Sex All Over

Could you imagine sitting on the couch mid-day watching television with your younger sister or brother and suddenly a commercial about KY Jelly comes on? Awkward, to say the least, even at my age I feel completely uncomfortable observing this type of content in front of anyone besides a lover.  As Ad’s become cleverer in their attempt to disguise sexual wording and content it is more blatant then ever in today’s culture.  Sex sells, we all have heard the cliché, but not just the image of being “sexy” but actually “how to be good at doing it”, sells product. There is a pressure to have the most explosive sexual experience and a multitude of well-advertised resources on exactly how to get it.  Where is the decorum? What happened to love, marriage, then baby carriage?  On occasion in sexual driven ad’s it may be implied that the couple is married, but it is not in any way the standard.  The focus is explicitly about SEX and how to get the greatest possible pleasure. Kids see this every day, along with half naked ad’s with perfectly photoshoped bodies of men and women. It is no wonder we are all hyper-sexualized, yes I say all, porn is a 13 billion dollar industry in the United States. Many of us to do not watch it habitually, but more of us than you think have tuned in just to get an idea of “how I can be better at it”.  Sex ad’s are not to blame for increased teen pregnancy (which has actually declined in recent years), daunting STD statics, and the increase of people having premarital sex, but one thing is clear sex is not a taboo subject in the eye’s of advertisers. I suggest we all should get use to it and learn to equipped the innocent with the proper knowledge about condoms, KY Jelly, Viagra, because if we don’t the ad’s will.

I also ad these commercials make sure your youth isn’t around.

Wiki Entry "Gun Fun"

Gun Fun was an American advertising campaign that started in the 1930's and encouraged the purchase of guns for children and families. It promoted family hunting and/or family gun sport. It was endorsed heavily by mostly all guns manufactures during this period. Gun gifts for children ranged for BB guns, pump shot guns, and air rifles. Some of the major manufactures that pushed this advertising message include Daisy's, Browning, Colt, Remington, and Winchester. 

Contents   [hide]  1 History 2 Related advertising 3 Parodies and references 4 References 5 External links

[edit]History

In the 1930' s shooting was portrayed as good-safe fun that the entire family could partake in. Brands like Winchester and Daisy pioneered the idea of creating family oriented advertising that reflected that image. The Winchester Company has been around since 1866 and although there are no longer any manufacturing factories in the USA, the company is still producing guns, all of which are made outside the US. The company is historically known to produce reliable, moderately priced weapons. Their image has always been in line with the rugged outdoors person.

In the 1930's, extending through the early 1970's gun manufactures began to use advertising targeting American families. These advertisements projected the message that hunting was a father-son experience, a male-bonding opportunity and fun competition for families to participate in with one another. Advertisements were blatantly aimed at youth without any regulations. Without any regulations, gun advertisements targeted at youth started to appear more and more, especially around the holidays.

In the 1950's when the shift in women's role initially started advertiser saw this as an opportunity to target women and market guns fun to the entire family even more. Many advertisements started to appear with women using guns in hunting, intimate bonding time with their husband, and fun family outings. Advertiser soon learned that women were less interested in hunting verses their male counter part. Thus more ads were created displaying women using guns in family oriented environment. These advertisements fizzled out in the early 1970’s. Gun manufacturing eventually moved overseas as a result of the high cost associated with producing guns in America.   

Related advertising

During the 1930-50's there was also a strong advertising campaign directed at the sale of gun ammunition.

[edit]Parodies and references

A Christmas Story - A 1983 American Christmas comedy film, where a boy get a gun for Christmas and shots his eye out.

The Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain.

Winchester '73 is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, and Stephen McNally. Written by Borden Chase and Robert L. Richards, the film is about the journey of a prized rifle from one ill-fated owner to another and a cowboy's search for a murderous fugitive.

