To Sell A Baby

I have an amazing baby-dar. If there is a baby within a 500 foot radius, I will know. And there are many women out there like me. That's why I consciously took note Gerber advertisement while the Hulu show was on commercial break. (Whereas I would usually run for my own bathroom break.)

The ad was for the new line of Gerber food with a mother talking about how "great" the food was for her child. Even though she is in the center of the screen, one cannot help but notice the active toddler making a mess running from left to right. At the end, the all-American Gerber baby drawing pops up. Sure, Gerber is selling their canned food, but they're also selling the adorable baby on their logos. 

The baby of this multi-billion dollar industry is now a high school English teacher and a great grandmother. She has since received compensation, but not even 1% of the company's worth. The now elderly Gerber baby claims that the success is not because of the food itself but because the face on the cans "reminds [parents] of their own babies". The emotional attachment mothers have for babies, especially their own, is being manipulated to sell a product.

As the CEO of Gerber, Marilyn Knox notes at 1:45, "there's little doubt (that the photo played a role in the success). you don't even need the word gerber on it". The company is not selling baby food, it's selling the Gerber baby.

The wolves are back!

This is the video about the wolves in Yellowstone National Park, which I was talking about in class. I think this is a very well made video, which seems to be a documentary about the effect wolves have on nature, or how nature can change by itself without us humans intervening. The video was created by sustainable human, an organization which helps realizing different kind of projects, which are in the end for the public and inform the people about something interesting, as this video does as well.

I loved watching this video because it has very powerful pictures and a very good speaker, who tells us all about how the nature in Yellowstone works. In my opinion the speaker makes a big difference to the video and increases the interest of the audience; impressive because he is only using is voice, since he is not shown in the video once. The focus of the pictures is completely on the nature and the changes in the natures behavior. The pictures and the speaker go perfectly together, as he is always talking about what is shown right in that moment.

Since we are all in the consumer culture class I immediately thought about how this video could be used as a commercial, or if this video is actually used as a commercial. Basically the video talks about nature and the impact of different elements of the nature on each other, but couldn´t it also be seen as a commercial for Yellowstone National Park? After watching this video I would really like to go and see where this change actually happened and how it looks like in reality and not on TV. So could we also count it as a commercial?

Love For Levi's

This past week as I was scrolling through the Internet, this Macy's advertisement for Levi's made its way onto the right hand side of the screen. What struck me about this one in particular is the statement in large white letters reading, "Get The Fall Styles He Wants". To me, this sounds like the advertisement is targeted toward women whose duty it is to shop for the males in their lives and that it is their responsibility to make sure that their needs, such as buying their clothing, are taken care of. 

This advertisement is somewhat relatable to my analysis in which I compared two editions of Good Housekeeping, one from 1956 and the other from 2014. In the advertisements within those magazines, the content suggested that women of both eras are expected to provide for and please their men both domestically and emotionally. It continues to be a woman's role to make sure that her husband and family are well taken care of and that she can be depended on to make certain that all of their needs are met. Although this role has evolved over time where it is now not a woman's primary responsibility, being a domestic provider is still a prominent aspect in being a woman of todays times.

In regard to this Levi's ad specifically, I find it ironic. The model in the advertisement is clearly youthful, therefore, why would he be in an advertisement geared to women and wives of an older generation? They are well aware that the men in whom they are buying for most likely do not have the same look as the model, so maybe they believe that in purchasing this brand, they are also purchasing a belief that it will in somehow affect their husband's image and style. Whatever the case may be, the Levi's company is smart in knowing that a young, handsome model will attract the attention of many middle-aged women, especially when they are shopping for the men in their lives.

Help them or help yourselves?

Diesel's advertising campaign's are comical caricatures that portray some of the more laughable qualities of today's trends.  These ad's claim that vintage junkies, selfie queens and hipsters alike are all victim of today's pop culture obsessions to the extreme. While it is an exaggeration for most of these examples the ads seem to state that somehow, someway the Diesel brand will help these victims of wayward trends of today. Perhaps these ads separate their target consumer from these trends, as they can laugh at it from a distance. However, it's ironic because it's probably that same consumer market of young individuals who probably fall victim to these trends just the same that would be shopping at Diesel. So logically speaking it's almost counter intuitive to make fun of your own clientele base. 

