https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei question what you see and hear en-us 2020-09-11 20:28:04 UTC 2026-01-16 20:38:28 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-uploads.storage.googleapis.com/722633081/c01da94d99e6f8328031a0133ea8fc14/IMG_7771.JPG andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/740377162 This is a fairly recent ad  from the company Swisse Me. Swisse Me is a healthy, ready-to-drink smoothies company. I found this ad when I was watching a lot of food videos on Youtube. It reminded me of how Harris explained how advertisers have to make the loss of the taste and smell senses with hyper details of visuals. It becomes "food porn". This plays to the current demographic; people are more conscious about their food and want a more fresh appeal. People want to "see" want goes into their food. What better way that showing close ups of fresh fruits that will be in a smoothie? However, Swisse Me plays on the fact that some fruits have genital symbolism/innuendo, like the sliced strawberry or the peeled banana. It is sexualizes the food. The product, itself, becomes a metaphor of the climax or ejaculation. It gives the consumer a sense of satisfaction. This ad captured my attention because of the beautiful attention in videography. It is a pretty simple video, plain black background with focus of hand and food. When researching more about the ad, it was said to have been aired after nine pm because of how foreword it is. I find it interesting, that as a society, sexuality really does sell.]]> 2020-09-11 20:46:45 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/740377162 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/740490477 It was my roommate who showed me a post of Travis Scott, a very popular rapper and one that I admire, and McDonald's collaboration. I was excited and was willing to go buy one. I did not because I thought it was a specialized burger that Travis crafted but it was a meal that Travis got often. They named it after him. It was definitely a branding strategy. Travis Scott has an enormous fan base that would go out and buy it. McDonald's is already a household name that anyone can recognize. Klein explained how brands are merging the line between art and commerce. Here, they use Travis (a rapper) as well as use a animation that is recognizable to Travis's fan base. It is terrifying how genius this marketing is. A lot of McDonald's locations are in low-income communities. Majority of those communities are made of black and brown people. It is where hip-hop is heavily ingrained in the culture and where most of these people would know of Travis. It would bring in a lot more revenue. ]]> 2020-09-11 22:16:17 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/740490477 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/777368878 Trader Joe's surprising rise to fame and becoming a household name is interesting. They have no form of advertising (ie. TV, radio, or print) besides social media and word of mouth. Through their rise popularity, Trader Joe's has created "alternative" egos where "ethnic" food is distribute under the name of Trader José, for Latin food or Trader Ming's for Asian food. Why is that a problem? It is inherently racist because it promotes a stereotype of a certain group of people. It is colonist in the sense that they are selling "ethnic food" and yet, they reap the benefits. So when Trader Joe's was called out for using those racist, stereotypical names, they released a statement that they were going to do away with the names. However, they have backtracked on that statement and still use them today. While they might not have a character (like Tony the tiger), their name has become a character. Adding Trader to racial insensitive names and not wanting to change then name, in this age, is a from of privilege. I believe that Trader Joe's is such a powerful name that it can easily replace the others. ]]> 2020-09-24 19:35:16 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/777368878 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/777944842 Jif is a prime example of brand evolution. Rosner and Klimchuk said that "Brands are concieved, and then they are born, gorw, and continue to evolve" (44).In Jif's favor, the evolution of their product became the staple household name of all peanut butter. The first product design was a glass jar. On the container,Jif had a mascot "Jifaroo", a kangaroo. However, in later models and during the 90s/00s, Jif removed their mascot and replaced it with their memorable was there solgan, "Choosy moms choose Jif". Jif changed their glass jars with plastic containers, to perserve and transport easily. They changed their font to Times New Roman, presenting them as reliable yet fun. Fun fact, if you turn the jar upside down, the Jif label still reads as Jif. Now, as a joke, they collabed with Giphy over the pronouncation of Jif/Gif (with hard g). This shows how the brand Jif is aware of their market and in tune with pop culture, keeping their brand and name relevent in society. ]]> 2020-09-25 00:46:43 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/777944842 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/878273168 Betty Friedan states, "But by a morality that goes beyond the dollar, the manipulators are guilty of using their insights to sell women things which, no matter how ingenious, will never satisfy those increasingly desperate needs." (42) Instead of the "homemaker" archtype - the working and stay-at-home woman- that was pushed onto women, companies are selling the idea that we have reached equity and equality, which is something that a majority of women have always wanted and still push for.
