Article Review

Elliott, R., & Elliott, C. (2005). Idealized images of the male body in advertising: a reader-response exploration. Journal Of Marketing Communications, 11(1), 3-19.

This is an interesting article because it studies male’s reactions to advertisements. Females are constantly being contradicted by the media, models are too skinny yet the world is to obese, pale skin is pretty yet tan skin is desired, stay your natural self and love curves yet stores only sell sizes small-large. But what about the males? This article can help up in to the mines of male’s and understand the ways suggestive advertisements have an effect on their body image and self-esteem. This article has two research questions which were as stated:

1. How do young men respond to the representation of male bodies in advertising practically when men are portrayed in a sexual or naked pose?
2. How do young men negotiate the sexual meaning of advertising images in a social setting?

The way they tested this method was pretty cool and a way that other research groups could use to test this as well. They had an arrangement of pictures that they showed to the focus groups and then let them talk about them in any order they wanted. All being pictures of advertisements of males but one.

This article sounds a like George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory. Gerbner’s (1976) Cultivation Theory says that people gradually come to accept the view of the world as portrayed on TV as a true representation of reality and adapt their hopes, fears and understandings accordingly. In today’s society, the media plays a large role in body image satisfaction. He found that if someone watches a violent movie, they will turn more violent in their everyday life. In relation to that, we theorized that if men are exposed to media that includes Americans idea of the “perfect” man, then they could partake in risky behaviors to achieve that look.

At the end of the say sex sales and companies are going to use suggestive images to sell their products. We know how the public reacts when girls are in those ads but why don’t they act the same as when guys are in it? Do we hold women to higher standers? Do we stop to think how that makes guys feel when they portrayed as sex images? This article will help us answer a lot of those questions and many more. Comment below on what you think would be good aspect to focus on in your own study.

What Does That Even Mean?

Everyone has been there, its Friday and you are getting ready to shut down everything after what seems to be a never ending week. Suddenly your email icon pops up, you instantly think “you’ve got mail”, could it be your boss giving you Monday off, or, maybe it is email saying you are getting that raise you have been wanting. Unfortunately, you open up the email and it is the company’s new Ethical Communication Policy. New ethical communication policy? What was the old ethical communication policy? What do all of these policies even mean? Below are examples of ethical communication policies and what they mean:

We advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication.(Council, N. L.,1999) – This is like saying that the organization will always do and say what is best for the organization even if it is not the popular vote.

We endorse freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of dissent to achieve the informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil society. (Council, N. L.,1999) – The organization is open to everyone expressing their opinions as long as it says within reason.

We strive to understand and respect other communicators before evaluating and responding to their messages. (Council, N. L.,1999) – Getting to know someone helps you to know how they feel, why they express themselves in certain ways and then leads to knowing what their message means.

We promote access to communication resources and opportunities as necessary to fulfill human potential and contribute to the well-being of families, communities, and society. (Council, N. L.,1999) – The company is always looking for ways to keep their employees happy.

We promote communication climates of caring and mutual understanding that respect the unique needs and characteristics of individual communicators. (Council, N. L.,1999) – Everyone is not always going to have the same communication styles, this allows everyone no matter the style to feel comfortable speaking their minds.

We condemn communication that degrades individuals and humanity through distortion, intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the expression of intolerance and hatred. (Council, N. L.,1999) – The organization does not allow disrespect at any level.

We are committed to the courageous expression of personal convictions in pursuit of fairness and justice. (Council, N. L.,1999) – They will hear out every side of a argument and wants their employees to feel like they can report anything.

We advocate sharing information, opinions, and feelings when facing significant choices while also respecting privacy and confidentiality.(Council, N. L.,1999)-They want it to be an open space to be able to share ideas and help others.

We accept responsibility for the short- and long-term consequences for our own communication and expect the same of others. (Council, N. L.,1999) -If there is a issue that doesn’t get resolved they will take responsibility for the poor actions.

Feel free to comment below with policies you have seen and thought “what does this even mean?”

References

Council, N. L. (1999). NCA Credo for Ethical Communication. Free Speech Yearbook, 4, 3.

MSU Com Week

For COM week 2014, I was only able to go to one speaker, Paige Oxendine. Before COM week started I looked at the flyer to decide who I was going to go listen to, because I knew it was going to be a busy week. When scanning through the list of speakers I saw that someone from the Chamber was coming to speak, then I saw that is was Paige. Paige is a friend of a friend of mine, and we had met a few times. I had no idea that she worked there and instantly knew this work be a great networking opportunity.

