When taking a look at media literacy earlier this week, it was shocking how similar the themes were to a high school class I took decades ago on Values in the Media! The strategies used by big advertising agencies to manipulate our emotions and opinions have remained very consistent, although the methods of implementing those strategies may have technologically evolved.
For example, a current ad campaign associates a sexy picture of Sheryl Crow with milk although the rock star really doesn't have anything to do with the product. Likewise, I vividly remember this example from my high school teacher:
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While my high school class got me thinking critically about every image I saw on TV commercials or in print (newspapers/magazines), today's kids need to think critically about messages they are receiving from those sources plus many more. It's not just advertising that tries to influence us. Kids are receiving messages from music, video games, social media, movies, and the list goes on...
It's important to make kids aware of the many kinds of media that affect their lives, give the kids tools for choosing which media to consume, help them to think critically about the messages they receive, and develop a way to evaluate the information.
One great example was just produced recently. I really like this video of Harry Caray calling the Cubs' World Series, I do. BUT, check out the poster behind the guy's head at 1:06. It's not a coincidence that the message "Cub Fan, Bud Man" is embedded in this very positively emotional video! And I'm guessing that Bud planted a few other subliminal gems in the video that I haven't caught yet. Budweiser didn't just make this video to make Cubs fans happy, they made it to sell more beer!
Okay, the Dodge logo shocked me. I never noticed that. I counted 20 times seeing Bud beer bottles or signs in the video, I am sure there is more. Thank you for sharing, I love to see the sneaky advertisers since this was my previous world prior to teaching.
ReplyDeleteDodge Truck image = completely shocked! I have never seen that before! I know how much I have watched the plethora of Cubs videos, so I can only imagine how much the advertisers were able to sneak in... I must pay more attention to that now!
ReplyDeleteSharon this was a fantastic post by you. Excellent (and quite jaw dropping) example that although you viewed years ago is not only still available online but also still relevant! You should tweet out this post encouraging others to read it- it's very well done.
ReplyDeleteThat Dodge logo -- no wonder it always looked familiar to me and not as a ram! Very impactful --
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely shocking about the Dodge logo! I was fascinated with the video and am now finding myself being critically thinking about all of the advertising I see. I completely agree with you that media literacy is a must for students!
ReplyDeleteI'll never look at a Dodge logo again without thinking of your post!
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