What the Hail?
Many
companies go about advertising to demographics in different ways. In regards to
male University students, the ads that seem to grab hold to them (or at least
me) seem to be the exciting, crazy, motivational ads that make you want to just
go out and live. They let you feel like you’re a powerful person, and I love
that. Everyone says that we are the future, so why shouldn’t companies motivate
us AND sell their products.
The
first company I would like to address is the Do the Dew campaign (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD-ecR9uv1Q)
Mountain Dew recently came out with. This commercial is AMAZING. They show
multiple inspirations from musicians to pro snowboarders doing what they love.
They show all of this then hit home with a quote from Lil Wayne, saying “Find
your name, and DO YOU!”. This is exactly
what I mean by a company making us feel powerful and motivated. A quote from
our very own textbook, “ Media studies sometimes stresses the individual role
of media moguls...These characteristics of the media relate to the ideology of
individualism that permeates Western culture.” (p. 189), that explains just
what Mountain Dew has done here. They have shown individuals who have followed
their dream, and they express want for individuality through emotion and the words
of our idols.
People
may argue that by using all of these symbolic people are a form of
brainwashing, and concerns may arise saying that people who listen to these
icons are just trying to follow the same road, almost as if these people were
stencils for our own very lives. However, I feel the diversity of media and the
wide variety of iconic people with different talents, standpoints, ideas, and inventions
strengthens our individuality. We get to see parts of different people, and in
that we get to widen our individual horizons. “This is a form of consciousness
raising that can give us more power and awareness in terms of understanding
ourselves and others” (p. 191).
It is
commercials like this Mountain Dew one that really pops out at my demographic
in a great way, and because of this I would say it is fair to say that
companies can successfully advertise to us. They truly can grasp the attention
of consumers and make them feel like they are an asset to this world, which I
know from experience and friends that at this age may be difficult to feel. Thumbs
up Mountain Dew!
Work Cited
O’Shaughnessy, Michael,
and Jane Stadler. Media and Society. 5th ed. Australia: Oxford University Press,
2012. 181-191. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment