Entry 7: All I Want For Christmas Is You

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

Since Christmas is just around the corner I thought I would post a Christmas song to get into the holiday spirit.  Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber are one of my favorite singers....mainly Mariah Carey since she has the same name as me.  However both of them are very popular and since they made this duet and sponsored Macy the song is just MAGICAL.  At first I had no idea that this music video was promoting Macy, but while watching the atmosphere of the video reminded me of a Macy's store.  Then when I saw the light boy open up his Golden ticket I realized it was a Macy's stores.  A viewer can have an idea that the video is filmed in a Macy's store because their is so much red throughout the video and that is Macy's main color scheme. 

Macy used product placement in this video because they put their stores name on the golden ticket that Santa Claus passes out to the people on the street.  Then later in the video the camera shows everyone standing outside of the Macy's store anxiously waiting to go inside and receive gifts.  Macy is trying to have people come to their stores and shop for holiday gifts.  Plus if people come to Macy's they may even see a celebrity. 

When the little boy is shown receiving his golden ticket with all smiles Macy wanted to show that their store appeals to not only adults, but children too.  The golden ticket reminded me of Willy Wonka the movie because during the movie the children are all looking for the golden ticket to have a tour of the chocolate factory.  The golden ticket is significant because it is given to people of all different nationalities and ages.  Macy is a store for everyone, not just one group of people in particular. 

Justin Bieber is shopping at Macy's and when fans see that they would want to go shop at the store too because Justin was there.  Macy used the testimonial technique during the music video and the need for affiliation was also used in the video.  Justin is with friends and when all the people come storming into the store they are all happy and having fun with people they do not even know.  Macy is showing their customers that when you come to the stores everyone is always happy and super nice to each other.  There was another form of product placement within the video.  While Justin is going around the store the camera scans over the Nintendo 3DS and Justin even looks at the product and smiles with his pearly white teeth. 

Entry 6: NBA Slam Dunk Contest

On Friday, I was talking to Sebastian about Blake Griffin after Jonathan presented the 2013 KIA commercial.  We were talking about Blake Griffin's "amazing" dunk back in 2011 when he jumped over a car and made the dunk.  No one has ever done a dunk like that before so Blake Griffin was the big talk for awhile after the contest had ended.  After talking to Sebastian about Blake Griffin's dunk I went home to watch the dunk again and realized there was so much advertising during the competition.  Sprite was a major advertisement throughout the slam dunk competition, literally where ever the camera went there was a sign for Sprite. Check out Blake Griffin's dunk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=araiOM-9jzQ

I will give the guy props for making that dunk in one try,but I do not think it was a great dunk.  Blake Griffin jumped over the hood of the car, not even the roof which is the highest part of the car.  I am not trying to be a hater or anything, I just believe that the dunk would have bee more amazing if he jumped over the roof of the KIA.  The car company actually got some publicity with this NBA dunk because for at least 5 straight seconds the camera just showed the car sitting on the court.  Also, out of all the cars that Blake Griffin could use to jump over he decided to go with a KIA car.  This does make sense though because he gas done KIA commercials in the past so its a given that he uses this company car. 

Sprite sponsored the NBA dunk competition so they were advertising their drink everywhere possible.  They used product placement during this event, the Sprite name was everywhere on the court.  I saw the name over twenty times in that one minute clip on Blake Griffin's dunk.  The Sprite name was on the KIA car, on the judges table, the judge's signs they held up, on the court, even on the light up banners around the court.  Everywhere you look their is a Sprite symbol, plus there was no one in the stadium that you could see drink any other soda except Sprite.  The dunk competition is even called "The Sprite Slam Dunk Contest." Sprite really paid a lot of money to have their name plastered all over the stadium and promote their drink.  At 1:20 of the video the camera angle is perfect it shows the KIA car Witt the Sprite name on it, plus in the background Blake Griffin is dunking. 

Entry 5: Iv'e Been Looking For You All Night :)

One of my favorite commercials of all times is the Diet Pepsi commercial with Sofia Vergara where she dances with several guys until she finally reaches the waiter with the Diet Pepsi can.  The facial expression that Sofia makes throughout the commercial are hilarious.  I think she was the perfect actress to use for this commercial because she is very funny and has experience being in front of a camera for a commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2DFEd6ed34

The music playing for this commercial is somewhat instrumental  up beat, and sounds like music that would be payed while people are doing the salsa.  While Sofia is trying to reach the waiter the different men she runs into have a certain type of dance style that they use to stop her in her tracks.  There is hip hop, disco, and tango dancing during the whole Diet Pepsi commercial.  Even though the commercial only focuses on Sofia and the men she meets the setting is at a nice and fancy club where all these middle aged people are getting groovy with one another.  However, no one is dressed like Sofia with a solid blue dress that is tight on top and loose on the bottom.  The director of the commercial purposely made Sofia stand out and wear the colors of the Diet Pepsi bottle.  I mean the woman had on a blue dress, red lipstick, white pumps, and silver colored hoop earrings and bracelets.  She was looking like a Diet Pepsi bottle indeed.

