Let's just have a kid and a gun..

I remember my 7th period teacher showing our class this last year and we briefly discussed it but i don't remember details. When I first glanced at it I saw the girls with the gun and thought "what the heck is going on here." Then I saw read the text at the top that says "one child is holding something that's banned in America to protect them. Guess which one." Then the text at the bottoms goes on to say "we won't sell Kinder chocolate eggs in the interest of child safety. Why not assault weapons?" Obviously, the assault rifle is more dangerous than the chocolate egg and they're sending the message that since assault weapons are clearly more dangerous why are they not banned and a chocolate egg IS banned? Something else i noticed was the lighting of the ad, towards the edges it gets sort of brownish or darker and there's just some light in the middle of the picture, focused on the kids. So it draws more attentions to them and directs you towards the message that they're trying to send.  

The most prominent need they're appealing to is the need to nurture because they put kids in the picture and kids with guns is just outrageous. By they I mean the organization called "Moms Demand Action", who're fighting for, I think, better gun control or banning assault rifles. So the need to nurture plays a big role in this advertising. The target audience is parents, maybe more specifically moms because they're using kids in the ad and they're specifically saying how assault weapons are dangerous towards kids. 

Overall, i think this ad does a good job at promoting what the organization believes in and it's pretty effective because they use kids and i guess they could be making the assumption that everyone loves kids and they think they're so precious, so if they put dangerous assault rifles and kids together, it'll make the message all the more effective.

Only Slightly disturbing..

These are cigarette packs in Australia and as you can see there are pretty disturbing images on them. Also, while the image is big on the box and the brand is small and just at the bottom. With this, i think the company is way more concerned about the well being of the society than their profits. I feel like when you buy it, it's sort of saying this is what you're buying: cancer and disease. And every time you take out the pack to get a cigarette, it reminds you that this could happen to you. I'm pretty sure these are pictures of relatively extreme circumstances but it sends a good message. I really like how they show you real images of what could happen to you if you continue smoking because it helps to encourage the public to stop smoking and to not smoke. If you compare these to the ones in America, that're just like white with the brand name 'Marlboro' or they just feature the brand name, these are way better. These bring you reality and actually show you the effects of smoking. In addition, i think this could be sending the message that this company, in a way, warns you about the effects of smoking so it shows they care about you and that could, possibly, make them seem better.

I think this would appeal to smokers or people who buy the cigarettes because if you smoke cigarettes, these images can't not affect you because they're what could happen to you. And everyone has to care about themselves, it's human nature. 

Overall, i think this way of advertising is very effective, not necessarily, in a positive way to help the company make profit, but i think it helps the public because it shows what smoking could lead to, discouraging you from smoking.

Don't let labels hold YOU back..

I saw this Pantene commercial and i guess it's from the Philippines but i thought it was interesting. The music is a little dramatic in this ad and it has a big part. The lyrics are: 

"All around me are familiar faces, worn out faces, worn out places. Bright and early for their daily races, going no where, going now where. And their tears are filling up their glasses, no expression, no expression. Mad world, mad world."

 Also, throughout the video it shows a man with a label in the back ground such as boss, then it shows a woman with a label in the background, such as bossy. The other labels that are shown  for men - women are: persuasive- pushy, dedicated- selfish, neat-vain, and smooth- showoff. This shows that the world is sexist and they put more negative labels on women than men. And this is a direct target on women as their audience. 

This ad appeals to the need for attention because at the end of the commercial it says "Don't let labels hold you back." and "Be strong and shine." I think this gives the message of stop being limited and just go "shine", like stand out and do what you do. Also, i think shine is equivocation because they're using shine as in go out there and shine, stand out with your personality, but since it's an ad for Pantene it also means make your hair shine. Furthermore, with those words they're using the advertising technique of weasel words because they have suggest a positive meaning but it doesn't necessarily guarantee anything. Another technique they're using is simple solutions because they show all these labels about women that "hold you back" then in the end they're kind of saying "Don't worry about the labels, just go shine with this hair shampoo"

Overall, i thought this ad was pretty effective because the music really got me since it was all dramatic and it took an approach towards the society with the labels. I thought it was pretty clever even though the commercial doesn't really have much at all to do with hair shampoo.

OMG CoD: Ghosts

                                         

So i found some Monster in my fridge and when i first saw it i thought "Oh my gosh Ghosts!" Then i looked at the can and saw the a ghost face on one side of the Monster Logo and then the character's face on the other side of the Monster logo. I thought the design was really cool because when i first glanced at it i didn't see the guys face or, i guess, side of his face and when i took a couple more seconds to look at it i saw it and thought "woah!" because it sort of comes out from the blackness of the can. 

