1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nkf34jhapo
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUedArPH5a4
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Uvwb2MFok
As many of us know, American Idol is a huge advertisement for itself and other companies. To prove my point, I am one out of many people who regularly tune into American Idol when it is on television. Last Tuesday February 9 I watched the season nine episode called "Hollywood Round #1." If you click on the first clip it illustrates how American Idol visually and unconsciously sneaks advertisements through commercials and the program. The clip shows American Idol symbols and written words on the backdrop of the stage, judges panel, bottom left corner, signers name tags, and slang or inappropriate language is blocked out. This proves that American Idol repeatedly advertises their company as well as other major companies.
While watching American Idol last Tuesday, each judge was seen stepping out of a Ford vehicle into the Kodak Theater. I was unable to find the clip from the specific episode I watched,but Ford has always been a major advertiser on American Idol. My second link is a clip from the seventh season of American Idol that shows the idols dancing, singing joyfully, and "breaking free" as they jump into a Ford vehicle. If you were a dedicated viewer and watched American Idol more than a couple of seasons, it is a possibility that Ford vehicles may influence your next decision for a car. Another thing I noticed, is that during each commercial break there is at least one Ford commercial previewed for viewers to see. The interesting thing is that Ford spends so much time, effort, and money to put their commercials for the American Idol audience.
What I am getting at is that the medium we watch and take for granted everyday does have influence on our actions. American idol is a reality television show that travels all around America to search for the best American singer. Also, Ford is an all American company so it is important for them to associate themselves to a similar audience like the American Idol. This is easy for Ford to influence that audience that has potentially same interest in American products or productions. The Ford, Vitamin Water-Zero, Kodak Theater, and A T&T are all great examples of how American Idol blends their programming known as commodification.
Before I graduated high school in 2007 one of my best friends Julia constantly watched American idol and religiously never missed an episode. If she did miss the episode it was already on Te-vo for her to watch late. On her eighteenth birthday Julia has dreamed and expressed how much a 2007 Ford Mustang would mean the world to her. Finally her birthday July 7, 2007 Julia received a brand new 2007 Ford convertible Mustang. Still today Julia talks about how well her car drives, how much she loves her car, and the latest gossip on American Idol. I do believe my friend Julia is a true real life example of how there is a connection to the media and influence on others actions and decisions. Julia was constantly introduced to American Idol and Ford which influenced her to need the car. The third link views an American idol commercial designed by Ford that shows the idols signing and driving around in the 2007 Ford Mustang.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
A Parasocial Confession
One of the terms from last week’s reading that resonated with me was parasocial. I don’t know about anyone else but there are a lot of celebrities that I am positive would be either a) my best friend b) my friend or c) my boyfriend. Now I will admit that I am more delusional than most, primarily due to my overactive imagination, but it is fueled by the Internet. So for those of you that don’t have as many parasocial relationships as I do I will give you an insight into mine.
Probably my worst (or best) parasocial relationship is with the British band McFly (my favorite band), specifically Danny (my favorite band member). I became a fan of McFly over three years ago after buying the soundtrack for Just My Luck, a movie they played themselves in. Shortly after buying the soundtrack I went to Ireland for a month and purchased the rest of their CDs and their concerts on DVD. Throughout my sophomore year of college my roommate (who was equally obsessed) and I ordered posters, singles, concerts, and calendars online. We also spent hours, literally hours on youtube watching McFly’s television appearances and interviews. Between youtube videos and websites by the end of sophomore year I felt like the members of McFly were my close personal friends.
Still not getting how intense my parasocial relationship was (is)? I can identify Danny’s laugh on any video. Danny’s favorite musician is Bruce Springsteen. He’s from Bolton, has an older sister, and his favorite soccer (football) team is the Bolton Wanderers. He likes to party, had a beagle named Bruce, and enjoys the beach for vacation. Should I go on or do you get the picture?
So how did this parasocial relationship get so bad? Well the Internet and the plethora of information that is readily available on it. My parasocial relationship with McFly was bad as a sophomore when I could watch them on youtube, read their official website, and keep up on their personal blog entries on their myspace. But now, as senior it’s even worse with the addition of twitter. Each member of McFly has a twitter. They share their daily activities, personal thoughts, and personal pictures with the entire world. If I thought I knew McFly before I know them even better now.
