objects of sexuality to get attention from male viewers. The Carl's Jr ads are perfect examples of this. A burger might look appetizing sitting on a plate, but will it make you keep your gaze on the television the entire commercial? Maybe not, but a model in a bikini will.
On a more feministic note, the Dove campaigns does an amazing job at showing the beauty of the "everyday" woman. These ads may not turn heads, but they do leave you with an impression. The women portrayed are of all shapes, sizes, and colors and they are not used to overly emphasize the product. Dove does not try to sell their products through advertisement in the obvious "buy this and it will make you look like this supermodel" approach. They try to open the eyes of consumers to the reality that is this approach and the negativity it brings to our views of women.
We've all heard this saying. Today it is most commonly used as a punchline, but in the past this saying was 100% acceptable and seen as the truth. We can give thanks to the brave women who decided they should be allowed to vote, play sports, and wear pants, for our gender equality. But some advertisement makes it feel as though this equality is only prevalent in the law and not in everyday life. We still see women being used as objects of sexuality to get attention from male viewers. The Carl's Jr ads are perfect examples of this. A burger might look appetizing sitting on a plate, but will it make you keep your gaze on the television the entire commercial? Maybe not, but a model in a bikini will.
On a more feministic note, the Dove campaigns does an amazing job at showing the beauty of the "everyday" woman. These ads may not turn heads, but they do leave you with an impression. The women portrayed are of all shapes, sizes, and colors and they are not used to overly emphasize the product. Dove does not try to sell their products through advertisement in the obvious "buy this and it will make you look like this supermodel" approach. They try to open the eyes of consumers to the reality that is this approach and the negativity it brings to our views of women.
Nostalgia
People love to think back on fonder times in their lives. This is why nostalgia is such an effective strategy used in advertising. Advertising can remind us of our childhood through products that we associate with memories from the past or it can tug on your nostalgia strings by depicting how the product has changed over time just as you have changed over time as well. The latter strategy creates an even stronger connection between the consumer and the product because it is something that has always been there for us and has been changing along with us.
My dad is a dedicated Coca Cola drinker; he refuses to drink Pepsi unless Coca Cola isn't offered. He buys the glass bottles in bulk from Costco and I like to think this is more than just because of the natural sugar vs. high fructose sugar debate.
There is a Japanese drink called Ramune and whenever I drink one he MUST tell us his "When I was a kid..." stories. The marble concept is still the same, but they changed the spout from metal to plastic. This drink in particular serves as nostalgia for my dad because it brings him back to those summer days when he would go to Japan and drink Ramune with his cousins after a hot day of catching insects.
Something as simple as a fizzy beverage can serve as so much more than just a thirst quencher. It can bring back those fond memories that you might otherwise have forgotten.
My dad is a dedicated Coca Cola drinker; he refuses to drink Pepsi unless Coca Cola isn't offered. He buys the glass bottles in bulk from Costco and I like to think this is more than just because of the natural sugar vs. high fructose sugar debate.
There is a Japanese drink called Ramune and whenever I drink one he MUST tell us his "When I was a kid..." stories. The marble concept is still the same, but they changed the spout from metal to plastic. This drink in particular serves as nostalgia for my dad because it brings him back to those summer days when he would go to Japan and drink Ramune with his cousins after a hot day of catching insects.
Something as simple as a fizzy beverage can serve as so much more than just a thirst quencher. It can bring back those fond memories that you might otherwise have forgotten.
Ad Agencies
It's my goal to one day return to San Francisco and work for an ad agency, so I narrowed my search down to agencies in the city and I came across Camp+King. The style and layout of their webpage really caught my eye and so did their headline: "Everything we make is designed not only to help people see our clients in a new light, but to have them talked about in a positive one. We call it conversationswell."
Their works consists of a really wide variety from a humorous ad for Del Taco to a heartfelt ad for city of hope featuring actor, Kiefer Sutherland (from one of my favorite shows: 24). There is also an ad for Nike which can come across as your typical sexy ad featuring a typical sexy woman appealing to male viewers, but the music video -esque execution makes it artistically interesting to watch.
I would love to one day visit this agency and learn more about projects they are currently working on.
Their works consists of a really wide variety from a humorous ad for Del Taco to a heartfelt ad for city of hope featuring actor, Kiefer Sutherland (from one of my favorite shows: 24). There is also an ad for Nike which can come across as your typical sexy ad featuring a typical sexy woman appealing to male viewers, but the music video -esque execution makes it artistically interesting to watch.
I would love to one day visit this agency and learn more about projects they are currently working on.
Brands
We all have that one friend who will only buy something that is a "name brand". Brand names can apply to everything from fashion to food to cleaning products. Brands make it easier for us because we think we can trust something if it is advertised on TV and we can recognize the label. Even though it seems a little superficial to think about brands when buying something, brands are an important part of our culture and our history. Brands such as Coca Cola and Kellogs serve as items of nostalgia. It is not just the product inside that reminds us of our childhood, but it is the packaging, the commercials, and the memories associated with them.
Racist Stereotyping in Advertising
1. Is it ever right to racially stereotype for advertising purposes?
Our society has significantly improved in its acceptance of different cultures and ethnicities over the past few decades. We would be going backwards if we allowed for there to be racial stereotypes in advertising. But for effective advertising purposes, I think there are a few exceptions to this rule that can be made. If a certain product is aimed at a very specific group, then an advertisement could be more impactful if it made a clear connection with that group. We have to make sure that it is not seen as offensive though, or else we could be guilty of creating forms of racial stereotypes.
2. Is racism in advertising a thing of the past?
Racism in advertising is definitely a thing of the past and the present. The only thing that has changed is that is is done in a much more subtle way. In the past, you might see ads where the white child is portrayed as blonde, blue-eyed, and cherub-like, while the black child is dressed in rags. The black child would also be positioned lower so that they are looking up at the white child. An ad such as this would be considered unacceptable in our society today, but there are still hints of racism that go unnoticed. Many companies try to avoid complaints about racism in ads so they purposefully try to incorporate models of races other than white.
3. Do advertisers have ethical responsibilities?
Advertisers have a huge voice and they should use this voice to not only advertise a product, but attempt to change how our world thinks. We have definitely made huge strides over time and the change can only continue to get better. Advertisers are ethically responsible to mold and shape the minds and hearts of generations to come to be more accepting and caring because they can reach out to the public.
Our society has significantly improved in its acceptance of different cultures and ethnicities over the past few decades. We would be going backwards if we allowed for there to be racial stereotypes in advertising. But for effective advertising purposes, I think there are a few exceptions to this rule that can be made. If a certain product is aimed at a very specific group, then an advertisement could be more impactful if it made a clear connection with that group. We have to make sure that it is not seen as offensive though, or else we could be guilty of creating forms of racial stereotypes.
2. Is racism in advertising a thing of the past?
Racism in advertising is definitely a thing of the past and the present. The only thing that has changed is that is is done in a much more subtle way. In the past, you might see ads where the white child is portrayed as blonde, blue-eyed, and cherub-like, while the black child is dressed in rags. The black child would also be positioned lower so that they are looking up at the white child. An ad such as this would be considered unacceptable in our society today, but there are still hints of racism that go unnoticed. Many companies try to avoid complaints about racism in ads so they purposefully try to incorporate models of races other than white.
3. Do advertisers have ethical responsibilities?
Advertisers have a huge voice and they should use this voice to not only advertise a product, but attempt to change how our world thinks. We have definitely made huge strides over time and the change can only continue to get better. Advertisers are ethically responsible to mold and shape the minds and hearts of generations to come to be more accepting and caring because they can reach out to the public.
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