Study Task 4

This is your Lifestyle - Robin Warner

General Overview:
-Adverts in relation to role models in order to boost the sales pitch.
-The manipulative text used in advertising.
-Spanish examples are used which work in both Spanish and English.

The way we identify with others through things that we purchase/ what we wear.
Choice on the surface are seen as a good thing yet we have no choice but to choose. Our roles in society aren't given to us, we have to make choices.
Products can be presented as life changing yet there is no guarantee.
Always aiming towards a coherent project of yourself, a coherent identity and how this has an effect on other people.
Our need for consistency and identity development isn't just down to us its down to the developer.
Coherence - being logical and consistent. A key element of self identity.
The advertiser always has to circumvent the doubt people have towards advertising.
Personal expression can't be questioned as everyone is entitled to their own opinion therefore it doesn't have to  be factual.
Connectors are agreed terms in language, sometimes on a subconscious level. Advertisers don't want to highlight when they are trying to be persuasive. Connecters give some personality and a subtle authority to a statement.
Advertises sometimes play on this and sometimes over exaggerate their product because they know it has a prestigious stance in society already therefore advertising isn't too important to them.
A burden of choice: every choice we make has an element of risk as every choice we make has an impact on our 'togetherness' and the way we are perceived in society. Some products present everyday risks we face and show us a risk free solution such as choosing a perfect hairdresser.
This is done again with the dog biscuit add, they present a problem which is related to people who care about their dogs and spend a lot of time with them.
A role model helps secure the message from the brand.

Identity and Consumption

Multiple identities and how they formed?

Our identity forms early in life and continues to develop throughout, we begin to recognise ourselves at 2 years old and from then on our recognition of ourselves becomes more complex. We are influenced by our parents, siblings, friends, teachers and other things going on in our life at an early age. When we reach adulthood our identities start to incorporate our feelings, beliefs and motivations. The combination of so many different characteristics to express ourselves makes our multi-dimensional identities.

Social Categorisation

Humans categorise things in relation to themselves. Our perception  of people is often affected by peoples material possessions, we categorise individuals in terms of what they own rather than what they're like as a person. This depersonalises the process and often leads to us comparing ourselves to others.

Social Comparison

We often compare our similarities and differences to others, this often boosts our self-esteem when comparing ourselves to people who are worse off than us. Simple things such as having a better car than the people in your social circle can make you feel better. However this can also have a negative impact when comparing yourself who you consider better off than you such as having a better car, clothes or other materialistic items.

Social Identity Theory

Socialising in a group is important to people identities as it helps them grow and define who they are as well as boosting their self esteem and general well being, this is known as the social identity theory.


Brand Identity Examples
> Apple
> American Eagle
> Mercedes

Negative effects on body image

Many studies have found that both women and men do not believe that their current body form is attractive, men tend to think their bodies are not too far off what them deem to be the ideal shape. These negative thoughts are likely to come from the media portraying an unrealistic 'ideal figure' which has been photoshopped.

Self- discrepancy Theory 

A theory as to why people become unhappy with their physical appearance, it proposes that people have 3 different types of self-schema.
1. Actual self - the way people are at the current point in time
2. Ideal self - the self we aspire to be
3. Ought self - the way we think we should be
The ideal self helps us strive in a way that we see as perfect whereas the ought self stops us doing inappropriate things. There should be no discrepancies between actual and ideal self or actual and ought self as this would lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction in the person and emotions such as anxiety and fear. People with high discrepancies are likely to suffer from low self esteem and engage in identity seeking buying behaviour.

Study Task 3

PARODY & PASTICHE

Having read each of the extracts once (Linda Hutcheon - The politics of postmodernism: Parody and history and Frederic Jameson - Postmodernism: Or the cultural logic of late capitalism) read the following sections closely:

Linda Hutcheon – p179-186

Frederic Jameson = p16-19

Highlight any references to Parody and/or pastiche and any other important details. You should aim to be able to answer the following questions:

What is being discussed in each text?

HUTCHEON

• Doesn't agree with Jameson
• Both talking about the same thing 
• You must understand the culture ands rules that create something before it can be altered. 
• Postmodernism is a good thing. 

