Morning Burst

 

Every morning we'll be

Wakin' up to love

Don't you know that we'll be

Wakin up to love!

Well now doesn't that sound like the perfect way to wake up in the morning?  This song is only one of the ways that the company "Clean and Clear" advertises their product as something that is a must-have in the commercial above.  All the commercials for skin care products like this one use the same plan of action to grab their viewers attention.  They start off with a normal, everyday person that isn't anything special, just like the miserable girl at the beginning of this video.  Then, they introduce something so amazing that it can change your entire day around!

FACE WASH!

How revolutionary! It's crazy that this girl can go from miserable, to being a morning person who is singing to the radio with her best friend just because she washed her face with this amazing product!  I always thought washing your face was just so you can stay clean and keep your face from breaking out, but not anymore apparently.....

In all seriousness though, I think these commercials go way over the top and don't even hit the real point of why people should buy face wash.  You will not wake up singing everyday because you use this product, and when you use water to wash the product off, it will not splash perfectly in slow motion on your face without getting everything else around you wet... trust me.  Although I get their desire for the commercial to be upbeat, I think this is a little drastic.

Hunger Games

What else can I talk about this week other than the phenomenon that has taken the whole world by storm all within the last 6 months?  I am of course talking about the award winning trilogy, The Hunger Games.  This first book in the series, written by Suzanne Collins, has won many awards and has been on both the USA Today and New York Times best seller lists (100 weeks straight).  As most of you know the books are being made into movies, and the first one actually premieres today!  

Im sure many people who have heard the hype but not read the books are wondering why these books are so popular.  I actually just finished the trilogy yesterday, and it only took me a little over a week to read all of them because they were that good! The author of these books hit the nail on the head when it came to connecting to many different audiences.  The story itself is about a post-apocalyptic world in which different districts surrounding a capitol compete for food through a deathly anual competition called the Hunger Games.  That alone would attract one certain kind of audience, as I'm sure the subject of a post-apocalyptic world is a rather popular one among certain groups of people.  This also would attract male readers who are interested in these types of stories rather than romance novels.  However, Collins is very smart and attracts females to the books by using a strong female lead, and also writing an underlying love story behind the otherwise dismal story. 

Personally, I loved it.  There is so much of… well everything in this book!  There's an amazing story that you get absorbed into, indulging complicated characters, and a plot that would get anyone's attention.  I know many people who have never picked up a book in their life who read this novel in one day because the suspense is just too great! Suzanne Collins displays her uncanny skill as an author to capture her readers attention by using matter that she knows will surprise and shock her readers and make them feel like they are actually part of this story.  I recommend the book to anyone!

Spring Break Vacations

 

March is the time of the school year a lot of students are looking forward to because of one thing: Spring Break.  While some go home to catch up on sleep and spend time with their families others sign up to go to incredible vacation spots to have the time of their lives.  Whether its clubbing in Panama City or going to a concert on the beach in the Bahamas, many college students are drawn in by these amazing opportunities to "live it up" with their friends on spring break.  There are multiple groups that organize events like this, such as Electric Island in the picture above.  They use things they know will attract people ages 18 to around 24: perfect weather, bathing suits, young people all the same age.  Who wouldn’t look at images of hundreds of bikini clad girls rocking out to music on the beach and not want to go?  They make everything look like people are having the time of their lives in the ideal setting.  Most times even the price is doable if people plan early enough.  The people who organize it create simple packages that include hotel rooms, clubs, concerts, and drinks.  All the student has to do is click the button and hand over the cash.  It’s seems surreal, something that only happens in movies, but these groups have made it real and possible for younger people to attend and have an amazing experience somewhere warm instead of staying up north! I know I myself have considered saving up for this type of trip and many of my friends have gone.  Although tiring by the end of it, and probably hard to get back to reality afterwards, I can’t deny that it looks like an amazing experience you can only do when you’re young!

Animal Abuse

Recognize this picture? Most people have probably seen the commercials on TV for the ASPCA, otherwise known as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They work to save animals that have been abused or left behind by passing humane laws and sharing resources with shelters. And one of the most effective way to get money to fund all of these things is by playing commercials on TV that grab millions of viewers attention.

These commercials are probably the best way they could have helped their organization.  All that plays in them are countless pictures and videos of puppies, cats, horses, and other animals that have obviously been abused.  By showing pictures of sad little dogs, or cats with cuts on them or limbs missing, they are connecting with their audience emotionally.  What person wants to see little cute puppies messed up and sad?

