Devon’s Final Paper 3

Devon Travis

ENC 1101-10

Joshua Mehler

Smoking: The Real Truth Behind Advertisements

Tobacco advertisements try to convince their audience to become consumers of their product by advertising the most appealing aspects of their product.  For instance, if an advertisement stated that its product was harmful, ugly, inconvenient, or pricey, interest in purchasing these products would be very, very low.  For this reason, many businesses produce misleading advertisements.  Through text and images, businesses manipulate their audience.  They accent the positive aspects of their product and downplay the negative ones.  Often, this manipulation of the truth goes unnoticed.  Tobacco ads are perfect examples of these misleading advertisements.

In the particular tobacco ad I’ve chosen, there is a man with a serious face holding a cigarette.  In bold, white letters is the phrase “I’m realistic. I only smoke Facts.”  In this advertisement the cigarette company, known as FACT, is trying to promote their product.  Listed at the bottom of the advertisement are “facts” about these cigarettes.  These facts are there to provide consumers with the belief that FACT cigarettes are very beneficial in their lives.  Fact 1 states, “We don’t want your taste buds to go to sleep.”  Here, the company focuses on the idea that FACT “reduces the aldehyde gases that we believe muddy the flavor of fine tobaccos so you can enjoy wide-awake taste.”  This “fact” causes some consumers to feel as if FACT can really benefit their taste buds,  so it motivates them to try the product.  Fact 2 states “we have smoke scrubbers in our filter,” which “work like magnets to reduce these same aldehydes and let the fine flavor come through.”  Once again this brings consumers to believe that the aldehyde gases in FACT cigarettes excite peoples’ taste buds and allow them to receive the true taste of  the cigarettes.  After reading the second “fact”, consumers are surprised to know that FACT can, supposedly, open up one’s taste buds and allow them to get the true taste he or she has always desired.  Fact 3 states, “we have a patent on flavor in low ‘tar’ cigarettes: #3828800.”  A patent is a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention (Dictionary.com), thus meaning that the flavor of these cigarettes is unique and has yet to be created by any other type of cigarette.  People are always in search of something new.  Consequently, consumers would desire to try this new taste and find out themselves if its really that great.  Whether these statements are true or not, we do now know; however, they do increase the demand for these cigarettes which ultimately leads to widespread purchases of this product, providing wealth to its creators.

The goal of these “facts” are to try and mask the real facts. The viewer, upon seeing this ad, is supposed to believe that these are the only facts. FACT cigarettes is attempting to look forthcoming with the truth. They are attempting to say “Hey! Look at us! We’re being honest with you! Read the truth about our product!” Clearly, this message is failing.  The ad (discluding the mandated surgeon general’s warning) does not mention that smoking any kind of cigarette is bad, including FACTs.  FACT cigarettes are trying to make their viewers believe that it is okay to smoke FACT cigarettes because they are better then the others. Although FACT cigarettes may very well be better than other brands, they are still bad for  consumers. FACT cigarettes made this ad in hopes of distracting viewers from this very vital bit of information. If the ad had said “WILL CAUSE CANCER” in bold, the odds of their product being successful would be very, very slim. That is why FACT cigarettes, as well as every other company, advertises the positive aspects of their product, however small they might be.

The man demonstrated in this advertisement is a middle-aged, dignified man who seems to be very serious.  The creator of this advertisement wants him to be serious, showing that he is sincere about smoking FACT cigarettes.  The man is dressed professionally and has his hair slicked back.  Also, the colors are very dark.  The darkness seems to encompass the whole background. Black can represent ideas such as “power,sexuality, sophistication, formality, wealth… depth [and] style,” all things most people long to have and/or achieve.  This is indicative of the message they are trying to send their viewers. These details show that the advertisement is tending to appeal to a a classy, elderly audience. When people see someone similar to themselves, or what they could be, in an advertisement, they immediately make a connection.  When a young girl sees an ad with a  very popular girl, similar in age, surrounded by both girls and boys, buying a jump rope, that young girl is going to want to go out and buy that jump rope. Cigarette ads work with the same theory. If elderly men and women see a relatively successful elderly man, dressed and groomed nicely holding a FACT cigarette, they are going to go out and buy that same cigarette. If other people like them like this cigarette, chances are they will too, right? Ironically enough, the color black also symbolizes evil, anger and emptiness. The same color FACTS cigarettes is using to promote their message also seems to promote the truth, accidentally I am sure.

