Cool Campaign

I know class it's over...booo.... But I found this link about about a cool advertising campaign in Germany

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2K611l/www.dailydawdle.com/2010/09/10-best-lifes-too-short-for-wrong-job.html

Advent Conspiracy

Since this is the Christmas season and the time to buy, buy, buy I felt as though these videos were appropriate. They were shown to me at my high school last year and it really makes one realize that Christmas is just not about spending money.

More information can be found on their website:

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Product Testing Institute - Models

This ad is super funny and plays on the stereotype of models being "dumb". The company Sony Ericsson is trying to sell their newest phone by releasing multiple versions of this ad but with different groups testers such as elderly, guidos, toddlers, surfers, and glam rockers. However, the researcher remains the same and reacts in a condensing way towards each group. I love how the camera focuses on his expression after each response. I found this ad to be funny and conveyed the message that the product can easily be used even from the less tech savvy groups of people.

The Nicest Vending Machine in the World

Coca Cola has come up with a new marketing technique to further advertise their soda. By giving away free coke and other assorted gifts to us. This video is part of a series of videos, in which Coca Cola goes to various college campuses around the world, most notably the US, the UK and India, and give away free stuff, with the effect of winning the youth's hearts over -- in efforts to gain brand loyalty. I noticed they are making a great effort to target the younger demographic, and they are doing these vending machine schemes in countries where the consumerism is either widely prevalent (like the US) or growing (India).

This marketing technique seems to be having an effect on these students. They're even running up to hug the machine itself! Better be careful the next time some one gives you free stuff - it could be another way of advertising.

Eye-Catching Nylons

This ad is really impressive, especially considering that it is for American Apparel Nylons. The colors of each dancer’s tights make for a simple, but very aesthetically pleasing and thus, effective ad. Although this is two years old, it further proves the present sentiment that more artistic and colorful ads catch our attention more easily. I was instantly drawn to the movement of each dancer’s legs, and how they were each positioned so that the tights’ colors were arranged in rainbows, or in shades from lightest to darkest. The dancers’ synchronized and complex movements were also really distinctive, and almost made me forget that this was an American Apparel ad. I definitely prefer this to their much more racy print ads of today.

The Language of Marketing

At the beginning of this course we read an article about how marketers have us all figured out. Although, it is very sad to think this way, it is relatively true. There is some information about the human brain that marketers use for advertising purposes.  We associate colors with adjectives. For example, the color pink represents feminine ideals, while green symbolizes health, and black symbolizes luxury. As the graph shows (http://9gag.com/gag/54696/) there are other factors that affect consumers like time and brands. However, these resources are mostly visual because it is easier for our brains to assimilate and associate images with a product. Among other factors, time is crucial. Marketers want people to spend as much time as they can in a store, but not enough time to discourage them from returning.

Additionally, this link (http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/5xmPKu/www.stanford.edu/class/linguist34/Unit_07/adj_chart.htm/r:f) shows an informal poll taken by some students that displays the typical words used to advertise specific products. As you can see, the word healthy is used to describe food products, and good-looking is used for cosmetics. I thought it was interesting to see the adjectives marketers use to describe products. It seems to me that many of these adjectives were chosen at random because they are convenient and not because they actually embody these descriptions.

Kitkat

This is an advertisement for kitkat in India. I posted this ad because it shows a new trend in Indian advertisement of using animation. Compared to the Fair & Lovely advertisements which used the most basic technology and stereotypical ideas, this advertisement and others like it show the increasing sophistication of the common indian consumer.

FedEx

I searched Google in hopes of finding some satirical advertisements and managed to find many. My favorite one is for FedEx and has quite a funny headline to draw people to read it. I found myself laughing and recognizing that what FedEx says about them "handling packages" is completely true. Within this truth is another truth that many advertisements address some statements falsely. Here, though, the slogan is as close to the truth as you could ever get. I think the best advertising out there is one that you can laugh at and also understand the satire within it. Nice job FedEx, I will trust you to handle my package!

"Fashion Trends and Tips"

Vogue for UK has some fashion trends for this autumn/winter posted. It's interesting how products that were popular a long time ago is back in fashion again. I'm sure the things that went out of season in the previous summer will come back after some time passes by.
Well, for this winter season,

low heels for shoes
elbow length gloves
colored shoes
and a lot more

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/trends/
Check this site out.

