Reaction to Chapter 12
I am not surprised that there were PRs like PT Barnum who used gross exaggeration, fradulent stories, and staged events to make his clients famous. His story kidn of reminded me of the old-school "freak-show circus" because some of his clients were the mighet General Tom Thumb, and Jumbo the Elephant. It's not surprising that Barnum would exaggerate and make-up stories to make these people famous.
Ivy Ledbetter Lee's life interested me as well. I like that he counseled his clients that honesty and directness were better PR devices than deception. It pleases me to read that he started one of the first NY PR firms, called Poison Ivy. I liked how theo Pennsylvania Railroad wanted him to help them downplay an accident that made teh Railroad lok bad, but instead, Lee told them to admit their mistake, promise to do better, and tell everybody about it. I thought it was kind of crazy how Lee worked for the Rockefeller family. He improced conditions for worked, and helped the Rockefellers contain the publicity when 53 workers and their family members died during a violent strike at a fuel and oil company. I remember reading about the Rockefellers in History class last year, and I never really thought about who was in charge of helping them to keep a good reputation. It's kind of interesting to think about it now.
I understand that PRs need to put a spin on the facts. However, it is very saddening to know that in 2000 survey of PR professionals indicated that 25 percent lie on the job, 39 percent exaggerate the truth, and 44 percent were uncertain of the ethics of the task they were required to perform.
I did not realize how important PRs have become. Sadly, many journalists do not start following up a story until after a hitn from a PR. That's kind of silly if you ask me.
It's disheartening to read that many times today, PR firms mislead the public when a mistake is made. PR firms, a lot of times, are hired to alter the image of a company rather than to admit the mistake. The Exxon Valdez oil spill off of the Alaskan coast was very upsetting. Not only did Exxon react slow to the crisis, but Exxon changed the name from Valdez to Mediterranean. It was one of the biggest environmental crisises in the 20th century, and Exxon, with the help of a PR firm, chose to do virtually nothing to help the situation.
PRs are extremely helpful to people and companies. It is their choice to whether they chose to be honest with their work, and sneaky and deceitful. PRs can either be the best of people or the worst.
PR Video
"The future sin't in telling the stories; it's in selling them."
It's very sad that journalists have such trouble finding jobs, while PRs have no problem whatsoever. What makes it sad is the fact that society no longer cares as much about the truth, but rather companies prefer to just sell their items. Companies hire PRs to make their product appealing to society, so that they can sell it. Journalists that will tell the truth, and do not care about selling won't be hired. That stinks.
I was somewhat surprised to find out that the root of public relations is finding out what the community wants. I never really thought about how they knew what the community wants; I sort of supposed that PRs based it on their own opinions, and assumed that it was the same as most people. In actually, it is kind of all about statistics, and waht the majority of the people want or want to happen.
It's a very difficult job as a PR. Most of it is subjetive, the audience can change their mind perhaps, but the main problem is that people make mistakes, people misquote, and people create a boulder in a PRs path. PRs need to be smart, inventive, creative, and a people person. They also need to be patient when teaching the people of the company how to sell their product.
the result of PR is evident everywhere. Whether I like it or not, I constantly (both intentionally and unintentionally) view magazines covers and tv segments, billboards, and I simply hear things by word of mouth. I am affected and influenced by what result of what PR consultants do, and I believe what I hear (usually). They do a very convincing job.
Chapter 11 Reaction
It's kind of interesting how ads usually incorporate the three common mythical elements: ministory form, conflicts, and negotiating the conflict by purchasing or applying the object. it's interesting how much an ad company can accomplish within a thirty second commercial. The advertiser can create attitudes and and inforce values within the consumer simply by showing the consumer one of their ads. It's actually kind of scary to think about how powerful the ad companties are. People view ads everyday whether they want to or not. They take up over half the space in newspapers, are found in textbooks, clutter internet sites, fill our mailboxes physically and electronically, and they can be seen while driving or even walking around on billboards and buses.
