Media Reflection : Experiences and Interactions

 
     With media being something that surrounds our everyday lives, sometimes it becomes difficult to escape it. It has become a centerpiece to connecting the world and its people together.
     Over the course of the time we've spent in critical thinking, discussing media and dissecting it, it has increasingly changed the way I see it and my use of it. When I see advertisements now, I don't believe, I think. I have been given the tools to understand and decipher that media is not to be trusted. Whether we are talking marketing or social networks, media is a way of lying. If unaware, we believe the lies that media so desperately needs us to do. It is with the tools we were given in this class that we can know the lie but only believe it if we want to.
    I would say consume a fair amount of media. I watch TV with commercials and immediately turn to a search engine when I need to look something up. It has become an instinct to turn to Google. Even if I could simply go to my parents and find the answer I'm looking for, I don't. When I watch TV, I see these commercials and all they tell me is how they can better my life. Do I believe them? Sure, maybe at times I do but it doesn't mean that I ran out to buy their products. I didn't notice it before I took this class but I have become aware of my actions. I was intrigued by the lies I was being told.
   As an educated consumer, I am able to disregard what I am told by advertisers and the media. With this, I am able to inform others of the truth that media doesn't hold. I am still a consumer but, being educated on the topic enables me to consume in a healthier way. I can hear the lies but believe what it is that I want to. Media can destroy lives and enhance them but it can never set truth into them.
 

MissRepresentation: A beautiful woman without showing skin?

     Strong, witty, and independent. The three words that come to mind when I hear the name Katniss Everdeen. Women in the media, in this day in age, are more likely to be showing off their bodies then their brains.This female protagonist, however, did exactly the opposite.
     While watching the film MissRepresenation it was said that only sixteen percent of protagonists in films were women. The thing is, these female protagonists are always playing the weak, desperate women looking for love. Never do we see a strong, independent women saving the world or fighting off monsters like males do. Women are portrayed to the public as weak objects that can be obtained. Those women we see on TV and throughout the media aren't "real" women. They are made to look the way they do.
     Jennifer Lawrence's role as Katniss displayed to audiences a type of beautiful strength. Katniss did fall in love over the course of the plot but she wasn't searching for it. It came to her on its own. Fighting for her life in the arena, she had no time to think about what she looked liked and I think that this is what captured audiences. This is one of the first female characters who we don't see playing the typical on screen woman. She had strength and independence which is usually seen as the male role. Another stir away from the typical on screen woman was the leadership Katniss held throughout her films. The mockingjay pin and the three fingers held up were symbols of a leader and its supporters.
     One of the solutions the documentary gave is that women need to discover their true power. Katniss found hers when all else failed. That bow and arrow was her ticket through life. It was who she was and no one could tell her differently. It helped her hunt to provide for her family. It helped her survive in the arena. If a woman can find their own power within themselves, as Katniss did, misrepresentations given through media would have no affect on them.
   

Logo Quiz

     There are millions of companies and brand names out there. Each one has a special logo that we as consumers have mentally branded into ourselves. It is unintentional but, it happens. We have no control over it because it's thrown at us every second of everyday. Walking down the street, going to school or a movie, media is always there.

     This app called the Logo Quiz is a perfect example as to how we have consumed from the media. In this game, there are different levels to unlock as you play. You have to know the name of a certain number of logos to unlock the next level. As you play, some logos you know right off the bat. There are others though that you may have never seen before. You can get hints for those and eventually you end up knowing exactly what that brand is.

     We as consumers have put so much media into our lives that now all we have to see is a logo and we know exactly what company it is. I find it weird. As I was playing the game, when I would see a logo, I'd know right away. I didn't have to think about it, I just knew. Whether it's a golden arch, a check mark, or a blue bird, logos have become our connection to the companies that lay behind them.

Melodies

As a new artist on the market, Madison Beer had to find something and someone to make herself known. What she found would would take her on the path to her new career.

Product placement has become something most artist do in their music videos. Madison used one of the most popular products out there to place in her music video. The Beats pill and the Beats headphones have become known worldwide. Knowing that people associate good connotations with this product, it would lead them to have good connotations with her because she is now associated with it as well.

The headphones played a relevant part in the video. The lyrics in the song state, ' I put my headphones on, plug into you.' The song is about her love for music and how it is constantly around her. The headphones are what keep it going, her connection to what she loves so much. When she puts her headphones on, she can plug into a seperate world and engage into her love.

