Chevy Sale!!!

When analyzing this commercial the first impression we the viewer get is the Wit and Humor technique. "Santa Clause" is casually working at a car dealership and is joked with by a customer and the viewer can infer that the memo Santa Clause was writing down toward the end was an addition to his naughty list. Besides the obvious, another technique that was used was the Facts and Figures technique. The viewer sees this when "Santa Clause" and the customer are discussing the statistics about the new Silverado truck. While discussing the horsepower of the truck, the Facts and figures technique, discretely blends with the Wit and humor technique, by comparing "horsepower," to "reindeer power."

Personally I think this advertisment isn't effective because it's length is way to short, and also because the commercial is much too Wit and Humor dominant, meaning that the customer has no idea what they are purchasing because their attention is too much toward the comedy side of the commercial rather than the product being sold. Another reason is because of the reality assumption that American-made cars don't last as long as competing foreign dealers such as Toyota, which is know for lasting a lifetime. So, with all these elements, the commercial wasn't effective, and the consumer doesn't know what is being advertised.

Omega

While looking through the mail I came across a magazine with an Omega watch ad in it with movie icon James Bond standing dramatically on the front. In very small lettering, which happens to blending with the clouds behind Mr. Bond, is the phrase, "James Bond's Choice," which is defiantly the companies use of the technique Testimonial. By putting in that short phrase the ad company makes it's consumers feel that wearing an Omega watch turns them into James Bond.

Another element to notice in this advertisement is the contrasting colors between the overcast weather, the intense black coat Mr. Bond is wearing and the bright proud British flag being waved. the fact that the British flag is the most diverse item in the picture means that the company wants you to focus on the idea that Omega  might be a foreign company. The reason for this may be the reality assumption that foreign goods are higher quality, an example being the many people purchasing cars from Toyota rather than Ford.

On a side note regarding watches, I honestly see no point in having on that's unreasonably expensive if they are all serving the same purpose, to tell the time. This can already be done by the expensive phone you have in your pocket since you obviously have enough spare money to by a miniature clock that attaches to your wrist. Or this could be yet another example of the reality assumption of the laziness of Americans. Either way I see no point to wearing a watch, especially a nice one.

Dubstep...

Out of all the media I consume on an average day, I felt it necessary to post about Dubstep, and how it's beginning to make its way into the mainstream. This track is called "Gizmo" and the artist is a DJ referred to as Datsik. Personally, I like Datsik, and all the tracks he has written because of his ability to be creative while still keeping the simplicity. Artists like Skrillex, use much too many sounds in their music for my taste. Even though I'm being slightly hypocritical, for talking about effort and experience going into making real music in other posts, I still think of Dubstep as music. Even though it's made in a similar way to pop music, I preffer the sound of Dubstep much more.

Pop music and Dubstep are starting to integrate their styles thus moving Dubstep up the popularity charts. One place that I alone have begun to hear more Dubstep, is at the movie theatre, during the movie previews. It seems as if all action movies are using Dubstep to bring out their movies' excitement. This just proves how trends and young culture are constantly evolving, and  is unpredictable because when cool is discovered, it's no longer cool. This movement reminds me of the video Merchants of Cool, that we watched in class, and how much different the trends were back 10 years ago. It's the same situation with music, it's always going to be changing.

Typos Welcome!

Sendori

My first impression when looking at this advertisement for the Sendori typo-correcting application was simply anger. After reading articles such as, Is Google Making us Dumber, and What the Internet is doing to our brains:Is Google Making us Stupid? I found a link between the ad and the ideas presented in the articles. The main idea presented in both this ad and the articles is that the internet and the new technological advancements being made is actually making people dumber. In reality, this ad for Sendori is an encouragement to ignore the typos that are made when using the internet. People using this application no longer need to know how to spell correctly, and can now use technology to fix it for them. It isn't a matter of how to fix our mistakes in today's society, it's how we can use technology so that we don't have to. Knowing that my generation's intelligence is constantly being diluted by technology is the reason why I feel so much anger when looking at this.

