Counter Ad to Burger King

 

 

 

As you can see, I simply changed some of the wording in the ad to convey a different view of what Burger King was initially trying to convey with the ad.  All of the same techniques were used just as they used them.  When I researched this ad I found out that this was never to be seen in the United States however, it was, and Burger King's only defense was that it wasn't supposed to be seen here.  It is blatantly referring to oral sex and is bordering on vulgarity when you read the original comments under the pricing in the original ad.  What they were truly trying to cover up is that this burger is so unhealthy that people should not be eating it.  However, getting people to relate anything to sex seems to sell products and since it was originally supposed to be ran in Singapore they felt that going this far would be OK.  What this says about this corporation who has many younger customers is that they want to sell product at any cost.  This ad is definitely marketed toward men.

 



This is a Burger King AD?!?!

 

 

I am sure that I will never look at Burger King again in the same way.  I was always annoyed by the ads depicting the King who was seemingly made of plastic but it was definitely more appropriate for my young children than this.  The persuasion techniques being used here are association, as everyone knows who Burger King is and what they do, but just in case you see the food placed directly in the ad on two occasions.  The ad uses explicit claims posting the price of the meal right in the ad, along with the claim "IT'LL BLOW your mind away".  It has a beautiful woman in the ad using beautiful people is the third technique.  The Burger King symbol is front and center but the biggest symbol in this ad is the woman opening her mouth in a sexually suggestive way in other words sex sells.  Intensity is used with the words like "Super Seven Incher" and "BLOW your mind away".  For some this would also be humor in a very crude form.

Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #2

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

The message was created by Doritos which is owned by the Frito-Lays corporation.  The message was created for the general public to encourage people to buy Doritos.

Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What 
words, images or sounds suggest this? 

The audience is anyone who is thinking about buying a snack food.  However, with the nature of the commercial it more geared toward younger adults or teenagers.  The over the top use of the goat, the loud and fast moving pace of the commercial would draw in younger viewers.

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.) 

The text is that a man sees a goat for sale who eats Doritos and is eating them at the same time.  He then buys the goat and realizes why the goat was for sale.  The goat will not stop eating the Doritos and loudly munches them all day and night in his apartment.  There are hundreds of images of the Doritos bags all over the place which make the commercial impossible to mistake for another snack food.  There is a very recognizable song playing throughout the ad. 

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

The hidden message is that these chips are so good, you won't want to stop eating them, and that you should buy as many as you can because if you don't you will feel just like the goat when he finally runs out of the chips. 

What kind of lifestyle is presented? 

It was a carefree lifestyle where a person can buy a goat to live with him in his apartment.  One in which having Doritos can make your life better, until you buy a goat that is obsessed with eating them.  It was trying to make you believe that you cannot live without Doritos and you need to have them with you all the time. 

What values are expressed? 

This commercial does not get to a lot of core values.  It is designed to be humorous almost whimsical.  I imagine however that many animal activists would have been upset with this commercial as it depicts feeding an animal something that is obviously not good for them to eat.  It would also speak to pet lovers who would have problems with people simply selling pets that they no longer want to care for, which continues to make problems in over crowded animal shelters.

What “tools of persuasion” are used? 

The ad uses visual overload of the Dorito 's image, it uses humor, association with the normal guys in the commercial and how the first man selling the goat became injured. 

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

The positive images are that Doritos are a wonderful product and taste amazing.  The negative images are that goats are dangerous animals and should not be kept in an apartment.  It is also negative that someone would sell a pet and not fulfill the obligation to take care of it.  That is a bit of a stretch but many animal lovers would see that as a problem.

What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does 
this serve the media maker's interests? 
I don't believe this ad empowers anyone or disempowers anyone.  The idea was to get people to laugh and then draw attention to the product being sold so that they create a positive thought when people see the Doritos bag.  It has worked with me as I think about Doritos commercials each and every time I look at their bags in the store.  Another classic ad is when the man has the cheese on his fingers from the chips and the man next to him reaches over and puts the mans fingers in his mouth and licks off the cheese.  Although completely disgusting I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.

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

It does not mention that Doritos is priced much higher than many other brands of chips, it does not discuss nutritional value or what goes into making the product.  Since this ad is more geared toward college/high school aged people it is not the biggest concern.  However, for mothers who shop for snack foods it most certainly is important.  You could probably find the information about how they are mad and nutritional value on the Dorito's website, however for pricing you would have to comparison shop at grocery stores or on the Internet to see a wide variation in pricing.

What are the taken for granted realities?

Most people will not purchase the amount of Doritos that this man purchased.  This who concept is built on a whimsical idea so most of this is not based in reality for people. 

What power relations are exposed as a result of your deconstruction?

The biggest relation I see is that Dorito wants you to buy their product over any other snack food.  It is obvious they think their product is so good that everyone and every animal would love them.  They want you to buy as much as you can and keep as many as you can because you should never be without them.  They are trying to persuade you that you must buy the Doritos because bad things can happen if you don't have enough.

