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  1. My Final Post

    August 13, 2014 by jqs5974

    It’s crazy to think that the summer session is over. I know they say time flies when you’re having fun but it still feels like I just unpacked my things yesterday. But in that short time, I managed to have the time of my life. These past 6 weeks have given me an amazing chance to get acclimated to a giant campus, meet a ton of new people, and enjoy learning in a way I’ve never been able to do before. Professor Nichols class was not only the first class I truly enjoyed in my life, but it also gave me a chance to view this campus and our society as a whole from a whole different viewpoint. We were challenged to learn new things about people we would have normally never talked to, and it showed me how there are some amazing people on this campus. It was the perfect combination of challenging, interesting, and enjoyable all in one class. Before I end my final blog post of the summer, I’d like to thank everyone who made this summer so amazing for me: Professor Nichols, John Schneider, the entire LEAP C2 (especially our awesome mentor, Kelsey), my amazing roommate Jack, and all the other great people I’ve met while being here. It’s the people here that make this University the incredible place it is. It feels weird to say that summer session is over, but after 6 weeks, 2 classes, 2 amazing teachers, 5 essays, 5 personal blog posts, 1 short film, 8 seasons of Weeds, way too many trips to Chipotle, not enough trips to the gym, and a lifetime of memories, I’m proud to say that summer session was a success. See you all in the fall!

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  2. My FYE Video. It’s Been Real

    August 11, 2014 by jqs5974

     


  3. Wag the Dog Answers

    August 8, 2014 by jqs5974

    1. Explain the metaphor of “wag the dog.” What does the title of the film suggest?

    – The tail represents the media in this movie and the dog represents all the citizens of America. Since a dog can control its tail because it is smarter than the tail, you think that the people would be able to control the media. This film is trying to say that the media (the tail) can control the people (the dog).

    2. Who is Mr. Fix-it? What does he do?

    – Mr. Fix-it is played by Robert Di Nero in the movie. He works for the president by making sure helooks good to the people through the media.

    3. What is the significance of the producer’s house being larger than the White House? What message does that relay?

    – The size of the producer’s house shows that he has more power than the president. The producer controls the media, and the president is nothing without help from the media.

    4. Explain the significance of: We remember the slogans, but we don’t remember the war” in terms of media’s effectiveness.

    – All throughout history, people don’t care about what wars we have fought in, but they can remember the propaganda that the media has used to keep our attention on that war.

    5.Explain the significance of “of course there’s a war; I’m seeing it on TV” in terms of media’s effectiveness.

    – The movie is showing how people believe everything that is shown on TV. People trust the media and they don’t think that the media is putting any sort of spin on what they’re reporting.

    6.Who seems more powerful, the producer or the president? Why?

    – The media shows more power because people are more willing to listen and believe to whatever they say. There is an important scene in this movie where the producer puts the president on hold, and that shows the producer’s dominance over the president.

    7.The merchandising of products such as the “303 Burger” which Schuman “ate” behind enemy lines is often reflected in our society today. Provide 3 examples of this type of merchandising.

    – Companies tie people and events to their products all the time. Some examples of this consist of:

    – Gatorade using athletes such as Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning in their commercials

    Livestrong bracelets donating profits to cancer research

    – The television show Weeds Diet Coke only having their characters drink Diet Coke as product placement.

    8.Why do you think people follow the “shoes trend?” Can you think of trends like that in our society?

    The “shoe trend” in the movie shows a good example of how influenced people in our society can be from a trend of fad that gets popular. Trends such as flash mobs or gluten free diets are examples of popular trends in our society today.

    9.Find examples of how Wag the Dog demonstrates the following four principles of media: Media construct reality, media present ideology & value messages, commercial interests, code and conventions.

    – Constructs reality: the media is able to say whatever it wants and people will always believe it’s true.

    – Media present ideology and value messages: It’s hard to not believe the media, but we have to understand that they can be biased and they have the freedom to lie for whatever reason they want.