But whether it truly is a separation from those trends or directly poking fun at their own customers isn't clear, and it doesn't actually matter all that much. In the end the main thing here selling these ad's is simply their wit and winked advertising method as Rushkoff's piece examined earlier in our class. This is a prime example of how this company is playing off these stereotypes that may only be truly understood by the youth of today is effectively alienating many other viable costumer sources. Diesel however know's this and simply accepts their market as a singular sect: the youth. Thus this marketing makes their target costumer's laugh or cringe but either way Diesel effectively put their name on the map concerning pop cultural understanding in their advertising. 

The individuals of today

Android has a new commercial, which fits the zeitgeist of today perfectly. Their new slogan is "be together. not the same.", which perfectly fits our society of individuals or hipsters. Everyone wants to be different and special nowadays and Android uses exactly that wish of freedom to advertise for themselves. But is the commercial above really a commercial for a mobile operating system? Would you think of phones while watching this clip?
It seems to be a trend right now to have commercials which are talking about a certain ideal idea or a moral instead of the actual product. Marketers want to advertise an image of a product or an image that the product supports, instead of the actual product itself. Watching this commercial of I did not learn anything about what android does or why I should by it, but I learned a lot about how I should be around other people.
The message is, being together supporting each other will help us to be different. And that is exactly what the creative class is all about. They all want to be individuals but end up doing the same. That´s how the iPhone got so popular. Everybody feels modern and hip by having one, but in the end it´s actually all the other people who are special, because they do not own one. Android wants to use that to advertise for phones with their software.
In the end I like the commercial, not because it´s clearly a commercial for a product, but for exactly the opposite. This commercial has a message right in the beginning for kids to learn and to adopt. Inviting over the new kid is a cool move! Being different is not a bad thing, but is something we should encourage and be proud of. Be together. even though you are not the same.

What Happens When You Serve McDonald’s to Food Experts and Pretend It’s a New Organic Meal?

Here is the funny story: two youtubers played a trick on some food experts. They bought some snacks from McDonald’s and then reshaped them, presenting these “specialities” as organic meals to high-end food experts in the Annual Food Convention. Guess what responses they received?

“I like it, it’s pure. It’s just a pure, organic product and that makes it very tasty.”

“I feel warmth releasing in my mouth.”

“It’s nice and firm, has a good bite.”

“The structure is good. Yes, not too sticky.”

Shocking news, experts! These were just McDonald’s, the most unhealthy and disgusting junk food in the world.

This ironic story reminds me of the Seth Godin piece we talked about in class. It’s exactly the same here. When the youtubers told the experts these were organic meals made by their high-end restaurant, they believed it, even though they were the experts. I feel sad about it, but we have to admit that their responses reflect the value of our whole society. The current consumer culture favors high-end consumer items and luxury experience so much that people can be easily deceived when they hear about these words. People tell themselves their own stories and make themselves believe what marketers and sellers want them to believe. What should we do about this situation?

JustFab Just Purposely Degrades Women to Sell Products to Women

Recently, I have seen a lot of advertisements from Justfab, an online fashion retailer. These advertisements were so ridiculous that I was amazed that the company still exists. The more advertisements I watched, the more similar their contents are: they all portray women as unreasonable shopaholics. Let’s take a look at one of Justfab’s commercial in March, 2013 – Fulfill your wildest desires.

As a woman myself, I felt degraded by the commercial and by watching it. The advertisement opens with two women chatting loudly in a library, disturbing surrounding people. They are even cockier when being warned. Then, ironically, a female librarian, who is supposed to scold the two girls for their misbehavior, joins them in making noise when she sees the laptop screen. Justfab’s shoes are now revealed to be the cause. The video finishes with contrast reactions to shoe catalogue between a man and three women and his shocking expression as he watches these three women going crazy.

How frustrating it is to see how shallow women are described in the video! They misbehave and disturb other people all because of fashion, particularly shoes. Women, again, are thrown back to old times when they are stereotyped as shallow as caring solely for appearance to seduce men. What do advertisements imply by the title "wildest dreams"? Women's dreams are not simply shoes! We have AMBITIONS and CAN fulfill our TRUE widest dreams ourselves.

Even in the 21^st century, marketers still make such imprudent advertisements to sell products to women and more disappointingly, people allow them. I am offended!

Feminism on Halloween

 Are Sexy Costumes Belittling or Invigorating Women?

Halloween is one day out of the year that you can dress up to be anything you want. Whether it's a super sexy kitten or a bottle of ketchup costume, there are really no limitations when it comes to Halloween costumes. So why are skimpy costumes so harshly frowned upon? Many people judge women who wear strikingly sexy costumes made of little clothing as possible, because they believe that women are belittling themselves and have zero respect for their bodies. I completely disagree with the idea that looking sexy gives men more power over women. If an adult woman chooses to wear a sexy costume for Halloween, which I may remind you is a single night, then props to her for owning her sexy. 

