Media Reflection

I feel that I consume a good amount of media because media is everywhere. For example, in the T.V.s, computers, billboards, magazines, ads etc. I see various media in my everyday life, therefore I believe I consume a fair amount of media in my life. Media rarely impacts my life but it does sometimes when I see something interesting or something I like. Now that I am more aware of my media consumption I feel that my opinions on media have really changed and what I watch on television or other types of media I see around me. I also now look at media differently like recognizing the techniques and needs that being shown in commercials. My media consumptions have changed some what but also I haven't been watching too much T.V. lately. Now when I look at commercials I feel that some of them are very invalid and I  am not easily tempted to buy their products. I feel that media literacy is important because it is important to know your surroundings of your own life around which also includes media. I also feel that media literacy is important because it gives you a new perspective on T.V. and advertisements around you. It is also important to be an educated consumer because you don't want unnecessary things to be tempted around you.

What I got out of keeping this blog is having more of an awareness towards different kinds of media and getting to know about the commercials that I am familiar with. I also got out of keeping this blog is how commercials actually work and how they are made from making an appeal to the person who is watching it or using a technique to draw that person in buying their product. Overall, I think that learning about media has made me more greatly aware about what is advertised and things that are shown around me. I also have learned more about the world and how media has influenced many people. Learning about media is very interesting, and I hope more people should learn about media because it really questions your outlook on the world. 

Volkswagen Passat Commercial

When I watched this commercial I really thought that even though this dad is trying to teach his son how to toss the ball he can't even do it good himself. The father and his son gave off a nice feeling like when you and your own dad play a good game of toss. But the funny parts were that the boy kept missing and his dad always had to get the ball for him. 

This commercial uses the need which is the Need to Nurture because it shows a father and son playing a good game of catch. The commercial also says that if your going to give this car to your son it is going to be durable for something for him to be proud of. This commercial also uses the technique plain folks because this father and son are pretty plain people. They show the power of the car because of their game of toss showing the overall durability of the car. 

Nike Free: I Would Run to You

When I came upon this commercial I was more surprised how long this commercial was, but when I watched the whole commercial I came to know the reason why. I thought the overall commercial was very heart warming and I thought it had a great plot to it as well. This is a very unique love story and I thought that it was really cute that this couple would run to each other even though they are very far a part. The ending of this commercial was also very nice. 

The need that is used in this commercial is the Need to Achieve because the commercial is saying in order to run to the person you love you need these Nike shoes. The girl in this commercial was wearing those shoes and she was the only one who was able to get to her lover because she used those shoes, while the man in this commercial did not use the Nike shoes. This commercial also uses the Need for affiliation because if we can use these shoes to run to the one I love then I can do it! That is what the commercial is trying to tell people even though we know we can't run as far as that girl did in the commercial. This commercial also uses the advertising techniques known as Transfer because it's saying you need these shoes to take you where you want to go.

Overall, I thought this was a very heart warming, but interesting commercial. It has a lot of cute things shown and different places to see. I also enjoy listening to the nice song that was sung throughout the commercial.

Yoplait: A sweet Swapportunity

Today I was looking at my mom's magazines and then found this really ironic ad. I found this Yoplait ad in a People's magazine what the ad was trying to advertise seemed very ironic to me, especially the picture. First of all, when I first saw that I thought is this trying to badmouth yogurt because it has the same amount of sugar as Yoplait yogurt. Turns out that wasn't the case instead this ad was trying to advertise that you can eat your favorite sweets for less calories in Yoplait yogurt. (Plus, it tastes good!)

This advertisement uses the appeal of Physiological Needs because the ad says you need this yogurt to also enjoy your favorite sweets in less calories. Also, the ad says it has no high fructose corn syrup which makes this yogurt healthy all you need is to make the swap. This ad also uses the technique of Simple Solutions by making a simple swap to eating Yoplait yogurt to get the same satisfying taste in your favorite sweets.

However, even though I figured out what the advertisement was really advertising I think this ad is really ironic because wouldn't you want something healthy? Not a yogurt that is equivalent to a sugary sweet. The only difference is they are claiming that the yogurt has less calories than the actual sweet. In my overall opinion I don't think that this ad is all that great because your still eating something that contains huge amounts of sugar, but the only difference is it contains less calories. 