    – Commercial Interests: Companies are always willing to put their products where people will be influenced if they see them. Places such as commercials, movies, and TV shows

    – Code and Conventions: Things that make events seem more dramatic such as the dog that followed the casket in the movie

    10 .How was the NEWS media portrayed and what current examples do you know of in our society?

    – I think that the media was portrayed poorly in this movie. I don’t think the news would create an made-up war in our society just to get the people to like the president more. That being said, the media can always be lying to us in some way. An example of this would be a company advertising only the benefits of a product and leaving out anything harmful about the product.

    wag the dog 2wag the dog


  4. FYE #5: Let’s Just Skip to Football Season

    August 7, 2014 by jqs5974

    On October 12, 2013, before I had even been accepted to Penn State, my family and I came up to Happy Valley to see The Penn State Nittany Lions play the highly favored Michigan Wolverines during homecoming weekend. I had been to many Philadelphia Eagles games before, but this was my first time stepping foot in Beaver Stadium. The second I got to my seat and saw the sea of 110,000 screaming fans all wearing white, I knew this was the college I wanted to attend. Everything about that game was perfect: The WE ARE… PENN STATE chants amongst the student section, the singing of Sweet Caroline in the third quarter, and the incredible amount of pride that everyone shared for their beloved Nittany Lions. There’s nowhere else like it in the country. The game itself happened to be one of the most exciting Penn State football games in Penn State football history as Penn State stunned Michigan 43-40 in a 4OT thriller. That game was without a doubt the best sporting event I had ever been to.

    Here we are now, 23 days away from Penn State’s season opener in Ireland and 30 days away from Penn State’s home opener, and I’m already starting to feel the excitement. Seeing that Michigan game was amazing, but it’s a whole other level in the student section. Summer Session has been absolutely amazing, but it’s time for football season to start. It’s time to see college avenue full with thousands of people from all over the country, and it’s time to see 110,000 fans gather to one location to see our Nittany Lions win. Who cares if we can’t play in a bowl game for the next two seasons. The NCAA can take that away from us, but they will never be able to take away the pride we have for our team and our university. It’s time to start playing football again.

    PSU vs MichPSU vs Mich 2PSU vs Mich 3PSU vs Mich 4

     


