Old School VS New School: And The Winner Is...

“Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” Yeah that’s right, now that I got your attention I want you to sit back and just think about all the cliché ideas that come to mind when I say “newspaper”. The first one I thought about was an image of an old man sitting it his sofa chair, wearing a sweater vest, puffing on his pipe reading his Sunday paper! Other ideas are the young child pedaling his butt off to get away from the crazy dog chasing him on his paper route, or how about the kid standing next to a stack of papers yelling “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” right?  Well the origin of the “Extra! Extra!” phrase comes from way back when paper publishers would produce a special edition of the paper that contained news on a breaking story, these were called extras. All that work to create a special edition that allowed the masses to hear all about some big, breaking news topic…well times have changed! Now we have news at our finger tips, but at what cost? Are we letting corporate monsters decide what news we get? Or are they simply a means to an end? I want to just highlight a few of the differences between the old wrinkly news paper and the young buck of the web.

Regardless of the way that we get the news whether it be off the web or off a hard copy (news paper) it is still the same news. Looking at The Oregonian for Tuesday November 6th, some of the topics on the front page (print) are about the fraudulent ballots up in Clackamas county with a picture of people on the sidewalk holding picket type signs, or the 23 year old girl involved in an elaborate hit and run cover up with a picture of her in court crying. Or news about which candidate is going to do what with a simple picture of the two candidates. On the web there are similar stories looking at election topics, protests against police and their use of less than lethal forces. For the most part the stories are the same from the web to the paper when pulling up the home page and looking at the front page.The difference however seemed to be in the advertisements. Bottom line, news is news! The paper edition looks just like every other type of paper with a big picture placed below bold headlines followed with a little writing to give you an idea about what the picture is about. On the web it’s a little different. Their website is similar to many other online sites as far as their navigation links up at the top, but they have pictures with clever lines written under them to catch your attention. Naturally because the web is unlimited in its space the pictures can be larger and the text can be different (size/style). You will also find advertisement in both formats, but what is advertised is different from one to the other. The paper seems to advertise more towards the older generation (not that I’m stereotyping) with products like wine, advertisements regarding donations from clothes to cars, home power equipment and home building/remodeling supplies. While on the web you will find advertisements like Dominos Pizza, Jimmy Johns, Les Schwab, DeVry University, and even credit unions. It seems that the web is focusing more on what the younger generation might be into.

I chose to focus on this paper because it is a local (Oregon) publication that focuses its attention towards local news stories first. However, it is a larger paper (Portland area), which means it is still focused on larger topics that some of the smaller papers may not focus its attention on. It also has national news and international news, but in different sections. I must admit though that I am not an avid reader of the Oregonian, I actually don't read papers at all. I usually catch the news from social interactions, then if something catches my attention then I look it up. The big differences are the fact that on the print, everything being printed is in place permanently vs. the web that is forever changing. The quality of the pictures is lost somewhat on print where as on the web they are better quality as well as access to more pictures. And the best for last! The web is always updating with up to date topics and news stories where the paper version is the same all day long!

I think the primary target of the printed paper is definitely the older generations who set time aside to read the paper (or just have extra time). On the web, I think it focuses its attention on the younger generation who uses mobile devices to get their information. There is even a mobile app! I chose to download the one for my ipad, and it works pretty well. News stories are arranged in a tile fashion with pictures pertaining to the story. It is very easy to navigate, however it didn't have a search function. This also is focused towards the business minded individual who is always on the go. Therefore I would have to say the primary target is anyone who wishes to know what’s going on! Ironically the ads on the printed paper do seem to be placed close to articles that may require or necessitate the need for the product. On the printed paper there’s an article about the east coast being hit by yet another devastating storm…and right below that a cell phone ad saying “lifeline service from AT&T mobility”. There’s even an article about multi-vitamins and their ability to help with cardiac problems being false placed right next to an ad for wine on sale. I find this ironic because there are studies showing that those who drink light to moderate amounts of wine per week are less likely to have a heart disease than those who don't. The web seems to be somewhat similar because on the business page it advertises Universities, while on the sports page it’s about food and hotels and on the entertainment page it advertises clothing. There are no direct offensive messages, but if you look at it there is some stereotyping going on with the advertisements like the dress advertisement on the entertainment page assuming that those who are reading the entertainment are going to be buying dresses, or at least interested in buying a dress. It just makes it seem like those who read the entertainment section are women who dress shop. Why not advertise for a new TV, or a movie that is hitting theaters this weekend? 

