The Reflection...

To be honest, when the media blog assignment was first assigned, I was so unexcited, and was just like "Oh great, I have to remember to post every single week. Not just one blog, but TWO blogs. And I have to comment on two as well?" I just thought "Why would i want to waste my time analyzing a commercial, or a print ad, or any other type of media?" However, after about the second week, I was totally hooked on writing these media blogs. I found it really fun to do, and it helped me become more aware of how the media affects our lives. I have realized that media plays a huge role in my life, and has had a greater impact than I thought it would.

I never realized how much media i consumed in my life until this assignment, but now I know that it is definitely a lot.  When I heard that we were exposed to appropriately 3,000 ads or commercials, or any type of media, I was just completely in shock. I couldn't believe that we could consume that much media in one day. However, now I definitely believe it. Just by watching a one hour TV program, I see probably 5 or 6 different commercials. When I'm in the car I pass by all these different advertisement billboards. When I read just one of my teen magazines, I see probably about 20+ ads in there. I listen to music every single day for hours, and I am online on the computer all the time too. Eventually, that all adds up, and I can totally believe that 3,000 number.

I did not neccessarily realize how much of a negative effect the media could have on us, until we watched Merchants of Cool and Miss Representation. The media is very harsh on a person, and specifically women, based on Miss Representation. The media creates these ideal images of what a women should look like, basically saying that all women should be "hot", wear provocative clothing, and have great bodies. This makes women feel insecure about themselves because they are not this ideal image, and men feel that they are superior to women and have to keep up this "tough guy" image. We are being exposed to the negatives of the media younger and younger, as shown in Merchants of Cool. Young girls wearing such revealing clothes, and doing things that they really have no idea what they are. They just want to fit this ideal image. Also, from Miss Representation, women are still treated so unfairly compared to men, and are basically only seen for the "sexy" looks. Although I do not do this, this is what i picture the ideal image of the "perfect" girl. I always expect women that are in the media to look great and have a nice body. I've always believed that the protagonist in a movie should be a man, and they are the ones that should lead our country. I can't believe i have unconsciously fallen for these stereotypes and harsh expectations against women, my own gender. I do not think it is right anymore, after watching so much analysis about the media and how it impacts our lives.

Being aware of my media consumption has not really changed my interactions with media, as I still watch the same amount of TV, read my magazine, listen to music, etc. However, every time I do this now, I never just watch it to be watching it. I pay attention pretty closely and try to analyze the commercial. Sometimes, I might even hit the rewind button on my remote to go back and watch it again. Before this, I would just kind of pass by the commercials or think, "Pretty colors, hot guy, weird, funny, interesting, or what the heck?" However, now I know why we feel these emotions. Ads and commercials use many different techniques to reel us in, to get out attention, and to hopefully buy the product. The media uses all these weird techniques to help grab our attention, and I think it definitely works. We like to see common faces such as celebrities in commercials, we like to see hot guys or hot girls in commercials to help grab our attention, and we like to see things that will make us laugh. After doing the media unit though, most of the time, I honestly just think, "What the heck, this is ridiculous!" How did I ever fall for these tricks? I used to love to hear all those weasel words, or when something was just super funny, I automatically liked it. Now though, I absolutely cannot stand half the commercials on TV. Most of them are just trying to get our attention, but they tell us nothing about the product. Almost all commercials get my attention, but most of the products I probably wouldn't go out and buy. I'd rather just go to the store and browse around, and see the actual product in person.

I consider myself somewhat more media literate after doing these media blogs because I am able to pick out most of the different ad techniques and appeals, and I really pay attention to the commercials and ads I see. Media literacy is important, so people can properly understand media. it also important because it helps people become more educated consumers. As an educated consumer, you are able to pick out all the little details of the media, and you want to know more. You don't just settle for the general idea, but rather you learn to question everything. As an educated consumer, you wont fall for all the traps as easily as before, that are used to get people to buy a product. Many ad techniques can trick people into buying products because they use things such as glittering generalities or weasel words.

I have learned a lot about the media and the impact is has on myself. I never knew how big of an impact it had on me, but subconsciously, it has a huge impact on myself. We all have our own thoughts and stereotypes, but little did we know that many of these actually came from the media. however, we cannot just stop the media. We are exposed to media everywhere we go, and that will never change. However, by becoming more media literate and becoming an educated consumer, we are more aware of the world of media and we will not fall for the tricks as easily as your ordinary person would. I personally think that media literacy should be a class for everyone. It is important to know what the media is doing to us consciously or subconsciously. Although we can't get away from the media, we can change the way it affects ourselves.

