Reflection.

The amount of media I consume started impacting my life before I even knew about it! I don’t think that I became aware to how much media impacts my life until I took this class. Media kind of impacted me subconsciously. I realized that the other day a lot when we were watching that movie, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, when I became aware of that Mane and Tale shampoo. Even though that movie was supposed to be criticizing media while using big companies to fund for the advertising in it, I still became very interested in that product. I’ve never even heard of it before but the idea strikes me as odd because it is used on horses too! I honestly felt like I needed to buy it after, even though I don’t even need shampoo at the moment. It made me think, what other products have won my attention before? I think that maybe now that I know about my media consumption, maybe I won’t be so vulnerable against buying things that are unnecessary for me. Now I will be able to think about what attracts me to certain products and I can use this thinking to ask myself, does this product really fulfill this need I feel? Now that I know about the media tactics, I can understand what people these ads are targeted for and why. Before, I didn’t even know that there were certain advertising techniques that are used or I never even paid attention to how manipulative commercials can be or who they are meant for in terms of their audience. I think my media consumption habits have changed because now I find myself less interested in products that say that they are the best or better than any other product because those statements are so vague and not very reliable since most products use those weasel words. I think it is important to have media literacy because you really get to understand why companies try so hard to put every detail how it is in their ad, the way it is. Every word, every sound, and every picture they put out there for us to see, when it comes to advertising, has a specific purpose whether we are aware of it or not. It helps us realize how precise companies work to manipulate their consumers to buying their products, because they really can have that power! And I think that being an educated consumer is important because now I won’t be buying so many products that are really unnecessary for me and I will understand that none of the products will really make a difference in my life. From keeping this log, I learned what kind of advertisements really interested me and got my attention as well as why they did. This log helped me put ideas together from what I’ve learned and kept me open to what other people’s opinions were on the same log I did. I really found it interesting reading from what other people got from different blogs and what they thought of mine. This assignment was actually really fun in my opinion, because I love to take things apart, piece by piece, to understand what advertisers are trying to convey or make me feel. Media is very important in our world today because it surrounds us and impacts us in ways that we didn’t know it could so I thought this subject was fascinating.

Media Log #12--Colombia Ad

The little writing says, "Omni-Heat is 20% warmer than an ordinary lining. It breaths and regulates temperature so you don't  get overheated. That's because it's made with a patent-pending silver dot pattern that reflects your heat back to you. All you have to do is put it on. Visit colombia.com/omni-heat to see the warmest jackets tested by some of the coldest people in The Greater Outdoors."

I found this ad when I was flipping through a skiing magazine while looking for other magazine articles/pictures for the group commercial project. I really liked this ad because I thought it was a little funny. She could wear the jacket to not be so cold but she's posing for this photo to advertise this jacket. I don't think the jacket could make her legs any warmer though. The target audience for this ad is definitely teenagers ranging up to people in their later twenties because the girl is in her early twenties I'm assuming and whenever I go skiing, I notice a lot of the people there are in their twenties so they would be most likely to buy this product. I like how the lighting is all black and white, making the jacket and the omni-heat symbol stand out. I really liked the use of words in this ad too; they almost associate this jacket with the human body because it breaths and regulates temperature. The techniques used were Facts and Figures, Magic Ingredients, Wit and Humor, and Simple Solutions. They used Facts and figures because they said that omni-heat makes it 20% warmer, instead of saying that it is a lot warmer, making the product sound superior to others. They use Magic Ingredients because they say that this omni-heat lining is better than any other lining because it is omni-heat. The ad uses Wit and Humor because the picture is of a girl who is freezing because she is not wearing the jacket and the caption says: Omni-heat: 20% warmer when applied correctly. The ad also uses simple solutions because it gives us this idea that if we buy this jacket, we won't ever need to deal with overheating or being cold because when you are in the snow, it is very difficult to have a perfect temperature. It is either too cold or too hot because you're wearing too many clothes and it's a little hard to change clothes when you're up on the mountain. The main appeal I found was the need to achieve because this product makes us feel like we won't ever need to deal with difficulties in temperature while wearing this jacket.

