Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?
I believe that they DO have a moral duty. First of all, with the development of the technology and communication, the world has become a place where everyone connects neglecting time and space. This is called a ubiquitous society. In the center, there has always been the mass media, manipulating how people think and feel about certain groups in society. Advertisements, which are typically common in the mass media, also contribute to this as they in many cases undermine a certain group in return to support the other;this is often displayed in a form of stereotyping. Stereotyping, unlike many other forms, isn't considered to be very offensive towards the undermined group. This is because advertisers adroitly use 'appeal to humor' when employing stereotypes. However, people should not fail to recognize the consequences that these advertisements can lead up to, as the consequences might not be manageable in the future. These stereotypes displayed in the mass media can turn into reality.
A single advertisement can incorporate so many stereotypes that it almost may be able to attack every single different group. Though not the best example, the Mountain Dew advertisement made by Tyler show how an advertisement can include different stereotypes of different groups and people's reactions in response reveal why advertisements should take moral duties into account. Explicitly, the advertisement features both racial and sexual stereotypes. Racial stereotype is displayed through ways in which black people were portrayed: gangsters and criminals. Moreover, these black people are displayed on par with an animal whereas the whites are presented as rather wealthy and money-oriented. In return, customers and critics condemned the advertisement for its biased and inappropriate portrayal of stereotypes of certain groups. A scholar even described this advertisement as 'disgusting'. Later on, as the number of critics increased to a point where Mountain Dew's revenue decreased, Mountain Dew officially announced its apology and the advertisement was permanently deleted.
If a company cannot appeal to its customers, how is it going to persuade them to buy its products? If the advertiser wants to aim towards a particular group, like how the Mountain Dew advertisement targeted towards the whites, he/she should be well aware of the moral line-which includes avoiding stereotyping- he/she should not cross over, as encroaching upon this only brings about disadvantages to not only the advertiser and its company but also the group displayed in the advertisement.
2016년 11월 28일 월요일
2016년 11월 22일 화요일
Print Advertisement
The ad we received was mainly purposed to advertise the US army and recruit more soldiers. However, the purpose of this advertisement can be furthered explored through thorough scrutiny. The way in which the Ad reveals is very significant in terms of its techniques and portrayal of its components.
First of all, there is a man that's delineated as a heroic figure jumping over a gap between two rocks, which shows a contrast of two very powerful colors: Black and white/orange. In this case, the black represents the dark past the man gone through. On the other hand, the white/orange symbolizes the bright future the man 'will' go through. By establishing this dramatic contrast, the white/orange is emphasized,putting a greater emphasis on the bright future. Also, the perspective of the camera is from a downward view, which very often is a technique that portrays the subject as a hero. Along with that, there are several other characteristics that explain how the subject, the manly figure, is depicted as a hero. These include the gun the man is lifting up high, and the notable shape of the man's mouth. A gun, like all weapons, is a significant symbol which in most of the times, represents boldness, manliness, and most importantly heroism; moreover, the gun in this advertisement holds symbols more than only heroism as it is a typical gun in the American army, M16-A3. Also, the shape of the man's mouth is recognizable as it is opened wide, looking almost like the man is shouting. Shouting, in all cases and particularly in the army represents valor and patriotism towards one's country.
Secondly, the advertisement contains various numbers of textual features-primarily pathos, ethos, and logos-which each is established significantly. Throughout the text, it is clearly written that the advertisement targets toward people of young age and people who seek to have business backgrounds. However, the way in which this is established is instituted through pathos, an emotional approach. For example, there is a repetition in the pattern and structure in which 2 sentences are structured as they both start with 'Qualities', putting an emphasis on the positive qualities of joining the army and serving the country. On top of this, pronouns,which appeals to emotion as they leave a room of opportunity for the audiences, are employed deliberately. For instance, pronouns like 'they','you' and 'we' are quite often used throughout the text, which are considered to be personal pronouns, and they functions to evoke emotion of brotherhood and loyalty. With pathos, there are ethos and logos. Though they aren't as frequent as pathos, there is a reason to this. Because the advertisement is from the US army, a highly certified group, there isn't a reason to why credibility needs to be approved.