At the beginning of the video, the first person we seen is Justin Bieber. Justin has become a worldwide known figure. Whether one associates positive or negative connotations with him, it would depend on the person. The fact that he is such a big celebrity is the way she put herself out there. Justin has more fans than he does people who don't like him and because of this, Madison would also grow this type of fan base with him being in her video. He's telling fans how great she is and because of how loyal Bieber's fans are, they would listen to him.

Milks Favorite Cookie

We've all had that black and white cookie known as an Oreo. Whether we like it or not, they relay a message that sticks with us. In this commercial we see a father and son who have been separated. It seems as if the separation has been caused by the work of the father. Watching this commercial, one can't exactly be sure but that is what it seems like. The message I see coming from this to audiences is that with Oreo one will always be connected. No matter how far you stray away, you can always be brought together with Oreo.

The need used in this commercial is Need to nurture. We see a young boy and his father inseperable when they come together eating Oreos when otherwise it seems as if they'd never see each other. Advertisers used a reality situation and turned it into something others could connect to. When this happens in real life, that father and that son will associate their seperation with Oreo but, feel as if they eat them together, nothing could tear them apart.

The techniques used are Plain Folks and Repetition. The use of a working father with a son at home is how plain folks is used. Parents have to work and sometimes their jobs carry them off to distant places. As a child you have that desire to stay connected with them. For this family, it just so happened that their connection was Oreo. Repetition is used as through out the commercial the cookie was always visible. Nothing was said between father and son until the very end. They held up the cookie, took it apart, licked out the filling, put it back together, dipped it in milk, and took a bite. All of this happened first and this was almost the entire commercial.

The target market for this commercial would be for those who feel they need to be connected to someone. Maybe it could work for them just as it worked for the father and son in this commercial. Oreo was trying to target males both old and young through this commercial, working fathers the young boys they have at home. With this commercial being a reality situation, either father or son would watch and say to themselves, 'I feel disconnected and maybe if I bought Oreos I could connect with him again'. I think this was the goal, to get people thinking like this. Taking what one sees on TV and applying it to their own lives is what advertisers want because as long as you're thinking about their product, you will end up buying it.

La Da Dee...

     When you think of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs , does Cody Simpson come to mind? My answer would be no but using a celebrity like him for promo is great way to get you movie out there and known. It works vice versa as well. It a good way for Cody to get better known because of his association with the film.
     Listening to the lyrics of the song, I would say it is about love. Lyrics like, " Oh this place is packed with people but your face is all I see, " and "I'm feeling like there ain't no better place than right by your side" it what leads me to think that this is about love. There is a love connection between main characters Flint Lockwood and Sam Sparks but that is the only connection I see between Cody and this film. I do find these to be a great match for promo because Cody is a successful artist but not a huge celebrity as being compared to others. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is in the same category. It's a successful film but not so big in its industry.
     It's these types of pairings that we see mass media consumption. One thinks they are going to be exposed to one thing and then end up consuming more than there intention was. It's a way advertisers and promotional ideas work themselves around consumers to get them to take in as much as they possibly can.
    

McDonald's and Monopoly

     After watching Merchants of Cool an idea that I saw throughout was cross promotional advertising. This is when two companies or more come together to put their products on the market in a way that would benefit them all. In this McDonald's commercial Shell gasoline, Fiat, Monopoly, and Beats by Dre all come together to promote their products with a popular food chain restaurant.
     There are three techniques being used in this commercial. They are Transfer/Association, Glittering Generalities, and Repetition. The use of Transfer/Association in this commercial has to do with being a winner. One sees how and what these people are winning and feels that it's eating at this restaurant that can turn them into winners too. McDonald's teamed up with companies with popular products which lead to the technique of Glittering Generalities. Fiat and Beats by Dre are well known and often bought products and when one sees them associated with this restaurant, they want to go there. The last technique used is repetition. The actors in the commercial constantly said " I just won..." and the golden arch was visible in almost every scene. By doing this, one knows by the end of the commercial what it was for and who caught their attention.
     Only one need was used in this commercial. It is the Need to escape. By winning the car, the actors went on a road trip. If one feels that they too would like to go on a road trip, the would see it best to go to McDonald's and purchase items there in an attempt to win the car as well. The target market for this commercial would be those of younger age, those that can drive, and those who love Monopoly. You can see a younger crowd in the restaurant, you can win a car, and the purpose of the commercial was to promote the Monopoly game that can be played through McDonald's.Cross promotional advertising can be effective because it brings on more appeal to more types of people.