Blogs for Thought

So…finding more blogs on my topic is proving to be a much more difficult task than I thought. However, my efforts were not entirely futile; I found a few blogs on advertising and culture that I thought were quite interesting.

ADVERTISING/MARKETING BLOGS:

Adrants – This blog is similar to Frederik Samuel’s in that it takes a look at specific advertisements and critiques them on their design and marketing techniques. He also seeks to provide commentary on the “cultural and demographic shifts affecting advertising strategies.” But what drew me to this particular publication was the writer’s witty, “no holds barred” attitude toward the subject of advertising. He tells it exactly as it is.

Hard Sell –Unlike the other blogs that I found previously, this one actually looked at advertising from the business perspective. It provided really good facts and information on the latest marketing trends and advertising campaigns. As someone who wants to go into the marketing business, it is just as important to know the ins and outs of the industry.

CULTURE BLOGS:

Imprint TALK – If you want up to date information on the hottest trends emerging in the Asian pop and youth culture, this is the blog to go to. You'll find out what's new on topics from Anime and art to fashion and film to music and technology. I thought this blog was noteworthy because it highlights the achievements of Asian Pacific Islanders in all areas of the creative industries.

Bakit Why? - This is a blog that reaches out specifically to Filipino Americans. You can find stories that highlight the activities of Filipino Americans, as mainstream as those who are working in the entertainment industry to more local heroes who are striving to make changes in their own neighborhood. It's also a great forum for people to discuss and comment on a number of social issues that are affecting this community.

Check them out!

ADs? Goodness!

As I was searching the internet in an attempt to find inspiration for my blog, I was exceedingly surprised to find that there were very few, if none at all, that pertained to the same specific topic – targeted advertising to Asian Pacific Americans. Blogs on advertising and marketing in general, on the other hand, were much easier to come by.

One blog on advertising caught my attention because of a specific post. The post was an image of an outdoor ad for McDonalds in Helsinki, Finland. On the ad was a picture of a young woman – ironically, of Asian descent – holding a chicken nugget in her hand. The advertisement itself was innocent enough; however, what caught the blogger’s attention, as well as mine, was the fact that somebody distorted the image by folding the corners of the ad to form a “hat,” reminiscent of straw peasant hats, on the young woman’s head.


[image from frederiksamuel.com/blog]

The blog is titled “Advertising/Design Goodness: The Best and Sometimes the Worst Around the Globe.” It was started in May 2005 by the writer Frederik Samuel, a German born art director/designer who is currently working for TribalDDB in Toronto, Canada. He has worked in the advertising and design industry for the past five years. The purpose of the blog is to showcase the best advertisements from around the globe while at the same time juxtaposing them with some of the very worst in order to have us fully appreciate the merits of good designing. His blog is ranked quite high on Technorati with an authority of 575.

Samuel created it with the point of view of the “designer.” He posts quite frequently with at least one new post almost every day, and many are simple, short, and straight to the point with usually just the image of the ad and some pieces of information about the designer and the company for which it was created for. It cannot be considered an academic/scholarly type of blog, but is more driven by the author’s opinion. What interested me about this blog was that much of the commentary on his posts, which are many, not only looked at the actual design of the featured advertisement but also focused on the meaning of its messages.

This blog relates with mine in that it supports my point that advertising and society are mutually linked. Although Samuel posts specific ads because he admires their creative design, they are still subject to social commentary. For example, another post titled “Wheelchair” made me stop and look. The post was about an advertisement that was meant to be in print but was instead painted in parking lots before the school prom. The ad states

“Every 48 seconds, a drunk driver makes another person eligible to park here.”

[image from frederiksamuel.com/blog]

The “Wheelchair” ad was commended for its clever use of location and catchy headline, but one cannot overlook the fact that it also makes a profound statement on the serious issue of drunk driving. In the same way, the simple ad for McDonalds was changed to inadvertently make a strong statement about Asian stereotypes.

The purpose of an advertisement is to catch one’s attention, and it can be done through its artistic design. How society chooses to react to such designs varies from merely stopping and looking to physically engaging with the ad. Society is constantly interacting with advertising messages – they are filtered through our cultural norms in such a way that we may interpret it quite differently from its original intent. Samuel's hope is that people do look at the ads and be inspired, start a conversation, or share their points of views. A smartly designed ad can have cultural consequences; this is exactly what I intend to show in my own blog.

My Debut

Debut - a cultural tradition of the Filipino people. It is a coming-of-age celebration for Philippine women.

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I am a communication major at USC. I plan on pursuing a career in marketing and/or public relations. My passions are culture, community, and philanthropy, and throughout my years in school, I have been an active participant in organizations that focus on a particular community close to my heart. As a Filipino-American, I am greatly invested in the future of the Asian Pacific American community, and through my future work, I hope to bring this particular demographic into greater prominence in American culture.

I have recently enrolled in a class entitled “Advertising in Society.” This course piqued my interest because of its unique perspective on advertising; instead of focusing on the creative aspect of the business, we will be focusing more on the culture and social implications – rather, the effects – that advertising may have on society. It was through this class that I found my ideal topic for this blog.

According to the Asian American Studies Center, as of 2004, there are approximately 15.0 million U.S. residents who consider themselves Asian or Pacific Islander. This number continues to grow every year. With such numbers, Asian Pacific Americans have the potential to become a considerable part of the current marketplace. Yet, are they considered to be a vital part of the market? This blog intends to look into marketing and advertising strategies, but specifically, those aimed toward Asian Pacific Americans with a special emphasis on Filipino-Americans.

Having representation in the marketplace and in advertising matters just as much as what images are being portrayed. Those strategies affect what society thinks about Asian Pacific Americans and even how they view themselves within their own ethnic group. But where did these images come from? This blog will also touch upon a number of other related topics, such as the already existing preconceptions and stereotypes about Asian Pacific Americans. Whether overt or subtle, they can be found in all types of popular culture artifacts – books, magazines, movies, etc. They are also prevalent on television. For fans of the primetime television comedy/drama on ABC, Desperate Housewives, they may remember a particular scene where Susan argues with her gynecologist asking for his credentials. Her line:

"Can I check those diplomas, because I want to make sure they're not from some med school in the Philippines."

A line which lasted no more than two seconds of the show caused quite an outrage among the Filipino Community that lasted for significantly longer than two seconds. The point is that representations in the media, even throw-away lines such as the one uttered by a character in Desperate Housewives, can have surprising consequences. I intend to show how one consequence can be how these preconceived notions can in turn effect marketing/advertising decisions. Advertising not only affects society, but society also influences advertising; the relationship is mutual.

As a Filipino American and a part of the Asian Pacific community, I am personally and directly affected by marketing messages. As an active participant, I know how important it is to even see images of ourselves in society, especially ones that are both accurate and positive. We are continuously struggling to find and negotiate our identity among an ever changing American society. This blog will have a very unique point of view in that I can speak of the topic both as a consumer and as an aspiring marketer. Asian Pacific Americans have the potential to become a formidable market audience. How, why, and to what extent they decide to actively participate in the market remains to be seen.