Technology continues to cater to the lifestyles of people across the world. The medium such as the internet succeeds in making life convenient for either the college student or the day to day working person. For those who are not familiar of the internet, it allows us to complete tasks such as reading a newspaper or book. The impressive medium also allows users to shop on line, pay-off utility bills, and place food orders. Sounds like a lot right?
Not only can the medium limit how much a person enacts within the real world. The internet also allows users to chat or possibly meet with people from across the world. There are many websites where people can create accounts and upload pictures in hope of scoring a date. Is this good or bad for people to substitute the act of meeting a person face to face as to engage into the cyber-world? I believe this idea of exploring people or enrolling in dating websites is by far ridiculous and sets a bad example, for the generations yet to come.
Whether my opinion matters or not, peoples’ lives have been impacted by this idea of online dating. Lives have also been taking into account as some people take the next step, which is meeting the person he or she has met online. The stories range from kidnaps to rapings and even death in result of meeting someone online. My feeling towards online dating is that it takes away the act and experience that comes with meeting a person at a dance, shopping mall, or institution. The realism that comes with meeting a person in real life cannot be substituted with e-mails or picture comments.
People are to experience the “natural” that comes with meeting someone at an event or store. By natural I mean simply feeling shy or perhaps surprised by the person that comes into your peripheral vision and compliments you on your physique or questions, if you would consider calling or going out on a date. This type of interaction I feel is better than connecting with someone you have met by browsing through age brackets or sex preferences.
The advertisement photo that I have attached, comments on this idea of dating online. Let’s say if I were a person that was interested in the product being advertised, I would simply assume that its target is active internet users.
The keyboard which is framed in a specialized order hints to the topic of online dating. The viewer is not able to see the keyboard within its complete dimension, but only some parts of it. Seeing only certain parts of the keyboard signifies that there is something personal the ad would like for its viewer to see. Using online dating sites as an example, when you view a person’s page it is what you get. You are able to see a profile picture or a description of the person, not the actual person. If one wanted to see more of the person online, one would have to make such arrangements and take chances which could be very dangerous.
The advertisement also shows the phrase “Find my date” located on the enter button. I believe that implies “Enter at your own risk”. People choose whether or not to enter online dating services. Once people hit the enter button, they become bombarded or later become addicts for the services provided for meeting others. The enter button almost serves as a door to another world (cyber-world), which can be a dangerous door for all ages and genders.
Millions of people everyday go on chat lines and dating services online hoping to find that special someone, a person to talk to, or whatever the case may be. Whether you meet someone online or in person you are taking a chance either way. I just feel that meeting in person is much safer, because you can see what you are getting yourself into, as to online it becomes a fantasy or a guessing game. Most of the people on the online dating services lie about something, so you aren’t really getting to know them for who they are. If you meet someone in person they really can’t lie about themselves because you are there to see for yourself.
In conclusion, online- dating services should not become apart of natural life. There are a range of people with criminal backgrounds with “rapist” playing an essential role to these sites. I feel meeting someone in person is the best way to get to know someone.
Technology has changed so much, and not necessarily for the good. Many people on the online dating services show themselves in ways that are inappropriate. For the internet to play roles that are educational or work related is acceptable. But for people to utilize the internet in hope of finding a partner downgrades the purpose of internet usage.

Controlling Nature and Everything Else Too

This country was founded by explorers looking for a new land to conquer. These original desires that help found this country are still drilled into the American youth from a young age by telling them they can be anything they want to and do anything when they grow up. These sentiments are not only taught to us by our parents or history but they surround us daily in our extremely visual culture. Many advertisements reinforce our need to always reach higher and cultivate this desire to be the best. The North Face company seems to have become experts at doing this with their ads showing majestic and harsh landscapes being conquered by an individual presumably wearing North Face gear. This urge to explore and over come obstacles in order to feel more powerful over our surroundings is created by this and other ads.

