Raihan's DP Blog

Popular culture is an expression of our collective experiences as a society. They are societal  ideas and values that are transmitted to the audience through a wide range of different mediums including advertisements, social media, TV, etc. Media messages are contracted in creative ways on creative mediums such as those listed above, or mass media overall. However, the process of it is invisible to the audience. For example, people create social media accounts for free, they like things and gain followers or vice versa. Although the audience may not be aware of this, these social media companies are actually making money despite it being free to users. This is because with all the things that are liked by the users, which implies their interest, companies are able to create data and demographics of their users and throw advertisements on them based on their likes. This is how mass media industries such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. are selling their audience to advertisers,...

This ad does not promote a brand, but it promotes the act of conserving water. The image composes of a fish tank where a goldfish is swimming in low level waters with a tap attached to the side and is leaking, meaning that the fish would die if the water continues to leak. In a glance, the brief meaning of this ad would be that saving water that you do not necessarily need could save a person who desperately needs water that it would save their life. Deeper than that, from this text, we can draw the conceptual understanding and meaning that water is a valuable resource and we do not realize that unless we are in need of it. Without water, we would not be able to survive. While those who are privileged with the access of water are wasting them, there are large amounts of people and even animals who are desperately in need of it. This contextual information is revealed in this advertisement as shown in the layout itself where the goldfish is in risk of dying if the water ...

The main appeals I used for my pitch in order to advertise a high energy drink in the UAE are the need to achieve and the need for autonomy. High energy drinks are often consumed by younger individuals who are often stressed out and busy. In the context of the UAE, our idea for the ad is that Emirati students who often relied on their maids to do their work, are suffering in university as they have no one else to depend on other than themselves, and by drinking the energy drink, they are suddenly able to do everything. Thus, I have decided that these two appeals are the most effecting for out advert since being able to do things yourself is an achievement and it also shows that you are autonomous and you do not need to rely on anyone else.  The persuasive techniques and language used in my pitch were bandwagon, nostalgia and slippery slope. The use of bandwagon is effective because it implies that since everyone is doing it, so should I. The example of bandwagon used...

This advertisement by WWF shows an abnormally looking man that has facial features of a fish with purposes to promote the prevention of climate change. The ad appeals to the audience using the need to feel safe. This is evident because the use of image manipulation with the fish looking man as an effect of climate change creates a fearful emotion and effect on the audience on not wanting to ever look like that. The audience, being those individuals who may have contributed to climate change such as industrial, wasteful, ignorant people, etc. are more likely to find the man aesthetically disturbing and disgusting and would have the feeling to do whatever it takes to avoid that ever happening to them.  It would make the audience to reflect on themselves on the actions that they have done to contribute to climate change and to start changing their ways.  Although the image itself may seem exaggerated as an effect of climate change, it is still an effective technique i...

"Advertising exists primarily to persuade people to buy things—it is not there to educate, it is there to persuade. However, as a form of mass media, with huge reach, advertising has a unignorable real impact on how people think and feel about certain groups in society." Do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people? Justify your position. With different industries and businesses rising in the market, advertisements have become the main way for these businesses to continue their way up the market. The responsibility that comes along with advertisements that companies have is to ensure that their ads convey the correct and their main message to the audience, nothing else. However, stereotypes are still often used in advertisements, particularly gender stereotypes in order to really grab the attention of the audience, which may cause varying effects on the audience, often negative. I think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereot...

Gender Portrayals in the Food Industry Advertisements Although one would not often expect controversial advertisements originated from the food  industry, especially the fast food industry in which the industry usually has awn overall happy an joyful mood in general, there are still certain ads from the food industry in which needs to be eliminated due to the channels of stereotypes it has on the audience. The advertisements below came from Burger King and Carl's Jr (Hardees), relatively famous fast food chains. 1) What commonalities/differences exist between your chosen advertisements in terms of how gender is presented? All three advertisements portrays the inappropriate sexual aspects of women. One of the advertisements of Burger King objectifying a nude woman in gold next to a burger to advertise the Golden Collection of Burger King. The other advertisement from Burger King also objectifies the head of a woman wearing dark red lipstick with a burger co...

On what basis did you make your decisions? What part of the questions did you find particularly difficult or particularly easy? What did you learn or have reinforced for you regarding how you make ethical decisions? I made my decisions by using my gut and what I believe is morally right in my own opinion based on past experiences and knowledge. The questions that I found particularly difficult were the questions which involved family members such as the question where I would rather save my own child or save ten other children, or the question whether my moral obligation is stronger to save a family relative or a stranger. I found this difficult because family members are more personal in which you have a special and stronger relationship compared to other people, making it more emotional. All of the other questions were particularly easy to answer because it is common knowledge and beliefs that I have been taught and gotten used to for a long time, thus making me more ...