Another semester over...

Well, the semester is finally over. One step closer to graduating...exciting! For the last week of class, we had presentations to do. Everyone did really well and there was a lot of imagination that went into our projects. They were very entertaining to listen to, which is a plus. I have been involved in this major for 1 1/2 years and done many projects. The only complaint I have about our presentations is that I have seen some of the retailers before in my other classes. I have seen Express and Ralph Lauren like 3 times now. I wish that different retailers would have been chosen so I could learn about a retailer that I didn't know anything about. As far as our actual class goes, I really enjoyed it. Our teacher was very enthusiastic about advertising and that adds a lot to the class. I feel that I know more about advertising than when the semester started, so I guess that means our teacher did a good job in class. We talked a lot and joked around some which made the class fun. All in all, I enjoyed the class very much, but I do have to say that I am glad it is over...it means I am moving forward. And who knows, I may continue to blog on my own time!! Thanks for reading y'all and have a Happy Christmas!!

No bad PR

I have always heard that there is no such thing as bad publicity. This is true because anything a celebrity does, good or bad, is going to get noticed for what he or she does. It all depends on how the PR person spins the story. But then again, there are some celebrities, like Tom Hanks for example, that you don't see on the cover of every celebrity gossip magazine. I have been thinking why this is. He is just as famous as Paris or Brittney, but rumors are never spread about him. I don't think he needs that type of PR because he is famous for his talent and skills as an actor. His work has made him a celebrity, not to mention that he has a stable family life. People don't want to read about people who are happy. We want to know who is in trouble and how far they are going to fall. It sounds terrible, but it's true, we always love to see people fall from their high horse. But I think that Paris and Brittney end up in the gossip circle because they need to have people read about their so called "perfect life" (when in fact it is not!) just so they know that they still exist. They are not really famous for being talented, people love them because of how glamorous or screwed up their lives seem. It is the only way they can survive in the PR world. Besides, the "socialites" do so many things they end up apologizing for they have to have some kind of PR, good or bad, and it's usually bad...but it works!

Times, BBC, Local News?

We were asked to compare The NY Times, BBC, and our local news to better understand the mediums of news. Thankfully The NY Times and BBC are good sources of news, never droning on about who was shot, what was robbed, and what's burning down shown repeatedly on the local news. I can appreciate the NY Times, as it often has articles conducive to what is actually happening in the world and quirky fashion interests, but BBC bores me having to listen to their accents and their constant drone of politics. But hey at least they are talking about important issues! When will American TV change, it seems to just keep getting worse. They are even showing Brit/K-Fed drama on CNN, not to mention the ridiculous coverage of Paris Hilton going to jail! It really makes you wonder what our world is coming too.
Aside from all the horrible media coverage in America it really makes one sit and think about how other countries view our society. No wonder most of Europe has the idea that Americans are materialistic pigs! One glimpse of our news coverage and they would be bored to tears, not to mention scared for their life. I recently watched a commercial about the difference between American and Canadian news reports and found it quite interesting to know that although we have similar murders, fires, and so forth, that Canadians deliver their news in a more positive light. By doing this it has been proven that their crime rate is lowered! Why can't we jump on the ball and start mimicking our northern friends? Although I love picking up the NY Times and praise their dedicated coverage, not enough Americans are reached this way and the broadcasting networks need to get positively active!

The Times or CNN?

Every morning I usually get my news from CNN. I like them because you can watch for about 10 minutes and get all the information that you need to know for the day. On slow days, they sometimes cover "weird" stories which I find interesting. They also have a service called "iReport" which is where regular people can send in pictures that they have caught based on news stories from the day. One thing I don't like about CNN is that they cover the same information all day long, so there is no point in watching throughout the day to get different news stories. I like the NY Times website. There are many categories that you can look at like, movies, opinions, world news, and they even have videos you can watch. I would love to get the NY Times newspaper because I hear good things about that paper all the time. They are also famous for their crossword puzzles, which are really hard, but it's always fun to try! I also love the fact that the Times recently lifted their subscription off their website. Now everyone can read it without having to pay. Gotta love free stuff! All in all, I like my CNN and probably couldn't live without it.

Cheerios, bringing families together!

I loved watching the Cheerios adoption commercial in class on Tuesday. I felt that it was a very effective ad. It pulls at the heart strings and speaks to the consumer in a warmer way. Most ads are, "Here is what my product is and does, buy it!" I get so tired of those ads, I want to see something different. Cheerios has always been great at thinking outside the box. Who would have thought that adoption and Cheerios could have gone together. I remember another Cheerios commercial that talked about how families live in all parts of the world but are still connected. Everyone knows what Cheerios are and what they look like, so they don't have to make those standard ads. The commercial seemed to say that Cheerios can make everything better and bring people together. Many people think that the only meal that families can get together at is dinner. This is not true though, breakfast is a perfect time as well. Cheerios knows that and they promote that in their ads. I also liked the fact that you could visit a website and share your personal stories of how Cheerios has touched your life. I can't think of a better way to connect with your consumer than to hear how your product effects their daily life. Keep it up, Cheerios!!

Commercial Innovation!

The new commercial for Macy's department stores, featuring Tim Gunn, Martha Stuart, and her daughter Alexis, opens America up to a new way of looking at fashion. It brings into the mainframe of looking at the creation of fashion. Tim Gunn holds up bed linens and accessories and offers innovative techniques of how to make the items into fashion statements. Then Martha suggests looking at cookware as hat inspiration. This commerical offers an inspirational view for fashionistas, meanwhile giving insight to the fashion process. I felt this advertisement from Macy's was ingenious as more consumers are becoming interested in the evolution, proven with the rave views of shows such as Project Runway, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, and How Do I Look?. By debuting this ad Macy's proves that they want to be fashion innovators and a leader in reinventing style. It also launches Macy's into a more positive light, considering their merge with Hechts was skeptical. This ad reinforces their drive to be a more competitive and fashion forward company.

Effectiveness of perfume ads in magazines

Pretty much every celebrity has their own perfume now. From Mariah to Usher, to Paris and Britney. I am overwhelmed by them all. How does one choose a fragrance? The answer is obvious, go to the counter at the department store and try them out. But with so many fragrances out there, the interest has to start at home, in magazines. Most ads are pretty much the same, a celebrity pictured with the bottle and a little side flap so you can smell. Why would they want to keep doing the same thing? Well Gwen Stefani has broken the mold with her new perfume ad for L.A.M.B. I have seen the commercials on TV but I came across the ad in a magazine today. It is very different. The left and right sides of the page flip out and the middle flips up to create like a "mini pin-up" of her. The actual perfume is contained in a little metal pocket so you can try it at home without having to venture out to the store. And a bonus...it actually smells good. You get the real fragrance not something that has been mixed with glue and put on paper. The ad is so different that it outshines all of the other perfume ads in the magazine. If I was asked to choose any fragrance from that magazine it would be Gwen's perfume because the ad is creative and the actual perfume is available. More people should take on this strategy.