(Opening sound effect: Bustle of people in a school hallway)
Voice over sound effect: There are some opportunities you will encounter in college that you shouldn't pass up. This is one of them.
(Begin Background Music)
Me: This semester, professor Rick Paul of the Business Administration Department is offering his new non-profit management course.
Me: Open to students in any major, this course gives you real experience working with real clients in and around the Lyndon community.
Me: You won't get this kind of experience anywhere else. Are you ready for the real world?
(closing sound effect: YES!)
*sound effects and background music courtesy of pacdv.com*
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Old and new advertisements
Here is my old and new advertisements assignment. Granted, this is a day late, but better late than never right???
Advertising is a tool that is over a century old that has companies use to promote their products and get their name out in the marketplace. Every day, someone is exposed to advertising in some form and it begins to prominently influence their lives. Whether it be through the food they eat, the beverages they drink, the clothes they wear, the car they drive, the stores they shop at, and far beyond, advertising is something that touches the lives of millions, and has been doing so for over 100 years.
One of my assignments was to compare ads for three specific companies or products and discuss how they have evolved over time.
The first product that I chose to explore the ads for was Budweiser, which has been a familiar product since the late 1800's. The vintage ad that I found for Budweiser came from 1940. This ad featured what appears to be a hand-drawn image of two young children and their dog watching a bus drive by. The phrase that appears next to this image is "Their Hero Arrives on the Next Bus." You find out that the hero they are referring to is the children's father who will be arriving home from work shortly. This is written in one of the 2 paragraphs of text below the image. Under this is a very simple Budweiser logo with a promotional test for the product.
This ad features a lot of text and tells a story rather than just simply advertising the product. The target audience of this ad is very small and focused at attracting working parents (primarily fathers) who may want to come home and have a cold beer while spending time with their families. The logo for the beer is small and at the bottom of the page. This ad uses white space effectively, but unfortunately it is not very eye-catching. I feel like this ad would have been more effective without all the writing, and the imagery should have been more effective so people would have known right off that they were looking at a beer ad.
I liked the modern Budweiser ad much better. it was much simpler but I feel like it advertised the much more effectively. For starters, it features a very eye-catching product logo at the very top of the page, so readers are instantly aware of the product that is being advertised. The ad itself features an image of a large beer bottle with various party/clubbing symbols around it. Their slogan, "King of Beers" is featured in a small bubble around the other symbols, so it is still visible but does not dominate the page or take anything valuable away from the ad. The phrase "King of the Club" is featured in a banner at the bottom of the page.
The logo and two slogans featured in this ad are the only words that are used within the ad, and yet readers are more than aware of what the product is and the image that it is trying to portray. The color scheme consists of eye-catching blacks and reds, with a touch of white to break it up and make it stand out even more. The target audience that this ad is reaching out to is also consistently larger, as it targets both younger and older generations who still enjoy the clubbing scene. The ad is straightforward and to the point while still being effective. This is why it is well done.
The next product that I chose to explore the ads for was Barbie, a favorite toy of young girls since the early to mid 1900's. The vintage Barbie ad that I found appears to have come from around the 1950's or 60's. This ad is for a new, talking Barbie and features a hand drawn, humanistic image of a Barbie doll in a risque pink outfit. In a conversation bubble at the top of the page, the Barbie is telling you that she can say many "swinging" things. Under the conversation bubble, the fact that the product is new is emphasized along with the Barbie logo, as both appear bold and in color. The bottom of the ad features several short sentences describing the doll in small bold black print. The fact that the doll talks is mentioned the same way, 3 different times within the ad.
The colors in this ad were very dull, and the writing was plain and boring. The logo, and the fact that the product is new should be featured at the top of the article so that they are the first thing that people see. I also feel like this ad is not targeting the appropriate audience, as most little girls are not going to be interested in taking the time to read all about the doll, or may not be able to read at all. This ad is targeted more at parents who may want to buy the doll for their little girls, but it still doesn't give them much to look at, and takes away from the ad. I was not particularly impressed by the style of this ad.
The modern Barbie ad was very straightforward. it features a large image of a doll's face on a bright pink background with white stars and a large bright white Barbie logo. The logo is the only word that is used in this ad and I feel like this is more than enough as the imagery can speak for itself. A little girl is very likely to recognize a picture of a Barbie doll and the Barbie logo, and will be more interested in this than reading about the doll. The ad is also very brightly colored and eye-catching, making it ideal for attracting the attention of little girls. I feel as though this ad is more effective than it would be had it modeled the vintage ad.
