Entry 10: Structure and draft

This is my essay structure (roughly) after having consultation with Chiat.
In the beginning part, i plan to illustrate the big picture of the role/power of the advertising by case study and the definition of nuclear family.

In the content, i will focus more on point 1 (Stereotype & repetition), point 4 (Emotional and rational appeals) and point 6 (Profits). Three of them will be supported by case study or examples. Most of the case study will be depend on commercial video which related to family value.

In the conclusion, i will show my stand on agree on equal representation between reality and mass media. This stand will be supported by the acceptance of social and case study on non-nuclear family and the audiences' responses on it.



Here, is my hand written documentation and progress:

Entry 9: Case Study of equal representation of reality in mass media

In this entry, I would like to share a video before starting my content. This video is a thai video done by Wacoal Thailand and this is the third story from “My beautiful Woman”.

From the beginning of this video, it illustrates a young single mother with her “daughter”. Being a family relationship between young single mother and daughter, they face abundance of hardship yet their bond together is unbreakable.

Through this hardship and the beyond the call of “Motherhood”, love and community without the desire for any form of outward recognition, this video is successfully attach with audiences on an emotional, spiritual and heartfelt level.

What I think, this is one of the fine examples of showing something related to unpleasant topic (single parent family) and their approach is appropriate and refreshing on advertising their products. Even though the actual products didn’t appear or related in this story of a single mother and a daughter, this heartwarming video is already rising the fame and attention from audience with what I mention in entry 5 (emotional appeal). Besides, this single parent family also jumps from the stereotype image of completed family (nuclear family).

However, toward the end of the story, we will realize that actually the daughter is adopted by the young girl. The baby is abandoned by her parents. Which mean, their relationship is adoptees and adoptive parent. Besides, I assume that this young girl also has similar encounter with the baby, abandoned by her parent. The proven reasons are start from she starts burst into tears after discover the baby and their living lifestyle which shown 2:30 mins in the video. This is a clever execution on bring another serious topic indirectly to rise the awareness of abandoned baby issues. 

From here, it shows one of fine examples of advertisers out of the box and reflecting something more reality storyline which justify with nowadays scenario.  

Entry 8: The power of advertising (2– Cultivation theory)

In my previous post, I concluded that 3 points of what I think that powerful to shape our life and mind. The third magic power is cultivation theory.

Cultivation effect appeared when stereotype and repetition treatment is heavily indoctrinated which caused the information will tend to be believe, accepted and remembered without questioning, even response it without thinking.

This cultivation theory is developed by G. Gerbner in 1977 and later expended upon by Gerbner & Grosss. Garbner, a prominent communication theorist, and co-authors brought together information and supporting evidence form his Cultural Indicators research to write an article in the Journal of Communication, titled “The Mainstreaming of America: Violence Profile No. 11.”

In this article, he states that television as the main source of information in American society which has the power to influence our reality and it is “primarily responsible for our perceptions of day-to-day norms and reality.” Television becomes one of the key member of the family which illustrates most of the stories most of the time. Due to this reason, Garbner is concerning and clearer grasping of the development and further researches on this cultivation theory which injected in mass media, mainly television.

So, from Gerbner’s researches, it shows us that the more people watch television, the more it shapes and controls our perception of our social life which can confused us with the “reality” television and real life. From this cultivation theory, Garbner is further elaborate onto the concepts of “mainstreaming” and “resonance.”

Mainstreaming is defined as creating uniform and regular fashion to appeal to wide range audiences. According  to Cohen and Weimann (2000), mainstreaming is a process where the television viewers learn facts and information about the real world from observing the world of television.

Resonance is the comparison between the mainstream constructs and the viewer’s real-life experiences with can be reinforcing ideas that the viewer already holds. This resonance can create a double dose effect to the message and further strengthen audiences’ perceptions.

Thus, this cultivation theory is quite a powerful tool to inject in the advertising to promote the nuclear family which cultivated in previous. Besides, the ideology of nuclear family is also cultivated by our education which a family is consisted by daddy, mummy and kid(s) and the traditional and conservative mindset.

References

Gulisano, L. (2008) Cultivation Theory: Creating Perceptions of Life from Reality Television. [Online] Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/communications/meta-discourses/Papers/App_Papers/Gulisano.htm [Accessed at: 6th February, 2014]

OU (N.D.) Literature Review. [Online] Available at: http://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02B2/Literature_Review.html [Accessed at: 4th February, 2014]

Entry 7: The power of advertising (1)

After I read though some resources which accessed from library’s book, academic articles, journals and website on the study on mass media, mainly advertising. I concluded that three points that showing the power of advertising that shaping our life and mind.

(1) Stereotypes

(2) Repetition & Persuasion

(3) Cultivation Theory

Firstly, we start to define and analysis the magic power one ----- stereotypes.

Because of our reality is too complex for us to understand directly as well as limited time for us to intimate acquaintance in-depth of the messages. Thus, the role of advertising is to project their work by conceptualizing and simplifying the messages, perception and cognition to create an effective approach for us. This technique can be called as cognitive schemes or mental pseudo- environments, which mean the mirror of reality in the most typical and fundamental elements.

