BLOG 11

This advertisement for Tipalet cigarettes targets males who are white and financially secure if not wealthy, who care about appearances and about broadcasting themselves as classy and sophisticated. It also targets men who are either bachelors or who want to attract women, most likely between the ages of 20 and 50. These men value money, beautiful women, and the finer things in life. The ad doesn't appeal to much deeper values than that. I found this ad on the Internet, but it appears to be from the 1960's. It was most likely positioned in men's' magazines and newspapers in order to attract the attention of its target audience.

The ad is effective because it uses precisely what the target demographic values in order to get the audience's attention. The men who would choose Tipalet cigarettes over other brands value, as stated above, beautiful women and the finer things in life...the good life. The ad uses a closeup of a beautiful woman as its focal point to draw people in, and then appeals to men with statements like, "Blow in her face and she'll follow you anywhere." The woman in the ad is seen leaning in to a man who is blowing smoke in her face, and she appears to be ready to go wherever the man goes. The ad is also fairly colorful and bright, which also acts as an attention-grabber. I think the advertisement is very effective in drawing in its target audience.

BLOG 10

On April 13, 2006, Bausch & Lomb began to pull a product of theirs -- a contact lens solution called ReNu with MoistureLoc -- from the shelves of retailers after the CDC reported an upsurge in Fusarium keratitis, a fungal eye infection that can cause blindness. While the CDC couldn't conclusively link the infections to ReNu with MoistureLoc, there was a clear correlation between consumers who used the product and the contraction of the fungus.
This created a PR nightmare for the company. It is possibly the worst thing for a product to be the cause of harm to consumers. However, today the company continues to be a successful provider of goods with a healthy reputation among consumers. How is this possible? It is possible because the company was successful in using PR strategies to manage the crisis.
The main strategies that Bausch & Lomb used in this case were expediency, honesty, and alignment with core societal values.
The company acted quickly. As soon as they learned of the crisis, they halted shipments, pulled products from the shelves, and alerted the public to the issue at hand. They were honest in their approach. They made no attempts to keep the issue quiet. They did the opposite by publishing newspaper ads to the consumers from the top company executive, advising the public of the problem and openly apologizing for the unfortunate problem. They aligned themselves with the common values of society, which included a general concern for human well being and a basic desire to right the wrongs based on principle, not profit. Bausch & Lomb offered refunds for anyone who had already purchased their product, and assured the public that the company would do everything in its power to remedy the situation.
And then they followed through. Bausch & Lomb made promises that they kept, and people responded to that by maintaining brand loyalty after the matter was resolved. As a result, Bausch & Lomb went on to be successful and their brand is a household name today. In my opinion, their PR strategies accomplished what they set out to do.

BLOG 9

In my opinion, while social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook have their place in peoples' lives, they are not appropriate for use as news sources. The article about the election and related issues in Iran was a good example of the importance of such social networking sites. Twitter and other sites like it allowed the Iranian people to remain connected to the rest of the world, even through attempted government censorship and isolation. The sites became the sole way for outsiders to have an idea of what was going on in Iran, and for the Iranian people to convey the issues as seen through their own scope. Social media are a good source of information, but not necessarily a good news source. In other words, I think that social media are to be taken advantage of in that they do provide readers with information that they would not otherwise have access to. However, it should be taken into account that the information attained by using these sites is 100% unfiltered, unchecked, and biased based on the perspective of the writer. The information consumed via social media outlets should be done so responsibly and with discernment, and a shared understanding that the context is casual and opinion-based.
That being said, journalists should also participate in social media responsibly, and with the knowledge of the full weight carried by their position. It is common knowledge that journalists have access to news information first, and that they are professionally trained and highly educated. If journalists can manage to remain professional and insightful while using social media, then I think these sites can be seen as a good thing for them. However, if they cannot, then it will work to their detriment and the detriment of the readers as well. If professionalism and ethics are lost on these social media by news reporters then the news and social media will be discredited. The irony of the article about Obama's off-the-record commentary is not lost on me. There is a clear parallel between the President's inability to maintain anonymity in any situation and the journalist's inability to comment without "reporting."

BLOG 8

FCC stands for Federal Communications Commission.
The three pieces of information that a person must give the FCC when complaining about indecency on a radio or tv broadcast are: first, information regarding what was actually said or depicted that was indecent; second, the date and time of the broadcast; third, the call sign, channel, or frequency of the station involved.
On February 25, 2003, ABC aired an episode of "NYPD Blue," that contained images of a woman's naked buttocks and a portion of the side of one of her breasts as she was preparing to get into the shower, and she was walked in on by a boy about 7 or 8 years old. Several complaints were filed to the FCC for indecency. Three factors were taken into account by the FCC in regards to deciding if the station should be fined: one, was the material explicit; two, was it dwelled-upon; and three, was it shocking/titillating? It was decided that all three aspects were indeed true, and ABC and any other broadcasting companies that aired the episode before 10:00 pm were fined $27,500.
I think that for broadcast company executives, the decision to air indecent material and risk being fined is really a choice between profit and reputation. In some cases, the profits made by broadcasting companies are greater than any risk to their reputation; in some cases, not. In most cases, I think, it is about dollars and cents. So the fines issued by the FCC may or may not become a factor in this decision making process.