Okay, so with all of that said (if you read all of this snaps for you) as a marketer/promoter I love twitter and the availability of information. I think good or bad it is essential for artists to have twitters, blogs, etc. Fans and other consumers expect to have a personal relationship with their favorite artists. As much as it’s scary that people have such delusional relationships with celebrities it also drives revenue for said artists. Even though the relationships are concerning for some I find no real issue unless fans act on these relationships through in-person stalking, inappropriate comments, or the like. Which as far as I know if few and far between.
Well, thanks for reading my confession and other thoughts, sorry it’s so long.
For those of you who are interested, below is a link to a McFly music video.
One of the terms from last week’s reading that resonated with me was parasocial relationship theory. I don’t know about anyone else but there are a lot of celebrities that I am positive would be either a) my best friend b) my friend or c) my boyfriend. Now I will admit that I am more delusional than most, primarily due to my overactive imagination, but it is fueled by the Internet. So for those of you that don’t have as many parasocial relationships as I do I will give you an insight into one of mine.
Probably my worst (or best) parasocial relationship is with the British band McFly (my favorite band), specifically Danny (my favorite band member). I became a fan of McFly over three years ago after buying the soundtrack for Just My Luck, a movie they played themselves in. Shortly after buying the soundtrack I went to Ireland for a month and purchased the rest of their CDs and their concerts on DVD. Throughout my sophomore year of college my roommate (who was equally obsessed) and I ordered posters, singles, concerts, and calendars online. We also spent hours, literally hours on youtube watching McFly’s television appearances and interviews. Between youtube videos and websites by the end of sophomore year I felt like the members of McFly were my close personal friends.
Still not getting how intense my parasocial relationship was (is)? I can identify Danny’s laugh on any video. Danny’s favorite musician is Bruce Springsteen. He’s from Bolton, has an older sister, and his favorite soccer (football) team is the Bolton Wanderers. He likes to party, had a beagle named Bruce, and enjoys the beach for vacation. Should I go on or do you get the picture?
So how did this parasocial relationship get so bad? Well the Internet and the plethora of information that is readily available on it. My parasocial relationship with McFly was bad as a sophomore when I could watch them on youtube, read their official website, and keep up on their personal blog entries on their myspace. But now, as senior it’s even worse with the addition of twitter. Each member of McFly has a twitter. They share their daily activities, personal thoughts, and personal pictures with the entire world. If I thought I knew McFly before I know them even better now.
Okay, so with all of that said (if you read all of this snaps for you) as a marketer/promoter I love twitter and the availability of information. I think good or bad it is essential for artists to have twitters, blogs, etc. Fans and other consumers expect to have a personal relationship with their favorite artists. As much as it’s scary that people have such delusional relationships with celebrities it also drives revenue for said artists. Even though the relationships are concerning for some I find no real issue unless fans act on these relationships through in-person stalking, inappropriate comments, or the like. Which as far as I know if few and far between.
Well, thanks for reading my confession and other thoughts, sorry it’s so long.
Here is a youtube video for McFly incase you're curious.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Class discussion about advertisements
In todays class we discussed a lot about hidden advertisements in movies and tv shows. It was interesting to see how many advertisements there are in movies/tv shows, but at the same time I have to admit while I have noticed these, I dont really care that much. I dont find it rude that advertisements are in our movies-they have been for a really long time. Its not like I will suddenly see a product being displayed in my movie and want to shut it off. The products dont necessarily mean anything, it is just another way for businesses to sell products since the reduction of commercials has been limited with new technology. In my opinion it doesnt take anything away from the message of plot of the movie. Its not like our movie is being paused so an entire set of commercials can play, or that we are paying to sit in a theater in see a set of newly released advertisements. I think that the products that are shown in movies make it more relatable because advertisements are everywhere around us, and always have been.
As for the Facebook ads being determined by the information that you put on your profile, that is a little bit creepy and offensive. Just because we are women doesnt mean we want to lose weight, wear uggs, get free makeup, or test a free apple computer. But while some ads are way off base a few-you have to admit it ladies-do cross your minds as interesting, even though we would never click on them. Like the advertisements displaying wedding rings, meeting cute singles, winning a free spa date, etc. I suppose that businesses are just trying to show advertisements that revolve around the status quo with the information we have presented on our profiles, and while its annoying and sometimes wrong they are just doing their jobs. We block out commercials and advertisements every single day, looks like we just have to keep ignoring them and move on.