There are many times where I walk into a store, like Forever 21, and see a young girl buying a shirt with the word "Feminist" on it. It may seem harmless, right? Young girls are being taught to see the value in being a woman and that is great!. However, that defintion becomes meaningless if those companies are not upholding it themselves. In this example, Forever 21 (picture to the right) is selling a shirt with the word "woman" in different languages. Talk about transnational feminism, am I right? Yet, Forever 21 took that design from a brand WORD's, female-owned, whose shirt (to the left) was donating its proceeds to Planned Parenthood and bringing awareness to women's healthcare around the world. Companies like Forever 21 are promoting women empowerment yet many women  in the sweatshops they contract are paid under minimum wage. Women, who pay for that Forever 21 shirt, think they are contributing to the cause. It is a way for consumer to feel satsified and special, especially if the target is female. This facade of feminism is the new "sexual sell". While items are not being explicitly marketed for women to stay at home, I believe that companies are selling the image of "equality" when women are still second-class citizens. For example, birth control has solely been a woman's responsibility. Many of the products are catered to women. Birth control was and is the epitome of women's sexual agency. However, there have been succesful products, like the birth control pill, designed for men. The only reason that it has not been put out in the market is because of the symptoms like weight gain, headaches, mood swings - side effects that women go through when taking birth control. That goes unnoticed because it is marketed as a woman's agency, something that modern women want control for themselves. Currently, our society is in a political crucible, a very heated trial when it comes to the feminist movement. ]]> 2020-10-31 03:32:30 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/878273168 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/878384950 It was diffcult trying to find a good quailty video of this ad, despite seeing it so many times on Hulu. Instead of skipping the ad like I usually do, I watched whenever it popped up again. This was apid ad from Joe Biden and his campaign but it was different than the sterotypical campaign ads usual seen. It did not show any of the newspaper/headline montages nor did it contain the dramatic narration. What made it very unique was the ability to emphasis the voting aspect for this 2020 election. It starts with a blank circle, moving like cartoon mouth with Donald Trump's voice coming out of it. Then, a pen comes into the shoot, fillinf the bubble. As its filling the circle, Donald Trump's voice becomes muffled until he is rendered completely silent. Then the shot pans out, showing the viewer that is was a voting ballot and the name next to the filled in bubble is Joe Biden. I think this is a very strong symbolism because a the viewer is looking at the ad, it is as if the viewer is filling out the ballot; the power is up the people. The point is to go and vote. Voting is power. Once has the power to elect Trump out of office. Once has the power to vote for democracy and the betterment of the American people, which by the end of the ad, the choice is Joe Biden. I thought it was a clever minimalistic manner that showed a form of credibility within 30 seconds.]]> 2020-10-31 07:26:35 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/878384950 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/918749645 Sarcasm is the new technique used to sell. This commerical for the Aviation Gin does an incredible job of describing the process of making its gin by stretching the truth hilariously. While it is not making fun of itself directly, one can interpret the exageration shows the extreme care that the company has put to create a high quailty product. At least, that is what Aviation Gin wants you to think. You start with Ryan Renolds, an actor and the co-owner of Aviation Gin, answering the question "What make it so delicious?". Then the video proceed to tell the mediations, serenades, preist blessings and more than goes into the making of Aviation Gin. It reminds me of the Volkswagens "Think Small" ad, in the way that they are intensely describing the uses/production that they do not posess (ie. the Bug model is smaller in comparison to its competitors). It was very ridiculous that is shadow the fact that this is was about gin. In fact, it is not supposed to taken seriously, enforced with the use of Ryan Reynolds, who famously plays Deadpool, which is a known sarcastic character and as a person, is known to be a jokester. This ad helps portray Aviation Gin as professional yet really fun. ]]> 2020-11-12 22:50:34 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/918749645 