Wikipedia Update

Like I said before my change on Wikipedia was removed and changed back after about 4 days. It still remains changed back. My intention was to put up something completely untrue to see if they would catch it. I honestly am glad they did. Wikipedia is an easy way to get information and it is nice to know they edit and review their content daily. At least the information that is completely false!

The ad I copied...

ILLUSTRATOR FINAL AD

Illustrator Update Ad

Illustrator Progress Post

Wikipedia Post

I changed that Jennifer Love Hewitt was born in Juneau, Alaska instead of Waco, Texas. I blatantly wanted to see if I could put up false information on the website. For three days it stayed up there on Wikipedia until finally on the forth day it changed back. This proves that not only do people check the edits, but they also have recorded what was there previous to any change. I found it interesting that it took a couple days for them to catch the mistake however. I wonder if people make false adjustments all the time and it takes time to review them all. Regardless, they found my false information and changed it back. Looks like Andrew Keen was not completely right about how easy it is to change information on the internet!

Invisibility Ad

Midterm - Invisibility Cloak

Invisibility Cloak

People everywhere in America are affected by the ongoing war in Iraq in some way or another. Some are strongly opposed to it, and some are adamant supporters. Some have fought and returned, some know people who are fighting, and some are still out there in warfare. People everywhere are affected by the news the war is bringing in and the affect it is having on our country. Many are mainly concerned with the safety of our troops, and rightfully so. A new breakthrough, however, is being worked on to help improve the safety of our soldiers: a real life version of an invisibility cloak. Imagine the advantages troops could have if armed with something this valuable. The technology is due to come out in the next decade. It will be a huge breakthrough for technology, and an enormous safety boost for our soldiers. Once perfected, an invisibility cloak would be an interesting one to market. With its obvious benefits it would be best to market this product with the techniques of emotional branding and rhetorical marketing.

Emotional branding is defined as building brand value solely on the basis of creating an emotional connection between the product and the consumer, with no reference to the features or quality. This type of marketing would be perfect for the campaign of an invisibility cloak. The marketing needed for this type of ad campaign requires an emotional connection between the consumer and the product in order for it to be a success. By playing to the target audience’s emotional and sympathetic side, one could easily convince people that the safety of our soldiers is worth investing in. Whether the call to action for the consumers is to fund the product or simply support it, emotional branding would be effective in doing so. Almost everyone in the country is emotionally invested in this war because it involves each of us in some way. And again, one of our major concerns about the war is the safety of our troops. If there is a way to make the chance greater of soldiers returning home, people will support it. It is important to make that emotional connection during the advertisements for this product in order to win over opinions.

Another great way to spread awareness and support of an invisibility cloak would be to advertise using rhetorical marketing. When executed properly rhetoric is an effective way to convince, gain sympathy, and promote a reliable image. This is exactly what an advertiser would want to do when compiling ideas to convince for this campaign. A great way to use rhetoric is to ask rhetorical questions in ads. This product would be a great one to use this specific technique of rhetoric.

Many different types of advertisements are using these two techniques. Products for families use emotional branding all the time. Companies like Johnson and Johnson, Lysol, Glade, Pampers, and Jif all play to our emotions. These companies all strive to make a connection with the consumer and make you feel like you are making your family happy by choosing their product. For example, Jif ‘s slogan for their peanut butter is “Choosy moms choose Jif.” This statement exemplifies that moms who want the best choose Jif as their peanut butter. Therefore, if you choose Jif you will be making your family happy. Emotional branding is a great way to connect with the consumer and show understanding.

Products working towards a better economic situation use rhetorical marketing frequently. Companies like Seventh Generation and Scotts Naturals both take part in this type of advertising strategy. Seventh Generation makes paper products out of 100% recycled materials. They pose the question “What if every household in America replaced just one regular roll of toilet paper with a recycled one?” Then they give the answer: You could save 423,900 trees, 1.0 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 153 million gallons of water, a year's supply for 1,200 families of four. This kind of logic is an effective way to convince and persuade.

An invisibility cloak would not only help out troops, but enhance possibilities for our future advancements in protection and safety. Convincing the public of the obvious benefits this product has can be done by using emotional branding and rhetorical marketing. By using these two techniques advertising will convince consumers all over the country that better protection of our soldiers is in place. Therefore, it will put many minds at ease that have concerns with the current war and future wars to come.

The Persuaders

What in "The Persuaders" surprised you (or not)? Name one new thing you learned about marketing or politics from watching the film. Name one new thing you learned about yourself from watching the film, or one thing that the film reiterated about yourself.

The thing that surprised me most about "The Persuaders" was the actual amount of research that goes into the examination of the target market. Being a communications advertising major it is hard to believe that I might be working with companies that know very personal details about ordinary people's lives. I think while the knowledge is useful and a great deal helpful, I also think that it is quite an invasive process. The importance of understanding one's target market is crucial for an effective ad campaign, but I feel like a line needs to be drawn at some point. Seeing the inside of a company who's sole purpose is to invade the personal lives of certain individuals was more than surprising; it was eyeopening and quite shocking. It is certainly an interesting business I am getting involved in.

"The Persuaders" begins by questioning the increase in the amount of advertising we typically encounter in our daily lives. How would you assess the amount of advertising you see? Too much? Too little? Just right? In your view, what difference does it make to know that people today see much more advertising in their daily lives than people 20 or 30 years ago?

I do not think advertising is a bad thing. In fact I love advertising. I buy magazines just so I can look at the ads. I enjoy being taken aback by a particularly well done ad and seeing things that can get me to react in different ways. The amount of advertising we see may seem a little overdone, but without it our world would be a very different place. Every major business needs sponsors and advertisers. I believe advertising is about more than just 'breaking through the clutter". I think it's about touching the people you are trying to reach. It is about speaking to the people, like myself, that are going enjoy seeing a certain type of advertisement. There are many different target audiences and advertising is all about effectively reaching a specific one. That is why I think the amount of advertising we have right now is just right. While one may think some ads don't stand out of the clutter, it may stand out to someone else. I don't think it makes a huge difference that people 20 to 30 years ago did not see as much advertising as we do today. People 20 to 30 years ago did not use computers like we do now and so far it's going just fine! Evolving through the years is important and quite interesting. I look forward to seeing where advertising will take us next!

Myth of the Photographic Truth

The first picture is the cropped one. As you can see it simply looks like a person enjoying the water in a kayak. However, when the real photograph is revealed, you can see how different the interpretation can be. The picture cropped is pleasant visually to the viewer. While the real photo is startling to the viewer and really quite terrifying. This picture exemplifies "The Myth of Photographic Truth" because the truth of this photograph can be perceived in a different way when altered.

Redone Collage

Photoshop as a Medium

Photoshop is a medium because it is made up of all different types of executable content. For one, it contains editing tools that help shape photos in a unique way. By doing this, one can create art. Even though it is digital art, it is still an amazing means of expression. The message of photo shop is that one does not have to be able to draw on paper to create art. This way of communicating is more modern and can be just as, or perhaps even more interesting than to what we are accustomed.

Medium Collage - Amazon.com

Mediums

Eharmony


Amazon


Craigslist