Media Log #11--Cheerios Commercial

I chose to do this commercial because Janelle said that my sister looks like the girl in this commercial, which she kinds does because they have the same haircut. Overall, I think this commercial is super cute. The target audience is definitely for middle-class mothers because they use this little, cute girl to appeal to mothers. This is middle class because the house in the background is like an average home for the middle class people. I noticed that throughout the add, there are a lot of dull pastel colors, which makes the product stand out in the end of the commercial with the bright yellow and red.
Some of the main techniques I noticed were plain folks and simple solutions. This was plain folks because they showed average, ordinary people to make it apply for any other average person. This was simple solutions because the little girl didn't want to associate herself with anything for babies, which was literally everything in this ad. Until she sees the Cheerio box, she finds something that she wants. The ad uses a lot of repetition to get emphasize that everything is for babies but in the end there is one thing that is for everyone--the cheerios. She says "That's for babies" about four times and says babies itself five times. The main appeal was the need to nurture because they use this cute little girl that makes the audience want to take care of her or a child. Overall, I really liked this commercial. The little girl is so cute!

Media Log #10--Target Ad

I was flipping through a People magazine when I came across this ad. I thought that the picture was very effective, targeting mothers who clean their home. They show a variety of different types of cleaning products provided by the Target brand. One of the techniques I noticed was Simple Solutions because if you have a messy or dirty house, you can go to Target and find any product you want to 'keep a tidy home'. Another one is Bandwagon because it mentions how Target has over 1,000 quality products you can't live with out, at prices you can happily live with, so basically you'll be on the winning side when you go to Target. They use facts and figures by saying that there are over 1,000 quality products, to give us this idea that Target has everything. I noticed that there are mostly cool colors (other than the arrows in the bucket), but like the big arrow and the text are both cool colors, making the Target logo stand out from the rest of the ad. I don't really know what the deal is with the arrow, whether they are trying to put more logos out there associated with Target because I have noticed many of their products have that arrow on it. Some of the emotional appeals I found was need for affiliation because it says that there are over a thousand products you can't live without, giving us this idea that if we don't buy their products we will be left out. Target seems to make this assumption a lot, that everyone knows what that logo stands for, which I think most people really do know that that is a Target logo. Overall, i liked this ad because I liked the picture and the idea of it.

Media Log #9--Loreal Paris Ad

I was browsing through a few magazines the other day while getting a pedicure with my mother and I came across this ad. The target audience for this ad is definitely women, but I think it's targeted towards younger women more because as women get older, they don't really wear these 'intense' shades. The ad uses a lot of weasel words like incredibly, infallible, and intense, incomparable to make the product sounds extraordinary. I noticed that all of the words that I found as weasel words start with an 'i', making the adjectives more memorable maybe? The ad uses facts and figures by saying that this intense color lasts a full 24 hours. I don't quite understand why anyone would be wearing eye shadow for that long, but I imagine that if it lasts that long, it must be hard to remove. I noticed that the palette the eye shadow is in is this silver color, which stands out against the purple, and the purple eye shadow even shimmers a silver color, so I thought that was pretty cool and effective. This ad also uses Simple Solutions because it states that this product is 'fadeproof, waterproof, sweatproof, and it even resists creasing'! By using the word 'even', it makes the product sound like it is the best eye shadow ever, especially because it resists creasing. The emotional appeals in this ad is obviously need for attention. By wearing these 'intense' shades, I think this is supposed to make you look more noticeable. Overall, I thought that this was a good ad, even though I wouldn't by eye shadow that is this 'intense'.

Media Log #8--Pepsi Commercial

This is a Pepsi commercial from last year that I thought was very funny. It makes this assumption that women are very controlling over their boyfriend/husband. I thought that the target audience was for men because I think that maybe women could be offended by this ad because of this assumption that it makes. I think it is a little weird that the only thing that his girlfriend or wife is controlling is what he is eating, which makes the Pepsi look healthier than all of the other food he was about to eat. I thought that one of the main techniques used was Wit and Humor because it is kind of funny how the girlfriend gets all mad and accidently hits the girl runner in the face with her Pepsi can while aiming for her boyfriend. They also use facts and figures by saying that there is zero calories in this drink, Pepsi Max, which I think is a little unbelievable. Some emotional appeals made were the need to aggress because the girlfriend tries throwing her can at her boyfriend after looking at someone else, because she wants to 'get even'.  Overall, I thought this was a funny commercial.