3 main points I learned from Paige were:

·         Network, network, network

·         Its ok to know the least in the room

·         Ask questions

Paige told us that not all companies include have the job listings online, and it is good to keep in touch with people because they could be the reason you get a job or not. Prior to this week I had been doing a little job searching, although I know I want to work for the American Cancer Society, it is always good to have a backup plan. One of the first websites I went to was the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, my aunt had worked for the Republic Chamber so I kind of had an idea for what they are about. Once at the website I could not find their job listing anywhere, so I just assumed that there were not any available at the time. The Chamber is one of those companies, now that I know that, I can keep in touch with Paige and continue to work alongside with her in the community.

One thing I liked that she said was “its ok to know the least in the room.” I completely agreed with that. Knowing the least does not mean you do not serve a value, it means you could see something in a different light then someone else might see.

Along with it being ok to know the least in the room, it is ok to ask questions. Asking question doesn’t mean you are not smart enough, it means you care enough to make sure you do something right. She also mentioned that it is hard to get second chances in the professional world, so ask questions if you don’t understand.

Overall I enjoyed Paige’s speech! I enjoyed her honesty and insight. She is a great example of a MSU Alumni.   

Find Your Place, Follow Your Passion (Cont.)

When Missouri State launched their new campaign, Find Your Place, Follow Your Passion, my first thought was “What does that even mean? Shouldn’t it say, follow your passion and find your place?” It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year that the slogan finally became clear. Before, I told you how I found my place and now I will tell you about how I am following my passion.
In my last blog I ended with “Participant to committee member, committee member to co-chair, and co-chair to the current Colleges Against Cancer President.”

After being nominated for Outstanding Student Leader of the Year from my Missouri State peers, some might say I am going out with a bang. But what does that all mean? Does it mean in five weeks then our event has come and gone, I am just done? Does it mean that in 5 months when I walk cross the graduation stage I will never think about Relay For Life other than a memory? Of course not, these are all just building blocks for where I want to be after graduation. I found my place and I will keep following my passion to the American Cancer Society.

Stating this May I will start my final stretch of school with an internship with the American Cancer Society. If I didn’t already have a large step in the door, this will get me even closer to where I want to be. After graduation, starting in August, I would love to work for the American Cancer Society.

Nothing fuels your passion like the loss of a loved one. Unfortunately, earlier this year one of my dad’s first cousins (more like an uncle to me) lost his battle with cancer. Even if working for the American Cancer Society doesn’t work out, I will continue to Relay in memory of him and all of the others who have lost their battle to cancer!

Find Your Place, Follow Your Passion

When Missouri State launched their new campaign, Find Your Place, Follow Your Passion, my first thought was “What does that even mean? Shouldn’t it say, follow your passion and find your place?” It wasn’t until the second semester of my senior year that the slogan finally became clear. Before I tell you about my place and my passion, I must first tell you about how I got there. I will split them up into two blogs, first being how I found my place and the second on how I am following my passion.    

Eight years ago I was going in to freshman year of high school. Eight years ago I found myself going to the local Relay For Life event because I knew that a boy I liked was going to be there. And eight years ago I was starting to learn who I am today, even though I had no idea. I did not know what this Relay For Life event was about, but, I did know that my middle school crush would be there. I also knew that is was a big enough event that my mom would let me stay the whole time, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. When I arrived, I was shocked at how many people were there, I knew it was a big deal but I had no idea it was this big. I also did not know that I would be walking all night, I soon found out that flip flops and jeans were not a good idea. It wasn’t long after I arrived, that I realized I was not the only girl my crush had invited to the event, even though I didn’t want to admit it, that was probably best, because, it allowed me to spend the night studding the event. I found myself watching everything, not just the activities and ceremonies that they doing but the way the “committee” was working together and working with the event goers. I wasn’t long till I thought “I need to be a part of this”, I saw the way the people were responding with such passion for the event. The following year I decided to join the schools FFA Relay For Life Team.

This year’s team had a little bit of different focus then years past. In April before the now June, a girl in the class above me had suddenly passed away after what was supposed to be a successful cancer removal surgery. With my class being 20 students and my high school having less than 100, this hit way to close to home. This year’s event was not just about raising money for great cause, it was remembering a friend who was taken too soon. That was the first year I had ever known someone who had cancer, and didn’t survive.

It was at that Relay I met my high school sweet heart. We continued to date and Relay together for 3 more years, it was kind of our thing. After breaking up at the end of my senior year, my best friend said “hey let’s go to the Relay For Life”. We were not on the team because we were moving up to Springfield for college, and as I mentioned before Relay was something me and my ex would do together. I was not really looking forward to going. Afterwards I am sure glade we went, it allowed me to get over the fact that the event was something that I and my ex used to do together.  

