Well this has been an experience. I've learned a lot about media and it has deffinitely changed the way I view ads and how I percieve them now. Now I can see how different techniques are used to get the consumer to think certain things and associate the ad with certain things. This impacts my life because now I am able to recognize when companies are trying to get a certain message across, and I can choose to fall for their schemes or not.
I think not I am more media literate, which is very important. This is important becuase people should know how media works so they, too, can realize when they are being tricked. Media literacy also leads to being a smart consumer. When you realize what's true and what's false in ads, you are able to make smarter shopping decisions. This way you are able to saves your money and spend your money on well-made and honest products.
Before this semester I consumed a lot of media. I was either on the computer, watching TV, texting, or all of them at the same time. During this semster, however, I have not had the time nor energy to watch TV, and the only time I would be on the computer was to do homework, like this blog for example, or to be on Twitter of Facebook in between homework. I do still text constantly though, but I tried not to text that much while doing homework. It didn't work...I used to probably watch somewhere between 2-5 hours or TV a day, now I'm lucky to watch 2-5 hours a month. Watching that much TV impacted my life because I saw all the ads and that affected what clothes I wanted to buy because I saw cute things in commercials. It also affected my work habbits because I would always get distracted watching TV and not finish my work. This year I tried to be better about that and do all my work because watching TV, which is why I didn't watch TV because I would finish around 11 o' clock at night!
From this media blogs, I have learned many things. I've seen many different ads and I've been able to use my knowledge of techniques and appeals to really understand what those ads were trying to do, trying to say, and trying to make the consumer think. On some ads, I was very shocked to see some of the messages they were trying to get across using those techniques, but then I realized that's how a lot of ads are and people still believe them and fall for them. Now, I am able to look at an ad, fully comprehend it, and then make a smart consumer decision about it.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
#13: Slut or Prude. Pick One.
Left: "This is what I'm taught will get me raped."
Right: "This is what I'm taught will prevent rape."
This ad conveys what so many people think. Earlier in the year we read a story about a woman who was blamed for being raped because she wore a short skirt. I was so astounded at the number of people, girls and boys, that agreed and blamed the woman as well. To me, they are condoning the rape. They're saying "it's okay that he raped her because she had it coming" which is completely false. I think those people are delusional. If the girls that said that got raped while wearing a skirt, I would bet they would change their mind. No one gets up in the morning and thinks, "Gosh I hope I get raped today!" It doesn't work like that. While girls may be wearing skirts to get attention, the whole world knows she does not want rape. I think girls wear short skirts because they want to feel wanted. Rape is not wanted, that's why it is called rape and not sex. Sex is consensual and wanted by both people. Rape is a sexual act forced upon one person by another. No skirt says, "RAPE ME RAPE ME!"
On the left, the girl is wearing a high thigh skirt, and a tank top. She happens to be slightly heavy chested. Personally, skirts that are long on some girls would be short on me because I am so tall. Many girls face this problem as well. But shouldn't we be given the freedon to wear skirts without the fear of getting raped? Uhh yes, I think so! I should not have to arrange my outfits with the thought of, "Could this possibly get me raped tonight?" The fact is, you could be raped wearing jeans, a bikini, naked, in a burkah, or in a scuba diving suit. If a rapist wants to rape you, he will rape you.
On the right, the girls is wearing jeans and a sweater. As stated previously, you can still get raped wearing that! While clothing could make you an easier target it is not the only contributing factor to being raped and it is not, under any cirsumstance, the victims fault!
Our society has made it so easy to blame the victim, and people just deal with it. No one stands up for the teenage girl walking home in her cheerleading uniform after practice and getting raped because, "she should've changed". How horrible is that, that we have resorted to blaming the victim.
I once saw a saying: "Don't tell me waht to wear, tell them not to rape." How true is that.
This ad uses the colors black and white to set the tone for the message which is sad and dark. The white paper is where the attention is drawn so the focus will be on the message.
The target audience is the adult community. This ad is a message from my generation to my parents generation. It is telling them, "this is what you have taught me." I think many parents are unaware of this idea and how we feel about this. They don't realize this is the message they are sending to us. The media also send this message to us by how they portray victims on tv. The victim is always some girl with a mini skirt, cleavage showing shirt, make-up smeared, and stiletto heels on. They never show the studios girl who got raped.
This ad uses the advertising techniques Plain Folks because it shows teenagers in an average school ssending a simple message. Those teens are supposed to represent the high school age teen girl population, though a few ignorant females would disagree with what I have said in this entry.
#12: She's Called a Victim for a Reason
"Look at it this way, at least you weren't a virgin."
"Why didn't you scream?"
The first ad completely downplays what someone could have gone through. "At least you weren't a virgin". Oh well, hmmm you have a paper cut, let me just cut your whole arm off. You were already bleeding. Point made. Rape is rape is rape is rape. No cirsumstance can change the fact that someone was raped. EVER. The fact that someone isn;t a virgin wont change the fact they were raped. It doesn't make the situation any less painful.