As far as technique usage goes, there's a minor role of Bribery being played, which can be seen by the small button in the corner of the advertisement saying, "Free App, Try it." The reason why Bribery isn't a more prominent factor is because nothing free is actually being included with the product. It only seems like there is because of the word, "free," which is emphasized by bright red box surrounding it. Altogether, this is a deceiving ad, that plays no bigger role than encouraging ones laziness which, if continued, will further human stupidity for the generations to come.

McDonald's Take-out Bag

McDonald's Take-out Bag

After picking up food from one of Americas largest fast food industries, McDonalds, I happened to notice this message on the side of the bag saying, "Free Wi-Fi." This addition to McDonalds poses a great threat to places like Starbucks, which also provides free Wi-Fi and a much better quality coffee. We as Americans today are so cheap that we're much more willing to pick quantity over quality, which is the case for the conflict between Starbucks and McDonalds. Today, we would rather give into our laziness and take the drive through at a McDonalds to be served our so called morning coffee, than to spend the little extra time and money to walk into Starbucks and pay for a much higher quality coffee.

As far as techniques of the ad companies go, from very first glace, I noticed the usage of Bribery. Indicating this technique was the word, "Free," which is used by many companies nowadays to get the attention of the greedy consumers. One other thing to point out on the bag is the phrase, "At participating restaurants," which is printed in a much smaller font, hiding the fact that the guarantee of free Wi-Fi is now lost. So overall, the cheap quality and price that the fast food industry holds and its immense success toward putting competing businesses like Starbucks out of the picture, is all just a result of the proven American stereotype of Greed and Laziness.

The Superior Headphones

Bose Quiet Comfort 3

          This advertisement for the new Bose sound-reducing headphones, in my opinion, is quite effective. Already, I am drawn from the picture with the Bose trademark because they're known for their high sound quality headphones. According to the magazine, Bose was the first to create sound reducing head phones, therefore having the most experience in this field. It's this experience that makes them dominate over other companies like Skull Candy, Dr. Dre Beats, and Akg.
          On the advertisement is also a list of facts about the product, and even the work the company went through to produce it. This technique being used is called, "Facts and Figures," which is where the ad company uses factual information in order to prove the superiority of the product. In my view, this was the best approach for Bose to choose because they indeed are one of the top headphone companies, and needed to get their message out. Instead of tricking the consumer with a technique such as Testimonial, which Dr. Dre's Beats headphones use quite often, Bose is staying honest and true to their product. If more companies took this approach, they would be working on ways to improve the product, not improve on how to sell the product.

Sweet Dreams - Marylin Manson

Uh-oh, it's the infamous rock icon Marilyn Manson. For the people that haven't heard of him, this song should defiantly give you an idea. As for the people that have heard of him; they usually, at least the ones I know of, describe him with words such as "creepy," "gross," and "weird." But I can't figure out how this is enough to hate him. One misconception that's commonly brought on by his look, and possibly his music, is that he follows satanism, or worships the devil. Furthermore, they think he's trying to persuade others to do the same, especially misguided teenagers. The reality is proven by the numerous interviews he has been on when he explained that he encourages kids to be individuals and stand away from the crowd rather than becoming a rebel or worship the devil, like interviewers claim. Because this idea of Marilyn Manson isn't true, there isn't any other reason to hate him. If people think his appearance is enough for them to be judge-mental, then they have bigger problems they need to work out.

Personally, this song is one of my favorites, partly because of the strange music video which, after learning strategies companies use to sell their product, am beginning to figure out why. Ad companies tend to use the need for autonomy, which makes their product stand out from the crowd. In this video, the chaotic outfits and make up is setting Marilyn Manson apart from other artists, so in a way, it's using the same appeal.  So before you judge a person like Marilyn, stop and think about why.