References

1. http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7057 
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_weapon
3. Blown Away: American Women and Guns
4. http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/gun_control.asp

[edit]

Akbank's Innovative Ad Approach

Ironically the more I become aware of the advertising overload that is happening, the more I like commercials, well enjoy the entertainment they provide. Before I really knew what was happening all around me, I strangely took commercials very seriously. Now, I am growing and understanding the advertising culture more and more.

 I have charged myself to find advertising content that I do not normally cross paths with for the purpose of this class. In this case I came across a very entertaining commercial by a Turkish Bank called Akbank. The commercial is very innovative and engaging. I really like that it's not in english. I know it sounds ridiculous, but there is appreciation to be had by this. Words are a way for  commercials to tell you what they want or what they want you to do. But I did not take that away from this commercial. I was far more interested in what "figures" the tiny people in all white wear would make next. The music was cool and up beat, something I would never listen in my own playlist. As the people transitioned from one figure to the next words appeared in correlation to each figure. Interestingly enough I did not realize the words appearing on screen until I watched the video a second time.  The first time I was too busy creating my own story that correlated to the figures. 

This advertisement is a branding commercial. If I do not know anything else about the company I know they are a Turkish bank called Akbank who make cool commercials. And that's fine by me. I have been entertained and learned some world class knowledge. It is refreshing to be engaged without the after effect of wanting more. The greatest trick advertisers succeed at is making people, including me, think they need something to replace or improve something they are already 100% happy with.

We all have our own preconceived notions about commercials. However when I am struck by new content I can look at it more objectively. I especially like this Akbank commercial because it was not in english. I have no idea what they are saying, making the visualness of the commercial my focus. Anywho check out the commercial, share your thoughts.

Crack for the Eyes

The Nasdaq Tower and the Reuters sign in Time Square are two of the most valuable advertising spaces in the world. The many other billboard rental spaces in Time Square carry a hefty price tag as well. Advertisers are willing to spend the big bucks to place ad's here for one reason, it is the eye crack hub of North America. New York City is the of the most densely populated city in America. In addition the city has over 50 million visitors every year. A stroll through Times Square anytime of day revels the masses with cameras snapping photos of the hundreds of billboards. 

I refer to it as eyecrack because people can't get enough this ephemeral sensation. It is an advertising high for consumers. I have been to Time Square dozens of times not for any particular reason but just to walk around on a nice day. It's a cheap, fun, spirit lifting experience to do with friends. Mostly accredited to the "beauty of the billboards". Yes of coarse there are restaurants and thing to do but what separates Time Square from other places is the atmosphere. The enormous advertisements and architecture and to see it a night is the ultimate high. It is the sensation of being apart of the "happening right now" I enjoy the most. 

Unfortunately, like any high, your tolerance increases with every encounter. Habitual visitors seek out the lasted and greatest billboard displays, especially if they are already loyal to a specific  brand.  Take for example the loyal fans of Beyonce who waited in the wee hours of the morning to see her billboard launch on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square. 

This is one of the many cases where people come from miles and miles to see the lights of Time Square. People love it and the addiction keeps them coming over and over in growing numbers. In fact the estimated tourist rate is expected to increase to 55.9 million by 2015. That sounds like a healthy growth in cliental to me.

Advertising Showdown BBB vs. Macy's

Advertising has always been around. In a competitive market it is necessary. In this post I will look at the fortune 500 retail companies Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy's. One of them have a very heavily driven advertising initiative and the other not so much to put it mildly. In examining the longevity of Macy’s and the relatively new company Bed Bath & Beyond there are clear distinction in the way the two retail giants fundamentally operate when it come to advertising.

Ranking on the Fortune 500 list

110. Macy's

294. Bed Bath & Beyond

Based on the list you can recognize the company with the least advertising effort. It has been proven that there is a direct correlation between sales and advertising. So why doesn't Bed Bath & Beyond do more advertising? If you have not noticed BBB does not have any billboard, television, or any major advertising campaigns like that of its competitors. 