Syrup

I recently watched a movie called Syrup. The movie is nothing spectacular, but like all college students, I watch a lot of Netflix.  Here is the description of the film from its website.

“Fresh out of school with a degree in marketing, “Scat” will do anything to prove that he has what it takes. Armed with a brilliant product concept that gives new meaning to the old saying “sex sells,” he only has to convince his boss, the beautiful and mysterious “6,” that it’s an idea worth millions. The road to success isn’t an easy one, even with a million dollar idea, and Scat soon discovers that image and deception just might be his undoing.”

The movie is all about marketing, and how it works. But mostly, about marketing yourself. In the film all the characters take on new names that help them reinvent their personalities and develop the persona they want to become. The movie shows in a round about way, the mess that marketing is, and how it values making money, over real people. What most captured my attention though, was the amount of self-marketing in the movie.

Is self-marketing so bad? In the movie it is taken to the extreme. I don’t think that you should change your name, or completely change who you are. Having said that, I don’t think its bad to be aware of how people are judge, and use that knowledge to your advantage. People self-market all the time, from politicians, to businessmen and women, to celebrities.  It is a tricky thing, self-marketing, but done well it can be used to your advantage. However, it is still a very dangerous line to walk.

http://www.magpictures.com/syrup/

Say Love You Better

Facebook launched a new advertising campaign that aimed to promote their messenger application. "Say Love You Better" tells the story of a couple exchanging cute messages, audio, pictures and stickers over the Messenger app to the ukelele version of Elvis' "I can't help falling in love with you". 

This is an adorable advertisement, but I couldn't help but feel confused. Why is Facebook, the most popular social network on earth advertising itself? I think it is because there are several other messaging apps such as Line and Snapchat that has its own unique characteristics. In Line we can send cute stickers, in Snapchat we can send silly pictures and videos of ourselves. Facebook wants to emphasise that you can do it all in Messenger. You can send voice messages, pictures and sticker. So why use 4 different messaging applications when Messenger merges all of it into one.

However, the underlying message in the advertisement is quite worrying. Are we at that stage when saying Love You is better done on technology and social media? Those three words carry such powerful meaning that sometimes, using audio, video and emojis take meaning out of the actual phrase. Afterall, wouldn't it be more sincere to hear someone say I love you in person?

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-whoa-facebook-actually-made-great-little-tv-ad-about-modern-love-160919

F-Bombs for Feminism

First of all, please click on the link http://fckh8.myshopify.com. 

What do you think of the commercial? Were you distracted by the fact that little girls were constantly swearing? Or was the content of the message stronger? Did their marketing strategy worked for you?

The first time I watched the commercial I feel torn. I felt a bit uncomfortable seeing young girls using such foul language, it just seemed a little bit too natural for them. But the more I watched the video, the more the actual message was heard. However, I do not think it got people talking about actual feminism. Comments on Buzzfeed and Facebook mainly consisted of angry parents completely appalled that children were used in this way.

I have two points to make for people who do not agree with the commercial:

1. The commercial show the issues that as girls and women have to experience are much worse than swearing. 

2. Children are constantly victims of marketing and advertising. They are constantly being exploited for new toys, movies, clothing. Why not allow children take part of a marketing strategy that raises awareness and creates a movement hopefully for the better.

Who Are You Comparing Yourself To?

Everyday, girls all over the world are insecure about their appearances because the media has completely distorted the real meaning of beauty. If one asks a girl what beauty is, or if she can describe a beautiful girl, it is most likely that images of half naked models and celebrities presented on the covers of every magazine, in commercials and every other media outlet, will consume the girl’s mind. Girls and even boys have come to associate very specific attributes with beauty. These include, big boobs, teeny waist, big butt, high cheek bones, big eyes, full lips, long eyelashes, thin legs, and so on. But why? Why do so many girls think that if they don’t have all of these features—or any of them for that matter—that they aren’t beautiful? It is because the media and advertising companies have manipulated society into believing that such an unrealistic, almost unattainable creature who has all of the attributes listed above, actually exists. It does not.

This video shows exactly how advertising agencies change the way everyone else thinks and feels about beauty—and themselves. Take a look!