This advertisement is quite tricky in the way it comes across.  The ideas being conveyed through this advertisement are said to be “facts,” however, this is not the case.  First of all, cigarette smoking is harmful. It is certainly not beneficial to one’s life.  Even so, cigarette smoking is very popular and smoking habits tend to start during one’s teenage years.  Facts show that 20% of American teens smoke and the first use of cigarettes occur before high school graduation, primarily at age 16. (Heard)  It is said that “smoking has been identified as the most important source of preventable morbidity and premature mortality in the United States and the world.”(Oakley)  Though this is the truth behind smoking, people seem to ignore the facts and continue to smoke daily.  “Smoking-related diseases cause an estimated 440,000 American deaths each year,” (Longley) and “costs the United States $167 billion annually in health care costs.” (Longley)  One would believe that these facts would lead to a decrease in the use of tobacco throughout the United States, yet nothing seems to work.

The true goal of companies’ use of advertisements are to get consumers to, at least, go out and try their product.  Tobacco, the most important ingredient in all cigarettes, is what consumers  really need to try.  Tobacco comes from the leaves of a tobacco plant.  It is a very addictive substance, which makes smokers want more and more of it once they have started.  Therefore, it plays a major role in cigarette smoking around the world.  The creator of this advertisement knows that if he or she can get people to just “try” this product, that it will become an addiction and the people will begin buying more and more of it, until it becomes habitual.  When these actions occur, the advertisement is noted as a success.

Personally, I view this advertisement to be a joke, for i cannot take it seriously. How could the true facts about the effects of smoking be outweighed by the “facts” in this advertisement?  There is just no way.  This is why I drew a clown in my anti-advertisement, because I feel like the man in the real advertisement is just that.  Clowns appeal to kids because they are funny.  However, clowns do not appeal to a mature audience because they represent all that is irrelevant and a waste of time.  One could even say that the word “clown” is synonymous with the word “trick” and the word “joke.”  That is how I feel about the smoking advertisement, because it is simply a waste of time.

The “facts” at the bottom of the advertisement are not proven.  In my advertisement, I included three “facts,” just as the real ad had done.  The advertisement is meant to trick you with “facts” that are laughable.  My facts are made to be less believable than the “facts” on the real ad.  Obviously, smoking is not good for you nor does it make you cool.  Tobacco companies, however, have been pushing this message.  Oddly enough, it has been successful.  The way I view my ad and the real ad are the same.  I used bright colors to symbolize the obvious comic nature of the message “smoking cigarettes makes me cool.”  In addition, children tend to like bright colors, and they are the audience attracted by the clown.  The color orange is demanding of attention.  That is why the clown has orange hair and orange clothing.  The idea the clown represents is, in fact, demanding of attention.  The color yellow represents dishonesty.  That is why the clowns clothing is also yellow.  The advertisement is dishonest.  The color red often symbolizes danger.  I am stressing the word “Facts” throughout my anti-ad, hoping that the reader will realize that these are not truly facts, and are in fact very dangerous if they fall for this misconception.  That is why the word “Facts” are written in red.  Smoking is the main danger I am trying to get consumers alerted with. Hence why the cigarette and the words “smoking,” are also in red.  Not only is it supposed to stand out from the rest, it symbolizes the danger in believing these facts and the danger in believing that these are the only facts of any relevance.

