Advertising is Evolving

New media and different forms of technology afe making marketing and advertising very appealing and affective. Companies are staying connected with their consumers with social media sources such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and others. Advertisements are not just posters and commercials anymore. With the help of technology advertising has turned into moving billboards and a lot of interactive media. For example, for the movie Despicable Me 2, an interactive video was made and put into malls to make viewers tell the little Minions to do a dance through texting. The custom video was then sent to the viewers phone for personal use. 

Another newer form of advertisement is with the use of a QR code. A QR code is a square barcode that people can scan with their smartphone and links to a website, opens an app, or does some sort of action. QR codes are a good form of marketing because people are always walking around with their smartphones. The advertising and marketing industry is changing everyday with the evolution of technology. 

H.O.G. Riders Assemble!

Harley-Davidson is a motorcycle company that established the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.). The group consisted of Harley owners getting together and riding as a crew. I believe that brand communities such as Harley-Davidson do greater things and are more involved with the brand. The Posse Ride has elements that enhance the meaning of the Harley-Davidson brand for the riders. The Posse Oath and crew tour activities help the crew build a stronger bond with each other and with the Harley brand. Harley-Davidson should not get more involved with the ride so that the participants create their own bond and meaning with the ride. Other ways the Harley-Davidson could increase involvement with the brand is, obviously, using social media to connect with their riders and the Harley community.  Social media is a great way to promote a company's products and events.

The Surfrider Foundation

The Surfrider Foundation uses campaigns to protect the oceans and coastlines in the US. They are starting a campaign in November 2013 to start a ocean desalination facility in Huntington Beach, California. Desalination is the process of removing salt and other bacteria from seawater to produce fresh water. 

The Surfrider Foundation uses social media resources such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to help promote their campaigns. Using social media to promote ideas and communicate with other people is a great way to advertise their campaigns. There is a whole list of all their different campaigns around the nation with descriptions on the Surfriders website. 

www.surfrider.org

Rose Petal Cottage: Let's Rewind

The commercial for the Rose Petal Cottage is obviously targeting little girls, showing all the house chores a typical woman would have done back in the day with playful music and light and fun colors.  If the commercial were to be remade to target both boys and girls, it should have, first of all, boys and girls playing together in the playhouse. It would have fun children music playing in the background, a neutral colored playhouse, and it would show the boys helping out the girls with the chores around the house, like helping them cook or put the house together. The boys and girls should all have the same "duties" and "responsibilities" to show that girls aren't being stereotyped into certain gender roles.

Gender Stereotyping

Even in today's commercials you see gender stereotyping taking place.  For example, children toys commercials target either to only boys or girls.  A commercial advertising a new car racing kit might have dark and strong colors with rock music playing in the background.  A couple boys yelling and jumping around having fun playing with their cars. Now, a commercial advertising a new doll for little girls would probably have bright and soft colors; maybe a lot of pinks and yellows.  The music in the background would probably be a sweet and fun song with girls laughing and dancing around playing with their dolls.

Even if it might make sense to advertise gender targeted toys separately, there's no problem with showing girls playing with toy cars or boys playing with dolls...or is it?

I don't care. I like rice.

Stereotyping.
Advertisements sometimes use stereotyping to target a certain audience or to show how a certain culture presents itself. They also use stereotyping to try to get a certain message out to their audience. For example, the Doritos commercial we watched in class, they use Doritos to get the idea that Mexicans are always fun to have at some type of party or gathering to their viewers. I don't think that this commercial was offensive. They were simply aaykng that Mexicans are fun to be around. 

I think that it is alright for advertisements to stereotype as long as it doesn't offend the viewer or the targeted audience and just for good fun and laughs. I would also like to think that racism is a thing of the past. The Tommy Hillfiger advertisement we viewed in class has mainly white people and about 2 or 3 black people. I don't think they were being racist. Maybe they just had a couple black models available. Nothing's wrong with that. 

The company we talked about, Benetton,  had very risky advertisements from presidents kissing and black and white babies hugging to real human organs and interracial couples. I'm not sure what kind of messages they were trying to convey to their viewers. Maybe they were trying to say that their clothing company were unique and different from other companies. 

I'm Filipino, considered Asian (I guess), and I don't really get offended with Asian stereotyping. People always make rice jokes when joking or talking about Asians  and I don't care. It's true because most Asians eat rice all the time. It's more like people stating facts rather than making jokes. It's cool. It's whatever. 

Scarecrows, Peppers, and Amenities

Mini Cooper (Print)

Denotation

There is a new Mini Cooper model called the Paceman out on the street at night. There are people outside a bar, hanging out, and seem to be having a good time.  The street light illuminates the car to show that it is the main focus. Fast moving cars are driving down the other side of the street.

Connotation

The company is trying to advertise their newer and faster model of the Mini Cooper line called the Paceman.  Their new model is described to have good handling, all-wheel drive, and is fast and never slows down.  When they say "Hold on to your turtlenecks", I think they are referring to the old beatniks who are chill and hangout and wear turtleneck sweaters. Their target audience are like beatniks, who go out at night, go to bars and lounges, and drive "cool" cars like Mini Coopers.

Chipotle (TV)

Denotation

The animated commercial tells a morbid story about a scarecrow that works in a food producing factory. It shows all the assembly lines and machines making the artificially enhanced food products being made in the factory. After the scarecrow gets off his job, he walks around the city finding other factories injecting chickens and cows with enhancements and realizes that what is happening is not right and not healthy. The scarecrow then goes home and makes tacos from foods freshly grown from his garden at home and sells them to the city people.

Connotation

Chipotle is trying to show that their all their food and products are natural and fresh.  They do not serve food that has any type of artificial enhancements in their food like other competing food companies. The scarecrow is a good character that is used because he represents the garden and it's fresh food that grows in it. While crows usually try eat all the food in a crop or garden, ironically, there is a mechanical crow that flies around and follows the scarecrow around while showing him all the factories in the city and all the twisted things that are happening in them.  Chipotle wants to let their customers know that all their food is made fresh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE

Apartments (Outdoor)

Denotation

There are pictures of their apartment complexes, some of the living room and kitchen layouts, and their clubhouse with air hockey tables. 

Connotation

They are communicating to their customers that they have many amenities. There a lot of things for their residents to do to keep them busy. The company is telling their customers that they deserve to have fun and enjoy their amenities that they offer.