I'm not completely sure who this is targeting, it could be whoever buys energy drinks or it could just be the company of CoD paying Monster to put this image on their cans to promote their new game. So that people will see the game more.

I don't really know what advertising techniques are being used; however, this does appeal to the need to satisfy curiosity. I believe there's a website or something on the can that leads you to something about the new game. Also, since it doesn't say that this is a game being featured and you don't know what it is, that could lead you to searching Call of Duty: Ghosts on the internet.

Overall, i think this does the job of getting the new Call of Duty game  more known and out there. Personally, i kinda want this game because it's new so there should be different and hopefully better things on there. I'm not exactly sure what's new about it because i haven't looked it up, yet. Not only is it just new, but whenever a new game comes out you kinda have to buy it because if you want to play online on the older games, they  have less players because all the players are on the new game. So if you want to play with people online, you need to get the new game.

Let there be peeeace on earth!

This is a really quick 30 second commercial that has a youth choir singing "Peace On Earth." At first, they show candles and people going into the building to hear the choir sing, but you don't really know what the commercial is selling until the end. The song they sing gives off a soothing,sweet, and nice feeling. It also reminds me of the holidays because that song feels like a holiday song and there's Christmas lights shown along with those green circle things people put on their doors during the holidays. And it is used to advertise their new candles inspired by the holidays.

Right after they sing "Let there be peace of earth." the Glade brand comes up and at the end it says "SC Johnson, the family company." With the Glade popping up right after, I feel like they're trying to send the message that these candles can help let there be peace on earth. Also, i think their audience is everyone because they show all the different kids and at one point you could see some of the parents but they still showed a diverse crowd so i think it's suppose to appeal to everyone. 

The only advertising technique that is obvious to me is the transfer/association with the lyrics of the song, as I wrote about before. Like, the lyrics of the song have to do with the candles. In that moment of the commercial it seems like the lyrics have to do with Glade because they make it that way. But if you think about it, it doesn't really have to do with "Peace on earth." On the other hand, if this isn't the transfer/association technique then, they could just be showing them singing a holiday song just to make the connection that they're also selling holiday inspired candles. Another advertising technique that they're using is glittering generalities because they show the choir in a holiday setting with all the decorations and they're wearing maroon and it all gives off a warm, nice holiday feel. So it seems like the candles are all holiday-like and sweet and warm.

This ad could be appealing to the need to nurture because they have a choir full of kids and children have a big part in the holidays, they make the holiday feeling more joyful so that's why they had kids and teens in the commercial.

Overall, I think this ad could have been better and more effective if they made it longer so they could add more stuff. However, they did a good job at setting a nice holiday feel.

Hot Poocketss~~

This ad popped up while i was trying to watch a video on Youtube. In the beginning it showed these ladies coming back from, what it seems like, clubbing and i was just wondering what could this ad be all about and i saw in the top left corner that it was for Hot Pockets so i stay tuned to see how it'd play out.

I actually like this ad. It wasn't like anything i was expecting, they made a parody of "Just a Friend", called "You Got What I Eat." The song was just smooth and really catchy. They also featured Snoop Dog, Bow Wow, KevJumba, and Kate Upton, whom I'm not familiar with. Obviously, Snoop Dog and Bow Wow are famous music artists and KevJumba is popular Youtuber. With featuring these people in their ad, I'm sure they're trying to make it more appealing to the fans of these stars. There's also this scene in the video when they make it blocky and cartoon-like, like Minecraft and i think this would appeal to all those who play Minecraft. However, I'm not quite sure what audience they're targeting or if it's just everyone in general. 

The many advertising techniques used in this are Gestalt: subliminal persuasion, repetition, humor appeal, and glittering generalities. Throughout the ad they show many shades of red and sometimes they use a really deep shade so this would be Gestalt: subliminal persuasion. In addition, they made a song so there's repetition, but not of their brand name, 'Hot Pockets'. They repeat some lyrics and they have course so when you hear that you'll just think of the song then you'll think of the hot pockets commercial. Also, it helps that this is a parody of "Just A Friend" because if you do hear this song the beat will also remind you of this song, then hot pockets. As for the humor appeal, the chorus of the song is sang in a weird masculine voice, but it shows Kate Upton mouthing the words. Of course, this adds some humor. Lastly, the glittering generalities is used when they show a hot pocket having oil or something being brushed on it and in the background it shows fire. I imagine steak or some kinda of meat being brushed with butter. I think the fire and the brushing stuff on a hot pocket makes the quality of it seem better because with the fire in the background, i think it gives off a feeling of a fancy restaurant with a big kitchen in the back. Also, at one point they show Kate and Snoop Dog in this place with a fire place and a red, fancy piano and she's all dressed up with her hair done. This makes it seem fancy too.

