New TV ad: Chris Coons' plan for Washington

This is a political ad for Delaware State Senator Chris Coons. From this ad we cannot tell who the senator opponent is for he is only addressing issues that he wanted to change at the time. This ad was made in 2010 which was the first time that Chris Coons was running for senate. During this time the economy was struggling severely and was one of the most discussed issues in the country. He discusses the need to end bailouts which is directly related with the issues in the economy at the time. The ad discusses issues that are definitely negative for the first half of the ad. Once these negative issues are addressed, Chris Coons chimes in and talks about how if these issues are changed positive results will occur. When this happens, the ad becomes more positive than negative. We see a variety of motion graphics in the beginning of the ad which is are extremely effective when presenting issues that need fixed. The problems listed are even in bigger text to make them seem more important. We than see Senator Coons interacting with the people of Delaware, which gives off a friendly vibe. A close up of his face is also used when he is talking about the issues he is addressing. Natural light is used in most of the scenes with the senator. We hear a happy jingle for music when text is being shown, along with the voiceover of a woman. Once she finishes speaking, Chris Coons speaks for the remainder of the ad. Some of the persuasive techniques used are text to show the issues he is most concerned about. The text is normally large when it comes to the major issues, some even given different colors such as red which gives the text emphasis. When we see Chris Coons interacting with citizens he seems to be a very friendly man, showing the people that he cares about their opinions. We even hear him say "I'm Chris Coons and I approve this message." In my opinion, this ad presented some significant issues that needed to be changed at the time, but I feel that he could have made the ad a tad bit more effective. By showing how these issues are directly effecting the citizens of Delaware would have been a more effective way to get his message across.

Women in Ads

This is a campaign that is trying to speak out against domestic violence. This image definitely falls under the category of Violence. This image is very intense and extremely graphic which really gets the point across that domestic violence is something that should never occur. Instead of showing a girl being punched the image shows the aftermath of a domestic violence occurrence. I feel that this is extremely effective because the wound on the women's face is very graphic and sticks out more than anything in the picture. I find it interesting how this woman looks completely normal and besides her wound and looks as if she would be an attractive female. The fact that the rest of her face looks untouched brings out the wound even more though which is the purpose of the ad. Even in an ad about domestic violence the media is concerned about making the girl pretty which was something that caught my attention. Women in advertising have received a much more intense treatment than any man in ads that I have seen.

http://www.businessinsider.com/lebanese-anti-domestic-violence-ads-2013-3

Twenty Signs

 James Franco Ford Fusion Ad

Sign 1
Signifier: James Franco
Signified: Fame, Class, Intelligence, Wealth

Sign 2
Signifier: Tiger
Signified: Power, Ferocity, Strength

Sign 3
Signifier: Leather Couches
Signified: Wealth, Fashion, Class

Sign 4
Signifier: Chandelier
Signified: Wealth, Class, Luxury

Sign 5
Signifier: Mansion
Signified: Wealth, Class, Luxury

Sign 6
Signifier: Tuxedo
Signified: Class, Wealth, Style, Fashion

Sign 7
Signifier: Painting
Signified: Sophistication, Class, Elegance

Sign 8
Signifier: Black Dresses
Signified: Sex, Elegance, Class, Fun

Sign 9
Signifier: Party
Signified: Fun, Friendly, Fancy, Excitement

Sign 10
Signifier: Car
Signified: Wealth, Fresh, New, Happiness

Sign 11
Signifier: Fireworks
Signified: Fun, Happiness, Joy, Excitement

Sign 12
Signifier: Fire
Signified: Power, Intimidation, Strength

Sign 13
Signifier: Tall Buildings
Signified: Success, Power, Luxury, Wealth

Sign 14
Signifier: Fountains
Signified: Urban, Power, Wealth

Sign 15
Signifier: White Rose
Signified: Love, Romance, Purity, Nature

Sign 16
Signifier: Rose Petals
Signified: Love, Romance, Sex

Sign 17
Signifier: Billboard
Signified: Power, Strength, Big

Sign 18
Signifier: Hybrid Car
Signified: Healthy, Natural, Environmental

Sign 19
Signifier: Jet
Signified: Fast, Speed, Power

Sign 20
Signifier: City
Signified: Urban, Success, Wealth

Frith Analysis

 Hot Pocket Ad

The Surface Meaning - A man is making a Hot Pocket in the microwave. His friend and his friend's very pretty sister enter the kitchen. His friend introduces his sister while the man takes a bite out of the Hot Pocket. He says "That's hot!" and the girl walks over and takes a bite out of his Hot Pocket. After she bites it she also says "That is hot!". After that an announcer starts talking and explaining why you should buy Hot Pockets. We than hear the signature Hot Pocket jingle and the ad is over.

Intended Meaning - Hot Pockets are trying to sell their product to a particularly young audience based on the actors in the ad. Probably because young people don't have a ton of money and Hot Pockets are fairly cheap and are something quick to make. The girl in the ad is very attractive and she speaks very seductively when telling the man "That is hot!". She also takes a bite out of the Hot Pocket and stares at him in a very sexual way. In other words, if you eat Hot Pockets you will have very attractive and seductive women wanting your attention.

Cultural/Ideological Meaning - One of the most prominent cultural meanings that I got out of this was the fact that the girl in the ad was the sister of the main guys best friend. The fact that she was coming onto her brothers good friend was strange. Typically getting with the sister of your best friend is a big no-no when it comes to the "Bro Code". Although, typically that is something that some close guy friends will joke about.

The Persuaders

This week we watched an informative film called The Persuaders. This films dives deep into the advertising techniques of different companies in the United States and how they work in one of the most competitive markets in the country. One of the most interesting parts of this film and also probably the scariest to me was when it talked about the company called Acxiom, a data mining company. Data mining is one of the biggest techniques in advertising today. This allows companies to know more about most people in the country than they probably feel comfortable enough to accept. This happens by analyzing consumers based on a multitude of different factors, some being as small as a persons shopping habits. I have always been interested in this just because the ads that I see on the web always pertain to my interests and learning how all of that works was definitely interesting to me. This also scares me because people can know what you are looking at even when you can't see them. Although this is scary, this has proved to be one of the most effective marketing strategies in modern America. Not only can this help improve peoples experiences with advertising, it can also customize it. The film also goes into how people are more demanding of an emotional attachment from the brands that they love. This has caused many of America's companies to do anything to get that emotional reaction that consumers love. Many CEO's feel that if they can get that emotional reaction from their buyers than that will develop into loyalty, ultimately making people use the brands that they feel loyal to. To me this is also one of the most effective strategies in the advertising industry today. People do want to feel like they can trust and can be friends with the brands that they choose, which is going to make them buy those products. This film taught me a lot about the marketing strategies of advertising and how brands make people buy their products.

VALS Survey

My primary VALS type was a Striver, and my secondary type was Achiever. The website says that I got this because of my dominant approach to life. This I do and do not agree with, because there are certain situations where I do feel as if I have a dominant outlook on something. There are also other times where I feel the complete opposite of that, so that would be why I wouldn't agree with that result. For the achiever aspect, I do agree with. I always try to put my full effort forward when it comes to any kind of work, because I want to be successful. This information may be used to appeal to me as a consumer because when it comes to goods and services, I normally would rather buy something rather than try to sell it or make a profit off of it.

Digital Storytelling Project - Hazards of Drugs in Football