 Dove Evolution Video

This video reminds us that photo shop is in fact real. So if one compares him or herself to a model in a magazine—who has a team of people just to do their eye make up, a team of professional photographers to take pictures from exactly the right angles with perfect lighting, and a photo shop expert, doesn’t that mean that individual is comparing him or herself to something that doesn’t even exist?

Pressure to Vaccinate

(I went on a tangent about moral and ethical issues of vaccinations instead of advertisements. That has been posted at the bottom. )

In light of flu season, I have found an advertisement about flu vaccination. At dinner, one of my housemates mentioned the advertisements hanging from the aisle and entrance of CVS. She talked about succumbing to the pressure from these advertisements, which was not even on her mind before she stepped foot in the store. 

Usually, advertisements at CVS are for material items that can be bought and used. However, the advertisements for flu shots did not surprise me. The ad shows a person in a white coat portraying a healthcare worker. This is a classic obey-the-authority-figure strategy. Americans like to believe that doctors and healthcare workers know the answers to all their medical issues. A white coat is the standard piece of any physician's wardrobe and the stethoscope is the most popular accessory. By placing a healthcare worker in an ad for a medical-related issue, the general public will believe that the product is safe and even beneficial for their health. 

 The bolded "flu shots" suggests that by receiving the single painful injection, one will be able to enjoy the holiday seasons flu-free. The vaccination actually consists of three or four strains of the virus that the CDC predicts will be active that season. This is not a definite protection against the other strains of the flu. But this information is only in the fine print.

Flu shot or no flu shot is ultimately an individual choice.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Personally, I am an advocate for vaccinations, a discovery that has benefitted public health. But there are many moral and ethical issues pertaining to vaccinations. The first is the freedom of choice. Mandatory vaccinations to enter the education system forces children to receive measles, mumps, and rubella vaccinations. Although some children may never encounter these diseases, they are one of the most vulnerable populations and can benefit from the strengthening of the immune system. Even more important is the prevention of spreading the disease to other children. 

Another argument against vaccination is the fact that we are artificially injecting ourselves to protect us from natural effects. Technology allows us to manipulate our own bodies (organ transplants, stem-cell transplants, blood transfusions, etc). It's almost as if the body we were born in is no longer our body. Instead, we are filled with bio-engineered substances to help us live longer. Yet, every day we encounter things that man has created such as purified water (as opposed to natural lake water) and processed foods. One could argue that what man makes is in essence a part of nature because every atom and particle is a part of the natural (but not necessarily living) world. 

Both the "choice" and "artificial" argument are valid. However, we all live in a society where people interact with each other. To participate in this society, some personal freedoms must be sacrificed. 

Halloween's Controversial Costume

The most frightening thing about this Halloween season doesn't just include spooky graveyards and cackling witches, but the spread of the Ebola virus that has now been added to the angst. In spite of the fear that many Americans are facing, costume companies have still managed to make light of the situation by producing hazmat suit Halloween costumes. As Halloween is quickly approaching, controversy has been stirred up as to whether the costume is appropriate or not. 

According to the New York Post, 

"It’s unfortunate that so many deceased methamphetamine addicts had to have their condition belittled last year when “Breaking Bad” hazmat suits were a hot Halloween outfit. Three years ago, the October death of Steve Jobs was an occasion for national mourning, yet a mere three weeks later it inspired a turtleneck-wearing zombie Steve to trot around holding an iPad with a coffin labeled iDied. Wife-beaters and pedophiles aren’t funny, and yet people dress up as them for Halloween."

In my opinion, I find the costume to be insulting and repulsive. Taken into account that the disease is deadly and the situation is serious, I do not think that it is funny to make a joke out of a life-threatening situation, especially one that is still ongoing and very much present. In the situation that one is suspected of carrying the virus, serious protocol of having that person isolated is taken. Hence, this is where the hazmat suit comes into action. The hazmat suits are used as a way to protect oneself from contracting the disease, therefore I do not find the humor in acting as though one is in a life-threatening situation, especially when it may cause fear in those around them. Despite the fact that it is Halloween and people are looking to get a laugh out of the fearful epidemic, I find it insulting to those who have lost their lives to the virus, those who are battling it, and those who are responsible in the quarantining and treating phase.

Sources: http://nypost.com/2014/10/16/why-its-ok-to-wear-an-ebola-costume-for-halloween/

               http://wtnh.com/2014/10/17/ebola-hazmat-suit-on-sale-as-halloween-costume/

Tinder?

