Olympic Symbols

With the Olympics in full swing, I thought it'd be cool to look into the past logos of the Olympics to see how they've changed and evolved.

My personal favorite of the past 12 years is actually Nagano 1998. This year's is too abstract for my own taste, however the Olympic symbol is one that will always be respected and well-known.

TIME article

I found this article at TIME.com and thought it was really interesting. It is about the way commercials capture our attention using different sounds that naturally appeal to us. Check it out! http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1966467,00.html

Mac

For my Media Studies class we got a chance to look into old Mac commercials. This was the commercial that aired during the 1984 Superbowl which introduced the Macintosh to the world. It opens with a bunch of gray figures marching in a line. These drones represent the IMB/Microsoft users. They all crowd into an auditorium and watch a giant Big Brother figure speaking to them. Meanwhile, a female runner tosses a hammer and destroys the TV screen in a heroic manner. A voice-over then states, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

This ad was considered to be a masterpiece by the advertising industry and received the Commercial of the Decade in the 1980s. It also is still considered to be one of the most influential commercials of all time. What also adds to the charm of the commercial is that it never aired again. One hundred days after the ad was shown, the Mac brought in $15 million. Mac had officially become an icon.

Even today, the Mac commercials are still one of the most popular. Here is one of my favorite from the Mac vs. PC campaign.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DWLyrljLDk&feature=related

Although the 1984 commercial and the commercials we see today are very different, I believe that they have the same idea; they portray the competition as boring and typical, and the Mac as revolutionary and breaking out of the norm by being "cool".

Britney Spears- Candie's

If anyone knows me at all, they'll know I'm a gold medal Britney fan. So, of course, I'd like to share her just-released Candie's campaign.

I think she looks amazing and this campaign really shows off Britney's personality, and at the same time, still does a good job of making the products stand out. More can be found at Candies.com!

A Quick Thought...

“Advertisements maintain a vexed relationship to reality. Their world is one of myth and make-believe. In that world, everyone is beautiful, has ample leisure time, and has the time and money to buy and enjoy a bewildering array of goods.”

– Jason Chambers, Madison Avenue and the Color Line

Cosmo- March 2010

I just picked up my new Cosmopolitan yesterday. Carrie Underwood is one of my favorite artists out there right now, and she looks stunning! While I was flipping through the magazine, I couldn't help but notice all the sexual ads that reappeared every few pages. Of course, this is not a new thing, but it reminds me of how women are portrayed in our society: objectified.

This is the Calvin Klein Jeans, Body white wash ad. I think it does a good job showing the contrast between the couple's tan body and dark hair with the actual white wash of the jeans they are wearing. With the woman placed on the bottom and the man's arm covering her breasts, it exemplifies the idea of women being subjected into a man's control. Calvin Klein is globally recognized for the sex appeal ads, with this one being nothing short of that.

I also noticed that a large portion of the ads with one female, the woman had her eyes closed or not even shown at all. This could be a sign that woman should only be looked AT, instead of looking straight into the camera.

On the other hand, I also LOVED the collection of Bebe ads.

She looks beautiful and fierce..the way females should be portrayed ;)

Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sarah Janousek. I am an Advertising major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. On this blog, I want to post new ads I encounter, my favorite ads, old ads, etc. I have a passion for creativity, and the media-centered world we live in now is always growing and expanding. There are many opinions I have of the advertisements that we see today, some of which I'd like to share on this new blog for my Media Studies class. Enjoy! :)