People let themselves be misled by these ludicrous advertisements.  People take one glance at these ads without stopping to think about what they’ve seen.  People see these cigarette ads and the message they are trying to send, and generally take the ad at face value.  I’ve set forth the true facts of smoking.  Smoking causes cancer, which the #1 killer of Americans, today.  Therefore, smoking is simply a faster way toward death.  I encourage all of the people in the world, to really sit back and think about how much smoking really hurts not only yourself, but the people around you.  We all want to make the world the safest environment; yet fumes from cigarettes continue to damage our planet.  In closing, we shall no longer allow these misleading tobacco advertisements continue to lead us into making the decision to smoke.  If people really stopped to evaluate these ads, they would see how ridiculous they actually are.

 

Works Cited Page

 

Heard , Wilda. “Info 101: Teens and Smoking.” The Seattle Public Education Examiner. 13 Oct. 2009. Clarity Digital Group LLC, Web. 17 Nov. 2009.

 

Longley, Robert. “Smoking Deaths Cost U.S. $92 Billion a Year.” U.S. Govern ment Info. July 2005. The New York Times Organization, Web. 17 Nov. 2009.

 

Oakley, Annie. “Health Care: How to save a quick $1 trillion.” The Tree of

Liberty. 3 Nov. 2009. Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd., Web. 17 Nov. 2009.

Kristin George Paper 3

“And Now for Our Yohhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ0x_X0xXgU&feature=youtube_gdatattp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ0x_X0xXgU&feature=youtube_gdataunger Viewers…”

Advertisements today are directed towards very specific crowds. Young people are often subjected to watch hours upon hours of commercials telling them how to lose weight, how to get better skin, how to buy expensive clothes, and all for what? People today are subjected to commercials and ads telling them that they are not perfect because they are too fat, or too skinny, they’re legs are too long, or they’re hands are too small. Young girls think the beautiful (and rare) models they see on the television are how they should look when they grow up. Young boys are promoted to be muscle meatheads or that they need to wear the most expensive clothes to get the girls. All of these things are frowned upon by the older generations. I know when I was little my parents tried to limit the amount of pressuring commercials I watched.

Most normal women who see Victoria Secret ads are always upset because they never look like the exotic beauties they see on the television screen. The fact of the matter is, no one does! Those models are hunted for all across the world to model for Victoria’s Secret. It is sad that young girls and older women as well feel ugly or self-conscious just because they cannot squeeze into a tiny bathing suit or have perfectly toned abs. Luckily, other brands such as Dove have come up with new ways to solicit their items. Dove commercials consist of several different types of women, all with different body sizes, skin colors, and facial features. They promote a true healthy woman and end every commercial reminding all women that they are beautiful. Dove has also started summer camps for young girls to promote self esteem and value their personality and mind more so than what they “should” look like, according to other commercials.

Another example of promoting material happiness is the Axe men’s deodorant commercials. These commercials promote men to use Axe’s great smelling body wash or deodorant, and they will get women. Women will automatically be drawn to the man just because he is wearing a certain kind of deodorant. I find it pretty pathetic, because in actuality most women do not even think that it smells good and is too strong.

In the actual commercial there is usually a man either in the shower or about to run or workout in a gym. He takes out his deodorant or body wash and puts it on, immediately there are women climbing up the walls of the man’s house to get to him or women jumping over workout equipment to get to him. Seeing it is all very melodramatic I laugh at how ridiculous the girls look and how they are seen as obsessed with the guy…well his deodorant or body wash that is. This ad is aimed at the younger generations. Teenage boys eat these kinds of commercials up. I cannot even begin to tell you how many guys in my middle school and high school wore Axe deodorant and how they would smell up the classroom and half the girls would spend the whole class coughing. Instead of looking at the boys with awe, girls would scrunch up their noses and ask to go to the bathroom to escape the toxic smell. It is pretty ridiculous how gullible younger generations can be.