Tinder, arguably the hottest new app out there, makes meeting new people fun and easy. You simply swipe right if you like what you see and swipe left if you don't. If someone swipes right for you, then folks, we have a match! Matches then have the option to start messaging and send photos to each other. This dating app is not like other dating sites. It requires that you use your Facebook profile and only Facebook pictures to ensure that people are not lying about their identities. However, there are many flaws to this idea. Anyone can make a fake Facebook profile, don't be so naive Tinder.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of the app at all. This weekend as a joke, I downloaded the app and created a profile. Before this weekend, I was utterly disgusted with Tinder. I mean what kind of people use an app to meet and connect with others around them? I think it's safe to say that I'm also not a fan of online dating, period. I believe that individuals should meet people by chance and in the real world, not on an electronic device. What does that say about our culture? Our society?

To not completely bash Tinder, after experiencing it's so called "magic" first-handed, I can now see why so many people are obsessed over it. When times get lonely and attention is needed, I guess a match on Tinder could brighten your spirits. It's not enough to sell me, sorry Tinder, I'm just an old fashioned hopeless romantic *deletes app*.

Club Promotion: To Empower or to Exploit?

Everyone knows that girls have easy access to fraternities on a Friday night. The same concept occurs at high end celebrity clubs and bars.

Ashley Mears, a Boston University assistant professor of sociology went undercover as a nightclub "girl", attractive women brought into clubs by promotors to attract wealthy men. Mears finds that "the girls are brought in to attract big-spending clients from among the young global elite, willing to spend thousands of dollars on alcohol". 

Although these young women are beautiful models, they are easily interchangeable and looked at as "currency". Models and other "girls" are recruited through friends, or fashion agencies. Promotors get paid a hefty sum (>$1,000/night!) yet the "girls" are only paid in drinks and gifts. If they're lucky, they may even be offered housing.  The "girls" bring in more revenue to the nightclubs than anything the gifts and drinks could be worth.  Mears puts this system in perspective as a consensual case of trafficking women. 

So why do the girls continue to let the men exploit them? Well, some do not realize they are being used and only see the free perks. Others find "business opportunities", yet I find that hard to believe at a nightclub where people just want to have fun. The simplest reason: these young women, like most people, just want an ego boost and to feel attractive. 

Link to article

Car Repair Flare.

Howard's Advertisement's for speedy Car Repair is a aesthetically pleasing, yet amusing at the same time. At first glance it highlights the speedy work they claim they can do for your car no matter the damage. Considering the condition of the three people, even if the car need serious work, they are implying they can do whatever size job expediently. However it's funny considering that probably none of the three people shown,in all their state, could even drive their shiny "fixed" cars. It's comical at best since they wouldn't even need their cars to be fixed that quickly. Oftentimes necessity is not always what were looking for but rather connivence, and they certainly are playing off that. 

I do find it aesthetically pleasing how they have color themes for each person and car. My eye is personally drawn to that more as colors and design factors resonate more strongly with me, and probably a lot of other people too. Furthermore they try to typify all the different types of customers and cars they can service with this technique. However their flare added to the style of the add is not lost upon the fact that the cars are beautiful brand new cars, which is not how any car would look no matter how much work you put into it without serious over hall. Which again couldn't be done in such a speedy amount of time as they claim. But again maybe people are perceptive enough of this and just take the ad as a funny situation rather then hard and fast facts about their service. 

Pizza my Heart

Pizza My Heart is a restaurant chain in California, which sells pizza by the slice for a cheap price. By now it has many locations, since it is a real success. But why is it so successful? Do they actually sell the best pizza? Do the restaurants have great service and a nice atmosphere? 

I have to disappoint you; they do not sell the best pizza and the restaurants are also just normal diners. Well maybe they have a touch of a surf style, but this still is not typical for a great pizza place. The real reason why so many people, especially students, are eating at Pizza My Heart is the t-shirt you get with your pizza. A t-shirt? Yes, if you order a slice of any pizza you will get a t-shirt with the logo and the location of the restaurant on it. A simple white shirt with a little red surf board on it. That is it. I believe that the owner of this chain started the best advertisement campaign for his restaurant with this shirt. 

These shirts are really popular with students in the bay area. Eating lunch off campus is a must for many high school students and many of them choose Pizza My Heart. They all return with the shirts and wear them as a sign of their trendiness. Having one of the t-shirts is also a must and having more than one or one of a cool location means you are yourself very cool. in fact the shirts are that cool, that my class made it into our class shirt. We changed the slogan from "Pizza My Heart" to "Spartans My Heart" and the color, but that is it. 