Unwrap Your Paradise

This is a commercial advertising Hershey's Almond Joy bars, and in this commercial, the toll worker takes a moment to eat his almond joy bar. But wait, this isn't the ordinary chocolate covered delectable we think it is,  but in a fact a gate way to a paradise that can be found wherever the chocolate bar is. If I wasn't in the critical thinking class I am now, I would've been completely oblivious to the companies use of what I know to be a "need to escape." In the middle of perhaps a long and stressful day, the man in the video takes a moment to escape to his tropical paradise in order to reduce his stress and dive into a sweet goodness of milk chocolate and coconut. In my opinion, the companies that make these ads are wasting their money on making the product look better rather than spending money on the actual quality of the product. Say I was at a burger king, and the current order I had been priced higher than usual, and the food quality was still the same but the bags had new designs on them. So with that being said, I want to say thank you to all the companies for building their products on lies. I shall end this post, sending out a warning to everyone that this needs to end or else it will consume our entire life.

The Best Shave Guaranteed?

This Gillette shaving advertisement was located at a CVS market at the front door and claims to give the their best shave or they gaurantee a 2x money payback, or so it seems. There are many components to this ad  that have made it both asthetically and audibly pleasing and after spending only a few extra minutes at the grocery store i was able to break down this ad and find out why.

A reason why this advertisement brings in its audience is because of the obvious color contrast of the wording . The color orange alone already stands out but when placed against a color such as navy blue, there's an even greater contrast. Along with the colors itself, the placement of the colors is what matters. Perhaps the most important reason for why this advertisement is so effect is knowing where to place the different colored words. One passing buy this advertisement immediately notices the "2x," and the reason being that in America we live in a society where bigger, always means better.

It's very common for someone to encounter these types of ads, especially ones with absolute wording such as "Best," or "Guaranteed," but half the time they're never true. On top of all these deceitful designs that Gillette has used to advertise their product the message is still unclear which is exactly what the company was   going for. As a consumer, I have to ask my self, can I really get paid more money than I spent for a product that isn't to my satisfaction? The chances are that answer is a no. However, when we look closer, we see that the first word is "our," rather than, "your," which means that it's the best shave that Gillette's product will bring you, and not the best shave that you personally, will have.

These types of ads I do not like, because they're both a waste of money on the companies part, and a waste of time on my part because the message is never clear, and I end up ignoring it anyways.

500,000,000+ Views...WHY

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem

As i'm sure everyone has heard, this is LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," and with over half a billion views, I can never understand why. Pop music in itself evokes more anger in me than I can possibly describe, with artists making millions of dollars for what, a catchy beat with lyrics which, half the time, don't make any sense. The "music," is just a computerized set of annoying sounds, while the vocals, is an auto tuned disaster; you don't even have to know how to sing nowadays. And for some unknown reason when putting the two together, you have a multi-million dollar work which this entire generation consumes like cake at a birthday party. In the case of this particular group, LMFAO has once again created another "hit", that will be played on the radio for how knows how long, will with no doubt be heard by every high school in the country, and will bring massive amounts of cash into their worthless pockets. For anyone wondering, I had placed the quotations around words like, "song", and "music," because I truly don't believe this deserves to be called music. A genre such as jazz, is truly worthy of this title. With the artists devoting sometimes their entire life to their occupation. I'm sure it doesn't take 50 years to learn how to use a computer, which is the same amount of time unknown jazz artist Yoshiaki Miyanoue has been playing. With jazz artists using real instruments and real people, blending together a harmony of different instruments, all of which take years upon years to learn, it's incredibly hard to believe their work goes unheard by this generation. Take a mainstream jazz artist, such as Kenny G; one of his more popular songs, "songbird," has just under 2 million views, but when we take a pop artist, such as Katy Perry, and her song "fireworks," which has just over 3 hundred million views, we can see that not many people listen to jazz anymore. In the end the difference in motive is money. From the way I see it, jazz artists continue what they're doing simply because it's a passion while pop artists do what they do in order to make a quick buck. Besides i have never once heard of someone who wasn't famous creating pop music because it's their passion.