Reflecting Upon Media...

Ever since I began this media blog, I have paid more attention to the world of media and advertisements around me.  I never really thought about the media's effect on us and the way that it has so much power over our thoughts and actions.  This blog has also caused me to actually watch and analyze commercials (the interesting ones anyway).  I've realized how utterly ridiculous the majority of commercials are, and by analyzing them, I've come to believe that it's practically impossible to create an advertisement without having fallacies or assumptions exploding in your face.  I now find it entertaining to mentally, or verbally point out everything that is wrong with commercials I happen to pay attention to.  The world of commercials is becoming quite absurd.  

I've also come to realize how much media I consume every day.  Living in a world with instant communication and social networking allows for media's messages to lurk in every corner.  I've become so used to media throwing messages at me that I either ignore it (or try to ignore it), unconsciously take it in, or let it somehow influence my thoughts/choices.  I admit to that last part, because who isn't affected by media? Even if you don't want to pay attention to it, it's still there.  Advertisements are constantly being launched at us, whether we like it or not.  

I have most certainly become more media literate.  I now know how to analyze media and determine the messages advertisers are trying to ingrain in our minds.  Like I said before, I've noticed that many commercials are really ridiculous.  However, I've also realized which techniques have a greater effect on me and which techniques get on my nerves.  For example, I find commercials that use simple solutions often make me succumb to my desire of a simple and easy answer.  However, techniques such as snob appeal often get on my nerves because I find it annoying when commercials paint this picture of a luxurious life that is all caused by one product (for example, liquor commercials).  Come on, at least make the consumer believe that the scenario is possible.  

Having the ability to be media literate is critical in this day and age.  As we live in a world filled with media, we often give in to its messages because we're so used to it.  Media has this incredible power over us and it's debatable whether media is a reflection of us, or if we are a reflection of the media.  Personally, I believe we have become reflections of the media.  We are so overwhelmed by media's messages that we can hardly make out what our own thoughts are from what the media wants us to think.  We need to be educated in media literacy in order to realize this and not succumb to the media's power.  For example, as  The Persuaders and Miss Representation pointed out, media has much more influence in society than we may think.  It affects the way we think, the way we act, and the way we view ourselves and others.  Media manipulates our minds so that we may be the "ideal consumer."  After all, media is concerned with money and power.

I've found this media blog to be helpful in my understanding of the world of media.  By analyzing advertisements, I have become aware of the way my own mind responds to media, as well as how the advertisers want me to respond.  This blog has allowed me to feel much more capable of being a critical thinker when it comes to media literacy.  

#12- Sensa Weight Loss- Incredibly Skinny

June 2, 2013

This weight loss ad was actually part of an animation that showed a woman using Sensa and becoming an incredibly skinny version of herself.   As society stresses the importance of being skinny, weight loss ads often provide a simple solution to our desires to be thin.  They show a heavier woman who uses the weight loss program, and then all of a sudden, she becomes really skinny.  Of course. this ad exaggerates the end product, because the cartoon woman has unrealistic proportions.  Her waist, neck, and arms are incredibly skinny and not proportionate to her head.  This is how the ideal woman is always portrayed as a cartoon.  She has curves yet a tiny waist.  We are exposed to this image as young children, since cartoons (especially Disney cartoons) portray women in one way.  If you look at Cinderella, Jasmine, Bell, or any other classic Disney character, they all have this body type in common.  

If we are exposed to this image of the "perfect body" from an early start, we are bound to have this ingrained in our minds.  Cartoons are constantly using this stereotypical thin woman, and as we grow up, the media throws images at us of skinny women who supposedly have the ideal body.  As we get older, the weight loss ads will begin to have more of an effect on us because we want an easy way to lose that extra weight and look "skinny" again.  Why do we need to look skinny?  Because the media says so.  Therefore, society says so.  

While I admit that I am affected by media,  I am not obsessed with being perfectly skinny and looking like a model who is a size zero.  There are too many different body types to strive for one image of "perfection."  It's ridiculous how obsessed we can get over our own image, and we have the media to blame for it.  Starting from such a young age we are bombarded by the message that we have to look a certain way, otherwise we won't fit in with society.  It's a sad thought knowing the media has such power over us.  However, it is still our choice on how we decide to react to media.  It's just hard to ignore something that constantly surrounds us.  

#11 Midnight Poison-a New Cinderella?!

