All Good Things Must Come to an End . . . My Reflection

Friday, June 7, 2013

I find it sad that I catch myself daily mentioning ads that I have seen on television.  I make comments about certain ads while I am sitting with my friends, and talking.  Although I try not to make them seem as though they make a large impact on my life, subconsciously, they do make an impact on me. Since I have taken this class, I have been able to cut down on the amount that advertisements that make a difference in my life.  Learning about the techniques used in advertising, I have been able to see through the curtain that ads have, and see the true meaning of why I find ads interesting.  When my family members talk about the ads that we are watching, I am able to enlighten them and make them more aware of why that ad is capturing their attention.

After taking this class, I feel more literate when it comes to advertising and the media.  Since I don't watch television that much, I have been able to look at the Internet ads and see them in a different light.  Since the ads on the Internet are directed at me, I am able to decipher the message that the a ds are trying to send me.  Mainly that message is that I should buy something because it will make my life better.  I can now see the ad and look at the message they are sending as well as the messenger that is sending me the message.

Some media consumption habits that have changed because of this course is that I can now slow
myself from looking at ads because I can realize that he ad is trying to get me to look at thm.  It is important to be media literate because with all the ads and media that we are exposed to on a daily basis, it is easy to get bogged down in all the media.  Being media literate allows us to shelter ourselves from all the stuff that is being thrown at us through media.

Being an educated consumer is important because we are able to understand the ads hat we see and, being educated, we are able to know more than the average consumer and see through the curtain that is the media.  Since I kept this log, I have become more able to look through the fog and see what ads are actually saying, not what they want us to see.  I am now able to look at all the ads I see with a critical thinking view, not a consumer's view.

I know now that ads are a puzzle that critical thinkers are able to figure out and learn to have a filter that will keep ads from making an impression on us.

The Reality of the Ad World is Sad, When it Comes to Women

Sunday, June 2, 2013

I don't like how, when I searched Google images for "vodka ad," in the first seven rows of images contained fourteen ads like this, which make women seem like sex objects.  After watching the "missrepresentation" video, i have seen many ads that objectify women to the point of being only useful for sex.

This ad makes it seem that women are only good for looking pretty and serving the men, they get nothing out of the relationship.  The woman in this ad flaunts her sexuality by wearing a revealing dress with slits going up both sides.  The man in this situation, although sitting down, is given authority over the woman because he is able to control what the woman does even though you can't even see him.  From his seated position, he is using the woman as a waitress, to fill up his martini glass.  Although the woman is standing and is looking down at the man, the man still has power over the woman in this ad.  Although the woman could walk away and say "serve yourself," she is made to look like she is waiting on the man.

The colors in this ad serve one purpose; to connect this scene to Skyy Vodka.  The bottle is blue and silver, so everything in the scene is blue and silver, as well as white.  The color silver gives this ad a sense of prominence which brings up the snob appeal which I will address next.

The two common advertising techniques that I found in this ad were Transfer/Association and Snob Appeal. The Transfer/Association is used to say to men that if you buy this product, you will have a beautiful woman serving you the drink or that the drink itself will give you the feeling that you are being served by a beautiful woman.  This brand could also be transferring the beautiful woman to the vodka by herself.  They are hoping that if you see this product at the supermarket, you will think beautiful woman and want to buy it.  As I mentioned earlier, the Snob Appeal is used by suggesting that if you drink this vodka, you will be part of an elite group of people that are able to afford flats that are in a tall building and have a view of the city.  I mean, who wouldn't want that??  Something that also could suggest the Snob Appeal is the fact that the man is wearing a suit.  We assume that he is of a high class, wearing as suit in his home.  Who would wear a suit around their house??  

The two appeals that I found in this ad were the need for prominence and aesthetic sensations.  The need for prominence goes with the Snob Appeal because if you are of this elite group that drinks Skyy vodka, you will be prominent and everyone will want to know you.  The flat with a view definitely fits under the prominent category, not many people have apartments like that.  The need for aesthetic sensations is satisfied because the whole ad is very sleek and stylish.  From the white table to the egg chair, this apartment is pretty stylish but if it was me, I would take out the egg chair.  The whole living space is stylish and this brings up the need for aesthetic sensations.

All in all, this ad objectifies women as sex objects and makes the man superior to the woman.

We need to change this by getting some women in the heads of these corporations.  If we can accomplish this, it will be a huge leap forward for man, and womankind.