Burger King Sells Sex, Too

So, I know this ad is a bit old (July 2009) but it still is relevant to our society: marketers use sex and gender stereotypes for all types of products, not just the stereotypical ones such as clothing or perfume ads, for example. In this case, it's with food. Filthy fast food. This ad represents how low our standards are as a society. Seeing this advertisement for the first time gave me yet another reason why I don't like fast food: not only is it prepared inhumanely and clogs your arteries, but apparently, it now sells sex in a degrading way as well.

I'll be honest: a year ago, maybe, I wouldn't have understood the underlying message of this ad. I was that naive. I'm still naive, but I've heard enough that I can see what Burger King is trying to say....We've got a seven-inch sub, the word "BLOW" in huge letters, a blonde chick with red lipstick looking stunned (and probably excited) by the size of the sub, and the position of her with the sub just screams blow job right there.

It's disgusting. And yet, unfortunately, I can see teenagers, skipping school for some saturated fat for lunch, laughing and finding the ad hilarious. I wouldn't be surprised.

Ads like these cause me to question my faith in our Western society. When there is so much pain and poverty in the world, this is what the big-wigs are spending their time on?

I'll get off my soapbox now.

Photo source: http://www.globaldiversitypost.com/.a/6a010536c1f37b970b0120a53e844b970c-800wi

Nothing has Changed

"By assuming that skincare is the first thing on their minds, magazines like Seventeen are telling young women that their minds are unimportant. By teaching young women that the most important things in a woman's life should be her looks and her relationships to men."

- Kimberley Phillips, Media Awareness Network writer

Seventeen is one of the most popular magazines for young women, but it's nothing different from other magazines aimed towards women and teens. Their covers pretty much sell themselves. I'm not surprised to see this cover, telling us we need to have the perfect hair, smoothest legs, and look amazing. The somewhat small headline that borders this cover let's us know that there's a unknown mistake we're making when it comes to guys.

On another note, the 1950s is labeled as a depressing era for women, where society pressured them to give up college and career to get a man and to become the perfect, pretty housewife. How is this Seventeen's cover's headlines any different from the '50s society (besides the opportunities of college and career)? Society still tells us that looks and impressing guys are all that matters.

Photo and quote courtesy of: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/articles/gender_portrayal/seventeen.cfm

Is this an Offensive advertisement?

This controversial German lingerie add at first seems just like any other lingerie add. Shows a stereotypically attractive woman half-naked putting on a black bra, panties, and knee high tights. Then she puts masquer-a on and watches herself in the mirror. Then at the very end of the commercial the viewer sees her put on a burqa (garb worn by religous muslim females) as she looks in the distance. The caption at the bottom reads "Sexiness is for everyone. Everywhere."

So one might ask...is this breaching a sense of respect for religious Muslims. Or is this a liberating message to Muslim women saying that they can wear "sexy clothing" just as any other women?

I guess I see as it a bit of both, it goes a bit too far and the concept that one actually sees what is supposed to be a muslim woman in underwear is completely against the point of the Burqa and not revealing ones "tempting parts", but isn't it also a good message to put out that every woman should be confident in her body (which is the irony of having this as an add because the lingerie company is saying "sexiness is for everyone" (who buys our lingerie).

So what do you think?

Opulence

When I first saw this commercial I thought it was the funniest commercial ever; but after the second time I realized it was absurd. The man has dogs playing poker, eating gold grapes, has a gold remote, surrounded by woman, and has a mini giraffe and he still thinks that he needs more. He even admits to his lavishness but he doesn't seemed bothered by it. This commercial is sending the all to familiar message of if you get this product you too can live a life of luxury.

Video courtesy of youtube.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB0ybC-jNDk)

Stride

Photo Credit: adpulp.com via Google Images

The bright orange font and half-naked businessmen in this Stride gum advertisment immediately grabbed my attention. The idea of the men suggestively posing with fruit is enough to draw people to Stride through the ad’s humor, or repulse them. I find this ad hilarious because it appeals to my facetious sense of humor and is unlike any I have ever seen. I feel that Stride took a significant risk in using an image that could make many people uncomfortable in their “Spit it Out” campaign. The areas marked “YOUR GUM HERE” add another interesting marketing tactic that can lure consumers to inevitably keep shelling out for Stride.

