Chapter 11 - Journal Entry #2

Is advertising effective? Why? List some examples of where it did and did not influence one of your buying decision.

I believe that advertising is very effective. I think I decided to buy Crest Whitestrips from watching some of the commercials. Advertising has a way of making you think that if you have that product your life will be similar to the life depicted on the ad. Ads also appeal to a lot of our inner needs, wants and desires. They seem to target what we care about and give us a sense of why we need the certain product.

Food ads always influence me and they always make me hungry! I think I remember being a teenager and watching a pizza ad late at night with my parents and siblings and then convincing my parents to order pizza. I can't remember if we ordered it or not, but I remember the commercial influencing me.

However, at other times, advertisements just make me laugh or think, "who cares for that?" Such ads are just targeted to older or younger audiences, and thus they don't appeal to me, and they don't influence my buying decisions.

I've never felt inclined to buy a huge Ford truck, or to take some pill. :)

Chapter 11 - Journal Entry #1

Select 2 advertisements you consider good and 2 you consider bad. Include the ads (or copies) and explain what makes each a good/bad ad.

Good Ads

I like this Heinz ketchup ad because it says what everyone thinks. Steak without the ketchup tastes like cardboard. When someone looks at the end for just a second or two, they get it and laugh. It's funny, it's true, and it is simple. I like the layout and how white the whole ad is, that really helps focus your eyes on the bottle of red ketchup. The table setting is so simple, with just one fork and one knife, no napkin, and no colorful food - that the whole plate and setting just looks blah! You definitely need to ketchup to liven things up! My husband would love this article because he served in Australia and they put ketchup on everything there!

Another good example is a BBC commercial called, "News on Your Mobile." It goes through where people were when they heard the news of different events such as the assasination of JFK, Elvis' death, the falling of the Twin Towers, the Tsunami, etc. As the years go by, the scenes change and depict different places and different tv's giving the news. At the very end two poignant questions flash on the screen, "Where were you when you heard the news? Where will you be?" Then it shows a man in a jungle looking at his cell phone.

I think the ad is good because it shows real people in real situations. It goes through life and where we get the news and captures how we feel when we hear terrible or shocking news. It demonstrates the living rooms, the workplace, on vacation, at home during a party, and then the man in the jungle.

The sound clips on the ad let you hear some of the news broadcaster's voice with music playing in the background. I think it was a good clip because I could relate to it and it was interesting to watch the whole time. You can view the clip by clicking on this link: http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/6875/

Good!

Bad Ads

The first bad example I found was a video clip from Adidas entitled, "Target Practice." I thought the ad was bad because my first reaction was, "Not funny." It just wasn't targeted to a wide audience, but rather to boys and men who laugh at crude things. It showed a soccer played (I think from England) kicking a soccer ball towards another team mate who was holding some kind of hoop. The soccer ball didn't go through the hoop, instead it hit the teammate in the groin and the man went to the ground in pain. There isn't any sound except wind in the background, and it is a rather short clip. When the teammate gets hit you he

ar him cry out in pain and then you hear the snickering of others on the field. The words that flash on the screen say, "Play with more power. Predator," and then it says "adidas tv," and gives a website to adidas football at the bottom. The whole ad was just lame and not very effective at all. That ad did not make me want to support adidas or buy anything from them.The movie was boring, the filming wasn't that great, and there was no music.

While some may find the clip very funny, it was more crude than funny. I think the reaction of most is simply, "not funny." Bad!

You can view the clip at the following link: http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/6877/

The other bad example is the Nike example at the top of the page. I couldn't figure out how to move the picture down lower, so there it is at the top. I think that is it an example of a bad advertisement simply because it is also crude. It doesn't have anything to do with what Nike sells, it just has the Nike name and slogan. It is a bad advertisement because people will associate this image with Nike and it just has a bad connotation.

I've included some more bad examples I found on the internet.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2008/07/new_nike_courage_ads_celebrate.html.

This site shows a Nike courage clip for the Olympics. While the clip was very emotionally persuasive, I thought some of the pictures they used were just too weird, and the pictures flashed across the screen a little too fast.

This Yahoo ad at a baseball game could be a little more pleasing to the eye and exciting.

Chapter 12 - Journal Entry #2

Showman P.T. Barnum epitomize 19th-century press agentry with exaggerated claims such as those about Tom Thumb and Jenny Lind. Do such promotional methods exist today? Are there examples?