Looking at it from a business stand point Macy's grossed over 26 billion in revenue last year. Macy's is recognized as one of the biggest department store retailors today. A big part of the company's success is the Macy's brand management. Everyone recognizes the red star as the Macy's logo. It has become an icon in the world of retail. Another example is the Macy's day parade. Millions of people tune in to watch it every year. The retailer also strategically does collaborations and joint branding efforts with today's biggest celebrities. Everyone from Diddy to Mariah Carey can be spotted in a Macy's Ad. Macy's stays current with the trend of the day. This is smart, the consumer in 1980 is not the consumer today. I think Macy’s does an excellent job at speaking to the current buyer through advertising.

Bed Bath &Beyond on the other hand uses one form of advertising, coupons essentially. We all have seen them in the mail and I will be the first to admit that I love them. But this is not your intricate massive advertising campaign when compared to any major retailer today. BBB which was founded in 1971 has over 900 stores in comparison to Macy’s which has a little over 800 stores. Further more BBB offers a far greater variety of home products in comparison to Macy’s. Yet BBB’s annual revenue last year was a little under 6 billion. I think BBB has the potential but should focus on branding through heavier advertising and speaking directly to its costumers through ads. It is impressive that BBB has grown into one of the most well respected retail companies today using only coupons and very traditional marketing measures. I think this fact alone is motivation enough, it’s clear they have a loyal consumer base that loves their products. I think this company has a lot of untapped potential.

BBB has demonstrated excellent customer services along with product variety and consumers love that. This is something most retailers cannot boast about. Macy’s strength lies in their advertising that is why they spend millions upon millions on it. BBB strength is its good company-costomer relationship.  With the right advertising campaign that enhances their established marketing strategy they can quickly move up that fortune 500 list. 

Newspaper Nails (now that's creating ad space)

Hello all-

My how to directions are inspired from doing my nails. I like to keep my nails nice looking but also keeping them healthy is equally important. I learned how to do this from a YouTube video and thought is was great. Hopefully I can translate the technique using only words.  

How to get Newspaper Nails

      I.         What you need

·      10 small newspaper cut outs (approximately the size of your finger nail)

·      1 cup of room temperature water

·      Your favorite light color nail polish (I like ones without chemicals)

·      Clear top coat polish

·      2 Cotton Balls

    II.         Started to Finish

·      Start with clean non-painted finger nails

·      Go over each nail with your chosen nail polish color.

·      Repeat again; for a completion of two coats.

·      Let your nails completely Dry!

·      Grab one of your cotton balls, dip it in your cup of water until is completely saturated, place back on the table

·      Grab one of the prepped news paper cut outs and place it on one of your dry nails

·      Place the wet cotton ball on the newspaper cutout over your nail

·      With the ball of your finger pressing down hard on the wet cotton ball move your finger in a left and right motion for 30-45 seconds

·      Remove the cotton ball and the newspaper from your nail

·      Using the remaining 9 pieces of newspaper repeat this process 9 more times until every polished finger has been ink marked using the newspaper cut out and wet cotton ball

·      Let your nails completely dry!

·      Go over each nail with the clear top coat polish

·      Let your nails completely dry and your are finished

The New Resume (Present)

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Contently Voice  Commercials are entertaining

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Contently Voice covers Akbank commercial. The commercial is very innovative and engaging.

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I was born in the small city Trenton, New Jersey. Aside for it being the capitol of New Jersey, its greatest claim to fame is that a secret

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The Way of The World (Devil's Advocate)

Advertising has always been around. In a competitive market it is necessary. In this post I will look at the fortune 500 retail companies Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy's. One of them have a very heavily driven advertising initiative and the other not so much to put it mildly. Examining the longevity of Macy’s and the relatively new company Bed Bath & Beyond there are clear distinction in the way the two retail giants fundamentally operate when it come to advertising.