Kleenex Ad

This ad for Kleenex stood out to me specifically because the number of years it takes for a box of Kleenex is horrifying. When we walk into a CVS or any other drugstore and get a box of Kleenex we do not think of the trees that is sacrificed for our personal usage. In addition, to that one box of tissue that you get, there is a whole shelf of Kleenex boxes and other types of tissues waiting to be brought.

This ad reminds me of my engineering classes called Mass and Balances where I had to calculate and diagram a life cycle assessment of a heating system for a house on campus. We had to determine and assess all the materials involved with creating the heating system even the equipment used to make those materials. It was a very challenging task to trace backward to the starting material because there is very little information available about where materials had come from. This relates back to consumerism in which, I as a consumer do not really search or pay attention to how things are made. Its also alarming as to how little information companies provide to consumers where their products are from. We would think now with the Internet, it would be easier but sadly its not…

Photo courtesy of Seeing Red Blog

SPOTTED

And we thought jean diapers were bad? How about the real thing... this weekend while watching the field hockey game I saw a little boy (couldn't have been more than four years old) wearing TRUE RELIGION JEANS! To top off the outfit he was wearing a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt. And what was he doing in this outfit? He playing in the grass and rolling down the hill. Somehow a $200+ outfit and rolling around in the grass doesn't exactly add up to me... oh yeah AND the fact that the boy wasn't even five years old!

BEWARE! SERIAL VICTIM.

Hey guys this is an opening scene which was posted as an advertisement for a Japanese horror film called Tomie. The story is about a school girl/demon who comes back from the dead and provokes others to murder her in the most violent ways. I found this clip highly unusual because I have never heard of such a masochistic storyline before. I think it just begs people to watch this film no matter how disturbing it seems since it is about a serial victim instead of our traditional serial killer.

Safety First

These two ads are completely unrelated except for two things: a) they have to deal with some sort of 'safety' issue b) they are both really creative and interesting ads.

The first ad was ran in Indonesia:

The campaign is for safer nose hair trimmers. The ad uses live wires from telephone poles and other electric spots. It is definitely one of the more creative bill boards I have seen!

The next ad I had seen before, but I just recently found out that it was exclusively an online campaign. I won't give away what it is for, but here is a hint: the tag line is 'Embrace Life".

(photo credit: Campaign Brief Asia, video credit: Youtube)

"Both Sides of the Story"

I found BBC America's news advertisement quite fresh, novel, and original. Walking along the sidewalk, the pedestrian would see the first side of the ad and then making a turn at the edge would find the other side of the story, thus seeing both sides of the story. The ad seems to imply that through BBC news, which is not biased or askew, watchers would be acknowledged of what's going around in the world.

[Courtesy of http://www.bluemedia.com/blueline/uncategorized/bbc-america-sides-story]

Let's Give Axe the....Axe

After doing some searches on the web for Axe products, I found numerous photos and Youtube video commercials regarding their products, that, time after time, degraded women and used them as solely objects. I realize, though, that Axe isn't the only one to blame: numerous companies, from Calvin Klein to Burger King, depict women as only sexual beings used to pleasure men. However, it is especially disturbing that Unilever owns not only Axe, but Dove. Dove has a somewhat recent movement called "Love Your Body" and the ads try to promote body and racial diversity, as well as media awareness education for young girls. In the campaign video below, titled "Onslaught", we see how young girls are bombarded with images and videos of how to look and act, and it is our responsibility to tell them that they are good enough. But imagine how hard that must be for a parent when the same corporation bombards us with images of near-naked women covered in mud in a shower asking to be washed by a man? The first image above is sexist in a more subtle way: there are no people in the ad, but the image of the sweater reaching into the man's pants gives enough clues of promiscuous sexual activity.

Dove: "Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does!"

Dove stresses the importance of media awareness, yet their sister company, Axe, tells girls to act overly sexual and strip down to nothing to attract a guy. I'm old enough to realize the discrepency of these ads, but it is disturbing how much we are manipulated by the media.

Photos from:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2oq2bSN-S9o/R8yxbsiC-II/AAAAAAAAA78/k_k3rAhDLs8/s400/effetto+axe+great+ads.jpg

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/raim0007/gwss3307_fall2007/axe.jpg

Video Courtesy: joseelias452

Sandwich in a can: Candwich!

