BE A FORCE OF BEAUTY

Day in and day out, society encounters images of beautiful women in magazines, movies, and on television. In all instances, beauty obtains the same definition: gorgeous models and actresses with slim figures and beautifully flawless faces. This definition is especially true in the cosmetics industry. The model in the Cover Girl advertisements looks exactly like the model used in the Maybelline commercials. Similar companies set the same narrow definition of the term beauty and fail to realize that beauty attains to all shapes, colors, and sizes.

In spite of industry norms, one cosmetic brand is setting out to change the meaning of beauty. Recently launching the “Be a Force of Beauty” campaign this past September with commercials and print ads, the company Bare Escentuals is shifting the industry’s definition of beauty in the opposite direction. The bareMinerals brand is taking a completely new approach to defining beauty by broadcasting innovated and industry changing television commercials; by taking the focus away from outer beauty and positioning beauty as a quality someone possesses from within.

Specifically, one commercial encompasses the Bare Escentuals definition of beauty by focusing on one specific statement. The phrase goes as follows:

Pretty is not enough. Pretty is nice. It's fine. Pretty can turn heads. But Beauty? Beauty can change the whole world. Pretty is what you are, but beauty is what you do with it. Pretty lifts spirits. Beauty makes them soar. Pretty is a fact. Beauty is a force.

In other words, the company is saying that anyone can have physical attractiveness, but it takes a whole lot more to have the characteristic of beauty. They want every woman to BE A FORCE OF BEAUTY. When the company makes this call to action, they are telling every woman to look within and make a difference in the world by using the strength and power they have inside; not by using their outer appearance.

By using emotional appeals both verbally and visibly throughout this commercial, Bare Escentuals is expanding the definition of beauty. Additionally, as a respected and credible company in the cosmetics industry, audiences naturally trust what they have to say. This commercial effectively defines an issue: that beauty is a one-sided definition, and explains a solution: to be a force of beauty. They want every woman to act upon their outer appearance by using inner beauty to change the world.

The Bare Escentuals definition of beauty challenges individuals to change the world from the inside out; using empowering actions to be a force of beauty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBxv-YdKkcY&feature=relmfu

As I watched Sunday football i observed a commercial for an electric car made by Nissan. They have called this car the Leaf. This hilarious commercial and even the name of the fallacies.

http://youtu.be/j0sCCJFkEbE

They try and appeal to emotions by everything using gas and the exhaust being blown into their faces while they cough or are annoyed by it. They then show the man filling up his Chevy Volt which is a hybrid. They say "what if everything ran on gas" and the show the Nissan Leaf "Then again what if everything didn't."

This is a non requital argument. While the commercial is funny it is not painting a picture if a greener planet. Even though electric cars do not produce carbon emissions in the car it does have an eco-footprint. To produce most electricity in the United States we burn fossil fuel. The Nissan Leaf runs on electricity. Electricity is produce by burning fossil fuel. Burning fossil fuel produces carbon emissions. Thus the Nissan Leaf Produces carbon emmissions.

Dr Pepper TEN

To Drink or not to Drink, that is the Question

Dr Pepper has been one of the more popular soft drinks since 1885. The company sets itself apart from other drinks by its unique blend of 23 flavors. Throughout the years, I’m sure there have been dozens of advertisements and products that have come and go. Some were successful some were not. One recent products marketing tool and commercial has caught my eye. It is the commercial for Dr Peppers new diet drink Dr Pepper Ten. It is called this because it has 10 calories instead of the usual 0 calories. They have aimed the campaign marketed towards men age 25-34, because in the past there have been difficulties marketing diet drinks to men. They directly singled out men with the slogan It’s Not for Women. To use this slogan is brave to say the least, when we are supposed to live in a time where men and women are theoretically equal, stereotypes and society tells a different story. I believe that this commercial is good as an advertisement. It’s good because it catches your eye and almost makes you want to drink it (if you’re a woman) because it says that you can’t. It also uses humor to its advantage. However, I believe that it makes for a bad argument because of the sexist tones that the director used. Therein lies the cause which I believe is the gender stereotypes that exist in our society.