Then, they talk about how if you donate money, something like $18 a month, you can save countless abused animals lives. Who wouldn't want to do that?? And if you are still on the edge about donating they then tell you that if you do that you will receive a FREE tote bag so EVERYONE can know you are supporting the ASPCA. Personally, I think that offering free things just to convince people to donate to a cause such as this isn't right. However, it is pretty smart of them to do that. They just keep reeling you in! Then, they go one step further and say you don't even have to donate that much ($18)! You can simply donate whatever you can afford and they would be thankful. By doing this they are trying to tell their audience two things. One, this cause is SO important, they just want every penny they can get, that it's all equally as appreciated. Two, they are completely getting rid of any requirement or obligation they made you feel when they originally stated $18. Pretty genius if you ask me.

I think that this advertisement is extremely effective and thought out. Playing it on popular TV channels was all they needed to get people to help out with this worthy cause.

THON

I think everyone that is reading this blog knows what Thon is, but just in case there are people reading this that do not I will summarize it for you.

Thon is a two day annual dance marathon put together by students at Penn State with the sole purpose of raising money to help fund research for pediatric cancer.  It is the largest student run philanthropy in the entire world. They represent themselves through the letters FTK, or "for the kids!" Thon has become a Penn State tradition, and something to look forward to every single year.

Thon is unlike any other philanthropy because of the way they present themselves. Instead of an organization that hands out flyers asking for donations and putting cans places by themselves Penn state students are much more involved in the cause. They go on "canning weekends" where instead of just putting a can somewhere they walk around representing our school and talking to people about the cause. I think this makes the cause much more personal to people because after they get to actually hear actual students talk about Thon they want to donate to it. Also, instead of it just being a cause they donate money to the students go one step further and make it a dance marathon that lasts an entire weekend. All of this effort truly shows how much the students care about the children being affected by pediatric cancer.
Everything students do for Thon can be analyzed in rhetoric because the whole reason they are so selfless is in order to persuade others to donate money and support the cause. They try to appeal to many different audiences such as other students and adults all over the communities they travel to. And it obviously works well because like I stated earlier, it is the most successful student run philanthropy in the world!

Nike Ads

Since we have been talking about analyzing ads recently in class I thought that I could try and practice doing it in my rhetoric blog for this week. I chose to analyze not just this Nike ad, but Nike ads for women in general.

Most ads for women from Nike are advertizing their workout clothes.  The very first thing I notice is that everyone in the ads that are wearing their clothes are already extremely fit. I'm not sure about other people's opinions, but mine is that most people that are going to the gym are attempting to lose weight, and they most definitely do not look like these girls. However, I do know there are the people who are already in shape and would like to stay that way. But, what these ads are saying to me is that if i buy these clothes I will look like this, or even saying that if I want to buy these clothes I should ALREADY look like this.  I'm not sure if that is the best way to advertise this workout gear.

Another thing to look at is the general mood of the picture. the girls all look serious and confident, therefore advertizing that you too will be confident in your body if you workout in these clothes.  What girl wouldn't want to look as cut and intimidating as these women? In addition, the room they are standing in is rather dirty and rugged looking for women to be in. But it gets the point across that these women, dressed in Nike gear, are determined and not afraid to work as hard as possible to get the bodies they want. The neutral tones of their clothes also add to the mood of the ad.

Overall, this ad falsely advertizes the clothing, but I do believe that the mood it sets with the colors, background, and expressions on the women's faces is effective. It motivates women to get those clothes and workout in order to look as good as these models do.

State Patty's

State Patty's Day

The day that every Penn State student looks forward to every year.

And as a Penn State student, I know first hand how upset the majority of the student body is about the current situation revolving around State Patty's Day and how many guests everyone is allowed to house in their rooms.  Although it is extremely understandable that the school would be upset with the results of State Patty's celebrations in the past, I think that there are definitely better ways to deal with the issue at hand. This holiday has become known as one of friends coming together to enjoy a good time.  Some students even have their parents come to celebrate with the rest of the school and see how Happy Valley comes together on a day like this.  However, this can no longer happen due to the administrations decision as of today that each person can only have one person per dorm room.  First of all, this was an extremely late decision. Some people have already paid for their means of transportation, expecting that they also have a place to stay, only to find out today that they must either find other accommodations or sell their bus tickets.  Second, many students like to have their siblings come up, or even their parents. They are no longer able to do this without choosing between people because they have no where to have them sleep.
This holiday has become a tradition for Penn State and I believe there are better ways to deal with the negative effects.   One of the biggest things is trash around the campus and downtown due to the influx of people here that weekend.  What if the Sunday after the celebration a huge philanthropic opportunity was given and clubs and groups could help clean up different areas to make everything back to the way it was? Maybe instead of immediately instilling these punishments on us we could have first gotten a warning about it. I believe that maybe if these issues were presented to the student body we could possibly work with the school to organize State Patty's Day instead of completely ruining the celebration.