#1: Built Ford Tough

As a high school junior in Microsoft country, it's safe to say that I have constant exposure to media of all varieties.  I carry five ounces of iPhone in my pocket at all times and I carry five pounds of laptop in my backpack.  Except for my graph notebooks, everything I create I keep online or at least digitally.  I spend an hour every day browsing Reddit, reading newsletters, and writing ideas; my weekends consist almost exclusively of homework and online gaming.  I don't need to leave the house to spend time with my friends; I just need to start my laptop, and that's what I usually do.  You could easily argue that media are my life; take away my pencil and my keyboard, and I have no outlet for creativity.

The aforementioned homework also takes place largely online.  In fact, you're reading a homework assignment right now.

Recently, my class watched and analysed four television commercials, including two from Dove (here and here), one from Greenpeace about Dove (here), and one from Rimmel (here).  This was unusual for me, as I don't watch many commercials, and I rarely think about them on a deeper level than "look, Ford wants me to buy a pickup."

However, it's interesting to think about how many things go into making a commercial.  The first Dove ad notably uses music that starts quiet, almost melancholy, when the message is negative, and perks up when the message becomes positive.  The second Dove ad, and the Greenpeace ad which parodies it, use rapid sequences of images to flood you with information.  Every camera shot is a message; every measure of music has a meaning, subliminal or otherwise.  With commercials, knowing how to find their meaning, their intent, and their bias serves to counter their influence.

You really should buy a Ford.

Larisa

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