Grayson's Blog

   Going into this, I did not expect how much it would open my own eyes. I knew that I consumed a lot of media every single day, but I didn't know how much of an impact that it has on me. I did not like the idea of finding small things in ads and explaining how they affect either me or others. But now after these blogs, it is definitely a positive experience. I am more aware of what I see now. I am more aware of how marketers use different techniques to attract to us, the consumers and buyers.     I consume a lot of media every day. I know that it does have an impact on my life because of these blogs. I also am more aware of what is going on when it comes to these ads. Being aware of what is going on in ads and commercials and shows, it makes me want to stay away from media. All they want is for you to buy something or watch something. Companies don't care about your personal experience, they care about how much money they are making off of you. Companies just want ...

    As teens, we all want new things. But when we can't have these new things, it creates anxiety. Future generations were definitely more realistic than we are. They knew their limits but also knew what the had to do for the things that they want. Nowadays everyone wants things without working for them. Of course there are exceptions, but it seems as if the majority of us expect to receive no matter what. We aren't grateful for what we already have. It is a good thing that this generation is always expecting more because that is what as humans gets us far in life. A curioisity and desire for more. More could mean anything; more time, more money, more education, anything. The bad thing is that we don't want to work more. We have that desire for new things but we don't have a desire to work for those new things. When we can't receive what we believe we deserve, it gives us anxiety.

   Anxiety in teens doesn't seem like anything new to me. All day I hear people stressing about tests or homework or what they have to get done. As teens we are very focused in the moment when it comes to negative things. We worry so much about what we have to do and get done that we end up not getting it done at all. It feels like a chain reaction of anxiety stricken teens at school. Once you hear one person start freaking out about an assignment, then another person will, and another, and so on. We have a lot of things around us that all cause us to have some level of anxiety. News from around the world always being shown to us can cause us to worry. Lots of homework assignments and tests and quizzes also play a role. As teens, we try to do so many things at once that it is not even possible and all it creates is anxiety. I think that if we slow down, and focus at one thing at a time, things wont seem to be so bad after all.

    Snapchat has a thing called streaks. I have about 20 streaks and in order to keep them you have to send at least one picture a day and so does the other person. This is a very smart technique to get people to stay on the app. It for sure has me on the app. There is nothin really more to snapchat then just sending random pictures to friends. But because of streaks it has been a popular app for years. I have had it for about a year, and I really can't see the end of it. The streaks hold us in because we want to keep them and see how high they get. Snapchats audience is 12-25 year olds. Everyone can use it, but it just seems like teenagers are attracted to it more.

      I recently watched an ad for Samsung. It featured a ton of ostrichs in the commercial. The ad was for the new VR add on. The ad featured an ostrich running away and he had on the VR headset. The ostrich was seeing clouds as if he was flying. The ad uses the song Rocket Man to also display how this VR experience can make you feel as if you're flying and higher than others. In the ad the ostrichs shadow was on the ground while a pack of ostrichs were chasing it. The ad also had text over the screen at the end that told us that "We could be anything" and achieve anything. The targeted audience was probably older people because they used an older song to connect to them and create that ethos effect. Link to video: https://youtu.be/hjKd24UCPYY

     It seems as if every month there is a new trend. But with every new trend there comes a dead one. In the Merchants of Cool things are considered cool if they are not well known. They are cool right up till the point where everyone starts to know about it. I believe that this holds a lot a truth. People may feel a certain way about something because they think that whatever it is is so cool and that no one knows about it. But once people start to lose their feelings towards what the new trend is, it isn't cool. The new trend right now that I could say is the fidget spinner. I am sure that this will not be a trend for that much longer. Personally I never thought it was cool, but i know that other kids do think that. In about a week or so or month once those get enough exposure then I am sure they wont find it as cool anymore. Everything is not here to stay and that's why this is just a trend.

