Perry's last Post

January 24, 2013

I only watch TV on weekends. I listen to the radio during car rides all the time and to listen to Kings games. I also check my emails and read the newspaper everyday. A lot of times I use media is for school such as this blog, research, sparknotes, and Mr. Starace's website.

This has impacted my life because it allows me to get information.  The TV can also provide me with entertainment. The radio lets me listen to all the latest songs and hear everything that's going on with the kings games when I can't watch it on TV.

My media consumption habits has changed this semester because I was constantly on the lookout to get ads and watch for commercials to post blogs.  I also looked online and in the newspaper to do my argument logs.  I was constantly on sparknotes to read summaries of literature books.

Being aware of my media consumption doesn't really change my interactions with it.  I do notice a little more on what techniques advertisers are using in their commercials and ads to get viewers to buy the product.

It is important to have media literacy in order to keep up with the rest of the world. Being an educated consumer is important because you know what's going on and what advertisers are doing to sell their product.

By doing this blog, I am now more aware of advertising and had lots of practice analyzing commercials and other ads.

I think that our society is consuming way too much media and schools are even using technology for homework.  I prefer to talk to real people rather than using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on.

Bell Bros

 January 13, 2013

Blog #14

When I was going through the mail, this one ad stood out to me. It was for Bell Bros Heating and Air Conditioning. I immediately recognized this company from their commercials during breaks in between Kings games.

 The ad is blue and red so it stands out in white mail.  It has a picture of the two brothers.  It also has a couple of coupons.  One ifs for Furnace Tune-Up.  The other is $20 off the Diagnostic Dispatch Fee.  Contact info is on the ad as well. 

 
A technique this ad is using is bribery.  This is because they are using coupons to get you to make a purchase while getting a deal at the same time.  To go along with bribery, the coupons have an expiration date.  This is a good example of time pressure because they only give you so much time to use the coupons and get that deal.

I think it was smart of the ad to say ask about our Buy Back Guarantee rather than just explain it on the ad.  This is because it gets the reader to call them up if they might be interested in it and that way the Bell Brothers can talk to that person and convince them to buy their product.  I also like the idea that they said proudly supporting your community for over 20 years.  It's not their or the community but its yours so it makes you feel in control.

Overall, I think this ad is effective.  It gives you coupons so you can get some good deals.  They seem very dedicated to supporting the community since after all, they've been doing it for over 20 years.  I recognize them from the commercials during Kings game and since I love the Kings, I like their sponsors such as the Bell Brothers.

Born to Assist: Chris Paul

January 13, 2013

Blog #13

When I was watching the Lakers playing Thunder on ESPN the other night, this commercial came on during a timeout.  It was a state farm commercial starring Chris Paul.  The target audience for this commercial is for people looking to buy the best insurance, NBA fans, and Chris Paul fans.

The commercial starts off with identical baby twins were separated at birth in the hospital.  They were both really good at assisting others. One went on to become a successful state farm agent.  The other grew up to be a great play maker on the basketball court.  In the end, they bump into each other in the elevator and they recognize each other as the door closes.

The testimonial technique is heavily used in this commercial because they use a famous NBA star in Chris Paul.  The need to nurture is in the beginning of the commercial because you see identical baby twins.  Also, the wit and humor technique is being used because they show Cliff Paul who is actualyl Chris Paul wearing glasses and a mustache.  They also use Chris's basketball skills of passing and show it two different ways in this commercial. 

I found this commercial to be odd at the beginning because I never knew babies were born with glasses.  I did like the story line of the commercial though because it was very interesting with the twins.  It was cool how they took Paul's NBA skills of great passes and assists and demonstrated that in two different ways.  I laughed when I first saw Chris Paul wearing glasses and a mustache.  I felt like I watched the twins' whole life in 1 minute...literally.  The end part was cool to, how they met up but before they could say anything the elevator door closes.

I think that State farm could've added something bout their insurance to make this commercial better.  Also, some people who don't know a lot about the NBA might not get what's happening.  Other than that, I felt this commercial had a nice plot to it and the two stories were tied together very well.  Chris Paul assisting and State Farm helping others are very similar and they chose the perfect athlete to play the part.

I find it interesting that when I was watching a Clippers game, fans took this commercial to the next level.  Since Paul is a Clipper, fans were wearing a mustache just like in this commercial. Clippers fans absolutely love this commercial and are showing their approval.

Overall, I think this commercial is very effective.  It caught my attention right away when I saw Chris Paul because I am a huge NBA fan.  This commercial was very funny and had a neat plot.  State farm could not have chosen a better athlete than Chris Paul, currently averaging 9.5 assists which is 2nd in the league.  State Farm definitely got the word out about how well they are with assisting others by using Chris Paul.

Indulge

 January 12, 2013

Blog #12

As I was looking through a magazine, I came across this ad for the new Kraft Philadelphia Indulgence chocolate. The target audience is people who like chocolate and cream cheese.

