Monday, May 24, 2010

In-Class Blog for May 24

Hello All,

Through reading Stevens and Eliade, we have seen how archetypes function on both the social and individual level, and in writing our analyses, we have explored how popular culture uses these universal symbols to entertain and help us find meaning in the world.

Our last text --The Hero and the Outlaw-- takes a different approach, one that definitely permeates our lives, whether we like it or not. In this text, Mark and Pearson (2001) argue that advertising uses these same archteypes to help "people to experience meaning in ordinary life" and "ennoble life by highlighting its meaning" (p. 21). Of course, this isn't done out of any sense of altruism; rather, the profit motive is the guiding principle. We could perhaps more accurately replace "highlighting" with "manipulating" with regards to advertisers and their relationship to these archetypal truths.

Regardless of our feelings regarding capitalism and our commercial-driven culture, we can still objectively evaluate whether or not a given advertisement may be effective. On page 13, Mark and Pearson divide and classify archetypal figures into twelve categories, each of which becomes the basis of a chapter.

Your assignment is this:

1. Get into groups of two;
2. Choose a commercial (the ones you posted will work);
3. Critique its use of archetypes (both from Mark & Pearson and Stevens or Eliade if they apply);
4. Use at least one quote from Mark & Pearson.

This critique should be a decent-sized paragraph (six-ten sentences).

20 comments:

  1. In the Doritos commercial that aired during the Superbowl, you see a man go to pick a woman up for a date. The woman has a little boy who was playing videogames before the man’s arrival. When the man takes a Doritos out of a bowl on the coffee table, the little boy slaps him and says “Keep your hands off my Doritos, keep your hands off my mom.” Originally, we would assume that a child would represent the “Innocent” archetype; the Innocent has a fear of “doing something bad or wrong” (Mark and Pearson, 54). However, the opposite seems to be true for the boy in this commercial. In this commercial, the little boy acts as the Outlaw. According to Mark and Pearson, the Outlaw “may not feel moral, but they at least feel powerful.” (Mark and Pearson, 124). One strategy of the Outlaw is to shock, which the commercial uses by having a seemingly innocent little boy slap a grown man. Games are symbols of carefree fun. When the mother’s date comes into the room, the child immediately drops his video game controller, signifying that the time for fun is over and he is now completely serious.

    -- Cory Brown, Sean Collier, Kristen Perez

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  2. Brittany Stevens, Nancy Sanchez, Priscilla Caraballo
    The Axe Twist commercial gives the idea to the audience that if one uses Axe deodorant they will be transformed into an attractive person. This resembles one of the twelve basic archetypes that Mark and Pearson (2001)say are used to sell products today. The magician archetype is used in this commercial to show an "affect of transformation" has occurred to help the girl to continue to be interested in the man(p.13). Once the man used the axe twist he was transformed, in his looks, to appeal to what the woman desired. "In fact, anyone associating meaning with a product already has moved onto archetypal terrain" (p.31). This commercial illustrates that if a man uses Axe Twist they will be able to get the girl and keep her interested. With the use of archetypes this commercial has gotten men to buy axe deodorant, thinking they would be able to get any women interests.

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  3. Fatima Lucio, Nicole Parker

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OdXK4a-Yi0

    The commercial that we chose is made by Chase Bank in 2005 which also plays the song 100 years by Five for fighting in the background. This commercial talks about the life of a person after graduating from college such as getting married, having children, and experiencing life in his middle ages. The archetypes present in this commercial include the center which are his accomplishments and the road leading to his accomplishments. According to the archetypes of Mark and Pearson in the book, The Hero and the Outlaw, the main character in the commercial is considered a regular guy who is someone that is said to "be OK just as they are" (p.13). Chase created this commercial to claim that "everyone matters, just as they are" according to Mark and Pearson (p.165). Chase demonstrates this claim by portraying a man who is dressed in regular working-class clothes, speaks like the rest of us, and is able to use his Chase card everywhere he goes.