Media Log #7--Snickers Commercial

I remember I saw this commercial about two years ago when I watched the Super Bowl and I thought this one was very funny. I think that Betty White is great. I think the target audience is men who know who Betty White is and who like to watch or play football. This commercial's advertising techniques used are Testimonial, Simple Solutions, and Wit and Humor. This is Testimonial because they tell one of the players they are playing like Betty White so they use her in this commercial to show that when you eat this product, you will play better. They use Simple Solutions because they are are attacking the problem of hunger and playing bad football with a solution--a Snickers bar. They use Wit and Humor because it's funny how Betty White says, "That's not what your girlfriend said!" when someone tells her that she plays like Betty White. It's also a little funny that this grownup man is taking down Betty White and she falls in the mud. The emotional appeal used is the physiological need for eating. The assumption made is that if you eat this candy bar, you will play football better and you won't be hungry. I don't think that this assumption is very realistic because Snickers is only a candy bar! Also they assume that without a candy bar, you aren't yourself, which I think is also unrealistic. Overall, I really thought this commercial was successful in getting my attention because I still remember it today!

Media Log #6--Magazine Cover

I was in the grocery store line and I saw this magazine on the racks near the check out. These ads look very disturbing to me and I think it's such a shame that people do this to their bodies. While people are trying to look 'attractive', they make themselves look more unappealing by not eating. These are celebrities too so I bet this magazine is using Testimonial by incorporating famous people in their articles for dieting! I hope that their fans aren't influenced by their diet habits. I think it's funny that on the cover it says "Stars' Best, Worst & Most EXTREME Diets" and by looking at those pictures, I don't think a single one of those diets is the best or even close to it at all. Being addicted to dieting must not be healthy or 'the best'. I hope that when people see this magazine, they don't think this type of dieting is good just because their 'idol' does it; it looks so unhealthy. The target audience for this magazine is probably for teenagers and college students because I don't think adults would ever want to read this magazine.

Media Log #5--Doritos Commercial

I was on the internet looking for commercials and I came across this funny Doritos commercial. I love it. The owner is teasing his dog with a bag of Doritos and in the end the dog wins the Doritos. I think the target audience for this commercial is for teenagers or college students because adults don't really eat Doritos chips and this commercial isn't exactly directed towards little kids. I think the most common advertising technique in this ad is Wit and Humor because this commercial did get me to laugh. There are not many others that I think would fit with this ad because they don't talk about Doritos. However, there are a few basic appeals in this video like need to nurture, need to aggress, and the physiological need to eat. The music in the background is very intense, making the situation more dramatic and making the pug look victorious. Some assumptions could be made by this video like, all pugs like to eat Doritos, or men like to tease dogs.

Media Log #4--Pantene Pro-V

As I was flipping through my mom's old Real Simple magazines like in the previous media log entry I made, I came across this ad for Pantene's shampoo and conditioner. I found many things that were interesting about this ad--one including the picture. This model's hair is weaved through bamboo, which i think is supposed to be associated with naturalness. This bamboo also matches with the color of this Pantene bottle, associating this bottle with a natural look you will get from using this product. I think that the flower in her hair is also supposed to be associated with a natural look because flowers do come from the earth. This model is glowing just like the bottle, so many people can make that assumption, if I use this Pantene, my hair will be as shiny as hers!
I also noticed that the bottle itself is supposed to be associated with this natural feeling. The colors on it are green and white, associating itself with nature. On the side of the picture of the bottle it says, up to 59% plant-based bottle excluding cap. This makes it sound like everything about this product is natural!
The choice of words also makes a huge difference for this product. The ad uses repetition with how healthy this product is for your hair, using the word healthy four times. The ad uses words like planet, plant-based, and nature also makes this product sound very natural. The ad uses weasel words like 'up to', and 'stronger' to emphasize how great this product is for your hair. By saying 'up to', it doesn't guarantee that this 'Cassia' makes the hair exactly ten times stronger, or that 59% of the bottle is actually plant-based. This ad uses Facts and Figures to prove the superiority of the product with numbers, using 59% plant-based, and 10x stronger. This ad also uses Magic Ingredients, the one being this so-called 'Cassia' that makes your hair up to ten times stronger. This simple discovery should make a huge difference in how strong your hair really is.
In terms of audience, I think this ad is mostly for women in their thirties and forties because this ad was in a Real Simple magazine, a magazine about lifestyle, giving recipes and tips. Most teenagers don't read these magazines because they are not at that age where they are defining their own lifestyle.

Media Log #3--Jergens. The Beautiful Difference.

I was flipping through my mom's old Real Simple magazines trying to find some ads for this media blog. I came across this ad for Jergens' Ultra Healing, Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer. I'm assuming that this ad is supposed to be a before and after picture for the use of this product. I noticed the lighting in the before picture is very harsh and it makes the skin look even drier, whereas if the before picture had the same lighting as the after, the dry skin would probably not look as harsh. I'm sure that the after picture wouldn't look so shiny in the harsh lighting from the before picture also. 

