Week Six: Counter Ads

This week's activity is one that I already do with friends to waste a commercial's time more constructively. Most recently I thought of a good counter ad for Klondike bars. I like their commercials because they are witty and the product is pretty good for desert. Yet the song and rhetorical question slogan can get annoying with multiple viewings, despite its humorous intentions. A video of one of their recent ads can be found at: http://www.klondikebar.com/#TvVideo&v=85Y47koeoKA

The company behind Klondike bars is Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch consumer products company. Rather than waste my time on their corporate website I got a more public version at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilever

The product is made in New Jersey so the manufacturing is stateside and the management is in Western Europe. They seem to have done a good job of PR save a small hit from environmentalists that think palm oil cultivation/ plantations are bad for Indonesia. (I think overpopulation and malnutrition are bigger problems.) Unilever in turn became pro-active to sustainable agriculture of palm oil.

So this is just a word play off of their slogan:

Just by changing What? to Who? the entire idea of their ad becomes much more hilarious along the same persuasion techniques that are present in the original ad. I used a picture of Betty White because her demographic is so far removed from mine and other entertainment types poke fun about her age.

I found a much more morbid counter ad at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McfsThqlQLc

Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #2

Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why? 

Link to my ad here The message is from State Farm. They are advertising their discount double check service.

Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What 

words, images or sounds suggest this? 

The target audience is middle aged men that own insurance. It is suggested by the celebrity athlete endorser (Aaron Rodgers), the skit characters from SNL late '80's and the silly stalker fan for just the insurance service endorsement.

What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, 
photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.) 

That Aaron Rodgers is more famous for endorsing State Farm's discount double check service than winning Super Bowls.

What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?) 

That State Farm customers that use this service are in line with Aaron Rodgers.

What kind of lifestyle is presented? 

The lifestyle is that of slap stick humor. Aaron Rodgers is more famous as an NFL Quarterback.

What values are expressed? 

That humor is a good way to bring up a review of insurance needs.

What “tools of persuasion” are used? 

The discount double check service is mentioned twice, with Bears fans ignoring a rival quarterback because of their use of the service.

What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented? 

I like that sports are taken lightly by fans. The fan on the wing of the plane was too over the top and risky behavior that could confuse a very young audience.

What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does 
this serve the media maker's interests? 

Athletes and comics are glorified on a low level. There are no women in the commercial so they are not targeted by the ads at all. The media maker can then use this commercial in programming for middle aged men to show interest in just them.

What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the 
untold stories?

The commercial is complete in that there isn't much left untold. Perhaps a fan could look into the characters if they were interested in knowing more.

What are the taken for granted realities?

That a fan could let go of a plane's wing in flight and not get shot into the air.

What power relations are exposed as a result of your deconstruction

That insurers want to target the middle aged man audience to get more of their business.

Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #1

Do you agree with the deconstruction? Why? Why not? Be specific.

I agree with the deconstructions on a low level because their observations are accurate. However, I don't think that reading that deep into ads that I will ignore anyway is a construction use of time. I do a minimal level of parsing of ads for information I can use and don't bother digging into details that can waste more time than the ad does.

Do you agree with the claims made in the deconstructions? Is the Century Link ad really a cover for a company that is making profits over customer satisfaction? Does the Alltel ad really promote racism or stereotypes of immigrants? Why or Why not?

Again, I agree with the deconstructions but the level of detail is too much. I don't do business with either of these companies and if I did, I would do more research on the products I would want from them over trying to read between the lines of their ads.

How do these deconstructions disrupt taken-for-granted realities?

An ad is made by PR people with the goal of the best possible take-away for the audience. If they go over board it very may be to create controversy.

What ideologies, cultures, economies, institutions or political systems are these deconstructions disrupting or interrogating?

They paint foreigners in a bad light compared to their sucking up to white middle class.

How are these deconstructions examples of individuals investigating manifestations of power relations?

 These deconstructions make a good point with their notes of white being the norm.

How might conducting these kinds of deconstruction empower students whom  have been historically and continue to be disenfranchised by  "traditional schooling? 

The students would see where the media reinforces a white norm, foreigners are bizarre message.

How might deconstructing these kinds of media messages help students recognize connections between their individual problems and experiences and the social contexts in which they are embedded?

The students would understand that white media bias is not working for them so they should ignore it.

How might conducting these kinds of deconstructions disrupt traditional banking systems of education?

It encourages the student to think of their own answers rather than be served one by the educational system.

Week 4 Cover

I decided to just use MS Paint to create this fake magazine cover. I took a screen image of People magazine's logo, added in a picture of myself and then added some text. The media language techniques I used are teasers, minor sentences and exclamations from grammar techniques. I also choose to put "person of the year!" in capital letters for emphasis.

I believe that raising the subject of the military to civilian transition is one that is not raised often enough by the media. Also, many prior military end up getting contract work for the government and their transition out of the military was different than mine.

Week #3 Reading and discussion

Identify the main  arguments

I believe that the author's main point is that reading education has changed in the information age to not just be the collection of information but to understand the stakeholders in the writing of a piece of work. Often the source of information hopes to persuade the reader to their point of view, and this source needs to be questioned as much as the validity of the words. He believes that students need to be taught how to read between the lines of media produced works.

Explain whether or not you agree or disagree with the main arguments? 

I agree with his main arguments. The agenda of a message's writer needs to be questioned as much as the details of the work. The ease in which information can be presented in all forms of media leaves room for stereotypes, hidden advertising and the desire for people to conform to norms of property ownership.

Do what extent do you think that media can be held responsible for low self-esteem in women and violence behavior in men?