      Are you hungry? Well, I was until I found out about a sandwich in a can. People sometimes don't have time to make their own sandwiches or even buy them, so marketing tells you: be smart and buy it in a can! (there are three different tastes) and don't forget: it could be used in a disaster situation. 

       People from the outside always complain about the food in the US, and it makes totally sense! In most of the other cultures, people sit down with their families and enjoy a meal. Here in the US people eat a burger while they watch TV with their families or they are too busy to do it with their families. It might not be the case for every single family or even the majority of families, but that's the idea that outsiders like me have about the U.S. That's the way the US has been marketed!

If you want to know more about the products check out the website: http://eater.com/archives/2010/07/08/the-candwich-a-sandwich-in-a-can.php

Why Companies Change their Logos

Most of the consumers today relate the one simple apple either gray or rainbow colored. However, the first apple logo was much more complicated and sophisticated than the current logo for the apple company. Do you think that it was necessary to change the logo? Marketing companies needed a logo that was simple and noticeable. The one they have now stands out, and everybody knows what it represents. However, if you take a look at the original apple logo (located below), there's too many things going on in the logo so a person can't concentrate. For marketing companies, the bold and simple logo is a better logo to use.

The Naked Truth

Is this a more innovative way to get PC users to make the switch to Apple computers? I never thought that Apple would take advertising to this level but in this world, who knows what is bound to happen next. Whoever came up with this idea thought of all the Mac components to somewhat cover her body. I think it's pretty intelligent because I found myself reading all the phrases due to the colors and variations of font size. Maybe Apple marketers are trying to say that Mac users are better looking underneath it all...I don't believe that but I'm interested to see if any PC commercials/advertisements will try to compete with this. Also, the coloring makes me think about democrats and republicans; are computers becoming a political issue, too?

Photo courtesy of : www.amitbhawani.com

Don't Double Down

According to the Consumerist, KFC is hiring college women to wear sweats with "Double Down" imprinted on the ass. This is a relatively new marketing ploy--to hire beautiful young folks to peddle your wares to their peers--and one that could be persuasive, depending on the charisma and attractiveness of the participants.

This particular campaign seems particularly degrading to me, given the pseudo-sexual connotations of "doubling down" and the placement of the ad in question, and if my daughter ever did something like this I'd be an unstoppable fury machine.

But...would you ever do this or something like it?

http://consumerist.com/2010/09/kfc-pays-college-girls-to-advertise-double-down-on-their-butts.html

Ad Saturation

According to the New York Times, the MTA is starting to allow tv advertising on subway cars, in addition to the usual still-picture placards. The description of the start-off campaign for this new "innovation" is striking: they've essentially turned an entire subway car into an ad for Major League Baseball. This particular usage sounds over-the-top, and I assume that the normal application of this marketing will be much like tv's in airports: the constant, irritating drone in the background. This seems almost inevitable, but I find it very sad. Subway rides have until now been one of the few places where working people actually read books. Now, I expect they'll be too distracted by the flickering images.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/m-t-a-brings-tvs-to-the-subway/?hp

Talkin' about My Generation.... and soda?

I found this commercial for Pepsi really interesting. In order to promote their sodas, Pepsi typically base their ads on the theme of generations. The implications that I observed from this ad is that this carbonated drink has been an important part of the American culture for the past 100 years. Since when were soft drinks so significant? This advertisement, which came out in 2009, takes the viewer through the different generations of the 20th century- showing us the image of youth that has evolved over the century, with each decade having music, fashions, and political events that shaped their unique generation. But still, all generations had one thing in common. They all drank Pepsi.

The commercial ends with the line "now it's your turn". Assuming that this line is targeted toward us college students, let's go grab a can of Pepsi and let the world know what we're all about!