Modernday ad makers were smart in making slogans to seel their product. Slogans really stick into peoples head, and makes their product very well-known depending on the slogan. It's crazy to think of everything that goes in an add. Writers and artists must be hired to create images and words for the advertisments. People see hundreds of ads everyday, usually briefly, and never stop to think about all the people that were including in the production of the ad.
It stinks to think about how much power the advertising companies really have. They pay to show in schools, they can back politics, etc. Ads became a bit too prominent for my liking.
Vocabulary :
---from Chapter Elevenin Media & Culture: an introduction to mass communication (fifth edition) by Richard Campbell, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos
1. space brokers: in the days before modern advertising, individuals who puchased space in newspapers and sold it to various merchants2.
subliminal advertising: aa 1950s term that refers to hidden or disguised print and visual messages that allegedly register on the unconscious, creating false needs and seducing people into buying products
3.
slogan: in advertising, a catchy phrase that attempts to promote or sell a product by capturing its essense in words
4.
mega-agencies: in advertiisng, large firms or holding companites that are formed by merging several individual agencies and that maintain worldwide regional offices; they provude both advertisng and public relation services and oeprate in-house radio and TV production studios
5.
boutique agencies: in advertising, small regional ad agencies that offer personalizes services
6.
market reseach: in advertising and public relations agencies, the department htat uses social science techniques to assess the behaciors and attitudes of consumers toward particular products before any ads are created
7.
demographics: in market research, the study of audiences or consumers by age, gender, occupation, ethnicity, education, adn income
8.
psychographics: in market research, the study of audience of consumer attitudes, beliefs, interest, and motivations
9.
focus groups: a common reserach method in psychographic analyusis in which a moderator leads a small-group discussion about a product of an ussie, usually with six to twelve people
10.
Values and Lifestyles (VALS): a market-research strategy that divids consumers into types and measures psychological factors, including how consumers think and feel about products and how they achieve or do not achieve the lifestyles to which they aspire
11.
storyboard: in advertising, a blueprint or roughly drawn comic-strip version of a proposed advertisement
12.
media buyers: in advertising, the individuals who choose a purchase the tpyes of media that are best suited to carry a client;s ads and reach the targeted audience
13.
saturation advertising: the strategy of inundating a variety of print and visual media with ads aimed at target audiences
14.
account executives: in advertising, client liaisons responsible for bringing in new business and magafing the accounts of established clients
15.
account reviews: in advertising, the process of evaluating or reinvigorating an ad campaign, which results in either renewing the contract with the original ad agency or hiring a new agency
16.
famous-person testimonial: an advertising straegy that associates a product with the endorsement of a well-known person
17.
plain-folks pitch: an advertising strategy that associates a product with simplicity and the common person
18.
snob-appeal approach: an advertising strategy that attempts to convince consumers that using a product will enable them to maintain or elevate their social station
19.
bandwagon effect: an advertising strategy that incorporates exagerated claims that everyone is using a particular product, so you should too
20.
hidden-fear appeal: an advertising strategy that plays on a sense of insecurity, trying to persuade consumers that only a specific product can offer relief
21.
irritation advertising: an advertising strategy that tries to create product-name recognition by being annoying or obnoxious
22.
association principle: in advertising, a persuasive technique that associates a product with some cultural value or image that has a posutuve connotation but may have little connection to the actual product
23.
myth analysis: a strategy for critiquing advertising that provides insights into how ads work on a cultural level; according to this strategy, ads are narratives with stories to tell and social conflicts to resolve
24.
commercial speech: any print or broadcast expression for which a fee is charged to the organization or individual buying time or space in the mass media
25.
infomercials: thirty-minute late-night and daytime programs that usually feature fading TV and music celebrities, who advertise a product in a format that looks like a talk show
26.
interstitials: advertisements that pop up in a new screen window as a user attempts to access a new Web page
27.
spam: a computer term referring to unsolicited e-mail
28.
political advertising: the use of ad techniques to promote a candidate's image and persuafe the public to adopt a particular viewpoint
Spin the Bottle Reaction
I agree with college people who were interviewed within the film. The reality of things is that we know that there are other things to do besides drink. We know of all of the bad consequences of drinking. Even so, we drink. However, just as the college students mentioned, talking about it helps. Though we all know deep down inside the consequences of drinking, that isn't enough to actually stop kids from drinking; it isn't enough to make kids stop to think about what they are about to do. However, just as some of the kids said, sometimes even talking about it isn't enough.