In a sense, commercials such as Victoria’s Secret and Axe can be seen as false advertisements because if you buy lingerie you are not sexier, and if you buy smelly deodorant you will not have women flocking to you. Yet, these ads are successful, the companies do sell their products in surplus, and generations continue to go on feeling there are one hundred more things that can make them better or cooler. These kinds of commercials usually do not involve any talking. These kinds of commercials do not really need talking in order to display their messages, as they are quite clear. Sexy clothes plus sexy deodorant equals well…sex. You will be able to get all the boys/girls you want with these items. You will “score more” in more age appropriate terms. These two kinds of commercials also downplay the negatives of their product very well. For example, Victoria’s Secret never mentions how much their products are, and for good reason too. Victoria’s Secret is one of the most over-priced stores of our time. They can be because so many people want to buy their products. Another example is in the Axe commercials, the man is usually a gawky nerdy kid who would not usually get beautiful girls crawling all over him, but this ends up happening. That is usually not how things work in most high schools and colleges.

The strategies most companies use to make successful commercials are to aim towards younger crowds and use sex appeal as the main focal point. This is what sells millions of products nationwide every year. The ability to combine several different aspects of making people feel good about themselves is the true success to all commercials.

In the Victoria’s Secret commercials there are a lot of flashing lights and loud music. The models are often laying, sitting, or walking in some sort of sexual way to promote the outfit they have on. It is often dark with just lights on the models. The music is loud and there are usually words to the songs because there are never really very many words in the commercial. Victoria’s Secret commercials are very visual; there is not a need for words to get their message across. Victoria’s Secret flashes across the bottom of the screen and usually the date of their semi-annual sale is also listed. In the rare occasion there is a voiceover in the commercial, and it is usually one of the foreign models with an exotic accent to entice the women purchasers and the men watchers.

In order to create an anti-advertisement for Victoria’s Secret, I would down play the sex appeal greatly, one because the percent of viewers watching usually includes a high number of young children who do not need to be subjected to that much at such an early age, and two because most women do not look like the models do! Women and self-confidence are two words that need to coincide with each other more. Whether it be in their smile or their kindness, all women are beautiful in their own unique way. Another thing I would do is show different types of women in the commercial, whether it be heavier women or petite women. Let the women viewers get a chance to see someone like herself on the television screen. I would also incorporate more talking into the ad, things such as, sales, new items, or even low prices. The viewer should get more of an idea of what they are purchasing before they actually do.

I would want to make the commercial much less intimidating as well. The music in the commercials on television now is loud and almost cocky to an extent. I would want to soften the music and add more laughter and smiling. When women are more confident in their own body, they naturally are more confident in the workplace, with their husband, and even in day-to-day activities such as shopping and raising children. An anti-ad promoting womanhood as an empowering and beautiful thing no matter the shape or size is far more successful than displaying women as sex objects. My anti-advertisement would enable true values to shine through the façade of most generic commercials who seem to have all male writers and are only about promoting one thing. More woman friendly ads need to be found on television, especially since funny enough, there are more women in the world’s population then there are men.

In an anti-advertisement regarding the Axe commercials I would also take out a lot of the sex appeal just because it is inappropriate for younger viewers and very unrealistic. My anti-advertisement would be loud and proud so that men watching would be interested, but they would not be given ridiculous hope that a woman will want them for how they smell. I would make the commercial more geared towards the Axe deodorants practicality. For example, the commercial could consist of a guy getting ready for the day but is in a rush so he forgets to put on his deodorant, then as he is going down the stairs someone passes him and plugs their nose, as the words “Do you stink?” flash across the screen in a bright and bold red because the Axe bottle is red with red lettering. After the words flash across the screen, the man smiles to himself as he pulls out his Axe deodorant and puts it on, then a pretty girl walks by him outside on the street, inhales, and winks at the man.