Video courtesy of youtube.com

What's up with the vibrations? Everything seems to vibrate now; cell phones, face wash, toothbrushes, chairs, alarm clocks, pillows, even beds. Have we ever had a problem with the stability of inanimate objects before? Why the sudden need for pulse? Whoops, that was dirty. I just saw an advertisement on YouTube for a mascara that vibrates! Big make-up brands like Maybelline, Lancome and Estee Lauder carry it now. Apparently, the vibrations coat the hair on our eyelids with a more black than usual. It seems like marketers are waiting for a girl named Jane to turn to her friend and say, "You know, my eyelashes are never that fan-like. I've tried all different kinds but it's never as good as the advertisement. Maybe, it's the pulse that does the trick." Advertising professionals set us up because the alternative is that Jane's eyelashes cannot be like the lashes of the mascara model. This seems harder to stomach.

Kotex Tampons

(from youtube user slim2open)

So this is an add for Kotex tampons that points out unrealistic aspects of other tampon commercial. And at the end after the actress has made fun of the way most tampon makers advertise they have the text “Why are tampon adds so ridiculous?” and then it shows their product in a slick black box with colored tampons & the text reads, “Break the cycle.” So this is kind of a wink to those of us who don’t buy the normal form of advertising and get tired of seeing blue liquid put on tampons…one must wonder, why can’t the add be a little more realistic and actually talk about the usefulness of the product? But the problem is…even this add tells a woman absolutely nothing about how tampons work…so is it really breaking out of the cycle? I think not. I like these adds, they criticize the other brands for being so Politically Correct and unrealistic, but it’s a two way street, If I am going to pay a few $’s more for tampons…give me a better reason that “the other brands are ridiculous.”

Listen for me in the next life...

I know what you are thinking. Why is there a gravestone in the shape of an ipod?

It’s called the die-pod, an ipod that functions as a gravestone and entertains your mourners with “noteworthy songs and photos of your life”.

Why must we need this? I do not know. Is this a necessity? No. But is this cool? Yes, and this is exactly the works of consumerism and advertisement.

This tombstone is a reflection of our society in the consumer world. Who really need a tombstone that functions like an ipod? What message are they conveying to others? What is advertisement doing to our generation?

This die-pod has debuted in Art Basil Switzerland, and it makes me wonder to what extent the ipod generation’s influence has on not only the U.S but also the world.

Photo courtesy of artsake.

Budweiser Targeting a too Young Audience

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veQAJ4qlltU

"I won't tell if you won't"

As cute as this advertisement may be, I think it's kind of disturbing what Budweiser is doing here. The use of animals catches the attention of a young audience. What Budweiser is concerned with is getting their brand name imprinted in the heads of children so later on when they think of beer they automatically think Budweiser. The commercial tries to display typical American values through the heartwarming work of the two bigger horses.

(Commercial was obtained from youtube.com)

The Advertisers

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/jmo1125l.jpg

As we talked about it in class, the advertisers put a lot of effort into deceiving consumers and luring the consumers to purchase their products. Cartoons are always interesting to see and analyze. This one is about how the advertising agency is spending so much time to make the perfect advertisement. Today, advertising companies have to think twice as hard to come up with good advertisements because their advertisement has to stand out. Also, consumers are more aware about these advertisements.

Solestruck

Image Credit: Screen shot from www.wheredidugetthat.com

When I first saw this advertisement on a style blog about a month ago, I thought to myself, “Are they showing all these shoes in the ad to “prove” how much of an “issue” they are?” However, upon realizing that the website sells the shoes, and after taking time to really think about the message portrayed, I became irritated and a bit angry. Yes, Solestruck’s attempted humor is eye-catching, but placing shoes on the same level as real global issues is disconcerting. When I think of global issues, I imagine poverty, starvation, and gender inequality among others. I feel ridiculous saying something so blatant, but ugly shoes will never have a comparable impact. I feel that it is in poor taste to attribute a factor of materialism to real struggles. I can see Solestruck’s intent to be witty, but the message of this ad is pushing it. What do you think?

Rough Day? Grab A Coke

I saw this ad on during the movie Easy A. I thought it was quite effective because the ad uses two American icons, The Simpsons and Coke, which most of the people in the theatre could easily recognize. I also think that the entire message of the ad is very comical. A person can lose everything that they own and will have friends and happiness once they possess a Coke. If only life was that easy.