    This EZSeed product ad uses aesthetic sensations throughout the ad. Also when the product is sprayed on the ground the camera angle is below. This makes us think that this is better then we are. It shows that it has a lot of power. The ad claims that it can grow grass anywhere. It also shows when the seeds are placed and the camera is level when it is happening. This gives us a more in depth view of what is going on, and we can feel like we are a part of the process. The ad also uses plain folks as it shows a mom and her children and dog playing in the yard. This shows that this product is for everyone and that it can help the family. The target audience are parents who are of any age that care about their yard and their children. The link to this ad: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/A92Y/scotts-ez-seed-bare-spots

      In the Merchants of Cool, it shows us how teens are marketed towards. They use reality assumptions to debunk what teens really like doing. They categorize teens as one large group instead of as individuals in most parts of the video. After watching the video, it left me thinking one thing: that thing was if teens are really that hard to understand. I know that everyone has different mind sets and goals but I really don't see why adults find teens so difficult to understand. Maybe it is our fault because we don't like older people having personal connections into our lives. Maybe it is the adults fault because they don't "pay enough attention to us". I don't think that marketing towards one group of teens works. Teens aren't in one group, and a lot of us don't like being with certain people. So to categorize everyone into one group doesn't really work. One part of the video showed the people at the one rock band. The people there and dressed u...

    While I was watching TV, there was an ad for Duracell. This ad featured a crying baby and a mom and dad. The narration talked about how you should trust Duracell over your mothers advice. The ad uses plain folks to attract to our needs. It also uses a camera angle that is level with the parent. This helps us feel like a part of the family that is being featured. Duracell also appeals to our need for domination because it says that trust is power. And if we trust Duracell, then we will be powerful. The ad was bright the entire way through so this also gives off a more positive vibe to it. Because of the bright lighting we give an even better association with Duracell because we view it as this bright and powerful thing. The ad used the family to show that Duracell can solve difficult family problems.       Using the family also would appeal to older people watching the ad because they can relate more to it. Here is the link to the ad: https://youtu.be/...

     I was watching baseball and there was an ad for Taco Bell. At the time I saw it I was very hungry so it was very appealing to me. The ad was about a 5$ box that included a burrito, two tacos, and a drink. This seems like a pretty good deal because 5$ does not seem like much. You could buy everything seperate and it would be around 7$. The ad zoomed in on the food to appeal to our physiological needs. Taco Bell always find ways to make a deal look appealing and better than it actually is. They kept mentioning how it was 5$ and the entire time on the screen it was in bold letters. This ad didn't appeal to me emotionally or logically. The only way it appealed to me was because it was a good deal and I always want food.      Most food ads seem to be like this. They'll talk about how the food is so great and how there is such a great deal going on. But I've noticed that these deals stay, they aren't even going to go anywhere. The company just says that it'...

     I was on YouTube one day and I saw in the most popular section that there was a video called "Evan" with almost 9 million views. So with curiousity I clicked on it. It started off as a video that showed a student writing on his desk, then it would cut to a scene where the girl was writing back to what Evan wrote. This went on and on until they finally met at a place where they were making classes. But throughout the story, there were hints that a school shooting was going to happen. Then all of a sudden, when they finally meet, you see a student with an assault rifle walk in a start shooting. That is the main story of the video.      This video is showing how we need to be more aware of our surroundings. Throughout the first time watching I had no idea of what the outcome would be and I was very shocked when I saw what happened. It was a very surprising video to watch. The technique used was pathos. It was appealing to our emotions. This is definitely...

     I recently saw an ad on the NBA 2017 playoffs. The ad featured Kendrick Lamar's newer song called Humble. After hearing this song and seeing some of the players highlight plays, it made me want to watch the playoffs even more. I feel like this ad only really attracts sports fans, and mostly late teens to people in their 20-30's. The ad had no text or writing in it but the only thing was the music. Another example of how this ad is for an older audience is how the song uses some profanity that isn't taken out. I feel that this ad will not work on everyone. It will only have the same affect it did on me with just a certain group of people, mostly basketball lovers. But another thing besides basketball is the music. Even if you don't watch basketball if you heard the song, you might be interested.      The technique that is being used to grab my attention is ethos. The ad displays a common ground with me because first of all it is basketball, but secondl...

   Media hasn't always been a part and daily routine in my life, but now it's become the norm. Every day I wake up and make sure to send pictures to all my streaks in snapchat, then I'll go on Instagram. That wasn't always apart of my daily life. It has become something that I am so used to that I don't even acknowledge how much I use it. When I'm not outside doing something or with someone, then I am most likely using some type of media. Wether that means Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, music, it's always in use. Having all those things wasn't even a part or a big deal in my life until around middle school. That's when I started to use social media. Ever since, I know it has changed things in my life. I know I would be different if I didn't see the constant opinions or work or words of others. But it is just so easy to get sucked into social media that you can't necessarily just turn it off. It has become our form of communication, the news, u...