The next spring I signed up to be on the Alpha Chi Omega sorority Relay For Life team, I was so excited, I had no idea that they had Relays at the collegiate level. Half way through the night they made an announcement. The announcement told everyone that they would be accepting applications for the next years planning committee. I’m not sure why God lead me to go sign up with all the other crazy thing I had going on in my life, but I am glad he did! Three short years later brings me to today. Participant to committee member, committee member to co-chair, and co-chair to the current Colleges Against Cancer President. My journey has not been an easy one, dealing with school, life and other responsibilities but I have never felt more “in place” then when I am working on Relay and working with others who love Relay. Relay For Life believe in me, when I didn’t even believe in myself. This is how I found my place, I challenge you this week to figure out how you found yours. Next week I will blog about how I am now following my passion.      

Spring Break Social Media Do’s and Don’t’s

Spring break is this next week, and as much as you want to post the selfie of you doing something crazy, it is best you do not do that! Here are some helpful tips of the do’s and don’t’s of spring break social media.

Do

•Review which of your accounts is private and public. You may not want certain pictures or status updates available to everyone. Check through your accounts to see what information is being shared with everyone. (Suchanek, A., 2014, March 2)

•Share what’s going on! It’s okay to share what’s going on. Vacations and traveling is okay. Don’t be afraid to post what’s going on and share that with others. (Suchanek, A., 2014, March 2)

•Share pictures. Hey, it’s okay to have a good time with your friends. Just make sure pictures, videos, status updates are appropriate! (Suchanek, A., 2014, March 2)

•Remember to also take a break from social media and disconnect. It’s a vacation, remember to disconnect for a while. (Suchanek, A., 2014, March 2)

Don’t

•Don’t tweet things that you think are funny at 2am, especially if you have a public Twitter. Inside jokes between you and your friends are great, but remember that not everyone will think so. (Suchanek, A., 2014, March 2)

•Apps like Instagram have the ability to send pictures to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media accounts. Be mindful of where your pictures are going and who has access to those accounts. Don’t put sensitive content on platforms that many people have access to. (Suchanek, A., 2014, March 2)

•If you wouldn’t yell it at a mall, don’t post it on a social network. (Suchanek, A., 2014, March 2
A wise woman once told me “pretty is as pretty does”. You may not like it but you social media sites do reflect you, your family, and any organization you are a part of, so be respectful when you post things this spring break.

References

Suchanek, A. (2014, March 2). Advice for Spring Breakers: Social Media Do’s and Don’ts. Information Space Advice for Spring Breakers Social Media Dos and Donts Comments. Retrieved March 9, 2014

And The Winner Is….

If you were not watching the Oscars tonight, you could probably tell who the winners were by the out pouring statuses and tweet’s. Something’s I saw that were common throughout the social media sites were:

• Jared Leto’s hair
• Jennifer Lawrence and her gracefulness
• Ellen’s selfie

Even in pre-Oscar coverage everyone was talking about how Jared Leto would fix his beautiful locks. Some said the most shocking thing he could do, would be to cut it off, but don’t worry he did not do that. He wore it nice long, flowing and pared it with white tux jacket and burgundy bow tie. He was dressed for success and that’s what he received, Jared took home the Academy Award for supporting actor, for his role in Dallas Buyer Club.

Oh Jennifer, she just can’t catch a break! At last year’s Oscars, Jennifer tripped while walking up the stairs to receive her award. While that was very embarrassing, if people were not already in love her, they were after that. She handled it with grace and was able to recover while gaining even more Jennifer Lawrence followers. Just when people were starting to forget about it, it was time for the Oscars again. While exiting from her vehicle, Jennifer did it again, this time tripping over an orange safety cone… or should we say “not so” safety cone. Even in the opening monologue Ellen poked fun at Mrs. Lawrence, but the easy going girl that she is, took it in stride. Although nominated, Jennifer did not win this year.

Tonight’s Oscar host was Ellen Degeneres, between buying pizza for the crowd and dressing up as Glenda the Good Witch, she nailed it. Midway through the show Ellen took a group “selfie” with many of the nominees from tonight in it including, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad and Angelina, Bradly Copper (a.k.a. My Husband) and many more. In 45 minutes the tweet had 2,070,441 retweets and 761,612 favorites. That just shows how much influence Ellen has and to that I say “you go girl!” At the end of the night, Ellen was the real winner.

If you did not watch the Oscars tonight, don’t worry, it will be what everyone is talking about on the news tomorrow morning!