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  4. Rosio Sanchez & Vicky AguirreMay 24, 2010 at 8:29 AM

    In one of Corona's commercial there is a couple relaxing at the beach enjoying a Corona each. As they're enjoying the view of the beach, a girl in a bathing suit walks by and we see the guy checking out the girl until she is out of sight. The "girlfriend" although she never turns to see what the "boyfriend" is looking after, she notices what just happened. So she takes the lime from his Corona and squeezes to squirt the lime juice all over him.
    Two of the archetypal figures that this commercial includes are the ruler and the jester. "The Ruler knows that the best thing to do to avoid chaos is to take control" (Pg. 245). In the commercial we see that the "girlfriend" (the ruler) takes control in the scene because she "paysback" on her "boyfriend" with a small act (the squeezing of him lime). Not only did she wet him with the lime juice, but she ruined his Corona by not having a lime to drink with it. Mark and Pearson state on page 197 that The Jester core desire is "to live in the moment with full enjoyment". This commercial shows jester by showing that the couple is enjoying their moment by drinking a Corona, as they relax at the beach.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFu68oMmvtg

    -Rosio Sanchez & Vicky Aguirre

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  5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw0YVwB-rtg

    The commercial we chose to do is the Geico commercial with the caveman. In the commercial, the caveman and his girlfriend are getting ready to relax on the beach. The whole beach seen represents the archetypes of the ocean and the sun. The people who created the commercial portray this feeling of relaxation, and escape from reality. This is a place that most people dream of being. Everyone wants to be relaxed and be able to turn off their brains and escape. Geico gives the audience the security that they need. Just like the beach offers escape and a worry free world, Geico offers a service that "is so easy a caveman can do it." They are promising to take the weight from the customer and put it on themselves. This idea is also portrayed in Mark and Pearson’s idea of the Pinocchio Effect. They argue "if companies fulfill their meaning promise to the same degree that they deliver quality products, they help customers in two ways: (1) by providing a functional product or service and (2) by helping people to experience meaning in ordinary life" (Mark and Pearson, 2001, p. 21) This is exactly what the commercial is portraying and offering to the viewers. Along with the Pinocchio idea, the archetype of the Sage is also portrayed in this commercial. The motto for the sage is “the truth will set you free” (Mar and Pearson, 2001, p. 88). The commercial uses this idea to show the viewers that their product, which in this case is insurance, will give them peace and they will be able to relax and not have to worry about the stress that majority of insurance companies can cause, considering our economy.
    --Rachel Sterling
    --Timeshia Womack

    ReplyDelete
  6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw0YVwB-rtg

    The commercial we chose to do is the Geico commercial with the caveman. In the commercial, the caveman and his girlfriend are getting ready to relax on the beach. The whole beach seen represents the archetypes of the ocean and the sun. The people who created the commercial portray this feeling of relaxation, and escape from reality. This is a place that most people dream of being. Everyone wants to be relaxed and be able to turn off their brains and escape. Geico gives the audience the security that they need. Just like the beach offers escape and a worry free world, Geico offers a service that "is so easy a caveman can do it." They are promising to take the weight from the customer and put it on themselves. This idea is also portrayed in Mark and Pearson’s idea of the Pinocchio Effect. They argue "if companies fulfill their meaning promise to the same degree that they deliver quality products, they help customers in two ways: (1) by providing a functional product or service and (2) by helping people to experience meaning in ordinary life" (Mark and Pearson, 2001, p. 21) This is exactly what the commercial is portraying and offering to the viewers. Along with the Pinocchio idea, the archetype of the Sage is also portrayed in this commercial. The motto for the sage is “the truth will set you free” (Mar and Pearson, 2001, p. 88). The commercial uses this idea to show the viewers that their product, which in this case is insurance, will give them peace and they will be able to relax and not have to worry about the stress that majority of insurance companies can cause, considering our economy.
    --Rachel Sterling
    --Timeshia Womack