June 2, 2013

This ad caught my attention immediately because of its creepiness.  Fragrance ads seem to be getting stranger because ads like these, in my opinion, are not successful in selling the product.  Unless you yearn to be a vampire or something equivalent to one, the ad is strange in its concept.  It's called Midnight Poison and says "A new Cinderella is born."  What kind of Cinderella is this?!  I guess I understand why they said "Cinderella," since the product has the word "midnight" in it, and Cinderella had to return home by midnight.  However, that is the only connection, and not a very good one I might point out.  I can't say the same for others but personally, I don't want to look deathly pale and be a vampire.  

This ad is all about the extremely pale woman whose face is illuminated as the rest of her body is soaked in a blueish color.  I have to say, the colors do stand out, since the white face provides a contrast to the multiple shades of blue.  However, while the ad stands out, the product isn't sold very well.  What does Midnight Poison smell like?  And does using it make you become a vampire?  That's what the ad seems to be saying.  In fact, it's also saying that Midnight Poison will allow you become Cinderella, except the creepy version of her.  

This ad uses the need for attention, as do most fragrance advertisements.  The woman certainly gets our attention and the ad is trying to visually stimulate us to evoke a reaction.  As a result, we are supposed to be curious to what the fragrance smells like.  The limited use of words also attempts to evoke our curiosity, but frankly, I wouldn't be curious enough to actually check it out.  The ad is visually interesting, but overall it does not focus on the product and instead distracts the consumer with the creepy looking woman in the center.   

#10 Born Better- Arrowhead water

May 25, 2013

This Arrowhead ad gives the impression of being clean, fresh, and pure.  My mom always bought this brand of bottled water, so I grew used to only having Arrowhead.  I've realized that there are many, many brands of bottled water and it seems quite ridiculous that there are so many.  I mean, water is water right?  I'm perfectly fine with drinking filtered water and I don't need a specific water bottle brand.  In fact, we don't even buy bottled water anymore.  However, I have to admit that the Arrowhead ad has always been appealing because of the "freshness" implied by the purity of the mountain springs.  The ad uses the colors blue, green, and white to emphasize the purity and cleanliness of the water.  The mountains give off a cool and fresh impression, which we can associate with Arrowhead water.  The Arrowhead label also stands out because it is the thing in the ad that isn't blue or green.  The red provides a nice contrast to the blue sky.  

I was a little confused at the giant drop of water near the top of the page.  Then I realized that the drop was coming from the splashing water at the bottom.  It's a magnified droplet with an entire scenic view of the mountains and trees.  Apparently, Arrowhead water comprises of the freshness of snow capped mountains and deep forest green trees.  The ad also says "Every drop of Arrowhead 100% Mountain Spring Water comes from carefully selected mountain springs.  When you start with something better, you get something better."  The ad is saying that Arrowhead water is better than any other water brand because they choose better mountain springs than anyone else.  What determines a better mountain spring from just a mountain spring?  However, that doesn't matter to the consumer because Arrowhead is associated with freshness and purity.  Who doesn't want that in their bottled water?  This ad also uses weasel words when it says "Born Better" because it's saying that it's better than...what?  Being born better must mean it's better than everything.  That's quite a vague assumption to make.  

#9 Lunchables...now with smoothie!

May 25, 2013

I don't remember actually eating lunchables, but I know they seem quite convenient for parents looking for a quick school lunch for their kids.  And guess what?   Now they have smoothies!  The picture shows a very happy boy drinking his fruit smoothie.  His expression is not only happy, it's ecstatic and a little surprised.  Is he surprised that the smoothie tastes so good?  The picture itself has bright and cheerful colors, supporting the idea that the fruit smoothie makes children feel happy.  Since it's a fruit smoothie, parents also feel happy about giving it to their children.  The color scheme doesn't necessarily fit the color scheme of the smoothie, and this is because the advertisers are trying to include multiple bright colors.  The yellow fruit smoothie no longer stands out as much, because of the bright colors as well as the boy's expression.  The focus is on the boy's face because it radiates an overly happy and surprised look, which is all meant to connect back to the fruit smoothie.  

I was wondering why this company decided to use a fruit smoothie, instead of fruit juice.  Perhaps it is because fruit juice is too common and one can buy packs of fruit juice by itself.  Fruit smoothies sound healthier than fruit juice because it gives off the impression of being home-made and less processed than fruit juice.  Since the target audience is moms, this "healthier" drink appeals to them.  Moms want to feed their children something healthy enough, while still tasting good.  The problem with this ad, however, is that the actual drink says nothing about the flavor of the smoothie, or whether it's 100% fruit.  That means it's most likely not 100% fruit, which discards the idea that it's really that healthy.  