Video courtesy of youtube.com

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnUKurl7Fog)

Advertising Awards

I was looking for information about audio ads on the internet (the kind that talk while a youtube video is playing) when I happened upon the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC):

http://www.iacaward.org/iac/default.asp

Judging is based on industry and on medium including: online ad, email message, interactive application, mobile application, and 'Ads That the Client Did Not Pick'. It is kind of strange how there is an award for the best junk emails and flashing banners, I wonder how much junk mail the IAC has to sift through to find the winners.

Here is the list for the 2010 'Best of Show' award:

http://www.iacaward.org/iac/winners.asp

I liked the winner of the 'Best of Show the client didn't pick award', I thought it was funny (in a creepy way). Which is yours?

The Story of Cosmetics (2010)

Almost two years ago I had to work on a project about “The Story of Stuff”. When I watched the video for the first time I found it very interesting and entertaining. Although it is around 22mins long, it’s worth it. Nowadays, the project has grown so fast that there are more videos such as: the story of cosmetics, the story of bottled water and the story of cap and trade. Also, organizations have sponsored the project and it has become more popular.

The author, Annie Leonard, criticizes Americans because “We have too much stuff” and it’s not necessary stuff we need. In fact, she did some research and she found that most of products we use are full of toxics and we don’t even know it! So guys remember: when “something comes in, something goes out”

I let you watch “the Story of Stuff” since we are all women who worry about our images and cosmetics are an important part of our daily routine. Next time you go to CVS or the supermarket you might want to think twice before buying a product.

Fair & Lovely Ads

Hey guys I just wanted to show you some advertisements of Fair & Lovely. The First one is in English which shows that when women become Fair, they have got a better chance of getting a good job. I think that this ad is emtremely sexist but eventually quite true about the job market because like if there are two women with the same qualifications, the prettier one has a better chance of getting a job. But I am of course assuming that the interviewer is a stereotypical male or a homosexual female. But notice when the women says that 4 is her lucky number, her skin becomes 4 shades lighter. Anyway the second ad is in Hindi but if you watch it you will understand it. The emphasis is on 'modern beauty company' so basically they are saying that you have to be fair to be beautiful nowadays. You guys may think that this is wrong because in the western countries people actually pay hundreds of dollars to become tanned but in the East, women actually think they are inferior if they are dark.

Its interesting to notice that human beings are never satisfied with what they have. White people want to become dark and vice versa. Below is a Fair & Lovely ad aimed at Malaysian women.

"Inspiring women

Since 1993 until today, we have been committed to transforming and inspiring the lives of women through beauty. We also believe in the economic empowerment of women to improve standards of living and contribute positively to the quality of life of all Malaysians.

What we offer

The products we offer are dedicated to the beauty of women everywhere. Our range comprises Fair & Lovely Fairness Cream, Fair & Lovely Herbal Cream, Fair & Lovely Facial Facewash, Fair & Lovely Under Eye Cream, Fair & Lovely Fairness Soap and Fair & Lovely Fairness Body Lotion. Our Multi-Vitamin Fairness Cream is yet another innovation to make your skin naturally fairer and radiant in a mere 4 weeks – harnessing the goodness of 4 essential vitamins, namely Vitamin B3, C, A and E. "

Doesn't that sound so noble? So now all of us dark women know that in order to be respected, successful and happy we have to be fair. Oh and if you guys are interested, go to YouTube and find Fair & Lovely ads for men. Apparently the days of the dark, rugged and handsome men are over.

Vidoes are from

http://www.youtube.com/

Piggy Bank?

[http://thecheeky.com/?p=26]

The Cheeky.com is selling piggy banks... not just any kind but "real" piglet banks. According to the website it states,

"Designed for anyone who has far too much money and loose change...Its a real piglet that has been taxidermied and inserted with what all piglets probably dream of as babies, a coin storage unit and a cork plug...Just so you know that we don't actually kill the Piglets, they die of natural causes and these are the ones that we use.."

At least they aren't killing these poor creatures but who would pay $4000 to lay their hands on this...disgusting and disturbing object. Every time you put in your change and before you go to bed, that piglet will stare at you and it's real. And if I were a piglet, turning into a piggy bank would definitely not be my "dream" as babies, yuck. So, would you guys buy it?

"Be Stupid"?

With all of the media surrounding us, advertisers and marketers have to come up with more and more innovative advertisements and catch-phrases to capture our attention. We will only remember the ads that stand out-but what if those ones are the images that are offensive and promote reckless behavior?