JAMESON

• Postmodern architecture combines different styles in one.
• Everything we create is influenced by the past.
• We no longer have original ideas they have all steamed from something previously done.

Study Task 2

Read Laura Mulvey’s text Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975) once. 

Then read the text again and identify in a few words what each paragraph is addressing focussing on how the essay is structured and how she develops her argument.

Then read the text a third time and try to summarise what each section is discussing.

Read the other two texts and consider carefully how each relate to Laura Mulvey’s theory.

In groups:

For each text discuss:

In summary what is being discussed/argued?  

LAURA MULVEY - An Essay

• Men are portrayed as leaders as women are the inferior gender and are seen as servants to men and are only good at carrying children. 
• Hollywood was dominated by males who pushed their dominance upon others.
• Scopophilia (sexual pleasure derived chiefly from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity) 
• Despite being objectified women start to become a threat as new films flip gender roles such as wonder woman. 
• Infants are fascinated with their own reflection. 
• A woman's only importance is the reaction she has on the male hero and how it affects him. She needs his reassurance and approval. 

STOREY- Analysis

• analysis of the previous text.
• Aimed at students studying Mulvey's text in hope it will make it easier for them to understand.
• Allows you to get the general idea of Mulvey's text. 

DYER - Book

• The male body can also be seen as erotic, not just the female. 
• Men don't use their erotic potential to it's maximum, they reject this.
• Expands on and uses some of Mulvey's theories. 

Study Task 1 - Research Question

Establishing a research question: Follow these guidelines to establish an appropriate research question 1. Focus on a specific graphic design discipline 2. The question must be open ended. 3. The question must allow for suitable theoretical research as well as visual exploration. 4. Position your research within contemporary graphic design practice - make it work for you. 5. Do some quick preliminary research to gauge how much literature is currently available... do the same to explore what is currently happening within the industry. 6. Consider what primary research methods could be used to support your research.

1. The area of graphic design which excites me most is branding, I think this is the field I would potentially like to go in therefore want to start focusing on this. 

When speaking to my group for help in terms of setting  a research question it was suggested that I looked at the specific elements used in branding that a companies may use without us knowing. 

I decided to start my research of very general and looked up branding strategies. Here's a list of some of the things I found:

• Name brand recognition 

A well-established company will often use the weight of its own name brand to extend to its products. Most often, a company with large name brand recognition can be recognized by its logo, slogan, or colors. Companies such as Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Apple, and Mercedez-Benz are all iconic while featuring multiple subsidiary products featured under the company name.

• individual branding 

Sometimes a larger company may produce products that carry their own weight independent of the parent company. This strategy involves establishing the brand as a unique identity that is easily recognizable. General Mills, for example, distributes Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Kix, Total, Trix, and more—and that’s just the cereal division. The company also distributes other major brands from every food group.

• Attitude branding 

Ambiguous marketing can often go above the actual product itself in the case of attitude branding. These brands all use strategies that bring to life personality and a customized experience with products and services. 

• 'no-brand' branding 

A minimalist approach can speak volumes. No-brand products are often simple and generic in design.

• Brand extension

Brand extension occurs when one of your flagship brands ventures into a new market. Say you have a shoe company that is now making jackets, athletic wear, and fragrances. The brand name carries its own identity to your product mix.

• Private Labels 

Store brands—or private labels—have become popular at supermarkets.

• Crowdsourcing

These brands are outsourced to the public for brand creation, which allows customers the chance to be involved in the naming process, and effectively drives up personal interest in a product.

• Emotional Branding

Emotional branding clearly differentiates companies from their competitors and helps to create deep intrinsic relationships between brands and consumers. Relationships with an emotional dimension are more likely to resist the temptation to defect than comparatively superficial price or convenience-based ones.

2/3. The question.

What is emotional branding and how is it used to persuade consumers?

What is emotional branding and how is it used to influence consumers?

How does emotional branding influence our buying methods?

How is emotional branding used in everyday branding?

How has emotional branding impacted consumerism?

4. Research - look at ad campaigns for companies that use emotional branding and compare and contrast these techniques. 

5. After doing some quick research I have found a lot of useful articles and blogs etc which will aid my writing. 

6. Primary research - surveys depending on the brands. E.g sports brands- go to gyms, sports shops etc and ask people questions.