Reflection

Since beginning this class, I admit that nothing has changed whatsoever as far as my own media consumption is concerned. The amount of time I spend either watching television or surfing the Internet, which was pretty much minimal to begin with, has not been impacted in any way. But what has changed since the start of the semester is how I perceive the amount of media that I am exposed to. Before, I would often just ignore what I saw, only occasionally giving my attention to an ad that seemed even more out of the ordinary, in other words, that broke through the clutter real well. Even then, I would simply remark that it was a well-made advertisement and keep going about my business.

Ever since then, I have become a bit more aware of the world of media around me, and I can now tell how marketers and advertisers try to manipulate us in the most extraordinary, and often desperate, ways. The glitz and glamour they try to promote is no longer as effective once you have analyzed it to the point of exhaustion, and I believe that is one of the key advantages of taking this class. The good advertisements are no longer as good, the bad advertisements are made even more awful as you see what exactly the companies are aiming for as far as the reactions of their target audience is concerned. The onslaught of commercials make sickening sense, as they form a pattern that helps you realize exactly how large corporations view you, how they believe they understand you and try to take advantage of that.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable things I have gained from this class is how the time-tested and tried formulas that corporations use have become so commonplace that we can see it being utilized outside of the commercial realm. I have often tied it to public service announcements and advertisements in this blog, but there are other ways to see it. After all, it's present in films, with actresses on the silver screen being just as demeaned and demoralized as the models who sell a specific product. We see it in politics, with many potential leaders saying that they have that special "magic ingredient" to add to their plans that will solve all of our country's problems, and how they try to convince us that they are much like ourselves, that they understand our hopes and desires. Everywhere you turn, there is some form of manipulation present, and perhaps the worst part of it is, that it often works.

In "Merchants of Cool", they often pointed to the whole dilemma of whether media is a reflection of society, or whether society is reflecting the media. Much like the one hand clapping or the hypothetical tree falling in the forest, this is a question that is extremely complicated to answer. Certainly, as I've said before, the media is present in our daily lives. But whether we're influenced by them, or they're influenced by us is simply a matter of perspective. Personally, I feel that this class is designed to help us break this vicious cycle and perhaps, make us either stop being a reflection, or distorting the image the media believes that we are.

Dove: Real Beauty Sketches

Dove is known for their commercials that show the "truth" behind what we often perceive as beauty, how it is developed, and how it affects us in our daily life. Perhaps one of their most famous commercials depicting this reality is their "Real Beauty" campaign, in which women were asked to describe themselves to a sketch artist. They then were instructed to talk to a perfect stranger, who later went in and described what he or she saw in the same woman to the same sketch artist.

As you can see in this ad, the sketch the stranger described was always much better and more "beautiful" than the sketch the women described of themselves.This I felt connected to the film, Miss Representation, that we watched in class, as it shows how women are taught to be critical of themselves and their looks, and the effects of that. In addition most of the women depicted in the ad were of middle age or older, an age group that is ridiculed, demonized, or not even represented in our modern media. These were the individuals shown most prominently in this ad, the ones whose sketches showed the most difference. The takeaway message that is shown here is that your real, natural beauty, your "inner self" so to speak, is what really matters. We may see ourselves as ugly on the outside, but someone else may view a true beauty. It's a bit useless to think about the things you want to change, when you can think about the things you like. This is part of Miss Representation's message, and that is what is being reinforced in the video up above.

But although the video may have a somewhat positive message, one must not forget that it is an ad by Dove, a company that sells body lotions and soaps, as well as the occasional beauty product. Though Dove is pointing out a serious issue in how women view themselves, we have to understand that Dove is also a member of the business that take advantage of such insecurities. Yet they try to make themselves appear different, as the ones who recognize and appreciate a woman's natural beauty, making it worth buying. All it is is diversion, distracting from the truth that Dove actually promotes self-consciousness and perfectionism, seeing that that is what drives their profits. And so we have yet another deceptive piece of media that takes advantage of women, albeit an extremely thought-provoking one.