The Pepsi company wanted to use a famous person in their commercial to show people that TV stars enjoy their beverage too.  If the company used a someone who was not well known then the commercial will not make such an impact on people.  For me, I remember this commercial because of the music and since Sofia Vergara is in it.  The director used the testimonial technique by using Sofia Vergara in the commercial.  Sofia is a well known actress because she stars in the show "Modern family" which is a comedy show.

This commercial is trying to convince people to buy Diet Pepsi because it is very refreshing.  At the very end of the commercial it shows Sofia with the Diet Pepsi and the words at the bottom says, "nothing refreshes like a  Diet Pepsi."  Since the soda company said "nothing refreshes like.." it shows they are confident that no other drink is like theirs.  They are also saying that no other drink can replenish ones thirst like a Diet Pepsi.

After replaying this commercial about fifty times I realized there are various nationalities shown in the commercial.  There is not just one skin color through out the whole advertisement, there are actually so many different people in it.  The commercial is very diverse with the extras they use along with the men that run into Sofia.

Entry 4: Victoria Secret

Recently the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was shown on TV and so many people were raving over how fancy the costumes were and how hot all the models are.  I was on Instagram and after the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was over there were boys who were posting pictures of all the different models they found hot and arguing with each other which model looks better.  This had me thinking of the numerous Victoria's Secret commercials i see on TV when I watch shows on the "E!" station with all the gossip. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_rYQsFi_OQ
Above is the Victoria's Secret Angel Fantasies Commercial

Victoria's Secret model girls are gorgeous and I know so many people who say their bodies are "perfect."  Each model that Victoria's Secret has all have a flat stomach and when people see them in the bras and panties they are like "Dang they are hot!" or "Wow that girl got some boobs!"  Boys probably love these Victoria's Secret commercials because they can drool over the girls half naked on their TV screen. 

In this particular commercial Victoria's Secret is trying to convince its customers to buy the Angel Fantasy Push Up bra because it is what all angels want.  The writer of this commercial is saying if someone wants to be like a Victoria's Secret angel then they should buy this amazing push up bra.  During the commercial the models are all moving in slow motion so the audience can have a good look at the lingerie.  There are several different models shown throughout the commercial and some are shown close up and others from a far distance walking around a beautiful room.  Another way the writer catches the audience's attention is how the models are dressed with various color wings since it is an "angel" push up bra they are trying to sell. 

Not all the girls in the commercial are American with blonde hair, some of the models are European and Latino.  So the Victoria's Secret commercial is not just using people with blonde hair and who are American, it is pretty diverse.  The writer of the commercal is using the transfer and association technique by using thin and beautiful models to sell their product and show people they can look like these models if thy buy the Angel Fantasy Push Up bra.  There are a number of girls who wish to be just like the Victoria's Secret models with their thin and tan bodies and the angles shown in the commercial make the models look flawless.  The models do a lot of twirling and flipping of their hair and sometimes their clothing too, to make it seem more dramatic.  Even the woman's voice talking about the push up bra is dramatic and the background music starts off a little soft and then it becomes a faster and more vibrant sound. 

Entry 3: TIFFANY & Co.

I was going through different magazines at my house and came upon a "Sactown" magazine with a Tiffany & Co. advertisement.  Usually when I see a Tiffany & Co. ad it is a commercial and this time it was a print ad. 

This advertisement is perfect for the holidays because there is snow and a whole family together with all smiles.  The people in this ad are definitely from a middle to upper class by the way they dress and present themselves.  Whoever made this advertisement used the need for prominence appealing method in order to convince people to buy a product from Tiffany & Co.  This company is well known for its jewelry and many people want that feeling of a high social status with the diamonds.  Tiffany & Co. is a popular name and when someone hears that company name they think of jewelry.

For men Tiffany & Co. would be a great place to buy a woman a nice gift that they can show off later.  When making this print ad the creator specifically made the guy hold the Tiffany & Co. bag to show that a lot of men go to the store to buy jewelry for their ladies.  Many people like having name brand products that people know of so when the go out they can show off what they have and tell people the different brands they are wearing.  This ad may be simple and some what vague but a reader can easily see what is being advertised.  The companies name is on the ad in three different spots unlike other ads who have the name only shown once.  If the reader had no idea what Tiffany & Co. is they may think that the ad is for clothing and not jewelry since no where on the ad does it say jewelry.  The writer already expects the reader to already know what Tiffany & Co. is and the products they sell.

I liked the ad because in the background behind the happy family you can actually see someone walking into the Tiffany & Co. store.  The lady has several other bags which to me shows that she is willing to spend some money and since she is going into the jewelry store the lady is bound to find something.  I think this print ad could have shown some of the jewelry sold at Tiffany & Co. instead of just showing the brand name.  For some people I think they need to see a visual of the products in order for them to consider buying the items. 

Entry 2: Asian League

I have only been playing Asian League basketball for a few years and every tournament I go to there are programs that people can buy.  At almost all the tournaments my parents decide to buy a program so we can see the brackets for other age groups along with who else is on the opposing teams.  I have over thirty programs from these Asian League tournaments and there are ALWAYS advertisements for different businesses in them.   Some pages in the program are left for the players wishing them good luck in the tournament from their parents.  Other pages are for all these advertisements that take up a whole page or more, like the one below. 