As an advertisement the commercial is successful because it is very eye catching and they use a big issue (gender inequality) to try to gain their audience of men. Right from the start you get the feel that you are watching an action movie, which I think plays to men’s emotions the main character is running through a jungle with a laser gun shooting at something while there is fast pace adventure music playing in the background. He jumps from a cliff and lands in a jeep, which is driving through that jungle as there are motorcyclists chasing it. The character throws a can to trigger a trap for the guys chasing him. With all of these visuals, many people are able to relate having seen at least one action film in their lives. The visuals aren’t where the commercial goes wrong; it’s the dialogue that the main character uses. Right from the start they use gender stereotypes. He states “Hey ladies enjoying the film, of course not, because this is our movie”. With the use of “our” they are setting this up to be a gender issue. The “our” implies that action movies are just for men, or men as a whole enjoy action movies more than women do. He also uses our when he talks about the soda, that this is our soda, that because this has 10 calories and not 0 it’s a manly drink. The gender stereotypes are all over in this commercial.

As an argument this commercial was not successful because of the gender stereotypes. It’s illogical to believe that women like just romantic movies or “chick” drinks. I believe that they are using the gender stereotypes as a shock value to get the product noticed or talked about. The reason this has been marketed specifically to men is it’s been proven that it’s been difficult to market a diet drink to men because of the association of diet and femininity. This being said Dr Pepper decided not to sugar coat the issue, and very blatantly and literally scream who this is and isn’t for. The use of the gender issues was risky because it could have gone either way. In this case I think it did the opposite of what they wanted it to do. Approval ratings actually went down with both men and women, more so with women, since the commercial had been released. Women don’t like to be reminded of a time when they couldn’t do anything and they had people telling them what they could and couldn’t do. I believe that this commercial touches on that a little bit, even though it’s supposed to be humorous.

After I saw the commercial I just wanted to laugh. I got right away that it was supposed to be a joke, and I understood what it was trying to do. They were trying to poke fun at the stereotypes while also using them to attract their audience. On the other hand I’m sitting here talking about this commercial, about this product, so in some way, the advertising may have worked.

State Farm® - State Of Imitation (Aaron Rodgers)

The Aaron Rodgers State Farm Insurance commercial definitely has an affect on our society. This commercial certainly has an effect on the regional community of Wisconsin especially considering the Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the focal point around this commercial. By having Aaron Rodgers in this commercial it has and affect on packer fans in the state of Wisconsin that are looking for an insurance company or are looking to switch insurance companies. Packer fans may become interested in State Farm Insurance because Aaron Rodgers is in this commercial. This commercial is also humorous; therefore it gets people around the country talking about the commercial simply because they found it humorous. That is exactly what you want in a commercial because you get people talking about the commercial and they will remember that it was about State Farm Insurance. I think the cause and effect in this commercial is very successful in reaching the audience.

This commercial isn’t only about Super Bowl MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It’s also about the larger conversation, which is ultimately a competition between insurance companies. Also State Farm Insurance is trying to prove that they have the best discount possible when it comes to searching for insurance companies. This commercial also touches an emotional or excitable cord as viewers get excited over Aaron Rodgers’ touchdown belt celebration. Therefore you can argue that this commercial also gets people excited about learning more about State Farm Insurance and excited to purchase a policy from them.

The visual images of this commercial featuring Aaron Rodgers makes you know what this commercial is all about. In every frame of the commercial you always see a State Farm sign on the walls or in the window. This makes you know throughout the entire commercial who it’s about. Another obvious visual image is the touchdown belt celebration that Aaron Rodgers does. The commercial uses that belt celebration as the “discount double check” move. This makes one remember that State Farm has the discount double check and you are supposed to get the lowest price of insurance through State Farm.

The audio argument of this commercial contains a lot of excitement and humor. Most of this consists of the State Farm salesperson letting everyone know what the discount double check is and why they are using Aaron Rodgers belt celebration. Towards the end of the commercial a guy with a cheese head yells “discount double check!” and knocks on the window yelling at Rodgers. Finally a band playing college football type music closes out the commercial. This commercial by State Farm Insurance is very affective. They’re able to get their name on national television with a star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who also is looking to gain more popularity nationally. It sure seems like a win win situation for Rodgers and State Farm Insurance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Rv7czl9cU

Get Connected with Facebook and the Toyota Venza!

One of the most popular types of commercials in current television is car commercials. As I was browsing YouTube on the internet I searched for current 2011 commercials and came across the commercial for the new 2011 Toyota Venza. In comparison to other cars, the Venza is supposed to be reliable for people who like to travel. The commercial also promotes one of the largest social networks: facebook; this network is tied to parents and people of all ages. It is clear that the effects of this commercial show how adults are not often connected in the social media.

