Global+Village--Emilee

= = =Opening Thoughts: Speech =

The brain is constantly rewiring itself to adapt to situations around it. If you surround yourself with a certain type of anything, your brain will adjust itself to consider it normal. Even the most outrageous and fantastic can become tolerable and eventually ordinary, if you’re just exposed to it. This makes it easy to label people. After a certain period of influence, people will act like that label, talk like that label, and like the things people of the same label all like, which makes them easy to advertise to, when they’re grouped neatly and categorized alphabetically. It makes it even easier when advertising companies don’t have to do the convincing; when people think that’s the way it was all along, because that’s their one-hundred-percent original, authentic self. Authentic can be considered anything you accept as truth, whether you’ve been conditioned to believe it or not. Authentic could be a label you’ve given yourself or a label given to you by others. It’s how you consider your identity and how you perceive reality. People sometimes consider their true identity to be the same as their authentic self—the things they like, what makes them angry, what they think of as beautiful and the images that come to mind when they hear the word “ugly.” Really, however, their true self is what’s left when all the conditioning has been stripped away, which is just a bunch of fraying cords and disconnected wires.

= = =Adverts: =

What are the messages? Are the messages the same as the product(s)?
The message is playful and not serious in the least, which is the opposite of what death is usually considered. This contrast brings attention to both sides of the service—what it’s being advertised as and the gruesomeness of what it’s related to, the former which acts as an excuse for potential customers to consider their services.

What techniques are used to convey the messages?
Humour is used to convey the message. However, if you think about it, it could be considered a legitimate concern. You only die once—you should make sure everything’s planned to the last detail, shouldn’t you? (Or leave it to capable hands.) It does two things—it gives potential customers a reason to be amused (catches their attention), as well as a reason to buy their product (once their attention is caught). A gruesome theme is addressed lightly, which I think is more appropriate, because otherwise it would just be uncomfortable for customers and thus ineffective advertising. The ad is made up entirely of text. There are no powerful images, which would be awkward and inappropriate. It draws attention to the text itself—to the humour of it, to the seriousness of it, and—of course—to Stoica Funeral Services.

Who is the target audience and how do you know?
The target audience is likely adults and elderly people who actually have to think about things like their own funerals. Young children and teens simply wouldn’t be concerned (also the ad wasn’t made to catch their attention; there aren’t any interesting colours, shapes, things that appeal to young audiences etc.—there was only gray text on a white background hinting at a serious issue in a playful manner.)

2.
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">media type="youtube" key="lRX3uFh1Ywc" height="315" width="420"

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> What are the messages? Are the messages the same as the product(s)?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> In the same way that “a bathroom can be more than just a bathroom,” Clorox can be more than just a harsh cleaning product.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> What techniques are used to convey the messages?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Pretty music and fantasy imagery are used in the commercial to simulate a child’s imagination and capture the audience’s attention, as well as communicate a very specific idea of childhood and dreams.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Who is the target audience and how do you know?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The product is supposed to appeal to people that clean the house. I’d assume the target audience is women, because of the stereotypical roles of housewives, and the woman in the commercial. The relationship between the mother and the daughter of the commercial bring the target audience to mind, as well as things like a woman speaking at the end. The commercial is also supposed to evoke nostalgic childhood memories (in the minds of the women they are advertising to, when //they// were kids, thinking about their kids now), and bring up concerns most mothers are concerned about (clean bathrooms free of bacteria etc.).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">3.
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">media type="youtube" key="zyMfpJh3h4A" height="315" width="560"

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> What are the messages? Are the messages the same as the product(s)?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The commercial leaves the viewer with the feeling of having just watched an interesting performance, like a circus trick or maybe a really interesting episode of “Britain’s Got Talent.” The message—of being high-tech and new and uniquely fantastic—is what Samsung is trying to advertise itself as.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> What techniques are used to convey the messages?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The commercial depicts a very technologically advanced fantasy—which could be made a reality with the Samsung Galaxy. Everything from the dubstep-esque music to the 3D graphics and the unique finger-tutting performance suggests something new, something different, something incredible and interesting.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Who is the target audience and how do you know?
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The target audience is the kind of people that buy the newest version of the iPhone whenever it comes out—people that can afford it, are with the times, and technology-savvy. Everything from the music to the amazing graphics are meant to appeal to young, “cool” people.