IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Communication Studies

  • An ad is worth a thousand words


    This week, T.V. viewers all across the United States are preparing for the season premieres of this fall’s new television series. Stations such as Fox, CBS, and Showtime are all gearing up for the new seasons of their most popular shows as well as introducing new shows to the mix. Every season, many new series are introduced, yet many fail; could it be because of poor advertising?

    Before many of these shows are aired, T.V. stations produce numerous ads promoting what’s new to fall television. In regards to Ashton Kutcher’s new role on CBS’ Two and a Half Men, much talk has been going around as to if the show will continue to be a success. Looking at the ad created for promoting its ninth season, Two and a Half Men is portrayed as a show filled with somewhat crude humor and mystery surrounding what’s to come.  The decision to not put the show’s name on the ad was a risk taken; however, it seems to draw even more attention to the show.

    It seems as though a good, comedic sitcom is hard to come by these days. Many of the newer sitcoms never survive the first couple weeks of airing due to poor T.V. ratings.  One comedy set to premier tonight is Fox’s new light and airy show, New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel. Known for her quirky personality, Deschanel stands front and center of the television ad with an awkward expression on her face. At first glance, New Girl appears to be a show filled with humor and happiness. Perhaps the use of bright colors and that sneaky smile Deschanel wears will draw more viewers in.

    After looking at this season’s T.V. ads, it is evident that certain shows will more than likely draw a larger crowd than others. What it comes down to is: what do T.V. viewers want to watch on a regular basis?  Can looking at a preview advertisement and commercials set the bar for up and coming shows? We’d say so.

    Which shows will you be tuning into this fall?

    -Stephanie Bakolia, Claire Outlaw, David Glaubach

  • What Are You Watching?

    It’s that time of year again when all of the major television networks bring back our favorite shows with the premier of new episodes that we have been anticipating since May.  Whether or not you are a frequent viewer of network television, you most likely know the excitement that comes from the end of summer reruns and the fresh series that awaits.  NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX are considered the top four major networks; each competing for the top spot as their most popular shows return to television this week.  In addition to the return of the popular shows, these networks invest millions of dollars in the premier of new series that hope to get their viewer ratings among the highest.

    One of the most beneficial ways to get the viewer anticipation flaming is through the persistent use of advertising that each network uses to promote these new episodes.  They build the viewer into believing that the show will be a suitable part of their weekly routine through advertising strategies such as time slots, commercials, clips, sound bites, and many more.  The importance of advertising is to bring the consumer in; while the importance of programming and commercial ads is to keep them coming back each and every week. If an advertisement is presented to us on a persistent level, it can successfully send messages to different aspects of our lives that we feel can relate to the show. For example, reality shows advertise their “genuine”, “real” experiences; family comedies advertise their ability to bring families together; dramas advertise towards our emotional appeals.  In realizing these types of advertisement strategies, we should be conscientious about what we watch in today’s vastly well marketed society. Because where our interests are targeted, our willingness to watch these upcoming premiers follows.  This week will not only reveal the new episodes that these major networks have in store, but will also reveal the kind of connection viewers hope to achieve with the programs they choose to watch.

    By: Oliver Evans, Sally Shupe, and Jared Sales

  • Blaming based on Naming


    While we remember the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we recall the sadness and despair felt nationwide when the lives of nearly 3,000 people were lost.  The murder of the many innocent bystanders shocked the world, and resulted in distrust among certain races and religions.  Is it human nature to want to place blame in the wake of such tragic circumstances?  Maybe so, but it is very important to be sure that the blame goes to the rightful place.

    The attacks of 9/11 were the doings of extremist terrorist groups, in particular, Al-Quada.  Sadly, many people who do not stay abreast of current events and political issues associate the attacks with all Middle Easterners and/or all Muslims.
    Al-Quada is NOT representative of all Middle Easterners or all Muslims, and thinking so is an appalling mistake that some people have been making over the last ten years.   This act of stereotyping someone based on their religion or appearance can be associated with branding.  Some think that branding is about how you present yourself, but branding is really about how other people see you. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, instances of intolerance, discrimination, and acts of violence occur based solely on discrimination against ethnicity and appearance.

    In the book, “The Authenticity Hoax” by Andrew Potter, he explains the difference between actual truths and perceived truths.  Since the media is such a powerful force in our society, they may inadvertently allude to something that changes the truth in your mind from the actual truth to a perceived truth.  Another problem is that we live in communities with members who share the same beliefs and motives.If your community tends to think ill of a certain group, religion, race, etc. you are prone to such beliefs as well.  Unfortunately, the only way to avoid being persuaded by the media and your community is to disconnect yourself from society, according to Potter.  As PR and IMC students,we agree with Mr. Potter, but we have also learned that there are ways to filter information to stay as close to the “actual truth” as possible.