  5. Diversity Interview: Andy Kwon

    August 4, 2014 by jqs5974

    Our signature cheer here at Penn State is WE ARE! That means that our community is one big family regardless of race or religion. Recently I got the chance to talk to Andy Kwon about our Penn State family through his eyes. Andy is a Korean-American student who was accepted into the summer session at Penn State and plans on majoring in business. His grandparents moved to America from Korea and he has lived in southeast Pennsylvania all his life. I met Andy and we decided to go into the dining hall to talk more about the diversity around this campus. On our way into the dining hall, we walked by a group of other Asian-American students all talking to each other in their native language. Andy immediately told me that he feels that people assume that’s how all Asian-American students are on campus. Andy told me that he thinks that, “people think that I’m only friends with other Asians and that we all talk to each other in Korean because we don’t know English very well”. The truth of the matter is that Andy has never had a conversation with somebody on campus in any other language besides English and he has made a large group of friends here of all ethnicities. Andy told me that “race has never been an issue for me. People like me for who I am, and the friends I have made have never been affected by my race”. Another stereotype Andy constantly hears as an Asian-American is that doing well in school comes natural to him and that he doesn’t have to work hard to get good grades. Andy told me how hard he had to work in high school to be accepted into Penn State and how hard he’s had to work this summer in order to maintain good grades while he’s been here. Andy said “I’m not as naturally smart as many people think I am. I’ve had to study harder than most people to get where I am now”.
    Outside of the classroom, Andy has a ton of hobbies and interests that have given him the opportunity to meet so many people. He has played tennis all his life, and was one of the key reasons why his high school tennis team has been so successful over the past few years. Some of Andy’s closest friends, he made through the tennis team. They were people of all ethnicities, “it didn’t matter if they were Asian, Indian, White, Black, Jewish, Christian, everybody just got along so well and that’s what made them such good teammates and friends”. Andy also enjoys playing basketball and football for fun. Ever since I talked with Andy I have seen him playing basketball on the Pollock courts multiple times. His favorite athlete is Jeremy Lin because he “proved so many people wrong who believed that Asian-Americans can’t play basketball”. He told me that most of his friends from back home in high school were caucasian and that he didn’t care what race the people he hung out with were, he only cared if they were good people. His friends also never seemed to bring up the fact that he was Asian as well. He talked like them, dressed like them, and had the same interests as them so there never were any racial barriers between him and his non Asian friends in high school.
    I then started asking him about his Korean culture outside of school and the traditions he keeps at home. Andy is a Catholic who is very involved at his Korean Catholic church. He has done community service and other events with his youth group in the church, and it is here where he has made so many friends in the Korean community. A solid majority of his closest Asian-American friends are his friends that he met at his church. “They’re not much different than my caucasian friends at school” Andy told me. He said he doesn’t have to change his personality when he’s with his Korean friends, because like his friends from school, he only chooses to hang out with the people who share common interests with him. Andy seemed to know a different Korean kid from his church at every high school he would go to for an away tennis match. He said that he “wishes more of his church friends went to his school because he really thinks that they would get along with his caucasian friends from school”. As for his traditions at home, Andy’s family celebrates all the holidays most Americans do. They have turkey on Thanksgiving and ham on Christmas and Easter. Andy says that his family has really adopted a western culture when it comes to holidays and traditions. The only holiday Andy’s family celebrates differently is New Years. Their Korean New Years is much more about paying respect to elders and people who have always been there for you. It’s a much different process than the average American New Years Eve party.
    Overall I would say that Andy has adapted well to being a different ethnicity than most people on campus. His race has never gotten in the way of him making friends and meeting new people. He has a nice balance of caucasian friends from his school and Korean friends from outside of school, and that gives him the chance to be with people of all different ethnicities, even though everyone seems the same to him. I really think that Andy proves all the dumb stereotypes about Asian-Americans wrong. He doesn’t always speak in his native language, he isn’t a natural genius, and he lives a regular American life, because that’s what he is, an American. I’m glad I got a chance to meet and speak with Andy because he really showed me how similar people of different ethnicities can be, and how all those stereotypes of every different race or religion are just myths.
    When we say We Are Penn State we represent our entire community. It doesn’t matter if what you’re race or religion is because none of that matters. Everyone here is just a student of Penn State, and that is a better group to be in than anything else. There will always be stereotypes about different groups of people, but that doesn’t mean they are true. The day our society can put those stereotypes aside and realize that were all humans regardless of where you’re ancestors came from is the day that we will be able to coexist peacefully on this planet.

    andy kwon


  6. FYE Week 4

    July 31, 2014 by jqs5974

    It’s weird to think that summer session is almost coming to a close. Tomorrow will be August which means there will be less than 2 weeks after this one. Tomorrow will also be my 18th birthday thus ending my 17 year and 364 day run as a legal child. I know being considered a legal adult isn’t much of a change from how I was when I was 17 (aside from being able to vote and buy lottery tickets and all that good stuff) , but I do feel a different sense of change as I turn 18. Today and every day before, my responsibilities belonged to me and my parents, tomorrow they just belong to me. Of course my parents will always be there when I need them, but there is definitely a certain feeling of independence when you turn 18 and you are officially an adult. If I wanted to, I have to power to go anywhere I want and do whatever I want. Of course the only thing I want to do for the next 4 years is get a degree at Penn State, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, summer session is in full swing and it has never been more exciting. Every single day I get a little more excited about the fall semester. I am also looking forward to seeing all my friends and family in our short break between summer session and fall session. It should be a nice change of pace, but only for a little while. Happy Valley is the only place I really want to be.

    18


  7. Critical Viewing: Lottery Ticket

    July 31, 2014 by jqs5974

    Thesis

     

    The 2010 film Lottery Ticket is a comedy that has much more underneath the surface than one would expect. Overall, it plays off of many stereotypes in an attempt to convey its message to the audience. It aims to cause viewers to think about many hard-hitting issues, such as urban struggles and how shallow humans can be.

