April 19, 2012: Advertising Techniques Journal

Dr. Pepper 10 Commercial 

Give a brief description of the ad:

This ad is an overly “macho” commercial for Dr. Pepper 10. It goes on listing things about movies that, in general, are very manly and things that a woman would not look for in a film. The last line being “It’s not for women!” clearly stating the intent of the commercial.

What propaganda techniques are used? Point out where/how each technique is used.

The main propaganda technique that is used is obviously stereotyping. The main man in the commercial makes the overly generalized assumptions that all men enjoy watching action-packed, violent, intense movies. Also they stick with the stereotype that women only like sappy romantic comedies and that they hate the more macho films.

What effect do the techniques have? In your opinion, do they do their job?

I think this technique definitely makes an impact when people view it. Whether that means making men laugh or making women angry by its sexism. I think the strong feelings that the commercial brings out make it that much more powerful. Saying “It’s not for women” makes men feel superior and it makes women want to prove a point by buying it.

Who is the audience for this ad, and how do you know?

I think the audience spans out to a very wide range of people. It appeals to men with the very explosive nature of the whole commercial, but the sexism gears it towards gaining the attention of women.

What is omitted from this ad? What is the effect of the omission?

I didn’t notice anything that was obviously omitted. With anything involving food the main things they leave out are things like calories and sugar content, but the name of this product clearly states the calorie content. I think including this is something that can really boost the sales of the soda.

Would different audiences have different reactions? Explain!

The only audiences that would have contrasting reactions to this are men and women. The men see it as entertaining and funny due to its blatant disrespect to women, while the women see it as wrong in so many ways.

What message, lifestyles and values are encouraged and/or portrayed through the ad? Make connections to what is in the ad.

The message that is portrayed in this ad is that all men like the same things and that when something is for men, women can’t have it. Giving off a vibe that makes one think that men are better.

April 16, 2012: Media Ownership Response

Public to FCC: We Don't Want More Media Consolidation

On Thursday, December 8^th, Free press gave a petition to the FCC chairman Julius Genachowski to convince him to make the public, jobs, and journalism priority in review of media ownership rules. With 30,000 signatures, the petition pushes to eliminate cross-media ownership protections as well as address ownership by women and people of color. It also was signed to strengthen rules to prevent over consolidation. Congressional leaders had urged the Commission to preserve the rules that are in place to encourage things like competition, localism, and diversity in the media. Free Press Policy Counsel Corie Wright made a statement that claimed how people in the country want public interest to rank higher than corporate interests, wanting diverse and competitive local media and how media consolidation impacts the news and information that they get from the local news.

When I read this article the only question that I really thought of was whether or not a 30,000 signature petition would really get a lot done with the FCC. This interests me mainly because I like to hear about people taking a stand and fighting for what they want to get done. This fits into our media ownership discussion because it talks about whether or not different people think it is good for a few big companies to have the most control over the media. People should know that, right now, the media is something that is controlled by only a couple of major corporations and that this number of people in control seems to be decreasing as the years go on.