Last Post

Hopefully by now you've picked out an ad for your analysis paper. If you haven't, you should probably get a move on, don't you think?

So what's your ad for? What's it look like? What magazine did you get it from? Who's the target audience for that magazine? Do you think the ad's content and design was influenced by that? In what way? See where I'm going with this? Discuss the ad you chose in terms of its AUDIENCE and PURPOSE. Those two things are going to determine a whole heckuva lot when it comes to developing an ad--just like they should when you're composing any piece of writing.

For your final draft, make sure to turn in the advertisement you are analyzing.

 

My ad is for Axe Temptation Shower Gel. It looks seductive, obviously from Maxim magazine. The target is the male population as the consumer. The idea behind the ad is that if the guy uses this particular product, then women will get dirty with them (naughty, not physically dirty). Sometimes, it can work. I know when my boyfriend "freshens up"-I definitely don't ignore him. The ad is simple and concise-there's no beating around the bush. Furthermore, the ad is targeted for males, but women reap the benefits and then the men get even more benefits after the women.

Elements

Today, make sure you read "Elements of an Effective Layout." What's the analytical tool in this article? How do the different elements apply to the ad you chose? Are there any that you don't quite understand? Which ones seem to be the most important? Least important? Now that you're thinking about these things in terms of layout and their effects, does that just ruin advertising for you altogether—like seeing the Mickey Mouse backstage at Disney World with his head off? Only maybe less life-scarring.

The analytical tool is to attract attention. One obtains attention via balance, proportion, movement, utility, clarity, and emphasis. The ones that are most important are emphasis and clarity/simplicity. An advertisement's goal is to sell something so if there are many contrasting features, the consumer will pass it up. I think balance and movement are less important because if it's an advertisement you want it to stick out in someone's mind, you just don't want them to be able to smoothly read through it like a book. An ad makes someone impulsive. (Yes, it's supposed to be somewhat smoothly read in a since that they can easily access the appropriate information.)

Advertising is what pays for all of our television so it's not ruined for me! When I have money, I love reading through the ads and looking at materials that I don't need but know that I can buy if I want them. Black Friday ads are my favorite! However, I will not subject myself to standing in a line for hours for an object...I would much rather be enjoying all the food I can think of stuffing my belly with or taking a nap.

Democracy of Goods

We're going to put those ACT Reading Comprehension skills to use today. Read "The Appeal of the Democracy of Goods" (on Angel). What is the analytical tool (or thesis/main point) that's being talked about (read the Analysis Overview for more information on finding the analytical tool)? How is it applied to advertising today? How can it be applied to the ad you chose to analyze?

 

The analytical tool is eliciting equality no matter how wealthier one person is. The way in which they elicit equality is through Cream of Wheat. It is an uncostly item and most can afford to consume. You don't have to be rich nor do you have to be poor. It can be applied today via computers/laptops/netbooks. Most people in the United States have a computer-operated system of some sort. A smart phone even has the capabilities of a small computer. The emphasis of equality is that nearly everyone has one-you don't have to be rich to have one. It can be applied to the ad I chose to analyze to be sure to incorporate something that is interesting for everyone and not just a certain population.

Advertising

For today's blog, I want you to talk about an ad—on TV, in a magazine, on the radio, on the internet, etc.—that you find particularly effective. What makes it effective? Did it use humor? Was the product/service showcased well? Did you end up doing what the ad wanted you to?

Similarly, what's an ad that you think is especially ineffective? What stinks about it? Did it turn you off the product altogether?

 

For me, the food advertisements get me-if the price is right. Olive Garden's all-you-can eat soup, salad, and breadsticks or pasta bowls get me everytime. Chili's and Applebee's 3 for $20 gets me. They don't really use humor to sway me. It's the reasonable and affordable price that lures me in. I want to get the most for my money, as any consumer would. Thus, if the price is right, I will do what the ad wants me to do.

 

The ads that are especially ineffective to me are ones that have corny humor like Progressive commericals, Arby's "good mood food", Sonic commercials, Burger King, and many more. The commercials aren't really informative at all-they are pointless. They just want consumers to see their name flash across a screen (maybe as a subliminal message) to entice the consumer to want to get in the car and drive to Sonic or wherever right away. Some of the things that they advertise are for things that are cheap but incredibly unhealthy (aka huge burgers that are filled with thousands of calories, hot dogs that have all kinds of weird crap on it, etc.). That turns me off. If I want to buy junk food, I will just go do it-I don't need to see an advertisement for it. Now, on the other hand, if it's for something healthier for a decent price. I did go to Sonic when they started their frozen yogurt promotion and it was delicious, but a little more than what I wanted to spend.

Persuasive Essay

Persuasive Essay Summary

For your blog post today, I want you to provide a brief summary of your persuasive essay. What is your thesis? What are your main arguments? What are your counter-arguments? If you've written a strong thesis statement and topic sentences, this should be a fairly easy post. If your essay is still pretty rough, this post will help you clarify the points you are trying to make.

 

THESIS: The most efficient choice in which to obtain a Bachelor’s degree is through a public, four year institution.

 

MAIN ARGUMENTS: Private school is not efficient because it's extremely pricey. Junior college is not efficient because there are transfer dilemmas that lead into other problems.

 

COUNTER ARGUMENTS: Private schools are more prestigous and have a small student to faculty ratio. Most college students can get out of private schools within 4 years if they take a full schedule. Junior colleges are more affordable and more convenient. (However, with juco's, one must have it exactly planned out on what classes they need to take before transferring to a 4 year college to avoid transfer dilemmas.)

MLA

For today's blog post, I want you to just provide an MLA-formatted list of the resources you are using for your persuasive essay. This is a pretty easy post for the day AND it helps you prepare your works cited page for your essay.

Works Cited

Grove, Allen. "5 Reasons to Consider Community College." About.com. About.com, 2011. Web. 24 Oct 2011. <http://collegeapps.about.com/od/choosingacollege/tp/Community-College.htm>.

Grove, Allen. "The Hidden Cost of Community College." About.com. About.com, 2011. Web.

24 Oct 2011. <http://collegeapps.about.com/od/choosingacollege/tp/hidden-cost-community-college.htm>.

"A Breakdown of College Education Costs." Guide To Online Schools. SR Education Group, 2011. Web. 24 Oct 2011. <http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/articles/financial-aid/college-education-costs>.

"Fast Facts." National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences, 2009. Web. 24 Oct 2011. <http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=77>.

"The Pros & Cons of Community Colleges." Scholarships.com. Scholarships.com, 2011. Web. 24 Oct 2011. <http://www.scholarships.com/resources/college-prep/choosing-the-right-school/the-pros-and-cons-of-community-colleges/>.

Style

Style

Read Section II in The Elements of Style, "An Approach to Style (With a List of Reminders)" (pages 66-85). Just as exciting as the last ones, right?

OK, so which of these are helpful tips? Which ones make you say to yourself, "I never thought of that before, but it really just makes sense," like you should have known it all along? Which parts seem counterintuitive to you—the ones that go against what you think about writing? How will they help you in revising your paper (due Monday, btw).

 

Overwriting is a flaw of mine. I think it's because I'm used to writing in APA format so we are taught in our classes to explain our topics in that someone has never been introduced to a particular topic before. So when I write about something else, it becomes overkill.

 

Revising and rewriting is something I hate doing, but must be done. I will never ever handwrite a paper again. I get to typing and don't stop-that's how my papers get done. Therefore, by the end of the paper I don't want to look at it anymore-I just want to be done with it already. I find it best to have someone else that has experience with writing papers (perhaps more education than I) help me.