    ReplyDelete
  7. The commercial I'm choosing is a Lincoln commercial. It uses the archetype of a creator. Everyone in advertising tries to appeal to the public by creating something new and fresh. The idea is that the person who purchases it feels good because he is "different" with that new product. According to Mark and Pearson in "The Hero and the Outlaw", the creator "is not about fitting in" but about "tapping into his unique ability to imagine a different way" (p.227, 2001). Humans have the need to feel accepted but at the same time want to be different. The idea of being different means that other people are envious of you and it boosts your ego. Selling a new, cool car that nobody has ever seen or experienced can make another person envious of you.
    ~Cassie Marchman

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  8. The Dodge Superbowl commercial is about the man's last stand against feminist acts such as leaving the toilet seat down and buying tampons for their women. The Dodge Charger is the masculine object or "the last stand." According to Mark and Pearson,"Similarly, some but not all, product categories can have a "gendered" energy influencing their archetypal identity" (330). In this commercial mans masculinity is presented by the car. Men's genderized type masculinity means power and security for others. This archetype has been adopted by the commercial and applied on the car to give the same sense to all people who are interested with the car. Furthermore, Mark and Pearson's chapter the ruler is a strong archetypal reference of control and loss of chaos which is evidence in the commercial though the use of a masculine car.

    Kenneth Clark
    Ali Zanial
    Mustafa Tuysuzoglu

    ReplyDelete
  9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40DykbPa4Lc
    The commercial we chose to critique is a Pepsi commercial. This commercial is about a young boy who explores unknown territory and becomes a great fighter. There are many archetypes used in this commercial, such as explorer, motivation, and struggles. According to Mark and Pearson, "this archetype is also a good choice for a brand that is up against a more established one" (199). Because Pepsi has a known rivalry against Coca-Cola, "the Jester archetype has successfully translated into a fairly steady image of the good-natured, puckish mischief maker poking fun at sanctimonious Coke" (301). Eliade, author of The Myth of Eternal Return states that "struggles, conflicts, and wars for the most part have a ritual cause and function (29); this is depicted in the commercial when the young boy begins his training he is unable to break two wooden plaques. His struggles continue throughout his journey until he becomes equipped with the proper skills to demonstrate his full potential. "Virtually all marketers know that they need to understand human motivations" (13-14); the commercial motivates the viewers to drink and prefer Pepsi because it gives the young boy super human strength. Mark and Pearson state that explorers "are motivated by a deep desire to find what, in the outer world, fits with their inner needs, preferences, and hopes" (71). The explorer is another archetype used in the commercial; "the Explorer goes out seeking a better world" (71). This commercial uses various archetypes in order to reach the viewer in terms of struggles, motivation, and exploring.

    ~Elvira Alvarez, Cindy Astorga

    ReplyDelete
  10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlXRengzZoc

    Athletes are portrait as heroes. According to Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson, authors of The Hero and the Outlaw, “There are infinite variations on [the story of the hero] but in every one the hero triumphs over evil, adversity or a major challenge and in so doing inspires us all (p.105).” The commercial we analyzed shows two athletes always running: from birth to adulthood. It shows that these athletes’ are running in opposite directions, but are actually running towards each other. Nike is known for creating running shoes that are accessible and appealing to athletes. “Nike brand identification with the hero has been long standing, consistent, and well executed. The company’s central mission is to understand and inspire the soul of the athlete (p.108).” The commercial shows that these two heroes are born to be athletes, and thus Nike’s mission is once again proven to be accomplished.