It's No Longer Your Life

It seems that I cannot help but be drawn to public service ads. This one, by Citizens Against Spouse Abuse (CASA), located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is another example of this. It shows a cupboard, in which is situated a Mom and Dad mug, the Mom mug being chipped and cracked. Above the two mugs are the words, "When he controls your life, it's no longer your life." At the very bottom it says, "Domestic abuse strips your dignity, your hope and your life. The pain isn't only measured in bruises or welts. We know. We've been there. And we know how to get out. Call our 24-Hour Crisis Line at 643-448-6206. We are a free and confidential program run by, and for victims of domestic abuse."

This ad spoke powerfully to me, not only because I have known victims of domestic abuse, but also because of the connotations this image contains has been twisted and taken advantage of. In particular the use of the mug, which has always been a symbol of, albeit cheesy, parental appreciation, the default gift for Mother's Day or Father's Day. Yet here, it has been taken a step further to represent the characters of Mom and Dad themselves. Dad's cup stands proudly in front in perfect condition, and as mentioned before, Mom's cup sits, a bit cowering, behind him, broken and damaged. This is used to symbolize the usual dynamic of an abusive relationship, one in which the dominant, aggressive male takes out his frustrations on his wife. Outwardly, he portrays a picture of the perfect father, the patriarch of the flawless family. But in the shadows of the cupboard, Mom stands, broken and battered, and treated as inferior to her husband.

But there is hope, as CASA attempts to communicate to its mistreated female audience. It does so by speaking to them directly, as one would to a close friend or family member, using words such as "you" and "your life, your dignity, your hope, etc." The organization also uses ethos, establishing common ground by saying statements such as, "We know. We've been there." Obviously meant to help comfort those individuals within their target audience, it also appeals to the need for affiliation, helping these people to feel as if they are not alone, indeed that they are part of a community that can support and help them. Not only that, but this group is available at all hours of the day, free of charge and respectful of privacy, additional incentives for victims of domestic abuse to speak out.

Of course, this ad also operates on quite a few assumptions. The most obvious would be that domestic abuse is just reserved between a man and a woman, and that the man will almost always be the aggressor. This is a reality assumption I'm sure we all have, and most of the statistics available on the subject appear to paint the same picture. But this assumption does not lower the effectiveness of the ad, as the provocative image does plenty to remind us of the hidden nature of domestic violence, and the truly damaging effects it can have.

What Will Make Them Stop?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOyIA8EK2R0

I love Microsoft's Windows operating system. Its easy-to-use features help a technological dud like me achieve some semblance of control and fluency in the sand trap that is the digital world. I also like Google Chrome, seeing that it doesn't crash as often as its competitor Internet Explorer, and that it works in perfect harmony with my aforementioned operating system. What I'm not a fan of is when the companies behind such ingenious products, Microsoft and Google respectively, sling mud at each other as they scrabble to the top of the technological industry. One such example is the newly released Google Chromebook.

Back in 2011, Google released a laptop known as the Google Chromebook. It was advertised as a fun, modern new product with a very low price, as evidenced by the recent ad in the link up above. And it has certainly gained popularity, having reached a 9.6% share in North American businesses and institutions, and 21% of the associated notebook sales market in only 2 years, according to Forbes magazine. This has caused Microsoft to make a new addition to their old "Scroogled" campaign, in which the company points out the various flaws within Google and its products. In this recent ad, Microsoft pokes fun at the Chromebook, by illustrating the troubles of a young woman, who hopes to exchange the laptop for a ticket to Hollywood. She is ridiculed by the pawn shop owner, who says that what she is proposing to sell is not a "real laptop" and that without Internet, it  is "a brick".

