Thursday, September 27, 2018

Blog Post #2

In class today, we were assigned to look at two advertisements and analyze them. I chose both printed ads from two similar companies, Pepsi and Coca Cola. I thought that it would be interesting to compare two different companies who are advertising the same product.

This Coca Cola advertisement consists of two Coca Cola cans shown from above, one unopened as well as one that has been opened. The Coca Cola logo is shown in the bottom right and the ad's text is shown centered above the cans. The background, a bright red, easily grabs the viewers attention. The layout of the cans and text all fit nice together and the ad feels nice to look at. The short and simple statement on the ad is easy to read with a thin, minimalist font. The main text reads, "open the happy can," as well as, "open happiness" underneath the openings on the cans. The open can has been modified to look as though it is smiling, which makes the can seem more human and filled with emotion. This advertisement uses pathos to speak to the viewers emotions. The texts lead the viewer to believe that opening a can of Coca Cola can bring them happiness. I believe that the advertisement is convincing in its attempt to persuade me to purchase their beverage. The advertisement was designed well and just looking at the image could improve ones mood even without thinking about it.

This advertisement from Pepsi sports a minimalist look similar to the previous Coca Cola ad. The background is a solid blue with only text and an image of a can. The text says, "Refresh your world" in all capitals to show the idea that the drink is cold. The words are shown in a very thick bold font in white which contrasts with the blue. We are shown the side of the can and it consists of the word "pepsi" as well as the Pepsi logo. The image is given some depth with a shadow appearing underneath the can though there is no such effect for the text. I believe that the depth of the picture gives the influence that the can is not just a image, but is a real physical object. The advertisement speaks to logos in sense that a cold beverage covered in droplets of water is more refreshing than a regular can of cola. Pathos is also spoken to because being refreshed is a good feeling that everyone needs. I would say that the advertisement is effective because you do not need to spend time looking at it to understand what is going on. It almost makes me want to go purchase myself a refreshing Pepsi from the store.



Monday, September 24, 2018

Blog Post #1

I have been tracking my use of technology for the past few days. I mainly use technology for my entertainment and keeping up with the world. I spend a few minutes in the morning watching the daily news as well as keeping up with the weather. During the day I like to keep myself busy and stay active but I do often come across holes in my schedule. I tend to fill these holes in my schedule with browsing the internet, talking to friends, or watching television.

In school, my class and I are learning about advertising in media. We looked at the four big ideas of media studies an watched several clips of commercials to identify the ideas.
The four big ideas of media study and analysis are:

  1. Messages are constructed
  2. Messages are representations of the world
  3. Messages have economic and political purposes and contexts
  4. Individuals create meaning in media messages through interpretation
While viewing the commercials, I was able to recognize that all ads are created in a way to promote a product or idea. One of the commercials was promoting Dove healthcare products and their main idea was be yourself but also use Dove healthcare products. The advertisement sported a little girl which played into the emotions of a parent who could have been watching. The next commercial we watched was for an environmentalist group who used the same format as the Dove commercial but instead of saying "Be yourself" they talked about how Dove ruined the rain forests for the palm oil in their products. I thought that it was interesting to see how different companies convey their ideas and how some can interact with each other through advertising.