The appeal in this ad is the need to nurture, since it's targeted towards moms and shows an incredibly happy child holding his fruit smoothie.  Moms like the idea that if they give their child lunchables with this fruit smoothie, they'll be happy.  This also connects to simple solutions because the ad is implying that if you give your child this smoothie, they will be happy and content.  

#8 No Tampax, No Glory

May 19, 2013

Like many Tampax ads, this one shows women doing something quite athletic.  The woman in the center is jumping over a giant present, in other words, her monthly period.  She is able to jump over this huge obstacle because of Tampax.  Actually, she is jumping so incredibly high that it seems like the ad is saying Tampax will allow you to accomplish incredible feats.  Wouldn't that be cool?  If she wasn't using Tampax, then she would have no glory.  She owes her success to Tampax alone.  Who would have thought?

The sky is a grey and gloomy shade, and it looks like there's about to be a storm.  This was used to show that even though skies are grey and the woman is on her period, she can still outsmart it by using Tampax and accomplishing whatever she sets her mind to.  So essentially, Tampax brings happiness and a sense of accomplishment, even if times are looking grey.  The dull background also allows the giant red box to stand out.  The present, or her period, has the sign "Mother Nature's Monthly Gift."  Underneath the box, it says "Outsmart Mother Nature."  So Tampax can outsmart nature?  That is a little misleading, because it's not like Tampax will stop one's period.  There are also words saying "Let nothing stand in the way of your dreams.  Tampax Pearl protects better vs. the next leading brand."  That's quite a promise to make, because now we are left to believe that Tampax will help us realize and accomplish our dreams.  Then it goes to say that they're better than the next leading brand!  Says who?  Of course the ad would say that, but where's the proof?  

The woman in the middle is wearing blue, which matches the blue on the Tampax box.  The red box provides a contrast to this light blue, allowing the colors to stand out.  This ad also uses the need to dominate because it's saying that Tampax will allow us to accomplish our dreams.  Without it, we can have no glory.  It's also the need to achieve for this same reason.  The ad is focused on the woman in blue, because she is the one jumping over her biggest challenge- her period.  As far as we can see, she's also winning because she's ahead of the woman behind her.  She can owe her success to Tampax because it allowed her to achieve amazing things.  This ad uses simple solutions because it says that all of your period problems will be solved and overcome by using Tampax Pearl.  It also uses weasel words because it says that Tampax will outsmart Mother Nature.  How will it outsmart Mother Nature?  The ad is making a promise that it will outsmart Mother Nature, but there is no proof or guarantee.  

#7 Oscar Mayer Bacon

May 19, 2013

I have to admit that I am not a bacon lover, unlike many people.  I will eat it if I'm hungry, but I prefer other breakfast items anyway.  For those who do love bacon, does this ad make your mouth water?  Uncooked bacon with visible slabs of fat do not look very appealing, in my opinion.  I thought it would have been better to show the bacon sizzling on a pan, or on a plate, cooked in the very least.  The ad focuses attention on this pack of bacon, with a wood-like background.  This is to connect with the fact that it's hickory smoked.  The caption says "It scares other bacon to bits."  This is a play on words because of "bacon bits," but this time the bacon will scare the bacon to bits.  Bacon scaring other bacon to bits because it is so delicious and superior.  What a thought!  

This ad is relatively simple because the pack of bacon is the center of attention and is highlighted with the lighting being focused in the middle.  The Oscar Mayer sign is large enough so you know what company the ad is for.  There is only one caption, which is directly above the thick cut bacon.  The ad focuses on physiological needs because it attempts to appeal to those bacon lovers out there.  However, I still do believe it would have been more effective if the ad also showed a picture of cooked bacon.  It also uses magic ingredients because this bacon is supposedly extra delicious because it's "thick cut" and "hickory smoked."  Does that make this bacon superior to others?  According to this ad, it will scare other bacon.   

In my opinion, this ad is not effective (although I can't say the same for bacon lovers), because it did not succeed in making me want to buy some Oscar Mayer bacon.  The product looks like hunks of meat in front of a wooden panel.  Not very appetizing.  I also thought that the caption was ineffective because I found myself wondering, "Is it a good thing for this bacon to scare other bacon to bits?"  Either that means it's really terrible compared to other bacon, or it's amazingly superior.  Of course the ad is saying that this bacon is wonderfully superior, but I'm not convinced.