Analytical Post: Advertisements

The advertising chapter opened with some intriguing insights.  Despite the common misconception that advertising has only really evolved recently, (since the implementation of newspapers) the book dates early rudimentary forms of advertising back to 1200 B.C., and even mentions that “Advertising became part of the American experience even before settlers arrived”  (Biagi, 214). Even though advertising has been around for several centuries, critics often comment on the many setbacks of early advertising, as well as the magnitude of which it has evolved over time.

            The very first newspaper advertisement appeared in The Boston News Letter in 1704. In the 1800s, The Penny Press began using advertisements as a means of  counterbalancing its costs. Newspapers began to catch on to this strategy and became dependent on advertisements. Despite the initial intention to use ads as a source of income, newspapers failed to filter ads and would “accept advertising from anyone who paid for it” (Biagi, 214). This created a problem because advertisements were extremely deceitful, and were soon deemed an embarrassment to have in ones newspaper. Thus, advertisements weren’t socially accepted until 1887 when the Ladies’ Home Journal “promoted advertising as a way for magazines to succeed” (Biagi, 215). Eventually, Congress created the Federal Trade Commission as a filter for deceptive advertising in 1914, and other forms of media began using advertisements as well. For instance, the WEAF a New York radio company broadcast the first ever radio ads in 1922. This was eventually introduced in television, (which began as an advertising medium) as well as on the internet.

            Initial problems with advertising included its lack of reliability, for, the advertisements consisted of “hopeful overstatements, half-truths, and downright lies” (Biagai, 214). Later problems with advertising however, began to get a lot more complex. For instance, mass mediums allotted for a lot more competition among the advertising world. Despite the more affordable costs of radio advertisements, (versus the thirty second $100,000 cost of TV ads) television advertisements were becoming one of the best ways to advertise, for they could “catch your eye, ear or heart” (Biagi, 218) something that earlier forms of media could not compete with. Thus, it became increasingly hard for other mass mediums to co-exist with the increasingly advanced technology that also carried advertisement. Correspondingly, with the magnitude of ads being produced, advertisers are having to find unique ways to get consumers brand differentiate their product over the leading competitors.  Likewise, advertising agencies misconstrued the revenue advertisements would bring in on the internet. Assuming that advertisements would “take off” and be an extremely successful form of promoting products; they failed to realize that most consumers click out of advertisements, or completely ignore them altogether. Thus, it has become inconclusive as to how effective ads on the Internet really are in engaging consumers’ interests.

            Technological changes are consistently occurring, and are among one of the three factors that will “affect the future of advertising business” (Biagi, 227).  With international marketing campaigns becoming more and more apparent, ads are being forced to produce messages that will agree with a neutral audience and have a universal persuasive effect. In addition to this, the book states that “as new media technologies create new outlets, the advertising community must adapt” (Biagi, 227). This is evident through the constant search for a way to make Internet advertisements appealing to consumers. Finally, the book describes a third factor that ad companies must regularly monitor: the shifting demographic patterns. In other words, ad companies must continue to adapt to audiences, or situations- whether it’s adjusting the programming to be multi-cultural and include Spanish dialogue, or decreasing the amount of ads when the economy is in a recession.

            The book specifies six job categories advertising can be divided into. While this does allow for more jobs, there is no telling what technological advances could occur next , and with the steadily decreasing use of newspapers it is likely that this mass medium (and eventually several others) could become extinct, which would lead to a decrease in jobs. Thus, it would be wise to invest in an advertising job that is aimed at a thriving media, such as television.

Somalian Pirates Attack and Kill Four Americans

Katie Couric the leading news anchor briefly discusses the three most urgent stories presently. Immediately following this, Couric leads into the major story of the evening: four Americans killed by Somali Pirates. A map is projected on the screen displaying the whereabouts of the four Americans, as well as the location their yacht was hijacked. Pictures of the four also appear on the screen personalizing this story for all the people watching. One man reports from the Pentagon on the issue, explaining in detail the four Us Navy ships shadowing the Yacht the moment the nineteen Pirates entered and hijacked the ship. The individual commenter goes onto describe the events following, and the tragic outcome. As viewers process this shocking news, a personal relative of one of the four Americans onboard the yacht comments on her opinion of the situation, which is quickly aided by the usual generic anchor voice of a man describing more in-depth information on the situation at-hand. Visuals including: pictures of the four Us Navy ships involved, as well animated graphics which replicate the actual event to a tee are also provided. Additionally, We hear another voice account from one of the Commanders of the fifth fleet, as well as graphics, and captions to ensure the complete understanding of this man’s description of the scene.

