Who's Bowling?!

One of the most significant and interesting forms of advertising and promotion that I have seen in the past few weeks is involved with college athletics. As you hopefully know already, SJSU football has made quite a recovery this year, and has just agreed to play in the New Mexico Bowl this December 23, 2006. When researching more about the bowls I was intrigued by the amount of money companies spend on having their name on a bowl. A prime example of this is the fiesta bowl sponsored by Tostitos held in Glendale Arizona.

With these bowls the companies sponsoring them pay out the teams invited anywhere from $750,000 to $17 million. While these numbers seem huge, the bowls are constructive for the company or organization hosting them. These games become so popular that they are referred to more by the company they represent than the teams that are playing. Bowls like the Fiesta bowl or the Sugar bowl are known to have great teams in attendance, and people may purchase tickets for them, far before the teams playing are determined. These games are generally all sell outs, and people may travel thousands of miles to participate in them or to support a team. They view these bowls as a way to bring tourism to different cities, and a way to advertise across the nation bringing together well known teams that sports fans want to see play each other.

College football rankings do factor into what teams are invited, but in the end the companies have the final call with invitations. A full listing of the Bowls can be found at CollegeFootballPoll.

Wii Have a Problem

So each time I write about video games, I swear it will be the last time, but I have more to say…so no more promises! I have recently been playing the new Nintendo system, the Wii. I gave a brief glimpse of how the system works on my October 24^th blog. Anyways, this new system is interactive meaning if you are playing a game of tennis you actually swing the remote (also referred to as a Wiimote) as if you had a raquet in you hand. It really is awesome, and it is so easy for anyone to play!

The thing that is so great about it, and I promised I would not publicly mention this, but I have been sore from the waist up from all of the interesting ways this system has me moving. (You know you need to hit the gym when…) I think it is great that a system has been released like this one. Even though it is very minimal work, it beats sitting on the couch and getting sore thumbs!

While this aspect of the Wii has been great there have also been a series of complaints about the system. I personally can relate to what others are complaining about…I almost broke a finger playing tennis!! I followed through too much on my swing, and hit a wooden chair! I have not had pain like this in a while!! Others have been breaking television screens, making holes in walls and more! You have to check this out! Wii have a problem. Haha…I still can’t get enough of it.

Inspi(RED)

Recently, the GAP Red collection has been seen all over advertisements, on celebrities, and in every day conversation. In case you haven’t yet heard of the Red Campaign, it is a campaign through GAP, supporting the fight against AIDS. Half of the proceeds from each Red Product purchase goes to the fund to fight AIDS.

Last Monday, in my PR 99 class, a woman came to speak to our class explaining the campaign or project. Bono from U2 is the primary supporter of this project, and she had wonderful things to say about him. The entire presentation was great, and it really made you want to go out and support the cause.

A primary product they offer are the red colored tees that have a word written on them. Words that may be as such: Desi(red), Bor(ed), Ti(red), Inspi(red), etc. They have many other products as well that aren’t necessarily red in color, but Red in significance.

Faces that can be seen representing the products include Steven Spielberg, Penelope Cruz, Chris Rock, Dakota Fanning, and more! Other brands also helping the fund include Verizon Wireless which offers a Red phone, I Pod, Armani, Converse, and American Express. Oprah has also contributed two shows to promoting the line, and has increased sales for the products tremendously. It is a great campaigning idea, and it is a wonderful way to help a cause that needs support!

Life, Death, and the Playstation 3

So I am completely aware that I talk about video games far too much, but I experienced things this past weekend that are completely blog worthy. All of the action happened when desperately attempting to purchase the Playstation 3 and the new Nintendo Wii.

This past Friday, November 17, the Playstation 3 was released. While many had already camped out to preorder the game unit, others, like myself, were searching around the day or days prior to Friday in hopes of scoring the new system. I began my journey at Walmart in which those in line had been stationed there since Wednesday morning. As I continued to different Targets and Best Buys I noticed that mostly everyone in position to purchase the Playstation had been there since TUESDAY!!

I finally stationed myself at the Market Target in which hundreds of people waited for a lottery of which eight lucky gaming consumers could purchase the system. I really can not explain how crazy the fight was for these systems costing $600!

I personally was trying to purchase one to resell on ebay. As much as I would have loved to play on the system, I simply viewed it as tuition money.

All in all it is very interesting to see the society of which we live. People are willing to sacrifice so much time and money for a game system. On another aspect, companies like Playstation, have consumers frenzied for a unit, only releasing a total of 400,000. It is an interesting industry, and this past weekend only further reinforced that.

Too Much Sex IN the City

After hearing the presentation about Sex and the City I think there is a large aspect of it’s impact on society that may have been skipped over. (I say may because of the time shortage). While Sex and the City did open a door for “liberating” women and hopefully working toward less of a double standard, it also broke down all morally straight foundation that may have been set for the younger population of viewers. Girls in high school idolize these women, and as far as I am concerned, that may be the end to any sort of independence from men. Women do not need to have a husband or significant other that they constantly tend to, but these women drag it to a completely different form of dependence on men. The concept of showing successful, independent, childless women could have been a great start toward refining the female image, but instead 16 year old girls have Samantha listed as the Sex and the City Character most like them.

While the glamorization of this constant party life was lightly addressed in the presentation, this group of women are conveying a lifestyle that is really not realistic, feasible, or healthy. Not to say the producers weren’t successful, it is far more entertaining to watch a woman under the influence of god knows what, taking a different man home every night over the daily life of the Cleaver Family; not to mention...the show title is Sex and the City...not Women and the City!

