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here is the picture that was meant to be with my blog post –kristen mannino
There are many negative advertisements out there today whether we realize it or not. Companies use attractive gestures to allure customers to their product. The picture I put with this is a great example. Some, like the person whose house this is outside of obviously, has no problem with this type of advertising. It is very blunt and some most would find this offensive. This billboard is in Sweden, however. So their culture may accept this kind of advertising that uses sex to sell. What’s ironic is that it is actually selling sex; a one night stand. Although this ad doesn’t have sexual imagery, the words convey the sexuality. Unlike many other sexual advertisements, if a kid saw this ad, they may not think anything of it and it would not be inappropriate for them.
Many commercials, like those in the recent super bowl, appeal to those of a certain audience. Most of the commercials shown in the super bowl were geared toward men. The always funny Budweiser commericals were mostly aimed at men, which is their typical audience for the super bowl. There was one with men and women at a wine tasting party. All the men went into the kitchen and had hidden beer in their “wine” and “cheese” they had brought. Obviously, men can relate to this ad more than women. Super bowl advertisers know that more men are paying attention to the game, so they are going to want to appeal to men more than women and it shows through their commercials.
Today in class we talked about art art vs. commercial art. I know everyone just loved comparing the two because they were so difficult to tell apart. We were just guessing by the end. It all depended on the person’s perception of the ad. We saw burgers, a weird looking bear thing, stars and many other things. Some were art art and others were commercial art, but could they be both? That’s what we realized in class is that many advertisements are art and visa versa. Advertisers can use art to attract consumers because most art makes people think and it forces them to interpret it how they want. –kristen mannino
The freecreditreport.com commercials are where there’s a group of guys singing about having bad credit and they now have a job paying off their credit cards or they can’t afford a nice car. I find this is one of the better commercials on television (when I don’t mute the commercials!), and even after the commercial is done, I find myself doing homework or something else and that tune of the commercial is in my head…again. The advertisement is a good one, because many people have bad credit so they need help, but even if you don’t have bad credit the commercial is annoying in that the repetitive song is actually quite catchy. The catchiness of the ad shows that people will think of the ad and its annoying tune and then think if there credit report is bad and will maybe by a slim chance they will go on their website and check out what they are all about. Maybe they will enquire about it and become a member. So these freecreditreport.com ads sticks in memory of people and this is how they base their business by people remembering their annoying song and then going online and subscribing to their website program. With being a member of their Triple Alliance program.
The other thing I like about this ad is that there are not any celebrity endorsements. So by them not having celebrities, people don’t think “Oh because George Clooney goes on freecreditreport.com, maybe I should too.” So by having a group of twenty something guys singing about having bad credit, the ad isn’t pulling anyone in because of celebrity interests. Which is a good thing.
Taken of the advertising notes off of blackboard, this ad plays on the logos of the person viewing this ad. It presents a clear and present message saying that if you have bad credit you need to go on this website to help you with your bad credit woes. This also plays on the fact that you need this website program to self improve yourself and your bad credit. I am not going to lie it’s a catchy song that often makes me want to go on their website and check it out, but I know for a fact I don’t bad credit, so no worries for me!
So, yeah the freecreditreport.com ads are catchy and somewhat annoying, it still presents its purpose, and that is if you have bad credit you need this website to help you, and this is looked at as a self-improvement ploy to get you to subscribe to their free credit reports! So as I say, “ To each His or Her Own!”
- Suraj Patel.
P.S: Here’s the link to the annoying ad!
So. Today we were talking about art that crosses over into advertising and vice versa, using the Warhol stuff to illustrate this point, right? I wanted to show you an exampple of what I mean.
Have you ever driven down Woodward and seen the gray building with huge graffiti bubble letters spelling out “Amaze” written across the front? And there’s a guy (well, manequin) hanging down off the of it? It looks like this:
What’s the purpose of this? Why would someone tag up a building and have a fake graffiti artist hanging from it? Well, the building is the MOCAD building, and it’s an art gallery. A graffiti artist had a showing there a few summers ago, and when he came to town, he spray painted the front of the building and put a mechanized guy up there to get your attention. Then, he went through the actual city of Detroit and spray painted his own graffiti all over the city: on abandoned buildings, bridges and overpasses. So, which aspects of his graffit are art and which are advertising? And which, for that matter, are just plain old vandalism? The line is really blurred between all of these things which makes you question the nature of art. Is it high art or mass culture? Or is what he has done both? Its guerilla marketing for art in the 21st century. And what he does catches your eye as you drive by and accomplished more than any average billboard could hope for. If you want to check out more, take a look at this barely adequate article from the Michigan Daily:
For a more personal look at art and MOCAD, check out this blog:
~Jenna G.
