Paper #2 Rough Draft

What makes an athlete’s performance good? Many peanut product producing companies shout out that it is food, and peanuts in particular. The scream it through the brightly colored images and well developed textual messages contained in their ads. Pictures of dripping marathoners and focused gymnasts flash bursts of hope into the average high school athlete’s mind. It is well known that protein is a muscle building substance, and that peanuts are chock full of it. Does that mean that every peanut tainted concoction is the “healthy choice” advertised on the packaging? The wallets of many fool hearty gym—goers are gradually shedding weight do to the convincing text and images found on so called muscle miracle peanut product advertisements. It is through the design of peanut ads that so many people have come to assume that peanuts in any form equal fitness and therefore confidence.

                An outstanding example of this is in Targets ad for the Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar. In the ad, there are many glaring components that lead shoppers to believe that this extra special granola bar could lead them to athletic success. This first is the image of the rock climber. His bright red shirt brings feelings of confidence, and power. All athletes want to feel as if success is in the bag and that crushing their opponents is guaranteed. The flexing in his tricep, his hunched and exertive posture, and the fact that he only has one foot on the overbearing wall also makes the viewer assume that he has just regained his footing, leading to his glorious comeback. This relates with the feeling of self-doubt that all sportsmen experience at one point in their athletic goals. It leads them to think on their current state of defeat as treatable by a Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar. Similarly, the sunlit mountains below the rock climber could either represent a sunrise or a sunset. Both of these express hope, just like the stance of the rock climber. If the viewer was to interpret it as a sunrise, or a new day, it could be a representation of the second chance this liberating morsel could give them. If they saw it as a sunset, they could create the message that though they may seem incapable now, investing in the Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar will ensure success at the end of the tunnel. The blue sky can also be associated with hope. Lastly, the fact that the mountains are below the climber makes it seem as though the climber has come a great distance. This seems to ensure not only improvement, but extreme leaps of incredible success, putting even more of an edge on the customer’s desire.

                Below the visual ad Target explains even further the benefits of the product. “CLIF® Bar is a great-tasting energy bar made with a nutritious blend of organic rolled oats and wholesome ingredients for sustained energy. Thoughtfully crafted with a combination of protein, fiber, carbohydrates and 23 vitamins and minerals, CLIF Bar provides energy for the athlete and adventurer in all of us.” In these words, the ad uses word like “athletes”, “energy”, “protein”, “adventurer”, “wholesome” and “organic”. All of these words are directly associated with sportsmen and addresses the criteria a product must meet to be satisfactory to one.

Also including the strong facade of a man with a toned build, Yum Yum Peanut Butter draws immediate attention from athletes desiring the same body type. Also similar to the Clif Bar ad, the vibrating ropes of what looks like a boxing arena imply that the athlete has been bounced back into the match. The Lone peanut in middle of the arena added to the heart tattoo including Yum Yum Peanut Butter’s name implant the idea that it was the peanut butter that made it happen. The fearful eyes of the intensely strong and capable man show respect for the peanut butter’s power in the game. The viewer then is likely to assume that if the peanut butter is that effective for an already successful athlete, it could do even more for them. The radiant lights in the back ground ensue the stardom of the renewed sportsman. Again, because of the fear on his face, the customer is able to assume that it was the peanut butter that made him into a star.

                 Though there is limited text on the ad, the few words send a message with as much force as any paragraph could. In the right hand corner, the mustard colored words, “serious about smooth” further explain the majesty contained in one jar of Yum Yum Peanut Butter. The word “smooth” can easily be associated with a confident performance that can be respected and recognized, attributes every athlete strains to achieve.

                The third, though probably most powerful ad, is very simple compared to the others. It is a picture of a girl, legs splattered with mud and one shoe missing, looking courageously into the eyes of the viewer. Her tousled hair and lopsided jersey signify the exertion she has willingly suffered. Most impressionable is the fact that she only has one shoe on. This immediately draws the viewer in, filling them with questions. Is she alright? Why is she so calm? The message written in the color of her opium explains the answers to all of these concerns: “Ran out of my shoe at 1.2 miles. Never ran out of energy.” This advertisement by National Peanut Butter Board sends many messages to the viewer. Through the visual representations of her efforts, which were definitely note-worthy, coupled with her confident statement about the constant energy supply given to her buy peanut butter tells the shopper of the reliability of the product. Her confident stance in her posture and her message insure it as truth and gives authority to make such an argument. Also contributing to the authenticity of peanut butters abilities is the statistic given on the right, which states, “Peanuts have more energy-boosting protein than any other nut.”

