Friday, December 9, 2011

Blog #8 Critical Thinking

Gary Hustwit and Critical Thinking

After watching “Objectified” in class I had a very big interest in what Gary Hustwit had to say.  “Objectified” was so interesting and he showed a way of thinking that should be so very obvious but it is not.  Naoto Fukasawa talked about the cell phone he designed with many faces on it to appeal to human instinct to touch and play was very interesting to me. That same designer made the CD player that was just like a ceiling light. To turn it on, you must pull the string.  The everyday practices of many human beings is right under our noses, but what I found interesting is when I saw these two designs I thought to myself, “Wow, that is so amazing, I have never seen something like that before.”  The practices that are the most familiar to myself have always been there, but I have never seen a design so simple and modern that plays off of those practices.

Another interesting thought from “Objectified” was when Karin Rashind – the guy in the cool purple glasses and white suit was talking about making modern goods that can be mass produced. That kind of design can be so simple and what is considered “modern” is really the new, more efficient way of making goods.  The way he explains how his goal is to make physical objects of the “digital age” is very simple but makes perfect sense.  With technology only being innovated more every day or year, Rashind claims that we are not completely living in the correct generation or age.  The technological age that we live in should not include as Rashind says, “wood spindles and Wittongale like chairs.” In a nut shell, we as humans should be far beyond products such as wood desks and chairs and embracing the technology around us.

The critical thinking shown in the segment of “Objectified” where a marketing team was brainstorming ideas for a toothbrush was amazing.  Interpreting how the everyday consumer processes the design of a toothbrush never occurred to me until I watched this documentary.  When the team came up with the idea to put a wood handle on it to make it appeal to more “sophisticated” people or to make a consumer more comfortable is genius.  If I were to go into Target, for example, and walked past a toothbrush with a wood handle I know I would stop and at least look at it if not buy it because it is different. And the wood handle makes it have an older feel, I guess.  The genius wood handle on that toothbrush is exactly what Karin Rashind is talking about. Consumers will feel more “safe” and comfortable buying a product that is not necessarily cutting edge and new.

I took some time out of my busy finals schedule and watched “Helvetica” as well. Good choice. I liked it better than “Objectified.” Right off the bat the two documentaries were intertwined. I noticed in “Objectified,” when Target was mentioned to be a part of integrating design into their products every sign that they showed was in Helvetica type.  Helvetica is a typeface that I am familiar with.  In high school I was only allowed to use Helvetica type because my teachers claimed it was the easiest to read (even easier than Arial.)

I found it interesting that Helvetica was considered a typeface that “screamed modern,” as the documentary stated.  The “Swiss Style” era was something I was not familiar with but was obviously very important.  1957 brought the new and fresh typeface, Helvetica, to life.  I was surprised to see how much work went into designing, making, naming and selling a typeface.

Gary Hustwit has an amazing outlook on typeface and design.  His documentaries are easy to watch and have very interesting and fun characters.  I learned a lot from watching “Objectified” and “Helvetica.” One very important thing learned, I want to take part and work in a marketing firm such as the team that brainstormed the toothbrush with the wood handle. 

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Blog #7

Politics and Its Effects on Advertising

My feelings towards political advertising are the same as my feelings toward people who never come to class and then complain about the homework.  Political ads should be about candidates broadcasting what they have done to make our country better or what they plan on doing to achieve improvement.  Although these kinds of ads have been broadcasted and still are, the more popular approach seems to be tainting their opponent’s character. 

The cheesy commercials like “Its morning in America again” at least portray the message across that Regan was a good guy.  Put any one of those ads from that campaign against the commercials from the Swift Vets claiming John Kerry is a traitor, it is obvious how advertising tactics have changed.



Swiftboat Veterans Commercial Attacking 
John Kerry in 2004

My favorite clean "Its morning in America Again"
political advertisement.