BLOG7: "About the Media In the Media"

The Texas Board of Education recently approved a new social studies curriculum that will force changes to history lessons, social studies lessons, and economics lessons in all classes from elementry to high school. The changes to these classes means that textbooks will emphasize positive conservative contributions to the history of America. Republicans on the Board have long argued that there is no difinitive text within the U.S. Constitution that proclaims a separation of church and state; these board members argue that Darwinism is not scientifically conclusive and that the Founding Fathers were guided by Christian principles. Many Republicans on the Texas Board of Education believe that history textbooks are skewed too far to the left, and that ammending the curriculum, as they are proposing, will bring balance to the education being offered to students. Those on the other side of this argument worry that Republicans are trying to rewrite history to support their own agendas.


In my opinion, this case is an example of conflict of interest. A conflict of interest occurrs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possible corrupt the motivation for an act in the other. In analyzing this case, one could argue that the board members are involved in a conflict of interests because each individual board member identifies as either Democrat or Republican, and each individual has an impact on educational curriculum. However, the fact that Republican board members have passed 100 amendments to the 120 page standard affecting social studies, history, and economics textbooks, speaks to the notion that these people are pushing hard their political agendas. One might conclude that Republicans are attempting to indocterinate students with conservative ideals in efforts to win votes for their party in the future. They could truly reach an astounding number of impressionable young minds through textbooks in public schools.

BLOG 6

The movie I chose was Pulp Fiction.
This is my all time favorite movie. In one of the best scenes, one character is about to murder another character and spouts off a biblical verse about vengeance and fury, the wrath of God, etc. It is a great scene because the murderer is played by Samuel L. Jackson, a brilliant actor, and his religious rant is passionate and convincing. In reviewing www.imdb.com I learned that part of the verse quoted by Jackson's character is accurate, but part of it is not. This bit of information was surprising to me because the acting makes the whole scene and all the dialogue seem so genuine and believable.
In reading through the goofs, I found quite a few that had to do with inconsistency. The reason this was interesting was because it shed some light on the level of difficulty associated with films that are done under the format that was used in Pulp Fiction. The movie follows not one, not two or three, but several different story lines at once. Not only are there several different story lines being followed, but there are also scenes in the movie that depict the experiences of the same events happening to different people, but from different points of view. The goofs listed on the website had a lot to do with the same scenes being covered from different angles at different points throughout the film, and inconsistencies in things like costume, lighting and prop placement.
Reviewing this information about my favorite movie helped me to gain a greater appreciation for the way the film was produced and directed, for the great acting in it, and for the innovative ideas that went into the movie's creation.

Blog 5

1) SELF Magazine
2) consumer magazine
3) $3.99 per issue/$16.00 per one-year 12 issue subscription
4) 80 pages out of 145 total/ 55%
5) Eat, Weigh, Move is one woman's story about her journey through a twenty-pound weight loss and deep self-exploration. Kathy Ebel, a free-lance writer and wife, describes to the audience her experience with leaving behind her emotional eating habits to find love for herself.
6) The readers of SELF Magazine are people who care about their health, their looks, and their overall personal well being. The magazine probably targets women ages 20-45, in relationships or of appropriate dating age, are interested in exercise and healthy eating.
7) The main products advertised in this magazine are beauty products, clothes, exercise equipment and health food lines; many of the products advertised are offering a more affordable alternative to designer lines and/or are tied to some charitable organization. Yes, I think the magazine reaches its intended audience through advertising.
8) 15 men/boys; 135 women/girls
9) Men are typically seen in the background of pictures, often times pictured as an assistant or helper to the women. They are never the focus.
10) No, no, and no. Almost all the women pictured, both editorial and in advertisements, are white or light-skinned, ages 20-30, and upper-middle class.
11) I would suggest that their magazine feature pictures and articles of and for a more diverse audience; I would suggest more marketing toward Latina and black women, and possibly toward a wider age range. I would make the models in the magazine more relateable to average women.
12) Not really. I have already considered cancelling my subscription to SELF Magazine solely because of the ridiculous amount of advertisements. It is overwhelming to see name brands and prices in every other line of print. I am unimpressed with the magazine's placement of advertisements and think that it is insulting to the intelligence of their audience to attempt such blatant thought manipulation on the part of those who stand to profit from the magazine sales. I suppose that if there were anything surprising to me about this study, it would be the lack of diversity in the models of the magazine. I never really noticed how little ethnic diversity there was among this group, or how those models who were supposed to represent a minority group were so light-skinned.