Reflection!

The amount of media i consume impacts my life greatly. The media which i consume almost every hour of the day, is something that i suprisingly enjoy. The amount of media i consume gives me reasons to be happy. There is always something new such as nail polish, cell phones, restaurants, cars, laptops, etc. I like knowing that there is new stuff out there that i can possibly get. However, the media i consume can also take upon a negative effect on me. Meaning, we all want stuff that we cannot always have which can put us in a down mood. Also, media sometime distracts me and takes away from the actual nature of Sacramento. Such as, everyday as my father and I are in the car, and i always see a billboard with an advertisement or a person dressed up in a costume trying to advertise there store, to coming home, and listening to Pandora and within 5 minutes later, i am forced to look at a 2 minute commerical when really i just want to listen to music, that annoys me! After being and learning the new techniques commercials use, i am defenitely more aware and alert when it comes to watching tv or seeing billlboards. The first thing that always comes to mind is the colors the advertisers use, if they decide to use famous people, and ofcourse, the audience which they are trying to sell there product to. Yes, my media consumptions have changed this semester. Since i have this blog and since we had to post 2 media blogs every week, i had to look for different examples of advertisements such as videos and advertisements in magazines. Therefore, i would say i have consumed alot of media this semester. Also, another reason is that i took the TIME to explore the different commercials and i understood the concepts used rather than looking at an advertisement and saying to myself, "oh this is fine, i see colors used for expression." No, i took myself beyond that level, and i tried to think like an advertiser and what the advertiser wants us consumers to see and think of a product being sold. I think that it is important for everyone to have media literacy and being an educated consumer is important, so we don't get ripped of. A majority of the people today get ripped off when they buy a product because advertisers know how to "think like the consumers". The advertisers have been able to get inside our heads and they have been able to see what we like, and what we desire. I also think it is important to have media literacy and be a educated consumer so we have a better understanding of ourselves too. I think without having the media literacy knowledge, then we, ourselves, couldn't really be able to explain why we by things or why we want things or even why we must have the things we want so badly. Out of keeping this log, i have learned the ways and the thoughts of the advertisers. I have also been able to not "be held under the advertisers spell" since i know what they are really trying to do is fill my desires and needs, when really i don't need half of the things i want that advertisers sell. Lastly, i enjoyed learning about the media and the media literacy. This subject is something fun to know and yet, entertaining also because it is the real world and it is funny how the real world works. Also, im pretty sure half of the grown ups are clueless about the needs and the advertisement techniques used. I am now a little smarter than the average parent who buys everything that they see advertised. Thank you.

Funny Las Vegas Commercial - Hit the lights Asian Guy in Office

What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas. The targeted audience is older men around the ages of late 20's to maybe early 40's. Also, i would say men who are lonely would like to go to Las Vegas, because they can get alot of action in Las Vegas by going to Casino's and meeting all these girls, like in the video, this guy seems to not really have a life since he is at work looking through his memories when he went to Vegas. His girlfriend isn't in the background, implying that he doesn't have a girlfriend. So an assumption i made from this video is men who are lonely and girlfriendless.These men are more likely to want to get away and have fun and as you have heard, Las Vegas is the place to go. The common advertising technique diversion is used because the setting is at work and who is ever allowed to go through their crazy pictures and sing out loud at work and then get caught for it? No one. So the diversion technique is the office setting and the manager. However, the office setting is perfect for this commercial because its saying to men that "Hey if you have a boring job, and if you want to have a good time, go to Vegas so you can have fun and then after look back on the memories, just like the guy in the commercial. Plain folks is also used because it is just an everyday routine for him. He goes to work, sits down in a desk all day, listens to music, and gets yelled by his boss. Also, the song "hit the lights" by Jay Sean and Lil Wayne is also featured in this video while the guy is looking through his Vegas memories. This song is a very upbeat song and the advertisers want us to associate the upbeat song with the Las Vegas adventures which ties in with the need to escape. Imagine being stuck in a white, plain office with no one to talk to all day but yourself... How boring! Therefore, you need to get away and go have some fun in Vegas! Also, the colors of the office which is white helps signify how boring the guy's every day life is. Go to Vegas. Have fun. Enough said.

SOFT Soap!

Wow. How cool! Soft Soap! The targeted audience is lower, upper, and middle class. This soap is only 2 or 3 dollars. The age for this audience can very anywhere from 20's to 60's. The eyecatching word that made my parents purchase this soap was the word soft. Everyone likes things that are soft. You can't go wrong with soft. Also, other eye catching words are soothing. When i think of soothing, i think of the world calm and relaxing. Therefore, the advertiser's message to us about the soap is this soap will sooth and relax you while your washing your hands. Also, in small letters, it says moisturizing soap. Moisturizing which means complex minerals to basically make your skin feel softer. Plain folks and simple solutions are also examplified. As you can see, the soap has a natural, plain look to it. I do not see any crazy designs or crazy colors. I see a calm vanilla cream color which mixes with the words, soft and soothing. Also, after purchasing this soap and using it, you will have soft moisturized hands.

