By the People, for the People

In class we discussed different methods of persuasion used in political campaigns.  The issue up for debate was the gun control policy, and we were to find a politician and either create an ad for or against them in this cause.  For a positive campaign, sound effects such as applause, cheering, and patriotic, inspirational music are heard.  On the contrary, negative ads were shot in black and white, and used eerie sounding music (in some cases the music heard could have been slightly inspirational or comedic to indicate a satirical opposition for the politician). I've chosen three of my colleagues' video campaign ads to focus on, as they follow this structure and invoke emotions in such a way that would be very successful if they were actually used for a political advertisement.

This first campaign is directed towards Maryland voters in search of a politician that will help with the number of homicides of children in the state.  The ad states that although the rates are the lowest they have ever been, this is not enough because there should not be any children falling victim to these crimes.  A signifier found in this campaign would be the pictures of children fading from color to black and white.  This signifies that these children may no longer be alive, or that they are in danger because of the conditions they are currently living in.  The slow, sad music signifies depression, and a desire for a positive change.  Lastly the message the ad brings "We need our hero back" also signifies a desire for change, as there is no "hero" or leader in charge to take action against this negativity.  This campaign does a great job of using pathos to convey an emotion to the viewer.

This second campaign is also a negative ad towards gun control.  Again, it uses pathos (and logos as well in this case) to convey a strong, convincing message to the viewer about how they should view the gun policy.  The signifier I would like to point out in this ad is the picture of the gun pointed straight at the viewer, literally making them stare down the barrel of a handgun.  This signifies the scariness and fear that comes with the idea of a gun - and when it's staring you in the face, there (should be) no other emotion but fear.  Another signifier would be the other picture used, featuring a man with a gun that looks like he could be crazy and/or unstable.  This also conveys the emotion of fear because we can visualize the type of person using these guns for malicious intent.  The text in this campaign signifies that we don't necessarily need to ban guns, but ban the use of illegal guns that would obviously be used for other reasons other than defense.

This final ad I chose had a very powerful effect on me as a viewer, and definitely would have persuaded me to change my opinion in the election.  It opens with a video of a woman who is a news anchor discussing the amounts of deaths via gun activity that includes the deaths of children in playgrounds.  This signifies that there is a complete lack of care or attention for the safety of the residents in this area.  Not just children, adults as well. The fact that children are becoming victims in these actions indicates that no one is safe - even the absolute innocent.  The dramatic music also creates a tense, and horrifying atmosphere for the viewer by using a song including symphonic elements and foreign chants.  We associate this type of music with rising action of a serious movie where the plot is thickening, and in this case the plot is a little over a minute long so it creates this tense atmosphere throughout the entire ad.  A final signifier for this ad is the clip showing the number of homicides that have taken place this year.  This signifies that even though the rates may have been dropping recently, the amount is still too high to find excusable for any reason. 

-In class discussion-

     A fellow student of mine brought up the topic in class of a blog post found on cracked.com.  The website is known for publishing humorous material, but he found this particular article, Dealing With Bullies You Learned in Movies, a little too real for his tastes.  The author delves into personal experiences with bullying and even bullying that his child received. 

     While I don't doubt that the article may seem a bit on the black humor side, I feel like this was supposed to be a satire.  I have read articles on cracked.com before, and nearly every one of them are funny because they are all drenched in sarcasm.  I personally love this style of humor, so I enjoy most of the blogs I read on there. Although I do feel that this particular piece was darker than the rest (it hit on a way more personal level for the author), knowing that the author was more than likely aiming for a sarcastic approach to this scenario would make me more interested in reading more of his work to see if anything else he has written parallels this. 

     Regardless of his approach, I commend him on going on a different route with this blog, but I can definitely see where Travis is coming from.  If I want to laugh, give me something obvious to laugh at an don't crowd that with a sad story.  I feel as if he was trying to add a bit of realness to this story but it may have not worked in his favor.  Still, he received an emotion out of one of his readers, and when it comes to leaving an impact he did just that.

How Low Can You Go?

     Rap videos are some of my favorite inspiration to the same basic idea creatively redone over and over.  In this video, rapper Ludacris plays a "Bloody Mary" type of entity.  It is said that he appears in your mirror if you "drop it low" enough.  Three friends are excited to test out this theory, but they find that summoning Ludacris isn't all fun and games.

     The girls in this video definitely fit both roles of women in music videos.  The original three girls dancing in the bedroom "summon" Ludacris, but then immediately become frightened and completely negative towards the situation.  Meanwhile the other girls shown in the video are merely the dancing nobodies found in many rap videos.  These girls are perky, ready to party, and perfectly fit the descriptions that Ludacris describes them as he is rapping.  They all have gyrating, stripper like movements that are so prevalent of these "dream girls" we have learned about. 

