Sunday, September 13, 2015

Critical Autonomy



Do you agree with the claims made in the deconstruction?
I agree with the claims for Century Link ad. You first see a young girl with a slinky and to me that makes every viewer go back to their past and how they used to play with a slinky (if they had one). I liked this ad because it showed a diverse population. There were working class people in their workspace, there were people outside running, there was a couple that just got married, etc. There were steps in every shot that way the slinky could be pictured.  The song that played was upbeat song that talked about sticking by your side through rain or shine, which is what this company wants you to think about their customer service. The video at the end showed a dad coming home to their child waiting outside for them and I think that a lot of people can relate to that.

Is the Century Link ad really a cover for a company that is making profits over customer satisfaction?
If customers are not satisfied with this product than the ad really is a cover for their company to get more business and make a great profit. The deconstruction goes into detail about how low their customer satisfaction is with this company. The video is misleading for the customers when it focuses on people being taken care of and connected with others that they love. Like every network, not everyone will be able to use it depending on where they live. Look at all of the different cell phone providers that are available. Not all providers have the same connection for all of their customers which makes it hard to use them when getting a cell phone plan.

Does the Alltel ad really promote racism or stereotypes of immigrants? Why or why not?
The ad focuses on a middle class white American family that has a husband, wife, son, and daughter. They rented out their children’s room to be able to afford their own phone plan. They rented it out to Mexicans that play loud music and act carefree when others walk into their room. They also brought their chicken with them, which makes them look even more like a stereotype. The family just stands in the door way and awes in their carefree expressions. I think that this ad really is promoting stereotypes for their viewers and shows racism. I was surprised that the middle class Americans were shown as not having enough money to have their own phone plan. If you look at their fine print their monthly rates are outrageous and they only have certain locations that will work with their network.



Browse the Deconstruction Gallery
I chose to watch the Jif “College Mom” video. This video shows the relationship between a mother and her college daughter that has moved away. This video starts by showing a woman in the kitchen and her phone starts to ring. She answers the phone by saying “Hey college girl”.  Her daughter is on the other line and it appears that she is in a dorm room. While the mom is on the phone with her daughter there are pictures of the girl as a child displayed on the fridge in the kitchen. She received a care package from her mom that has different items in it. There was a picture of her and a dog, a fuzzy blanket, a mix cd, and Jif peanut butter. They go on to talking about her classes and the daughter starts eating her peanut butter. The narrator tells us that choosing Jif is a way to show someone that you care about them. Jif always has a caption that says, “Choosey moms choose Jif”. Jif is always about showing families and portraying love for each other with peanut butter. The video can be geared towards everyone not just college students and parents but to people who want to show someone that they care. This video is geared towards people that love peanut butter. So what about people who don’t love peanut butter? What are they supposed receive from others to show that they are being thought about?


4 comments:

  1. Love your last statement/question about other than peanut butter. (Not to mention nut allergies.) I couldn't help but smile with this one. My children made it through college on Peanut Butter, but mostly it was the Great Value brand.

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  2. I agree with your deconstruction of the Jif ad. The dog picture, blanket, and mix tape are all meant to instill a sentimental feeling in the viewer and make you reminisce about such items that brought comfort to the viewer in his or her own childhood. The fact that the jar of Jif peanut butter is included in this care box sends a message that all good moms fed their children Jif peanut butter when they were young, and therefore a fresh jar of Jif will remind them of the loving care they received while growing up. Clearly you weren't loved enough if your mother bought you the off-brand peanut butter instead of Jif! ;) I have to say though, the tag line "Choosy moms choose Jif" must really work, given the fact that nearly every home I've ever visited has used this brand of peanut butter (other than my grandma, who bought Peter Pan brand--come on, Grandma!).

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  3. I agree; what are the people who don't like peanut butter (or as mentioned above, allergic) supposed to get in their care package? There are a lot of things to send someone. I liked how you said since Jif was in the box, it was something that portrayed love in families.

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  4. One thing to keep in mind as you deconstruct media is that the untold story often lies beyond the ad itself. For example, while Jif peanut butter commercial are all about making us feel warm and fuzzy, their food production company Smuckers engages the destruction of rainforests as peanut butter is not all peanuts but SURPRIZE palm oil. Palm oil extraction contributes to the extinction of orangutans and climate change. They do not support living wage increases and fought tooth and nail to prevent GMO food labels. Maybe some families don't choose Jif because they work for Jif and can't afford to.

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