    Step One: Detection

     


    Lottery_ticket_poster

    Identification

    In this critical review we will be looking at the entirety of the 2010 film Lottery Ticket. One could find this movie on DVD or through various streaming sites.

     

     

    Step Two: Description

     

    Detailed Description

    The movie follows the story of the main character, Kevin Carson, who is played by Shad “Bow Wow” Moss. It takes place in the Fillmore Projects. Kevin’s true friends and family consist of his best friend Benny, his other best friend Stacie, and his grandmother.

    Kevin is employed at the local Foot Locker shoe store. After an unfortunate encounter with the neighborhood bully, Lorenzo, he finds himself in a bit of a slump. Noticing this, Stacie gets him a fortune cookie in an attempt to lift his spirits. He uses the lucky numbers from this fortune cookie to purchase a lottery ticket, despite him not believing in it.

    The next morning, to his surprise, he actually won. He tries to keep it a secret, and asks everybody who is aware to do the same. Much to his dismay, his grandmother lets the secret out. When Kevin tries to cash in his ticket, he sees a sign saying the store is closed for the weekend because of the July 4th holiday. Now, Kevin has to try to manage this lottery ticket until he can cash it in.

    Kevin initially wants to deny actually getting a winning ticket. He quickly changes his mind after he realizes the power and respect it has given him. It even brings in one of the hottest girls around, Nikki Swazey. He plans to take her on an expensive date, however, he has no money. So one of Kevin’s newfound friends brings him to somebody else in order to get some extra cash from Sweet Tee. He is also assigned a bodyguard, Jimmy. Kevin and his friends quickly spend this newfound money. At the end of his night, he almost has a sexual relation with Nikki. She insists that he doesn’t use a condom, which he declines. He learns that this is because she wants to get pregnant from a rich man. Kevin, disappointed on his way home, meets Mr. Washington. He tells Kevin about how the riches that came with his career as a boxer only ruined his friendships.

    The following day, Kevin attends a church. This church service, as everything else is turning out to be, ends up asking for some of Kevin’s funds. Kevin is understandably displeased with this. As he is leaving, he gets stopped by Lorenzo. He narrowly manages to escape. Jimmy, however, is greatly hurt.

    Benny offers to hold the ticket in order to protect Kevin. Kevin takes this as another attempt at getting his money and gets offended. He then ends up at Stacie’s house. After having an epiphany about how he should spend his money, they almost have a passionate relation; it gets interrupted by Stacie’s mother. Kevin, with only one escape option, jumps out of the window. From the ground, he tells Stacie that he loves her.

    Upon leaving, Kevin is promptly attacked and knocked out by Lorenzo. He is robbed of what has been both a blessing and curse: the ticket. Mr. Washington finds him and gets him home. He meets up with Benny the next morning, and the set out to find Lorenzo and get the ticket back. However, they are intercepted by Sweet Tee. Kevin is given a death threat by him if he doesn’t get his money back. He assures Sweet Tee that Lorenzo has the solution to his problems.

    Sweet Tee ends up running into Lorenzo, and the two brawl. Kevin and Mr. Washington end up at the scene, and things get messy. In the end of it all, Mr. Washington hits Lorenzo and gives the ticket to Kevin. He can now finally get his money.

    It now shifts to the future, and shows Kevin’s shoe company. His company gives back to the community and tries to make it a better place. The people in charge of his company, along with himself, are his true friends who stuck with him through everything. The movie ends with a scene of them all flying away in a new helicopter.


    Creator/Creator’s Purpose

    Erik White says in an interview with Voice of America News that he wrote Lottery Ticket with the intention of making a film with a deep meaning, but still components of comedy. He was quoted saying, “I really wanted to get across a story with some moral fiber to it, to give people something to think about when they leave the theater” (Silverman). He also says,  “It’s more of a great story with funny stuff in it, which makes it a little bit different from the typical ‘urban’ film” (Silverman).

