14 February 2008: Sweet Hearts

Today is Valentine's Day. Every website I view has a temporary pink logo in honor of the day. Pink is the universal color of love. It also stimulates relaxation and acceptance. In class today, we discussed the American culture's perspective on Valentine's Day. Men feel it connotes an emotion of guilty. Women feel it connotes an emotion of romanticism. The two combine to create a more materialistic Valentine's Day. As one who has never had many Valentines, I do not glean that meaning from the day. I wore red to represent my recognition of love of all people in my life. I wished everybody a Happy Valentine's Day without sending a single card. The day almost went by without my noticing any commercialization. Until I went to work. As I passed the candy dish, there, in the midst of candy, were Necco Candy Hearts. My first memory of candy hearts is of my mother purchasing a multitude of candy heart bags starting in the beginning of February. It wasn't uncommon for at least one bag to disappear before arriving home. Candy hearts connote a special occasion for indulgence. The multitude of colors stimulate my attraction to it. I almost always eat the candy hearts by color, least preferred to most preferred. My preference has changed, but my least preferred has always been yellow. Yellow does imply happiness, but it also implies a taste of banana or lemon. The two do not usually go well with sweet things, unlike the purple and the green, which have more of a milkshake taste to them. Finally, we approach the white and then the red. The red is more of a candy taste. This order system is similar to how I eat and prefer vegetables to candy. Healthy items rank lower on the "candy" scale than do "sweets." The limited edition of these hearts makes me excited. It is specifically associated with Valentine's Day and the receipt of Valentine's from friends and family. Eating candy hearts reminds me of their expression of love towards me and my love towards them. It also is one of the few products of which I cannot limit my consumption. I over indulge in 'love,' in a way that often gives me a 'high.' On Valentine's Day, who does not want to 'get high on love?'

13 February 2008: Are You Going to Eat That?

I went to LaFortune this morning only to encounter a good friend of mine from Argentina eating breakfast. I know I have already written about my own breakfast habits, which is why I found my attraction to her breakfast so interesting. She had V8 Fruit Splash, a yoghurt parfait from LaFortune, and a bagel with raspberry jelly. I greeted her and commented on her breakfast. It looked so delicious and healthy.

My first memory of yoghurt parfait stems from a visit to family in Germany. They lived near Munchen. I remember waking up to the smell of a hot cup of coffee and that sense of healthy familial warmth that that envelopes me with. I went out to the breakfast table to see a table filled with toast, meat, cheese, cereal, and yoghurt. Confused, I sat down and began to watch the family eat in order to understand how I was to digest this food. The family made open face meat sandwiches on fresh bread from the bakers and used the yoghurt to softer the cereal. This concept was exceptionally foreign to me. A fan of behaving like a Roman, I scooped yoghurt on to my bowl of cereal and proceeded to digest it. The yoghurt left the cereal crunchy and uncomfortable in my mouth. I felt like I had more food in every bite that I consumed and that I had to work harder to consume it. The taste sensation also greatly differed. Yoghurt cereal was much sweeter than cereal with milk. My sweet tooth liked it. So did my tummy. I did gain 10 pounds over the course of that trip. My next memory of yoghurt parfait was in New Zealand. However, my most recent memory of yoghurt parfait was at the airport in Chicago. I had some time in the terminal and wanted to eat something healthy while I waited. The yoghurt parfait at McDonalds had a low price point and reminded me of the sweet unfamiliar, uncomfortable, but filling breakfast I had had in my travels. While traveling, it seemed appropriate. My friend's yoghurt parfait reminded me of travel, and as I approach my own trip to Berlin, it appealed to me.

She also was eating a bagel. I had eaten bagels throughout high school with butter. The warmth of the butter made the bagel taste sweet and hearty. One could easily eat more than one bagel and often I did. As I entered college, my best friend lived in a Jewish community and introduced me to a fresh variety of bagels. Bagels were my special treat. It reminds me of my best friend, of the amazing times I had in college, of other cultures, and of a treat.

Finally, V8 fruit splash. The orange of the bottle connotes summer and the sweet taste of an orange. The color is also attractive and invigorating. V8 means vegetables. As a child, my mother always would not let me leave the table unless I ate my vegetables. In fact, she would calculate the number of bites left on my plate. Vegetables are an obligation. However, fruit, is a privilege. Oranges were always a sweet healthy snack that I could have during the summer, when I came in from playing. Granted, I do not like peeling them. My hands always smell like oranges. The 'splash' part reminds me of playing in the swimming pool with my dad. We would always play games and act like kids. V8 fruit splash evokes all of these memories to create a playful healthy treat, rather than an obligation.

I wanted the combination of these items on my friend's table because they presented a sweet unfamiliar treat.