Product Intergration
Commodification, in my opinion, is becoming much too powerful in media nowadays. When television first started, the main agenda of companies supporting production was to make a substantial sum of money--that is, once people started tuning in every day. Therefore, it goes without saying that television runs on advertising. Remember: shows are just the filler between commercials.
Once television abandoned the straight-forward product integration of the Kraft Television era, commercials were key to keeping companies interested in paying networks to run their programs. However, due to post-modern technologies, consumers are now allowed to skip any of the advertisements that they do no want to watch. So, of course, those who paid to be advertised needed to revert back to their old ways: product integration.
Some shows such as 30 Rock make their product integration obvious. In a very The Truman Show-like way, 30 Rock pokes fun on the products they advertise in their shows, but simultaneously please sponsors by advertising without "advertising". Product integration appears to be humorous in 30 Rock, but not all television shows, nor films, make obvious attempts to humor the consumer into buying a particular product.
Instead, we now witness the hundreds of disguised advertisements in our TV programs and movies. Take our music videos. While this may apply more to music than television, it is important that we see how ads are sneaking into all media. In 2005, McDonald's offered to pay many rappers to make references to its food. Just check it out.
Do you remember iRobot, the futuristic Will Smith flick? First off, I'm sorry. But take a look at the car he drives.
This same image can be found on www.audi.com. It's not hard to spot the product integration here, but how many people really think about the car as an important feature to the film? I don't think many do, but for some of us, we now want to buy an Audi, especially in the future, although we don't know why.
The point behind my rant is that we need to be weary of product intergration. We need to keen our senses, so that we are no longer on the wrong end of the chicken-and-egg cycle. The question has always been, do we influence the products in media or do they influence us. In my strong opinion, product integration that has been blended smoothly into what we see and hear has the potential of influencing what we buy and want. The same concept has been around for ages, but I suggest that we are no longer being treated as human beings when these ads subconsciously influence us; instead, we are being leered upon by those who see us a meaty cash-cows.
Once television abandoned the straight-forward product integration of the Kraft Television era, commercials were key to keeping companies interested in paying networks to run their programs. However, due to post-modern technologies, consumers are now allowed to skip any of the advertisements that they do no want to watch. So, of course, those who paid to be advertised needed to revert back to their old ways: product integration.
Some shows such as 30 Rock make their product integration obvious. In a very The Truman Show-like way, 30 Rock pokes fun on the products they advertise in their shows, but simultaneously please sponsors by advertising without "advertising". Product integration appears to be humorous in 30 Rock, but not all television shows, nor films, make obvious attempts to humor the consumer into buying a particular product.
Instead, we now witness the hundreds of disguised advertisements in our TV programs and movies. Take our music videos. While this may apply more to music than television, it is important that we see how ads are sneaking into all media. In 2005, McDonald's offered to pay many rappers to make references to its food. Just check it out.
Do you remember iRobot, the futuristic Will Smith flick? First off, I'm sorry. But take a look at the car he drives.
This same image can be found on www.audi.com. It's not hard to spot the product integration here, but how many people really think about the car as an important feature to the film? I don't think many do, but for some of us, we now want to buy an Audi, especially in the future, although we don't know why.The point behind my rant is that we need to be weary of product intergration. We need to keen our senses, so that we are no longer on the wrong end of the chicken-and-egg cycle. The question has always been, do we influence the products in media or do they influence us. In my strong opinion, product integration that has been blended smoothly into what we see and hear has the potential of influencing what we buy and want. The same concept has been around for ages, but I suggest that we are no longer being treated as human beings when these ads subconsciously influence us; instead, we are being leered upon by those who see us a meaty cash-cows.
Facebook ads
Today's discussion on how Facebook has advertisements that are targeted towards your profiles information like gender and age influenced me to pay closer attention to the ads that pop up while I bop around from page to page. I made notes about what I saw and why I think that they were selected for me.
There were all sorts of things like grants and loans that were available to a 22 year old female college student. Just my luck, I am all three of those! I have never paid much attention to the ads because I find them annoying and almost insulting. Just because I am a female college student doesn't mean I am getting pregnant or interested in becoming a nurse. I think that weight-loss ads might cause a problem with some people because if they are dealing with weight issues and it is being hammered into their minds that "being thin is in" can cause more psychological problems then they may have already been dealing with. Those ads seem to hit at the right time, or the wrong time as it may be.