i think advertisements are supposed to be interpreted to someone on an individual basis. everyon has their own outlook on things and what “is” to someone is not going to be for the other. this is why its ok to agree to disagree. thats what i think the advertisers focus on diversity. which means more for them because people are different, but everyone uses deodarant, and toothpaste, and eats and drives so their emphasis is towards an entirety. although there are ads exclusively for certain groups, like the femine products or the ads for babies; diapers, formula, things like that. but the advertising still applies the same. what can we sell, to who, and how. no matter the reason for their ads their approach is different but their goal is the same. that is why the sports figures are used so much to represent strenght, and endurance. i don’t have a problem with any of it, because i know whats good for me. but on the otherhand i completely understand how people can get offended by some of them. i do get a little annoyed by the make up commercials, meaning that you are pretty if you use this foundation, or this lipstick. maybe a girl feels pretty without any make up at all. i like the funny ads. most alcohol ads have humor. i don’t drink but some one can interpret that beer involvement is the only way to laugh and have a good time. so again this diverts back to the way an individual views the ad in particular.
the movie we watched about smoking gives me the same feeling. i don’t disagree with the way they went about selling their product, but i do feel that they intentionally left out important information. they could have stressed the dangers a little more, but they didn’t. the movie put alot of recognition ofr the way that the cigarette company uses its tactics to sell. i got the impression that the guy just wanted to do his job no matter who got hurt because he felt that people have a choice, you don’t have to smoke. so the ones that did the company made their profit. all companies operate that way. so, its not that they,re doing something wrong, but the consumer has the obligation to research things out before the decide to use it especially if they know that it could potentially be harmful to them.
what abuot medication ads, ther are alot of side affects to them, and the companies selling them are not going to broadcast them on tv, it is up to the person that might use the medication to research it. although, i am not saaying that the responsibility falls only on the consumeer, the manufacturer does need to provide good detailed information to people before they use it. ads are good for letting some one know that there are other varieties, or brands, no one wants to be limited to a small option. mehriah
It seems to me that everytime I watch television, I see commericals that feel that they can solve your health problems. They range from your heart condition, acid reflex, and especially the most weird: male enhancement. The ones that bother me are the sleeping pill commericals. For instance, let’s look at Ambien. This pill is suppose to help you have a good night sleep. In the commerical it shows how the pill has two separate parts that dissolve and make your life great. I don’t really believe all the hype for these pills. The actors play very good roles. The man who speaks on half of the product mind as well say that this medication is the best medication that a person could ever have. But have you ever noticed how on every medication commerical, the side effects are said so quickly that you can’t even hear all of them. Some of the side effects associated with Ambien include the fact that you aren’t suppose to drive or operate heavy machinary while taking the medication. If the FDA knows that this drug can cause potential injury, then why not post the potential harm. In the commerical, they should say that this drug may cause you to be dependent on it, you may have to even go to rehab. The rap susperstar Eminem, last year went to rehab because he became so dependent on this drug. Drug companies spend millions of dollars persuading those to have those doctors prescribe this medicine. The main questions are: Does this medication really work? and Will I lose everything I have including my family if I become so dependent on this drug and can’t support my family?
Another scam that I find harshly wrong is life insurance for the elderly. Every time and again you may see a commerical talking how life insurance helped pay for someone’s funeral or that “I know my family will be taken care of once I leave the earth.” Every commerical states that you would only have to pay a certain amount each month basically as a co-pay. A couple of weeks ago, my family received some life insurance in the mail. My sister was about to apply, but as she was reading along, the insurance stated that after the age of 65 years of age, your benefits will be reduced by half. Now this is outrageous because it makes it seem like if I don’t die by 65, all the money that my family would receive to be taken care of is just only half believable to only get people to get life insurance. The are many people who may not qualify for life insurance, so why don’t give them a chance and stop scamming people so the company executives can have lenghty paychecks.
Christina Covington
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