This North Face ad from 2008 for their Summit Series presents the viewer with a stunning picture of a lone figure on top of the mountain Gasherbrum II in the Karakoram Range that makes anyone want to be that individual and climb that mountain themselves. The ad doesn’t overemphasis its products like many other ads but actually underemphasizes it and instead lets the mountains do the selling. The figure is so small in the picture that it is not clearly evident that they are wearing North Face gear. This is a clear statement that what this ad is selling is actually the ability to climb that mountain. They’re saying, ‘with our gear, you can go here’. This idea is not only literally applicable to climbing a mountain but also to the ‘mountains’ people climb daily as well. North Face wants the consumer to see their product as something necessary for them to go for a run or even just walk to class. The picture clearly shows that the climber has not climbed the tallest mountain and still has greater heights that he can reach to. This creates a desire in people not only reach for what is attainable but to go just a little bit farther and be better then others. The ad reinforces this by adding the statement “Never Stop Exploring” at the bottom of the ad. This ad also creates a great desire in the viewer to feel powerful over their surroundings. All human beings are inherently self centered which leads to the feeling that we need or even have the right to control our surroundings. Having no power over your own life is a fear that everyone has. Thus in an ideal world we would have complete control over all aspects of our life and surroundings. The climber is not just climbing a mountain in the ad but he is embodying that power which we all want to feel.

The TV commercial for Toyota’s RAV4 also creates these same motifs through the imagery, commentary, and even the soundtrack. The ad shows the RAV4 driving between city scenes and nature scenes seamlessly creating the idea that with this car you can go anywhere as easily as the special effects show. Like the North Face ad this is designed to create a desire in people to go places and explore. The car even drives by an outdoors store to emphasize the fact that the car is going to take you to the rugid locations that you need the gear for. The commentator at the end boosts the viewers confidence by telling us that “your good to go…anywhere” which is meant to make us imagine where we would want to go if we had that vehicle. The transitions between the car driving in the city and then in nature also show how the vehicle helps the driver master any place that they want to drive and creates that desire in the viewer to be powerful in their surroundings. The song that is played throughout the ad, “There is a Mountain” by Donovan, serves not only to reiterate the fact that this vehicle can go anywhere but also to emphasize that there is always more mountains out there to reach for and overcome.

Both of these ads have much more in common than just promoting outdoor tools. They ignite feelings of exploration in the viewer making them want to feel powerful by overcoming obstacles and reaching for higher goals. Well these feelings are only meant to sell their products, they can have harmful effects when felt by the whole country. The need to feel powerful is what has driven this country to involve itself in an endless war. On an individual level, the need to feel powerful has devastating effects as well. Not everyone can be powerful at once and for those who have no control over their lives they find someone who they can control in an abusive relationship. So well these companies see themselves as just trying to sell a product, they are doing much more.

By Lanae Smith

Don't be Afraid. You are in Control.

This Nike advertisement portrays a man jogging through an urban environment while chaos is erupting around him. It is set in the midst of the “Y2K scare,” which explains the violence. In the beginning of the ad, the man wakes up and takes some aspirin, presumably for a hangover; then he goes for a morning jog. He finds people looting a broken ATM machine, cars overturned in the street, random explosions, escaped zoo animals, and even a missile gone haywire. This commercial connects with the viewer by working within a subject that is relevant to society, which then allows it to create the desire of transcending the portrayed societal problems.

In the years leading up to the new millennium, people grew more and more afraid of what might happen to all of our electronics systems when the clocks switched from 11:59 P.M. December 31, 1999 to midnight January 1, 2000. The media expanded the panic, which led to irrational decisions by consumers, such as the stockpiling of canned goods and bottled water. The rational thinkers, however, knew that nothing was going to change when the clocks struck midnight. And when the final decisive moment came, the rational thinkers were proven correct. This Nike commercial is a satire on the absurdist claims of the irrational. It portrays the worst possible scenario – the one that so many people were afraid of – and it lets the viewer know, ‘see, everything is going to be fine – that is if you wear Nike shoes.’ Of course, no one is dumb enough (I hope) to actually believe that a pair of Nike shoes will save a person from an apocalypse, but the ad creates a distinction between wearing the shoes (in other words, being comfortable or content) and not being affected by the worst of situations. So the viewer doesn’t have to be dumb to be tempted to try on a pair of Nikes. The TV spot equates comfort with being safe. The thought process then goes: if Nike shoes are comfortable, I’ll be safe and secure – why not give them a try?