Stereotype is one of the mental pseudo-environments schemas used for orientation in the social environment. Stereotype in advertising can be either positive or negative. Positively, stereotype helps the advertisers simplify and process the information in a uniform approaches which boost the efficiency of communication between the audiences and the work. Thus, the audiences can interpret and understand the information clearly correspond with the intention of the advertisers.

However, stereotype is indiscriminately used and conventionally treated as over-simplified, over- determined, second-hand and partial perceptions which confuse description and evaluation. The worst case is some of the advertisers are expended and exaggerated the simplified message that distorted the initial meaning.

Magic power two ------ Repetition & Persuasion

Due to the uniform pattern (repetition) which I mention in the stereotype, the information will tend to be remembered and gradually assert itself indirectly, even create an illusionary “right” way or certain image of reality for us. This repetition magic can be in accord with the procedure of brain-washing. Enough of repetition, it will become a persuasion which influences us believe in something.

Here, I would like to share a video which talk about “science of persuasion.”

  

In this video, he lists out the 6 scientifically validated principles of persuasion and some interesting cases study/ statics to show how effective the persuasion. Although this video is not really talk about persuasion in advertising directly, some of points are interesting to bring out to influence the communication way in advertising by injecting the power of persuasion.

For example: Rather than relying on our own ability to persuade others, we can point what many others are already doing especially many similar others. From this statement, I using “Yun Nam hair care” case study in Singapore to prove and illustrate better and using this statement.

Magic power three ------ Cultivation theory

Due to the heavy indoctrination by stereotype and repetition treatment, the information will tend to be believed, accepted and remembered without questioning. This phenomenon called as cultivation effect. Cultivation theory is a theory stated by G. Gerbner and later expended upon by Gerbner & Gross.

I will illustrate and explain my opinions and researches in the following post on this cultivation theory in advertising (family value and so on……)

References

Burton, G. (2002) More than meets the eye: An introduction to media studies. 3rd edn. New York: Arnold.

Rapport, N. & Overing, J. (2007) Social and Cultural Anthropology. 2nd edn. New York: Routledge.

Entry 6: Housewife

KFC "Old Couple"

Laundry Detergent in Japan

(If you want to watch the full set of this advertising, please click on this link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2425001/Victorias-Secret-model-Miranda-Kerr-stars-Japanese-detergent-advert.html )

Kirei Kirei advertisement in Singapore.

After scrolling through the above video and advertisement, did you realize something? Any similar ideas or concept they used in the work? Any similar ways of communicating and presenting information in the work?

Yes, there are.

All of them are using the family value to project their commercial advertising especially women portrayed as housewife.

In the first video, KFC "Old couple", at the beginning, it shows a old lady put her hardship in cooking while, his husband is resting outside and helping his wife to go out buy food. In the end of the video, the speaker said that "give a chance to have a relaxing and comforting Chinese new eve for your mother." Besides, it also shows how the important of family value in Chinese culture especially during the reunion dinner.

In the second video, it is not really show the family value, but it shows the relationship between household products and women (housewife).

In the third example, this advertisement poster is shows women is full of love as supervisors and caretakers  of children. Even though it does't show and state the relationship between the female and kid in the poster, we will automatically related them as a family which a mother is incubating her kid how to wash their hand properly.

Usually, the housewife is portrayed as being pretty, the house maker, busy organizer of the whole family, mother and loyal wife. From our memory, we might always have an imagery of mother awakes earlier than us, prepares every meal for us, washes the clothes and purchases household products. In any mass media or even our education, they also still portray this kind of stereotypes imagery of not only mother, but also family role (nuclear family).

Why this kind of housewife image still persisted, even though nowadays extended family is gradually increasing especially dual-earner family?

I think one of the reasons is the conservative minded and abide by the cultural expectation of men or women especially in Asian. In Chinese proverb, “男主外，女主内”， which mean men are outside the home for earning money and pursuing careers, whereas female have the role to take care and run or manage well the home properly. Because of this cultural expectation, we will automatic related and recognize the information.

For examples: When we think of detergents, we will automatically associate the cleaning product to women. When we see a baby there, we will assume his/her mother is nearby. When we think of buying extra food or fruit for today dinner, we will directly call and conform to mother. These all actions can be under-cognizance.

Besides, although we might aware of this unfair role or injustice between the reality and mass media, nobody ever raised their voice on the stereotype role of housewife related to women. We especially women might conform to the housewife image. Women might also think of becoming a housewife is their dream and desire which correspond to one of the technique of advertising: which is advertising always the mirror of how we dreaming and desiring instead of the reality and how people are acting in real life. 

References
Castrojas, A. (2012) Ads displaying women's role in the nuclear family. [Online] Available at: http://angelliecastrojas.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/ads-displaying-womens-role-as-in-the-nuclear-family/ [Accessed at: 24 January, 2014]