Research Article Reading for Final #2 " How Advertising Informs to our Benefit"

How Advertising Informs to our Benefit

John E. Calfee

In the article of “How Advertising Informs to Our Benefit”, the author John E. Calfee provides interesting ideas and views of how he sees the way some advertising can be useful to our advantage. In detail, Calfee argues that the type of informative advertising can do no harm to the consumer, in matter fact, it creates a welcome feeling to know more. The author explains the use and the amount of information can escalate useful independence of advertisement by the consumer and the media.

I agree with some mixed feelings.In my view, some types of advertising can be very informational and helpful. In addition, it breaks away from the annoyingly loud, look at me, look at me the style of advertising which can tune out a potential buyer away. Some might object, of course, on the grounds any advertiser announcement is a bad one and they only want one thing and that is your money. That is true, but those unfamiliar with a product may be interested to know that it basically boils down to, the consumer feels better about themselves or about the product by receiving new information making they feel smart and educated on what to purchase. John E. Calfee complicates matters when he writes, “But advertising does much more. It routinely provides immense amounts of information that benefits primarily parties other than the advertiser”. (CALFEE74). The essence of Calfee’s argument is that the information is now useful for the consumer and the potential competitor. The author is surely right of advertising is extremely useful because it sheds the light on the sum of information between sources and the consumer creating price wars havoc.

Another standard way of thinking about beneficial advertising is the desire of healthy being. Health is a big seller, especially in our present American time where we consider being obese. Ads are being produced by the food on why we should eat it, by health plans so you can see the doctor in case that food poisoned the consumer, and then of course advertisement from drug companies that are selling you pills to fix or prevent health issues. John E. Calfee’s himself writes, “Useful information initially failed to reach people who needed it because information producers could not charge a price to cover the cost of creating and disseminating pure information”.(CALFEE78) While drug companies promote that you will live healthier, they rarely admit as much, the real dangers often consumer take for granted that taking drugs to make you feel better for one issue, it potentially creates worst internal body issues and sometimes mentally. Furthermore, the information is getting to us, the consumer and now we are talking about to our family, friends, co-workers and so are the competitors. Overall it is spreading like a word of mouth is on fire and it creates a very true elicit knowledge to the world good or bad, in the end, the consumer has the ultimate upper hand by taking action on doing their own research.

Research Article Reading for Final 3/11/16

Jesus Is a Brand of Jeans

In a recent discussion of advertising, in the article by Jean Kilbourne “Jesus is a Brand of Jeans” a controversial issue has been whether ads manipulate our minds. On the one hand, some argue that they have been used to seeing the annoying inappropriate advertisement and most tune them out. From this perspective, these individuals are in denial or in the worst case, viewers are getting their fruit punch spiked by physiological tactics to the mind. On the other hand, however, others argue that they feel a connection with a product. In the words of Jean Kilbourne. One of this view’s main proponents, “We are surrounded by hundreds, thousands of messages every day that links our deepest emotions to products, that objectify people and trivialize our most heartfelt moments and relationships”.  Plenty of ads nowadays make the consumer endure a love connection with a product or brand. Companies spend lots of money investing in research studying our brains on what really most people want, which is love and love can be complicated with another mate, so ads strategize an emotional sell to a product that you can love and make you feel that love is more important than an actual human being. You leave a precious car in a garage or at your mother’s house for a long period of time (days, weeks, and months), but you could not to that with your wife or girlfriend. According to this view, the issue in today's daily environment is that advertisements create artificial needs as the people tend to buy a product only if it is showed or advertised on the television. In sum, then, the issue is whether you need to buy or have to buy.

The Standard way of thinking about the topic “Unnatural Passions” has it that humans become items to the minds and one another. Ads attack people’s self-esteem, creating a must to buy the product to make you feel better and become a self-advertising object to other people. These findings challenge the work of earlier advertisements researchers, who tend to assume that the lack of human relationships the consumer turns to a flashy product for passion, who in transition the customer becomes a product of a product. In result, people become addicted to a brand which could be a bad habit to shake off. Unfortunately, in the end, ads are creating what really matters in our society, it feels like they are inventing a new religion and you have to go out and buy something every Sunday praying it is on sale.

Culture Jamming_ Essay_Draft for Final

03/19/16

Culture Jamming

The culture in every home is different and then there is culture set by what your family tree established. Culture is a beautiful piece of spiritual soul art. There is no right or wrong of a proper culture, there is no perfect culture which should follow, each culture is within what we experienced and what we believe in which made us feel appreciated within. In America, culture is rich with flavors of all various types, shapes, and sizes which stand out like a peacock to the rest of the world.

Kallen Last the founder of ADBUSTER explains that advertisements have changed the way of our individual culture has been obstructed by the radical transition to the human lifestyle. Specifically, Lasn breaks down culture jamming  in our society by putting in four different seasons  Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Although some people believe the media  and advertisements  do not interfere with their life, or a simple commercial does not make them who human really is in society. Overall, over the past years, it has slowly changed the way we think and consume.