I was surprised to learn that political advertising is not held to the same standards as everyday ads made by Target, Gucci and Best Buy.  I find it fascinating that any “527” group that can come up with the money have free reign in what they can advertise, even if the truth is not the main agenda.  Obviously I was not alive during the war in Vietnam, but the commercials that the Swift Vet group aired on television were questionable.  I don’t understand what the Swift Vet group was trying to accomplish with this ad at all.  This goes back to my main argument of what these ads are conveying to the most important people, the voters.  Why the Swift Vet’s thought this information was that important to convey I do not know.  Good for them, they got there 15 minutes of fame for their ad campaign. I just hope their money was worth it.

Turn Right USA also completely shocked me with their “Give Me That Cash...” ad that was attacking Janice Hahn.  This ad blows the Swift Vets out of the water.  Turn Right USA did a good job of stretching their free speech right. Groups that come up with these advertisements give the industry a bad name.

The research from Sanford University on the effect of political advertising on commercial advertising was very intriguing.  The word avoidance being associated with contemporary political advertising puts a damper on all the 527’s out there. The point of any advertisement is to convey a message and have it received by the population. If avoidance really becomes an issue, all television sets will be turned off or muted whenever a political ad comes on or when all commercials come on period. 

Advertising as a whole is criticized constantly. I try to be a person who believes advertising does not brainwash people and is mostly entertainment instead of harm.  Any form of advertising that brings down commercial advertising seems impossible.  In the research from Sanford it states that the lack of ethics smear all forms of advertising.  I believe that statement to be true.  Main stream and brand advertising can be ethically questionable, yes, but at least commercial advertising has to answer to somebody if they step over the line. I think that political advertising should not be different. 

Videos uploaded from YouTube
Pictures from Bing Images

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Blog #6 Ethics and Advertising

Advertising Ethics always have and always will be a hot button issue.  Depending on each person’s outlook on life and beliefs, they make a judgment on what is “ethical.”  Sexual images and content that objectifies a certain demographic (mostly women) is always a topic that companies walk the line with.






Take this Burger King ad for example – obviously it is a sexual advertisement. And it is quite apparent that it was purposely meant to come off this way. If the ad were just to have the two sandwiches and the same tag line “It will blow your mind away,” no one would think anything of the ad. I would predict that it would flop because there is no “wow” factor. As soon as you put the image of the woman in the ad, it can be perceived many different ways:

Discrimination of Women
Humorous (perhaps)
Confusion

I would like to focus on the fashion industry for a little bit. Diesel is a company that has always been controversial, and here is why -- 



This ad by Diesel I agree is stupid and crossing the line. It is bad enough to show young girls that it is okay to behave this way (that is clearly illegal) but to also bash being at all intelligent.  Diesel has always had controversial ads but I found this one particularly important to the subject of ethics.  Again, Diesel did the job of catching my attention, but I don't believe this ad brought any good attention. What I gather from this ad is,
"Girls, it is far more fun to be stupid and shake your boobs around than to read a book." 

Just for fun, here is another Diesel ad -- 


Yeah, this is obviously not ethical. Somehow Diesel has been known for this kind of advertisement and keeps going with it. These ads are a perfect example of crossing the line of ethics, but being recognized for it.

These are only a few examples. The advertisement does not personally offend me. I internalize it and think Burger King kind of stepped over the line with the sexual innuendo, but it is also brilliant because every person who walks by this ad or sees it in a magazine will stop and look. The general public probably talked about this ad for a while after it came out. I am sure that is exactly the reaction that Burger King wanted from it. People I imagine are still talking about the Diesel ads. Just for the record, I think being smart is way cooler than flashing my boobs to a camera. 