I also noticed the colors in this picture were very related to the bottle of this moisturizer. In the after picture, the model is wearing the same yellow shade that is on the bottle of Jergens. The green color on the moisturizer is matching with the green at the bottom, and the white from the bottle is worn by the model in the before picture. I think this is important that they used variety of colors with the colors that were on the bottle because it makes the ad look more clean and not overdone. The colors are picked precisely to make this look right.

Dry Skin vs. Divine Skin. By looking at the before and after picture, I'm sure all of us would prefer to have this divine, or heavenly looking skin instead of dry and old looking skin. The connotation of dry is related with a bad or old sound to it while divine is almost like a shiny or a fancy word. I think that the connotations of these words are important with our perception of what this product will do to make your skin appear the way it sounds. 

This product doesn't just hydrate your skin, it instantly doubles hydrates your skin! I noticed that this ad is using a lot of weasel words like instantly, and double, which romances the product, making it sound better than any other. They also use the word visibly--in a clinical study, 100% of women saw visibly moisturized, smoother skin. Even though dryness isn't visible, it doesn't mean that there is none! We can feel dry skin, but this product just makes skin visibly moisturized. The choice of words hides the meaning, making it seem like it makes dryness go away, but it isn't guaranteed.

This product also uses Facts and Figures by saying that 100% of women saw visibly moisturized, smoother skin. By using an actual percentage, instead of saying that all women who used this product, it makes it sound less vague and presents the product in a better manner. Also, by stating this, the ad basically states the audience this ad is presented for--women. 

I'm sure that many other people who weren't studying ads to the detail that I was, probably would find this ad very convincing.

Media Log #2--Pepsi Commercial

This is a Pepsi Commercial from a few years ago. I don't watch a lot of television so I was browsing some popular commercials and I found this one. I liked this one because it had a very different idea and it was cute in a little way. The little kid in this video is a Buddhist and when he grows older, it seems like he is proving his worthiness to others by smashing a soda can with his forehead, leaving a mark of the top of the soda can on his forehead like the others have. After he does this, all of the other monks are cheering and surrounding him.
I thought this video was a little stereotypical because they have all of these Asian monks in it and it could be mocking their culture. The kid does smash a soda can with his forehead and the others gather around him happily in the end. I honestly thought the idea was kind of funny and brilliant in a way, but I'm sure that others may take this a bit more personally, maybe if they were a monk them self. I don't really understand why at the end it says "Ask for more", but maybe it is because everyone is so proud of him for smashing this Pepsi can.

Media Log #1--Website Article

Last Wednesday, I was on CNN looking for something to write my cultural event on and I came across this article. 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/25/us/new-jersey-autism-bullying/index.html?iref=allsearch

After reading this article, I was in shock. This article is about a curious father, Stuart Chaifetz,  who bugs his autistic son before school to see what goes on at his school. He became very curious as to what was happening at school after receiving many reports from teachers saying he has been hitting teachers. When his son, Akian, comes home from school, he learns that the teachers have been bullying his son and talking inappropriately to the class.  They had brought up topics about alcohol, complaining about their husbands, complaining about parents, and lying to their own parents. While Akian's father was listening to the recording, he could hear the teachers telling his son to "shut your mouth" and calling him a "bastard". 

After watching two videos about this incident, one provided on CNN, and the other that Akian's father posted on YouTube, I got very angry about this happening. I could not believe that there are teachers out there bullying other kids, especially a class full of autistic children. They practically took advantage of their job. I cannot believe that an adult teacher could be so shallow to talk to kids in such a way. Here is Chaifetz's video he posted.

I think that Akian's father reacted in an acceptable way, by talking to the school district about this incident. I'm sure that there are many other kids who are bullied in the same way in their class. I'm glad that the school found out eventually because I'm sure that many other kids' parents must be curious to what happens at their child's school. However, I don't know how I feel about him posting this video all over YouTube. It is a very big issue that he wanted others to be aware of, but I think that he could have just left it with the district's hands. But I do agree with Chaifetz that the other teachers that were working in that classroom should be fired. No parent aware of this incident will ever feel comfortable letting their child in the same classroom as those teacher bullies. 

This article made me very angry that people really do talk this way to kids. I don't like it at all.