 In Autumn, the generation of our culture is slowly starting to believe that we have to live like what we see on T.V. or how we should feel when we drive by what those billboard signs shouting out to us. Some foreigners wish to have an opportunity to come to America and live the “American Dream”. But maybe that is the problem, Americans are in a deep sleep dreaming. The media is poisoning with the idea how we should look and we react by wondering what social class we fit in.  We feel that we deserve whatever we want and quickly just like ordering a “Happy Meal” for McDonald’s. Then eventually, we want more with instant gratification because we watched T.V. and what it is teaching us. When society fails or goes through tough times, it creates depression because we are not mirrored to what are seeing on the tube and advertisement. Even if we do not have problems, the media’s commercials will tell us that, we do have issues and since most families spend most of their time watching it, they believe so it is true.  Sometimes postmodern families are so exhausted, they just like to escape by watching a romantic T.V. show, sports game or nature channel. Instead, families should be living exploring the outdoors, play basketball with their kids and be passionate with their love one. Overall, I feel like if you do not have something you want, a drug manufacturing company has a pill for that. If you do not believe me turn on the television, they created the disorders and the cure. Go the bus station they should have plenty of signs to tell you how you’re feeling and what to buy for dinner.

Winter is coming to our new culture covered over with a blizzard over our once was an American dream. We Americans no longer are traditional human beings, companies have changed our family lifestyles. In Lasn’s view, “ We work and strive for the promised payoff. We try to catch the  river in a bucket. But we never will.” An important issue that I am acknowledging is the manipulation of the television sets in our households. Television is becoming more a family past time, no more hanging out with the family telling stories or reading books together. Postmodern families are changing and do not how to interact with themselves let alone in nature society. Mass media is being the big influence in our thoughts and mind. Our emotions, thoughts, family tree and our society are being bought off. The Corporate world is rewriting Americas history books by forcing the hard workers to take one for the team, all in for the chance to catch an opportunity of the American dream. It is changing the way feel about ourselves, we should always have a drive to better ourselves, but as human beings, as a better husband, a better brother, employee and not  trying to look better to satisfy what media thinks we should look like. There is nothing wrong with personal improvement, although one should not starve themselves to look like a skinny anorexic magazine model or men trying to buy everything off the lot and shelves to impress their neighbors or next love mate.

Let’s Spring forward to the revolution of subculture jams and influences. Postmodern cultures are adapted since some dreams have been crushed and some individuals look elsewhere for guidance and change.  Acknowledging the every community and part of society is changing at rapid speed. The Modern life is being depleted by shiny lights, fancy new fashion statements and it is all hype. Popular Songs are being used to drive in the consumer and being hypnotized to empty out their wallets to the products or companies.

The importance of formidable cultural communication can scarcely be overstated. Therefore, I believe with each new generation we should teach our families to speak openly about race in a respectable manner by learning other races, cultures, to understand each other. This will give us a bigger picture of how people act or react when it a racism issue occurs, then we’ll know how we can slowly start seeing interracial progress, thinking, talking and working together resolve any issue. America is multicultural nation build by immigrants. If America was a liquid it would be a strong mixed drink but after swallowing it (accepting all race), you will have a good time. America is a beautiful nation where you can enjoy music, food, conversations and lifestyles from all around the world. Although, many seem to argue and disagree with this idea.

POP SUBCULTURE _IN_CLASS_ESSAY

POP SUBCULTURE ESSAY

2/4/16

In these times of technology and social media moving so fast, by the time I am done explaining  about Pop- Subculture a new probably came out and  another died out. A  “popular subculture” is a cultural group that is in a larger culture, which most often it is having an exaggerating system of beliefs or interests at being different with those of the larger culture. In a  non-stereotype world, whom culture can not be ideally defined by geographical borders, race, age, or social class. A Subculture is a substitution of a culture replacing our modern parent culture, and a Pop Subculture is finding new creative ways and principles. One popular culture that has changed but still very active is “Hip-Hop”, it strongly alive in our society and definitely in our youth culture.

In this essay, I will discuss a background of my culture what I believe is a culture of me and my family. Although, my main topic  is “ popular subculture “  I think it helps to understand parts and values of the culture of hip hop especially in the rap music in today's world which has grown very popular with so many people. My outlook is “hip hop” as an African-American subculture, furthermore, I'm going to discuss how is not just for African American but where it began and  how it's becoming even more popular now with our youth. From the time Hip-Hop was, in the beginning, stages, it was used as the rebellion against those dominant white American society and which it was a form of creating a common Identity for young black Americans.