When I saw these shirts and the impact of them I immediately had to think of the Hard Rock Cafe shirts. This restaurant chain did the same thing by starting to sell shirts with cool designs at their restaurant locations. When I got my first shirt I did not even know about the restaurant I just knew the shirts. Everybody had one and everybody wanted the coolest one from the coolest location. I have never eaten at on of these restaurants, but I have 3 shirts. 

By wearing these shirts people help promoting two things. One of them is of course the brand or the chain behind the t-shirt. Showing everyone where you have eaten or where you have been is also promoting the restaurant to potential costumers. Secondly these shirts also promote the way of advertisement or the way of using trends with teenagers to advertise a brand. Marketers all over the world use this strategy now and hope to become the new hype shirt. 

So now that commercials are everywhere anyway, does that make it better when we ourselves become a walking advertising pillar? Innocent students are used to promote some product by wearing a trendy shirt. Marketers found a great way to force their brand into the day-to-day life of students. 

http://pizzamyheart.com/shirts-stuff/

Nili Lotan Makes a New Definition of Fashion

Fashion is not just about skinny models wearing over-sexualized clothes, shoes, accessories and make-up that dominant the latest trends. Nili Lotan, a New York-based fashion designer who incorporates sociopolitical imagery in her designs, raises a dress campaign to protest.

Before 2003, Lotan worked for apparel companies such as Ralph Lauren, Adrienne Vittadini and Nautica. But after a trip to Israel during the 2006 Lebanon War, she decided to introduce current affairs into her designing by combining fashion with photojournalism. Using fabric as canvas, Lotan depicts social issues ranging from the 1968 students protests in Paris to 1969’s Woodstock. The most famous one is her silk charmuse tee dress and scarce with a gun print inspired by the last war in Lebanon in spring 2006.

I find that Lotan’s effort to a make statement through fashion is a big movement for the fashion industry. For decades, the worldwide fashion culture has been telling people subjectively what the trend is and dominating people to purchase what they want to sell, and at the same time, imperceptibly shaping people’s concept of beauty. People have been criticizing them for a long time, but meanwhile, we obey them because we are afraid of judgement like “not appealing” or “left out of the trend.” However, Nili Lotan gives people a chance to think independently and speak out. The dresses are not only well-designed, but also expressions to provoke an opinion of the people wearing them and the people watching them. We need more art forms like this.

Is American Horror Story Glamorizing Being A Freak or Ridiculing it?

As a couple of my friends and I gathered to watch the premiere of the fourth season of American Horror Story, one of my friends questioned the true intentions with the title of the new season. Prior to her question, I really didn't put much thought into the matter. American Horror Story is a television series that play into the different fears that everyone at some point experience as a child and sometimes even into adulthood. The show feeds off many of the psychological fears that as adult we pretend we no longer have. However, for this season the shows takes a more physical appearance approach to what society categorizes as a "freak."

Personally, I feel like the show is trying to show the difficulties but also similarities that the characters have to endure due to being labeled as the "them" within society. Though the show does incorporate extremely terrifying aspects of being a freak, the show illustrates the dynamics of the "us versus the them," which is a constant theme that throughout history and till today still occurs. The show is not at all ridiculing the idea of being different, it is celebrating characteristics and personalities that are often overshadowed by the idea of being "normal." 

Negative Reviews with a Twist

The CW show Gossip Girl, now almost a cult classic, took an interesting approach when advertising for their second season. The show, which was targeted to young teenagers, depicted the completely unrealistic lives of mostly four young Upper East Siders. The main characters of the show had control of an unlimited money supply, while sex, drugs, and alcohol where in almost every episode. Following its first season, the show received some backlash for its adult content marketed to youth, and the producers decided to use this to advantage.  The new ads used those negatives reviews like “Mind-blowingly inappropriate,” and plastered them on a poster of two people laying in bed together. Or,  “A nasty piece of work” shown written above two characters making-out in a pool.

            The producers of the show really didn’t care wheat the parents thought. They weren’t their targets the kids were. Using this ad technique made the kids want to watch even more, because their parents didn’t approve, and watching the show was a tiny bit of rebellion. It also plays on the old adage that sex sells. The technique worked, because the show went on to become widely popular, and is to this day. I think the ads are funny, and a little bit of wink advertising. It is bad that such adult themes are in shows targeted to younger audiences, but the ads were still clever, and they still worked.