Martinelli's Ad

Today I was looking at a Raley's and Bell Air food catalog when I came upon a Martinelli ad. Martinelli's is a famous brand for their good tasting apple cider I even drink this brand as well. But what really caught my attention was the words on the ad saying, "Ring in the new year with an old friend." I thought that these words really attract people's attention because it wants people to use this product to celebrate the new year. Everyone wants a cup of Martinelli's to celebrate the new year because it is a perfect drink used to celebrate. I know I drank some Martinelli's for the start of the new year.

Also, this ad also uses a basic appeal to get people's attention. The appeal they use is the Need for affiliation because if your looking for a drink to cheer for the new year pick Martinelli's. Like for some people who can't drink champagne and other alcoholic drinks. This ad also uses Physiological needs because the ad says you need this great tasting drink for the start of the new year. This ad also uses advertising techniques. In this case, this ad uses the technique Transfer/Association because it uses positive words to show you its qualities to buy this product. For example, you need Martinelli's to celebrate the new year.

Overall, this ad is very persuasive in terms of using it to help you celebrate the new year. I also used this drink to celebrate it was really delicious.

Twix: Try them both or pick a side Commerical

While I was browsing on YouTube today, I found this very interesting Twix commercial. This is one of those very few commercials that actually give you a story. The commercial told the story of the kinds of Twix bar companies which was Right Twix and Left Twix. The difference between the two companies was" Left Twix flowed caramel on to the cookie and Right Twix cascaded caramel on to cookie. " "Left Twix bathed in chocolate and Right Twix float in chocolate." The only thing that these Twix bar companies shared is their wrapper. 

After I watched the commercial I kind of got a craving to eat a yummy Twix bar for myself, but unfortunately I don't have any Twix bars at my home. The commercial also says "try them both or pick a side" I thought that I would probably try them both just to compare the two bars. That is how this Twix bar commercial gets you to buy their commercial. They use the Need to satisfy curiosity because it makes you want to try both of the Twix bars to see what the difference is between these two bars because it satisfies your curiosity. This commercial also uses the technique of simple solutions because if you just try either Twix bar it will solve your curiosity of its taste. 

I overall thought the story of the commercial was pretty interesting and I had now idea that Twix actually had two kinds of companies. The commercial was very entertaining and it had a good story of how a candy bar can have such a history behind it. 

Swanson Chicken Broth AD

Today I was looking through one of my mother's Women's magazines which was a Thanksgiving theme one. I came upon one of the ads which was advertising the Swanson Chicken Broth. The ad was mainly advertising that the Swanson brand is the number one ingredient in soup broth. The product also says that it is 100% natural, 99% fat free, and it has no MSG. It is the most sensational chicken broth for soup.

This ad is really trying to get people to think that they are the number one broth for any kind of chicken based soup. The ad also advertising that it will not disappoint you because it is natural and it is almost fat free for people who want to lose weight. I have seen many chicken broths because my dad is very picky on which kind he uses, and I was thinking to myself is this brand really the best? Swanson is probably a good brand of chicken broth but is it truly the best?

This type of ad uses the tactics of weasel words and plain folks. The ad uses weasel words by putting words to make the product have a positive appeal to their viewers. They guarantee these words without any explanation to people who are viewing the product. The other tactic that this ad uses is called plain folks. Plain folks is used by showing that this product is good for people like you and me. It is for people who just need a good broth to make good soup. The ad also uses the basic appeal of physiological needs because it uses the appeal that you need this product for you eating needs. It can guarantee you great tasting soup.

This probably means that Swanson's target audience is people of the middle class because they know people just want a broth that will bring out the best in their cooking, while upper class people want high quality broth. The target audience is mostly people who love to cook and they would use the best broth to do it.                              

Trying to remember from my childhood, I remember that we did used to use the Swanson Chicken broth brand. Then, how come we stopped using it? I think my dad wanted a different kind of broth but I think the broth was maybe too salty for him. Swanson is probably not the best broth but it probably is a good quality that people can use. Overall, this ad uses two kinds of tactics that can be very effective to people who want to use the best brand in their cooking.