What Now?

As the semester winds down, I've been searching high and low for websites or campaigns that are counter consumer culture. As I'm sure you all can assume, it is a lot harder to find these than it is to find a sexist advertisement in Seventeen.

However, it is more important than ever that we seek out these organizations because it is at the grassroots level where we can make change as consumers and citizens. One website that I particularly like is about-face.org, which focuses on representations of women in advertising. They have a gallery of "winners" and "offenders": ads that are either appropriate or not. I believe they also lead workshops and other awareness campaigns. Another site is mediawatch.com which is a non-profit organization aiming to bring awareness to racist, violent, and sexist advertising. About Face features a laundry list of company addresses in case you are extremely heated about a Calvin Klein ad, for example.

As a class, we know that addressing issues in the media is important. For those not in this class, here are a few more images to shock you. I know I probably come across as a Debby Downer with all of these depressing advertisements-but I myself didn't realize how bad it was until I saw these, and I feel more motivated to make change. I don't know how these ads weren't censored. I considered all of them for my presentation. As you will see, it was really difficult to find an ad to analyze. All of them are full of so many negative messages that NEED to change-Now.

I think the pictures say it all.

Savage Chickens

Perfect satire:

This Ad is ridiculous!

This ad really "got" me. The punch-line (the cracking of the walnut) was just so unexpected! This was pretty much my train of thought: " Morning, shower... finished, that's a little thong, cool modern apartment, unmade bed(!), woah!...naked girl, she has an incredible figure, okay...walnuts?, where is she putting that...she's not...woah! Hahahaha! I can't believe she did that!(the actress looks at the camera and smiles) Haha...she even knows how ridiculous that was!

Of course, this sports club ad sells a "standard" of beauty, a certain body type, a lifestyle... However, it either sells it better or I'm just sold. There definitely is a level of sophistication here that I appreciate.

Heineken - Walk in Fridge

I saw this ad last year on TV, and I thought it was hilarious! I think they show it during the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it in English, but pretty much the woman says this is the living room, and this is the closet. Although this Heineken ad is very funny, it stereotypes women and men; and at the end, it shows Heineken "serving the planet".

First of all, it bothed me that this ad stereotypes women as big consumerist! there are four white women, probably in their thirties; we see that these women are more excited to see the closet than to see the rest of the house! In addition, we see that it's full of clothes even though the closet it's huge! the screamed for around 6 seconds and then we hear men screaming. The ad makes fun of women because women tend to scream and are louder than men. But in this case, men are so excited that they scream louder and longer. Anyways, we see they are screaming because his closet is a huge fridge full Heineken beers, like it was possible to have a closet of full of Heinekens. Again, four white men.

After they scream, we see "Heineken, Serving the planet" Well, I would like to know why they display that last sentence. Are they serving the planet by giving huge closets or free houses? or does it mean that they recycle? or does it mean that they help the planet by providing beer? It doesn't make any sense. What do you guys think about this?

Ripple Effect

This commercial is one of my favorites. I remember how I reacted when I first saw this ad on TV. I was like......"WOW this is like a love story movie. Awww too cute!" Yes. That was my first reaction. I just love the way how the ad starts from the future and rewinds to the present, showing the couple's first encounter at a train station. I guess AT&T was targeting women like me who love to watch Roman Holiday. The commercial implies that if the man wasn't using AT&T, he would have failed! (BYE BYE HOTTIE) But, because he's prepared, he won the heart of the maiden (and their son becomes the President).

Water is Water.

I discovered these Smart Water advertisements in various fashion magazines. I suspect Smart Water is competition for Evian, but either way, the fact that a basic necessity to human life is being branded by companies like Smart Water and Evian is a little bit of a branding overkill. These "Designer water" brands, much like any high profile consumer brand, manage to get celebrities to endorse their water, claiming its "purity" or "workout partner", as seen in the Jennifer Aniston ad. The implication from drinking Smart Water is to get the so-called perfect body that a typical consumer would desire. The sad part is, just as with any other ad, many people buy into these special water beverages.