     

    Function/Purpose & Genre

    Lottery Ticket, as a comedy films, is made to entertain the audience.

     

    Step Three: Deconstructionlottery ticket 2

     

    Underlying myths/stereotypes

    The primary myth illustrated in Lottery Ticket is the way the African-American culture is portrayed. The movie takes place in a city, and the main setting is the neighborhood where Kevin lives. Stereotypes are viewed in most aspects of the setting, as the neighborhood is a stereotypical ghetto with a bunch of thug-looking guys wearing du-rags and blasting hip-hop music. It’s very stereotypical and not always true, making a very hasty generalization about the predominantly African-American neighborhoods in cities. Other stereotypes included was the bully-jailbird of the neighborhood, the slang and the way the actors in the movie were talking, and the use of the n-word between African-Americans.

     

    Evidence for linking myths and stereotypes

    Lottery Ticket takes place in a neighborhood that is a very stereotypical “hood” that would be in a predominantly African-American part of the city. There are a bunch of ratty, torn up, apartments and houses that all look the same. There’s people smoking and dressed in tank tops and du rags and baggy shorts. Everywhere the camera pans and changes scenes there’s hip-hop music playing in the background. It’s the same stereotypical “gangster rap era” persona that every rapper had in hip hop and how African-Americans are portrayed in other movies.

    The slang used and the way the characters talked was another stereotype that was prevalent in the movie. The sound of the voices were stereotypical to how other African-Americans in the projects are portrayed in Hollywood. A few good examples of slang used and the way the characters speak stick out. For example, one of the characters says to Kevin, “N****, you can’t put rims on a helicopter. Ain’t got no damn wheels!” as well as another time when the stereotypical, fresh out of jail badboy, references other stereotypes in culture. “used to have to steal them off n****s’’ feet. Just rob them. But thanks to you, we got new shoes fresh out the box. That’s love, man,” is what Lorenzo says to Kevin, while making more stereotypical comments about crime culture in neighborhoods.

    Another stereotype is that the women all dress in provocative, racy clothing and appear as sexy. This is a stereotype not limited to race, and shows up all over media outlets and makes women of all different races and ethnic groups seen as sex objects. The other stereotype about women in the movie is how they are viewed as gold diggers. After the neighborhood finds out about Kevin winning the lottery, all the girls, specifically Nikki, the attractive girl who has dated famous rappers, start to notice Kevin and wanting to date/sleep with him. Nikki and Kevin were about to have sex and Nikki basically told him she only wanted to have his baby to make money off of him. It makes women look bad as a whole, since not all women are gold diggers like the movie makes them out to be.

     

    Significant Omissions

    One significant event that was left out of the movie was what happened to Lorenzo after Mr. Washington knocks him out. The whole movie focused on how much of a bad boy Lorenzo was, and the fact that he just got out of prison. After he gets knocked out, that’s the last we seem of him. It leaves open interpretation to what happened, as he could have gone back to jail for assaulting Kevin and also attempting to steal his lottery ticket. The movie lets off and doesn’t say what happens next.

    Another omission from the movie that leaves interpretation for the viewer is what else Kevin does with his money in the future. Obviously, it could lead for a sequel and we may find out. However, as a viewer I was curious to see what else Kevin might do with the money he won from the lottery.

    Step 4: Diagnosis

    Meanings and Possible Interpretations:Lottery Ticket portrays African Americans in a way that makes them look lazy and dangerous. The fact that everyone in their lower class neighborhood was African American gives them a bad reputation because it shows that all white people are too good to live there and only African Americans would live in such a place. Despite the negative stereotypes portrayed in this movie, there are some good messages that the movie teaches. It shows the importance of selflessness giving back to your community when they are in need. When Kevin ends up with his money in the end, he stresses the importance in using that money to improve his neighborhood and improve the community. He always stands by his neighborhood, even when the neighbors kept trying to get a piece of his fortune.