 All the businesses that are within the program pay a certain amount of money to be in the booklet and they can choose how big their advertisement its.  The ads that are placed in this program are at the end of the booklet along with all the good luck pages too.  I was looking through one of the programs and realized that each of the advertisements were on the next page of a good luck page so people had to look at them.  The family and children want to see where their good luck page is, so when they do find it they will also be forced to look at a business ad either below it or next to it.  This is considered product placement because the business can choose how big their ads are and then they are specifically placed next to a good luck page to force people to look at the ads. 

Since this program is for Asian League about 70% or more of the ads are for Asian businesses.  The two pictures shown are all ads for some Asian business.  These businesses not only help them, but they are also helping the organization that is hosting the basketball tournament.  During the tournament there are about a couple hundred of these programs being sold since there are so many age levels.  Plus, each coach is given a free program before the tournament.  This is a win win situation for both the organization and the businesss.  The organization is receiving money from the businesses, along with all the families that decide to buy a program.  the money earned from the programs is distributed amongst the various age level teams to help them raise money.  The money the teams earn sometimes go to future fundraisers or later trips.  Businesses benefit in this situation because they are able to put their names out to the community through these programs. 

Entry 1: October Baby

 

 As I was finishing my Thanksgiving break I rented the movie October Baby, I have never heard of the movie before but it seemed pretty interesting from the summary of it.  The drama filled movie is about this young girl Hannah who is just starting college in the theater department.  As Hannah was performing for the first time in college she collapsed on stage and when she is given back all her medical test there is only one explanation.  Hannah never knew she had been adopted and was part of a failed abortion, until her "parent's" finally told her after her incident on stage.  After finding this information Hannah become angry, curious, and confused.  She goes on a journey with her best friend to find out who her real mother is so her questions will be answered and she can find closure.   On her journey Hannah faces more heartbreak when she finds out she had a twin brother that had died four months after the two of them were born.  Hannah is trying to find her hidden past and hope for her unknown future.  Although she faces many struggles throughout the movie Hannah finds the truth about her past, realizes she already has a family that loves her, and learns to appreciate life.  Below is the trailer of October Baby.

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cBt6t8VV_Q


October Baby is based on a 1991 case in New York City and the story of a girl Gianna Jessen who had survived an abortion.  This movie was very sad and different than other movies shown today, even though it also involved a love story amongst two friends.  Most people never meet or hear about someone who was a part of a failed abortion and found out this news at a later age.  Hannah kept repeating, "My life has been a whole lie" throughout the movie because she never knew that she was adopted.  The movie was definitely anti-abortion and promoting pro life with the whole storyline.  Even in the trailer of the movie the last few words shown is "choose life" and "every life is beautiful."  The directors do believe in pro life and are against the whole idea of abortion. 

As an audience this movie was really touching and sad because I have never heard a story about a failed abortion and being adopted by another family.  The one scene that really hit me was when Hannah met the nurse that was at the hospital when she was born and had signed her birth certificate.  The nurse told Hannah all about her real mother and the struggles she was facing at the time being a single woman and trying to find a job.  This was the time when Hannah learned she had a twin brother, plus she found out where her real mother worked.  The director uses morbid scenes to show Hannah's struggles and all the heartbroken news she constantly has to face.  Whoever watches this movie is bound to cry because its so touching and somber compared to most movies. 

Another scene I found interesting was when Hannah went to the church and was thinking over everything that had happened to her in the past few days.  The fact that Hannah was in the church showed she was religious and that it is a place to think.  The director had specifically sent her to the church to think through her whole life and wonder why it was her that she had to face all these terrible problems.  At the end of the movie on the credits there were a few ads that showed which groups of people had contributed and supported this movie.  Two particular groups were "Bethany Christian Services" and "Priests for Life."

The end of the movie showed all of the businesses and organizations that helped in producing this movie.  Usually after every movie the credits show everyone who was a part of the production and it is also a way to advertise the businesses.  Below are the organizations that had contributed to October Baby, many are about families and religion. 

 

I was reading some people's comments about the movie and many people said they really enjoyed the movie because it is something they have never seen before.  There were others who said they cried their eyes out during the movie and that they were rally "gripped" by the story.  Today there are very few movies that talk about the subject abortion, much less an abortion survivor.  This is the reason why many people enjoyed the movie because it was different and the story caught people's attention.  I had the same feelings as a lot of these people and at the end I realized this movie was pro life and very religious at the same time.  

 

Throughout the whole movie I was wondering what it would feel like to be Hannah and how would I feel that the people I have been living with for over ten years are not really my parents.  Then to find out I was also, part of a failed abortion and that I was not supposed to be alive.  Without realizing it I was using the Role Exchange Test Case to put my self in Hannah's position.  If I were Hannah I would be very frustrated with my "parent's" not telling me the truth of where I came from and keeping it a secret for over ten years.  I would do the same as Hannah and try and find my real mother and find the answer to so many questions, just for closure.