Media Blog Reflection

Some of this video may not make sense to you if you do not follow John and Hank Green on Youtube (vlogbrothers) but in a nutshell, they are a community. And I being apart of that community, came across this video that they posted about three weeks ago. It basically wraps up some of the ideas that we have been learning in class. John (the guy above) discusses how in reality, ads are worth more than they cost. We normally don't look at the advertisements that are around us, especially ones in this video if you are viewing it from Youtube. We tend to think that commercials don't effect, maybe we thought that before we took this course, but there are advertisers out there that try to buy you for less than you are worth because they know of the effects they have on you. Before doing media blogs or knowing about different techniques and ways that advertisers try to catch our attention, we thought that we were not affected by the ways of the media. But now we, or maybe just me, understand the impact it has. Though this assignment didn't make me consume more or less media, it made me open my eyes to media consumption in general. There isn't a time when you are not exposed to it. Currently, I am writing this reflection at a coffee shop, Old Soul. They are advertised on their cups when you order a drink. There is a bulletin near on of the doors where people can some and put fliers of things that are happening in Sacramento. You may not notice it but it is everywhere. You can't escape it, sadly. We are especially aware of media when we are watching TV. When given this assignment, I would start to watch TV and see commercials and say out loud to my parts, "Media blog." Not only did it annoy them, but it also made me think of the different techniques and needs that the advertisers were using. And I'm not saying that as, "Oh yeah I expanded my learning horizon from the classroom to the outside world." But once I learned about the different ways of media, you can't help but to notice them. What I really noticed when doing this assignment was how we are portrayed as the product. They are more interested in making sure that the consumers are attracted to their product rather than the product itself. The question that left me after this assignment (and brought up by John Green), should we be okay in being the product?

"Who wouldn't want to see David Beckham with his shirt off?!"

I originally saw this commercial on ESPN. With David Beckham being a good soccer player and basically the icon for modern day soccer, it only makes sense that he appears on a sports channel. The target audience is directed to those males who know who Beckham is but it is also directed towards women because Beckham is used as a sex symbol in this commercial. It takes on the role of need for sex. We all want to see Beckham with his shirt off, this sex figure in this commercial. It also uses wit and humor. When the Burger King worker suggests that David Beckham takes off his shirt since it is dirty, all the women in Burger King raise their hand agreeing that his shirt needs to come off. But if you watch the commercial, there is only 6 seconds (0:03-0.09) that really describes what Burger King is trying to sell, their "fresh made" smoothies.

Title quote brought to you by Mama Hennessy

The Kids Are Ready To Die

"This isn't an anti-war song, it's an anti-going-to-die-for-no-good-­f***ing-reason" - Mikel Jollett, Lead Singer of The Airborne Toxic Event (Montreal 2011)

While trying to figure out what I should write for my media blog, The Kids Are Ready To Die by The Airborne Toxic Event came onto my Pandora. So let's analyse this. This is one of T.A.T.E.'s more emotional songs. Not only does the use of an acoustic guitar draw me in but also the story that the lyrics give. It talks about how people make one action and it can lead to another. It uses the fallacy hasty conclusion. In the beginning of the song it talks about how there is a group of kids sitting on a wall, where he got his first taste of danger, not knowing where to store all of his anger. From this event, it just got worse and worse. It then goes to when people were trying to changed and fix them, "You could burn our clothes/ you could wash out the ink and the die/ but you can't look me in the eye/ and say you don't feel like a little destruction." It is addressing how everyone has a part of anger built up in them that they cannot escape. When there is outside pressure for you to be good, it is hard because you know that the outside pressure is also experiencing some sort of anger inside of them. There is also a line later in the song (3:18) "He had a gun in his hand/ and I thought what could you say to make it ever make sense to his mother/ "well ma'am he was excitable /we were just trying to make him a man"." Not only does this address the problem of how a rebel child got worse, it also shows the assumption of men. When they are explaining to his mother that they were just trying to make him a man, like the only thing that could make him a man is a gun and the idea that he has the power and control. It also hits the need to nurture when it talks about this rebels mother. We never realize that when we hear there is another bad guy who just got locked up what his mother could possibly be thinking. No doubt she would be ashamed but she wouldn't know where her precious little innocent boy went wrong. What is also noticeable is the music video. This whole music video is shot on a stairwell in a tight space with completely dark lighting. It is acting as a parallel to the song.