    Comparison With Rational Models: This movie has so many universal stereotypes that we have seen so many times in portrayals of African American urban communities. People are unemployed, everyone has a gun, people go nuts at Church, and everyone asks Kevin for money when they heard about his new found wealth. The worst stereotype displayed is the gold digging woman who tries to act like she has feelings for Kevin, but really only wants to have sex with him without him using a condom so that he can get her pregnant and she can get money from him.

    Potential Effects (Harm):Lottery Ticket can give people the wrong idea about the projects that Kevin lives in. The fact that every person they show in their community is an African American could make people think that that’s how all African Americans live. Also, the way people act around Kevin before and after he won the lottery gives people a bad impression of selfishness in the African American community. The truth is that there will always be lower class people living in the projects, and there will always be greedy people who only care about themselves. This movie just didn’t do a good job showing that those kind of people can be of any race or religion.

    Judgement/Evaluation: I understand that this movie is meant to be a silly spoof on the lower class urban community and what happens when one person finds himself with $370 million. It was an all African American cast and it was supposed to appeal to an African American audience. It’s just that the stereotypes portrayed in this movie are so clichè and it doesn’t make African Americans look good at all. There are some good morals behind this movie that Kevin displays, such as knowing who your true friends are and never forgetting where you came from. Unfortunately those morals are hidden behind the many stereotypes shown in this movie.

    Step 5: DesignLottery Ticket

     

    Realistic Framing

    At the end of the movie, Lorenzo confronts Kevin Carson, about the lottery ticket. After a fistfight erupts in the middle of a heavily populated area, Kevin is on the ground with Lorenzo standing over him. He pulls out a gun and asks Kevin to pick a number 1-10, he choses three. He is then given three seconds to hand over the lottery ticket, or else he will be shot.  He quickly hands over the lottery ticket, and a short time passes until Mr. Washington comes out of nowhere and uppercuts him, saving the day. I thought this was cliché of the writers. In almost every movie the villain is stopped just in the nick of time, usually coming down to the final seconds. I also found the language extremely corny and poorly written in this scene.

    I would rather have seen this go differently. If I were the director I would have chose a different way in which this scene could be recreated. I would have Kevin confronted by Lorenzo, and try to escape, with him shooting behind him. During the chase Mr. Washington, and the townspeople get involved, and bring him down. This ending is more original.

    Likelihood of use

    I don’t think that Hollywood would implement my idea, but I think they should consider making endings to movies more creative and less predictable.

    Existing Reconstructions:

    I know this has happened in a couple movies I have seen, but I cannot recall a specific one even after researching.

    Step 6: Debriefing

     

    Personal Impact Before/After: Fortunately, we all went into this movie with an informed knowledge of African American culture, because if we didn’t, we would get a very wrong impression. The fact that this movie featured many hip hop artists such Lil Bow Wow, Ice Cube, and T-Pain almost made it seem like a hip hop music video where all the girls act like objects and all the guys have to assert their masculinity. Fortunately this film was a spoof or else it could give a very negative portrayal of African Americans.

     

    Personal Harm from Myth: These “myths” about African American culture can be harmful to our society and can lead to racism. The lack of diversity in this movie only gave people more of a reason to think less of African Americans when we shouldn’t be thinking that at all.

    Step 7: Dissemination

     

    Advocacy Action Plan:

    I find stereotypes in movies to be disturbing, and unnecessary. As a society I think we are past this stage. We have seen what racism has done to the world, and what it still does. It causes further problems that are still affecting us today. I do not condone the use of stereotypes and think that they should go unused. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks this and there is no chance at completely abandoning them.

    Timetable of specific activities (personal/public/professional):

    There are some things to do to prevent the use of these. Not that we should have to, but we should make the harmfulness of stereotypes more known. Personally, I can do this by talking to people when I hear the use of a stereotype or racial slur. If I see similar things in other movies I can contact the media outlet and share my beliefs with them. I believe that if we make an effort we can curb the use of harmful stereotype that our society doesn’t need anymore.

