Yea, I know, I've been really bad with posting these last few weeks. I've had a lot of good ideas, but life's been getting in the way (this week especially with Spring Into Success, everyone should come, its really interesting and there is free food and prizes) and I haven't had the time to sit down and write. Believe me, my cell is full of mini notes I've written to myself about topics to write on. So I've decided to make this a giant post of a few ads that I'm going to try to work on extremely hard today between my classes. Hopefully this will make up for the ones I've missed.

The first series of ads that I want to talk about is Starbucks.



Personally, I love this ad. I find it comical that a guy would have his own set of cheering fans and a mascot ready to cheer him on throughout the day. I think Starbucks did a good job with this commercial publicizing its double shot espresso drinks in the can. They speak to a target market of younger people who have a lot to do during the day and may need that extra kick of caffeine to get them through it. Also, everybody in the commercial cheering Hank on through his day, which is a thought that would boost most people's spirits to think that there is at least one person out there who wants them to do well. Plus I also thought it was creative how they changed the "hey" to "Hank" because not many names would have worked too well with that song. But the only thing I don't like about this commercial is it kind of displays vampire creativity, because I remembered the commercial, but until I saw it again, I couldn't remember what the ad was for. This tends to be a big problem with funny commercials, but I think they could have helped people remember it a little bit better by putting the Starbucks' name and logo on more things than just his can, because even when they showed it, it still didn't seem to be a main focus of the commercial.


The next series of ads that I found interesting is Target's. Target has gone through many commercial changes. One of my favorites in terms of creativity is this one:



I love how in this commercial they took normal people doing normal summer things, such as getting a haircut, surfing, and playing volleyball, and turned them into products. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before this one. Also, it is easy to figure out and remember that it is a Target commercial because they consistently use the Target red and white colors for a background, and mix it with music that tends to fit Target, kind of an out there mix of songs that wouldn't go right with just any commercial. I also like how they use some products in the commercial that you wouldn't normally associate with Target, to show that they do have a little bit of everything there. Some of these items include the grill and tools, normally when I think of those items I think of places like Sears, which sells the same types of things as Target, just at a bit of a higher price, which most people would associate with a higher quality, even when that's not always the case . Honestly, until this commercial, I had walked past those items while there, but never thought of them being there. So I think that this commercial also did a good job of informing people that they do sell more than just the basic clothes and games and things while making sure that you don't forget it is a Target commercial.

A third type of ads that I want to discuss has to do with brand imaging and labeling. The company I think does epically well with this is Apple. Apple started as a computer manufacture, and now makes I-pods, I-macs, I-phones....and all of these items carry its brand logo. This is really good for Apple because as long as they keep associating the logo with all of their items, and they use the letter "I" before all of their products, I feel people will never forget who makes the product. And when talking about the ipod, you can't help but mention all the accessories Apple makes for it. There is the Ipod Hi-Fi, which is a "compact sound system with an integrated Universal Dock for iPod that fills the room with rich, audiophile-quality sound." Then there is the I-dream, a pillow for your Ipod, complete with speakers. But you need more that just places to dock it, you also need accessories when your on the go, such as cases made out of everything from sock material to silicone, so your Ipod can be both stylish, as well as somewhat protected. And the Ipod wouldn't be complete without a place to save and load the music and videos you want on it without Itunes. Then with the Imacs, you now have the I life, which is a software program that consolidates all of your digital media into one easy to access set of files. I think this has done wonders for the Apple company because they were able to take a computer company that had to compete with many others doing the same exact thing, and expand it with one easy to remember letter, that even though is targeted at the young, appeals to most people. And because they did use one basic for for everything, people don't easily confuse Apple products with others made by its competitors. Also by keeping things simple, Apple has been able to expand much further than anyone would have thought possible ten or twenty years ago and attach its name to many types of technologies, allowing them to branch their company and make a much larger profit.


The final ad I'd like to talk about is this Nike ad that was banned in the USA.



I like how it shows the times. This ad was definitely made in the 1980's during the big slasher movie craze, and was unfortunately banned because it apparently played too much on women's fears. I however thought it was a good commercial. I think it reflects the times and what was popular, and what's better for a commercial for a women's running shoes than a situation that would make you have to run? Plus, it obviously pokes a little fun at the big, bad Michael Myers and says that even this supposed devil man can't even keep up. And I think it shows women in a positive light, she's stronger and faster than her adversary, because of this she is able to get away. A good advertiser must know how to capitalize on the time and I feel this one really did. I think it would have appealed to many women, especially those concerned with safety. but i also think it would appeal to the average women runners, who want a shoe that they feel might make them run faster. And even though I personally don't think it should have been banned, I can understand how it might make some women feel less safe, especially if they are easily scared by these movies, or just have a fear of a similar situation happening to them. The commercial was even pointed it out that by having false advertising in it, which is unethical, by saying that you will live longer by wearing Nike shoes. But, like i said before, I think this commercial was harmless and the only people offended would be the ones looking to be offended by it.