Ranking on the Fortune 500 list

110. Macy's

294. Bed Bath & Beyond

Based on the list you can recognize the company with the least advertising effort. It has been proven that there is a direct correlation between sales and advertising. So why doesn't Bed Bath & Beyond do more advertising? If you have not noticed BBB does not have any billboard, television, or any major advertising campaigns like that of its competitors. 

Looking at it from a business stand point Macy's employees 171, 000 people and grossed over 26 billion in revenue last year. Established in 1820 it is recognizable as one of the biggest department store retailors today. A big part of its ability to stand the test of time is the Macy's brand. Everyone recognizes the red star as the Macy's logo. It has become an icon in the world of retail. Just look at the Macy's day parade, they have the biggest celebrity collaborations and joint branding efforts. Everyone from Diddy to Mariah Carey can be spotted in a Macy's Ad. Macy's stays current with the trend of the day. This is smart the consumer in 1980 is not the consumer today. I think Macy’s does an excellent job at speaking to the current buyer through advertising.

Bed Bath &Beyond on the other hand uses one form of advertising, coupons essentially. We all have seen them in the mail and I will be the first to admit that I love them. But this is not your intricate massive advertising campaign when compared to any major retailer today. BBB which was founded in 1971 has over 900 stores in comparison to Macy’s which has a little over 800 stores. Further more BBB offers a far greater variety of home products in comparison to Macy’s. Yet BBB’s annual revenue last year was a little under 6 billion. I think BBB has the potential but should focus on branding through heavier advertising and speaking directly to its costumers through ads. It is impressive that BBB has grown into one of the most well respected retail companies today. I think this fact alone is motivation enough, it’s clear they have a loyal consumer base that loves their products. I think this company has a lot of untapped potential.

They have demonstrated excellent customer services along with product variety and consumers love that. This is something most retailers cannot boast about. Macy’s strength lies in their advertising that is why they spend millions upon millions on it. BBB strength is its good company-consumer relationship quality.  With the right advertising campaign that enhances their established marketing strategy they can quickly move up that fortune 500 list. 

BioVoice Edit2

I was born in the small city Trenton, New Jersey. Aside for it being the capitol of New Jersey, its greatest claim to fame is that a secret Government Facility in the movie “Hellboy” was headquartered there. It is a snap shot of your urban DC, Chicago, or Baltimore. I have never been one for remembering things; my earliest memory is filled with agony.  Around the age of 3 possibly 4, I accidentally stabbed myself in the eye with a pair of scissors.  The images of an ambulance and helicopter escape me, but I distinctly remember lying on a cold metal table with an oxygen mask on my face, singing the sedation song “happy birthday to you” knowing clearly it was not my birthday.  Thankfully, I enter kindergarten with two good eyes and a shy personality. 

I attended about 5-6 different elementary schools. We moved a lot. Some schools were great others not so great. My third grade teacher Mrs. Fitzgerald I will never forget. My fourth grade teacher I wish I could forget.  The most challenging part of changing schools is being the new kid, transitioning from walking to busing, and overall staying out of trouble. Most of the time when I came to a new school I was on the teacher radar, a feeling I despised. I quickly learned the best way to stay off the teacher and student radar was to be an ok kid who wasn’t afraid to defend herself.  

Middle School: For all of my years before this I was a tomboy. All that changed by middle school. I got a few jobs babysitting, hair solon assistant, whatever was available for a kid my age.  Admitting I now wanted to be pretty, not for attention, but to be thought of nicely. Which from observing my “pretty” older sister, I gathered people generally think of you in higher regards if you are pretty. Nonetheless my middle school experience was good mostly filled with a new sense of image awareness and mediocre academic performance. So much so I was demoted from gifted and talented into regular classes between my 6th and 7th grade years. The best things that I gained from middle school are my two best friends.