                It is amazing how the use of a few pictures and the emphasis on certain words can lead to unquestioned belief, and even well-established theories. Catching a measly glance of the design of a product can create a lifestyle if the viewer is not careful to view the actual identity of the merchandise. Confusion about a products real abilities can result in waste.

Rough Draft Paper #2 Pg 167-168

Thesis: The belief that peanuts promote good athletic performances is easily drawn from the ads of peanut products.

Evidence: Each of the ads contains an image of some kind of athletic being carried out with text or graphical components explaining their success. The National Peanut Board ad’s text, for example, states that the displayed runner “never ran out of energy” in peanut butter colored ink. This leads the viewer to believe that this was because of the peanuts that the athlete ate prior to her race. Second, the Yum Yum Peanut Butter ad shows an extremely bulky man getting bounced back into what looks like a boxing arena. The fact that he is being bounced back in shows that it is because of the peanut butter he is still in the game. Similarly, the light, that could be regarded to as stars leads the viewer to believe that it was the peanut butter that made him a “star”. The third ad, one for the Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar, has the word "energy" on it three times. Additionally, it has a picture of a man rock climbing in the great outdoors. The mountains in the background lead the audience to believe that he has climbed a great distance. The rock climber's posture makes it seem like he has just regained his footing on the sloped wall of rock.

Opening: Is it true that peanuts are good for athletes? If they are, how do the companies that make peanut products convince us of the necessity of this hearty legume, and its special importance when used in their products? Being an athlete myself, I have often wondered if peanuts could be that "super-food" to get me onto varsity. Often times, my gymnastics coach with tell us to eat a peanut butter sandwich before we compete. It is a well known fact that peanuts are high in protein and that protein builds muscle. Does this mean that every peanut product will help the buyer bench twenty more pounds, or that anything with peanuts is good for you? This belief is founded by the ads of peanut merchandise, which skillfully use graphics and text as their advocate.  

Conclusion: It is amazing how the use of a few pictures and the emphasis on certain words can lead to unquestioned belief, and even well established theories. Catching a measly glance of the design of a product can create a lifestyle if the viewer is not careful to view the actual identity of the merchandise. Confusion about a products real abilities can result in waste. 

                                          

 

 

 

 

Sources: National Peanut Butter board, clifbar.com, 

 Sources: National Peanut Butter board, clifbar.com

In-Class Lab Presentation Ad-Paraphrase, Quote, and Summary

Paraphrase:

The Veggieburger McDonalds ad specifically targets meat loving audiences, based on the German language it is written in. Additionally the words “Jetzt neu: Der Veggieburger” conveyed two messages. First the words “Jetzt neu” mean “Now the New” implies renewed opportunity for a healthy lifestyle. Second, “Der Veggieburger.” tell the audience that McDonald's Veggieburger is the only Veggieburger worth buying.

Summary:

The Veggieburger McDonalds ad focuses on promoting a new and healthier lifestyle for Germans.

Quote:

“Jetzt neu: Der Veggieburger.”

Writers Blog Summary/Paraphrase/Quote

 In Doug Lantry’s analysis titled Stay Sweet As You Are, he inspects the audience of the 1922 Retinols soap, 1934 lux soap, and the 1954 Listerine mouthwash ads and their tactics in getting that audience to buy into their product. He suggests that all three of the ads center their attention on women and the implied feeling of fulfilment that can only come from attracting male intrigue. Representatively he asserts, “The intended consumers in the Resinol, Lux, and Listerine ads are women, and the message of all three ads is that the product . . . is required for-romantic or matrimonial success . . . the ultimate goal of every American woman” (3). 

                In conclusion to his analysis Lantry states his belief that women cannot be content without being actively involved, if not the reason for joy in men’s lives. The ads underlying statement stayed the same through each of the ads though they may have given more credit to women’s independent roles in society as the years progressed. The ads tell women to submit themselves to this fate, their ultimate plot in life. The ads text implies that the women are able to have men in their lives because they use their products (Lantry 3).