The commercial uses an appeal to emotion in order to persuade someone into wanting to stay socially connect online as well as out in the public. The woman uses this at the beginning when she claims that she has 687 friends on Facebook, which is considered “living” to her. At the end of the commercial she also talks about a puppy picture she stumbles across on her laptop, which symbolizes happiness. All of these things can most certainly persuade a person who is watching this commercial into wanting to not only start using Facebook networking, but to also buy the new Toyota Venza.

There are, however, a couple of flaws in this commercial. There is not a whole lot of credibility in this commercial. It does not show that the Toyota Venza really is a good car; it only shows that it’s capable of creating social wellness among adults. Another flaw is where the girl talks about the puppy picture online. This is completely irrelevant to the commercial, even though it does play into appeal to emotions in order to re-enforce the importance of being socially connected.

The Toyota Venza commercial illustrates that their newest model can take anyone just about anywhere they want to go in order to be social. The ad also ties this to the social network, Facebook, in which the commercial shows how anti-social adults can be. In considering both situations, it is clear that the commercial is promoting the effects of both Facebook and the Toyota Venza 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xkljLxddVI4

State of Imitation

It is a typical Sunday in Wisconsin. The states nearly six million people go about a great number of various activities, but one trend can be found. The Green Bay Packers will be watched, screamed at, and cheered for on thousands of TVs across the state. This football team has long and deep roots in the hearts of many Wisconsinites, and the tradition continues every Sunday. The history of the Packers is rich in winning and that has been the case lately as well. The quarterback of the Packers, Aaron Rodgers, has quickly become a Wisconsin icon because of his great play on the field. Many companies have tried to take advantage of his popularity by having him star in commercials. State Farm is one notable example. State Farm uses Aaron Rodgers and a popular celebration to associate the passion of football fans to their company.
The commercial begins with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a State Farm office. The people around Aaron begin using his championship belt celebration, which became famous during the Packers run to the Super bowl. The workers at the office use the celebration whenever they talk about the new “discount double take” a new option being offered at State Farm. The people in the office imply that they have no idea the celebration was originally Rodgers, and state that they know it to mean “discount double take”. The commercial ends with a crazed fan yelling for Aaron Rodgers, while doing the celebration and yelling “discount double take.” The idea behind this commercial is that State Farm is associating this celebration with their product, in order to create a good vibe for it. Just as Rodgers used the celebration after making a good play, State Farm is hoping that for customers, the celebration represents the “good play” of choosing State Farm. The title of the commercial- “State of Imitation” makes this fact even easier to see.
I believe this is a very successful commercial. The leader of the wildly popular Green Bay Packers stars, and the Wisconsin audience is immediately intrigued. Just having Aaron Rodgers in a commercial can make it very successful, keeping in mind that the general audience is Southeastern Wisconsin. This commercial can be seen on various shows or news programs across this area. It does a good job of using a trendy celebration to promote their product. With including the celebration in the commercial, the writers bring back the feelings and emotions that Packers fans felt after the Superbowl victory, and attach it to the “discount double take.” Evidence of this can be seen in the focus of the commercial. It is on imitation, and it comes up many times through the add. The writers were going for a bit of comedy possibly to attempt to make it stick in viewers minds.
Some of the issues that I find in the commercial are that knowledge of Aaron Rodgers is a must to understand it, also I feel that there is so much going on that it can detract from the main point. But these issues are hardly a problem for the audience that would view it. Packers fans were voted to be by far the most knowledgeable fans in the game in an online poll, winning 26% of the vote out of thirty two possible teams. (Jeremy,1) This goes to show that State Farm made a safe assumption in thinking that this commercial would hit home with most Packers fans.
This commercial and its success show us a lot about our society today. It clearly points out how we as a culture glorify our athletes and also speaks for the passion for football and sports fans today. The amount of money and revenue brought in by high profile athletes and sports organizations is staggering. I believe this commercial is a prime example of how society looks up to its public figures and immortalizes them. In a way, the idea of this add can be alarming. The general public knows and looks up to sports figures, but a large amount of the general public has no idea who represents their state in congress. That is just one other way that this commercial can be looked at. Despite all the ideas and thoughts that surrounds this commercial, it can be clearly seen that State Farm used a local icon to promote their product, and is very effective in doing so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Rv7czl9cU

Introducing the HTC for Women

I’ve never been one to care too much about fancy gadgets and having the newest high-tech toys. This is easily seen by anyone who sees my cell phone, no Internet, no camera, just text and calling and an alarm clock. To me, this is all I need to get through a day. Then I saw the HTC Rhyme commercial by Verizon. The commercial is clearly marketed to women with its purple hued background and the phone itself being purple, color coordinating from the very first seconds of the commercial.