Media Blog #12: Daddy's Money

I found this ad on the back of my J-14 magazine and was kinda just like "What the heck is this? This is so dumb!" What is Daddy's Money's? Why is it called that? I still don't get it... Daddy's Money secret wedges are made by Skechers, but that is nowhere to be seen on the ad. I had to go look that up myself. 

I was definitely attracted to this ad because of all the vibrant colors. There is the bright yellow, blue, pink, green, and the colors of all the girls clothing. Then there is the overall craziness with the ad with all the money signs and all the colors mixed together. Then of course, there are the shoes, that are pretty funky in the way that they are designed, but if the paper didn't say secret wedges, i probably wouldn't have noticed the shoes. They blend in pretty well with the crazy background, so it is a little hard to see them. 

The target audience I would think for this product would be more little girls than teenagers, so I'm not really sure about the people in this ad. They all look just a little bit too old to wearing these shoes and I honestly don't think teens would find these shoes very attractive. I know for sure I don't. I think little girls would think these shoes are very cool, and would want to go out and buy them right away just based on what they see. 

I have a problem with these shoes because I don't really see what's so great about secret wedges? I find normal wedges to be perfectly fine and actually alot cuter than these Daddy's Money secret wedges. To be honest, I think these shoes are completely hideous. Also, nothing is said about these wedges other than the fact that they're "secret." I think it would be different if it said they were more comfortable or something, since normal wedges aren't really that comfortable, but absolutely nothing is said about these shoes on the ad. I just don't see hte point of making secret wedges. 

The need for affiliation is used in this ad because the girls in this ad wearing the shoes all look very happy with big smiles on their faces. I think that little girls would feel like they're "cool" if they bought these shoes and they would really enjoy them. Little kids basically want everything that they see on TV or in other sources of media that they think is super awesome at first, but then they end up getting tired of them like a month later. 

I fnd this ad pretty effective just based on who the target audience is, but if it were for me, I definitely wouldn't buy these shoes. There is absolutely nothing said about the shoes other than the fact that they're secret, and that does not impress me. I think that they are absolutely hideous, and I wouldn't even stop to look at them in a store. However, for little girls, I feel like they would be really intrigued at the fact that these girls look like they're so happy and secrets are always really cool for kids.

Media Blog #11: Pretty Brown Eyes

I absolutely love the song, Pretty Brown Eyes, by Cody Simpson. Well, actually I just really like Cody Simpson. He is a 16 year old Australian singer who has a great voice and an amazing body. In this music video, Cody is singing about a girl who has pretty brown eyes. He's hanging by the pool with his friends, trying to get this girl, and when they eventually get together, he plays the guitar and sings a song for her. How romantic is this? However, I do not think that Cody is portraying the right message to his audience.

The target audience for this music video is definitely girls, probably from as young as 10 to late teens maybe. Girls all over the world are dying to meet Cody. He has a great voice, an amazing body, and a pretty cute face. Many girls wish that we could date someone like Cody. This wouldn't necessarily be appealing to guys because they don't really want to see some guy that all their girl friends are fawning over. 

Last week, we watched a film in 0 period called Miss Representation, and this video fits what they were talking about in the video very well. Basically, the media produces this ideal image of girls that we feel we need to fit, and women are very underrepresented and mainly used for sexual ways. In this music video, Cody is describing this girl with the pretty brown eyes with these lyrics specifically:

This girl she came round the corner
Looking like a model
Magazine figure
She was shaped like a bottle
Long straight hair

Cody is describing this girl as being a model, and that is exactly what almost all the girls on TV look like. Cody says, "She was shaped like a bottle", basically saying she had the perfect figure with curves in the right places. Also, I think that long straight hair is just perfect and everyone would love to have it. I think it is totally normal for a teenage boy to obsess over the "perfect girl," but the target audience for Cody Simpson is little girls to teenagers. These subtle messages about being the ideal girl isn't exactly what little girls want to hear. Many people look up to Cody, and would love to be Cody's girlfriend. Does this mean they have to be the perfect girl though. Young girls are being exposed to the media earlier and earlier, and you wonder why so many girls are insecure about themselves. Well, you've got the answer right there. The media. We want to be like the girls that are advertised in the media because we feel like that is the only way we will be accepted. 

A need obviously presented in this ad is the need for attention. Of course, there's Cody Simpson with his shirt off showing his amazing body, and then there's all the other girls in their bikinis. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and the colors are pretty vibrant.