The last ads that I chose to explore were for the jewelry store, Zales. The vintage ad that I explored looks to be at least 20 years old, and it was advertising a watch sale. This ad is black and white and had a lot of writing (which in this case was necessary if it was advertising a sale). The border and background surrounding the ad features images of various watches. This appeared to be an ad that came from a newspaper, and it attracted my attention because of the bold print and watch images. They made the most of the space that they had and were able to get the point across. If this were a full page ad, or an ad that were to be featured in color in a magazine, than I would have liked to see it be more creative. In this case; however, it served its purpose and I was okay with it.
The modern Zales ad that I found was my favorite of all of them. This ad was done using a solid black background. In the center of the page, there is an image of a beautiful diamond ring and the words "Love Rocks" written in bright white letters above the image. This is a very simple ad, but one that will initially attract the attention of females wanting a diamond, or males looking to buy a diamond for their girls. Nothing else is necessary, this ad is great as is.
Advertising is a tool that is over a century old that has companies use to promote their products and get their name out in the marketplace. Every day, someone is exposed to advertising in some form and it begins to prominently influence their lives. Whether it be through the food they eat, the beverages they drink, the clothes they wear, the car they drive, the stores they shop at, and far beyond, advertising is something that touches the lives of millions, and has been doing so for over 100 years.
One of my assignments was to compare ads for three specific companies or products and discuss how they have evolved over time.
The first product that I chose to explore the ads for was Budweiser, which has been a familiar product since the late 1800's. The vintage ad that I found for Budweiser came from 1940. This ad featured what appears to be a hand-drawn image of two young children and their dog watching a bus drive by. The phrase that appears next to this image is "Their Hero Arrives on the Next Bus." You find out that the hero they are referring to is the children's father who will be arriving home from work shortly. This is written in one of the 2 paragraphs of text below the image. Under this is a very simple Budweiser logo with a promotional test for the product.
This ad features a lot of text and tells a story rather than just simply advertising the product. The target audience of this ad is very small and focused at attracting working parents (primarily fathers) who may want to come home and have a cold beer while spending time with their families. The logo for the beer is small and at the bottom of the page. This ad uses white space effectively, but unfortunately it is not very eye-catching. I feel like this ad would have been more effective without all the writing, and the imagery should have been more effective so people would have known right off that they were looking at a beer ad.
I liked the modern Budweiser ad much better. it was much simpler but I feel like it advertised the much more effectively. For starters, it features a very eye-catching product logo at the very top of the page, so readers are instantly aware of the product that is being advertised. The ad itself features an image of a large beer bottle with various party/clubbing symbols around it. Their slogan, "King of Beers" is featured in a small bubble around the other symbols, so it is still visible but does not dominate the page or take anything valuable away from the ad. The phrase "King of the Club" is featured in a banner at the bottom of the page.
The logo and two slogans featured in this ad are the only words that are used within the ad, and yet readers are more than aware of what the product is and the image that it is trying to portray. The color scheme consists of eye-catching blacks and reds, with a touch of white to break it up and make it stand out even more. The target audience that this ad is reaching out to is also consistently larger, as it targets both younger and older generations who still enjoy the clubbing scene. The ad is straightforward and to the point while still being effective. This is why it is well done.
The next product that I chose to explore the ads for was Barbie, a favorite toy of young girls since the early to mid 1900's. The vintage Barbie ad that I found appears to have come from around the 1950's or 60's. This ad is for a new, talking Barbie and features a hand drawn, humanistic image of a Barbie doll in a risque pink outfit. In a conversation bubble at the top of the page, the Barbie is telling you that she can say many "swinging" things. Under the conversation bubble, the fact that the product is new is emphasized along with the Barbie logo, as both appear bold and in color. The bottom of the ad features several short sentences describing the doll in small bold black print. The fact that the doll talks is mentioned the same way, 3 different times within the ad.
The colors in this ad were very dull, and the writing was plain and boring. The logo, and the fact that the product is new should be featured at the top of the article so that they are the first thing that people see. I also feel like this ad is not targeting the appropriate audience, as most little girls are not going to be interested in taking the time to read all about the doll, or may not be able to read at all. This ad is targeted more at parents who may want to buy the doll for their little girls, but it still doesn't give them much to look at, and takes away from the ad. I was not particularly impressed by the style of this ad.