Textual Analysis Paper In Class Lab

1.  PETA, Mercy for animals, and Freedom For Animals
2.      The pig ad is intended for shoppers who purchase their pork from Walmart to convince people to buy their meat elsewhere. The hair product ad is targeted towards women to influence them to purchase cruelty-free products. The PETA ad targets upper class fur- wearers to emphasize the abuse animals went through so that people could wear the fur. All three of these ads make the buyers feel guilty about what they’re buying and enlightens them to abuse that animals go through.
3.       There are derogatory slogans written on all three of the ads to hook people’s attention, and also provides facts about animal cruelty.
4.        The purpose of this text is to bring attention to animal cruelty and relate it to everyday things that people buy, that they aren’t aware are related to animal cruelty. The images are snippets of the cruelty that animals go through. The creators are anti-animal cruelty, and are trying to influence people to stop buying products that support animal cruelty.
5.     .    They seem to be working towards their purpose by also targeting women in all three ads. The hair ad appeals to women because that’s who would be buying the product, the Walmart ad would most likely target women as well because women typically do grocery shopping for the household, and the fur ad appeals to women because women are more likely to wear fur than men. The creators want to stop animal cruelty.
6.       The Walmart ad represents evidence that we used to support our answers through the picture of the pig behind bars; signifying the unfair lifestyle the pig goes through in its short life. The hair product ad at first comes across as a typical beauty ad, except for the skin abscess on the side of her face and the slogan written underneath the picture. The fur ad provides evidence linking compassion towards the animal to how wrong wearing fur is because most people wouldn’t harm their own animals for fur, so why should other animals suffer?

    7. Collectively, the ads promote vegan-ism/vegetarianism while aiding the fight against animal cruelty by exposing facts to the public.

Summary Rubin

In Melissa Rubin’s paper Advertisements R Us, published in 2013, she analyzes a Coca-Cola ad. I found two main points that had a significant role in the paper. In the first, she stated that specifics about a society can be realized when we look at the characteristics of a business’s ad, characteristics they have chosen specifically to effect a specific audience. One important reason why she would use this theme in her analysis is well known by any company. The reason why companies create ads is so that they can sell their products. Therefore, every company has to think about their audience and the trends of society before they will be able to produce an effective ad.

                The second main idea presented in her paper is that the ads of a society can add to and even create its characteristics. It is true that trends are set by what is sold. The details of the ad will determine and correspond to what is relevant to the time. Ads bend to recent historical events, social regularities and, after doing do will add a small idea into the mix. A fun, creative, and exciting touch is what gets things to sell. Ads will do their best to make their product look beneficial and therefore shape society as people buy it.

Rubin: Thinking about the Text

1. In Melissa Rubin's analysis from the Coca-Cola Bottler magazine published in 1950 suggests the insight that the ad described and even created the identity of the American population at that time. The ad shows a completely white group of happy people, predominately male, who are standing in front of a sky scraper sized Coca-Cola vending machine. The ad accentuates the presence of service men by putting them in the center, then business men the next closest to them, and only displays a couple women. These specifics are extremely relevant to the era, supporting Rubin's analysis. She stated, "Another important factor to consider: everyone in the ad is white. During the 1950s, there was still some racial prejudice and segregation in the United States." This shows how the ad reflected the culture of the American 1950s. Secondly, the focus on the service men significantly explains the time period. As World War II had just ended, American device men were greatly appreciated and celebrated with winning the war. This is demonstrated by the large amount of attention they receive in the ad. Rubin gives many more supporting details, convincing me, as the reader, of the correctness of her analysis.

2. The author includes historical context by noting historical references in the ad. An example of this is how there were no African Americans in the ad. This is referring to the segregation that was still going on at that time. This information makes her analysis more believable as it is likely to resonate with the reader's personal life. Examples of this could be if you had a relative in World War II, if you grew up during the 1950s, or if you grew up then as an African American and experienced the unfairness dealt to that race.

3. In analyzing an ad, there are many possible questions that could be answered. These questions stem from the ad's design, wording, and tone. Examples of such questions include: What conclusion can we make about the intended audience of an ad based on its design? Looking at the ads wording, what message about the company is the advertisement trying to convey? What tone directed towards a certain lifestyle when focusing on the pitch and emphasized phrases of an oral ad?

4. Similar to the way the advertisement for Coca-Cola that Melissa Rubin's talks about shows the values of the 1950s, the hTc BoomSound phone ad from 2013 displays what society values now. As you can see, the ad displays a video, being played on a phone, of a crowded concert, full of people that are dancing to and cheering for music. This shows that modern culture is full of music and technology just like the overwhelming majority of males in the Coke ad demonstrated the sexism of the 1950s. Just like the service men were the main attraction in Rubin's ad, the video takes up the spotlight in the phone ad. It is the most animated part in the whole advertisement, and pops out against the neutral, gray background. This grabs the viewer’s attention and gives them the impression that if they get the advertised phone with dual frontal stereo speakers, they will be able to have the same exciting, musical experience the people in the video are having. Likewise, the joy on the drawings faces in the Coca-Cola ad tells the audience that they will be just as happy if they drink it too.