Commercial Review

Since the Twilight vampire craze started in 2008 we have seen many businesses trying to appeal to the madness by having vampire or werewolf themed commercials, but the best one so far has to be the 2012 Audi Super Bowl Commercial named Vampire Party. The commercial starts off by showing what looks to be a group of people having a bon fire, you soon realize is that it is a vampire bon fire. The second scene is a good looking male driving a brand new Audi, he is also a vampire. He is bringing blood for the party, kind of like a guy bringing drinks to a party in a beer commercial. As he winds around the curvy road and pulls in to the field everyone gets excited to see him but then his lights end up making the vampires disappear in to thin air. In the end, when he gets out of the car, he walks in front of his lights and ends up disappearing also. Everyone knows that when vampires are in bright lights, like the sun light, they die.

When talking about the general appeal of the ad, it seems to be more persuasive because it is trying to convince you that the lights are so bright, they could kill a vampire. The ultimate goal is to feature the Audi’s new LED headlights. This product helps to see well when night driving and promises to kill vampires when they are in the way.
When using Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, this commercial would be self- actualization because it uses your creativity, problem solving and acceptance of facts. The persuasive stagey used would be metaphor because they say the lights are so bright they could kill vampires. This ad has a positive appeal and the only fallacy it may have is that vampires are not real.

Characters are very important in commercials. This commercial had characters that mimetic vampire tendency. The man driving the Audi is a very attractive, mid 20’s and very fit in a way to make you think that you would look like that if you drive an Audi too.
In the elements of the advertisement were well done. They used dark shades to show the ways of a vampire. The shots were all spot on. It showed the car driving and showed the point of view of the headlights when it killed the vampire. I chose this ad because I thought it was funny and I thought it show good metaphors. This ad was very effective and was on many top 10 super bowl ad awards.

Polices? Check!…..Now What?

In the post below, I discussed questions you should ask you self when making a social media policy. After you have made you social media policy and covered almost every issue you can think of, then it hits you… “How do I tell all of the other employees what the policy is and how the process goes when there is an issue?” You answer is, a process map. A process map is kind of like a “chose your own adventure” book, you start at the top and work your way down. They are very simple to make and very helpful to employees. When making a process map you need to know the 4 shapes;

Start & End

An oval is used to show the materials, information or action to start the process or to show the results at the end of the process

Activity

A box or rectangle is used to show a task or activity performed in the process. Although multiple arrows may come into each box, usually only one arrow leaves each box.

Decision

A diamond shows those points in the process where a yes/no question is being asked or a decision is required.

Break

A circle with either a letter or a number identifies a break in the process map and is continued elsewhere on the same page or another page.

Below is a power point with an example of not only what a process map looks like, but also how to correct one that is already in place. The first photo is an existing process map and the second is a updated version.

Social Media Polices

Having a social media policy for a company is very important, with cites like Facebook and Twitter, it is a good way to stay connected with your market. In the article The Key to Developing a Social Media Strategy (Falls, 2009) Jason Falls gives 11 questions to ask your company when constructing a social media policy.

 “•What types of people do we want to talk to?

•Where do we find them?

•What are they talking about already?

•Is it appropriate for us to join that conversation and, if so, when?

•How do we inject usefulness into the conversation without being overly promotional?

•What value can we provide in terms of knowledge, opinion or content?

•How can we earn their trust?

•When we do earn their trust, how can we best ask for their input into our product or service?

•Under what circumstances can we point the conversation toward considering our product?

•Can we say or do something that invites someone else to point the conversation toward considering our product?

•How shall we apologize and regroup if we overstep their comfort level or accuse us of violating their trust?” (Falls, 2009)       

I like these questions because I feel they talk about all aspects of social media. The four years I worked for the Springfield Cardinals, it was our mission to make the fans feel like they being involved with what was going on…Like they were a part of something much more than just a baseball game. I felt that our social media was like that as well. We had a promotion that was Instagram based, fans would take a picture the upload it to Instagram with a special hashtag, then the media specialist would pick a favorite. After the winner was picked, they would show the picture on the big screen. That whole process answered many of those questions without much effort.

“How do we inject usefulness into the conversation without being overly promotional?” (Falls, 2009): Give them hashtag and they will fill like they are a part of the in-between inning games, it will also let their followers know they are at the game and that they are having fun.     

“How can we earn their trust?” (Falls, 2009): By showing the winning picture to everyone proving that they are seeing the pictures.

Those are just a couple of examples of the questions above and how they could be applied to that situation. If you have any questions on how the other questions would work, please comment below. At the end of the day, you want your social media websites to be a place where customers can talk about things they like, ask questions and feel comfortable enough that if they are unhappy they can say so and not feel like their com will be ignored. For more social media polices and tips go to: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/the-key-to-developing-a-social-media-strategy/