However, when I asked my friend why she selected these items, she said it was because they were all of her favorite things. She tried eating cereal with milk only to feel like she was gaining weight. Unlike how I felt in Germany, in Argentina, I image they are more likely to eat yoghurt as part of the breakfast process. As a result, instead of being unfamiliar, yoghurt is more associated with youth and relaxation, as my cereal and milk is to me. The V8 splash connoted more of the summer and her feelings of desire to return to Argentina to see her family again. However, I am unsure about the bagel. However, for her, this breakfast is normal. It is familiar and warm. It is my cornflakes, banana, and coffee. Even though we both like that breakfast, we select it for completely different purposes.

Managers should take notice of the reason behind specific breakfasts. Very few managers show a full balanced breakfast anymore due to obesity issues. However, I rarely see marketing for traditional breakfasts that does not include morning and a family. Family is not the only people with whom you eat breakfast. As a market of a yoghurt parfait in the U.S., I would try to emphasize the international flavor, travel, and the warm sun of an Argentinian brunch. Emphasize a different breakfast situation to first appeal to international subcultures within the U.S. and then to the substance desires of American nationals who may gravitate towards the exotic.

12 February 2008: Mint 3 Musketeers

This ad begins with a forward camera shot of a fairy tale book. My first memory of this tactic is in Sleeping Beauty. I always watched fairy tales with my parents or they read them to me. I remember the sound of their voices, the inflections, and feeling so incredibly safe while I was being transported to a different world. The use of 'magic' semiotics is a brilliant technique. The scene them opens with a world in green. Not only does this connote a feeling a mint, but it reminds me of ivy, growth, the environment, peace, intellect, and mist. A woman dressed in a flowy white gown with flashing lights resembles Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. Tinker Bell saves Peter Pan's life, although she is a bit of a jealous fairy. What could this jealous fairy be seeking in the forest? Bright lights connote the Star of Bethlehem. This woman must be seeking something of great value and it is lighting her way through the darkness. She finally finds what she has been seeking and it is a 3 Musketeer Mint bar that blooms from a flower. This makes me feel that this is fresh. That ad then shows the savory marshmellowy white goodness of the middle and arrests my taste memory by showing the dark still gooey chocolate center. The prose of this ad always resembles the fairy tale and it ends with a moral of the story. The overall ad then tells me that the 3 Musketeers bar may be difficult to find, but not only is it safe and delicious, but it will be unlike any other taste sensation I have yet had. I am intrigued and interested and now I want to try it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUstnXO5Gpk

11 February 2008: "How are You?"

A brief update on a previous post. Vanilla caramel tea is not really that good. I have been mislead by my desire for sweets! Back to the traditional English breakfast tea for me! Today I prepared for the midterm in this class. Even though I already commented about another television ad for Vodafone, I literally listened to the song from the 2001 "How are You?" ad for 30 minutes yesterday. This ad starts with a woman in black screaming while running towards something outside to a pop-like guitar riff. It cues to a woman walking in red with a wallet chain who answers her phone, smiling and saying "how are you?" Music has always indicated something. The major key in which this song is playing connotes a feeling of happiness. The constant eighth note tempo conveys excitement. While I never attended a rock concert outside, this ad reminds me of the first time I started thinking about rock concerts, as my friends went to go and see the "Spice Girls." The Spice Girls are English as is the girl in the first scene. Immediately, I am taken back to the excitement and happiness of being an energetic 13 year old, admiring this older woman, and wanting to be like her. The ad then moves quickly through the streets of China with a Chinese dragon. "We're Off." It appeals to my love of travel and the exotic. A group of girls giggling in a limo reminds me of prom films I watched as a teenager, again creating that cognitive objectivity. I want to be like these girls. "We're gorgeous." I remember being stuck in traffic more than once and wishing that I could leave it again. Few things are better than once that traffic actually clears. "We're stuck." The ad uses young people jumping off of cliffs or in a helicopter or at a football match to appeal to my sense of international excitement. The scene at the ballet arrests my art loving self only to be slightly irritated when the man's cell phone goes off. I would not want to be there either.

However, it is really Dandy Warhol's lyrics of the song "Bohemian Like You" paired with these slice of life images that captivates me.

Youve got a great car,
Yeah, whats wrong with it today?
I used to have one too,
Maybe youll come and have a look.
I really love your hairdo,yeah,
Im glad you like my do,
See were looking pretty cool, getcha.