     

     

    Works Cited

     

    Silverman, Alan. “Filled With Comedy ‘Lottery Ticket’ Portrays Poverty and Desperation.” Voice

    of America. Federal Government of the United States, 19 Aug. 2010. Web. 28 July 2014.
    LOTTERY_TICKET_TRl1_ 1708.tif


  8. The Talk That Changed Everything

    July 30, 2014 by jqs5974

    It’s rare that one talk with a professor can have so much influence on a student. The truth of the matter is that my first talk with Professor Nichols did affect me more than any other talk I’ve ever had with a professor. Some people get used to the transition from high school to college very easily, but sadly I am not one of those people. The first week and a half leading up to arts fest were not easy for me. I wasn’t managing my time well and I wasn’t putting the effort into my work that I should have been. Then I got a message from Professor Nichols to meet her in her office one morning. I was pretty nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect from my first college office hours with an actual professor. I went in and we started talking about my not so good grade I got on our first exam. I told her about how I didn’t read thoroughly enough and didn’t study the right material and she showed me ways that I should be studying for the exams. This got me to open up a little about my concerns about college. We went through the entire syllabus and she marked down when everything is due and when I should start working on each thing. It was such a small gesture that she did, but the fact that she took the time to go over everything with me and really care about how I manage my time, really made a big impact on me. We talked for a while about all the stuff I could do this summer session to really make it easier for me both inside and outside of the classroom. Since then college has just seemed easier. I’m managing my time a lot better, I’ve been doing very well on assignments and projects, and I got a 96% on my next exam. I really credit a lot of my recent success to the amazing talk I had with Professor Nichols and I really hope that all professors throughout college are as easy and fun to talk to as her.aplus11


  9. FYE Week 3

    July 27, 2014 by jqs5974

    Week 3 was certainly a very busy week to say the least. I think this is the type of work load I should be used to getting from my classes in the fall. This week we had the privilege of hearing from Professor Mcallister about advertising and from Professor Waters on a smooth transition into fall classes. I really learned a lot from both presentations and I’m glad they were able to come in and share their knowledge with us. We also got a chance to do our first group project this week in our Mass Media class. I was able to work with two amazing partners who made working on the project not only a lot easier, but also a lot more fun. So for that I have to say thank you to Aubrey and Corey for doing such a great job with me on that project. Outside of class, life couldn’t be much better here at Happy Valley. The people here are great, there’s always something fun to do, and the pizza is a dollar a slice. Doesn’t get much better than that. I was a little hesitant about attending summer session before coming here because I though I was giving up my summer. Now I realize that this is the most fun summer I’ve even had. If it’s so much fun here in the summer, I can’t imagine how great it’s going to be during the fall. Only 34 more days until Penn State football kicks off against UCF in Ireland, and it can’t come soon enough.croke park


  10. Mac vs. PC Campaign Analysis

    July 23, 2014 by jqs5974

    How it All Began
    On May 2nd 2006 Apple Launched their first Get- A Mac (GAM) commercial. This campaign was created the advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day. In the first year the campaign produced 19 ads. After 4 years the campaign included 66 advertisements trying to convince the public to ‘Get- A- Mac’. These 66 commercials included “Mac” played by actor Justin Long and “PC” played by John Hodgman. Each actor was made to look like the computers they represent along with their creators. Actor Justin Long bears a resemblance to Steve Jobs while John Hodgman was dressed to look like Bill Gates. “Mac” represents a young fun guy who always does the “right thing”. “PC” comes across as a much older male who is uptight and all he cares about is work and not creativity. In each commercial “Mac” and “PC” have conversations which unless end up with “PC” embarrassing himself and showing all the reasons why “Mac” is a better computer.

    Research conducted by the company
    Prior to the campaign, Apple’s sales seemed to be slowly decreasing. PC’s still dominated the market and Apple was struggling to convince consumers that their product was better. It wasn’t until Apple saw a survey on the American Consumer Satisfaction Index and realized that Macs were constantly rated higher than PCs in customer satisfaction. PC users knew of all the different malfunctions their computers suffer, and Apple wanted to make the public aware of these problems in a way that could make MAC’s look superior. They took all of PC’s many weaknesses from its constant viruses to its inability to give its users any creative control, and showed the audience that MAC doesn’t have any of those issues.