When does a human’s mind become numb to sexual images?  I have pondered this fact a lot since the beginning of the semester. In class when we were watching “Killing Us Softly 4,” I did not see those images that she showed in the documentary as offensive as she did. I always see sexual ads as a reason for money and attention. What alarms me is the fact that I now know that my mind is numb from being offended by these images because I have seen so many of them on TV, magazines, newspapers and the internet my whole life.  After thinking this through I can understand the statistics that the documentary stated about eating disorders and low self-esteem. Women are constantly being told to act as sexual beings and dumb ourselves down as well.  The fashion industry has geared toward making women objects of sex other than a form of art (like in the ads shown on Killing Us Softly 4)

What is an ethical ad? The line is so blurred that there are many ways to answer that question. Personal morals and beliefs are the basis of most answers to the ethics question. I am curious to see what is "ethical" in the future, and how numbness to this kind of material will advance.

All Images Taken from Bing Images


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Blog Post #5 Diversity in Advertising

Being “Different” Taking Over Advertising
The cool factor has become a booming business




The PBS Frontline documentary “The Merchants of Cool,” was my inspiration for this blog. Diversity automatically puts race, gender, sexual orientation and other vague categories into my head. After watching this documentary I understood more about how advertisers and corporate brands are paying a lot of money to define and sell what is “diversity” or a young adult vocabulary translation – “cool.”

What is it to be diverse or “cool?”  Corporate brands and Web sites like the Better Business Bureau formulate surveys like the one we did in class with Frank to decipher what commercials, television shows, clothing styles and music could encompass that into a package that is sellable. As modern advertising keeps changing, it seems as if ads are not just selling a music artist, soda, or beauty products anymore, they are selling a lifestyle. This is the fastest and easiest way to get to a young target group.

Teenagers are the main focus of many companies or researchers that are trying to sell products. A statistic from “The Merchants of Cool” states that teenagers occupied 32 million people of the United States population in 2001. The documentary also claims that this generation is “even larger than their baby boomer parents.” The vast amount of teenagers with their own money and their parents’ money to blow is an obvious reason of why they are targeted.

A perfect example of a company that zeros in on teenagers and in many ways develops and sells what is “cool” in the millennium generation is MTV. It launched in 1981 (i). MTV was defined as Music Television. But shown in “Merchants of Cool,” they were so much more than that.

MTV has always been an icon of diversity and “cool.” Bands like Limp Bizkit became famous because of MTV. MTV also used their music and placed them in a scene that would catch on with the teenage viewer and also made another brand apparent to the teenage scene (Sprite.com party with MTV cameras everywhere.)  However, this was the 2001 MTV, present day MTV has been taken over by trashy reality television that for some reason captures many young adult and teenagers’ attention. Ed Hardy was non-existent and definitely not cool until Jersey Shore first aired in December of 2009 (ii).

“The Merchants of Cool” also uses the television show 7th Heaven as an example of a marketing strategy. The television channel WB wanted to make a television show that a family could watch together. This was a show that I used to watch with my mother’s daycare kids on a daily basis. But when a show like Dawson’s Creek comes along with a sexual edge and portrayed “realistic” story of teenager’s life during high school, tasteful 7th Heaven goes down the toilet.




 
                                                     A small trailer to five an idea of what Dawson's Creek is about
                                                                                            
-- YouTube


7th Heaven Season 11 Opening Credits
--YouTube




This raises a question to me that asks, how radical will media mega companies like Viacom or consumable brands like Sprite go to get teenagers or anybody’s attention? How far will companies push the envelope to be “cool” or have the most diverse products on the market?  The competition to be the most diverse television channel or product seems to always veer toward a sexual image.

Take the Dove campaign that was mentioned in class. Yes, the idea behind that campaign was supposed to be about real women being as beautiful as the models and airbrushed celebrities on all other commercials. But is it necessary to portray these “real” women and their beauty with pictures of them nude or in their underwear? I don’t think so. This is what made Dove diverse. They were the only company that had a campaign with older women or unique women as their spokeswomen at the time. And the best way to grab a consumer’s attention and make them think that Dove is the right product for a natural and real woman is sexual images. It is another example of how sex is proven time and time again to almost guarantee an ad campaign to stand out and shine.

