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Kanye West has continually proved to be one of the most controversial artists in today’s music business. West constantly finds himself under scrutiny by the public for shocking things he has said or done. Since his behavior is reoccurring, it came as no surprise when he made an offensive exclamation at his concert on Friday in Sydney, Australia. Every time West does something to shock his fans, he continues to build on his negative image. After enough negative press, this image could easily become the only way people see Kanye West.

At his concert in Sydney, Australia on Friday, September 12th, Kanye West reportedly refused to play a song until the entire audience was standing. According to the Daily Mail Australia, West said, “I can’t do this song until everybody stand up. Unless you got a handicap pass and you get special parking and s—t.” After that exclamation most people in the audience stood up, but once West noticed two people remained seated, he called them out. He refused to continue on with the show until he realized that one man had a prosthetic limb and the other was in a wheelchair.

Targeting these fans was highly inappropriate and disrespectful. They were not physically able to stand up, but regardless no artist should require that his fans get on their feet during a concert. Being a paying customer gives all concertgoers the right to stand or sit as they please. West defied norms that he should have been more mindful of in this situation. By defying these social norms, West made himself look bad, which in turn reflects poorly on his image.

Kanye West made similar comments just a few days earlier at his concert in Melbourne, Australia. During that show he said, “stand up unless y’all sitting down because y’all handicapped.” He received some negative feedback from this comment, but his fans did not really take notice until the incident in Sydney. In the past, West received criticism when he interrupted Taylor Swift during her speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009. West said that Beyoncé deserved to win the award for best female video instead of Swift. In a later interview, West tarnished his image even further by saying he had no regrets about dissing Taylor Swift during the MTV VMA’s.

A person’s image evolves through both direct and indirect experiences, in this case, a direct one with his audience. West appears to be more focused on his identity, who he wants to be, rather than addressing his image, who the public perceives him to be. Through social media reactions, West’s metaimage seems to result in the public not favoring him as an artist due to his behavior.

Through the Attribution Theory, West’s fans analyze his behavior in an attempt for them to better understand his intentions. West’s fans want to better understand why he said what he did so they can predict what he might say in the future. By using a combination of the behavior they have witnessed and the motive behind West’s words, his fans will try to decode West’s current and future rhetoric.

This is not the first time Kanye West has done something outrageous, and it certainly will not be the last. When artists and other people in the spotlight continually practice certain behavior, can we as viewers begin to predict their next move? Can we attribute their behaviors to an underlying motive?

– Hannah Rodgers, Kaitlyn Russell, Anna Joy Zima, Malia Swift, and Spencer Brenes

Ten years ago, we sat next to our parents while they flipped through the Sunday newspaper looking for back to school deals, picking out the newest school supplies and must have backpacks to check off our supply lists. As technology became more of a centerpiece for mass advertising, television commercials and billboards were the next big thing. Today, smart phone apps are beginning to change the way we tackle back to school shopping lists, making the once tedious process more accessible and fun for the entire family.

Major corporations like Target and Wal-Mart are appealing to digital natives and the “tech savvy” with their apps, Cartwheel and Savings Catcher. These companies, already well known for their low prices, have branded their apps to make it easier for their customers to get the deal. According to Target, Cartwheel users have already saved $107,297,608- and counting! Not only do these apps help you save on everyday items, the more you access the app the more savings opportunities you’ll receive. Cartwheel invites users to “play more save more” to unlock “offer spots” that were otherwise not available. The Wal-Mart Savings Catcher allows you to compare their deals to other stores and guarantee to match any lower price you find. Not only will using these apps save you money, they’ll save you time and make back-to-school shopping more interactive.

While it’s easy to recognize apps created by these major corporations, apps like Key Ring are making a name for themselves in the mobile savings world. Although not tied to any major brand, the Key Ring app has become popular as one of the most helpful when it comes to savings. Creator, Chris Fagan, released on the apps website that in its first year on the market Key Ring had 400,000 installs. That number quickly grew to 1,000,000, and now stands at more than 10,000,000 four years later. Unlike Cartwheel and the Savings Catcher, Key Ring’s interactive experience goes one step further. By allowing you to make and share shopping lists, view deals from multiple retailers, store your existing loyalty rewards cards, and scan barcodes on the spot users can organize and complete their back-to-school shopping with ease.

