Effective Advertising

Link to Quiznos Subs Commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG042nkReBA

This ad was successful for many reasons. There was clear visual persuasion throughout the commercial because this was when Quiznos was still a relatively new chain. They became popular due to the promotion of toasting subs which made them different from Subway and other companies that already existed. The Quiznos 'creatures' were effective additions to the commercial most of all because they are strange and peculiar looking. They catch the attention of the viewer not only due to their appearance, but also because of the weird song that they sing which gets stuck in your head. Beyond simply being a random and strange ad, it is also funny which makes it more distinctive. It is an ad that people will remember and talk about after seeing because it is so so unusual which is very beneficial to the company.

A Black President: Article Link

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0121steinjan21,0,4882958.story

iPod and the End of Civilization

It is true that the present generation has become dependent on music and technology in a different way that previous generations have. People are expecting ‘connectedness’ in every aspect of their life in ways that are unprecedented. While such obsession to control through email, Internet and constant IMing can be detrimental; music may be a different case. Music describes the culture of present day generations. There are certainly extreme cases in which individuals cannot stand being without music, but I do not think that it is quite to the extreme that Rick Barry seems to believe it to be. And as long as there is proper balance, there are certainly benefits to having music available to listen to. When there is growing frustration waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, music allows a release to keep from wanting to strangle the teller who feels the need to repeat every number twenty times, a minute, at the highest volume possible. Music also allows a mood change to improve an outlook on a bad day or to appreciate the beauty around. It would seem that it is not the iPod that would be truly the problem in Barry’s eyes so much as the low attention spans that children grow up in the present day in the presence of various influences (television, advertisements, declines in reading etc), but that is another argument.

Who would you fight for?

Of all the speeches, Aragon, Henry V and Braveheart, I would fight for William Wallace. He is the most honest and acknowledges the danger and fear that is truly there rather than glossing over it. He also shows that he understands what the trade-offs are, but has a convincing argument to fight nonetheless. Regret is something that haunts men. Rather than claim, as Henry V does, that others will be ashamed of not having been able to fight, Wallace notes that each man will personally have to live with their decision which is a much greater motivation. In the end people are somewhat selfish so personal conviction will act as stronger motivation than that of the shame of others (even if that does mean gaining pride). The Braveheart speech is also very compelling because of using freedom as the most important thing. Rather than fighting for the glory of another (such as a king) man is fighting for personal freedom, the right of a life with personal choice. While Aragon's speech somewhat references fighting for the greater cause of mankind, it is not directly references as freedom, but rather for mankind as a whole. While this may be a subtle difference it distinguished one speech from the other.

Attacking Parents?

I found an article that was pointing out how over-critical some organizations, specifically the NSPCC in the UK, which is not only attacking parenting techniques in general, but now also parenting techniques in reality TV shows. This article is effective because it speaks of things that all reads could relate to. The author uses just a small amount of satire to show just how ridiculous some of the previous changes that the NSPCC has made in the past. He does not argue that they have good intentions, but rather questions whether the amount of money could be spent more effectively. Citing that about 150 million pounds are spend simply on marketing and propaganda is an effective statistic that makes the reader question how effective the institution is. All in all, the author makes a good point that often people seem to be overly sensitive to the plight of children (and general society) to the point that kids are missing out on basic childhood experiences.

The website that I found the article is below:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/mick_hume/article3187323.ece