Media Messages and Critical Pedagogy #1

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

I do agree that this is a typical commercial in using a typical middle class white family.  I am not in complete agreement that it was a way to imply some sort of racial or cultural difference.  I feel as though the commercial was aimed at being humorous.  I remember this add before Alltel was completely taken over by Verizon.  I think that if you are planning to sell cell phones you need to target the market that would purchase the majority of these phones, and that is the middle class, which comprised mostly of white America at this time.  I do not think the message was condoning racial differences and honestly I thought her tone in describing the commercial was condescending. 

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?

I do agree with the claims for the Century Link ad, as living in WV I know that access to Internet, cell phones and other technology is limited at best.  The deconstruction does well to point this out.  I think the ad does cover up that many people are affected by the fact that this type of technology is just not available to all the customers they say they reach.  However, I don't think the Alltel ad is promoting racism.  I believe the target was to the largest pool of customers out there who will be buying their products.  The family could have been 3 cavemen and it would have relayed the same message.  It could have been a white farmer with some barnyard animals the ad would have worked in quite the same manner.

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

They both make you think more about what people are really saying compared to what the true reality is.  I totally agree with the Century deconstruction but feel like the Alltel deconstruction may have made you think about things that I didn't feel were a part of the ad.  I felt as though the ad was trying to say that you should not have to sacrifice anything or resort to drastic measures to pay for your cell phone, who was in the room was not a concern to me.

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

Obviously, these ads are looking at family values and lifestyles when you look at the Century ad. They want you to see that normal families all around the world who live in beautiful wonderful places use their products. The Alltel deconstruction is an assault on your racial beliefs and ideologies.  It is almost as if she is saying if you find this funny you are racist. 

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

Both are trying to determine what the message of these ads mean overall.   Is corporate America trying to rip us off or push a racist agenda onto the American public?  I think when you examine the relationships that are displayed in these ads it helps people understand more where the everyday consumer fits in.  It also helps you decide if this company is someone you want to support by buying their products.

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

This type of deconstructions can build on so many tools for children in ways that most times they are not interested in doing due to the boring nature of the material.  If you ask a child to do a report on a book, then you will get something that is less than inspired. A book report is nothing more than a deconstruction.  If we ask children to look at these ads and then write a "report" or "deconstruction" then it improves there critical thinking skills, their writing skills, comprehension skills and so on.  If you look at ads that flash a lot of numbers you can use these as teaching opportunities in a math class.  For example if you were to use a car ad that describes financing you could easily use that to teach students how to calculate percentages and car payments.

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?

When you examine these types of messages you can decide for yourself what they are really trying to say.  Obviously I do not agree with the person deconstructing the Alltel ad but I cannot say that she is wrong.  I could be wrong and this ad could quite easily be condoning a racist message.  Children do not think about the message in the ad but simply what is the product being sold.  However, they are influenced by the messages subconsciously which can affect them as they develop into adults. 

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

I think this type of work engages children in different ways and begins to fire parts of the brain that many children, and not for a lack of trying by teachers, do not have to use on a daily basis. That is the creative part of the brain.  Although they are not coming up with the ad, they have to think about the creative process that was used to create it.  The other part of this is that you can then ask the children how they would have changed the ad to make the ad less racially offensive or not conveying a message that is not entirely true.

Person Of the Year Post - Module 4

I thought this was a lot of fun.  I am going to sound a little like a geek but I was on the yearbook staff in high school and really enjoyed designing the layouts of the yearbook pages.  Anyway, the techniques I used were to try and find ways to draw in mothers.  I stuck to things I know my wife would buy a magazine for.  Child safety, clothing choices for children and trends in parenting are all things she consistently reads about.    I used a large main picture with the main cover line directly above it.  I used four other sell lines to draw in readers.  Each of the sell-lines represents a different technique.  The top line asks a question, one that will get mother/fathers attention very quickly.  The second line is a play on words which is about how to get of bags under your eyes.  I had been working 80 hour weeks at the time of that picture and working on this masters degree and was getting around 3 hours of sleep a night.  The last line I used alliteration, wonderful winter wardrobes, which is catchy and draws the reader in.  I think this would have people thinking about what the person of the year should be as the stay at home dad is becoming more common it is still a challenge to common thinking.   I am not a stay at home dad, but many are and with new shows now on television showing fathers being the paternal figure in children’s lives I thought it would be an interesting topic.

Magazine Deconstruction - Muscle & Fitness

I chose the cover of the fitness magazine because it is a magazine I would buy and have purchased similar magazines in the past. 

Media language:

Large type face black and white letters are used to attract the eye to articles that will appeal to the buyer. The background seems to be flames or an explosion which is also appealing but makes the lettering stand out even more. The front of the magazine is dominated by the actor but in particular his arm with the 20 inch arm headline just to the right of it to grab even more attention. Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the worlds biggest action stars at the time of this magazine and would be recognized by everyone.  Arnold is being depicted as one of his best known characters from his movies the Terminator, to promote his T3 film. It would appear that Arnold is not aging as he looks much younger than his actual age at the time of this movie which was 53 years old.  On page 114 the magazine is trying to market his workout that helped him achieve his physique as this is a fitness magazine after all .  However the the biggest text on the page is the article that would have attracted myself and most other people. GET LEAN, in less time! Stay out of the gym to burn more fat.