"Cause I like that french vanilla, that caramel, but when it comes to Chocolate, I know that very well" - Ludacris

     So we have the dream girls gyrating, some other male figures assumed to be Ludacris's possy around to add some numbers.  What happens to the previous innocent girls?  They are changed into party girls themselves, and therefore become desirable objects like their ghostly counterparts.  Now they are free to grind, shake, and drop it low in the freedom of their own house with this newfound confidence.   They don the similar attire of the previous girls as well: skin tight spandex leggings in bright colors, and very revealing tops. 

     While all of this lovely metamorphosis is going on, we have random shots of Ludacris rapping under a blacklight.  This effect makes him look like he's in a very ambiguous, but obviously very fun environment that you probably wish you were in.  He is seen constantly rapping while beautiful dream girls are dancing around him and competing over who can drop it the lowest for him.  This sort of rivalry between the girls shows off another side of the dream girls, their competitive side where they compete over men.  Ludacris does not seem to mind, and probably is not complaining in the slightest.

     This kind of video feels very reminiscent to rap videos in the late 90's and early 00's in that it follows a very simple plot that involves women seeing just how low they can go.  While newer rap videos usually focus on the wealth of the rapper and his status among his community/crew, this video follows Ludacris's theme of southern style dirty rap that can be first seen by artists like 2 Live Crew.  Ludacris's modernization of a simple (and clever, I'll admit) idea of the Bloody Mary myth and turning it into a 4 minute long parade of girls just breaking loose, having fun, and gettin' low.

Loud Music, Bright Lights... French Fries?

Posted by mleishear

By using the Frith method, we can break this advertisement down into three categories.

Surface Meaning:  A solid black background is broken up by a racially ambiguous hand with multiple wristbands holding an order of McDonald's french fries.  The words "Open All Night" are written in white to the right of the hand

Advertiser's Meaning:  No matter what hour of the night or whatever you might be getting into (let's say, club-hopping, for example), McDonald's is open all night to feed that late night hunger.

Cultural Meaning:  We as Americans live in a society that has events such as clubs and raves going on all hours of the night.  Because of this many young adults who fit this scene may want something to eat late at night.  McDonald's has already advertised for years that they are one of the only fast food restaurants that i open all night, so they switched their emphasis to an audience that is also up all night.  Assuming they have enough business during the day, McDonald's has made a billboard that is 100% targeted towards the club scene which dominates our youth and the radio today.  In other countries that have similar economies to the U.S. this billboard would speak universally, as the audience is bounded more by age than race.  The hand shown does not give off any particular sign of race, and I assume to advertise this billboard in another country, the only thing McDonald's would need to change is the language of the text.  This is an excellent example of advertising by utilizing what is popular in the media and the youth.  As the club scene becomes more popular, so will stopping by McDonald's on the way home from Baltimore or D.C. at 3 AM. 

     I'm not the biggest fan of McDonald's, but like with the Axe advertisement, some of the best ads are ones that don't necessarily please every single viewer, but have a strong idea of their target audience.  This ad is right on schedule as far as following the "trends" of high school and early college students, and I'm sure that McDonald's will be ready for the next big thing.

Even Angels Will Fall

     When I think of an example of effective advertising, what comes into mind for me first is not a product that is necessarily amazing, but one that does the absolute best job of building up its target audience.  Axe, the male hygiene products commonly known for their scandalous advertisements, has some of the best ads because they have perfected their pitch to their audience: Don't just get clean, "get some" too.
     Their famous slogan, "How Dirty Boys get Clean" is a perfect example of how they plan to get their message out.  In all of the Axe advertisements that I have watched (and feel free to let me know if I am wrong), I have never seen or heard any evidence that would let me know how clean I would actually become if I were to use any of Axe's products.  Women might fall from the sky, I might get into some crazy themed parties four nights in a row, and I might leave some sexy prints in my shower.  How clean will I be through all of this?  Who knows - but what I do know is that according to Axe, if I am a male between the ages of 15 and 25, I'm going to need to buy these products if I want to stay on my A-game (in both smell and popularity).

"Beat Ben?  At what contest?  Scoring with the opposite sex? That's exactly what will happen with a simple spray of the 'Clix' fragrance by Axe."  Photo credit goes to JoshC.

     
     It may sound like I am bashing Axe, but in reality my frustration with their campaign is exactly why I can respect them so much.  Other products designed for men aren't as forward as Axe is, but that is exactly what makes their approach so effective.  Use this product and bask in the glory of a carefree, party lifestyle (and maybe be clean too).  What else would a young American male want more than being attractive to the opposite sex?  Axe takes a normal hygiene product and advertises it as an item to boost your overall self-esteem and confidence as a male.  As long as you have Axe, you are always want spray away from the party.  Although I don't necessarily agree with that statement, I don't doubt that this is an answered prayer for all of the fist-pumping citizens of America.