Brave- the girl with amazing hair

<-- What Merida actually looks like


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   How Barbie portrays her



Pixar's new movie Brave is about a young Scottish archerist. She has this amazing crazy wild bright red hair. And like many Scottish people, she has a round face. Barbie took it upon themselves to alter Merida's image when coming out with the Barbie for her. If you notice her face on the Barbie, her face is much more narrow, her eyebrows are more defined, her eyes are tilt up, and her features are much sharper. Not to mention that her hair is not is crazy curly, it is a maintained deeper red that looks like she curls it with a curling iron every day. Barbie also made her pale Scottish skin tanner. I don't know if it is because we just watched Miss Representation and it opened my eyes but Barbie changed Merida to fit the cut out of modern day women. It is miss leading to have a heroine such as Merida to be reformed to fit what is established as okay and pretty in today's society.

Really Tic Tac?

While my sister was reading Seventeen magazine, she pointed to this ad and laughed at me saying that it is accurate for me. But that's a different argument. I get that they used statistics and facts, 13 years of your life is spent watching TV, but I just don't see how it is relevant to Tic Tacs. The only part that has to do with Tic Tacs is the fact that the information is spelled out in Tic Tacs. I just don't get where Tic Tac was going with this. Not to mention that the slogan "Shake it up," is very vague. What do I shake up? Or do I wiggle rather than shake it up? So many unanswered questions. What is also interesting (if you can see it on the bottom of the page with this awful picture) is the fact that they advertise an app where you can see all the different Tic Tac ads. This whole ad just doesn't fit for me. It is like they are trying to compact some excess information that they didn't know where to put into one ad.   

Yee for City Council

This flier for Joe Yee's campaign came in the mail the other day. The main idea behind this campaign advertisement is the fact that the three previous mayors are in favor of Yee. The front (the second picture) simply just says, "3 Mayors Agree, Joe Yee for City Council." It is using the bandwagon technique. If these three people that had served as Mayor, then they automatically get some kind of reliability. If three people that were able to run our city say that they are voting for Yee, then the majority of the people are going to believe that is all the power that they need. Something else that is worth pointing out is on the back side (the first picture). It starts out with "Dear Friends and Neighbors." He wants us to feel close to him rather than a leader and a follower relationship. By saying this, it is trying to show that he is connecting with the people in Sacramento and breaking down the barrier that separates us. Also, there is the picture on the side with Yee and his family. It has nothing to do with the connections that he has with the prior mayors, but it shows that he is a family man. They use the need to nurture, showing him standing next to his wife and his two children. It's trying to show how he is like all of us with our families living in the city of Sacramento.

Innovators at Best Buy

This Best Buy commercial features several different people that had created something that we now use regularly. There were the guys who created the camera phone, the first text message, and the guy that gave you the ability to share videos. There were also the people who invented the popular apps of Instagram, Shazam, and Words With Friends. Something that is worth pointing out is that all of these people are men. As if they are telling us that men are the only ones that have the ability to create such popular things that are used in our society. I know that there are women innovators out there in the world, but the people at Best Buy just decided not to use them. There is also the idea that Best Buy wants their viewers to associate them with the innovators of the world. These people that created these apps and technology are very intelligent people.  Best Buy wants you to think of them as these very intelligent people. There is also the need for affiliation. If you notice, these apps are all ways that you can connect with people. There is the camera phone to take pictures of you and your friends, there is the video sharer so you can show your friends, there is the app called Words With friends (something you can't play by yourself). This all relates to the bigger picture that by going to Best Buy, you will be intelligent, have friends and be popular, and be on the cutting edge of what is new and popular in the technological world.

Blades of Product Placement

While spending my Friday night watching Blades of Glory, I noticed that the famed Chazz Michael Michaels was sporting a Puma sweatsuit. Maybe the producers wanted you to feel that Chazz Michael Michaels' spirit animal was a puma, but that is highly unlikely. The brand Puma put their product into Blades of Glory hoping that that audience would connect their brand with humor or male-pair figure skating like the movie. The main people to watch this movie are teenagers and college frat boys, along with people approaching middle age. This target audience are the ones that realize the extra poundage that they have been packing on would go out and buy athletic wear. Not to mention how cool it would be to say that you are wearing a similar sweatsuit as the great Chazz Michael Michaels.

Matthew's Day Off

This is a very funny commercial if you have seen the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It is personally one of my favorite movies and this commercials matches to it perfectly. The main goal of this commercial is wit and humor. They are poking fun at Matthew Broderick's character and what he is mainly known for. The problem with this commercial is that they focus so much on matching with the movie that I forgot what the advertisement was for. In the end you get that it was a car commercial but it is not really stated throughout the commercial. This ad also uses the need for escape. This car is what gives you the time and ability to "stop and smell the roses." It takes you through the adventures that you could have in a car like theirs (or if you were Ferris Bueller).

We are part of the Olympics too?