Barnum was only the beginning...promotional methods are still used today, and even more than in the past. Every business, celebrity, and politician seems to have a company or individual working on promoting them to the world. We see promotional events when new cds and books are released, or when a new movie opens.

I found a website that quotes Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come." If public relations companies build up a product, book, or person, often the audience will come! http://www.sales-lead-experts.com/tips/articles/event-promotion.cfm

Some common methods are marketing techniques, movie trailers, book signings, websites promoting new and upcoming artists and films, new toys, clothes, products and more.

One example is the new movie, "Twilight," based on the books by Stephanie Meyer. One way the movie was promoted was through an event where the actors and author were on a panel. Also at the event "exclusive" posters were available. Some of these posters are now up for bids on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/TWILIGHT-P1-PROMO-PROMOTIONAL-TRADING-CARD_W0QQitemZ220326628372QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081209?IMSfp=TL081209203007r6110

Another example of promotional events is when a new product comes out. What promotional methods are used to sell the iphone? Promotions are what we call marketing and public relations today. A company or a person has to let the world know they are here! (Book - Using Public Relations to Sell Products, Ideas, or You.)

Look at some of the ways that Apple promoted the iphone (and I think these were just examples of promotions in Mexico!): (Shown at the top of the page, because I couldn't figure out how to get them to move.)

The pictures came from this website: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/global-iphone-3g-promotions-begin/

What about book promotions? One example of how Harry Potter was promoted is found in a New York times article. The book was promoted by using secrecy.

"And this time, a substantial degree of effort is going into ensuring that as little as possible is known about the book's contents in advance.

There will be, for instance, none of the advance copies that usually land on reviewers' desks a few months before publication. No one is promoting prepublication interviews with the author, J. K. Rowling. Indeed, according to the American and British publishers, Ms. Rowling will be giving no interviews at all until publication day.

The plot is a secret. So is the cover design. Even the title is supposed to remain closely guarded. All that the British publisher, Bloomsbury, is prepared to acknowledge is that this fourth and latest in a planned seven-book series will be a whopping 600 pages -- twice the length of previous Harry Potters. (The United States publisher, the Arthur A. Levine Books imprint of Scholastic Books, says its version will be closer to 700 pages because of a different layout and illustrations.)"

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E0DA113AF931A15756C0A9669C8B63

Yes, promotional methods are used today, and they are more and more creative, innovative, and oft times - effective.

Chapter 12 - Journal Entry #1

http://www.aici.org/

Are public relations activities like image consulting ethical? Explain.

What a debate, what a debate! I believe that all public relations activities should be ethical. The idea behind public relations is to build relationships and to let people know who you are and why you're here! Let's look at this question a little deeper.

What is image consulting?

Image consultant- a person or company hired to advise on improved public presentation or impression, esp. in media and public relations; also, such a person or company hired to assist someone in personal appearance or style. Cf. imagemaker

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/image+consultant&

Some services they offer include:

Image consulting and seminars on: professional dress, corporate & executive image, business casual, dress code policies, uniforms selection, and business etiquette. http://www.professionalimagedress.com/

What could be considered ethical/unethical about it?

I think that improving somebody's image is completely ethical. Research has shown that image and appearance make a difference. Now, if a PR company was hired to make an impression or make a business look or appear different than they really were, that would be unethical. It would be unethical to promote a false image, but to simply improve the appearance of a business isn't unethical at all. In fact, that is what corporations and people all over are consistently trying to do, they want to look and appear better - but they also want to look and appear as they really are.

On one website, the company's motto is "Image is everything." If that was the motto, then I can see how image consulting could become very unethical. If the idea is to create a false image or promote something that actually doesn't exist, I believe that is very unethical.

Did I mention I'm emphasizing in PR? :)

Chapter 9 - Journal Entry #3

Many people would say that television has a greater impact on society than any other form of media. Do you agree? Why or why not?

What examples can you give?

Greater Impact

This question is a little difficult to answer and I think I'm split. I would have to say that television has a large impact, but I believe the internet has a greater impact. It seems that everyone uses the internet for so many different purposes. The internet has a greater impact on businesses, college students, elderly people (geneology?) and all who are seeking for information. It is also a way to socially connect, and thus more people are impacted by others from the Internet. You can also watch a lot of television online now.

Television's Impact

-I believe that television has impacted our view of the world around us. Like we discussed in class, we see the world largely through the windows of our televisions. I think television has impacted our views of morality and violence to some degree. In my own life I do believe that I was impacted by what I watched as a child. I was impacted by the commericals I saw and also by the shows I watched. I learned a lot of what is socially and culturally acceptable from television.