International Cell Phones

Cellular phones have become a large advancement in the United States. We are now allowed to hold music, videos, take pictures, AND call people on our cell phones. However, people in various other countries have phones that surpass any that are sold in the United States. A new Motorola Phone can be purchased through export cell phone companies such as ImportGSM. This phone, the Motorola V3X, contains various high tech abilities, such as 2 way video calling and a 2 mega pixel camera. This phone will not be available in the United States for some time. However, it is available from international cellular phone consumers. The reason international phone companies can release these phones so much earlier than United States phone companies is the network that they are running on. The United States has spent a large amount of there time on developing a network that can run sufficiently to the needs of the American consumer. The international world does not have to create such a large network for their country. For example, the size of South Korea’s network is greatly smaller than the United States. This smaller network allows them to spend a majority of their time on developing and testing more advanced phones. International countries have better phones due to their more intense research on new technology for phones.

The Most Beautiful Ugly

When looking at the different international websites, and when viewing how different media is from country to country or even state to state I found myself searching all of the internet for different aspects of media other than news. One of the aspects in television that I found interesting, and of course a bit humorous, was the Spanish Soap Operas. Non-Spanish speaking, and many Spanish speaking, Americans have a tendency to stop on the programs to laugh or chuckle at the flamboyant approach to entertainment.

That is exactly how this form of media serves the Spanish speaking countries, as their main form of entertainment. Soap Operas are the largest form of entertainment, and are aired daily during prime time hours from 7-10:00 pm. Each soap opera runs for an hour, Monday through Friday, making three television shows dominating all of the prime time slots. Later at 10:00 pm they have shows that run as our night time television does.

One show in particular has now actually been transformed into a U.S. version because of its popularity. The show is La Fea Mas Bella, and it revolves around a young woman trying to survive in the demanding lifestyle of the business world. She has braces, and glasses and has difficulty finding a job because of her looks. The U.S. version is called Ugly Betty, and is also popular. Therefore, the soap operas that were once chuckled at maybe offered with a different approach in the U.S., but are offering the same messages to two different communities.

Campaigning and Advertising

As mentioned earlier advertising is everywhere. Lately there has been a new form of advertising, that being for the elections occurring this Tuesday, November 7^th. In the past I have recalled advertising for these elections as billboards, signs, pins, poster, and commercials. This year however, I have found that advertising for these campaigns made a dramatic turn. It is always typical to slander an opponent, but I have found more than ever that many commercials slander the opponent as a tactic rather than glorifying one’s self. While both forms will essentially influence somebody, it seems like a middle school way of handling the campaign. In my mind it makes the candidate or candidates less reputable. As a voter I want to see what the candidate will offer me, not the down falls or mistakes of another.

Another aspect of campaigning that I found this year was the use of political icons or the use of celebrity to promote specific propositions. An example of this was Bill Clinton’s campaign in support of prop 87. Even on myspace there have been advertisements with Bill Clinton’s face in support 87. While Bill Clinton is not typically considered a celebrity, he is an ex president and a political icon. It is not typical to see much of ex presidents after their terms, and now he is an icon for this particular proposition.

It is amazing how much money is spent on campaigning…hopefully all will go out and take advantage of their right to vote.

So...About Annoying Advertisements

Advertising is one of the key aspects of media. The reason for this, is a company’s ability to screen advertising on any type of media. You can advertise in magazines, on T.V., on the radio, and the list continues. While this is ideal for a company or advertiser it is many times insanely annoying for a consumer, you can’t escape them. For entertainment purposes I am going to review some of the worst aspects of Advertising through highlighting some of the most annoyingly effective advertising campaigns.

The first is the Snappelope. Right when all consumer victims thought Slim Jim could go no lower and no more annoying than the Randy Savage “Snap into a Slim Jim” campaign, they introduced a snappelope! I don’t know what this creature is, but it is scary! Perhaps it is the animal in which they get their meat? I lost sleep over those horrific commercials!

Another annoyingly effective add campaign are the Vonage ads. Woohoo woo hoo hoo…woo hoo woo hoo hoo woo hoo woo hoo woo hoo…I think I have said enough about this one! If you know what I am referring to…good luck removing song from your head!!

The worst part of this entire process is the advertisement agencies completely got what the paid for…I remember those damn commercials!

PR and Blogging

Public relations is a difficult field in the aspect of making all parties satisfied. While a company has many expectations of a PR firm or campaign, the PR firm always has to consider the public. Because a large focus of this course is blogging, I want to consider how wonderful blogging is as a form of Public Relations.

As a student in the department of Journalism, and as a Board member for Associated Students I have become increasingly aware of how politics, and maybe even the “real world” works. As a member of A.S. it can be…intimidating(?) knowing that the newspaper has strong control over how I, or others, are representing Associated Students and the student of SJSU. It is easy to nicely comment on something, and it is even easier for a journalist to quote one in a manner that sounds nothing like the original intent of the message.

It is crucial to have some form of check, and it is crucial to feel a sense of insecurity, it only makes you work that much harder, but it is relieving to have a blog in which one, or a company can express efforts and the work that is being accomplished.

Blogging is essentially an open forum for a company to show exactly how their efforts are benefiting the consumer. It is a free and easy way to not only shine light on the company’s efforts, but to advertise as well. All in all, it is quite convenient when a trend is easily transformed into an effective field of work.