Merchants of Cool a Web based Inquiry and Creative Arts Assignment

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1 Merchants of Cool a Web based Inquiry and Creative Arts Assignment In this task you will be looking at the way marketing and advertising is done and thinking about the ways they affect our lives. Step One (Individual or Group) Watch the PBS Film Merchants of cool at: The Film runs 57 minutes and can be watched in six segments. You will need Windows Media Player to see the film. While you are watching the film take notes of what you are learning. Put your individual notes in to the project portfolio, which you will turn in at the end. Step Two (Group) Get together in your group and discuss the questions you find on the Merchants of Cool Discussion Sheet.. Remember that you must speak English during all the group work for the credit. You will be required to sign a statement that you spoke only English, which will go into the project portfolio. Make a Protocol of your discussion and write a short summary of your group s answers to go into the project portfolio. Step Three (Individual) You are now going to do some add deconstruction. For a brilliant visual introduction to what add deconstruction is, watch the 30 second clip, Media. Deconstruction,. you will find at: &q=%22media+literacy%22&hl=en You will need Google Video Player to see the film, which you can download for free. After you have seen the introduction, go to the following web site and spend at least 30 minutes browsing the site, learning about how advertisement works: Write a short summary of what you learn fort he project portfolio. Step Four (Individual or Group) Go to the following website

2 Get yourself an account (it s free) and look for an add you would like to deconstruct. When you have found one, answer the questions on the Add Deconstruction Worksheet. Put your answers into the project portfolio. Step Five (Group) Choose a product and create an add for it. You can create an add for Radio, TV, A Magazine, a Newspaper, Billboard, Internet Pop-Up, T-Shirt or Bumper sticker. It can be serious or you can do a parody of advertising. Use everything you learned from the worksheets about advertising to create your add. Step Six (Group) Turn in your project portfolio with all individual and group work neatly organised and the signed statement that you spoke English for all the group work on the date assigned.

3 Merchants of Cool Discussion Sheet Read the following quotes and discuss the questions in your group. Write short summaries of your answers. Put the Discussion Sheet and your answers into the project portfolio. "The paradox of "cool hunting" is that it kills what it finds." -Douglas Rushkoff What are the implications of cool hunting for the development of new ideas, new music, new art forms, etc.? "In much the same way that the British Empire tried to take over Africa and profit from its wealth, corporations look at [teens] like this massive empire they are colonizingäand their weapons are films, music, books, CDs, Internet access, clothing, amusement parks, sports teams." -Robert McChesney Are "cool hunters" and those who use the information they supply similar to colonial powers? Do they exploit teens or are they providing desired benefits and services?

4 "They don't call it "human" research or "people" research, they call it "market" research." - Douglas Rushkoff Did the marketers in "The Merchants of Cool" get it right? Do they really know you? If MTV was really based on understanding you as a person, what would it look like? "The MTV machine doesn't listen to the young so it can make the young happier. The MTV machine tunes in so it can figure out how to pitch what Viacom has to sell." - Mark Crispin Miller Are marketers concerned with the well-being of the consumer? Do they answer to consumers? If not, who do they answer to? Is marketing to teens different from marketing to adults?

5 "Quite simply, every company with a powerful brand is attempting to develop a relationship with consumers that resonates so completely with their sense of self that they will aspire, or at least consent, to be serfs under these feudal brandlords." - Naomi Klein* Has seeing "The Merchants of Cool" led you to think about how you express your identity? What questions do you have? *This quote does not appear in the film, but is related to its content.

6 Add Deconstruction Worksheet Advertising tends to follow a basic format - a slogan or a striking image catches our attention, the body of the ad contains more factual information about the product, and a pack shot or logo reinforces the brand identity. The combination of these elements, even though we may only look at them for the average time of 1.5 seconds, leaves us with an impression of the values that are attached to that brand, and a sense of who the target audience for the product is (male? female? pensioner? teenager?). Answer the following questions about the advertisement you have chosen to analyse. WHO the ad is aimed at? Describe them demographically (age, sex, class, etc.) and psychographically (what personal/psychological characteristics the target audience is likely to have). WHAT is being advertised and WHAT is specifically highlighted about the product (the benefits) in this ad? WHY will this help sell the product? WHERE/WHEN might this ad appear in order to reach its target audience?

7 When analysing an ad you need to consider what kind of appeal (Anreiz) is being made - does this ad tap in to your desire to be considered successful by your peers, for instance, or is it more about making you feel as though you will belong to a happy group if you own a certain product? Often advertising creates need - in order to sell a product that we did not know existed, advertisers have to make us aware that we need it. Look at the following list and decide WHICH of the so called lines of appeal (images of or references to these things) are used to tap into our desires - and fears. Give a short reason for your choices: Line of Appeal Happy families - everyone wants to belong In what way is this present in your ad? Rich, luxurious lifestyles - aspirational Dreams and fantasy Successful romance and love Elite people or experts Glamorous places Successful careers Art, culture & history Nature & the natural world Beautiful women - men AND women like looking at beautiful women, so the thinking goes: men admire them, women admire what makes the men admire them. Self-importance & pride Comedy & humour Childhood - can appeal to either nostalgia or to nurturing instincts

8 The language in advertising is used to persuade. Whereas the slogan and the image can be humorous or attention-grabbing, the body copy is always to praise the benefits of the product and thus persuade the audience to buy-buy-buy! When analysing an ad you have to identify the key persuasive words and consider their effect on an audience. These words act as triggers to interest audiences in a product. They are also over-used, and may, these days, be counted as clichés. Here is a list of the known most used persuasive words. Put a mark beside any of these words that appear in your advertisement. suddenly now announcing introducing improvement amazing sensational remarkable revolutionary startling miracle magic offer quick easy wanted challenge compare bargain hurry Write down any other words you think might be the key persuasive words in your add. Answer the following questions as they relate to your add. Are the advertisers taking a tried and tested approach or are they being original? Does the approach work? Why do you think so?

9 Understanding the image is key to understanding the message of the ad, which may work on many different levels. Answer the following questions as they relate to your add. How many images are there? Is there a main image? It is a literal representation of the product or is it a metaphor? How is the image positioned - ie what is the camera angle and where does this place the reader? Is it neutral (an eye level shot) or is the subject give authority over the audience through a low angle? What kind of image is it - high quality, full colour, lovingly enhance image or fuzzy black and white shot? Non-Verbal Communication - what is being said without words by the body language of the model?

10 What information is given by the mise-en-scène? The costume and accessories of models? The setting (Ort)? What do we infer (ableiten) from these signs? Does this ad refer to any other media text? Is it a parody? Through the use of music or characters does it evoke, for example, a major motion picture or a novel? Ad campaigns often make use of stereotypes - as a shorthand way of communicating a set of meanings. Sometimes the stereotype is deliberately set up and then challenged, to comic effect. However, given that a considerable proportion of our self-identity comes from the images and messages in the advertising that surrounds us, stereotyping in advertising is seen as potentially harmful. Gender stereotypes are the most common. Men are shown as primarily functional, associated with heavy machinery, business decisions, wearing executive suits and watches, being taller than women etc etc. Women are decorative, associated with kitchen equipment and domestic financial decisions, often shown lying down on beds and floors. What kinds of stereotypes can you find in your advertisement. Please remember to use what you have learned in this worksheet when you begin production of your own advertisement.