Another Dramatic Maybelline Advert ...

Firstly the advert questions the viewr as to whether the prefer/are happy with 'normal lipstick'. As you would expect, especially from the perspective of a non-American looking in on American culture, America is never satisfied, and refuses to be sated by the 'normal' and standard - you only have to look at the variety and volume of commodities, from gadgets to clothes available in the USA today for evidence. The answer to being happy with the norm is essentially no, especially when lipstick is (portrayed in the advert as) a sensual tool.
The image of the flower implicitly allows the lipstick to be compared to the bright, attractive colours of nature, inferring that it is somehow only natural to own this lipstick; as if it is only as natural as nature itself.

The image of the New York skyscrapers acts, I feel in this advert, as a reminder of where the product originates from: the 'big apple' of New York, one of the internationally recognized cities of style and influence. A subtle suggestion of patriotic sentiment can also be detected here, as well as the impression the America is reminding the large number of international viewers of this advert, of the USA's clout in the world. The scene of the taxis driving by reinforces the USA's character (as yellow taxis are easily recognized), and therefore uniqueness.

The women smiling towards the end of the advert displays how the item has made her happy; the pathetic-fallacy-type display ofthe flower petals emphasizes this, conveying the importance of material items in US culture.
The lipstick ultimatel makes the police officers prettier and does the same for the ordinary girl on the bike. This again adavnces the case that the advert is putting across: that this material commodity will enhance your life in numerous ways.
This essentially is the essence of the USA's 'consumer culture' that is often highlighted, and in turn imitated by the rest of the world.

The iPad is...

This advert for the Apple iPad is a recent advert, which a handful of similar adverts are on at the moment. The iPad is a tablet computer made by Apple. It was released earlier this year in America in April. The iPad seems to boast many practical features such as Internet browsing, word processing, and many other such activities that can be downloaded on the app store. The Use value is very obvious of a tablet computer, much like a laptop. It can access the Internet, its portable, you can use it anywhere really. It can take the place of a book, or a newspaper. Its a multi-purpose gadget that is supposed to revolutionize the way we interact with media.
The Exchange value of the iPad is probably quite drastic. Seeing as they are going for £450 for the average iPad, they were probably produced and manufactured for far cheaper. The iPad, even though a very American product (being produced by an American company, advertised to an American/worldwide audience) it has been manufactured in middle eastern countries such as Chine and Indonesia. This Exchange value, is very clear that Apple is gaining rather great profits. Whilst we all fall for it and buy this product. Helping the capitalist machine continue to run.
Finally the Symbolic value of the iPad is quite clear really. The images you associate with the iPad is the multi-tasking ability. The amount of money you spend on it, generally gives the impression you are quite well off. Well enough to throw money at the iPad. It also gives off the impression that having the iPad means you are pretty clued in on technology and are accepting this new portable computer that is revolutionising the portable computer market, as well as the medium of the Internet. And to be honest, if I had enough disposable money, I would most probably buy one. The iPad, is like the iPhone 4, people seem to aspire to have one, to be at the top of the technological pyramid.

Project Natal (Kinect)

The Kinect is the newest addition to Microsoft's Xbox 360, this piece of software encourages the audience to become more envolved in gaming as it enables them to 'become the controller'. Microsoft's Xbox 360 is one of the highest selling game consoles of all time and evidently is sought after by many people, therefore the release of this new add-on is very likely to be successful as people will want to add to the gaming repertoire. The Kinect, or formally Project Natal, is a camera which recognises the gamers body shape and then uses this to create an animated character on screen which you can then use by moving your body parts to play games. The Kinect is designed to compete with the Wii (Nintendo) which is the leader in console sales and is a similar style of gameplay.

This advert for the Kinect shows a number of different people playing the console, the advert includes lots of different demographics though, as there are people of all races and genders. Also the advert identifies that Kinect can be played be people no matter there profession, as we see a man in business atire playing it but also a sports team and children, amongst others. The feeling I get from this advert is that Kinect is targeted unspecifically and tries to attract a mass audience.

The Exchange Value of the Kinect like most new technological advancements to come out of America, would be quite high. The reccomended retail price for the Kinect is £129 but it is estimated that it only costs Microsoft £44 to make, so therefore the would be making a substantial profit. Also the Symbolic Value of the Kinect is very clear, as the price tag is quite high, it would indicate that the owner would be quite affluent, but also owning one of these indicates to someone that you are an avid gamer who always purchases the next best thing when concerning game consoles. Yet the irony of it all is that it won't be long before the Kinect is outdated and the Kinect 2 hits the shelves and everyone is pressured into buying the new model so that they are not outdated themselves.

Horatio Alger

The phrase 'Horatio Alger' is a phrase which embeds the American Dream, his stories often used the concept of rags-to-riches to show how the American Dream works, this is seen in his novel 'Ragged Dick'. In which the protagonist Dick who is a poor boot black but through the pursuit of happiness, Dick goes on to become a well paid clerk and a 'spectable' young man. The use of this phrase as a contemporary saying is difficult to find, however the concept itself that Alger developed is still a very prominent ideal in modern day America.

The film 'The Pursuit of Happiness' was released in 2006 and stars Will Smith, this film is based on the true story of how Christopher Gardener achieved the American Dream going from rags-to-riches. The story is very fitting to many poor people in America juggling many jobs and struggling to pay the rent and survive, however it shows how the American Dream can be achieved for those who have the drive and desire to better their lives.

