Find your Beach?

 

Beer has always been seen as a method used to relax, or escape the reality we are in. It is not a product that causes its users hallucinations; it is however something that will make you feel better. Corona, along with every other beer company knows this, that is why their markets are so big. People want something that is both affordable and convenient, beer qualifies as this and so much more. This ad, for instance shows a couple of friends hanging out after a long day at the office, waiting for someone to join them. As the ad continues we see their final friend enter the scene following a crowd of busy, office people (who looked as stressed out as her). When she finally spots her friends, she escapes the crowd, excusing herself for not "being able to get away". In turn her friend holds out a beer for her and replies "You can now!" The simple idea of getting away from our problems is so appealing, that naturally anyone seeing this ad, who drinks beer of course, would want to feel the same way. What is more relaxing than a white sandy beach, staring at the crystal blue ocean; only hearing the seagulls in the background? No phones, no deadlines, no problems. 

Corona marketers launched this campaign because they knew how much they would profit from it. They even launched a Beach Break Application challenge, which entailed Corona consumers to leave their social medias behind and go out in search of their beach. Participants, in order to gain points and enter raffles, were not allowed to go on their social networking sites unless it was to upload pictures of themselves drinking Corona beer; thus finding their beaches. This little incentive of trying to win a reward in exchange for drinking beer actually appealed to people, thus increasing Corona's profits and popularity. Clearly when it comes to ways of earning money, marketers are open to doing anything. Beer marketers already have a huge consumer base, yet they are always to trying to find ways to attract more people. With each ad they come up with, they are not trying to reaffirm a customer's loyalty. Rather they are trying to win over those that are Budweiser, Miller Light , and Guinness beer consumers. Seeing this add, and learning about the reward challenge incentive did not appeal to me however, but that is partially because I don't like beer in general. Maybe I am being biased by assuming that anyone who drinks beer will fall for this campaign strategy. However I can assume that if profits and popularity for this beer are on the rise, than maybe there campaign strategy is paying off. After all who doesn't like the idea of going away without actually having to travel far. 

 Corn Syrup vs. Sugar

When we consumers buy groceries at a conventional grocery store, we are offered products that more and more contain corn syrup. It has been long observed that the average American has an insatiable sweet tooth and manufacturers have been adding sweetness to our food to satisfy our taste buds for a long time. Even foods that aren’t considered sweet, like spaghetti sauce, often contain corn syrup. Since our waistlines are ever-expanding, many researchers have started blaming one of the cheapest sweeteners added to processed foods-High Fructose Corn Syrup. Of course, it’s hard to know if HFCS is really the bad guy that some researchers have claimed. At one point the corn syrup manufactures in this county launched an advertising campaign to counter all the negative results being released-even airing television commercials defending their product. Also, there is a group attempting to re-name the product CORN SUGAR to make it seem more like good old-fashioned sugar. Of course, it’s hard to know if the real culprit is really HFCS. Would our nation be slimmer if we were eating food made only with granular white sugar, instead? I’m not sure who has the right answer, but after seeing the Saturday Night Live commercial parody above, I, at least started reading more labels and have made a conscious effort to avoid buying any product that contains added nutritive sweeteners of any kind. 

Before It's Too Late

This is an ad from WWF France which  reminds people about the importance of the trees presented in 2008. This ad has been my favorite ad because I thought it was brilliant to compare the forests to human lungs. The message is: Before it is too late, we should preserve forests. Life on earth cannot survive without trees.

I strongly support this ad because continual deforestation and pollution will eventually bring us harm. Because we need oxygen to breath, we must save trees. I know this ad became an hot issue not only to the environmental ads analysts but also to the whole world. It once again reminded me about environmental awareness.

Appropriate?

Fashion magazine and its pictorial has always been an issue to the worldwide readers. Out of many brands, Dolce & Gabbana ads have been the biggest issue due to their sexual inform.
In this Dolce & Gabbana photo, there is one woman and 4 men with skin exposure. Analyzing each man's outlook, we can find out that one man unbuttoned its pant and shirt on the back. The two men in the back are "underlooking" at the woman. I am not sure what this ad is trying to pull out from the viewer. I think  fashion ads should be more conservative because not only adults are watching those ads in the magazine.

Stupid Is The New Smart

In 2010, Diesel, a famous clothing brand, launched an advertising campaign called “Be Stupid”. This campaign made me think about the discussions we had in class concerning the image that companies try to build for themselves. With this campaign, Diesel is trying to show that its customers are “stupid”, rather than smart. And since traditionally smart people are always more valued than “stupid” people, Diesel is trying to reverse the roles by presenting “stupid” as cool. By “stupidity”, the brand means the recklessness and spontaneity that is typically seen in young people. However, what bothers me in this advertisement is that is promotes “stupidity”, while devaluing intelligence. Phrases such as “Smart has the plans, stupid has the stories”, carry the message that people who think carefully before acting are boring, while those who are reckless are cool and adventurous. In my opinion, advertisements like these are negative for young people because they can be responsible for careless and provocative behavior and even bullying against the uninteresting “smart” people.

Toy Actors

Both pictures are advertisements from Toys R us.
The first scene from Lion King, which is familiar to every child, will easily catch children's attention.
But the second scene from Titanic, however, probably is more familiar to parents than to the children. Actually I don't think many kids have watched Titanic. They probably won't until they turn in to teenagers. So Toys R us isn't just making this advertisement for the direct customers. They know so well that it's the kids' parents to decide whether to purchase something or not. The parents play a very important role between toys company and kids. So they made the first ad to attract children, and the second ad to attract their parents. Besides, the toy actors seem more vivid in these famous scenes than simply sitting on a store shelf.
The second ad also shows that, the customers for toys may not always be kids. Some romantic young women like toys too, and they might want to buy the toys when they see them acting like Jack and Rose on Titanic.
Making two toys "acting" together in a scene also makes it easier to sell both toys at the same time! Because customers are likely to copy the ad's idea, making the toys in the same position as in the ad, and show their family and friends what motivated them to purchase!

Too much for a billboard

 Yves Saint Laurent launched this billboard ad for their new perfume Opium. This ad automatically got over 700 complaints and was banned shortly after on the grounds that it was offensive and degrading to women. I also think that this ad is too much. The models pose and complete nakedness, send the wrong message. At the end of the day though, it got at lot of attention which is what all advertising companies want.