Obviously this ad uses humor to emphasize the ridiculousness of the Chromebook, as well as Google in general. Even the very situation that leads to the episode within the commercial, that of a woman hoping to cash in the laptop for a ticket to Hollywood, has a bit of hilarity attached to it, seeing that the idea is most emphatically that of a dreamer, no matter what brand or company the laptop is from. In other words, one simply doesn't walk into a pawn shop expecting a ticket to Hollywood. In fact, this very surreal situation is reminiscent to that of a reality TV show, and upon further research, it turns out that the pawn shop owners within this ad are indeed members of an apparently popular show called "Pawn Stars". Therefore, the belittling of the laptop by these individuals might hold more weight with fans of the show, who number in the millions. Indeed, the commercial can be seen as a bit of a reverse testimonial for the Chromebook.

The use of these TV personalities also helps with the use of ethos within the ad, as they, being pawn store owners, might be considered more of the experts as to the value of such objects. There is even the use of logos within the commercial as well, since they use facts, such as the point that the Chromebook runs on mostly Web-based applications, to show its inferiority to other laptops. They also touch on other Google issues, such as the past privacy scandals, to show why turning to this company is a bad choice. And although it is never said outright, it is surely implied within the ad that Microsoft products, like Windows and Office, are the better and more practical choice for software.

As a Form of Goodbye...

As the holidays draw to a close, I would like to reflect once more on a commercial related to the passing season. I felt that this ad by Acura would be the perfect way to do that. The bit of media depicts a Christmas parade in the middle of a desert. The members of this parade are cheerful, shouting, "There are deals!" Cue the line of Acura cars racing by, promoting the company's "Season of Reason", in which apparently "attractive offers" are present for the new Acura MDX. As for the parade, this is explained by the voiceover,  which remarks that, "The best deals don't beg for attention."

The reason this ad stood out to me was because of the whole isolation aspect in the beginning of the commercial. As is clearly obvious by the resulting voiceover, the parade in the middle of the desert is meant to represent the various car companies and dealerships, clamoring for attention. The stark, empty white desert background is therefore meant to show that these individuals, even with all their glitz and glamour and holiday spirit, end up having their pleas and persuasion fall on deaf ears. They are the "clutter" from The Persuaders, trying to get our attention with various advertisements and pictures of Santa Claus and reindeer,  but inevitably having to compete with each other for just a moment's glance. It is only the ads with fresh, new material that we the audience pay attention to, and Acura understands this. The company even highlights how mundane and ineffective the other companies are by having the announcers within the parade pronounce their messages in a tone that is reminiscent of a cheesy voice in an old 1950s sitcom.

The next thing that got my attention were of course what the commercial wants us to focus on, the cars. Their appearance in the ad is sudden. Where once there was a calm, barren landscape is suddenly disturbed by their arrival. They are the fresh, new item, the one that stands out, as the voiceover says, "not begging for attention." Even the parade members are stunned, stopping their smiles and shouts to gaze in awe at the passing vehicles. The cars look sleek, all in a silver color that both helps them to blend with the background, as well as appeal to the need for prominence. And. with the stares of the crowd, the need for attention is addressed too.

Along with these needs, the ad uses the snob appeal and avante garde technique as well, seeing that these new cars, and therefore the young male audience that will potentially drive them, are implied to be in the elite, far superior to that of any other brand or company. Even the voiceover states at the end that, "Smarter vehicles deserve a smarter event," referring to the aforementioned "Season of Reason." However, in promoting this event in such a manner, the ad also invites a bit of hypocrisy in its message, as on one hand they ridicule their competition for their desperation for our attention, and on the other, they are asking for it themselves.

Liking Isn't Helping

I'm guessing many of us have seen these numerous times before. There, in the margins of the Facebook page, a blurb dictating the horrors taking place in third-world countries. The Joseph Kony movement, the disaster in the Philippines, no matter what it may be, similar words appear, " 'Like' this to aid the people in so-and-so nation." And I'm sure that many of us have done exactly that, feeling so proud of ourselves afterward for taking such a humanitarian action. But this ad campaign, courtesy of Crisis Relief Singapore, shows the real effects of social media, that is to say that it has none at all.