The commercial features a futuristic woman who displays each of the phone’s featured with another arm, showcasing the phone’s ability to do many things at once and playing on the common thought that women in general are multi-taskers. Adding to the multi-tasking ability of the phone while drawing an emotional appeal, the woman states, “I will remain untangled and uncomplicated” hinting at the phone’s ability to untangle and uncomplicated your life, and also that this phone differs from previous “complicated” HTC Droid phones, generally purchased by men. This is an emotional appeal by presenting the phone’s ability to help a woman time manage and prioritize a hectic schedule, things that are assumed to “overwhelm” women as a whole. The woman speaks in a soft, clear voice while tone music is played in the background, adding to the phone’s futuristic and tech savvy appeal. A specific feature that clarifies that the phone is marketed to women is the “Charm Call Indicator,” which is shown hanging out of the woman’s purse, and lights up whenever a call or message is received. Men, who generally carry phones in their pockets, not purses, would have no need or place for this gadget.

The commercial uses the clear syllogism: every woman multitasks, every multi-tasker has use for these features, so every woman should want this particular phone. The only text displayed in the commercial is the phone’s name and carrier, the HTC Rhyme by Verizon, and it is displayed as the opening and closing cuts of the commercial. This adds credibility to anyone who has had a positive experience with the carrier before, or who knows someone who has been satisfied with their HTC phone.

The location of the commercial is also significant. The times that I have seen this commercial on television it has played primarily on the CW, which features shows such as The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl, popular among young women, and on MTV during The Jersey Shore broadcasts. These shows feature a primarily female audience and are watched by a younger age group, making younger women the phone’s target audience.

The competition between the HTC phone brand and the iPhone is clearly seen. The HTC Rhyme is shown on a docking station which features an alarm clock and external speakers, much like products created by Apple. This competition is the reason why Verizon decided to create an HTC phone specifically marketed towards women. Men in general, prefer Droid phones while women prefer the iPhone and other Apple products. This creates a competition between not only the cell phones markets, but also between their primary carriers, Verizon and AT&T. By marketing a phone to women they are hoping to bridge the gap between the sexes and thus gain a following with women as well as men.

Upon first viewing the commercial I found the phone to be simple, convenient, and cute. The Charm feature would be useful when I’m not directly by my phone, and having a music library on my phone would help me downsize and not carry my iPod Touch. After researching the phone it is easy to see why I felt this way, because many men and women are getting paid to make people like me see products in a particular light. In this case, they did a good job. If I were going to purchase a SmartPhone, this would be my pick.

http://youtu.be/k6mQ6VN4Wp8

Cee Lo and 7UP? Yeah, that's a thing now.

Cee Lo Green and 7UP? Yes, I was confused too at first, but yes, there is such a pairing, an odd couple that you can watch every day on your very own TV, if you stick around for the commercials.

The entire commercial is set to subtle music, started with baby Cee Lo pulling on the mobile above his crib. This theme continues throughout the entire commercial until Cee Lo actually begins to sing, at which point the music becomes much louder and much more prominent. The commercial also contains an excessive amount of green, the house shown at the beginning of the commercial has green wallpaper and green drapes, the area outside where teenage Cee Lo begins to beatbox is abundantly green, and Cee Lo himself is always wearing clothing that is prominently green. Green is absolutely everywhere at all times, so you are constantly reminded that this is a 7UP commercial. Additionally, 7UP itself is featured prominently throughout the commercial; a can of 7UP is featured in the center of the screen at almost all times, especially at the beginning and end of the commercial. And furthermore, the commercial appeals to authority, in this case, Cee Lo Green, he is constantly in the presence of 7UP the entire commercial, and the only time he isn’t holding a can himself is when he is a baby standing in his crib or at the end of the commercial where he is playing the piano. Its message is clear, Cee Lo Green’s musical talent is a direct result of hearing a 7UP can opened as a baby.