Diversity is something that makes advertising possible. It betters the industry in some ways, and is also a downfall in others. What makes a product “cool” always goes back to the consumers that purchase or watch these products.  The word “cool” will be something that advertisers will spend millions of dollars trying to keep up with. It is a never ending process that I am hopeful to become a part of after the Bemidji State chapter of my life is finished.


    










These three images are all from the Dove "Real Beauty" campaign. All taken from Bing Images
i -- Wikipedia on MTV -- MTV History



Monday, October 17, 2011

Blog 4 : 10-18-2011

taken from Bing.com Images

Branding, Surveys and Marketing Research

Modern research for advertisers and brands inquire a long list of possible ways to get the information that they need.  Surveys, Internet search engines, focus groups and test markets are just a handful of different ways to research how a company’s products are currently capturing consumers attention or how to catch that attention in the future with new products.

Experian Simmons is a large multimedia research company that specializes in marketing.  According to the book “Advertising Strategy: Creative Tactics from the Outside/In,” Simmons can research just about anybody. They include 8,000 different brands and 400 product categories (1). A quote from their website states, “Experian Simmons brings consumer targets to life with vivid and complete profiles including lifestyles, attitudes, purchase behaviors and media use.” There are many different studies that are on their website as well. One that I thought was interesting was the New Media Study.  This focuses on cell phones, television, internet and traditional media such as magazines and radio. The study is supposed to interpret which devices are easier to multi-task with, perceived trust with that product and how effective the brand loyalty to a certain product is (cell phone providers are an example on the website.)(4)

It is amazing to me that you can download a PDF file of studies like the New Media Study and use it right away. It makes marketing research seem very easy. However, I know very well that not just anyone can conduct these experiments and surveys without bias or error.



Image taken from BRANDZ
website. 
Branding research is another way that organizations can view how consumers are relating to their products and how many are purchasing their products. On our PowerPoint in class, BRANDZ was one of the organizations listed for finding out a company’s brand loyalty.  On their website they claim that they link the research of how a product is doing in the marketplace and how people feel about a product.  This way of conducting research is supposed to be more beneficial in the future. BRANDZ also focuses on the small group of loyal buyers over the occasional buyer. In their opinion, the small group of loyal buyers account for much more money and that is what a company should strive for.

In 2011 BRANDZ has Apple at the top of their brand value list.  Apples brand value is at 125285 million dollars. (2)  Other companies that are familiar that fall close behind are McDonalds at the number four spot and Coca-Cola at the number six slot.


Surveys are another way to get information about a company and its products. I Google searched marketing survey research and a thousand different websites pop up. Free surveys, how to design a survey and surveys that you get paid for if you take them are a few of the different headlines.  As I mentioned before, I don’t believe that many of these websites are unbiased or have no error. But it is amazing how many different ways you can learn how to conduct a survey just my turning to the internet.

An example of a professional that conducts surveys is Surveys.com.(3)  Membership is free and they are a research company that works with people around the world. When you are a member, the website sends you no more than one to three surveys a month. A member is not penalized for not taking part in a survey.  Your answers could be part of any company or single person’s research – which I think is pretty cool.

Advertising, new media, marketing and branding research are the foundation to a company’s success. Without it there would be no way to figure out how much potential a product can be.

(1) - "Advertising Strategy - Creative Tactics From the Outside/In" 
        Tom Altstie & Jean Grow.
(2) - Wikipedia on BRANDZ : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrandZ

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Blog Post #3 Advertising Theory

Applying Theories to Advertising
How they affect, shape and change the way ads are delivered to consumers


When I imagine a team sitting together and brainstorming ideas for making the next commercial or advertising campaign there is no doubt in my mind that theory would be the first or one of the first things that are brought up in discussion.  Theory is the heart of advertising.  Production is based around how they want a consumer to feel or think after seeing their advertisement.  Discussing theory is also like discussing how you are going to persuade them, through you r ad, to be loyal to your brand over others.

