Media Reflection

Whenever I look at the world around me, I consistently see people in the world acting in the same way. If I went to a high school across the country, I would see people acting the same way and conforming to the same cliques as they do here. People go through predetermined stages in their lives; after graduation people almost invariably get stable professional jobs and start families. Why is it that people’s lives in a confined space all play out the same way?

I don’t know the full answer to this question, and I don’t think anyone does, but the media has found a way they can use this phenomenon to their advantage. Using the massive amount of clout peer pressure has on people of all ages; they are able to manipulate social norms to make money. They also study the emotional needs of individuals and exploit them as well. By carefully studying people’s feelings, they create false associations in our heads about their product. The most prominent of these needs they attempt to fulfill, at least for those of my age, is the need for affiliation and attention. The media tells us that we are the center of everything, that we are deserving of all the products they display to us. They tell us we should be popular, an individual, and be talented in ways we are not naturally. This creates people whose only goal is to further their own wants, and who care nothing for the situations of others.

One of the things I learned from this class is that the media’s goal is to make us feel anxious. In this they are succeeding. Their intent is to create emotional needs in people that their products supposedly fill. But there are far more consequences of this than were intended. When people become wrapped up in their own anxiety, they are far less likely to consider the situations of others. School and other social environments become competitive environments where everyone is trying to make sure that they are the most liked, or that they are the best. Cooperation and empathy are lost when people’s main goal is to better themselves in terms of what the media tells them is good.

Personally, I have learned much about how to defend myself from negative media influences from this class. The first step one must take to avoid something is to recognize it. Things I had previously thought were just innocent entertainment are actually conditioning children to become the optimal consumer. Disney shows, teen magazines, and even some video games that I thought were created solely for the wants of the consumer are also propagating the media’s ulterior motive of product dependence.

In conclusion, the media has created, or at least catalyzed a materialistic society that places emotional value on things like products and social status rather than human interaction. Unfortunately, it seems the most profitable form of society is one that is extremely individualistic and one that teaches people to care only about themselves.

What is the solution? I don’t think Jennifer Newsom’s idea of reregulating the media is enough. The damage has been done. A much better solution is to educate children rather than sheltering them. Media literacy courses are a much more effective solution than regulation, as it teaches kids to recognize negative influences not only from media but also from their peers. 

Perfume Print Ad

I thought the goal of this ad was to appeal to young girls by using the need for affiliation and the need for prominence.

This ad uses the method of advertisement talked about in the film "Miss Representation." By using this method, advertisers attempt to make girls think they need to use their bodies for attention and social status. In the picture, the model is shown half-naked, with the name of the perfume plastered above her. She is ridiculously skinny, and is generally unrealistically pretty. She has a young male companion with her, and it is clear that she is using her body to attract him. This sort of ad preys on the deepest needs of teenage girls. Young girls feel the need to be liked, and ads like this offer them the option of fulfilling that need by using their sexuality; supplemented with, of course, many beauty products. The ad shows the girl using her sexuality to get the guy, and the ad says that other young girls can have that opportunity as well by buying the product.

The ad also used a need for prominence appeal. Not only does it tell girls that they can use their bodies to be popular, but it says that the product specifically will make them more respected and prominent. Gucci has built up a reputation among young people by having rappers and other forms of music and media constantly talk about them. They even managed to make 'Gucci' a slang term for 'good.' Gucci products are also insanely expensive, so the combination of cost and reputation makes Gucci seem like a high-quality company. People that wear Gucci products feel like they will achieve recognition of this socially because of this belief.

I disliked this ad very much. Ads like this are destroying American culture. Making young girls feel both that they need to be popular and that the way to get there is through their bodies turns girls into sexualized 'bad girls' at an alarmingly young age.

Beats by Dre "All Eyes on Us" TV Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEFt2Pr10Gc

The main goal of this ad was to convince potential customers to buy the product by using a need for affiliation appeal and also, ironically, a need for autonomy appeal.

The ad consists of a series of people dancing against a white background while wearing Beats by Dre headphones. Each person acts and dances differently, and they are all wearing very different clothing. The song that plays in the background talks about being in a club and having 'all eyes' on you.

The main appeal the ad uses is the need for affiliation. Everyone in the commercial is wearing hip clothing, and the song talks about being in a club, which is a place where people go to be part of a crowd, and to fit in. The song literally tells you that all eyes in the club will be on you. This gives the implication that you are being watched, and that people actually do care about your fashion choices. In reality, most normal people don't notice much about the way others dress or what brand of paraphernalia they choose to buy, but the commercial exaggerates how much you must do to fit in. The commercial also has several pieces of text interspersed throughout it that tell you to be 'fly' and 'rockin' with the Beats logo used instead of the word 'be.' This tells you that to get these qualities that make you fit in, you must buy Beats headphones.

A more subtle appeal used in this ad was the need for autonomy appeal. It is a complex and layered appeal, as the autonomy appeal is used as a method of promoting the affiliation appeal. Essentially, the ad says that you must be unique to fit in. The phrase 'all eyes on us' repeated in the song implies that Beats are such a bold statement that everyone will stare when they see them. Also, the text telling you to be yourself interposed with the hip dancers tells you that you must be unique to be cool.