Horatio Alger, in my opinion, tried to portray this message that with desire and a wanting to have a better quality of life, in America, it can be achieved with the right work ethic. This film, which is based on a true story encapsulates Alger's idea. If the phrase were used today to describe the American Dream, then a story such as this would certainly be an example.

However the 'Horatio Alger Myth' which is a criticism of Alger's stories would also apply to such an film, as it glamorizes the American Dream and some people may believe provides an unrealistic account of how the American Dream can be achieved. Therefore I believe that Horatio Alger's ideals are outdated as this idea that was seen in 'Ragged Dick' of rags-to-riches, is not so telling in today's society.

3D LED TV by Samsung

This week I have chosen to look at one of the latest advertisements for the new 3D TVs available in America in 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xshgWuZmC6k

The commercial starts off with a typical family day out to the Sea Life Centre. I think this is to show that before you even know what the product is, it is for every typical American family and therefore easily accessible.
The Father then pulls out a box which has fish in it and it is 3D. They then drive home with the box on the roof and he puts the box into the television. This shows that this new TV can give you a realistic feel and a whole new dimension to enjoyment of TV.
I picked on the line "Have you ever wondered how amazing it would be to experience life in another dimension?". This is saying "well now you can", and tempting you to think about the question and want to buy the TV.

The Values...

The use Values of this product is pretty simple as it is to be used for consumer enjoyment and leisure. The Value as a commodity is that there is a new phenomenon of 3D TVs being brought at the same time, therefore there is competition. Samsung, in my opinion, is known as a good, reliable brand and therefore are more expensive than a lesser known brand name.
The symbolic value of this product is a little more complex. It really depends on sort of person you are and how high-tech you are. The advert suggests that it is for average families, however in reality this TV is worth thousands of Dollars.
So this links back to the lecture as you could buy a fountain pen that is used for writing that would also do the same job as a Monte Blanc pen. Likewise you could possibly find a 3D TV that wasn't a well known brand name that still did the same job yet it wouldn't have the same respectability and would not show what class you are in terms of wealth.
It would be very difficult to personalise your Samsung 3D TV as you would not put a huge scratch in the middle of the screen. In the lecture we discussed putting rips or dying our jeans to make them more individual. With electrical products it is increasingly difficult to make them different to everyone's 3D TV.

To some people having a 3D TV seems like the best thing in the world however to other people they would aspire to have one and in a way this gives a good indication to the person they are.

Glee Commercial

Glee is, to me, the most important television show on right now. And the commercial I’m focusing on is that for the DVD for the complete season one.

The commercial starts off with a Madonna rendition, which is a change from their most popular song (“Don’t Stop Believin’”). I really think it is placed there from a very advertising point of view, as Madonna is huge all around the world. It kind of seems that the producers are trying to show that Madonna is a fan, so, everyone else should be too.

The rest of the clips are some of the shows popular moments, showing the favourite characters (Sue Sylvester).

I picked up on the line “Mercedes is black, and I’m gay. We make culture” because it zones on the variation of minorities the show picks up on. And, the show as a whole has literally a person to connect to for everyone.

Linking it to the values which were discussed in class…

The use value of this product is simply, to watch it for enjoyment of the consumer. But the symbolic value really depends on who you are and your thoughts on the show. The value is dependent on what the status and word “Glee” means. Because even though it is out there for everyone, the way it affects each person, is different. So individuality can be brought in. So it links, to when in the lecture, we were talking about how jeans can ever be individual because they are mass produced. So instead of ripping or customising, we can have difference in the way we feel about “Glee”.

For some people, having the Glee DVD means nothing and really doesn’t appeal, whereas to others, it’s everything and it very much describes the type of person.

I also think that Glee is somewhat changing the culture of America (and if not the whole country, at least the people who watch it). Because it shows the transformation the country has gone through regarding stereotypes and sexuality. And I think it links to the reading of this week, because there was a section which spoke about the globalization of America, as McDonalds are placed nearly everywhere. And with Glee, it is now shown in over 30 countries.

Horatio Alger

During this weeks Blog task I came to the conclusion that it was going to be difficult to research Horatio Alger as he is not as well known as he maybe was 20 years after his death. This week I have decided to look at the Horatio Alger Association.

"The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles."

This quote is still related to the book and society in the 21st Century. Ragged Dick in the book has to work hard to get where he ends up. This would not be possible without determination and the aspiration to be a high achiever. In today's society this ideal is obviously still very huge part of American life. (This is also known as the "American Dream"). Again today without a hard work ethic and elbow grease you will not go very far. This is very much the same as Johnny Nolan.

International Horatio Alger Award
"The Horatio Alger Association annually presents the International Horatio Alger Award to a citizen of another country. As with the Horatio Alger Award, recipients of this award must have overcome humble beginnings and/or adversity to achieve success. They serve as outstanding role models to the international community and are committed to the Association's mission of encouraging and educating today's young people."

This award indicates that Alger's ideas of the "American Dream" also exist in countries all over the world. It still requires a the same sort of aspirations and the will to do well in life. Therefore countries all over the world do have "Americanized" ideals and aspire to achieve them. I have to stress that this association isn't to make you rich (Rags to Riches) but what was mentioned in this weeks lecture - Rages to Respectability. The awards on the website are just a stepping stone the right direction.

It is clear to see that Alger has not been totally forgotten and his theories are still very much a guide to a happy and fulfilling life.

http://www.horatioalger.com/index.cfm