    We must always look at both sides of the story, and question everything.  For each possible scenario, ask yourself every question that it could be associated with.  All Americans are not members of hate groups like the KKK.  All Christians are not gay hating anti-progressive activists, and all Muslims are not terrorists.

    – Stephanie, Claire, & David

  • Branded Letters

    Today marks the day that every little girl dreams of since the day her mother blessed her with her very own set of pearl earrings, high heel shoes, and sweet- but- sassy personality. Bid Day for sorority life at UNCW allows girls to put their collegiate fate in the hands of anxiously awaiting sorority women who only hope to have a new pledge class formed from the group of their various “rush crushes” developed over the course of the past five days of formal recruitment. After hours upon hours of chanting, smiling, talking, voting, and dancing, girls of UNCW can be associated with a sorority group on campus that they can call their own.

    With the recruitment process finally over, letter shirts are undoubtedly going to flood the length of chancellors walk. Girls won’t be able to fight the temptation to brand themselves under the stereotype of such letters; proud to be a part of the group that is associated with the letters sewn onto their shirts. However, sorority members must be fair-warned: this type of attire is a form of branding that should be used with caution and responsibility. The actions you take and words you say as you wear these letters not only represent you, but also represent how you want yourself and your chapter to be perceived by others.

    Each sorority on this campus offers something different. From reputation to reality, the young ladies involved in Greek Life all make an impression upon their peers according to how they act when they wear these prized letter shirts. If one girl wearing the letter shirt misses class; all sorority women skip classes. If one girl gossips while wearing the letter shirt; all sorority women gossip.

    At least in the minds of those who stereotype.

    This kind of branding is not only true for sororities. All organizations create their identity based on the kind of brand they hope to portray through their members. Each person has the power to represent their group as a whole based on how they act individually…creating an instant association built from one impression. The new members of the Greek system on UNC-Wilmington’s campus have the ability to either accept this brand that has been established for their particular organization or to enhance it. The perception of a group is something that can change with simple, consistent actions that are valued and upheld by all members. Therefore, the revealing of Bid Day today should also reveal hope to expand the brand that these women are newly associated with on UNCW’s campus.

    -Sally, Jared, Oliver

  • Turning the Channel

         Over the past week, the American public has been inundated with file footage from the events of 9-11.  Much of this footage has been a tribute to the heroes who gave their lives that day; however, the most graphic content reflects a much more horrific aspect of the moment- death and destruction.  No one can discount the painful reality of that day.  The destruction of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon, and the downing of the plane in Pennsylvania were an act of war, and with that came violence, chaos, and carnage; realizations that most people find unappealing even if it reflects the truth of the matter.  For those of us who have a tendency to shy away from all things bad, should we have been forced to revisit or see for the first time such graphic representations of the pain and death from that day?  As good Americans, we undoubtedly want to honor those who perished by being tuned in to the tributes presented by the media networks, but how much is too much?

         The videos of people jumping from the towers will forever be a tragic part of the archive of 9-11.  Some would cite these as the most horrific images from that day, yet much of the carnage was never publicly released because it was legitimately too intense for public viewing.  The images of thousands of burnt and twisted bodies is certainly something that few people yearn to see, and rightfully so, yet there lingers a debate about the release of this footage.  Roxanne Silver, a University of California Irvine professor of psychology and social behavior, had this to say about the matter, “It’s very clear to me that the repeated exposure of images of 9/11 serves no purpose for adults or children, and I would discourage parents from allowing their children to be exposed to graphic images.”  In regards to the children, it is easy to agree with this statement as it is a delicate task to educate young ones on these events without overexposing them.

         One of the authors of this post had the opportunity to speak to a fourth grade class about 9/11 yesterday and found himself at times challenged to describe certain events from the war, in particular, without being inappropriately graphic.  Children aside, many of these images, graphic and patriotic alike, serve as a rallying cry to serve justice on the persons who brought the war to us that day and will forever be a reminder of why we continue to remain vigilant.

    – LaPuasa, Claire Dillard, Louis

  • Something to Wine About

    This Sunday, communities from all over the country will commemorate the 10-year anniversary of September 11th, 2001.  With the United States remaining politically divided on many issues, people are wondering if the anniversary of September 11th could bring the country closer together.  Leaders around the U.S. are calling for a change in the nation and “true bipartisan cooperation for the benefit of our country.”