I think the print version has its strength in the fact that it’s printed, which is good because the fact that it was printed means it has its place in history as being unique and exact. It will forever be that edition and that volume. It also has a strength in the fact that its organized based off of what “professionals” feel is important. Some people like the fact that they can open it up to the front page and find some of the most news breaking stories without having to navigate the web. An example of this is the presidential election results. You don’t want to have to dig through pages of paper to find out the results, they’re going to be right on the front page because that is considered breaking and important news. This can also be a weakness though for people who are only after a particular story or topic. If you don’t have the ability to search a paper using key words it can make it difficult to navigate. Another weakness is the papers limited space. There is only so much information that is able to be printed, so your neighbor’s story about the Christmas lighting show may not make it…

On the flip side to the print, the web versions have their strengths and weakness too. I like the fact that the web version is so vast; there is limitless space to publish articles, post letters to editors, and even post pictures and videos. I think the key to this is the search function, the ability to narrow down your results. Another strength of the web version is its free!! Nothing is free anymore, which is why it’s so important. The fact that you don’t have to dish out a dollar and a quarter to find out what’s going on is pretty cool! There are some major drawbacks to the web version though…are you prepared? In order to get the web version you must be tuned in technologically. You must have equipment that you are able to navigate, as well as a source of the World Wide Web. These components together create an amazing experience, but a very large bill if you’re not careful. It can become expensive to get this news as fast as it’s created. Another example of a weakness the web has is that it enables us to become too attached to it. If we are so dependent on the website for our news, we don’t support effective communication to gather our news. It takes away from our nostalgic idea of reading a news paper while drinking our coffee…OK, well maybe not the nostalgia but I have noticed a trend with technology. We can become so used to it that when we are presented with less than up to date technology, or slow speeds we can become irritated. Or at least this how I can become! I think in today’s time and age the online version better suits the needs of the masses. We are attached to our phones, computers and tablets by the hip which makes it more fitting that we receive our news via these devices. I do think the printed paper still has its place, but as time goes on we will see a transition from news organizations printing paper to publishing on the web. Some other benefits of both versions are sections like the classifieds, crossword and community calendars. Every now and then I will look at their classified ads if I’m really looking for something. You can even follow it on Twitter and Facebook.

In conclusion I think as of now the news papers still have their place, but the web is slowly creeping in. For the most part, news will always be the same news, just brought to you a bit differently. I think the online version is more appealing to the younger crowd, but not limited. The online version is always updating and for anyone who can keep up it’s a perfect match. For those who like tradition and nostalgia go with slowly creeping in. For the most part, news will always be the same news, just brought to you a bit differently. I think the online version is more appealing to the younger crowd, but not limited. The online version is always updating and for anyone who can keep up it’s a perfect match. For those who like tradition and nostalgia go with the print.  

Seductive Advertising

It fascinates me to look at our society today and compare it to the past. In just a few decades so much has changed. I’m talking fast food is the norm, women’s clothes have become more revealing and it is OK for a male to be the “stay at home” dad! Just recently as I was driving I heard an ad for Carl’s JR come on the radio. At first it sounded kind of cheesy but the more I listened it started to catch my attention. This particular advertisement is for their new Memphis BBQ burger which has bbq’d pulled pork slapped onto a hamburger with some crunchy onion fries. It sounded pretty interesting but what caught my attention was the way it was being advertised.

                After digging into it a bit deeper and finding their 31 second normal (or the 69 second directors cut) commercial on YouTube it was exactly as I had imagined. The commercial features two attractive girls dressed in nearly nothing at a BBQ cook off. One is spreading sauce on her pork while the other is flipping her hamburger patties on a rustic BBQ pit. They begin to “bicker” when one gets their sauce on the others meat, which leads to a bumping fiasco that ultimately results in the bbq’d pork landing on top of the hamburger patty. This is then followed up by the usual CJ’s commentary while showing the two girls interlocking their arms around the others and feasting on their burgers.

At first I was unaware who the two girls were then one of my friends pointed out that one was super model and the other a playboy model. I’ve never heard of either but based off their looks, they definitely fit CJ’s pattern. It seems that Carl's Jr has become notorious for advertising their food products with sex appeal. In my opinion this particular ad isn’t as exposing as others (Kate Upton) however it does get the senses at attention.

It doesn’t appear that Carl's Jr has a set advertising template, however they seem to focus on targeting their audiences using emotion. They use the “famous person” approach however they usually don’t have the famous person giving a testimonial as much as they have that famous person showing off their body while embracing their food products.  They use a particular type of emotional branding, they focus on emotional association. It is natural for humans to procreate, and the way Carl's Jr uses sexual imagery to stimulate that “procreation” switch inside our brains forcing us to associate the food product with the sexual emotion! It does seem odd that they only target the males in this advertisement, but could you imagine if it were the other way around? What if it were a guy seductively eating a hamburger?  It also seems to target the rowdy crowd who are easier to “stimulate” and who’s morals and values might accept this sexual advertisement. Our society is more willing to accept these ads than ever before as people become more and more desensitized!