    Strategies
    The main message throughout all of the commercials is that MAC is a better computer and overall a nicer guy. Many of the character traits “PC” represents include being arrogant, slow, boring, mean, unreasonable, and most importantly a nerd. On the other hand “Mac” displays a sense of caring, humility, and an overall cool and energetic vibe.
    One of the main strategies that Apple used in this campaign was the theme of simplicity.  The backdrops of these ads are a plain white seen with nothing else to distract the eye. It is easy to watch and simple, which is what Apple is trying to portray that MAC’s are. The company is subtly making the viewer aware of how simple their product is to use, and how simple it is to switch from PC to MAC (which is who their target audience is, current PC users who are scared to switch). Another strategy is in every “episode” that they aired; they highlighted a specific problem that PC had. Doing this they were able to make their audience question if a PC was the right type of a computer to have. But ultimately they were trying to point out all the flaws to make PC look bad, maybe even worse then the company actually is. Lastly, the main strategy in the campaign was to be humorous. People enjoyed seeing the ads and wanted to look for the next one. This campaign was one that played out like a story; people enjoyed watching them because of the humor and satire that is going on in the ad. Also, the relationship between the two men is a friendship. In the friendship though, a strategy the MAC used was making the character “Mac” the more friendly, caring character. While the “PC” character at times does not always seem to appreciate “Mac’s” friendship and is seen as the cold-hearted friend. Overall, the strategies Apple used are able to capture the audience and keep them attentive and interested throughout the whole campaign. As well as ultimately increasing sales.

    Target Audience
    This GAM campaign targeted an audience that was not exactly the most ‘tech savy’. This campaign was for those individuals who have a PC but are not quite sure what else there is out there. This campaign was for the average person, those who do not know a lot about software or viruses and never really thought about purchasing a MAC before this campaign.

    Critics of the Campaign
    With any popular campaign you have to expect some backlash. This campaign was no expectation to that rule. But members of the GAM campaign welcomed the backlash because as they say “no publicity is bad publicity”. Some of the ‘backlash’ comments on the Internet included
    “If you’re a PC user, these ads are more likely to irritate you than convert you.”
    “Apple certainly got a lot of people angry with the Get a Mac ads as well, but that only added to the overall media coverage.”
    “There are other people whom the ads could have the opposite of a desired affect on. Some people don’t want overbearing statements such as ‘Macs are better at life stuff’ without some sort of backing.”

    Success

    Only after the first few commercials of the campaign sales dramatically increased by 12% in the first quarter of the campaign. In the last quarter of 2006 after more commercials came out, Apple sold a record breaking 1,600,000 Macs, an increase 39%. In the last quarter Apple sold over 2,300,000 MACS. Sales continued to dramatically increase throughout the entire four-year campaign.

    Today
    Today the Apple campaign against PC is settling down and there are not many current campaigns. But in 2013, Windows fought back at Apple, not on the MAC vs. PC level, but about tablets. The ads were similar to the ones that the Get-A-MAC campaign put out, but instead of the two men representing the products, they had the actual products (IPad and a tablet) banter back and forth through the voice activation systems. Other than that campaign that Windows launched back in 2013, there has been no active campaign launched recently from Apple attacking PC.

    Conclusion
    The “Get a Mac” campaign turned out to be a huge success for Apple. Although they were humorous commercials, it effectively showed all viewers that Apple is the better product in a way that everyone could understand. They managed to make MAC’s look like the hip new product that everyone’s buying and they managed to make PCs look like the outdated product with many problems that Macs don’t have. This campaign boosted sales for Apple to a level they have never reached before and it convinced many PC users to switch to a MAC. Although it did receive some criticism from some people for “attacking” PCs, the campaign received proved to be extremely effective in reaching its target audience and is considered one of the best advertising campaigns of this decade.mac vs pc


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