The ad shows raspberries and the indulgence on some type of cookie looking pastry. It says go on. Indulge. At the bottom has a brief description of the product.


Physiological needs is used in this ad because the raspberry chocolate pastries can be very appealing late at night. A technique they are using is magical ingredients. This is because they mentioned that it's a new kind of chocolate for a new kind of chocolate lover.

I think that this ad is missing the nutritional facts of the product.  A lot more people would buy it if it was healthy for you.  I also think this ad would be better if they showed it in milk and white chocolate to advertise all three kinds.

Overall, I think this ad is effective because they use pictures of the chocolate with raspberries.  I like the idea of showing it as a desert to make it look more appealing.  I do think they should've showed the other kinds of chocolate cream cheese as well.  Also, it would've been better if they added some nutritional facts.

Best Tasting Lunchables Pizza

December 30, 2012

Blog #11

When I was looking through a magazine, I came across this ad. It was made by the Oscar Mayer company. They are trying to sell Lunchables.

The ad is bright red and shows a little girl smiling and wearing a red shirt. Since there is so much red, it stands out and immediately caught my attention? It has a bunch of pizzas around her. There is also a Lunchables pizza box and a brief description of the product.The need to nurture is present in this ad because they are using a little girl.

A technique they are using is magic ingredients because they make it seem like their pizza taste the best. Glittering generalities is also being used in this ad because they use words such as best-tasting, great-tasting, soft, golden-baked crust, and super-tasty. This can also be an example of plain folks. The little girl is an ordinary child which gives parent readers the feeling that Lunchables might make their kids happy.

I like the idea that this ad uses the plain folks technique because I feel like it really makes parent readers want to buy the Lunchables. It says Lunchables is now a good source of whole grain which lets parents know that not only will your kid like it, but it's also healthy for them which will make parents like it to. I think that adding more nutritional facts about the Lunchables would've made this ad better.


Overall, I found this ad to be effective because they use an ordinary little girl. That really attracts parents of youngsters who want to buy their kids lunch. Also, this ad stands out in the magazine because it is a bright red color. The fact that the ad said Lunchables was a good source of whole grain makes it sound better. The only thing I thought was missing is more nutritional facts. All they said was that it's a good source of whole grain.



I"m a Pizza Guy

December 30, 2012

Blog #10

In the newspaper, I saw this one pizza guy ad. It immediately caught my attention because it is red and in the grey newspaper. It also had delicious looking pizza and a NBA kings player Isaiah Thomas.

The ad has lots of deals on pizza. There are many coupons. It says Happy Holidays on the ad. On the back they show a lot of different food items and their locations all over Northern California and Nevada. Above Isaiah Thomas has him saying, I'm a pizza guy. This is just like the commercials on TV when Thomas said, "I'm a pizza guy."


 

 

A technique they are using is testimonial. This is because they're using a NBA player in Isaiah Thomas. Another technique is bribery because they're using coupons to persuade people to use them and buy their pizza. With those coupons, the time pressure technique is being used because the coupons expire January 31, 2013.

I like this ad because it has pizza on it and Isaiah Thomas. He is one of my favorite players in the NBA. Also, pizza Guys is a proud sponsor of the Sacramento Kings which is my favorite team. Another thing is that it has coupons which makes me want to buy pizza for a decent price.

Overall, I found this ad to be effective because it uses pictures of pizza. It also uses Isaiah Thomas who is one of my favorite NBA players. They're a proud sponsor of the Sacramento Kings which is another reason why I like this ad. This ad grabs people's attention and will get them to buy their pizza.

NBA Christmas Day Uniforms Commercial

December 27, 2012

Blog #9

At 5:34 pm I was watching the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder game on Christmas day. In the 4th quarter there was a timeout and this commercial came on. It was a commercial promoting the NBA Christmas day uniforms.

This commercial immediately caught my attention because it showed 5 of the biggest stars of the NBA. The 5 uniforms were for teams including the Lakers, Knicks, Nets, Thunder, and Heat. They were all dribbling to the tune of a Christmas song. At the end it said special edition Christmas day uniforms now available at NBAstore.com.

A technique they used was the testimonial technique because they had 5 NBA stars. Those players from left to right included Dwight Howard, Carmello Anthony, Joe Johnson, Russell Westbrook, and Dwyane Wade. By using these players, the NBA is hoping to get NBA fans to buy these special edition Christmas Day uniforms.

There is music in this commercial. However the Christmas tune is made by NBA players dribbling basketballs. This was a very unique and unusual but super cool way to create music.

Overall, I found this commercial to be very effective. This is one of the coolest commercials I have seen. I really liked how they were able to make a Christmas song by dribbling basketballs. This would definitely make viewers want to buy the special edition NBA Christmas day uniforms. By using some NBA stars grabs NBA fans' attention.