Why would people have this reaction?  How would theories like entertainment or the “big idea” make people feel that your product is better than every other brand out there? One of the theories that I believe is very common and successful is connecting with the consumers. 

Consumers always have “the need to feel comfort,” said Hal Riney from “Art & Copy.”  His formula for producing commercials that portray that comfort I think are genius.  A perfect example of this would be his “Moment of Truth” television commercial for Saturn. The commercial walks you through a woman’s first brand new car and it just so happens to be a Saturn.  Overwhelming and unrealistic kindness from the workers and the very soothing music convey a very comfortable and happy feeling in the stomach when watched.  Although it is not a truthful experience of purchasing a new vehicle, Riney made consumers feel like Saturn would take care of them. 


"Moment of Truth" TV commercial for Saturn
One of Hal Riney's genius ways of making you feel
warm and fuzzy inside.  
Taken from YouTube


In the textbook “Contemporary Advertising,” the section dedicated to perceptual screens explains that humans have an unconscious filter that uses five senses:

1.      Sight
2.      Hearing
3.      Touch
4.      Taste    
5.      Smell

These senses are used to interpret advertising. An excerpt of the book said, “Advertisers message is effectively screened out when the viewer can’t interpret it; perception does not occur, and the product goes unsold.”  This directly correlates with the needs of consumers and their immediate needs when they first see an ad. If the music is too loud or not complementary to the message, most people will block it out or mute it.
The textbook also describes how psychological screens are used to accept or reject symbolic ideas. 

For example, Levi Dockers had an ad that involved a man wearing their jeans and women pulling at the belt loops to get them off.  The punch line was, “you’ll get worn out before they do.”  Depending on the personality and thought process of a consumer, this could directly correlate with a person’s needs.  Levi Dockers ad could make a male feel empowered and confident, therefore, will go out and purchase a pair of their jeans.  On the flip side, this ad could disgust females, or other consumers that do not have a need to feel sexy or confidence portrayed in a sexual way.

Sexual advertising brings the entertainment theory to mind. Using sex in television commercials has been proven to be a good way to keep a consumers attention. There is a small article that I found on Adweek.com about JCPenny being in some hot water with a recent commercial they aired for older men’s clothing.  The movie clip with Pheobe Cates from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” has raised some concern.  “As if the ad needed more ick factor, the tagline is "Everybody wins,”” Adweek wrote on October 3.  Depending on the person, this form of entertaining could be good and memorable or reverse and have the JCPenny effect.



The JCPenny commercial that is getting a lot of attention
Aired 9/12.
Taken from YouTube



The genius billboard that George Louis used
to skyrocket Tommy Hilfiger's career.
Taken from Bing Images.
When I think of the entertainment theory I think of great commercials that show creative technique. An ad that really pops out and consumers will remember not only the commercial, but the product that it sells too.  I’d like to like entertainment to the outrageous theory that we listed in class after the documentary.  George Louis from “Art & Copy” did an amazing job making ads so creative and outrageous that consumers remembered them.  The Tommy Hilfiger billboards are a good example.  At the time it was ridiculous to compare Tommy Hilfiger to the big wigs of fashion like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.  But it works because putting his name in that category got people thinking.  If people bought his clothing they would be as cool as the others that buy Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. This thought process came about because of a billboard.


The most creative commercial that has come from Coca-Cola
in my opinion. This is the first of a few Happiness Factory commercial series
Taken from YouTube


Theory is the base of the television commercial and billboard, which in sense is the base of our thought process that makes consumers purchase the product after internalizing the message. These theories have more power over us consumers than we give them credit.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Blog Post #2 History of Advertising 9/19/2011

Coca-Colas Correlation with Advertising History
A timeline that has affected my life and many others 


50th Anniversary Ad comparing colonial
 with modern Coke drinkers.
Taken from ReflectionOf.Me: History in Coca-Cola in ads blog
An 1800's ad for Coca-Cola
Taken from
 ReflectonOf.Me: History in Coca-Cola ads blog
The classic Polar Bear Coke Ad
Taken from ReflectionOf.Me blog

In the last two weeks of class we have been discussing advertising history and the different companies and institutions that have made advertising what it is today.  The one company that always comes into my mind when creative and historical advertising is brought up has to be Coca Cola.

