What Is Beauty?

This South African advertisement for BMW is a prime exemplification of the need for aesthetic sensations. The speaker is talking about beauty (what is aesthetically pleasing) throughout the commercial. Things from flowers to humans are displayed as the speaker talks about how people throughout the years have tried to calculate beauty. BMW isn't even mentioned until the end of the commercial, directly after "It cannot be calculated. It can only be felt," is displayed (referring to beauty.) I thought this ad utilized the need for aesthetic sensation quite effectively. As I viewed this commercial, I couldn't help but think how awesome some of the images were.

It makes sense that BMW would want to use the need for aesthetic sensations, hence they are a car company and want people to be drawn to the appearance of their products. Overall I think this ad is very coherent and can be surprisingly effective. I haven't been seeing as many ads using the need for aesthetic sensations these days, which is kind of a shame because they're especially entertaining to watch for me personally. Along with some ads using that need also comes the need for curiosity, which is an added bonus.

Humor and Variation in Advertisements

This Old Spice advertisement uses a very interesting and unique advertising tactic in this commercial above. It uses humorous music sung by parents about their sons becoming men to ultimately show, like they do in many other of their commercials, how old spice makes you manly. The explicit message in this commercial is that when you use old spice you become a man while the implicit message is you aren't a man yet (you're still a boy) if you haven't used old spice.

The music in the ad is humorous essentially because it is sung horrendously by parents: the fathers being happy about their sons becoming men while the mothers are extremely upset and want their sons to stay babies forever. On top of the humorous aspect of the music, it somewhat inflicts a feeling of transition into manhood for the target audience, which I believe is young men in their late teens or early twenties. Old Spice sometimes uses music, but it always uses humor. There is always a goal of manliness integrated through humor. Even though the same general message is used, Old Spice, like other companies, likes to change things up, as shown below.

Even though this is a completely different style of ad than the first one it has the same general message, keeps the viewer interested, and uses humor. In conclusion, Old Spice is a prime example of humor in ads and how it affects the viewer. It also exemplifies how companies like to mix things up with their ads to keep the viewer interested.

A Changed Interpretation of Media

From studying media in Critical Thinking and from completing media blogs my interpretations of what I see and hear in the media have changed. Now that I know the thought processes behind the making of advertisements, I am more cautious in interpreting ads on television, printed ads or ads on the internet, and even news broadcasts. From the type of language in political ads to the colors used in ads, media can be very deceptive and trick people into buying products or thinking a certain way.

Before I began studying media, I knew little about the tactical methods advertisers use. Apparently, being a teenager in America, I am especially exposed to media and view thousands of advertisements daily. I often found myself wanting products I knew little about just because of the way they were advertised. Now that I know how to better interpret ads, this doesn't happen as much. Now, when I see an advertisement that appeals to me I further research the product before considering purchasing it and try to avoid being deceived.

So far, I have enjoyed learning about advertising tactics and facts about the media. What I find the most interesting is how some companies like Apple can make their commercials so effective.

Deceptive Fast Food Advertisements

Fast food franchises such as the ever so popular McDonald's use some of the most deceptive advertising techniques in existence. In the picture above, each burger looks flawlessly made and quite appetizing. In reality they look virtually nothing like McDonalds' burgers. The camera angle in the picture above is interesting. The burgers look towering in size. This makes the product seem even more desirable.

Big. Beefy. Bliss. McDonalds is trying to make the burgers seem big and beefy, even though they are definitely not. This correlates to the camera angle in that it suggests that the burgers are bigger than they actually are. McDonalds probably chose to use "bliss" because it alliterates well with "big" and "beefy." Another probable reason is that McDonald's wants people to associate their product with happiness.

McDonald's colors, red and yellow, weren't chosen arbitrarily. Red usually psychologically signifies impulse or urgency. The goal of the red in the above ad is most likely to psychologically inflict the audience with an urge to eat. Yellow, McDonald's other color, is used to express happiness and thus may make one associate McDonald's with happiness.

I used to be drawn in by these advertisements when I was younger, but now that I've gotten older and have realized how unhealthy fast food items are, I try to stay away from them as much as I can. No matter how appealing the advertisement, I won't be inspired to indulge.