I really disliked this ad. I think that drilling the idea that what's important comes from popular opinion rather that objective quality or personal preferences creates people that don't think for themselves, and make poor choices because they don't know valid ways to evaluate their actions. In reality, Beats are terrible headphones for the price, and like all other things, it can't make you cool by itself. However, its ad campaign has clearly worked, as many people pay for them in an attempt to fit in.

Febreeze "Breathe In" Ad

I thought the main goal of this ad was to draw viewers in with humor and the need for aesthetic appeal.

The foremost appeals used in this ad were humor and aesthetics. The first thing the viewer notices is the surreal image of a typical living room in disarray. I first thought this ad was about gravity changing or a sideways house. Looking at such a typical household scene distorted by forces you can't immediately identify attracts the eye, and makes the viewer interested to learn what it is that is causing the furniture to behave in the way it is.

After the viewer figures out what the ad is portraying (a woman breathing in so hard that everything is sucked towards her), they find it humorous. We know that it isn't possible to breathe in that hard, and the idea that an air freshener could smell so good that it makes people do impossible things is ridiculous and funny.

I liked this ad. I think the effective use of humor makes it memorable to viewers, and I think it stays related to its product while still being funny and artistic.

Home Depot Mango Color Ad

I thought the main goal of this ad was to appeal to viewers through the need to satisfy curiosity and also through the need for aesthetics.

This ad follows the standard template for ads using the need to satisfy curiosity appeal: a simple image, few words, and a small logo in the corner. This draws in the viewer's attention because of the lack of explanation for what they are seeing. A mango randomly shown on a pure white background is not something you would usually see in an ad, so it attracts attention. However, this ad also has a second layer of the appeal: once the reader makes the connection between the mango and the logo, they are still confused. Why would Home Depot be selling mangoes? The further curiosity inspired by this strange mix of brand and ad prompts the viewer to look harder, until they find the tag showing that the mango is a demonstration of color, and is meant to represent one of the many colors Home Depot sells. This serves several purposes. First, by this time, the viewer has spent a lot of time thinking about Home Depot, which helps them think of Home Depot the next time they need supplies. Also, it makes the colors Home Depot has look more realistic. If the viewer, like me, had to search for a few seconds before realizing that there was a paint color involved and it wasn't just a a mango, it is likely that they will think to themselves how realistic Home Depot's paint colors are. Objectively, this doesn't matter at all; whether or not you like a color probably doesn't depend on how closely it matches your favorite fruits. However, it is somewhat impressive that Home Depot was able to make a color close enough to the real thing to fool you, and because of that it sticks in the viewer's mind even more.

This ad also employs the need for aesthetics appeal. The simple, two-color design offers a calming escape from the otherwise cluttered world of ads. The blue-tinted white background is relaxing, and the contrast with the yellow mango makes it stand out prominently. The whole picture offers a gentle, simple theme that appeals to those overwhelmed by the clutter of ads.

I thought this ad was moderately effective, and I liked it somewhat. I think Home Depot was smart to use something common like a mango to demonstrate their color selection, as there are probably colors not as well known in their collection of paints. I also appreciate 'quiet' ads such as these, because all the vague claims of 'the best' offered by many ads get very tiring after a while.

Bud Light Fly Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYR1X4yJPpY

The main goal of this commercial was to distract the viewer using a diversion and also a false analogy.

The commercial consists of a narrator listing the things Bud Light has to offer, specifically never ending refreshment, and superior drinkability. The narrator then says that Bud Light has the new feature of giving the power of flight. Obviously, we know that it is ridiculous for a beer to give a person flying abilities, so we get a feeling of skepticism and disbelief after hearing the narrator. However, the rest of the commercial draws attention only to the fake flying aspect of the beer, making the viewer feel less skeptical. It draws the skeptical feelings a viewer would naturally have and pins them on something entirely unrelated to draw attention away from the incredibly vague terms used to positively describe the beer. What is "never ending refreshment", and what could drinkability possibly be? The viewer would ask themselves these questions, but the feeling of skepticism they have is pinned to the flying aspect of the beer, making these vague claims stick in their head. The flying claim also brings a credibility to the less ridiculous aspects of the commercial. If the commercial just said, "Buy our beer because of its refreshing qualities and its drinkability," people would laugh. Simply stating that theirs is better, and judging that statement on such an asinine scale as 'drinkability' does not hold up to rational criticism. However, they also lump flying abilities in with the drinkability, and because flying is so crazy, drinkability seems reasonable in comparison.

The commercial also uses a false analogy, to a lesser extent. The person who drinks the beer is shown to be flying because of the beer. Obviously no one thinks Bud Light will make them fly, but the commercial makes it seem like the other qualities of Bud Light must be close to flying. If Bud Light was engineered so well that it actually made people fly, then the other ingredients must be pretty good.

I thought this commercial executed its advertising techniques well, but I really disliked it. Commercials that add in random things like this that have absolutely nothing to do with the product really annoy me. Advertising techniques need to be used to sell products, but once a commercial has more about people flying than the actual product, you're overdoing it.