The second ad blames the victim. "Why didn't you scream?" Okay, you get hit by a drunk driver. You saw the car didn't you? Why didn't you stop it? Oh yeah, you couldn't. If she doesn't say yes then it's rape. Just because she didn't say no doesn't mean she said yes. Some survivors have said they have felt physically paralized while being raped. They couldn't move, see, feel, or speak. That's why they didn't scream. Or, they could have been fearing for their life and thought if they screamed they would have been hurt more. Or, the thought of screaming might not have even crossed their mind because they were being raped! Ever think of that? And, screaming does not mean the rape will not happen. Rapists have the mentality to do anything and everything, so even if the victim screams or fights, it is probable the rape will continue to go on.
The ad uses a distortion of the picture in both ads. To me this represents the feelings of the survivor after the rape. Many victims don't know what to do or how to act. Less than 5% of rapes are reported to the police. Many victims also do not get any counseling to deal with their experiences. The colors are also dark which sets teh tone for hte topic which is dark and scary and evil.
The target audience for these ads are people that have been raped because it gives them a place to go for help. It could also be targetting people who may have had those preconceptions that it is the victims fault, and that organization could answer some very important questions and get the community more informed on the subject.
This ad uses the appeals Need to Nurture because it shows a woman alone and hurt and it makes the viewer want to help her and make her feel better. It also uses Need to Feel Safe because it gives the viewer, if they have been abused, a safe place to talk and get their problems out in the open. This ad uses the advertising techniques Plain Folks because it uses different types of woman which makes the viewer realize rape can happen to anyone, not just a certain type of woman or race or age.
#11: Hidden Mass Murder Everyday in America
In fact, an unborn baby's heart begins to beat at 18 days.
At 40 days she has measurable brain waves.
An unborn baby shouldn't be thrown away like a piece of tissue.
Let me first start by saying I do not agree with
abortion in any way, shape, form, condition, circumstance, and if you have a
problem with that then you should stop reading and continue on to the next
post.
Abortion is a big issue in our country and
everywhere around the world. The fact that you are reading this right now means
that your parents loved you enough not to abort you. Sadly, there are millions
of people that will not have the chance to read this because of the selfishness
of another human being.
I believe that a baby becomes a baby at conception.
Once an egg and sperm meet and join that is a child. Yes, it may not be able to
live outside of the mother, but scientists have done experiments inside a test
tube where they join an egg and sperm and a child is made. Just because the
babies heart doesn’t begin to beat until 18 days does not mean that it isn’t a
person. It’s amazing that at 40 days the baby already has brain waves! That
means she’s already thinking! Now how can you tell me that baby isn’t a person?
That baby, that “tissue” has feelings and emotions and thoughts after just 40
days in the womb.
Though I understand the argument of a woman’s right
to her own body, I disagree with it. I disagree because abortion isn’t only
affecting a woman’s body. Abortion is affecting a person that can’t speak for
themselves or stand up for themselves. How can you take away a person’s life when
that person doesn’t even have the option to decide if they want to live or not?
Abortion is murder because you are killing a person. No, not the potential
person. The baby is already a person; people just don’t want to accept that so
they can have an excuse to have an abortion. By saying the baby isn’t a person
we are dehumanizing that child. And yes, the child is a human. What if that
child was the person that would find the cure for cancer, or AIDS in the
future? I know many people say that, but it’s true! We are taking away so many
possibilities in our world by taking away so many lives.
Many pro-choice people believe pro-life is only made
up of a bunch of Christians who want to convert everyone to Christianity and
make them believe in God. That is not true. Though the Bible does say abortion
is wrong, my religious background doesn’t matter when it comes to the topic of
abortion. I am against abortion because it is morally wrong. Killing another
person is wrong. Especially when that person doesn’t even have a choice or an
opportunity to live!
There are so many options besides abortion, starting
with, let’s say, abstinence in the first place. If you are having sex, you know
there is a possibility you could get pregnant even if you’re on birth control
and use condoms and have your tubes tied and have a vasectomy. There is ALWAYS
a chance of pregnancy. So, if you don’t want a baby, don’t have sex! Another
option is adoption. There are so many fit mothers out there that are physically
incapable of having a child. It is so selfish to have an abortion because the
ability to bring life into this world is a gift, and you are taking that gift
for granted and misusing it. So many other people would appreciate that gift
and use it. Another option is actually being responsible for your actions and
the life you have created. You created that life so you need to bring that life
into this world and give that life the chance to live.
I understand that there are other circumstances.
Yes, rape is a fact of our society and yes pregnancy can come from it. But
studies have shown that women who are raped and receive abortion services are
actually more damaged by the abortion than the rape itself. I also realize that
some women who get pregnant are not in the best of situations. They may be in
an unhealthy relationship where they are scared for the child’s life if they
bring them into this world, but there are countless organizations to help with
that and they are so easy to access. There are also teenagers who get pregnant
and may live in an abusive home where they are scared for their own safety if
their family found out about the pregnancy. But again, people dedicate their
lives to help teenagers like those.
This ad uses only black and white colors. To me
those colors represent the topic in the sense that it is either black and
white. There is no in between on this subject. Either you are for killing a
human life or you are against it. Simple.