Inspiration in Advertisements

I think this advertisement serves as a perfect example of how some companies focus primarily on inspiring their potential customers, whether it pertains to life goals, bypassing anchoring circumstances, or other such things. It makes me wonder why general inspiration would inspire someone to buy a certain product, such as the advertisement featuring Nick Cannon displayed below.

2014 Honda Civic- Nick Cannon #BestYourself

Hence the #BestYourself in the title of the ad, one can initially assume that the main focus pertains to being the best you can be, never giving up, etc. Nick Cannon first mentions how individuality is important and then how in life there will be failures and success. He then mentioned the importance of hard work and mindsets. He then closed by saying that there are some things we can't control, but we can control ourselves. Honda ends the commercial with the words "We never stop pushing forward."

From the inspirational music and anecdote by Nick Cannon to the scenes of people achieving and doing good things, everything in this commercial inflicts inspiration upon viewers. Like most advertising tacticians, the makers of this ad gave no information about the car whatsoever. In some ads, such as Apple's, this can be quite an effective way to implant the idea of purchasing the product into the minds of viewers. This ad is somewhat affective in regard to that tactic in that throughout the duration, the inspirational speaker is driving a Honda, subsequently suggesting that those who drive Hondas are successful people.

Though this advertisement is very inspirational and very entertaining in general, I wouldn't go out and buy a Honda after watching it.

"The World's Most Trusted Airline"

Because I'm flying this Thanksgiving break, I was inspired to look up some airlines' advertisements to see what kind of methods they used to convince viewers to utilize their services. I chose this ad because I found it really interesting how a piece of luggage is the main center centerpoint.

Rather than offering useful information on the Airline itself, Delta features the journey of a single piece of luggage making its way onto the plane. First of all, the appearance of the luggage, being a bear-like creature with overalls practically suggests it is a living being that has feelings and cares about how it's handled. This personification of the luggage coupled with an innocent sounding melody establishes an emotional connection with viewers. This is an example of how a company can influence viewer's opinions of them by presenting to them exactly what they want to see. Most of the targeted viewers love to get new stuff and thus care quite a bit about their belongings. The Delta advertiser said it himself: "On time flights are nothing if we can't get your things there too."

I think Delta might be trying to establish "loyalty beyond reason" and an iconic place in the hearts of its customers and/or its potential customers. Delta is already a very well-known company, however its popularity doesn't compare to that of Apple. It seems as if Delta is moving towards a goal of making people think of Delta when they think of planes, much like when people think of music devices or tablets they think of Apple.

Personally, this ad doesn't motivate me to consider Delta over any other airline. I've never really heard of an airline that isn't willing to transport belongings for its passengers--so that doesn't separate Delta from its competitors. Delta mentions that they have the fewest cancellations and the most on-time flights, which is definitely a plus, however it isn't really enough to convince me to fly Delta. Maybe if Delta added a couple more facts like that they fly to the most destinations world-wide or that they have the best pilots and the safest aircrafts my opinion would be different.

Media Journal Blog 1

This advertisement for the Subaru Legacy is a prime example of how peoples' opinions on products  can be altered solely by how relatable and appealing the advertisements for them are. Throughout the duration of the ad, passengers are constantly shown riding in the Legacy. Scenes varied from trips home from soccer practice to emergency room visits; from this the viewer can picture him or herself in the car in any situation, making the Legacy seem like a reliable car to own. The minimal information provided about the car's technical capabilities such as the fact that it has four-wheel drive and has "eyesight driver assist technology" is immediately supported by assuring the viewer that the car's capabilities promote care for passengers. One can conclude based on this that Subaru cares about more than just selling their product. Subaru cares about the passengers.

Many people searching for a new car might consider the Legacy by way of this ad. The Subaru seems like a reliable car for any family because it is sufficient for just about any situation and keeps its passengers safe. If one can see past the deceit embedded in the advertisement however, they may not consider purchasing the car because there wasn't concrete evidence that proves the vehicle to be any better from a Toyota or a Honda.

Generally speaking, media can be very successful in tricking someone to do something, buy something, or even act a certain way without sufficient evidence to support claims. We have to be cautious when online to ensure that we aren't deceived by the wicked methods of the media.