This advertisement also appeals to some needs. They appeal to our physiological needs by showing the meat being cut with it being a nice redish-pink-brown color. Also, when it shows them coming back in the beginning with it being dark, it shows that it can be a good late-night snack. It appeals to the need for aesthetic sensation because at some point it shows someone doing headspins and that was really cool. 

Overall, i thought this advertisement was effective because it made a really catchy song and could appeal to many people. Even though, it didn't actually make me go out and get a hot pocket. I'm not really sure if there are many ads that actually make me go out and get whatever they're selling.

Drink up.

                        

I've seen this billboard twice and the first time I saw it I didn't really think about the meaning of "LIVE LIFE UNFILTERED" and I just shrugged it off. And the second time I saw it, I was really bored so I actually started to think it and I just thought "what's that even suppose to mean?" That's exactly what they were talking about in The Persuaders, how  all media has vague, meaningless phrases that have no meaning and that are just suppose to have a positive connotation. So when you first read "LIVE LIFE UNFILTERED" it sounds like a good thing but when you actually think about it, it's really not anything. Also, people could put their own meanings on what living unfiltered means, based on their own experiences and views on life.

Shock-top is an alcoholic beverage,kind of like beer, and the ad doesn't actually show the product it's advertising, it just shows the brand name so you can't actually know what it's advertising from just the ad. I knew it was an alcoholic beverage from prior knowledge. So with it not directly showing it's product, I think the slogan "LIVE LIFE UNFILTERED" gives a positive connotation that makes whatever their advertising seems good. If you don't know what they're advertising then they're just sending the message that whatever they're selling is good because it lets you live unfiltered, without being limited. If you know it's an alcoholic beverage then the message they're sending is that when you drink this you'll feel free and "unfiltered," your life will be limitless.

Overall I don't think this ad is that effective because if you actually think about it, the slogan doesn't mean anything, although it contains a positive connotation. Also, I don't think an alcoholic beverage can change your life and make it "unfiltered," I mean I guess it could change how you feel for a little while, but it won't change your life forever, at least not in a good way.

All of those baaags.

                                      

So I was at Arden Fair Mall and I sat on a bench, then i noticed this. I've walked by this many times but this was the first time i really noticed it. In the bottom right it says "Your people. Your place. your stuff." It also shows all the bags of the stores they have in the mall. The way they keep using "Your" is pathos because they're appealing directly to the audience. It seems like it's saying this is all yours and this is where you belong. Also, the words "people", "place", and "stuff" all seem pretty vague. I think they're left vague so that it includes everything it doesn't target only one specific thing. For example, it says "Your place." Your place for what? Just "Your place." Like it's saying Your place for everything and anything. Also, all the bags of the stores they show, i think this displays all the stores  they have as well as all the stuff they have for you. Like they're trying to say "look at all the stores we have for you, we have all this stuff for you to buy, a lot of variety!" Furthermore, I'm not sure if they're actual bags of the stores is just a coincidence because they could have just showed the store names. However, this could show that you could have all this stuff from all these stores because when you get a bag you're usually getting something from that store.

I think the message they're trying to send is this place is yours, you belong here, and your people are here too. And this is your stuff and this part says that you should buy this stuff then it's your stuff. A big role in this message is you, it's centered around you and they try to make it seem like everything here is just for you.

There's an animal who needs you.

I never watch these commercials all the way through, whenever they come on I'd always change the commercials because they show sad animals and play slow sad music. Anyways, I had to watch this one all the way through so i could write about it. It was the longest two minutes ever. It showed a bunch of dogs looking sad and then it showed a couple handicapped animals and that was so hard to watch. Then a lady came in and said you could be these animals' angels by donating 18$ dollars a month. Towards the end of the commercial it showed happier dogs.

I don't appreciate how they show sad and handicapped dogs to make their audience feel bad so they'll donate. That's why i never watch these commercials because i don't want to watch something that makes me feel bad! I feel like they're trying to appeal to old people who're just sitting on the couch watching t.v. with nothing else to do and then this commercial comes on and makes them feel sad and then they have nothing else to spend their money on so they end up donating. OR they could be trying to appeal to people who strongly care about pets so they show them sad pets to make them feel bad and make them want to donate so the pets won't be sad anymore. Also, the music has such a big affect on the audience because if you silence your speakers and watch the video it's still pretty bad with the handicapped dogs and such but it's not as bad as when you watch it with the slow sad music. I wonder how they film these videos, like how could you make a dog look so sad, unless that's just how the dogs always look but i doubt that.