Lastly, I want to discuss about the further and also implied purpose of this advertisement. As I mentioned first, the explicit purpose seems like it is to advertise the US army and to recruit more soldiers. But why? Is it just to recruit soldiers to reinforce the country's defense? Or is it to reinforce an army of elsewhere? Perhaps, I believe that, considering the current involvement of the US army in the middle east, the intention of this advertisement it to dispatch soldiers to reinforce its army in the middle east. This isn't just an assumption, but is a result of a precise observation. By looking at the color of the costume which the man is wearing, a mixture of brown and yellow, it is presumable that is purposely made to camouflage to the context, which looks like a random place in a desert.
First of all, there is a man that's delineated as a heroic figure jumping over a gap between two rocks, which shows a contrast of two very powerful colors: Black and white/orange. In this case, the black represents the dark past the man gone through. On the other hand, the white/orange symbolizes the bright future the man 'will' go through. By establishing this dramatic contrast, the white/orange is emphasized,putting a greater emphasis on the bright future. Also, the perspective of the camera is from a downward view, which very often is a technique that portrays the subject as a hero. Along with that, there are several other characteristics that explain how the subject, the manly figure, is depicted as a hero. These include the gun the man is lifting up high, and the notable shape of the man's mouth. A gun, like all weapons, is a significant symbol which in most of the times, represents boldness, manliness, and most importantly heroism; moreover, the gun in this advertisement holds symbols more than only heroism as it is a typical gun in the American army, M16-A3. Also, the shape of the man's mouth is recognizable as it is opened wide, looking almost like the man is shouting. Shouting, in all cases and particularly in the army represents valor and patriotism towards one's country.
Secondly, the advertisement contains various numbers of textual features-primarily pathos, ethos, and logos-which each is established significantly. Throughout the text, it is clearly written that the advertisement targets toward people of young age and people who seek to have business backgrounds. However, the way in which this is established is instituted through pathos, an emotional approach. For example, there is a repetition in the pattern and structure in which 2 sentences are structured as they both start with 'Qualities', putting an emphasis on the positive qualities of joining the army and serving the country. On top of this, pronouns,which appeals to emotion as they leave a room of opportunity for the audiences, are employed deliberately. For instance, pronouns like 'they','you' and 'we' are quite often used throughout the text, which are considered to be personal pronouns, and they functions to evoke emotion of brotherhood and loyalty. With pathos, there are ethos and logos. Though they aren't as frequent as pathos, there is a reason to this. Because the advertisement is from the US army, a highly certified group, there isn't a reason to why credibility needs to be approved.
Lastly, I want to discuss about the further and also implied purpose of this advertisement. As I mentioned first, the explicit purpose seems like it is to advertise the US army and to recruit more soldiers. But why? Is it just to recruit soldiers to reinforce the country's defense? Or is it to reinforce an army of elsewhere? Perhaps, I believe that, considering the current involvement of the US army in the middle east, the intention of this advertisement it to dispatch soldiers to reinforce its army in the middle east. This isn't just an assumption, but is a result of a precise observation. By looking at the color of the costume which the man is wearing, a mixture of brown and yellow, it is presumable that is purposely made to camouflage to the context, which looks like a random place in a desert.
2016년 11월 20일 일요일
Reflecting on my presentation
What main appeals did you use in your pitch? Why did you decide they would be the most effective?
After a thorough discussion with my group members, we decided to choose 2 main appeals, bandwagon and adventure, to advertise New York University to a global market. We thought these 2 appeals would be the most adequate, yet the most effective appeals.
First, Bandwagon appeal is the argument that says you should do it, because everyone else is doing it and they enjoy it. A very close example of this is peer pressure; it is like when your friends buy the latest smartphone, you want it too. Many significant advertisements, both printed and media-incorporated, make use of this appeal advantage outstandingly well. There are 2 different bandwagons from I have spotted while analyzing advertisements: one which presents celebrities or any sort of renowned person of a certain fields in a lavish and pretentious fashion;one that displays the common-average people in an unostentatious and sympathetic fashion. In spite of the fact that employing the latter would be more effective and suitable to advertise our product, NYU, as it is a humanitarian product, our group decided to pioneer an innovative advertisement by choosing the prior. However, we decided to incorporate some of the components of the latter (common-average people) by selecting a celebrity that exhibits amiable and unpretentious nature that could utilize the bandwagon appeal without evoking disenthusiasm among the audience.