The story mainly consists of two individual commenter’s: Couric, and the National Security Correspondent: David Martin. The pair provides most of the stories details, as well as answer many relevant questions spectators are likely to inquire when watching the newscast. Despite the fact that the two people listed above cover the majority of the newscast, there are two other sources that contribute to the newscast. This includes: one of the relatives of the four Americans killed: Nina Crossland who gives a personal testimony of the situation. Finally, we hear a voice only account by Vice Administrator Mark Fox-the commander of the fifth fleet who provides an eerie perspective; which is supplemented with the animated depiction of the attempt to gain control of the ship, (courtesy of the US Navy) as well as the imminent deaths of the four victims.

The story was thoroughly laid out. With less time given to the same generic male voice used throughout most newscasts, it increased the credibility of the story because the audience was able to see who was speaking, and was notified of the person’s background. Thus, instead of wondering who the voice behind the camera was, and questioning where this person got their facts, one is able to feel a sense of satisfaction when they can actually see all the people talking throughout the program, and know that the information is accurate because it comes from a credible (versus unknown) source. In addition to this, the animated graphics that mirrored the situation were an excellent addition to the newscast, for it provided viewers with imagery of the circumstance, to help them better picture the scene. Finally,  the newscast comprised of almost every necessary effect when leading a thorough newscast ranging from: interviews, maps, pictures, and individual commenter’s to equally contribute to the story, and make it a success.

Anti-Government Protests Result in Heartache for the Bahrain Population

In recent news, Katie Couric reports on the Anti-government protests in Manama, Bahrain. Couric opens the news for the day with a general statement detailing the four main stories of the day. Even the simple act of this general overview appears organized for it begins with the biggest story that takes place outside of the United States, (Bahrain) followed by the second biggest story that takes place within the United States: “a turmoil of a different kind on our home front”, and finally, it concludes with a statement about the two less urgent stories that will be reported on later in the news cast. This transitions into the Bahrain story, which begins by providing a map detailing the whereabouts of this Persian Gulf kingdom. In addition to this, video is shown as well as specific details provided by the anchor, which are captioned, at the bottom of the screen. A phone call with an at the scene reporter tells of the graphic events of the night before as well as the “eerie feeling” that occurs after seeing all the damage and families who have been injured. Several individuals comment on this “high risk situation” and its likely effect in our culture.

While Katie Couric does most of the reporting, there are also several other contributors who play a part in the stories advancement. To begin with, there is the on-site reporter: Toula Wahou who provides a lot of the current footage, as well as updated current information on the protests. This is followed by the generic narrating voice (another reporter in the studio) who explains more of the facts, but doesn’t provide a source. Despite the lack of a source during this part of the newscast, several individual commentors are mentioned shortly after with their credibility listed as a footnote to their names. Some of the contributors include: David Martin the National Security Correspondent, David Mack a former US. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and an interviewee Richard Haass who is the President of the Council of Foreign Relations.

The story was carried out in a logical sense beginning with background information for viewers to a specific play-by-play of the Bahrain protests. The story was rather insightful, and provided a satisfying amount of information to the audience. While most stories generally contain persons who provide only a sentence or so on an issue, this story presented interviewee Richard Haass at the end of the newscast to rap up the breaking story was a more specialized perspective on the issue at hand. It was good that the interview lasted longer then usual for it provided several quality answers to imperative questions for the spectators watching. Despite the fact that I generally liked the structure of the newscast, I was surprised to see that the male narrating voice who provided a significant amount of details during the newscast failed to mention the source where all these statistics were coming from. Thus, I would recommend that CBS News provide a clearer picture of their sources to help increase the credibility of the station, as well as reassure skeptical audiences that the information is in fact authentically reliable.