    Edith Bejar

    Sergio Espain

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  11. Brittany Stevens, Nancy Sanchez, Priscilla Caraballo
    The Axe Twist commercial uses one of the twelve basic archetypes that Mark and Pearson (2001) say show up most in commercials. The magician archetype was to illustrate that the axe has an “affect of transformation” on men (p.13). If men use axe twist they will be transformed into a man that can keep a women interested. Mark says that “In fact anyone associating meaning with the product already has moved onto archetypal terrain” (p.31). This commercial uses the archetype of the magician to display the transformation of the man goes through when he sprays himself with the deodorant. When the deodorant is used the man is able to get the girl because the deodorant transforms him into what a woman wants to see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt3yFRnChy0

    ReplyDelete
  12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RyPamyWotM

    The Dodge Superbowl commercial is about the relation between man and the car. This relation was shown by man’s masculinity The archetype of masculinity can be found in achetypes of hero, ruler, and gender in Person and Mark. The relation between these three archetypes applies on the car. Pearson and Mark argues the gendered related archetypes, “Similarly, some, but not all, product categories can have a “gendered” energy influencing their archetypal identity” (330). Furthermore, in Mark and Pearson’s the ruler chapter archetypal reference of the desire for control and the fear of chaos have a strong correlation to the masculinity of the muscle car in the commercial. This leads to allowing the viewer to visualize the amount of strength and authority one will gain with the purchase with such a car.

    Kenneth Clark
    Ali Zanial
    Mustafa Tuysuzoglu

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tracy Slegers
    Camila Ramirez

    The commercial that we choose is the Gatorade commercial titled Lock it Up-Gatorade commercial 2009 (That’s G). The archetypes that are present in the commercial are based on physical activities, like dancing, playing sports, and strong bodies. Also in the Gatorade commercial it shows the athletes in the commercial always being victorious and intense with energy. This is way are commercial falls into the hero category, because everyone love the hero characters, and in our society we value athletes. According to Mark and Pearson’s’ book The Hero and the Outlaw, “Heroes pride themselves on discipline, focus, and ability to make tough choices (107).” Most athletes have these qualities that Mark and Pearson describes, like discipline focus and quick thinking. This is why this commercial is appealing to us viewer because it shows athletes with the hero qualities and portrays them as successful; therefore the ad is effective at getting the viewer to think that drinking Gatorade will make them successful as well.

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

    ReplyDelete
  14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RyPamyWotM

    The Dodge Superbowl commercial is about the relation between man and the car. This relation was shown by man’s masculinity The archetype of masculinity can be found in achetypes of hero, ruler, and gender in Person and Mark. The relation between these three archetypes applies on the car. Pearson and Mark argues the gendered related archetypes, “Similarly, some, but not all, product categories can have a “gendered” energy influencing their archetypal identity” (330). Furthermore, in Mark and Pearson’s the ruler chapter archetypal reference of the desire for control and the fear of chaos have a strong correlation to the masculinity of the muscle car in the commercial. This leads to allowing the viewer to visualize the amount of strength and authority one will gain with the purchase with such a car.

    Kenneth Clark
    Ali Zanial
    Mustafa Tuysuzoglu

    ReplyDelete
  15. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoiM_F6drn4
    For our commercial, we are using the "Kid's Menu" Carls Jr. ad. In the ad, a guy is eating with his friends, and orders a classic grilled cheese sandwich- from the kids menu. As a result he recieves "subtle" laughs from his friends, looks from women who previously were checking him out, and mockery from the waitress. This ad exhibits the "regular guy" archetype. The guy in the commercial was trying to fit in, as he was eating out with his pals (Mark and Pearson, 166). He demonstrated the regular guy mentality that "people are OK just the way they are" by ordering a cheese sandwich off the kiddies menu, and made no reply to peoples reactions (Mark and Pearson, 171). This also imitates the archetype of primordial chaos because the guy that orders from the kids meal faces embarassment from his friends and the beautiful girls from across the table.Consequently, the guy keeps eating his kids meal in the face of being ostracized.
    --Ricardo Razo, Michael Adamsom, Robert De anda

    ReplyDelete
  16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RyPamyWotM

    The Dodge Superbowl commercial is about the relation between man and the car. This relation was shown by man’s masculinity The archetype of masculinity can be found in achetypes of hero, ruler, and gender in Person and Mark. The relation between these three archetypes applies on the car. Pearson and Mark argues the gendered related archetypes, “Similarly, some, but not all, product categories can have a “gendered” energy influencing their archetypal identity” (330). Furthermore, in Mark and Pearson’s the ruler chapter archetypal reference of the desire for control and the fear of chaos have a strong correlation to the masculinity of the muscle car in the commercial. This leads to allowing the viewer to visualize the amount of strength and authority one will gain with the purchase with such a car.