For example, this Diesel clothing line ad shown here is definitely different from your typical ad of a waifish girl standing against a plain backdrop, so some might call it "innovative" and "different". However, the message sent here is that to have "balls" (aka initiative) one must be "stupid" and do stupid but "memorable" things. The girl is flashing the camera; sure, in reality, you might be talked about and be considered brave, but for the most part, people might also call you other offensive names. It also promotes sexism and the idea that the sexy girl flashes people and acts provocatively to get attention-which, according to Diesel, is pretty ballsy. Translate that into the real world, and things can get more complicated-i.e., your boss sees the photo on Facebook. Not a good idea. And what's more, I prefer to be smart than stupid. That is a message we should be sending to our kids, not the other way around.

Finally, head on over to the Diesel website, where one of the reasons to "be stupid" is to "Have more sex" in large letters. What a perfect message to send to an innocent fifteen year old. Oh dear.

The Difference Between Men and Women

Men, celebrate yourself.

Women, fix your problems.

This advertising spoof was taken from a British comedy show that is much similar to the format of Saturday Night Live. It is merely a comedy sketch, but it does give a pretty accurate description of what the advertising industry is all about. It sums up the message of what commercials have been telling us for decades. Men are told to buy products to emphasize their masculinity. I've noticed, whether it's an ad for cologne, motorcycle, or a Rolex watch, these advertisements send out the message that their product will make them "the man" they are supposed to be. There are typically no negative connotations within advertisements that are geared towards men, because these ads never address what was wrong with an individual (besides not having the Tommy Hilfiger cologne or the Honda motorcycle) before he bought the product.

However, as this comedy sketch clearly illustrates, advertisements geared towards women point out the "obvious faults" of women and that the purchasing of the shampoo or cream will cure the problem. Advertising has a very degrading effect on women, no doubt. It's interesting to note how the sketch included the child walking in with dirty laundry. Advertising, and the media as well, seem to have a tendency to create boxes with labels for men and women. Not only did the child's dirty laundry situation emphasize the women as a mother with responsibilities, it also brought about the idea of gender roles. Never does a man do the laundry in a Tide commercial, or pack lunch for his kids using ZipLock bags. Similarly, women will never relax in an ad with a can of BudLight Beer.

Video courtesy of youtube.com

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85HT4Om6JT4)

When I first saw this advertisement, I thought that paint was pouring from the can above the four cars. To my amazement, this is not actually the case but it certainly caught my attention. To me this is great advertising because there are two companies incorporated into one strong visual that all people, I'm sure, are baffled by. Although quite a far-fetched idea, it is an effective way to catch anyone's eye and make them think twice--while Coop's Paints pour on your car in the parking lot, make sure you have Nationwide insurance on the line!

Who Owns the Organics

This is just one of many such charts you can find on the web. This one seems to come from a reputable source.

Organic packaging is tremendously persuasive: it makes us feel eco-friendly, healthy, and self-righteous, all at once. If we can keep it in mind that most of these products are processed in giant factories by the same companies that make Coke and Twinkies, we might be more discerning, even as we still strive for the healthier (often organic) product. If you're concerned about putting more money into corporations, buying local is probably the answer--though I've yet to find a local toothpaste or toilet-paper company.

Steak-scented billboard

Pepper Steak Scented Billboard from Todd Turner on Vimeo.

It seems to me that marketers go a bit far here for the latest, cutest gimmick. The consumer reporter in this news clip says "with all the advertising around you want to be able to jump out and grab the consumer's attention," and they've done it by pumping the smell of grilling steak out over the highway. The thing is, though, smell is an intimate sense that connects us to memory and emotion in powerful ways. As Marcel Proust writes, "The smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls ready to remind us..."

I don't like the idea of marketers poking around in my subconscious. I know they do it all the time, and I know that they push my buttons to get me to buy stuff--and to feel crappy about myself, much of the time (so that I'll buy more stuff). But somehow using smell crosses a line for me, and feels just too invasive. Hands off my nose.

(I first came across this story on the consumerist, here: http://consumerist.com/2010/06/new-billboard-smells-like-steak-sort-of.html)