The promulgation of only models that have been photo finished to perfection can only make unreal expectations for beauty in women. The endless string of action movies where a single, model spec hero defeats all enemies in his path reinforced violence behavior in men. The James Bonds movies are most ridiculous along these lines. The pretty body boy with the proper English accent saves the girl, saves the world and all while sipping vodka and making smart ass one-liners.

Make connections between the videos and two quotes from the reading.

"A reconceptualized vision of new literacies education would include an explicit effort to enable students to acquire the ability to understand how visual media work to produce meanings."(Semali, 2001)

This quote really helps the point of the Killing US Softly author in that the average consumer does not know that the cover girls are not what your average person even comes close to looking like. I really like that she said that NO one looks the way these models look because of the photo finishing.

"With mass media and the fast-growing Internet such dominant forces, out-of-school learning has come to depend heavily upon visual imagery."(Semali, 2001)

This quote is more in line with the 1st video that looks at what the media has painted men out to be. The alpha male is shown as a body builder, pretty faced and tough as nails guy. This idea is NOT taught in the classroom what-so-ever.

 Semali, L. (2001, November). Defining new literacies in curricular practice. Reading Online, 5(4). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=semali1/index.html

Week #3 activities

1. Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why? 

This is the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine. The stakeholders are the magazine that sells the image of the alpha male and the movie that is advertised in the article inside.

2. Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What 

words, images or sounds suggest this? 

The target audience is young white men from 20-35 that have the disposable income to buy a magazine that takes a half hour to read. Their interest is looking good for women. The advertised articles are for fast fitness tips. 

3. What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, 

photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.) 

That the "top dog" of guys has big arms, short hair and a serious look.

4. What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?) 

That being large helps one be in charge. 

5. What kind of lifestyle is presented? 

That extreme fitness will make one more impressive.

6. What values are expressed? 

That personal fitness is paramount.

7. What “tools of persuasion” are used?

Different fonts to draw attention to different messages circling the focused picture of their idea of a fit man. Capitals for "YOU" to make the message personal

8. What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented? 

The positive message is that fitness can help with the buyer's appearance. However, the message is lost in the extreme lengths that this magazine pushes it through overexposure.

9. What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? 

How does this serve the media maker's interests? 

This magazine empowers the body builder as the type of body to have. It disempowers the slim, fit distance runner type of body. It serves the media because it takes years to see the results of power lifting.

10. What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the 

untold stories? 

The biggest part of the story is how Arnold got to be so ripped. He was a career body builder for years before he competed in contests, and then he had to work even harder to get to the top. I saw a documentary of his body building career from a buddy that worked for years to get big muscles. A simple google search can show you Arnold's body building career before he was cast into movies.

Week 2, EDUC 6810 activities

Photo Analysis of:

Photo 1: New York Daily News June 14, 2010

Caption: Obama and the Oil Spill

Describe what you see? (Observations)

I see the President in a listening posture.

• Nonverbal gestures (arms, hands, fingers)- These are not present in the picture.
• Facial expression (head, eyes, mouth)- His expression is of listening to someone else.
• Body language (distances, code matching)- The picture is just of his upper body above the middle of his chest.
• People (age, gender, ethnicity)- He is a middle aged mixed ethnicity man.
• Clothing (type, color)- He is wearing business casual clothes of a conservative pattern.
• Background (objects, setting)- The background of the scene is blurry.
• Camera angle- The photographer is slightly above his eye level.

What does it mean? Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.

• Is the photograph posed or spontaneous? How do you know? I believe that the photograph is spontaneous because of his "listening to someone else" expression.
• What is your prior knowledge of the historical context of the photos? The president took an active role in the clean-up of the spill. Motives for this include making good press that all politicians strive to do and government "lessons learned" in the poor federal response to Hurricane Katrina.
• What questions does the photograph raise? Write at least 3 questions. Was the president's response sincere? How knowledgeable was he on the crisis? How does he compare to other leaders in similar situations?

Photo Analysis of:

Photo 2: Christian Science Monitor June 14, 2010

Caption: President Obama meets with National Incident Commander US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen for a briefing on the BP oil spill at Coast Guard Station Gulfport in Gulfport, Mississippi, on Monday.

Describe what you see? (Observations)

I see the President in a sitting beside the Coast Guard Commandent with a picture of covering the region of the oil spill.

• Nonverbal gestures (arms, hands, fingers)- The President's hands are gesturing to raise attention to the point he is discussing. The Commandent's hands are locked together in a listening posture.
• Facial expression (head, eyes, mouth)- The President's expression is of talking to someone else. The Commandent's expression is focused on listening to the President.
• Body language (distances, code matching)- The picture is just of their upper body above
• People (age, gender, ethnicity)- The President is a middle aged mixed ethnicity man. The Commandent is an older white man.
• Clothing (type, color)- The President is wearing business casual clothes of a conservative look. The Commandent is in a "working" or informal uniform.
• Background (objects, setting)- The background of the scene is informative for the viewer.
• Camera angle- The photographer is slightly below his eye level.

What does it mean? Based on what you have observed above, list three things you might infer from this photograph.

• Is the photograph posed or spontaneous? How do you know? I believe that the photograph is spontaneous because of his "speaking to someone else" expression.
• What is your prior knowledge of the historical context of the photos? The president took an active role in the clean-up of the spill. Motives for this include making good press that all politicians strive to do and government "lessons learned" in the poor federal response to Hurricane Katrina.
• What questions does the photograph raise? Write at least 3 questions. Was the president's response sincere? How knowledgeable was he on the crisis? How does he compare to other leaders in similar situations?

I found a form online that interested me at: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/photo_analysis_worksheet.pdf

This form is used by the United States National Archives to judge historic photographs for their use in collections maintained by the Archives.