The music would be quirky and fun, generating a comedic edge to the script of the commercial. I would include sound effects also, for example, the person walking by plugging their nose would say “phewww”. This would be a lot more funny than sexy. The comedy would alleviate the pressures most young men feel when it comes to attracting ladies, they would not have to feel pressured by this anti-advertisement thinking that the only way to get women is by using this certain kind of deodorant.  This new commercial would get the message perfectly across without having to worry about giving false hope to young boys or being too inappropriate for young eyes.

I think both of these anti-advertisements would be very successful simply because they are more honest. Honesty may not get you to the top of the political totem pole, but it will surely make television viewers more opt to buying a product they can relate too and not receive false hope from. People would be a lot more appreciative of the company and their products. Dove’s sales have gone way up since they started promoting beauty in all shapes and sizes. I think that Axe and Victoria’s Secret can promote their products with honesty and integrity all while still having a cute sexy appeal to viewers, young and old alike!

 

Secondary Source

“Campaign For Real Beauty.” Dove Campaign For Real Beauty. Ed. Jan Yager. Dove Beauty Products, 23 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. <http://www.dove.us/#/us_landing.aspx/&gt;.

Taking On Exxon by Michael Elbrecht

Mike Elbrecht

ENC 1101

11/17/09

Joshua Mehler

Taking On Exxon…

Exxon Mobil’s new advertising campaign tries to change public opinion about big oil companies.  Exxon attempts this makeover using a variety of “feel good” advertisements which stress progress in technology, research, and environmental consciousness.  Each advertisement in Exxon’s new, clean, campaign is united under a few common themes.  The advertisements are visually similar but also have similar messages.  However nice these “feel good” advertisements try to be, they only serve as a cover for the truly greedy and exploitative intentions.  Exxon’s advertisements emphasize the future and promote progress.  In my anti-advertisement to Exxon’s new marketing campaign I will demonstrate how, in reality, Exxon is fighting to prevent progress in the current climate change effort.

The imagery used in Exxon Mobil’s advertisements focuses on progress.  Progress encompasses all aspects of the oil industry: cleaner fuels, new technologies, and cutting edge research.  This effort is all done in order to generate a new face for the company, mainly, a green and progressive one.  The most noticeable element in the advertisement is the black and white coloring.  There are other colors in the ad but there is an emphasis on the black and white colors.  It could be to show that the company wants to be seen as decisive rather than vague which could hypothetically be associated with the color grey.  Or it could be an example of Exxon attempting to be different and modern.  In the black and white scenes there is a person talking to the viewer, explaining whatever the particular ad is focusing on such as, cleaner fuels, new technology, new research and so on.  The person is dressed professionally to give the advertisement credibility.  The spokesperson is speaking in a conversational manner and talking with his or her hands.  This is an obvious attempt to connect with the viewer and convey the newfound sense of progress.  The text that accompanies the spokesperson tells the person’s name and occupation, usually a scientist or engineer, adding to the overall credibility of the advertisement.

Another obvious and recurring visual element in the Exxon Mobil advertisements is the chain of molecules.  This chain of molecules is present in the background.  It gives the advertisement a scientific and futuristic aura.  Along with the chain of molecules are molecular formulas which emphasize the idea that Exxon scientists are working in labs, looking for new chemicals that could serve as possible clean fuels.  The chain of molecules and formulas are an attempt to establish a sense of scientific credibility in the commercial.  These images add to the theme of Exxon’s new progressive approach to solving energy problems.

Along with the clever use text and imagery, Exxon utilizes sound in its new advertising campaign.  There is music played in the background loud enough for the listener to hear but not overpowering the spokesperson’s voice.  The modern music chosen for the commercial is upbeat and rings with innovation.  There is no doubt that the music was carefully chosen to enhance the progressive and “green” message.  The contemporary music is similar to the popular music of the young generation towards which Exxon Mobil attempts to appeal.

