Giant Teeth in Earth’s Gums

I tend to be very skeptical and hesitant when it comes to spending my money. Especially now that I am about to graduate and enter the real world of bills, school loans, and living on my own, how I choose to spend my money becomes vitally important. My friends often joke and tell me that I act like Terry Crews’ character as the budget-conscious father in the sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris, because I am always gauging whether or not I want to purchase something by comparing it to necessary items like, “Is this movie ticket worth two $5 footlongs?”  

On Saturday, two of my classmates were trying to persuade me to go with them on a visit to Stonehenge and Bath, England, for the price of £32.50 (which is essentially $50). The fee would cover transportation to both locations and a tour of Stonehenge. I had heard of Stonehenge before in an Art Appreciation class my sophomore year of college, but I never imagined myself getting the opportunity to see it in reality. After submitting my card information online to pay for the tour, the cynical side of my brain thought, I can’t believe I just paid $50 to see some giant rocks.

Boy, was I wrong.

The stones were huge!

Amid the surrounding flat land and organic pig farms, sat this immense structure of stones.  And although spectators were not allowed to get close enough to touch the stones or stand directly next to it, it was an amazing site to see even if we were several yards away. The history of Stonehenge is quite the mystery. Many historians and archeologists debate over who, what, when and why the structure was created. It’s estimated to be over 5,000 years old, and it would have taken about 700 people to move a single stone. There are many theories as to why Stonehenge was created. Some believed it was created to worship the sun, others considered it was used as a clock, and some even believe it was constructed by aliens. The audio device given to visitors to listen to while on the tour poetically described the structure as “Giant teeth in the gums of the Earth”.

My appreciation for the structure that I’d previously referred to merely as giant rocks, made me wonder what other things do I pass on exploring because I am afraid my experience wouldn’t merit a good return on investment. What other exciting and interesting things do I miss out on because of my tyrant spending philosophy? Yes, I am still an advocate for budgeting and discounts, and if it’s any consolation, I did book the tour through Groupon.com and saved 50% of the original cost (Yay for discounts!), I wonder what other sites and cool venues I could visit within the DFW metroplex. I’ve lived in Denton for the past four years, and I have never been to the Dallas Zoo, Aquarium, or any of the museums in the area. If anyone from London were planning to visit Dallas and asked me for recommendations on things to do, I’d be just as clueless as he or she would. I am absolutely glad that I agreed to go to Stonehenge and experience something different. I also definitely plan on making changes when I return to the states.

The Truth has Consequences

On Saturday, a few of my classmates and I went to the cinema (movie theatre) to watch a documentary entitled, We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks. WikiLeaks is a website where people can anonymously submit classified documents for public access. The film provided some background information on Julian Assange, the creator of WikiLeaks, and the story of how a U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning leaked thousands of official documents the government considered top secret. The documentary was really interesting. It exposed a lot about Manning’s personal life and the lack of support he received while serving in the Army.
Manning was highly skilled in computers and worked in the US Army IT department as an intelligence analyst. He was an outcast as well, with no support system. Upon discovering the classified documents Manning hesitantly reached out to another computer hacker, affiliated with Wikileaks, for advice on what to do. Overtime, Manning began to trust the computer hacker, Adrian Lamo, and he eventually shared the information with him.

Assange vs. News Organizations
Assange, who personally believes that all information is good, had a history of computer hacking and revealing secrets, but prior to Wikileaks, he never had an established resource to publicly share information. Assange and news organizations had a love/hate relationship. The news organizations needed Assange for the classified documents he had obtained from  anonymous sources, and Assange needed the news organizations because they provided the platform for massive impact. Journalists are also trained to verify sources and relay complex information in simple terms for audiences to understand. Assange and news organizations also clashed because Assange wanted the information to be revealed immediately, but journalists had concerns of ethical integrity and redacting of names to protect national security and the people that may be affected.

Speculative blood vs. Real blood
After it had been revealed that Bradley Manning released thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks, many news organizations, mostly conservative, were outraged. Many stated that Assange and Manning had “blood on their hands” from exposing classified military files containing soldiers names that could potentially put other people in danger. There were accusations that Manning was aiding the enemy and threatening national security, but many agree the the U.S. government were more embarrassed than they felt endangered. In the documentary, journalist Heather Brooke stated in an interview, “that speculative blood became more important than the actual blood”. I thought this was a great quote. Rather than express concern over these civilian deaths and the deaths of two journalists, the outrage news organizations targeted Manning and Assange. Also instead of being upset with the New York Times and the Guardian for publishing this information, it was easier to blame and shame individuals than news organizations. This goes to show that there’s power in numbers. Plus journalists have the responsibility to inform the public of the truth, even if it is unpleasant and disturbing. I guess Manning and Assange were easier to blame because without them, the truth wouldn’t be revealed.