Besides being a music video, there was also some clever advertising going on, specifically the Capri Sun Big pouch. When Cody reaches in the cooler, he pulls out a Capri Sn and the camera zooms in on the drink for about 2 seconds. This may not seem like a big deal, but it was obviously no mistake. Capri Sun wants you to think that when you drink their juice, you can have as much fun as Cody and his friends on a nice summer day. Ths could also represent the need for affiliation because throughout the video, there are girls drinking it, and they are surrounded by all their friends, having a great time.

Overall, I still really like Cody Simpson, and that probably won't change, but I really do not like the message he is subtly portraying in this video.Girls feel so much pressure to live up to this ideal image that that the media portrays of them, and it just leads to insecurities and girls getting very very hurt.

Media Blog #10: Taylor Swift and Keds?

I picked this ad simply because I really like Taylor Swift. In this ad, Taylor is helping advertise the shoes, Keds. I do not think it is a very effective ad, and it doesn't really make too much sense in my opinion. I think it is very good at grabbing attention, but is in no way effective of actually selling Keds. 

The first thing I noticed was the colors in the ad. The seat that Taylor Swift is sitting on is red, and the Keds are orange, a very close color to red. However, Taylor Swift is wearing a yellow top and white pants, completely contrasting the chair. This ad is basically selling Taylor Swift rather than the shoes because she is the one that sticks out, not the Keds. The Keds are not the central image of the picture, and they are just ling there in the bottom right corner of the page. However, the ad could be just trying to catch our attention, and of course our eyes would go directly to the area of the yellow sweater. Sure, we would eventually make our way down to the Keds, but it is not very good placement. 

An obvious technique used is testimonial. Taylor Swift, a very popular country/pop singer, and using a star in an ad is a very useful and great technique. The one thing it does is definitely attracts the attention of the audience. Whether you like her or not, most people know who she is. Most people think that because a famous celebrity is using the product, then it must be good. Or, they want to be just like the celebrity, so they buy the product. However, in reality, you cannot just buy a product that a famous person has and be just like them. 

The words, "here's to THE BRAVE GIRLS" relates to the need for autonomy, with brave girls being the singled out group. By buying these shoes, you are saying you are an individual and brave girl. I think every girl would like to think that they're brave and not a little "chicken." 

I did not think this ad was effective in selling the actual product, the Keds. They were not the main focus of the shoe, and it did not really say anything at all about the shoe itself. Using Taylor Swift to help sell the product was very smart, but there is no attention drawn to the shoes

Media Blog #9: Dark Obsession

In this print ad, the Calvin Klein fragrance, Dark Obsession is being advertised. I was immediately intrigued by this image because of the dark color, the male model with his shirt unbuttoned, and the name of the fragrance itself. I absolutely love Calvin Klein ads because they are all very similar in the sense that there is a great need for attention.

The need for attention is very obvious in the ad. The first thing that I noticed was the abs of the male model. Calvin Klein usually always has very attractive models, and they obviously attract the attention of the audience. The model's abs are very well defined, and what I would consider pretty "perfect." The model's face is also very attractive, and it kind of just has this sexy look to it. Males might want to buy this fragrance because they see someone highly attractive like the model using it. They want to become like him.

The target audience would probably be males in their late teens to 30s because that is when they really care about impressing people, and they want to smell nice. These guys would be the most interested in their personal image, and in this ad, they see the highly attractive male model. Young adult males want to look like the guy in the ad.

The color scheme makes perfect sense in this Calvin Klein ad. The fragrance is called Dark Obsession, and the colors of this ad are all very dark. The whole entire ad is basically different shades of gray and black, and it really just helps add to the selling of the product The dark colors makes the product seem very mysterious, and you wonder why the fragrance is called Dark Obsession. The lightest parts of the ad were the model's nice abs and his face, which are the most attractive parts of the ad.

The last thing that i really liked about this ad is that it was really to the point, and made sense. There were no random things floating around and there was simply just a male model advertising the perfume. The fragrance is called Dark Obsession and the whole entire ad is very darkly colored.

I really like this ad, and believe it does its jobs of grabbing the audience's attention. Although this ad tells nothing about the fragrane, I think it will at least make people want to go to the store and smell the fragrance. When a fragrance is named Dark Obsession, you really wonder what it is that makes a person become obsessed with it.

Media Blog #8: Yoplait Frozen Yogurt

 

In this commercial Yoplait frozen yogurt is being advertised. The commercial has a bunch of normal people helping advertising the frozen yogurt by talking about how delicious and wonderful the product is. They are actually eating the yogurt too, and the people are acting very normal, so it appeals to the audience more, unlike the commercials that give you simple solutions if you buy the product.