No blog

This week is my "free-be."

Unemployment Continues to Decrease and Frustrate Economists

In recent news, Katie Couric reports on unemployment concerns. The story begins by giving a brief overview of the situation at hand. Followed by this are some statistics narrated by a generic male voice regarding a drastic decline in the unemployment rate. To help enhance the story, and create a visual delivery for those unable to capture this intensity by just hearing the information, the statistics are projected on the television screen. This adds to the overall effect of the account given for it allows people a better way to comprehend the information by actually seeing the numbers themselves, and realizing how serious a decrease of six tenths of a point in the unemployment rate is versus if they were to hear it quickly mentioned by an anchor. The rest of the news forecast mainly consists of interviews and editorials, as well as a great number of sources either mentioned or displayed on the screen to back up all the information discussed.

            In the beginning of the news forecast, Katie Couric specifies that the government provided them with their opening statistics. It later displays the actual source, along with a visual account of the numbers involved in the unemployment rate issue. While the US Department of Labor seems to be providing most of the information on the story, individuals report a correspondingly large portion of the news. This includes but is not limited to: Anthony Mason the senior business correspondent, Mark Zandi, Catherine Morse the Samsung Austin Semi-conductor, as well as Lakshman Achuthan the manager for the Dir Economic Cycle Research Institute.

            The story was very informative, but rather dry. While unemployment is an important issue to address, I would have enjoyed watching a story more entertaining. As far as the delivery technique is concerned, the story was delivered in a very efficient way with some brief background information followed by general overviews, accompanied by specific details evenly spaced throughout the broadcast. Finally, the show contained creditable sources to back up the specific claims as well as a description of each interviewee specified on the screen. 

The Egyptian Conflict

      Breaking News is announced as Katie Couric previews the new headlining stories that will be covered throughout the news forecast. Four to five stories are introduced with one or two details to help engage the interest of viewers before it cuts to a commercial break. Several minutes later, the leading news anchor: Katie Couric begins to generally describe a story in an effort to provide some background knowledge for the population. Anything that has previously happened up to this point is mentioned, followed by a current update on the situation at hand. The stories are usually aided by visual effects such as maps, photographs, as well as videos to enhance the story as well as appeal to a more visual audience. In addition to this, the stories often contain specific examples of personal stories of people as well as personal interviews that give a deeper perspective on the events, and strengthen the news stations' credibility. This process is repeated throughout each new news story. After each big story is announced, smaller less crucial stories are reported.
      In the most recent news program, the leading anchor described a series of chaotic protests in Cairo, Egypt. Linking the protest to the similar street protests of Iran in 2009 helps provide viewers with a clear picture of the scene. Protestors consisting primarily of urban youth demand the removal of President Mubarack, and with the lack of Police in the area, imminent protests are likely to become out-of-control. Pictures are shown of the protest as well as several videos including one of a man being shot while running in the protest. Likewise, the program also details the reasons for the protest including the extremely large (eighteen million to be exact) population and the correspondingly low standard of living. It also describes the citizens' coping mechanisms-displaying several people with weapons and even showing an interview of a man: Machmoud Hamdy who has created a new weapon resembling a knife.
      The news show was very intriguing as well as informative. It is important to give some background knowledge when reporting on a story so that new viewers can be up to speed on the action. Thus, I appreciated the information regarding a similar incident that helped me better visualize what was occurring. It also makes for a creditable and engaging new story to provide video excerpts, and photography to capture the real essence of the incident. The interview of the man and his newly invented weapon as well as the video of the man being shot helped contribute to the seriousness of the Cairo protest. This news broadcast was delivered in a very organized fashion ranging from vague specifics mentioned before the commercial break, to more in-depth analysis of the protest as well as vital visual elements. Thus, it was an excellent news story because it included all of the essentials that make for a great news broadcast. Lastly, Katie Couric was engaging and helped deliver the particulars with eloquence.