I don't think ads should be so targeted in such a generalized way. I understand to maximize your advertising you should aim for your target market buut where is the line? Facebook ads probably indirectly call all females fat. I am sure people realize that the ads are targeted for them based on their information posted but it still hits at home if you think you are over weight and there are constant weight loss advertisements.
And an additional note on Facebook. When we talked about the parasocial relationships it made me think that Facebook probably helps people achieve those. Having the ability to look at someone's Facebook page that has personal information, friends comments, and pictures you have the opportunity to learn a lot about a person without their knowing. I think that it is creepy but lets be honest, I think we have all creeped on peoples' pages and you may get a sense of a friendship that is one-sided.
I still enjoy Facebook I just don't agree with it and most of the time I kind of hate it. But it is what it is....
=]
There were all sorts of things like grants and loans that were available to a 22 year old female college student. Just my luck, I am all three of those! I have never paid much attention to the ads because I find them annoying and almost insulting. Just because I am a female college student doesn't mean I am getting pregnant or interested in becoming a nurse. I think that weight-loss ads might cause a problem with some people because if they are dealing with weight issues and it is being hammered into their minds that "being thin is in" can cause more psychological problems then they may have already been dealing with. Those ads seem to hit at the right time, or the wrong time as it may be.
I don't think ads should be so targeted in such a generalized way. I understand to maximize your advertising you should aim for your target market buut where is the line? Facebook ads probably indirectly call all females fat. I am sure people realize that the ads are targeted for them based on their information posted but it still hits at home if you think you are over weight and there are constant weight loss advertisements.
And an additional note on Facebook. When we talked about the parasocial relationships it made me think that Facebook probably helps people achieve those. Having the ability to look at someone's Facebook page that has personal information, friends comments, and pictures you have the opportunity to learn a lot about a person without their knowing. I think that it is creepy but lets be honest, I think we have all creeped on peoples' pages and you may get a sense of a friendship that is one-sided.
I still enjoy Facebook I just don't agree with it and most of the time I kind of hate it. But it is what it is....
=]
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tuesday's Class over Marxists
After discussing Karl Marxists perspective, the highly acclaimed Showtime series known as WEEDS came to my mind. This first season dealt with Nancy Botwin who is a single soccer mother that tries to make ends meet by dealing with marijuana after her husband dies. Still today and back in 2005 when this series started marijuana is a debatable topic everywhere you go in the United States. In general, Nancy Botwin is not a typical drug dealer. Her and the family live in a beautiful home in the suburbs of California, enjoye nice accessories, one person brings in the money, and maids are paid to complete daily chores throughout the house.
If you click on my links below, it illustrates that WEEDS and the character Nancy Botwin shows resistance and upfront qualities, which defines inflected oppositional. Some resisted qualities that Nancy holds is that she keeps the family together like a mother, shows emotions like a woman, takes care of the family by putting food and money on the table, shows concern towards her family and friends, and presents herself as a beautiful upper middle class lady. On the flip side, Nancy illustrates upfront qualities like when she hires illegal immigrants to help around the house, she doubts her skills as a mother, sadly she deals with everyday reality, and she acts like a boss instead of a mother towards her children. Also, Nancy does not have a typical feminine job rather she is supporting her family and lifestyle by dealing marijuana to her neighbors. Even though it was rather challenging to find appropriate clips from the series WEEDS, I believe the series and Nancy as a character illustrate great examples of inflected oppositional ideas and texts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANO8IgLq-9s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-auNhfpcRk&feature=related
If you click on my links below, it illustrates that WEEDS and the character Nancy Botwin shows resistance and upfront qualities, which defines inflected oppositional. Some resisted qualities that Nancy holds is that she keeps the family together like a mother, shows emotions like a woman, takes care of the family by putting food and money on the table, shows concern towards her family and friends, and presents herself as a beautiful upper middle class lady. On the flip side, Nancy illustrates upfront qualities like when she hires illegal immigrants to help around the house, she doubts her skills as a mother, sadly she deals with everyday reality, and she acts like a boss instead of a mother towards her children. Also, Nancy does not have a typical feminine job rather she is supporting her family and lifestyle by dealing marijuana to her neighbors. Even though it was rather challenging to find appropriate clips from the series WEEDS, I believe the series and Nancy as a character illustrate great examples of inflected oppositional ideas and texts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANO8IgLq-9s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-auNhfpcRk&feature=related
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