The modern Barbie ad was very straightforward. it features a large image of a doll's face on a bright pink background with white stars and a large bright white Barbie logo. The logo is the only word that is used in this ad and I feel like this is more than enough as the imagery can speak for itself. A little girl is very likely to recognize a picture of a Barbie doll and the Barbie logo, and will be more interested in this than reading about the doll. The ad is also very brightly colored and eye-catching, making it ideal for attracting the attention of little girls. I feel as though this ad is more effective than it would be had it modeled the vintage ad.
The last ads that I chose to explore were for the jewelry store, Zales. The vintage ad that I explored looks to be at least 20 years old, and it was advertising a watch sale. This ad is black and white and had a lot of writing (which in this case was necessary if it was advertising a sale). The border and background surrounding the ad features images of various watches. This appeared to be an ad that came from a newspaper, and it attracted my attention because of the bold print and watch images. They made the most of the space that they had and were able to get the point across. If this were a full page ad, or an ad that were to be featured in color in a magazine, than I would have liked to see it be more creative. In this case; however, it served its purpose and I was okay with it.
The modern Zales ad that I found was my favorite of all of them. This ad was done using a solid black background. In the center of the page, there is an image of a beautiful diamond ring and the words "Love Rocks" written in bright white letters above the image. This is a very simple ad, but one that will initially attract the attention of females wanting a diamond, or males looking to buy a diamond for their girls. Nothing else is necessary, this ad is great as is.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
30 second radio ad
Title: Non-Profit Management
Client/Sponsor: Lyndon State College Business Administration Department
Length: 30 seconds
Air Dates: Unknown
Want to gain some real-world experience? The Business Administration Department at
Lyndon State College has just the class for you. Our new Non-Profit Management course
gives students the opportunity to work with others and perform real tasks for real
clients in and around the Lyndon community. This semester, students were given the
opportunity to write a new mission statement and design a new logo for the Lyndon
Chamber of Commerce. Final projects will be presented on Tuesday, May 11.
Open to students in any major, this non-profit management course will give you the
experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Watch for registration details.
Client/Sponsor: Lyndon State College Business Administration Department
Length: 30 seconds
Air Dates: Unknown
Want to gain some real-world experience? The Business Administration Department at
Lyndon State College has just the class for you. Our new Non-Profit Management course
gives students the opportunity to work with others and perform real tasks for real
clients in and around the Lyndon community. This semester, students were given the
opportunity to write a new mission statement and design a new logo for the Lyndon
Chamber of Commerce. Final projects will be presented on Tuesday, May 11.
Open to students in any major, this non-profit management course will give you the
experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Watch for registration details.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Ad stats
Advertisement:
Visual- still waiting
Headline- Something about real world experience (as of right now, ready for the real world?)
Subhead- Non-profit Management
Swing line- a course designed with the real world in mind
Body copy- What the students have done so far in the class this semester in the class
Zinger- REAL clients, REAL assignments, REAL community, REAL world experience
Call to Action- Class is open to all students in all majors and skill levels.
Logo- Lyndon Logo
Mandatories- Lyndon Address, phone number, etc.
Visual- still waiting
Headline- Something about real world experience (as of right now, ready for the real world?)
Subhead- Non-profit Management
Swing line- a course designed with the real world in mind
Body copy- What the students have done so far in the class this semester in the class
Zinger- REAL clients, REAL assignments, REAL community, REAL world experience
Call to Action- Class is open to all students in all majors and skill levels.
Logo- Lyndon Logo
Mandatories- Lyndon Address, phone number, etc.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Good-Bad Advertisements
The last assignment for Strategic Media Communications was to find examples of good and bad advertisements in magazines and newspapers. I forgot to do this assignment so I am posting it a few days late....oops.
One example of a bad advertisement that I found was an ad that was included on 2 different pages in last week's issue of The Critic. The ad was in color and eye catching, but all it had was an orange background with various patterns of yellow lines running through it. I found this ad to be ineffective because it gave people no indication as to what it was about, or what it was advertising. I feel like this ad would have been more effective with either the inclusion of writing, or an obvious visual explaining what it was about.
One example of a good advertisement that I found was from the March 31 issue of The Wall Street Journal. It was a full page color ad put out by Toyota. I found this ad to be effective because rather than using visuals of cars or displaying a large Toyota logo, this ad (and other similar ads) took the opportunity to answer consumer questions about how they plan to improve and assure the safety of their vehicles. The question was quoted in black at the top of the ad, and the answer was posted in red on about 3/4 of the page. The only time in which the Toyota logo appeared was at the bottom of the page. I found this ad to be effective because it was consumer based, and placed their needs among the needs of the company to display their logo and products.