This ad uses the appeals Need to Nurture because it shows a baby and though not everyone may want to protect that child, in fact some may actually want to kill it, but when I see that I want to do everything in my power to protect that baby. This ad doesn't use any advertising techniques because it's not trying to trick anyone by using any sneaky tricks. It is simply stating facts: ABORTION IS WRONG
#10: Why Not? YOLO!
Smart may have the brains, but stupid had the balls.
I don't understand this ad whatsoever. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. I don't get what it's trying to say. Or sell for that matter.
After researching this ad, I found that the company Diesel was encouraging its consumer to "be stupid". I'm not completely sure how that's a good thing? Expecially not flashing a security camera...not very smart! Or respectable! Diesel sells everything from womens jeans to mens shoes and jewelry. I'm guessing the girl in the ad is wearing Diesel clothes.
I think this ad is trying to say that to be stupid you have to have balls? I'm not sure why there is a girl, though, considering girls don't have balls...awkward...To show your boobs to the camera is not a very smart thing to do at all. It's definitely stupid, but is that a good thing? Not really...
This ad uses the appeal Need to Acheive because I bet you she was proud after setting that ladder up and lifting her shirt. That must of been super difficult. Sarcasm. It uses Need for Attention because obviously this girl is trying to get attention. I can't think of any other reason to show your boobs to the security camera...
This ad uses the advertising techniques of Transfer/Association because it's trying to say that having balls is a good quality in a person while promoting the brand Diesel. It makes the person think, "If Diesel support my stupid ideas like showing my boobs to the camera then I should support them by buying their clothes". Another stupid idea. It uses Wit and Humor because even though the slogan doesn't make very much sense, it is funny so it grabs the viewers attention. It uses Bandwagon because I think most would agree that we liked to be reffered to as "having balls" because that means we took a risk to do something therefore we are cool. I'm not really sure about this one, but I think it uses Gestalt: Subliminal Persusion because most people only pay attention to the slogan and the fact that they want to "have balls" but they don't pay attention to hte fact that what the girl is doing is...uhmm...illegal! The viewer focuses on the whole, the slogan, not the part, the girl.
#9: Pro STUPID?
I Beat Obesity
This was an ad to support anorexia. I guess anorexia is the only other option besides obesity? How about thin, or curvy, or uh HEALTHY? Neither option, obestiy or anorexia, is a good option. There are so many more possibilities for every body type!
The phrase "I Beat Obesity" also makes it seem like obesity is an illness. I personally do not believe obesity is an illness. I think it is a problem, but not an illness.
This is another ad that shows how much women descriminate against each other. Skinny girls calling other girls fat and vice versa. And us girls wonder why men think it's okay to judge us by our bodies? Because first we judge our own bodies, and then we judge other women by their bodies. Men see this and think "well if they do it to each other it should be okay for me too!" WRONG! It's not okay for any group to descriminate against another group. In our generation, it's no longer about skin color or sex or even sexual orientation so much. Nowadays, it's about how you look. Women are always competing with each other. Competing to look the best, whatever that happens to be this season, and competing for mens attention. We're always tryingt o break one another down so we can somehow be lifted up and feel better about ourselves. This is another reason why girls are anorexic. This shows the pressure they have to be skinny because if they're not skinny then they're considered obese.
The colors in this ad are all black and white to ad a sort of drama to the subject. It does ad a seriousness as well, which is important because this is a very serious topic. If the colors were bright it wouldn't be the same because it would lighten up the mood when this is supposed to be a dark ad.
This ad uses the appeal Need for Aesthetic Sensations because it shows a pretty girl with the shirt that says "I Beat Obesity" so it's saying to be pretty you can be obese.
#8: One Extreme to the Other
Support for people with eating disorders
Sadly, this picture conveys something many many girls have gone through. On the left is a very anorexic frail girl, yet when she looks in the mirror she still see's that she is not thin enough.
Statistics:
- 10% of girls that have eating disorders will die from that disorder
- 42% of 1st - 3rd graders want to be thinner
- 95% of girls that have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25
- Over half of teenage girls use unhealthy weight loss such as skipping meals, laxatives, smoking, binging and purging, or fasting
- Anorexia is the 3rd most common illness among teenage girls
The statistics are very scary. Eating disorders can start at 12 years old? That's 6th grade. There's probably girls younger that deal with that but it's a very small percentage or not reported. Eating disorders are frightening because a girl can die from them. They effect obviously physically, because you're losing weight drastically. Also mentally, because you believe things that aren't true of yourself, that a size 2 isnt small enough. And deffinitely emotionally. Girls with eating disorders suffer from depression, I'm guessing because they're upset with themselves for not being thin enough and thinking that they aren't beautiful.
The ad uses the plain white bra and underwear to make the statement simple and straight to the point. If they had designs or color it would jumble the picture too much and distract from the message.
This ad uses the appeal of Need to Nurture because we see this poor girl who is so thin her bones are sticking out and we automatically want to help her or feel bad for her. The ad also uses the advertising technique of Plain Folks because the girl is just a girl, she's no one special, she's ment to represent the average everyday girl.
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