The ad stands out as it portrays the real crises and situations people in these third-world nations face. In this case, it shows what looks like a mother cradling her sick son. Although the mother's face is not shown in this image, the boy's is, and that haunting, distant expression is what stimulates the use of pathos. We want children to live and be healthy, and that expression reminds us that not all of them are. He looks helpless, and his mother, in her somewhat hunched and protective position, is even more so. The fact that the picture is shown in black and white only serves to highlight the tragic nature of it all, the fact that this is the reality behind all those blurbs.

The next thing of notice is of course the fists with their thumbs up, emulating Facebook's "Like" button. They surround the mother and child on all sides, yet do absolutely nothing to help either of them. In fact, it seems more as if they are mocking the mother and child, as this invisible crowd are in a position of power in which they can choose to aid them or not. This lack of action is emphasized by the slogan, "Liking is not helping." This phrase, straightforward and to the point, illustrates how clicking that oh-so-famous button may help to relieve the conscience of those who see those snippets of information, but it does nothing to ease the pain of the people in those positions. Liking in and of itself simply increases the number of people who know about what goes on in those distant places, and choose to remain inactive about it. In other words, it is the ultimate rationalization for our cognitive dissonance that arises from our inaction.

I do believe this ad is extremely effective in proving its point. Yes, publicity is key for gathering aid, but one must also be willing to take that further step in actually providing what is needed. And that is where many of us fall behind, becoming part of that crowd that looks and approves, but does not help.

Olay Body Wash: Shower Talk

This ad came up on YouTube, ironically while I was watching another commercial. It shows a conversation between two women who live in the same apartment building, through a  shower drain. They start talking about how great Olay's body wash is compared to Dove's, as the moisturizers of this brand does not wash down the drain as easily as their competitor's. This ends up forming the crux of the commercial, as it ends with the slogan "Less down the drain, More moisturized skin."

The ad really stood out to me, mainly because of the way the characters within the commercial communicated, that is, through the shower drain in the bathroom. It was just a bit strange how they used this object much like one would use a telephone. This was reinforced by the casual, loose way the women spoke, along with how one of the girls was told to let the "creepy guy" go to "voicemail". This seemed a bit too surreal for me, as I'm sure that most of us would instantly be frightened by whomever was speaking to them through the shower drain, whether it be Jane in 22B or that creepy guy in 11B. This all points to the use of the Gestalt principle to grab the audience's attention, as it shows an experience that you can't help but feel strangely about.

In regards to the actual conversation, that too was a bit strange. In the midst of their pleasantries, the women suddenly start spouting how they were all told the "shocking" news about Dove's body wash, which apparently has "all their moisturizers go down the drain". Then they start comparing Olay, the "better" alternative to Dove, and how its "rich lather releases a moisturizing lotion", meaning "more moisturizers on your skin, less down the drain," which as I've said before, is the slogan of the entire ad.

All these parts of this once again surreal conversation, point to several techniques being used. There is the Bandwagon fallacy present, as the women base their opinions on Dove on what they hear from others. In other words, if all those other women know it and talk about it, then it must be true. This slightly leans onto the need for affiliation as well, as if to say that you will have more in common, and therefore more to talk about, with those around you if you use this product. Then you have the technique of Magic Ingredients, as once again they point to Olay's rich lather as proof that this brand is better than its competitor at retaining its moisturizing properties. They even throw in a bit of humor at the end with the appearance of the previously mentioned "creepy guy", who is allowed to go onto voicemail.

As for the target audience, the ad mainly seems to be directed towards women of all races, as that is the type of people being shown. There is also the use of subtle pink undertones within the ad, a primarily feminine color. The commercial operates on the assumption that women gossip about everything in their lives, including their shower products, and that upon hearing just one less-than-flattering aspect about those products, they will instantly look for something better. And while it may be true that women compare information about their daily lives, I find it hard to believe that simply one flaw in a product, a flaw that isn't exactly supported with numbers or other type of quantifiable evidence I might add, would cause them to switch to another brand altogether.