The American Airlines advertisement (shown below) is another example of an ad that plays towards a recent event in our society: the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Unlike the Nike ad, however, this one does not incorporate satire. It was made after September 11, when a lot of people were still very emotional about the events that took place. The stakes were higher, because this was a situation that had a real and lasting impact on society. Therefore the commercial appears to be serious and patriotic. At the end, it claims, “proud to bear the name… American.” This sends the message that Americans are not afraid to fly, even after seeing terribly violent events that involved airplanes. American Airlines attempts to say, ‘fly with our company – we’ll keep you safe.’

Because the Nike ad portrays a relevant subject, it is able to create the desire to transcend the difficulties of that subject. It suggests the ability to be in control, as long as you are wearing Nike shoes. The jogger is at the center of complete chaos, but he is calm as can be. As a missile passes overhead, barely avoiding him, the man passively glances upward for a moment, then continues to look forward. He only stops once, merely to catch his breath, and the only interaction he experiences is with another jogger (who also appears to be totally calm). It is interesting to point out that the advertisement never actually provides a close-up of the shoes, nor does it ever display the word, ‘Nike.’ The viewer is led to assume that the two joggers are wearing Nike shoes by the ‘swoosh’ logos on their jackets. The Nike symbol and slogan (“Just do it.”) are apparently so well recognized that the company does not even need to use its name in its commercials anymore.

The Adidas commercial (shown below) is not able to enjoy the same sort of universal recognition in terms of its slogan. It displays a close-up of a pair of Adidas shoes, as well as the company name. Regardless of that, however, the ad is very similar to the Nike commercial. It embraces a similar, albeit more abstract form of chaos; and it portrays the man in the ad as being in control of his situation. In this advertisement, though, the man is isolated in his own world (a world that he is creating as he runs through it), as opposed to controlling his own life within a larger chaotic system. I suppose Adidas was trying to send the message that the people who wear Adidas shoes can feel free to comfortably go anywhere they please.

The Nike TV spot connects with the viewer by relating itself to society; then it creates the desire to surpass the given societal problems by showing how comfortable Nike shoes are. The commercial displays the message: ‘you are in control.’ The ad wants to send the message that no matter how bad things get, the consumer can still function normally. Of course, the whole “Y2K” situation that is presented is quite absurd, but that was done on purpose. Everyone likes a good joke, after all. But the message (‘you are in control’) seems a bit hypocritical, coming from a company that is attempting to instruct the viewer to buy its shoes. From the viewpoint of an informed consumer, this seems like a larger joke on the Nike Company itself. But is it really a joke, or should we be taking this kind of manipulation more seriously?

Eric Grycan

TA: David Witzling

Desire of Lifestyles

For some reason, I could not copy and paste my paper into the blog. I wrote my paper in Microsoft Word and the HTML is not correct for it to be posted or something like that. Im not too familiar with blogger and I don't know why it won't work. So instead I added a link to my paper. Click here to see my paper. If I find a solution to this, I will post my paper in the blog directly.
Kevin Witkowski
TA David Witzling

There Aint no Bugs on Me!

Sex. The major motivator used by advertising companies to sell products. Sell, sell sell. They accentuate the features of the female body such as her breast, curves, eyes, legs and ass. They use these attributes to make you think if you invest in this product this woman will have sex with you. But what about wholesome, good-natured commercials that don’t need to resort to these petty tactics to sell good products, what ideas do they try and sell? Well when selling such things as dog products, it would not only be a bad idea to use sex to sell, it would be extraordinarily awkward to watch. K-9 Advantix uses its consumer as a way to convince the people to buy. And it uses other ideas than typically used to sell their product.