PINK!

Who loves the brand, PINK? I do! I seen this advertisement in a Cosmo girl magazine. The targeted audience is teenage girls. The first thing that caught my eye was the FREE make up bag sign! This is an example of a common advertising technique, bribery. PINK wants us to think "Hey free make up bag = a good deal." Also, i think the advertisers are trying to target middle class teenagers because the girls are in a regular every day car. They are not in a Bmw or a Mercedez. Also, another technique used is plain folks because of the sunny background on a normal every day type of look. PINK wants us to associate the everyday type of look with there products such as the clothes, purses, jammys, lingerie, etc. The needs associated with this advertisement are the need for autonomy and the need for guidance. As you can see, the two girls inside the car of the magazine look like they are friends, just hanging out on a normal day. So by buying PINK stuff, you will have a friend right by your side! Also, the need for guidance is used because the advertisers are guiding you towards a little more on the expensive life style because the brand PINK isn't so cheap.

OH MY GOD, Vanessa Hudgens

 The targeted audience is teenage girls. I'm almost positive that moms are not inspired by Vanessa Hudgens since she is in her late teenage years. A common advertising technique used is testimonial. Vanessa Hudgens!! Who doesn't love her!The famous person is Vanessa Hudgens. Vanessa is a actress and a singer. Another technique used is gestalt because the product is in bright orange and the product takes up half the page. Other words that catch my eye are WIN A VIP TRIP. This is also known as bribery, by purchasing this product, you have a chance to win a free trip. Also, on the bottom right, it says "most wanted" which quickly catches our attention and makes us want to buy this product. Also, doesn't this ad look quite plain? The advertiser apparently wants us to turn the page, and BAM! you see a bright colored orange bottle, cool. I also noticed that Vanessa's picture is very small. Usually in advertisements, the advertiser has a huge picture of the famous person holding the bottle but not in this case, which is why this also could be an example of plain folks. So for all the teenage girls who have bad acne, problem solved! Vanessa Hudgens uses this product, just look at her CLEAR face! This is an example of the need to dominate, because we lack the ability to take care of our faces because for one, teenage girls love to eat junkfood, teenage girls also play sports which causes them to sweat like crazy, and ofcourse, hormones. So go buy this product and feel the need to feel safe! Feel the need to be able to talk to that crush of yours, or be able to come out of your shell!

Trident, Stride, yum!

This advertisement is targeting teenagers. Parents do not see this ad and think to themselves, "This gum looks so good, i need to go buy it." That's more of a teenager thing. The ages would probably be 12-20 years young. Toddlers are not allowed to chew gum because then they can swallow and die. When i was about 8 years old, my parents let me chew gum but they only let me chew gum once in a while. They said it was bad for my teeth. Yeah, don't ask. An advertising technique used in this ad is bribery. On the lower left hand corner, it says "Chew and you could win $50 instantly with every purchase of Trident or Stride. This sense of bribery makes you want to try to win by buying tons of gum, when in reality, you're not going to win $50. The advertisers just want us to buy the gum. Also, the advertiser is trying to portray that if i chew this gum, i will win $50 when really the reality is i could win $50 but that's a very low chance.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Rafa Nadal in Nike Commercial

Cristiano Ronaldo... Oh my lord, i love that guy. He is my inspiration and i would love to marry him some day. And as for Rafal Nadal, he is hot. Haha. Anyways, back on topic, the targeted audience for this commerical is most definitely men around the age of 20 to 30 years old. I came to this conclusion because i feel that older people around the age of 70, personally, do not have the strength to be really fit like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafal Nadal. But, hey who am i to judge? Also, wouldn't this commerical attract women too since there are two goodlooking guys active, playing a sport. A need this commerical forfills is the need to achieve. When i think of Nike, i think of there slogan, "Just Do It." Also, i personally think Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafal Nadal are two of the best athletes. Therefore, i feel that Nike is trying to portray to us "Hey buy our clothing" and you can be as stylish and as good as these two athletes which fits in with the need to dominate. By having, owning, and wearing Nike material, we can do anything and we can be good at any sport. Also, an advertising technique used in this commerical is Diversion. Like don't you find it weird that Cristiano is using the tennis ball as a soccer ball? Also, repition is used in this film because throughout the commerical, the camera zooms in on Cristiano's pink Nike soccer cleats, his black Nike socks, gray Nike shirt while Nadal has a matching Nike outfit with sweatbands and everything... Buy Nike, so you can be cool and stylish like them :)