[MV] Girls Generation (SNSD) & 2PM - Cabi Song (Caribbean Bay CF)

I thought this was an interesting advertisement because basically this is a music video with two of the most famous kpop groups in Korea. This advertisement is supposed to advertise the water park that is in one of amusement parks in Korea, but the name of the place isn't mentioned much throughout the video. But I'm sure it was popular because of this music video which is also an advertisement for that place. The song is really catchy and CABI is short for Caribbean Bay (water park). It's amazing how much impact celebrities have these days.

What if animals looked like today's humans?

I thought these pictures were rather funny and although they do a poor job of marketing the actual product, binoculars, I think they do a great job at targeting something else- obesity. Because it is such a prevalent problem, sometimes people become numb to it, and I think that seeing it on other beings puts things into prospective. You could call it a wake up call.

I just watched this video about how an Australian non-profit got their message out to hundreds of people:

SCOPE (Spastic Children's Society of Victoria) is one of Australia's largest non-profit organizations that provides services for people with disabilities. The video explains how SCOPE went through the process of getting their name and message out to the whole of Australia. This is a great campaign! SCOPE definitely took a creative and effective approach to advertising. The only problem that I have with this campaign is that Rudely Interrupted is being used to promote SCOPE first and then promote the band secondly. The members of the band do not have a much priority as they may think they do. Still this is an amazing feat for both SCOPE and Rudely Interrupted!

Here is the music video for 'Close my Eyes':

(Credit Best Ads on TV, Youtube, and SCOPE)

Sparked by Sara's recent post, I too browsed around on that website and looked at some other billboard changes. Here's one adjustment that I found particularly interesting. I love the fact that such a simple alteration, just one word, and the entire meaning/message of the billboard changes. These people are very clever.

Well, I encountered some trouble uploading the pictures but the original billboard said

"Lawsuits: The American Disease" the billboard was promoting citizens against lawsuit abuse

and then it was changed to read,

"Lawsuits: The American Dream"

Be More Healthy

After reading Sara's post I checked out the billboardliberation website and found this advertisement for McDonald's. The slogan read, before it was changed for the better, "you have 10,000 tastebuds. use them all." Now the billboard has the word "kill" in place for "use" which is both hilarious and true at the same time. Also, in the corner under the golden arch reads "I'm sick of it" instead of "I'm lovin' it." This is a great website and I found myself laughing and completely agreeing with the changes of words or phrases on these billboards. Many people can't see past slogans and believe everything they read--that is all about to change. I hope this will be accepted and viewed as a cultural movement for a better world.

Detourning

Check this out!  the Billboard Liberation Front defaces billboards in clever ways that expose the cultural messages inherent in their advertising.  Above is their latest, which turns "She is a thing of beauty" into "She is a thing."  Nicely done.  Here's their website: http://www.billboardliberation.com/

In these last few weeks of class, if you're able to find things like this--that push back against advertising--please post them.  We need strategies.

The Worst of Consumerism Under One Roof

(Note: Sorry for the weird underlines-it does that after I posted pictures. And sorry for the horrible quality of the photos I took!)

During Thanksgiving break, I had the pleasurable (sarcasm) experience of going to the Providence Place Mall with my brother Sam this past vacation. To be frank, I used to LOVE going to this mall. Delia's was my favorite place for clothes, and hello-Sephora!

This time, it was all about business. I made a spontaneous decision to document storefront ads as well as magazines through the eye of a consumer analyst. People: Take note-this is SO much fun! People might look at you funny, but who cares, right?

I thought I'd share some of the standout ads and headlines I saw.

The ubiquitous Abrocrombie and Fitch storefront. I guess the black shades make it seem like an upscale beach house that only the elite are invited to. And don't forget the bare-chested man with his finger in his mouth. If that isn't selling sex, then I don't know what is.

Here we see cradle-to-grave marketing with Abrocrombie and Fitch for Kids. The puppy was clearly used because it resembles youth and home life....and who can forget the phrase, "I've been good this year" that I am sure we all wrote to Santa when we were little. But look closely at the outfit on the left. A skirt that short for a nine year-old girl? Next to that was a pair of extremely short denim "Daisy Dukes". It is unacceptable what Abrocrombie is getting away with, and even more disconcerting that parents actually buy this stuff.