This advertisement is a good balance of a lot of ideas. First of all they use this idea of comparing their product to the “other guys”. In this case they are comparing their product, K9 Advantix, to they “other guys”, Frontline Plus. Although Frontline Plus may be an excellent product they go further and add more things that their product defends against and even cures. They point out that K9 Advantix not only prevents getting fleas and ticks but also mosquitoes and even cures or gets rid of them if they do happen to get to your dog before you are able to protect your dog. Furthermore they even add other dogs to demonstrate the fact that their product is better by adding dogs that are always scratching themselves. Thus implying that Frontline or other products similar to it just don’t work at all. This strategy I used very often with products like this and is very effective in that it provides information. Through information they use they give you a biased opinion and a one sided view of the truth, even though there could be certain things that are better about the other product. But this is just a simple techniques used in the very beginning of ad displaying.

Another idea used in this advertisement is expressed by the use of the dog as the consumer. The mere fact that the dog is seen as the one who is “buying” this product is a new idea that hasn’t been used to frequently. The dog talks or sings as if he personally bought the product and is very happy with it. He’s almost rubbing it in when he walks past the dogs that clearly aren’t using K9 Advantix. They use this idea of a cute puppy to sell their product. Of course this product is for dogs but they don’t use a Doberman or a Rottweiler or even a full-grown Golden Retriever. They use a cute adorable little puppy that is easily seen as the cutest type of puppy by many. They almost use the same ideas that other commercials use when they use sex to sell. They are using this cute puppy to sort of say. If you get K9 Advantix not only will your dog be tick, flea, and mosquito free but he will also be really adorable. In this ad the use of a jingle is also used. A song, or beat and rhythm, is used to sell a product. Jingles can be a very effective way of selling a product because if it is catchy enough it’ll get stuck in your head and you not only get it in your head you can get it stuck in other people’s heads. A jingle entrances the audience into a state of happiness in a way to hook you into a product and you even want to sing along to it. Jingles not only tell you about the product they hypnotize you.

After viewing this advertisement of a type of kitty litter. I see how animals or not the person actually buying the product can be used to sell a product. By using the subject that is actually using the product such as a dog or a cat you can create this idea of happiness for the subject you are buying for. You may not want your cat “throwing a party” in your house but to know that if they were smart enough o pull something off like that they could do it without you noticing because your kitty litter stays so fresh. You aren’t really selling the product anymore but the idea of making your pet as happy as you can or giving it the best product for your animal or pet.

Although advertisements are set to sell a product doesn’t mean they set out to simply sell products. Advertisements are going further and selling ideas through means that make you believe and want to invest in this product. Using such things as cute animals or ideas of being the best or things as ridiculous as your cat throwing a cat party are simple ideas that convince you to invest n these products and give your animal the best because they use techniques of giving you the point of view of your pet. Ideas are necessary to be sold to sell products. Sell an idea and you sell your product. Simple, right?

Eric Adolphson
David

Helping YOU Find Love

Advertisements are meant to entice. They are used to create hope and desire in the consumers, making them believe that by purchasing a product they can obtain a certain ideal or status or lifestyle. They convince you that with their products alone the average person can acquire love, wealth, popularity, or any number of appealing traits. With subtle (or not so subtle) imagery, advertisements promise a slew of attractive prospects. One of these promises is that of companionship, love, and/or sex.

The first ad is for Bjorn Borg clothing company. The ad is set in the middle of a busy city street. The people milling about in the background are dull and grey, and it’s raining outside. In one half of the picture we have a girl, clad only in underwear, socks, and shoes. She is sitting alone, gazing outward with a wistful, daydreaming expression on her face. Perhaps she’s thinking of falling desperately, madly in love, if only she could find that one special person. On the other half of the ad is a boy, also in only underwear. He is in the midst of gazing interestedly at the girl across the way. Both the girl and the boy are the only people in the picture who are wearing vibrant and colorful clothing. They are also the only people not fully dressed. The text at the bottom of the ad reads “there is someone for everyone.” Bjorn Borg is feeding off of people’s desire to find love and companionship. The ad implies that by wearing their clothing you are able to easily attain just that.

The second ad implies that and more. The advertisement is for ckIN2U fragrance by Calvin Klein. In this ad we also have a girl and a boy, simply dressed in jeans and plain shirts. They are placed on the side of a building, probably in a bigger city, and graffiti is present. The girl is leaning against the building while the boy is leaning into her. They’re looking intently at one another, him reaching up to grasp her hair and her holding on to his belt. The text at the bottom of the ad reads “2 new fragrances. One for him. One for her.” It could be suggesting that the two people in the ad were brought together by the love of the common perfume/cologne. Maybe wearing the scent helps attract suitable partners. Whatever the case, the ad is clearly attempting to convince the viewer that purchasing the fragrance helps with the sometimes difficult task of finding romantic partnership.

