Taking in all of the presentations we saw, I would say there were a few commonplaces that flowed throughout. Some of the ads appealed to the civic in an emotional plea. In the Chinese New Year rice ad, for example, the ad was prominently effective because it made me cry. By an advertisement company or organization producing an ad that appeals to peoples’ big hearts, they immediately create a connection with their audience. Along the theme of emotional appeal, another commonplace that was evident was how humans value animals, specifically dogs, as their best friends. The commercials preyed on our feelings of love and admiration towards dogs to get us to either buy their product or agree with their message. A third commonplace that I noticed was the we are okay with an ad calling on us to take action. These ads evoke our civic duty to get off the couch and make a change. This commonplace can most easily be seen in the blood drive commercial and the voting ad. The primary message of those two adds was for us as viewers to take hold of our duties as American citizens and make a change. Whether that be donating blood or voting for the next president, we can make a big difference. A final commonplace that I came across while watching my classmate’s presentations was that we as citizens, even though we are only one person, can make a difference. This kind of goes along with the last commonplace, but I think this specific notion can be seen in both the Rosie the Riveter presentations and the Australian climate change protest presentation. Even though we are only one person, we have the ability to create a difference. I think these ads invoke a sense of power in the viewers and that’s an important feeling to give your audience.

The FDA’s “The Real Cost” advertisements are a far cry from the truth’s “Left Swipe Dat” music video. In the advertisements published by the US Food and Drug Administration, scare tactics are used to get teens to quick smoking. Their main message is that tobacco is a bully and takes over your life. Unlike the upbeat and whimsical Left Swipe Dat video, these ads are designed to shock teens into realizing that they are wasting away their precious teenage years. There is no fluff in the FDA advertisements, probably on purpose.

Physical Attributes: While both videos use vanity as a factor of smoking, it is used in two completely different ways. In the FDA commercial, we see a girl who is forced to give part of her skin to the cashier to make the point that smoking is a sacrifice.

Scare Tactic: Cigarettes are personified as an alien like creature in one of the FDA ads to show all of the disgusting chemicals that go into one cigarette. The purpose is to illustrate how dangerous smoking is.

Similarities/Differences: Both advertisements use everyday situations to appeal to a broad audience. For example, the Left Swipe Dat video takes place in a park and on a bus. Meanwhile, the FDA ads take place in a school classroom and at a convenience store. Another similarity that both videos possess is a similar target audience. Both advertisements are aimed at pre-teens and teenagers. I think the FDA videos are more straight forward about who they are targeting, even though we as the audience can tell that both ads are aimed towards kids. An important distinction between the two ads are their lengths. All of the FDA ads were under forty-five seconds, while the Left Swipe Dat music video was over three minutes. I think that is one of the big advantages for the FDA is that they don’t lose their audience after a minute or two. They are able to quickly pull in their viewers and deliver a timely and effective message.

Introduction: The music video is Left Swipe Dat by an organization called the truth. The video features celebrities, mostly from the Internet, like Becky G, Fifth Harmony, King Bach, Grace Helbig, Harley Morenstein, Anna Akana, Jimmy Tatro, Alphacat, Terrence J and Timothy DeLaGhetto. A quick synopsis of the video is that a few of the stars are on Tinder and point out how gross and unattractive it is that some of the profile pictures they are seeing include people smoking.

Main Point #1: Commonplace #1 is that smoking is unattractive and may discourage a person from pursuing a romantic relationship with a partner if they smoke. The commonplace functions within the artifact because the actors are swiping left to profiles with cigarettes in the picture. Since only 8% of teens still smoke, the point of the ad is to call to action all teenagers to get their friends to stop smoking. Groups that are most likely to support this commonplace would be groups of teens who don’t smoke or who know the dangers of smoking. I believe that smokers will not concur with the claims in this ad because they may believe that it’s not a deal breaker. The timing of this ad is perfect because a lot of the people featured in the video strongly appeal to the pre-teens and young people who are at risk right now of picking up a cigarette.

Main Point #2: A second commonplace that is widely understood is that in today’s world of hookup culture, first impressions are very important. Someone may pass on an opportunity to talk or meet you based on one picture. Therefore, posting a profile picture with you trying to act cool while smoking a cigarette is unflattering. With the simple left swiping motion, a potential date has passed on you all because you are addicted to gross cigarettes. The commonplace unfolds throughout the video as the actors are describing the attractive qualities in the profile pictures but then they swipe left because of the cigarette. Examples that are given in the music video are the adorable kitten in the picture or the woman who was in a cute workout outfit. The commonplace invites viewers to form interpretations of the artifact by offering an abundance of potential examples of how someone can be good looking but no amount of beauty or fame can make up for the fact that they smoke.

Main Point #3: One ideology or underlying belief that I believe serves to connect the two commonplaces together is the idea that smoking is disgusting and dangerous. Most people would agree that smoking is a major health risk. While some smokers believe that clinging to a cigarette is attractive, most people would agree that they would much rather kiss a non-smoker than someone who constantly has smoke on their breath.

Conclusion: In conclusion, I believe that although this advertisement is a bit over the top and dramatic, it does get the point across that young people smoking is disgusting. One of its biggest strengths is that the music video calls upon young people to encourage their friends to stop smoking. It makes a clear point that someone can be a great, well-rounded person but their entire reputation can go down the drain if they decide to smoke.

With the slogan “we are here to inspire, not judge,” the truth campaign targets young people who smoke. The goal of this video is to turn an important message into a more relatable form of media to try and reach young people. By using the Tinder “left swipe” example, the actors in the video convey the commonplace that smoking is unattractive and that no one wants to date a person whose profile picture is of them with a cigarette. This act is civic because it calls upon young people to stop smoking and spread the word to others that smoking  is unattractive.

A second commonplace addressed in this advertisement is that smoking is bad for your health. The music video features celebrities that young people look up to and can easily recognize. By hiring these actors, truth was able to make a relatable and entertaining video. A final commonplace in this advertisement is that smoking is unattractive and may discourage a person from pursuing a romantic relationship with a partner if they smoke.

Similar to the ad above, this clip released by the FDA takes a more harsh stance on smoking. In a series of videos entitled “The Real Cost,” the FDA shows an exaggeration of an everyday teenage situation. In the advertisement above, teens are in a science class working with an alien like creature that comes alive and terrorizes the class. The commonplace of the ad is that cigarettes are dangerous and cause a laundry list of nasty side effects. As a teenager, this advertisement speaks to myself and my peers because the reality is that this is the age when people get hooked on smoking. Although cigarettes are legal, recent agencies and activist groups have taken a harsh stance on getting teens to avoid smoking at all costs. Just like the truth ad, the civic component here is the cry for help by the announcer. He calls upon teens to be aware of the thousands of chemicals that go into your body with each puff of a cigarette. He wants to make sure that you know the “real cost” of sucking on all the carcinogens and pollutants in cigarettes.