Drinking is welded into our heads as the cool thing to do. Friends do it, parents do it, and everyday students see the models from the media do it. When it is all around you, knowing the consequences sometimes isn't enough.
Everything that the video said was true. Guys do usually think that the more they can drink, the more of a man that they are. Girls do like the sexual relief that comes with drinking, or they at least enjoy the excuse that drinking provides. It is also true that both girls and guys drink to impress the guys. Just like what the students said, most people do not really understand why they drink. They realize that they could go bowling, or just go to a movie. However, on a friday night they end up partying at a frat party getting drunk.
The media definitely plays a big role in the fact that most college kids drink. It's all around them. The alcohol industry pays for alot of things, causing their advertisments to often be showed. It's crazy.
Alcohol Advetising
I find it interesting that though America has a legal drinking age, America has more drinking problems than most countries. For example, in Germany it is the norm for ten year olds to be sipping a beer on the street, while in America, people can not drink until they are twenty-one. People have to be older than a legal adult to legally drink. Even so, America has more problems. Drunk drivers, alcohol poisoning, and crazy parties seem to be a large problem in America nowadays.
Why do underage people drink so much?
The media often portrays drinking as a pleasurable experiance. They never show the downside of drinking: the hangovers, the loss of coordination, and the mistakes that can easily be made while in a drunken state. Instead, good-looking people who are able to attract the opposite sex while having a good time are seen drinking. However, Captain Morgan's Rum commercials show everyday people representing the beer. The alcohol industry has decided to attract customers from any point that they are able to; they try to attract people who want to be successful, and they try to attract the everyday person. I often watch TV and it is not until I look back and think about it that I notice how many alcohol commercials I have actually watched. Alcohol commercials don't stand out as alcohol commercials; they blend in with others, while making the name and the brand of the alcohol stick in your mind. It's amazing how tricky the alcohol industry is when it comes to advertising.
Burp Cola
I thought it was crazy to learn how pop stars only get around 2 bucks for their first CD that costs almsot twenty dollars for the customer.
I knew that the bottle and the fancy label was more expensive than the label. In comparison to buying gallons of water, single bottled waters are super expensive. Why? Because of the fancy bottle and label. However, I thought that it was very interesting to find out that not all bottled waters are better tasting or better for you than tap water. that was very surprising to me. I don't drink tap water, and found it odd that I don't drink tap water for no reason whatsoever. Some of the bottled water that I drink is pointless. It is apparently just a waste of money, because I can simply drink tap water which could be the same thing.
I found it interesting that one of the questions in the quiz was how much does the laborer for a fifty dollar pair of jeans get. The answer was 50 cents. I knew this is because of cheap labor shops in third-world countries. I actually recently saw people on Paris protesting the fact that a lot of factories are closing because it is cheaper to have clothes made in other countries like China. I simply found this question interesting.
I thought it was funny that people spent a dollar for pet rocks. However, I know how it is to get absorbed into whatever the mass media is selling at the moment. I got into Pokemon cards when I was nine. And now that I look back on it, I don't udnerstand how I spent seven dollars for ten cards with a picture of a cartoon on it. It's amazing how people buy whatever is popular. today, I have no idea why I wanted the cards. I have no idea how I ended up with almsot three hundred cards. It's amazing how the advertising people get people to buy things.
Chapter Ten Reaction
I love reading, so finding out about the history and happenings of books wasn't too bad. I was glad to read that the book industry has met the social and cultural challenges of television, rather than lose to new technology.
I always thought of the area of important advancement in that area to be during colonial times because of the printing press. For some reason I thought that people like Ben Franklin made large advancements in printing to print his newspapers. However, to read that the printing press was actually made in Germany by Gutenburg was useful to learn. I also read that I wasn't totally wrong in thinking that Ben Franklin was known for printing. in 1744 he printed
Pamela/ Virtue Rewarded which was the first novel reprinted and sold in colonial America.