While I was strolling the aisles of Safeway one night, I came across this rack that was carrying different beads. This features a picture of Abby Wambach running with part of London in the background. These bread people are trying to convey the idea that if you buy their whole grain bread, you can be apart of the Olympic journey. It also gives the people that their grain will lead them to "glory." The word glory has different connotations. They could have used from grains to winning or fame but the word glory gives it a sense of self completion and a new way that people will see you. It also uses the advertising technique testimonial. With Abby Wambach running at you in full celebration, along with her signature in the corner, it attracts people to that product because they are aware of what great success she has done. It demonstrates the need to achieve. It identifies the product with winning, or "glory." It also gives a little hint of patriotism. Wambach is on the USA soccer team and will be representing the country during these games. It wants you to support the US while also supporting Wambach and her team along with their bread company.

Breakfast of Champions

Wheaties, the breakfast of champions. To demonstrate that it really it is cereal for champions, Wheaties will put a very good and famous athlete on the front. This time, it was boxer Muhammad Ali. It was always a big honor to get put onto the Wheaties box, but does anyone care about what is actually inside of the box? Now I accuse myself of this because when I was strolling the aisles of Safeway and saw the Wheaties box, I picked it up and threw it into the cart. My mom asked me if I had ever even tried Wheaties and like them. I think proceeded to say, "Of course not but the box is super spiffy looking!" Even though I ended up really liking the cereal, what about other people? Did they just buy it because of how famous the box itself is or the people on the front? What the people in charge of the Wheaties box are trying to do is appeal to you and the fact that you want to become as amazing as Muhammad Ali. They are really trying to emphasize their slogan, The Breakfast of Champions.

Cruz, Cars, Madison and Vine

The concept of Madison and Vine is that a product is being placed into either a movie or television show. This time, it was put into the new(ish) Tom Cruz movie, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. The company that was put into this movie was BMW cars. In this clip, it shows all the cool cars that are going to be in this action packed film. What the people at BMW want to you think is that you can be portrayed just as cool as Tom Cruz and will have beautiful women stepping out of your car with cameras flashing. Maybe not the last one but they still want you to think that you will be able to go fast and be involved in all the action that is being portrayed in this film. It seems more like two different commercials, one being a car one and the other for a movie. Madison and Vine have done it again!

Wear Your Hero

This years Majestic ad follows one guy as he carries David Ortiz on his back throughout the day. It is one of my favorite ads that comes on when I am watching a baseball game. The people at Majestic are trying to give you the idea that if you buy their jerseys, it will be like having the player with you (or more literally, on your back). They also through in a little wit and humor to make sure that their point is proven. They want the consumer to feel like they will be part of the franchise when they wear their favorite players jersey. They are trying to appeal to their customers interest.
P.S. My favorite part is when David Ortiz is in the wash, he just looks funny!

Advertisements at Sports Games

Product placement is everywhere, from walking down the street to ball parks. While I was in Arizona during spring break for the Giants Spring Training, I notices how the padding lining the walls along the track were just advertisements. It ranged from Bank of America to Chevy cars. But due to the small space allowed on these padded walls, a lot of the advertisements could only hold there name and logo. Once again, reification is displayed. These kind of advertisements during sports games is not the only kind. While watching the baseball game last night, whenever a good play happened, they would call it the "Ford right choice." Ford, the car company, had nothing to do with the great catch that Sandoval made at third. They also have the "Coors light freeze cam" where they could freeze the shot to show you how close the play was at home. These advertisements have nothing to do with what is occurring in the game. To be honest, I never noticed these placements until we were given these media blogs as our assignment.

Logos App

As I was scrolling threw the app store on my iPod because nothing interesting was on TV, I came across this app (well, my sister was playing it so I though I'd check it out). The idea of the app is having all these logos and having to tell which logo it is. It is shocking to get the realization of how many I knew and got correct. Though this app does not receive and revenue from it, it is frightening to see all these logos, some without the name just the font, placed in front of yours eyes. The media has made it their goal for us to see these logos and know what they are associated with. It relates to one of the powers of language, reification, when the advertiser only has to put their logo on the screen for you to know what they are selling. It may be something to brag about, but it is also very unsettling.

Dos Equis Commercial

Though I find these commercials incredibly funny and often joke about them with my dad, there is something to be said about them. The "most interesting man alive" really has nothing to do with beer. It is more of a way for the advertisers to show that this amazing man drinks a certain type of beer and you should too. It goes along with the bandwagon fallacy, also known as the everyone is doing it fallacy. In this commercial, no connection was made from the actions that this man did to their beer company. They are relying on the hope that you will just jump onto the bandwagon.
(I also recommend checking out the two popular comments of this video, they are hilarious!)