Overall, this commercial has a really strong pathos, which i don't like, and i feel like I'm not the only one who doesn't like to watch these commercials because they're so sad! 

There's always that one character.

Recently, I watched The Heat and throughout the movie i felt like i was constantly rooting for Det, Shannon Mullins. This movie has the genres of action, crime, and comedy. In my view, it was SO FUNNY and part of the humor is due to the immense use of foul language, probably why it's rated R, coming from Shannon Mullins. Basically, Sarah Ashburn, an uptight federal agent, has to work with foul-mouthed Detective Shannon to take down a drug lord. When they first meet, Sarah steals Shannon's parking spot and then Shannon cusses her out, but Sarah just walks away. When Shannon finally gets out of her car, she goes into the police department to find Sarah already interrogating her suspect, then Shannon tells her to get out. However, Sarah is just as stubborn and refuses to, and asks her to shut the door and leave. Then, Shannon replies with "I'll shut the door on you. Will you lay down here, put your head in the door and I'll slam it about 157 thousand (f-bombing) times."

The way Shannon acts and speaks can seem very unprofessional and inappropriate, but i still really love her character. It could be because at the start of the movie, Sarah was portrayed as a stuck-up, cocky person and I didn't like that so when they showed Shannon I was rooting for her because she's not uptight and she cussed right at Sarah's face. This shows that Shannon is very upfront with her feelings so she showed her dislike directly to Sarah. I feel like this was the main part in why people would favor Shannon because she doesn't take anything from anyone. For example, her boss does something and she actually  makes a big joke about him with some foul language and it's so funny. Anyways, I think that could make more people like her as a character because some people might want to really cuss out their boss also, but they want to keep their job so they have to endure their boss's unreasonableness but with Shannon she just let's it all out. Another reason why she's likable is that she dresses very casual and she's not from a high-class, luxurious family, her family's just like her foul-mouthed and normal. I think this can be a common ground because she's a detective but she's so casual, she's not high class and stuck-up, she's just like a normal person and I think this could let people relate to her. In addition to this, although she's foul-mouthed and not very professional she does get the job done. Like when, they're' interrogating someone, Sarah says to be patient and she's being professional about it. BUT, Shannon goes in the room and threatens the guy and actually makes him talk.

Overall, the movie was really funny, everyone needs to see it and maybe, just maybe, you could see why Shannon is so likable as a character. Also, towards the end of the movie, Sarah actually starts to act like Shannon, by using foul language and being a little unprofessional, but i think she became more likable this way and it's funny too.

Microsoft Surface Commercial.

I actually saw this commercial several times, a while back. Every time it came on, it really caught my attention and amazed me. The beginning starts off quiet with a guy who then connects the item to a key board with a "click" sound and this attracts the attention of some people. Then its shows many other people connecting the item with a keyboard and people opening the stand on the back of the item with "clicks" too. And this starts off the music and then it shows people attaching and detaching the keyboard all in unison so it looks really cool. Next the main guy throws the key boards and the Surface around, and it goes on to girls dancing with the surface. It also shows one guy doing a flip with the surface and while he's flipping he connects it to the keyboard which another guy is holding and he also does a flip. Towards the end, there's just a bunch of people and a bunch of Surfaces along with the keyboards and the people are dancing and jumping, then they all end in a pose. And at the end the main guy smiles and presses "Start" on the Surface. 

The purpose of this commercial is to show off the features of the Surface and make it look really cool by putting it with people dancing and flipping. Throughout the 1 min ad they manage to show a whole lot of the features of the device, such as a stand, the video, pictures, the easy access to apps, and its durability. The music also had a big role in appealing to the audience because it gave off a positive, happy, and inspiring feel. In most of the video, the actors did their movement to the beat of the music and i think this had a positive effect on the audience because what they were seeing and hearing matched so it was just cool. Also, i think that when they threw the Surfaces and keyboards around and people caught it as well as the part when the guys did and flip and simultaneously connect the surface and the keyboard it showed the durability of it because it's so light you can just throw it around and it won't break. 

As for the visual aspect, they had all kinds of people in this video: school girls, everyday people, business people, construction people, and old people, to show that this device is for anyone to use. Along with the variety of people, they have a whole bunch of colors throughout the video and that really helps to attract attention. And at the end when the main guy smiles and presses the "start" button, it's like showing that all this greatness comes from this device. 

Overall, i thought the commercial was very effective in appealing to everyone and making the product seem more amazing than it might be. I really like anything that shows people dancing and doing flips because those things just really appeal to me. Also, the main guy in the ad is a dancer named Bboy Cloud, so, to me, that's even more amazing, but not everyone will know who he is.