    From big events, like the 9-11 Memorial opening in New York, people everywhere in America are finding ways to remember one of the biggest tragedies in our country’s history.  Perhaps one of the most controversial has been the selling of 9-11 Memorial Commemorative wines.  Lieb Family Cellars of Mattituck, Long Island has caused outrage by producing a range of 9-11 Memorial wines to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.  The winemaker is selling Chardonnay and Merlot wines at $9.11 a bottle, and giving 10% of the proceeds to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

    Despite these donations, the announcement of the wine has made many upset.    Lieb Family Cellars’ advertisements promote a wine made from “grapes grown 90 miles from the site of the World Trade Center,” and with sensitivities over the anniversary running high, this concept has sparked outcry.  Critics have accused the maker of, “exploiting the atrocity to make money.”

    Lieb Family Cellars insists that it is not making any money off the project.  Gary Madden, the general manager told The Times: “It’s a non-profit project.  We made the wine for charity; the profits on sales go to them.  It was done with the foundation, all under their licensing.”

    Many people have taken to social networking sites, such as Twitter, to express their anger about the issue.  Perez Hilton said, “WTF?” He calls this “tacky” and posted the following tweet: “@NoReservations- 9-11 Wine?!!? Are you out of your MIND?!! EPIC FAIL.”

    Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain has called the brand naming around this wine “grotesque, exploitative and vomit inducing,” while the FDNY EMS proclaims, “What does the 9/11 Memorial brand next? Soap? Carwax? Tampons?  Hot dogs? Dog food?…anything for $?”

    Some say the Lieb Family Cellars’ intentions are good, with the victims and their families in mind; however, perhaps they should have done a little bit more research in regards to the implementation and marketing of their commemorative product.

    – Stephanie Bakolia, Claire Outlaw, & David Glaubach

  • Wow WE made it!

    As my final days at UNCW come to an end I start to remember how it all began. When I came to the university I was young and clueless, not only about my college career but life in general. With the guidance of great faculty and an excellent student body I found my way to where I am now. A few finals away from Graduation day….

    I am nervous and excited, yet scared of not knowing what my future holds. There is one thing that I am certain of, and that is I know UNCW has prepared me for the next step in my life no matter what that step is. I say this to all the seniors graduating now, and to those that will graduate in the future. You might not know what exactly your next step is, but you can be certain that your college experience has prepared you for it.

    My advice to anyone that will graduate later on down the road is to make the most of your college experience. Take the classes that interest you, talk to your teachers and meet your peers. I know it sounds “old” and kind of “cheesy”, but when you step foot on campus do everything to the best of your ability. Don’t hold back anything because one day your college career will near the end and you want to feel how I feel now. You want to feel prepared for the future, and you want to know that you tried as hard as you could in school and did everything you wanted. Take advantage of the opportunity you have to attend college and make the most of it.

    -Drew Mayer

    To the graduating class of 2011, WE made it! This is our moment to say all the research papers, presentations, nights in the library, our stress because we procrastinated in finishing a project, we did it and all our hard work has finally paid off. This is the moment our parents have been waiting for when they can say their “little” boy or girl graduated from University. All of us have come so far, gone through the good and the bad, and we can finally say we did it, were graduating. Most of us have been going to school non-stop basically our whole lives and some of us will continue our education in Graduate School. But what we most importantly need to understand is we never gave up, even when at times it seemed as we would never reach the end. I was a transfer student to UNCW in the fall of 2009 and attended this University not knowing a single person. Let’s just say how blessed I feel that I chose to be a Communication Studies major transferring in. You’re forced into groups, your forced to stand up and talk about your self the first day of class, but most importantly your forced to learn how to COMMUNICATE and NETWORK with others.

    These past two years at UNCW have been the most rewarding experience I could have imagined. Not only is it a great school, but also the Communication Studies faculty and students make it enjoyable to go to school each day. When Professors still greet you in the hallway by your first name even though they haven’t taught you in over a year and ask about your future plans, which to me is the best feeling. To those of you not graduating embrace your time left here. It comes sooner than you think and as excited I am to be graduating, I will miss it more than I thought I would. Not only should you embrace your education but embrace your life outside of school. Soon we grow up, we graduate, we get jobs, start families and as amazing as that is going to be, your time at school is a part of your life that comes and goes fast. Never stop having fun and enjoying life and always remember to network as much as you can. Cheers!

    -Lindsey Baggett