As the motive for discount shopping opportunities increases, easier access through mobile apps gratifies the modern shopper’s needs. The Uses and Gratifications Approach explains how individuals actively seek out media to satisfy their individual needs. Like with back-to-school shopping, mobile apps allow you to search and apply discounts directly to the items you need faster than the hours spent cutting coupons in the past. As digital natives we ask ourselves: Why would we spend hours scouring newspaper clippings when we can access thousands of discounts with the touch of a finger anywhere we are?

Angelica DiPaolo, Morganne McIntyre, Anderson McNaull, Madeline O’Connor, Rachel White

We have all seen those commercials that are so bad that you cannot help but laugh. You pass them along on social media to everyone you know and soon, even the local news and radio stations are reporting on them as well.  

Last month, the East Hills Mall in St. Joseph, Missouri released a commercial that has now gone viral for being “cheesy” and  “terrible” according to comments on YouTube. The commercial features various stores in the mall singing a “back-to-school” themed song. It mentions some items that may be on your shopping list in the hopes that you will purchase them from the East Hills Mall. Lines from the commercial have also gone viral and people can’t stop singing along with “Boots and pants! Boots and pants!”

Producer, director, and editor of the commercial, Chris Fleck, is not upset about the attention his commercial has gained but instead says that he accomplished his goal. He told FOX 26 KNPN that when the idea was pitched they hoped it would go viral. He stated, “If you can entertain and get your message in, you’ve accomplished your goal. I just love that it’s getting this much response. That’s what commercials do, they get response.” Fleck and the East Hills Mall definitely got the attention they wanted and their commercial was even featured on CBS and The Soup. The YouTube video, “Terrible Mall Commercial“, shown above now has over two million views. 


In the media today you always hear everyone say that there is no such thing as bad press and that as long as you are being talked about it is to your benefit. But is this type of communication doing anything to build or perpetuate relationships with consumers? Since a goal of IMC is to cultivate a relationship with the consumer, the prior question is one that should be asked. It seems that making a commercial for the sole purpose of getting attention could be detrimental to the brand since it does not aim to build brand loyalty. Although Fleck, the director/producer/editor, is happy with the attention the video has received, what does it say about the East Hills Mall’s brand?

-Danielle Walters, Morgan McCleaf, Kelli Hall, Stephanie Jordan, and Shawn Rause

 Welcome back readers! It’s that time of year again for back to school shopping. There has been a plethora of back to school clothing sales from various companies trying their best to stand out. American Apparel’s recent ad has made quite an impression this season, but not necessarily in a good way. For their fall campaign, the company chose a risqué shot of one of their young models in a mini skirt from an angle that was revealing. Although American Apparel has never been known as a conservative brand and this isn’t their first scandalous ad, this raised much controversy and The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) demanded them to take it down for “sexualizing schoolgirls”.  

According to Griffin (2011), Muted Group Theory is the idea that women or other minorities are being silenced in their opinions and the way that they are being represented. The theory speaks of how women in the mass media are used as sex symbols, even in ads marketed to their own gender. This ad shows young women in a suggestive position and at an angle that can be interpreted as voyeuristic. Although the ad is marketed to young girls, the company is run by an older white male named Allen Myer.

We all know that going back to school is an important time of year where you want to look your best and impress fellow students and friends. However, just like corporations, you have to create a brand for yourself that will reflect a positive image amongst your peers that acts in your own best self interest. Do you think that American Apparel’s choice of subjecting women in their ads in order to cultivate a scandalous brand image is worth the negative attention?

-Hannah Zeskind, Connor Gold, Kierstin Geary, Margaret Cafasso, and Olivia Sadler