A little different but still intelligent in its marketing skills is Build a Bear. We have lots of bright colors (yellow is gender-neutral, of course) and bears everywhere. I like the idea of seeing a bear get built and having the chance to customize it, but I feel like this concept is taking advantage of our wallets. Those things are expensive! Of course children will also feel compelled to have every single outfit under the sun, which adds more pressure to the parents.

Here is an advertisement at Claire's. I used to shop at Claire's until I was maybe 11? And yet the extremely thin models look like they are 18. At least there is some diversity. However, young girls will aspire to these accessories-obsessed, vapid models.

The "Hello Bombshell" storefront is appalling. This is one half of the storefront, the other, shown below it, is targeted to a younger age group. Is Victoria's Secret calling us, the consumers, bombshells? How can anyone feel like a "bombshell" when she is looking at a pin-thin but voluptuous model who is Photoshopped to perfection? Victoria's secret used to market to solely adult women, and now the targeted market is getting younger and younger. The marketers know that anything pink, polka-dotted, sweatpant-style, numbered (references high school team athletic wear) is going to lure in young girls. And at the same time, they feature these thin, overtly sexual models as well. How are girls supposed to feel when they are faced with such a dichotomy?

Above is the Apple storefront. As you can see, these are giant sized "books" and common icons such as ABC and an old fashion "television". Apple is clearly targeting the aesthetic, retro but avante-garde intellectual group with this form of advertising. However, it is amazing to see how many young children there were in the store. Surely they aren't interested in reading The Tipping Point, but to Apple, that doesn't matter. They already have youngsters hooked on their products because of their streamlined and colorful design.

Don't forget the Beatles! It's as if they are alive! No wait....they are cardboard cutouts...

Now, onto the magazines and books:

Here is an ad for Self Magazine about the new Tone-Up shoes that are the latest craze. Apparently they "lift your butt and thin your legs", but that just sounds like pseudoscience to me. This ad also objectifies women, because one, it is crude (I immediately saw it as "Love your Ass") and secondly, it's defining women solely by their body parts.

In relation to the ad above, this was an article in the same issue of Self featuring exercise moves using these shoes. As we discussed in our class, here is a perfect example of how editors purposefully feature products that were in advertisements near the article. I wouldn't have noticed this before I took this class, and seeing it now is creepy.

This Guess Seductive perfume ad was featured in TEEN VOGUE. Also, it was in regular Vogue. Here, they are exposing young readers to ads that they will see all throughout adulthood as well. This woman looks 30, not 13. It's also blatently selling sex, beginning with the perfume's name and ending with the nudity and the shades in the background.

This is a Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue Perfume ad, featured on the first page of Vogue. As we discussed, this location is extremely important for the magazine, and therefore, emphasizes the message of Vogue: You are considered beautiful if you are blond, tan, thin, and have your mouth half open. Clearly, there is no diversity or size acceptance in this ad to speak of.

Apparently celebrities all majored in English because they are writing books as fast as they are creating perfumes...Anyways, here we have those famous-for-doing-nothing Kardashian sisters who provide us women with all of their sage advice. I don't think that following their advice is such a great idea....

Point #1: Generating Girl Power, in my opinion, is awesome, but not when the whole chapter is about narcissism and selling your body. I don't think Kim understands what Girl Power means. Or maybe, that concept was created by the media to convince us young women that it indeed is a form of feminism. Not so much.
Point #2: "Spoiled But Not Spoiled Brats"....Have you not seen their show? They are such brats, I've gotta be blunt with this one. And also, since when was being regular spoiled a good thing either?

Apparently Ricky Martin thinks that the whole world is obsessed with him, because he even "wrote" a book (cough, ghost writer) titled, ME. Very original....Though I guess you can't expect much more from a celebrity. I thought this book was an interesting reflection on our society's own narcissism: Through Facebook, Twitter, and on and on....

Overall, this was a fun experience. Fun meaning that I discovered things I would not have noticed before. However, at the same time, it is sad to see how much marketers are selling us beyond the products, and that most average Americans don't realize this. This is where education comes in. Doing this taught me how important it is to have a keen eye on what's before me, but also, to share my findings with other people.