Institution:

This is the front cover of a very popular fitness magazine.  The message is how to get healthy and build muscle.  The manufacturers and producers of fitness products along with the producers of the T3 film helped to pay for these ads. Simply put people who are the most interested in health and fitness usually have disposable income and can pay more to look and feel better.

Genre:

Fitness and health

Representation:

You can get fit without having to spend a lot of time at a gym.  The magazine is going to give you tips on how to target certain areas of your body to make it look better.  You will get tips from someone who has been at the forefront of fitness and body building for decades and who himself appears to be in great shape even at middle age.  It appears to be more targeted toward men in general.

Audience:

Demographics point to individuals,  mostly men 20-40 which is usually when people care the most about fitness and appearance.  However, this would also appeal to the mean 40-50 as they can see a man who is in his 50's looking in great shape.  It would also to appeal to women but obviously this is geared toward men.  

Ideologies and Values:

The message is clear, we know you want to be health and fit and we have a lot of great ideas that will help you do this and save time doing it.  With articles on how to stay out of the gym, how to change your routine, make your arms bigger in just 3 movies, tips from Arnold himself to make you look and feel better.  The underlying message is that even you can look like Arnold.  The message is mostly positive in that the magazine is truly based around finding ways to help people get healthier. However, it creates an image that a man at 53, probably touched up a little, can look this good why aren't you able to do it.  This is a difficult image for that 20 or 30 something man who can't seem to lose the weight or develop the muscle tone he wants.

Narrative:

The magazine covers the areas that most people who are conscious about fitness are concerned.  How to target certain areas in workouts, how to keep routines from getting boring, how to spend less time at a gym and get results and how to celebrities and fitness experts able to get these results.

Tools of persuasion:

Association, Celebrities, Explicit Claims

Photo Analysis - Personal Interest

I love the artistry and skill it takes to complete a wood working project.  This has been a personal interest of mine for many years.  I think the different type of styles of wood working is even more interesting.  Many people will create projects that are strictly measure and cut and place the pieces together.  Other people love working with free form wood, and then there are the carvers who truly amaze me.  If I were to give this lesson in my class we would be working with measurement as I am currently teaching math however this is more personal than academic.  I would ask students to choose the style of bench they like the most, using the  7 lenses to critically explain why they chose this bench.  Then they would be asked to compare the two benches and denote differences and similarities.  Why did the person who created the bench create the benches in this way?

 

Photo Analysis - Photo Captions Assignment 2

Old Caption - Obama and the Oil spill

New Caption - Obama after 12 hour meeting with Coast Guard Officials

Old 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.

New Caption - President Obama outlines plan for clean up and holds BP officials accountable for lag in clean up efforts.

Photo Analysis - Assignment 2

I believe photo 2 from the Christian Science Monitor gives me the most confidence in his leadership ability.  The president is sitting at a table with his arms extended in front of him.  His hands are positioned in a way to represent he is explaining something.  He has a look of resolve on his face which is a contrast from that of the first photo in which he appears lost in thought or even worried.  In the first photo it is such a close shot that it was most definitely posed.  I think that with this type of tragedy happening most people would find it strange that he stopped and posed for a picture.  The second photo was definitely not posed as he was addressing reporters.  The first picture is of just the president, where as the second has someone with more expertise of the ocean and gulf.  The president is wearing the same clothing in both pictures, no coat or tie, just a button down light blue checkered shirt with his top button undone.  I believe this was purposeful as to show that he has been working consistently since learning of the disaster.  The background contains pictures taken of the effort to clean up as well as a map showing where and what is being done to coordinate the effort.  The American flag is shown predominantly to the left of the president and coast guard admiral.  The first photo has an entirely blurred background however  you can tell that is the president sitting in front of the same map showing the coordination effort.  The angle of the camera is taken from directly in front of the president taken with a wide angle lens to get more of the background.  The first photo was taken at an angle slightly below the president and was taken very close to him.  I believe the first photo is trying to show just how seriously the president is taking the situation, no suit, top button undone and the look of being lost in thought, however it does not show what kind of action he is taking to fix the problem.  The second photo shows that he is collaborating, the response has already began and that they are planning to do more.  My knowledge is that this disaster was very dangerous as it took many attempts to stop the oil flow and millions of people were affected.  This was also an environmental disaster for all the wildlife that called the gulf and the gulf coast home.  With this being such a disaster, the one is sending the message that he is ready for action and has plans in place, the other photo appears to be the president sitting quietly in thought.  At the time these pictures were taken the spill was getting worse and people were screaming for action to stop BP from being in control of the clean up.  Some questions I have would be  1) Why would the president be posing for pictures at this time? 2) Was the posed picture an attempt to show how long the president had been working on the disaster?  3) Why was the presdient seated in the picture with the admiral and what does that signify?  I think him sitting down was almost a sign to some people that he was not doing enough.