DECONSTRUCTION OF PRINT ADVERTISEMENT                       Marilyn Schindler

 

Introduction

This paper includes an observation and deconstruction of an image. The paper discusses to videos.  One showing the narrator who talked about McLuhan, a media theorist, and the other is Killing Us Softly by Kilbourne.

The Videos

The video showing Tom Wolfe speaking about the fame of Marshall McLuhan who was before his time and an expertise in seeing into the future of what technology would hold. In his lifetime, he attended graduate school at Cambridge University. He was hired by big corporations such as General Electric, IBM and AT&T to speak about his projections about media and its effects. He had become famous enough for his media theory that his book, Understanding Media sold out.  He eventually became a professor of English Literature in Toronto and died in 1980 in this city.

In reference to Kilbourne’s video Killing Us Softly, A citizen has rights as in consumer laws regarding advertising and a consumer is the buyer of goods and products. With awareness, people can empower themselves and not buy their products. The video was clearly demonstrative of showing women as objects and it doesn’t give females a strong wholesome identity. Kilbourne mentioned who murdered women were also, included in their advertisements. This was powerful. The video seems to prove that advertising takes power away from people because of the intensity and frequency that the ads are shown.  These videos are in your face. Kilbourne discussed that she ‘tunes the ads out’, she doesn’t listen or watch them.  I do the same.

Food Advertising and Obesity

Advertising companies do spend an enormous amount of money for their ads. If they spend $2.5 billion to sell food on television and on the internet, it is a drop in the bucket for them. Foods that are wholesome and are healthy seem to cost more in the supermarket. That gives television and internet ads to opportunity to provide a different picture to see bad food.

Then people become obese.  It was their programmed mind from seeing the ads.  This is especially evident for children. The article about Food for Kids, found on the website media.com (2014) suggests that approximately 20% of their xxxx is spend on fast foods with a toy inside the package or container. 

Illustration of obesity.

 

In deconstructing this advertisement, I think that it clearly illustrated obesity. These are the aesthetics as I seen demonstrated:

• The gender was a man, who is white possibly.
• His age is approximately late twenties to thirty years old or possibly much younger.
• His appearance is that he dresses casual and comfortable.
• In deconstructing this image which is a form advertisement to illustrate obesity, I felt that it was appropriate to use to demonstrate that it was realistic and the assumption of being fat is reinforced. I The image shows how obese he is and how relaxed he appears from eating a lot of food sitting next to him on the bench.  He is now relaxed because is full in his obesity.
• The lighting is of normal daylight type which does not want to show the background which is not focused.
• The colors show in this image are well chosen by the photographer appear as a natural setting.
• The purpose of the ad is showing obesity and does an excellent job, especially when the photographer chose a bench with the man having his food next to him.  It shows a lot of food which is a great choice to frame the image.
• Finally the image served its purpose without any text.  It brings the kind of emotion that, anyone would say: “Oh my goodness! He is fat and he ate a lot of food, isn’t he really overweight? Sitting there obese!”
• Images are used to connect or transition people through visual tools and their minds about obesity and the media. They decide the emotions.

The expectation of this media type image gives the observer a long term and a short term effect. The short term affect is make fun of people who are overweight. The long term affect is to show the observer that they too, could become overweight or fat if they eat too much.  Another affect is for the people who are obese. Obese people, men or women, can feel that they are reminded that they should do something about their obesity or they may feel a connection to the image. They may feel relieved, possibly.

It is my view, that the (ad) or image of obesity counters social change. Most people who are educated will think that this image is a great method to coerce people to eat healthy and exercise and not sit on a bench relaxing in their fat.

Conclusion

This media exchange through advertising is a power source. The videos prove how much influence advertising and words by McLuhan have on people even after he died. There is still an influence.  Kilbourne explains the power further, when she talks about this powerful influence.  Images are as powerful by telling people something no matter what it is telling.

 

References:

 

Food Advertising and Obesity November 1, 2014, Volume 134, Issue 5, Retrieved from: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/6/2563.full

 

 

Media Education Foundation. (2005) Retrieved from:

http://www.mediaed.org/Handouts/DeconstructinganAd.pdf

 

Kilbourne, J. (2014) Video: Killing us softly. Retrieved from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atl0K7YpbpM

Starburger, V. C. (2001). “Children and tv advertising: nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Journal of developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 22, 185. Retrieved from: http://marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/introduction/

Media Education Foundation, Deconstructing an Advertisement.(2005) http://www.mediaed.org/Handouts/DeconstructinganAd.pdf