Secondly, to support the bandwagon appeal, we decided to appeal for adventure. Appeal for adventure is a method of advertising which shows the potential enjoyment that is awaiting in the future rather than its explicit functions or benefits. An example of this is how a number of universities advertise their schools. Instead of revealing the benefits such as good faculty and facility, they accentuate the different experience one could come across from those benefits. Therefore, our product, being NYU, decided to do the same thing.
First, Bandwagon appeal is the argument that says you should do it, because everyone else is doing it and they enjoy it. A very close example of this is peer pressure; it is like when your friends buy the latest smartphone, you want it too. Many significant advertisements, both printed and media-incorporated, make use of this appeal advantage outstandingly well. There are 2 different bandwagons from I have spotted while analyzing advertisements: one which presents celebrities or any sort of renowned person of a certain fields in a lavish and pretentious fashion;one that displays the common-average people in an unostentatious and sympathetic fashion. In spite of the fact that employing the latter would be more effective and suitable to advertise our product, NYU, as it is a humanitarian product, our group decided to pioneer an innovative advertisement by choosing the prior. However, we decided to incorporate some of the components of the latter (common-average people) by selecting a celebrity that exhibits amiable and unpretentious nature that could utilize the bandwagon appeal without evoking disenthusiasm among the audience.
Secondly, to support the bandwagon appeal, we decided to appeal for adventure. Appeal for adventure is a method of advertising which shows the potential enjoyment that is awaiting in the future rather than its explicit functions or benefits. An example of this is how a number of universities advertise their schools. Instead of revealing the benefits such as good faculty and facility, they accentuate the different experience one could come across from those benefits. Therefore, our product, being NYU, decided to do the same thing.
What were some specific persuasive techniques you used (include examples) why did you believe these would be effective?
For my pitch, I mainly employed 2 persuasive devices, scientific claims, The big lie and repetition. Scientific claims because I used scientific and statistical data to show to what extent has NYU been so successful. However, I revealed more of the flaws and failures than the successes and achievements to evoke need for improvement among the audiences. This process could be somewhat a 'Big lie' as it required a small amount of exaggeration as well as hype. Moreover, a number of repetition was employed which functioned to show confidence and enthusiasm of the pitch. I thought these 3 persuasive techniques would be the most effective ones because they were suitable to my role as a person who had explain the intended audience, purpose and the medium from which the advertisement is projected. On top of this, because I was the first one to go from my group, I had to exhibit confidence and enthusiasm to appeal to my audience.
For my pitch, I mainly employed 2 persuasive devices, scientific claims, The big lie and repetition. Scientific claims because I used scientific and statistical data to show to what extent has NYU been so successful. However, I revealed more of the flaws and failures than the successes and achievements to evoke need for improvement among the audiences. This process could be somewhat a 'Big lie' as it required a small amount of exaggeration as well as hype. Moreover, a number of repetition was employed which functioned to show confidence and enthusiasm of the pitch. I thought these 3 persuasive techniques would be the most effective ones because they were suitable to my role as a person who had explain the intended audience, purpose and the medium from which the advertisement is projected. On top of this, because I was the first one to go from my group, I had to exhibit confidence and enthusiasm to appeal to my audience.
How did an awareness of audience and context influence your overall approach to this activity?
To be critical, I had a very week understanding and awareness of my audience and context. The audiences were high school students who are willing to go to college, parents with high school students, students with high income, and passion for learning. With this knowledge in mind, I had to consider all different variables that could affect the audiences such as the platform, celebrity, etc. Along with this, the context had a significant impact on the way in which I approached this activity. Because the context was global market, I did not have a firm idea of how to approach to make the product appealing to the global market. If the context was more narrowed into a particular country or a city, it would have been easier as it would have required understanding of that community. However, the context being much spacious and unlimited, it required understanding of diverse and extensive understanding of different cultures and communities. Unfortunately, my superficial and shallow understanding of this was projected in the way I articulated my opinion.
If you were to complete this presentation again, what would you do differently in terms of content and preparation?