    Kenneth Clark
    Ali Zanial
    Mustafa Tuysuzoglu

    ReplyDelete
  17. In the 2008 Kay Jewelers commercial, the advertisers use the archetypal figures of lovers to convey how their jewelry can lead to everlasting love. According to Anthony Steven’s, “it is our capacity to form bonds of attachment and to display loyalty, affection, and altruism towards one another that makes it possible for us to love” and according to the Kay Jewelers commercial, Kay jewelers can help one provide these “attachment bonds” (P. 48). The tagline of the commercial is “every kiss begins with Kay,” and according to Mark and Pearson, “The first kiss, the proposal, the wedding, the anniversary-also appeal to the sentimentalists in all of us” (P. 186). The advertisement uses the archetype of lovers, which is “most important to romantic love” and “spiritual love” (Mark and Pearson P. 178). Our desire as humans is to “attain intimacy” and the gift of jewelry would show our “passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment” (Mark and Pearson P.179). As we view the commercial, we see the happiness and high level of emotion the actors are feeling, creating a desire for the same emotion and joy for ourselves.

    -Jenna Ortiz-
    -Kari-Lyn Doria-

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  18. The commercial is a twix commercial of a father feeding his son, the father burns himself in checking the food for the son and says a bad word in Spanish, the baby then repeats it as the mother and her friends walk in. They look at the father the twix slogo commercial comes on, the father quickly changes the word to make it sound like a fruit and the mother and her friends believe that the baby has learned a new word.
    In this commercial the father is portrait as the caregiver of the child. The child represents innocence. According to Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson (2001), "archetypes are images signal that signal the fulfillment of basic human desires and motivation and release of deep emotions and yearnings"(p.14).Commercials in this instance the twix commercial is a presentation of showing emotions of basic human desires in this case between a caregiver (father) and the innocence (baby).

    sarahi a veloz

    ReplyDelete
  19. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoiM_F6drn4
    For our commercial, we are using the "Kid's Menu" Carls Jr. ad. In the ad, a guy is eating with his friends, and orders a classic grilled cheese sandwich- from the kids menu. As a result he recieves "subtle" laughs from his friends, looks from women who previously were checking him out, and mockery from the waitress. This ad exhibits the "regular guy" archetype. The guy in the commercial was trying to fit in, as he was eating out with his pals (Mark and Pearson, 166). He demonstrated the regular guy mentality that "people are OK just the way they are" by ordering a cheese sandwich off the kiddies menu, and made no reply to peoples reactions (Mark and Pearson, 171). This also imitates the archetype of primordial chaos because the guy that orders from the kids meal faces embarassment from his friends and the beautiful girls from across the table.Consequently, the guy keeps eating his kids meal in the face of being ostracized.
    --Ricardo Razo, Michael Adamsom, Robert De anda

    ReplyDelete
  20. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40DykbPa4Lc
    This is a Pepsi commercial with the Chinese Monks.
    An American kid goes to China to take classes from Chinese monks. His teacher tries to teach him secrets of monks. A teacher is a symbol of magician. According to Mark and Pearson, magician is a person whose goal is "make dreams come true." (142) The kid grows up to a young man who reaches the monk status when he smashes Pepsi can with his head and gets a symbol which every monk in the village has right on his forehead.
    The purpose of a commercial is to say that Pepsi helps to to reach high goals.

    Nigina Boltaeva

    ReplyDelete