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/919541426 It was Rihanna's Fenty Beauty that broke and changed the make up industry for the better. For a long time, women of color were left out of the conversation and definition of beauty. The beauty industry has neglected to recognize women of color are valuable consumers. In fact, most of the beauty industry is catered to a white, skinny, able body. Rihanna might not be the first person to break that image but it has been the most present and illustrated. Savage x Fenty, is a lingerie brand that broke the model on society's ideal body type. Their marketing and campaigns reflects many marginalized voices. There were so many beautiful body types, ranging from big sizes to small sizes of all skin tones. What makes Fenty's marketing memorable is that Rihanna and her creative team illustrates these normal, everyday body types is an ethereal beings. The embodiment and defintion of "sexiness" is inclusive to all. Sexuality can be only defined by you, however you identify yourself. Consumers can see themselves in a positive light, especially when it comes sexuality. The association that fashion and art is exclusivly though to originate from white ideals is broken by the way Rihanna designs her SavagexFenty shows in an avante grande form, establishing that your individual self is valid and seen. It is something that society has denied to people of color, big women and men, and disabled women. They are all beautiful. Rihanna's Fenty brand is competing against big household names like Victoria's Secret and Covergirl. Many lingerie fashion shows only feature  few models of color, all skinny and able bodies. Today, Victoria Secret is not making as many sales as it once did. Part of it attributes to consumer's recognizing that their money has power. What better way to support and upflit BIPOC businesses? Her brand and many other business are reflecting the evergrowing fact that people who have been marginalized and shunned by society can be sucessful and deserve better.     ]]> 2020-11-13 08:53:47 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/919541426 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/919555222 Boots, a British health and beauty retailer, has partnered with the The Hygiene Bank in the United Kingdom. In this ad, Boots pledged to donate 1 million pounds worth of hygiene products for Christmas. This ad has a childlike, bright and colorful illustration to it. I am not sure if they are trying to paint an appreciative tone to the hygiene products that we take for granted, juxaposing with the serious tone that the fact brings at the end of the commerical. I think the ad could have been done differently to convey the issue in a more direct light.
In my opinion, this is a cause that, at least in America, I have never really seen or heard of. It would seem that it should be a bigger issue. In the United States, about 38 million people live below the poverty line. Therefore, their access to toiletries are very limiting. America puts a lot of emphasis on food banks and donation, which is equally as important. However, the other important part to maintain healthy is hygiene yet there is no emphasis as much. Food banks and drives have so much publicity beause so many companies sponser or associate with it (like supermarkets or resturants) so it creates that band wagon effect and misdirection, leaving other organization like the Hygiene Bank under the radar, economically and socially.]]> 2020-11-13 09:05:53 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/919555222 andreadelgado3 https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/919559646 While social media has helped companies/brands reach farther to a demographic, I think it is important to highlight the dangers of using social media and sponsorships blindly. Many socia media influencers were promoting various brands of teas, allegedly having the ability to make one lose weight. It turns out that a lot of those teas were laxative teas. If taken intensely and without proper hydration, it can cause major health complications like liver and kidney issues as well as death. The problem is that social media influencers would not disclose any side effects or nurtional values on their posts. Therefore, many people take their word because there is a sense of trust with someone you admire. People would take these teas without regard of the physical and mental consequences. Young women, because of the high pressure to be a certain body type, will be persuaded to buy and use it. It can be really harmful, especially for people who have eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. Thus, further upholds a certain body type image. A lot of these famous influencers were posting these without realizing the long-term consequences.]]> 2020-11-13 09:09:23 UTC https://padlet.com/andreadelgado3/p1y63stewfpeg8ei/wish/919559646