The persistent text in the beginning of each advertisement reads, Exxon: “Taking on the world’s toughest energy challenges.”  This motto tries to make the reader feel as if it is Exxon Mobil’s sole mission to solve the energy crisis.  The motto attempts to establish Exxon as the forerunner in the field of new clean technologies.  The motto also tries to set Exxon apart from the other big oil companies, towards which many people feel negatively.  People associate big oil companies with the harm that the burning of fossil fuels and the company’s practices cause to the environment and the simultaneous unprecedented profits.  This refers back to the main theme of creating a new face for Exxon, in this case, one that is a problem solver in the current worsening energy crisis.

Exxon Mobil’s new “feel good” and progressive advertising campaign is directed toward an environmentally conscious audience.  This audience primarily includes: young people, liberals, and people concerned with the environment.  One idea that all these groups have in common is the belief, or supposed misbelieve in Exxon Mobil’s case, that big oil companies are extremely detrimental to the environment.  Exxon realizes this and is trying to reestablish itself as environmentally clean, progressive and even as a leader in taking on the world’s toughest energy problems.  This is a very drastic leap for Exxon.  But imagine from their point of view how profitable a move it would be if this big oil company could gain the business of the “green movement”.  This sounds almost like an impossible task: an oil company convincing environmentally conscious people that their products are in harmony with the people’s green ideals.  This fresh, futuristic marketing campaign could be enough to capture those elusive “go green” customers, even if that means making a few hazy guarantees about future technologies.

All these advertising methods take advantage of the “green movement”.  This series of commercials through the Exxon Mobil propaganda machine is an obvious attempt to re-establish itself as eco-friendly.  Exxon Mobil exploits people who are genuinely trying to live “green” for its own monetary gain.   Exxon takes advantage and appeals to people’s environmental interests and covers up with vague promises of new, clean fuels and technologies that will solve the future energy problem.  The company’s intentions expressed in the new advertising campaign contradict the company’s actions.

What Exxon Mobil neglects to show in their advertisements is the harmful and profound negative effects of their products.  Exxon forgets to include all the pollution and the resulting damaging effects it has on the environment.  Exxon does not show the exploited people and animals that are taken at the expense of the big oil company’s tremendous profit.  One infamous case in ExxonMobil’s history is the Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska in 1989.  It was one of the worst human caused environmental disasters at sea.  The oil spill of 10.8 million gallons covered 11,000,000 square miles and devastated area.  The effects of the oil spill decimated the wildlife population in the area.  The area was home to salmon, seals, sea otters, and sea birds (1989 Valdez Oil Spill 1).  Exxon does not show their astronomically high profits in a struggling economy in which many companies are going bankrupt.  In 2007 ExxonMobil broke its own record for a single company’s profit, recording $40.6 billion, an increase of three percent from the previous year.  Instead, Exxon would rather vaguely describe how they are investing huge sums of money into environmentally clean energies.  I do not blame them, who would want to buy their product if they really knew what the actual practices were?  That is why millions of people have boycotted Exxon Mobil, each person trying to make a difference against the oil giant.  Organizations working on the anti-ExxonMobil campaign include: Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists and MoveOn.org Political Action (Mouawad 1).

My anti-advertisement is all about preventing progress in the fields of climate change consciousness and new environmentally clean energies.  Why would the companies and executives want to change anything as long as the profits grow .  They will probably be gone by the time the world runs out of oil, and if they are alive they will have so much money that they will not have to worry.  If the system is not broken, why fix it?  My anti-advertisement emphasizes the negative effects of Exxon’s practices and the information that was left out of their ads or information that was intended to be misleading.  It will set the record straight. It takes a commercial approach and makes the Exxon Mobil product actually look terrible. The anti-advertisement will emphasize the negative effects of fossil fuels and the dependence of society on oil.  The anti-ad will show people how two-sided and misleading Exxon is, and how their advertisements do not reflect their actions.