Another example of a good ad that I found was in the same issue of the Wall Street Journal. It was a 1/8 page, black and white ad for Tiffany and Co., a jewelry company. This ad featured a 3 layer ring in the center, which was the focus, with some small writing underneath explaining what the item was. The logo was centered at the bottom of the ad, so that can easily catch peoples attention as well after they are initially attracted to the ring that is shown. I thought that this was effective because the item that is featured catches your eye, and draws you to the company based on product. It was also featured on the top right hand corner of the page so it would be hard to miss. Personally, this was the first thing that I saw when I opened to this page.
An ad on the same page that I found to be not so effective was a 1/8 page, black and white ad for David Yurman, which appears to be another jewelry company. The reason that I was not real drawn to this ad was because it focused more on the model wearing the bracelet being advertised rather than the bracelet itself. While I understand that people may like to see an image of how something might look on them before they purchase it, I feel like this was not the most effective way to do that. I think they should have had a larger image of the bracelet, and maybe just have displayed the model's arm rather than a larger image of her. People are drawn away from what the focus of the ad is supposed to be.
One final ad that I found to be effective came from the same source. It was a full page ad for Chevron, a company promoting the improvement of the economy through use of human energy. This was a full page, color ad. The thing that made this ad most effective for me was not the statistics that were displayed at the top (though those are important), but rather the face of an innocent little girl that takes up about half of the ad. This attracted me because it showed be that through improvement of the economy through Chevron, we could be saving this little girls life, and providing her with a healthier and better place to live in her future. I also liked this ad because, like the others, it did not have it's logo plastered all over the page, just modestly in the bottom right hand corner. This focuses more on the people, not the company.
One example of a bad advertisement that I found was an ad that was included on 2 different pages in last week's issue of The Critic. The ad was in color and eye catching, but all it had was an orange background with various patterns of yellow lines running through it. I found this ad to be ineffective because it gave people no indication as to what it was about, or what it was advertising. I feel like this ad would have been more effective with either the inclusion of writing, or an obvious visual explaining what it was about.
One example of a good advertisement that I found was from the March 31 issue of The Wall Street Journal. It was a full page color ad put out by Toyota. I found this ad to be effective because rather than using visuals of cars or displaying a large Toyota logo, this ad (and other similar ads) took the opportunity to answer consumer questions about how they plan to improve and assure the safety of their vehicles. The question was quoted in black at the top of the ad, and the answer was posted in red on about 3/4 of the page. The only time in which the Toyota logo appeared was at the bottom of the page. I found this ad to be effective because it was consumer based, and placed their needs among the needs of the company to display their logo and products.
Another example of a good ad that I found was in the same issue of the Wall Street Journal. It was a 1/8 page, black and white ad for Tiffany and Co., a jewelry company. This ad featured a 3 layer ring in the center, which was the focus, with some small writing underneath explaining what the item was. The logo was centered at the bottom of the ad, so that can easily catch peoples attention as well after they are initially attracted to the ring that is shown. I thought that this was effective because the item that is featured catches your eye, and draws you to the company based on product. It was also featured on the top right hand corner of the page so it would be hard to miss. Personally, this was the first thing that I saw when I opened to this page.
An ad on the same page that I found to be not so effective was a 1/8 page, black and white ad for David Yurman, which appears to be another jewelry company. The reason that I was not real drawn to this ad was because it focused more on the model wearing the bracelet being advertised rather than the bracelet itself. While I understand that people may like to see an image of how something might look on them before they purchase it, I feel like this was not the most effective way to do that. I think they should have had a larger image of the bracelet, and maybe just have displayed the model's arm rather than a larger image of her. People are drawn away from what the focus of the ad is supposed to be.
One final ad that I found to be effective came from the same source. It was a full page ad for Chevron, a company promoting the improvement of the economy through use of human energy. This was a full page, color ad. The thing that made this ad most effective for me was not the statistics that were displayed at the top (though those are important), but rather the face of an innocent little girl that takes up about half of the ad. This attracted me because it showed be that through improvement of the economy through Chevron, we could be saving this little girls life, and providing her with a healthier and better place to live in her future. I also liked this ad because, like the others, it did not have it's logo plastered all over the page, just modestly in the bottom right hand corner. This focuses more on the people, not the company.
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