You can see in other Carl's JR commercials featuring Kim Kardashian, and Kate Upton how they use this sex appeal to get the attention of their target audience. In the Kim Kardashian commercial they depict her first eating a new Carl's JR salad in bed wearing a silk night gown talking about how "the best things in life are messy" but "its fun to get clean" which then shows her walking with her salad into the bathroom and getting in the bath...while still eating the salad! I don't think this is even close to the real life act of eating a salad. Most people would eat a salad in the kitchen, or even on the couch watching TV, but probably not in bed and I'm almost certain not in the bath! Now in the Kate Upton commercial they depict her at the drive-in eating a Southwest Patty Melt. Things seem to be going pretty normal, then as she is chowing down on this burger full of jalapenos she begins to sweat, and then starts a mini strip. I think the only part of this commercial that is true is the boyfriend in the other car that cant help but staring at Kate Upton! This is where Carl's JR makes it obvious as to who their target audience is. They seem to focus their cross hairs on the male gender in a pretty wide range of age. I would say anywhere from their late teens all the way up, only because their approach is through sex appeal, and anyone who is stimulated by the visuals is going to remember this commercial.

I also think that there are some stereotypes that emerge from the ad. First, the stereotype of the person in the ad who is eating the product. By looking at the Kate Upton's ad where the guy at the end is being "re-directed" by his girlfriend really points out the stereotype that women can use their body to get what they want. Carl's JR uses this tactic to their advantage by exploiting the female body to advertise their product in hopes that men will be attracted to the women and remember the food ad. The other stereo type is of the target audience which we determined was the male gender in their young adult life. This stereotype being that males are unable to control themselves when it comes to women, particularly half naked ones. At the end of the Memphis BBQ burger commercial the two "competitors" are helplessly staring at the two women, and they even pull our their camera phones ant take pictures. This is exactly what I am talking about! Not all men are unable to control themselves when it comes to beautiful women, which seems to be the angle the Carl's JR ad takes.

I would have to say that this commercial and the ones before it are quite successful. They show their strengths in their ability to pick visually stimulating props, as well as producing (on screen at least) a good looking hamburger, or even salads. I think that because they use sexy models, seductively eating their hamburgers their audience wants that product. I mean honestly they are successful just in the fact that they can get people to remember their product simply because of who was eating it. When looking at their target audience, they defiantly come off as clever and enjoyable to watch. However when you look at the other (non targeted audience) you get the groups of people that are offended. I think that because they use such a controversial topic people have a tendency to talk about how inappropriate the commercial was. If they are successful at getting one individual to talk about their ad at work the next day, then there is a chance that news of their new product might reach the ears of someone who didn’t see the commercial and that individual might possibly look into the product.This also includes people who might disagree with the ad. You could view this as a weakness of the ad because there are those individuals who wont even eat at Carl's JR because of how CJ uses this sex appeal to attract consumers. For example, a friend of mine chooses not to eat there because they exploit the women's body and because they use that image to promote their products. I think in advertising you will always have the non-targeted audience who can become offended by the way you advertise, or even the product your advertising. The key is to have a larger target audience, or at least have a successful ad campaign that draws more attention from your target audience that the non-target audience. 

After doing some research I was amazed at how many ads Carl's Jr had out that used this same approach. Some are more revealing than others and some less, but nonetheless it seems to be their angle of attack. It also seems that people are angry at how Carl's Jr makes it seem like the character in the commercial is sexually aroused by their food, or even having sex with their food! Then you have the individuals who say the commercial is outstanding, and that they now need to come out with a burger that backs that up! I had to try one, but my motivation wasn’t because the two sexy women, but merely because I’m a sucker for BBQ sauce! I would recommend their hamburger, at least to try it once, but I feel that it does lack some pizazz that their posters advertise.

Ultimately I have learned that there is much more to what we would think are simple advertisements that utilize famous people. The message they send is much more than the product their using. It makes us almost want to be them! I also never realized how many sex appeal ads Carl's Jr had. I think that their ads are catchy, they focus on what we desire even though some of the commercials are unrealistic, and in the end they are successful because they keep coming out with more. You can just about bet money on the fact their next commercial will contain some model eating some crazy good hamburger while making a mess…

Testing the waters

Hello, my name is Kevin and I am enrolled in a journalism class at Linn Benton Community College.  Since the start of this class I feel as if my eyes have finally opened. It is amazing to me how so many people can wander through life and not come remotely close to seeing the big picture (not that I can...yet). So far, this class has taught me to be more aware of the changes that are happening right in front of me. I hope this is a beginning to better understanding!