Coca Cola has always caught my attention when it comes to television ads and the little commercials that play before a film at the movie theatre.  Their commercials are always very creative and get the attention of their audience for the whole fifteen or so seconds that it is shown.

The first advertisement from the Coca Cola Company was an outdoor wall painting in Georgia.  It was painted by a syrup salesman that worked for the company in 1894.  Early advertising and marketing tactics included free drink coupons and banners.  By 1895 Coca Cola was available in every U.S. state. 

A replica of a free drink coupon used by Coke.
Taken from The Digital Deli Online
http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/LookAround/advertspot_cocacola6.htm


After the Coca Cola Company’s ownership was passed a couple of times the real success of the company came when the Robert Woodruff era began.  He was Coca Colas leader for 60 years and was extremely successful in their advertising.  I was very fascinated with the way that Coca Cola advertised early on in foreign countries to earn brand loyalty.  An example from The Digital Deli Online (http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/LookAround/advertspot_cocacola.htm) is how Coca Cola sent their product with the 1928 American Olympic team when they went to Amsterdam to compete.  Very creative marketing if you ask me. 

Coca Cola’s television commercial strategies I find fascinating.  In the 1970’s Coke had a television campaign that was called “Coke Adds Life To…” It reminds me a lot of the Uneeda Biscuit advertising campaign that was in the History of Advertising documentary.  They used the phrase, “Do you know Uneeda Biscuit?”  Coke had the same idea with the “Coke Adds Life Too…” campaign.  The idea was to portray Coke as a product is exactly what a person needs to make their life easier, happier and as a specific example used in an actual Coke commercial in Italy, more romantic.  Coca Cola also has a very distinct company logo like Uneeda Biscuit that is easily recognizable. 

A 1979 "Coke Adds....Life" Commercial
Taken from YouTube


Another very recognizable television commercial that defines Coke as a company is the “Mean Joe Greene” commercial.  Joe Greene was a Pittsburgh Steelers football player that had a mean edge to him.  What makes the ad memorable is the little boy that is his co-star.  The cuteness of the young boy and the way he asks Joe Greene “Do you want my Coke?” melts my heart.  It is another commercial that executes greatly that no matter how bad your day is have a Coke and it will get better.   

The classic "Mean Joe Greene" Coke commercial 1979
Taken from YouTube


Personally when I think of Coke I think of Santa Clause and the holiday adds that bring special edition glass bottles and Christmas time.  The first time I see a Santa Clause or polar bear add from Coke I automatically associate it with Christmas.  Therefore, I am exactly the kind of consumer they want. 

The polar bear campaign titled “Always Coca-Cola,” came about in 1993.  The idea stemmed from the creators childhood dog that reminded him of a polar bear.  I believe that this television commercial campaign is the way that Coke is recognized mostly globally.  Like I said before, when I think of Coke the polar bears and Santa Clause come into mind.  I think that just about any avid Coke drinker knows those commercials very well.  Those commercials also bring warm and fuzzy feelings. 

1993 Coke Polar Bear Northern Lights Commercial
Taken from YouTube


The reason why I focused on Coca-Cola is because they are a pioneer in the development of advertising.  Today Coke is recognized around the world.  So much so that they do not have as many television ads as they have needed in the past.  Now the most I see Coke ads is before the previews of a movie start at the theatre.  Coke has successfully established brand loyalty in many consumers, myself included.  I have no doubts that Coca-Cola will still be on top when I have children.  This is why I chose to correlate advertising history with Coke.  


Websites Used:
http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/LookAround/advertspot_cocacola6.htm
http://www.notatlanta.org/na/World's_First_Coca-Cola_Outdoor_Wall_Advertisement
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_polarbears.html