Cause I like you,
Yeah, I like you,
And Im feelin so bohemian like you,
Yeah, I like you,
Yeah, I like you,
And I feel wahoo, wooo

This song is about self expression. Bohemians love art for arts sake. They do not want to impress anybody. They are cool by being themselves. I have always marched the beat of my own drum. I do not want to feel like I need to impress somebody. I want people to like me for me. The song lyrics makes me feel that Vodafone likes me for me. Who doesn't want a relationship with a company like that? Especially if it makes me feel excited, like it understands my situation, and makes me regress back to a very exciting and careful time in my life. That is a fun relationship to have and that is why I really love this ad.

"Hello. How are you? We’re Off. We’re gorgeous. We’re stuck. We’re free. I’m in a meeting. We’re in love. We’re groovy. (Mobile ring). I’m not here. We’re safe. We’re winning. I’m on my way.” Vodafone. The people you need are only a touch away. How are you?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnZD2A47LbE

10 February 2008: T-Mobile & Blackberry

As I sat at my friend's house on Sunday watching a rare episode of television, an add for the Blackberry Pearl and T-Mobile attracted my attention. This ad begins with a man sitting on 'the chair' with a woman carrying a red garment on this left. The ad uses a popular culture theme of 'the chair.' My first memory of the chair is as a child, sitting on it, while waiting for my mother to emerge out of the dressing room. I was so bored but I knew I could not go anywhere or face my mother's wrath. As I see the man on 'the chair,' it signifies his boredom. The woman on the left hand side carries a 'red' dress. Red suggests passion and seduction. My eyes are immediately drawn to her as she asks for the man's opinion. He gives it and she selects the opposite. My first memory of that behavior is of my grandmother trying on clothing. Grandy is very particular and when she asks, she rarely wants your opinion. I love my grandmother, but I can no longer shop with her. My memory of this type of interaction draws me further into the ad. As the shopping experience continues with the same interaction, the man's nonverbal cues indicate that he is frustrated by the shopping experience and just wants it to be over. It took me years of waiting to actually enjoy shopping. You can then see that the man wants a specific phone when in the T-Mobile store. The T-Mobile store is not a female environment, as were the other scenes. It has changed the feel of the advertisement, to make the viewer question its motives. The man ultimately get wants he want. The voiceover comes on: "Now there is a color for everyone. The Blackberry Pearl collection. T-Mobile. Stick together." Blackberry reminds me of fruits I use to pick as a child and the freedom that this ad does not connote. Pearl is something expensive and rare, that my mother always wears. I remember its warm touch on my 3 year old hands. My mom expressed gentle protectiveness over her pearls. I could touch it, but I had to be careful with it. The Blackberry Pearl gives a gentle, but precious freedom to its users. The color enables that user to express its creativity, instead of just having 'blue.' This ad frees the user from the shopping scene and perhaps the Blackberry Pearl would have freed me from my childhood experiences as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2jje8MS0Nw

9 February 2008: I Love Dale Jr

I love the Midwest. On a recent drive to a friend's engagement party, I was at a gas station, waiting for a friend to use the restroom. I was distracted by products on a lower shelf by the attendant. Half price Christmas candy. Gas stations always increase the price, so I was engaged, to try to capture the price. Suddenly, my eyes caught something red. Right now, it is almost Valentine's Day. Red not only captured my attention by used my cultural association to indicate it was a Valentine's product. Next, I saw a square box with a bit of a raised edge of cardboard, as it it was meant to be hung at Walmart. This looked like a box that candy is in. However, what caught my eye next was not usually on a box of chocolates. It looked like a picture. I picked up the box because I didn't recognize it. There, in curly 8 year old cursive font read "I (insert picture of heart) Dale Jr." It was for Nascar! My earliest memory of Nascar is of changing the channel. The people in my hometown who followed Nascar were those with thick MO accents, people in lower socio-economic circles, and who drank a lot of beer. I did not associate them with the heart and love feelings of Valentine's Day. That is what made me so intrigued by this box. I was surprised. The code did not match for me! And here I was in a Midwestern gas station in Michigan with a Dale Jr. box of chocolates. The code matched Michigan, but not I!

8 February 2008: St. Ives

In the girl's bathroom is a container of St. Ives Lotion. I reached for it for its functional purposes, but this substance triggered a memory of my ex. My first memory of this smell stems from my ex, but I had forgotten that it was St. Ives Lotion. We met my second day of Freshman year, but I do not remember recognizing the scent until our junior year. I had gone abroad, things happened, we actually became a couple instead of just friends. My ex was my first love. We moved abroad together. The root memory is that of love, connection, and relationship. As I am at Notre Dame, I find myself continually returning to that bathroom to use this lotion. Its blue on white packaging symbolizes calm and purity. The Ivy font reminds me of Victorian times. This is a small decadent item with a time honored tradition. However, for me, this scent envelopes me in memories of love, connection, and relationships and instantly calms me. Scent is a funny memory and I found it amusing that I immediately recognized the scent without recognizing the product.