As for what could cause such an odd combination, this commercial is most likely the result of a society in which the young are overly eager to become famous. It speaks directly to the plugged in teen and tween who has probably heard Cee Lo and more than likely has enjoyed his music, it gives you a simple message, “Drink 7UP and be famous like Cee Lo Green!” Alternatively, perhaps it may result from a society where adults, perhaps feeling cheated out of their own chance for fame, attempt to live a life of fame vicariously, through their children, thusly the thought of such a simple way to give your child musical talent must be appealing. Effect wise this commercial is obviously geared towards ramping up sales of 7UP, and in that respect it is likely to succeed. Easily influenced and naïve youth hungering for fame, or perhaps older folk who have had their dreams of vicarious fame denied but who wouldn’t mind having a famous child of two, would probably be more likely to purchase more 7UP pursuant to those drives. Or perhaps the commercial’s sheer absurdity may turn off more cynical or pessimistic viewers, can the hiss from a can of soda really grant a child musical talent? Would a can of Pepsi have the same effects? Perhaps for some, this commercial might simply beg inane questions, ones need never have been conceived of, had this commercial never been made.

Mayhem

-Matt Kelly

For the AllState “Mayhem” commercials, they use emotional appeal to perfection. Providing realistic accident prone situations, and having Dean Winters the actor who plays Mayhem, act them out with a dry yet realistic humor. The everyday situation that Mayhem is acting out in the commercial is being a deer crossing the road. He starts by eating leaves in the woods, setting up some humor as he looks directly into the camera, “I’m a wild deer, eating leaves out here and what not, and I come across this road.” He freezes in the middle of the lane because “That’s what us deer do” the car comes over the hill and hits Mayhem/TheDeer. Mayhem rolls off the road and looks into the camera saying “If you have cut-rate insurance, you could be on the hook for thousands. So get AllState so you can be better protected from Mayhem like me.” The Mayhem commercials have strength in their ability to draw the viewer in and keep them entertained, but lack the strength of a good argument by providing vague terms to just how much they cover and how much it costs.

This is an extremely powerful quote that makes the viewer think about what kind of coverage they are paying for from their insurance company. AllState insurance companies target audience in this series of commercials is the middle to upper class. They are looking to get the consumer who is looking to cover themselves completely, and has the extra money to pay for it. The commercial tells us this by the way that they never mention prices during the commercial unlike the “15 minute companies” such as Geico and Progressive, which pride on low prices, but have been known to skip out on otherwise standard car coverage situations. What they do say is that “Dollar for dollar no one protects you from mayhem like AllState.” This is communicating that you are getting the best bang for your buck coverage that doesn’t leave you hanging when you have an accident, even an unusual one.

As a culture this commercial shows that we are tired of watching numbers on the screen when it comes to insurance commercials, for years competitor companies such as Progressive, would have commercials showing their rates compared to the rates of the other top insurance companies. AllState with its new approach of using humor coupled with a perfectly casted actor such as Dean Winters, shows that our society is looking for more of a realistic sense of what type of coverage they are getting, not just how much that coverage is going to cost.

This commercial is effective and leaves the viewer with a sense of protection. It has humor, which keeps the watcher interested and entertained, and finally these commercials are easy to remember. The wittiness makes for great water cooler talk the next day at the office, these wildly popular commercials have received acclaim from the viewing population. Although the argument of the commercial does lack some factual background, it is effective in its persuasiveness of the reader by using humor and real-life situations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OH_gUt4Oww

Microsoft For Families?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g30omUwhHTs

This commercial titled dog.ppt is Microsoft’s newest commercial used to promote their Windows 7 operating system. In this commercial Microsoft uses their sense of humor to show one of their computers in a family setting. The family they choose consist of a son, mother and father. The son is would be the key figure showing off Windows 7 ease of use because a majority of the commercial focuses on his power point “Why we need a dog”. His presentation is enough to convince his parents to get him a dog. Later the father of the family tries the same idea that the son had, but instead of a dog, he wanted to play golf on Sundays. Unfortunately for the father his plea is not wasn’t accepted as well as his sons’ and he is humorously shot down by his wife.

For some reason Microsoft tries to make its claim that “It’s a Great Time to be a Family”, but with this commercial it just doesn’t seem to fit. All that is shown by this commercial is that Windows 7 is easily usable by nearly anyone, even a small child. The claim made doesn’t add up to what is shown, it is left to ask, “What does this have to do with a family?”

I would say Microsoft’s new commercial is a successful one only for the purpose that the emotional pull is able to keep people interested. Without the humor of the husband being shot down after his son is able to get a dog using the same methods this commercial holds no weight. Also, a giant question is left without an answer, but regardless, as commercial it is still able to pull people in and keep them interested in the product.