I know alot of you have seen these images before but i think they are very applicable to this course and have alot to say about visual culture.
These Benneton Ads have been on the edge of society for quite some time now but still shock the viewer and have alot to say with their advertisments through the use of photography. The power of these images in interesting once its is now related to a fashion advertisment. The final image is a joke for bush, not created by benneton but has the same intrest at heart, to bring attention to conflict through visual culture.
Any thoughts????
-marnie leah
8 comments:
Commercials are all around us and have a great deal of power, they inform the viewer, persuade and ideal and make us want to buy a product.
Since we are talking about the force of commercials I suggest to check out the magazine or website adbusters (at adbusters.org). It is written by artists, writers, activists, and students, "concerned about the erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial forces" while analysing the correlation between human beings and their physical and mental environment.
ouchi
Do you think that there should be an outlet for commercial making that is other then advertising? look at the milk ads: most recently they're advertising that you should grow as a person and not allow people to make fun of you or put you down, but what does that have to do with drinking milk, milk as a product was better off with the commercials that advertised sports heroes drinking the product for healthy bones... (Not to say I don’t appreciate the message) and within those four United Colors of Benetton ads only one can even pass for a fashion statement, so can a message only be promoted by a brand name? Can’t you just make a commercial because you have something to say? Would “T.V.” just advertise your ‘remember to be a human’ ad?
Marta Gorski
This response pertains to Marta G's comment about commercials and abstract messages that some carry. I found what you said to be quite interesting and wanted to further discuss your thoughts.
Like Claire mentioned, "commercials are all around us". In this high consumerist society, we see thousands of images each day advertising for us to 'buy products', 'we are new and improved' etc. Because of this, we can't help but be dulled by the massive amount of imagery that surround us.
Ultimately this leads advertisers in modern time to have to find different ways to attract consumers and make them think they want their product. The standard product shot been done countless of times, and simply fails to attract us as consumers. Cutting edge advertising has moved into a different direction where you don't advertise the product, but the bigger idea behind the product.
That milk campaign in particular is focusing on the idea of growing, not just physically, but mentally, therefore it strongly ties to the demographic that buys the product. That being kids that are highly suseptible to peer pressure and stereotypical high school antics. It may not have a lot to do with the physical act of drinking milk, but with the larger idea of growth.
~ Rachel R
I think that the fact the we are bombarded with ads every day in so many different ways that it would make it a little difficult to immediately understand what these ads were trying to say. I think that the general public won't understand instantly, it would take a moment of contemplation to understand. I don't know that most people would take that moment to understand. Yet, if it's not in advertisement, chances are no one will ever see or hear the message.
Sydne S.
All of the advertizements I have seen that spout that rhetoric like they invented it make me sick and tired. I'm tired of corporations taking something that I hold dear and using it as a smoke screen. Complete fucking lies they tell building off of someone elses ideas to export some positive PR. I want to see a day where corporations can truthfully talk the good talk. This can only happen though after they have taken the plunge into fixing the problems they have caused. We should look inside ourselvs though too as stock holders in everything from soup to nuts what are we supporting and is it in our best interests to support a company that spends piles of money on happy bunny kitty pony ads or really cleans up their act.
I think to understand how the ads work is to realize their value as what they are. By allowing oneself to see their role and function in today's work, it will eventually come down to re-establishing a new means of communicating the message. Some ads work to desensitize while others focus on how to portray an idea that forces one to look at it in a different way. So really, its how ever one chooses to see how it works(or doesn't work).
Leroy 0
I think it is interesting how most of our discussions in class about visual culture always linked back to some form of consumption or another. It seems that 'our' (perhaps rather 'my' western Canadian Caucasian) point of view is that the power of visual culture has been corrupted to the point of the bottom line. Gender, race, and 'normality' issues all come down to what can be consumed in society to either fit in or just to not stand out. And that then comes down to only the privileged few. If you are financial burdened, you will not be able to escape your current dilemma, you will be forced to continue to be judged, ridiculed, punished for thing beyond your control.
We can say as a society that it is disgraceful and shameful that drastic measures need to be taken just to try to subside the pain of not 'fitting' in. We can even say that we all need greater understanding, but I am positive it isn't that simplistic. I would love to find the answer in my life time. (whoo tangent!! sorry).
It seems to me that consumption is our new enemy, it can be linked to our current global state; war, warming, hunger and homelessness. I am not sure how to end this state other than by saying it is something that has been pressing on my mind for some time and I just wanted to let it out.
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