The text in my anti-advertisement to Exxon Mobil’s new marketing campaign mimics the text used in the Exxon commercial.  The purpose is to get the reader to see the connection made between the two advertisements.  Underneath the Exxon Mobil name is a slogan similar to the company’s actual slogan but slightly altered.  Instead of the text, “Taking on the world’s toughest challenges”, the anti advertisement slogan reads, “Perpetuating the world’s toughest energy problems.”  This usage of play on words points out the company’s real intentions to the reader.  The similar slogan reinforces the connection made between the actual and anti-advertisement.  The goal of the mimicking texts and styles is to make an obvious contradiction easily apparent to the reader.  This contradiction would go completely unnoticed if not for the anti-advertisement.

The imagery in the my anti-advertisement to Exxon Mobil’s progressive marketing campaign emphasizes the visuals left out of the actual Exxon Mobil commercial.  In the anti-advertisement there is an oil well in a desert.  At this particular oil well, oil is gushing from the top like a fountain.  The oil is drawn in tear drop shapes in all directions from the well. To the right of the well the oil drops become images associated with the negative effects of oil.  To make the advertisement more thought provoking the images coming out of the oil are not exactly how they would appear in real life.  Instead the oil related images are ink-blot shaped but maintain the intended shape so that the reader can see the resemblance.  The ink-blot shapes are a reference to the Rorschach, or ink-blot, test which is used to test the mental state of patients.  The images in the Rorschach test are not of any object because it is the viewer’s goal to make out an image given the blot of ink.

There are two reasons why I chose this Rorschach test reference in my anti-advertisement depicting images associated with oil.  The first is because the curvy, round, black ink-blots look similar to oil spills.  It is more effective to draw the images in the shape of oil spills because it forces the reader to make the connection between the two objects.  The second reason is to get the reader to understand that the images Exxon uses are not what they seem.  The images require a deeper insight to find the true meaning, in this case that what the oil company is profiting from is war and violence.  Many people see the current war in Iraq as a war for oil.  And those who do not see it that way will realize that in the near future nations will be fighting over essential resources, primarily fossil fuels, as they become rarer.  The current rate that our world is literally burning through fossil fuel reserves can only go so long before it becomes even more violent.  Exxon neglects to show any of this in it commercial, so the anti-advertisement emphasizes the crisis and the covering up of the crisis with the use of the ink-blot images.

The images in the Exxon Mobil anti-advertisement are directly related the world’s energy problems.  They are a military tank, a rifle, the dollar sign, and the word “oil”.  All these images are drawn in reference to the Rorschach test.  They combine to form one image resembling a typical ink-blot.  Each image has its own powerful meaning.  And the final component of the anti-advertisement is a line of text underneath the ink-blot styled images that reads, “What do you see?”  The question puts a final point to the anti-advertisement, making the reader think in a new light about Exxon Mobil.

In Exxon Mobil’s new, environmentally conscious, and progressive advertising campaign, the company attempts to re-establish itself as a “green” company.  Exxon is aiming its advertisements towards a young, liberal audience and people concerned with the environment and anthropogenic effects.  In doing so, Exxon cleverly uses text, imagery, and sound together to form a modern and fresh commercial.  However forward-thinking this “feel good” advertising campaign may seem at the first glance, in reality, the company is only perpetuating the energy problems.  I aim to inform and educate readers about what was left out of the Exxon Mobil advertisements in my anti-advertisement which shows the negative effects oil has on the world.  The text and visuals in the anti-advertisement reveal how the company’s advertisements do not reflect their actions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Mouawad, Jad.  “Exxon Mobil Profit Sets Record Again.” New York Times. New York Times, 1 Feb. 2008: Web. 16 Nov. 2009.

“1989 Valdez Oil Spill.”  ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil, 19 Mar. 2009: Web. 16 Nov. 2009.

 

LINK TO EXXON MOBIL COMMERCIAL– http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/news_ad_corpus_hydrogen.aspx

Anjelica’s Paper

Just Do It! <—-This is the link to open my paper in Word!

"Because You Want it to Happen"

Hello!

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