- I think television has impacted the way the average American family spends time. I think there is much more time spent watching TV than eating together, playing together, or interacting.

-I think television has impacted children and taught them social norms if their parents didn't teach them.

-I have neighbors at home whose parents are deaf. Their children largely learned to speak English from watching television and movies. That to me, is impact.

-I've noticed little children pick up phrases and slang from shows they have seen on television.

-One impact we talk about often in class is simply the need to watch television in order to fit it. I see it in my office all the time. Have you seen this episode of this show? Today, as I was getting my haircut the stylist was talking about the Biggest Loser and I had never seen it. I know what the show is, but I don't watch it. Luckily, I couldn't care less, but some people feel like if they can't talk about the latest shows, they simply can't fit in.

I like what Edward Murrow said about the television:

This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is nothing but wires and lights in a box.

— Edward R. Murrow

He is right. The television only has an impact on those who choose to watch it.

Chapter 9 - Journal Entry #2

Critiques argue that in trying to "offend no one," the networks tend to offer TV programs that appeal to the "lowest common-denominator." Do you agree? Can you name programs that are definitely for the LCD? Can you think of any network (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CW) programs that defy the LCD label? Explain.

I would agree that the networks tend to offer TV programs that are more suited for the general public, including those in the category of "lowest common-denominator." Such examples are shows that just about anyone can understand, such as game-shows, news channels, food shows, and more. The regular sit-coms, such as The Office are also aimed to at least capture the attention of those in the LCD.

I like what this person had to say.

"What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish." W. H. Auden.

I don't know what a lot of network shows are, so I looked them up online. On NBC, some of the top shows include Law & Order, The Biggest Loser, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Office, ER, Dateline, and Heroes. Because I haven't really spent time watching these shows, I'm not sure what audience they were aimed for, but after our discussion in class, I really do think most shows are aimed for the LCD.

Some of the most popular shows on FOX include 24, American Idol, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, Cops, House, The Simpsons, and Prison Break. American Idol is a show that anyone can watch - the LCD included. In fact, the title, "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader," as a game-show, just seems to shout to the LCD. Are they smarter than a 5th grader?

Perhaps of all the shows I've listed the only ones that may defy the LCD would be Law & Order, and ER. From their titles alone, they seem to be semi-intelligent shows.

Chapter 9 - Journal Entry #1

Track your television viewing for one week. (If you don't watch television, WATCH SOME!!) What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about television? What does television provide you (fulfillment of a need -- See Chapter 15)?

Saturday - BYU vs. Utah game
Sunday - None
Monday - 11:00am news on Fox 13; CNN at 12:00pm
Tuesday - CNN Weather Watch, Channel 2 News at Noon
Wednesday - Oprah, Channel 2
Thursday - Macey's Parade, Little House on the Prarie, Anne of Green Gables
Friday - Anne of Green Gables, Football on Channel 2 & 4
Saturday - None

This was an interesting assignment for me because I don't have a television in my home right now. I found places on campus and at my in-laws to watch tv. When I had the time to watch it, I usually chose the news because that is most interesting to me. I really enjoyed watching some of Anne of Green Gables on tv, because that is one of my favorite movies. It was good to watch Oprah, because it's been a long time since I've seen that show, and I know it influences a lot of women throughout the country. It was also very interesting to watch Anne of Green Gables because it was on a Public Broadcasting channel and so the movie was consistently interrupted so that people could ask for our pledges and support!

What I learned about myself:
I learned that I like clean, wholesome, good entertainment! I don't really like commercials (except to see how they are trying to persuade me), and I would rather watch the news than a sit-com or soap opera. I enjoying watching football, but I really just enjoy being with my husband as he watches football! ;) If I had more time to watch television I would still choose to watch the news, BYU TV, and things like the food channel, the history channel, and other educational shows.

What I learned about television:
I learned that television is a great way to communicate to mass audiences! It is an effective tool for educating and it is very entertaining. It's meant to provide entertainment and interesting shows and it is loaded with advertising. I noticed that it is an outlet for political news and debates, and it is also full of a lot of junky shows.

What does television provide me and others?
I think television provides time to vedge and not have to think. I like just sitting and watching and listening. For me, it provides news and information that help me to better understand the world around me and stay up on current events. It also provides an opportunity to cuddle with my husband as we watch football together. I noticed as we gathered as a family to watch the BYU vs. Utah game, that television brought us together as family for that event more than going to the actual game would have.