I thought it was a bit useless to read about what textbooks and paperback books are. It seems that at my age it would be almost common sense to know what these books are and their uses. However, I suppose the book wanted students to learn the history behind it all.
I found it interesting to learn where the new textbook dollar goes, however. The diagram was very helpful. I guess I always secretly wondered who exactly earns the money with every textbook sold. I was surprised to learn how little the author makes compared to the publisher's costs; it is a third of what the publisher's earn.
Vocabulary :
---from Chapter Tenin Media & Culture: an introduction to mass communication (fifth edition) by Richard Campbell, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos
1. papyrus: one of the first substances to hold written language and symbols; obtained from plant reeds found along the Nile River
2. parchment: treated animal skin that replaced papyrus as an early pre-paper substance on which to document written language
3. codex: an early type of book in which paper-like sheets were cut and sewed together along the edge, then bound with thin pieces of wood and covered with leather
4. manuscript culture: a period during the Middle Ages when priests and monks advanced the art of book making
5. illuminated manuscripts: books from the Middle Ages that featured decorative, colorful designs and illustrations on each page
6. block printing: a printing technique developed by early Chinese printers, who hand-carved characters and illustrations into a block of wood, applied ink to the block, and then printed copies on multiple sheets of paper
7. printing press: a 15th C invention whose movable metallic type technology spawned modern mass communication by creating the first method for mass production; it reduced the size and cost of books, made them the first mass medium affordable to less affluent people, and provided the impetus for the Industrial Revolution, assembly-line production, modern capitalism, and the rise of consumer culture
8. vellum: a handmade paper made from treated animal skin, used in the Gutenberg Bibles
9. paperback books: books made with cheap paper covers, introduced in the US in the mid-1800s
10. dime novels: sometimes identified as pulp fiction, these cheaply produced and low-priced novels were popular in the US beginning in the1860s
11. pulp fiction: a term used to describe many late 19th C popular paperbacks and dime novels, which were constructed of cheap machine-made pulp material
12. linotype: a technology introduced in the 19th C that enabled printers to set type mechanically using a typewriter-style keyboard
13. offset lithography: a technology that enabled books to be printed from photographic plates rather than metal casts, reducing the cost of color and illustrations and eventually permitting computers to perform typesetting
14. publishing houses: companies that try to identify and produce the works of good writers
15. trade books: the most visible book industry segment, featuring hardbound and paperback books aimed at general readers and sold at bookstores and other retail outlets
16. professional books: technical books that target various occupational groups and are not intended for the general consumer market
17. textbooks: books made for the elementary and high school and college markets
18. mass market paperbacks: low-priced paperback books sold mostly on racks in drugstores, supermarkets, and airports, as well as in bookstores
19. instant book: in the book industry, a marketing strategy that involves publishing a topical book quickly after a major event occurs
20. religious books: Bibles, hymnals, and other materials related to religious observances
21. reference books: dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and other reference manuals related to particular professions or trades
22. university press: the segment of the book industry tat publishes scholarly books in specialized areas
23. acquisitions editors: in the book industry, editors who seek out and sign authors to contracts
24. subsidary rights: in the book industry, selling the rights to a book for use in other media forms, such as a mass market paperback, a CD-ROM, or the basis for a movie screenplay
25. developmental editor: in book publishing, the editors who provide authors with feedback, make suggestions for improvements, and obtain advice from knowledgeable members of the academic community
26. copy editors: the people in magazine, newspaper, and book publishing who attend to specific problems in writing such as style, content, and length
27. design managers: publishing industry personnel who work on the look of a book, making decisions about type style, paper, cover design, and layout
28. book superstores: a large retail business that sells books, recordings, and new media; this contemporary trend in book selling adapts the large retail store concept to the publishing industry
29. e-publishing: Internet-based publishing houses that design and distribute books for comparatively low prices for authors who want to self-publish a title
30. e-books: electronic books that can be downloaded to portable e-book reading devices