I entered high school with confidence and two friends I knew I could count on. We tried out for the varsity cheerleading team together, two made it and the other one joined the band.  So we were still together all the time. I again became focused on my academic performance. Cheerleading weirdly became a huge part of me. Senior years was good, I was captain of the cheerleading team, homecoming queen, and I got into 3 of the 5 schools I applied to, then I graduated. Looking back now high school flew by.

I started Rutgers EOF program the 2 days after I graduated.  I thought I would hate it. Giving up my entire summer to do some summer prep program. I did hate it, only in the moment however. I appreciated much later in the semester. Like most students I entered undecided. I however, quickly found my way to production in theater form. As a freshman I was a work-study student in the theater. I liked being around the set designers and lighting technicians.  After taking a media and culture class I decided that I would major in video production. During my senior year when my friends were all applying to graduate school I was looking for work.  When May came I was jobless with a degree like so many. 

I free-lanced for the summer landing a couple of gigs in NYC, mostly short films that lasted 2-3 weeks tops. While the pay was decent the work was inconsistent. I ended up moving to South Jersey with my parents.  I landed a freelancing gig, which I detest to write about.  The pay was terrible and the call hours even worse. I found a production company based in Philadelphia with the coolest bunch of films makers I have yet to met. Even while shooting commercials, independent films and getting drunk, I stayed diligent looking for a fulltime gig. In November I landed a job at QVC, only part-time though. Still persistent I continued to look for a full time production assistant position. And in January I got one! Three interviews and an offer letter later, I got a dreadful phone call the company was going into a hiring freeze. I stayed at QVC until mid summer of that year. Feeling crushed by failure, I gave myself an ultimatum. I would move back to North Jersey and look for work. If I did not find a full time job in 6 months I would go back to school. 

Its funny the way things work. I didn’t find a job in 6 months. In January I started the ICM program at Quinnipiac University.  2 months later I interviewed for a full-time video production assistant position and I got it. No hiring Freeze, just an offer letter with an April 9th start date.  While I was not exactly enthusiastic about graduate school and I almost gave up on my passion, the two could not have come together in better fashion or with greater correlation. And although I am sometimes overwhelmed, I can honestly say I love this program and my job.

Commercial are Entertaining

Commercials are entertaining, let us all agree on that.  Ironically the more I become aware of the advertising overload that is happening, the more I like commercials, well enjoy the entertainment provide more. Before I really knew what was happening all around me, I strangely took commercials very seriously.  Now is seems "strange" but in actuality it was what I call my personal advertising learning curve. Everyone has one. Some people's mature fasters than others. And I am not claiming that mine has come to full maturity, but I am growing and understanding the advertising culture more and more.

 I have charged myself to find advertising content that I do not normally cross paths with for the purpose of this class.  In this case I came across a very entertaining commercial. We all see the same advertisements for the most part. Consequently we have our own preconceived notions about  them. However I am usually struck by new content and I can look at it more objectively. I especially like this Akbank commercial because it was not in english. I have no idea  what they are saying, making the visualness of the commercial my focus. 

The commercial is very innovative and engaging. I really like that it's not in english. I know it sounds ridiculous, but there is appreciation to be had by this. Words are a way for  commercials to tell you what they want or what they want you to do. But I did not take that away from this commercial. I was far more interested in what figures the tiny people in all white wear would make next. The music was cool and up beat something I would never listen in my own playlist. As the people created there figures words appeared on in correlation to that figure. Interestingly enough I did not realize the words appearing on screen until I watched the video a second time.  The first time I was too busy creating my own story that correlated to the figures. 

This advertisement is a branding commercial. If I never no anything about the company I know they are a Turkish bank called Akbank who make cool commercials. And that's fine by me. I have been entertained and learned some world class knowledge. My maturity curve has allowed me to be engaged without being consumed by all the ins and outs of this company. The greatest trick advertise succeed at making people, including me, think I need something to replace or improve something I am 100% already happy with.  Anywho check out the commercial, share your thoughts.