I would take this assignment more seriously and consider it as a practice that could lead up to more things just than grades. Because presentations are one of my many weaknesses I am exposed to, I should devote more time than others. Additionally, I will try to rehearse with my group members more frequently. The lack of number of rehearsals led to me to mumble and my ideas to jumble up. Next time when I prepare for another presentation, I should organize what I should say in my head and try my best to consolidate the knowledge rather than to memorize it with shallow understanding.
To be critical, I had a very week understanding and awareness of my audience and context. The audiences were high school students who are willing to go to college, parents with high school students, students with high income, and passion for learning. With this knowledge in mind, I had to consider all different variables that could affect the audiences such as the platform, celebrity, etc. Along with this, the context had a significant impact on the way in which I approached this activity. Because the context was global market, I did not have a firm idea of how to approach to make the product appealing to the global market. If the context was more narrowed into a particular country or a city, it would have been easier as it would have required understanding of that community. However, the context being much spacious and unlimited, it required understanding of diverse and extensive understanding of different cultures and communities. Unfortunately, my superficial and shallow understanding of this was projected in the way I articulated my opinion.
If you were to complete this presentation again, what would you do differently in terms of content and preparation?
I would take this assignment more seriously and consider it as a practice that could lead up to more things just than grades. Because presentations are one of my many weaknesses I am exposed to, I should devote more time than others. Additionally, I will try to rehearse with my group members more frequently. The lack of number of rehearsals led to me to mumble and my ideas to jumble up. Next time when I prepare for another presentation, I should organize what I should say in my head and try my best to consolidate the knowledge rather than to memorize it with shallow understanding.
2016년 11월 14일 월요일
14/11/16
Mercedes Benz Advertisement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSlhbBBBi3A
Intended audience
-Intended audience are the general public. This is because throughout the video, there was barely any ongoing conversation. By this, it is recognizable that the advertisement is appealing to the general public, marketing their product and electrify those people to buy their products. Moreover, the audience specifically delivers a message that one can never be lost when one rides a Benz. This isn't explicitly displayed, but it is noticeable from the general theme of the advertisement: A young boy getting lost and policeman helping the boy get back home by Benz
To what extent Pathos, Ethos, and logos are presented
Pathos: Throughout the video, there is a number of visual pathos, rather than audible pathos. By selecting a young boy as the protagonist of the advertisement, this establishes many things. For adults, it arouses nostalgia and compassion, In particular, this impacts on adults who have children. Like in the video, where a young boy goes on an adventure without informing his parents at midnight, parents with kids have a high possibility of paying attention and being sucked into the video as they wouldn't want the same thing happening to their children. Moreover, when the policeman and the young boy set their feet on the car (Benz), the camera is zoomed onto their faces, putting an emphasis on how comfortable and pleasant it is to ride a Benz.
Ethos and Logos: They aren't used in this advertisement because Benz is a renowned company and has gained popularity from its reliability.
Mercedes Benz Advertisement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSlhbBBBi3A
Intended audience
-Intended audience are the general public. This is because throughout the video, there was barely any ongoing conversation. By this, it is recognizable that the advertisement is appealing to the general public, marketing their product and electrify those people to buy their products. Moreover, the audience specifically delivers a message that one can never be lost when one rides a Benz. This isn't explicitly displayed, but it is noticeable from the general theme of the advertisement: A young boy getting lost and policeman helping the boy get back home by Benz
To what extent Pathos, Ethos, and logos are presented
Pathos: Throughout the video, there is a number of visual pathos, rather than audible pathos. By selecting a young boy as the protagonist of the advertisement, this establishes many things. For adults, it arouses nostalgia and compassion, In particular, this impacts on adults who have children. Like in the video, where a young boy goes on an adventure without informing his parents at midnight, parents with kids have a high possibility of paying attention and being sucked into the video as they wouldn't want the same thing happening to their children. Moreover, when the policeman and the young boy set their feet on the car (Benz), the camera is zoomed onto their faces, putting an emphasis on how comfortable and pleasant it is to ride a Benz.
Ethos and Logos: They aren't used in this advertisement because Benz is a renowned company and has gained popularity from its reliability.
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