The first thing i noticed was the music. It is very upbeat, and fits the commercial very well. The mood is very happy, and that is the vibe you feel you will get when eating the yogurt. The music is an important component of the commercial. I feel that if the music wasn't incorporated into the commercial, it would just kinda be awkward with the people just saying "delicious" or "so good" at random times. The music helps fill the rest of the time when there is just images rather than speaking.

The text was also an important part of the commercial. In the beginning, there was text that said, "the first bite experience" and it kind of just makes you wonder, what exactly will I experience when i take the first bite? And then the commercial goes on to show all the people gushing over how great the yogurt is, so your curiosity is satisfied. Also, at the end, it says "It is so good" with the word "so" in bold. This really attracted my attention because I really just want to see how good this frozen yogurt is. In the end, when the voice-over says "It is so good" it is kind of in a seductive voice, so it lures the audience in even more.

The common advertising technique most prominent here was plain folks. There was just a bunch of normal people advertising the yogurt. From little kids to middle-aged people to old grandmas and grandpas, this frozen yogurt is a product for ordinary people. The commercial seems very natural, and that is what the audience likes to see.

The need for affiliation could also be satisfied in this commercial. With all these common people in the commercial gushing over this frozen yogurt, it makes us want to buy this product since it seems like everyone enjoys this yogurt. We don't want to be left out of the joy of this frozen yogurt, so we feel that we have to go buy it.

The one thing I really like about this commercial is the fact that they are selling the product the whole entire time. The people in the commercial are actually eating the commercial and giving a wonderful reaction afterwards. They are not just magically given some power because they ate the yogurt. In many commercials I see, y0ou see all these people doing these amazing things, but then yoju don't even know what the product is that made them do this. However, in this commercial, there reactions are solely based on them eating the yogurt

Media Blog #7: Selena Gomez's nail polish?

 This advertisement for Nicole by O.P.I. nail polish is very intriguing to my eye. The colors are very vibrant, and it definitely caught my attention. Nicole by O.P.I. is using Selena Gomez to help advertise their nail polish, as if she is the one who actually made the nail polish.

The first thing that caught my eye on this ad was obviously the big picture of Selena Gomez, and this is an example of the common ad technique, testimonial. Selena Gomez is a very well-known actress and singer, who is also quite attractive, so this will help attract the audience. O.P.I. is using Selena Gomez to help sell their nail polish. The ad is making it seem like these are the shades that Selena Gomez actually created, and the ad is flattering Selena Gomez by saying "Lacquers as vibrant as the star who created them." However, what does Selena Gomez actually know about nail polish. She didn't actually make this nail polish, but rather they just put her face on this ad. 

Another technique used is glittering generalities. There are the words, "Sweet and Spunky... Flirty and Fun!" These are all very appealing words because they all appeal to our outward appearances. Nowadays, many people are very concerned about how they look, so these words appeal to us. Also, the image itself is just gorgeous. Selena Gomez looks absolutely flawless thanks to the help of photo shop, and i think it definitely helps sell the product. This also relates to the need for attention. Because Selena Gomez looks flawless in this picture, our attention is drawn to this ad. We want to be noticed, and with this perfect picture of Selena Gomez, we believe that we will look like that if we buy this nail polish.  

This ad also satisfies the need for aesthetic sensations. We see the beauty of the image from Selena Gomez, and we are attracted to her. The image in a way highlights her face, and her face is just glowing compared to the rest of the picture. And then you see her long, wavy brown hair, and you can't help but think "Why can't I be like her?" The colors of this ad are perfet because they are all very soft and gentle to help create a good feeling.

The target audience for this ad is probably teenage girls because girls wear nail polish, and Selena Gomez appeals to pre-teens and teens mostly. She was on Disney Channel, so the target audience is definitely not middle-aged woman, such as moms. Also, I found this ad in my Sesventeen Magazine, which is geared towards teenagers, so the magazine was the perfect place to put this ad in. Even if you weren't in the target audience, most people would still know who Selena Gomez is.

The one thing that really bothers me about the ads that use famous celebrities is that they really don't even know anything about the products they're selling. How should Selena Gomez know anything about nail polish?However, in truth, I feel that putting a star on an ad really does help sell the product. Either we want to look/be like the person in the ad, or we feel that because the person is famous and advertising it, it must be good. Another thing that I don't particularly like is that the nail poish is barely  noticeable in this ad. Sure, there's a whole bunch of the nail polish bottle towards the bottom of the ad, but mostly all you see is Selena Gomez's face.

Overall, I felt that this ad was effective because it used a variety of the techniques and needs, which makes this product appealing to us in so many ways. I am a fan of Selena Gomez, so this ad appeals to me even more. I just wish it would actually advertise the nail polish a bit better because it is very hard to make a connection between Selena Gomez and nail polish.