Never have there been so many “simple” and “easy” ways to find love. Newer, faster online dating sites are popping up on the internet more frequently than ever. Society has become desperate to find love fast, and advertising has taken advantage of that. These ads also ask us to look into ourselves and wonder what it is about ourselves that keeps us from finding love. Maybe it’s only the lack of a sweet smelling perfume or a good looking pair of underwear that is holding us back. These companies promote their products as the surefire way to attract potential partners that could lead to that ever present desire of a long-lasting love. They feed off of people’s hope and longing for companionship just to make a profit. These ads, in the simplest of terms, say one thing: “Are you looking for love? Well, you’re in luck! All you have to do is buy, buy, buy.” Buy our perfume, underwear, lipstick, shoes, whatever it is, and in no time at all love will come to you.

Tanisha Richter

TA: David Witzling

Violence can be fun too

The debate of wether or not video games have any impact on violent behaviors is still up in the air, but it seems as if the people at Microsoft are taking advantage of that very debate. In this banned Xbox 360 commercial we see a very large group of people pretending to shoot and kill each other. In the background we hear playful music playing, the purpose is to create a sense that something like this is fun.




An interesting thing about this ad is that the product itself is never shown. If you were to take out the end of the commercial with the Xbox 360 logo you would never know what it is for. Video games are becoming an increasingly social experience now with services like Xbox Live. This ad is creating a desire for that sort of a social experience more than the actual console because that experience is only obtainable through this specific console. The only difference here is that the ad is depicted in real life (which is most likely where the controversy of this specific ad came from).

The tagline “Jump In” creates a sense that anyone can just pick it up and have fun. It may be giving a wrong impression however through the parallels between this ad and real life tragedies. Essentially what this specific ad is saying is that it is fun to participate in this social experience, killing your friends in a video game. It makes the viewer wish that life were more like a video game. The focus of more recent Xbox 360 ads seems to be about creating a fun environment to play with friends and socialize. This new focus is obviously trying to break down stereotypes associated with video games that kids don’t socialize.

In this ad for Mountain Dew, we see the new flavor “Game Fuel” created as a way to market Halo 3. The ad shows people all around the world playing Halo 3 while drinking the Mountain Dew Game Fuel. This is interesting because a separate company that has no connection to the video game industry is now promoting this desire to socialize through video games.




In this new ad we assume that the men yelling have lost a game of Halo 3, after a montage of yelling we see a man in his home laughing, having a good time. It is apparent that he beat everyone else. After he wins he grabs a bottle of game fuel. In this ad we are shown multiple advertisements. The specific ad is promoting Mountain Dew, but in addition we are shown images of the Xbox 360, Halo 3, and others playing online and participating in the social experience that i mentioned earlier.

Both of these ads purposes are to make the audience want to participate in the multiplayer aspect of the game, in a sense its showing the viewer that you’ll have friends. Which is odd that they would try and “sell” friendship. Ultimately the ad creates this desire to play these games with your friends.

Where these ads fail however is that the core audience that they’re marketing to most likely have these consoles or games. The very people who would understand the desire to have a giant shootout have already played those types of games and most likely already own the system. So making an ad that would be designed to bring in more “hardcore” gamers is a little pointless. Because those are the people that already own it. Microsoft should shift its focus onto bringing in a wider audience.

The core demographic of the Xbox 360 are males between the ages of 16 and 25, So their games would have a more mature nature to them. But marketing the “experience” of playing with your friends doesn’t really add much desire for that core demographic because they would already be aware of that aspect. The first ad for someone who doesn’t play video games may see it as irresponsible and may not understand it. But those who play these types of games would enjoy seeing the commercial as it depicts video game scenarios in a real life environment. Selling a social experience to the gamers that are already aware of its existence is a little pointless.

Nick Aldrich
TA: David Witzling