How I define a culture, is what we do within our family activities, our culture is based on what we do and what has happened in the past years has carried on through multiple generations. We constantly continue to grow as our culture keeps obtaining the same values or habits as in the past. I come from a Mexican culture so I believe I obtain two different cultures. We can have multiple cultures that are what comes to my mind as I was born and raised in San Jose, California, which I adapted to the culture around me the culture in my neighborhood and the culture in my family house. The culture in San Jose, the culture in California, let alone our culture in north California which is also known as the Bay Area. One can argue you should only be identified by one culture or one whom can only identify you with one culture. I tend to disagree with that idea when I go out of town people from a different city or a difference taken notice my different accent the way I talk the way I speak in slang, professionally or about sports. About twice a year I go on vacation to visit family in Los Angeles a quick example on how we speak with in Friends and young family is one word difference is saying heck of a crowd or a hell of a crowd you can here it sounds the same but when you hear people talking about that you can tell the “heck” comes from Southern California and using “hella” comes from Northern California. The word hella is used and is common between the young folks and people in their thirties around here in the Bay Area you actually can see it on t-shirts.  There is one t-shirt that made me laugh it had the word “hella” but hockey sticks created the 2 L's that's when I knew that this was a thing this is in our subcultures and southerners know this and they make fun of this and can identify us when we use this type of word when we’re their side of the state. Here is where you even could distinguish peoples like of  Hip-Hop and their local artist styles of music.

Subcultures tend to arise from a community of people, as an example in the early years hip hop was a subculture within the urban African American community, which in some believe is it community within the larger American society. Hip hop sometimes misunderstood and can be included in the community of people who are at the lower end of society hierarchy such as family from low-income young individuals and minorities. Although the ice is in the case of hip hop has little research to confirm the differential between the Office primarily because that of ethnic backgrounds or class differentiability and the music or audience are impossible  to identify. Some belief  is that young white Americans make up rap hip-hop music a majority portion of those who listen to hip-hop music and attend today's hip-hop concerts. Hip-Hop is considered “rap”  music, which there are two types of Poetry rap and gangster rap. Gangster rap can be known for a very violent type of expression through experiences in the ghetto low-income community. One well-known gangster rap music group is NWA  and message rap, you have artists like Tupac, Eminem and Lupe Fiasco who express themselves to ghetto poetry and political expressions of their neighborhood and how the world sees the minorities in the community. Rap poetry can come in various messages, for example; positive message through tough times, Tupac Shakur expresses that, “Remember one thing through every dark night, there’s a bright day after that. So no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out. Keep your head up, and handle it.”(Tupac 94).

The roots of rap music go way back into some forms of political controversy and deals with the situations of the African American population in the United States.  In the eyes of hip hop the parental culture was more related to African American community then the working class community, even though you could include young Latinos and even white low-income families. Eminem is an example who listen to rap music and was able to express his hardship and feelings through the microphone. As a teenage dropout, Eminem verbally showed his passion through the language of rap. Even though rap was historically known to be performed by African Americans, this young full of anger white American kid was a special exception. His music liking was of NWA,  who was a highly hated controversial gangster rap group from Los Angeles. His music touches a lot of young white American kids hearts, whom they also understood as a white American coming from a broken while living in poverty. While Eminem was highly controversial, I admire him for his transition from gangster rap enthusiast to    a motivational rapper.In his song “Till I collapse”, he explains that “You gotta find that inner strength and just pull that shit out of you. And get that motivation to not give up and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall on your face and collapse.” This is a song no matter what type of race, color or social class you come from, you could relate to his lyrics.

My experience during my draft “Man Attacked Market”

03/06/16

My experience during my draft “Man Attacked Market” essay was an interesting one.  During my reading on 15 advertising appeals, it really opens my eyes on how I view commercials and advertisement pages. I always knew there was a hook to the way sell a product, for example being cool while smoking cigarettes, wearing fancy brands to be accepted by a certain social class and the use selling sex for any product. But after reading Jib Fowles article and MURRAYS I got a better understanding of the different traits marketers use to lure in a customer or installing a catchy phrase or image in our brain. Companies will try every physiological idea to make the consumer feel the need have the material item. In the end, each approach is customized to each unique individual taste and cravings, even though some we didn’t even know we had those wants.

Now while I am watching television with the family in the living room during commercials I pause the TV and question the family what was the commercial all about, what is it promoting? It was a BF Goodrich commercial, so the kids started yelling; tires, cars, rubber, and speed, the wife responded with its was the brand BF Goodrich duh. I started to sound like an advertising marketer with my response telling the family that “No it is about nurture”, the family reacted with a silly face doubting if I watched the same commercial as they did. I reminded them; didn’t you guys see the cars going fast, the rain in the dark, and the dad pulling over after he stepped on the brakes safely, he pulled off to the side to take a moment and hug his daughter in relief that nothing bad happen and he let her know that, she is protected by him (who bought the BF tires). Of course, the kids looked at me weird and my wife got it wowed her, she looked at it that way, we had good times discussing about commercials like this, which we remind the kids to watch out, these advertisers are getting to our brain with messing with our emotions, not just fancy pictures, and catchy phrases anymore.