Although I am not a real political person, I do believe Wikileaks is a necessary website. It helps hold big corporations and government officials and their policies accountable. I did think it was interesting that due to political pressure, Visa and Mastercard stopped processing donations to the Wikileaks website. James Ball, the spokesperson for Wikileaks said, “Visa and MasterCard will happily process payments for the Ku Klux Klan, for all kinds of organizations around the world and yet this one – with no charges, no warrants, no nothing – they’ve not only blocked it themselves, they won’t let any intermediaries do it.” I appreciate the documentary for making sense of this complex and complicated story. It revealed a lot about Manning, Assange,  the journalists involved and the public’s response. It made me really admire Manning and his heroic actions. I also wondered what I’d do, if I were in his shoes…

Baby Fever

Baby fever is here, and it’s contagious.

Several of my classmates and I went to Buckingham Palace to capture some of the baby madness the day after the royal baby was born. I first heard the news that a future king had been born, from my classmate, Savanna, after she received a notification on her phone. I have to admit…I was slightly disappointed.

Recently, the laws changed to allow women the ability to rule as a queen without being pushed out of succession by young brothers. With the birth of a new boy, there would three successive kings of England with Prince Charles, Duke William, and now Prince George. I’d think it’d be safe to say that England will not have another queen in my lifetime.

It was, however, nice to see some many people share a lighthearted admiration for a royal family without any political agendas or financial motives.It was a different experience for me, because the concept of Royals don’t exist in the U.S. The experience was quite refreshing. I tried to find family in the US that might compare to the Royals here, and I ended up with a mixture between the Obama family and the Kardarshian family.

Nonetheless, it’s not hard to develop some form of excitement while living here in London, even as an American. As you walk the streets of London you’ll see billboards and advertisements hinting congratulation William and Kate on the birth of their new son. People have begun betting on what the Duke and Duchess plan to name the baby. It is also interesting to see news outlets desperately try to generate new angles and creative ways to cover the baby news.

Before the baby’s birth, Nicholas Witchell, a Royal correspondent for the BBC, wrote his stand up around the longing wait the news media endured while covering the birth of the royal baby. Many viewers appreciated his frankness about the lack of breaking news in waiting outside of the hospital.

In The Daily Mirror, a London tabloid, printed an article entitled the A-Z’s of the Royal Baby, which went to a great extent to list facts about the royal baby that matched the letters of the alphabet. Some were really stretching it, like “S” represented the spicy vegetable curries Kate craved during her pregnancy or “F” for the fashionistas who have been following what Kate has been wearing while pregnant.

I wonder if these attention grabbing techniques really work for these media outlets, or if consumers are generally tired of the baby news. I guess viewers are left to either take it with a grain of salt and bear it, or download the Guardian’s (a UK Newspaper) “anti-baby news app” and receive all content not relating to the baby.

This fan and her baby were really decked out.

Interactivity is Essential to Online News

Thursday morning, we had a guest speaker during our journalism class. Jake Batsell, a journalism professor at Southern Methodist University, spoke on the news industry and the importance of audience engagement. He is currently travelling and conducting research for his book, Engaged Journalism: Rethinking News in an Era of Digitally Empowered Audiences for its upcoming release. It was really interesting to hear him speak on ways the journalism industry can and should monetize news media. Journalism from what I’ve learned, should serve as an unbiased resource in providing the facts to the public, and the fear in monetizing the news is that journalists would avoid covering certain stories to steer clear of offending affiliate companies and/or the interests of corporate sponsors. (Hence the reason it’s ill-advised for journalists to receive gifts or money.) But with the growing accumulation of media conglomerates (see the Columbia Journalism Review), this unbiased perspective is challenging to uphold.

What Batsell did mention, and I found it quite interesting, was the rise of niche journalism. In advertising we recognize that consumers are becoming savvier and more knowledgeable about products, but the same applies to journalism. Readers and viewers can dig deeper into stories that interest them. And if the subject is something the reader is already familiar with, journalists have to be practically experts in whatever field they are covering to reach a specific audience. Niche journalism builds communities and creates opportunities for interactivity based on shared hobbies, interests, political views, etc. Niche journalism also speaks to why blogging has become so popular.  With print journalism, readers are only able to read stories and learn from the information provided within the physical paper. But online news articles include photos, videos, social media plugins, as well as hyperlinks to other webpages. News outlets are competing for views with decreasing attention spans and increasing competition. So essentially the news industry, like advertising, is becoming the “eyeball business”. The best way for news outlets to maintain relevancy is to engage and interact with the audience. As the world grows and becomes more global, people want to feel connected. Niche journalism works because it personalizes an individual’s interests. Rather than delivering the news in a general and traditional way, news outlets have to appeal to their audience.

Batsell also talked about the mind of the consumer. I loved his terminology when he stated, “In the morning, people simply want snackable news or nuggets of news.” Meaning they don’t want to process full news stories in the morning, but rather grasps headlines that’ll provide brief descriptions of what is occurring. Around midday while people are sitting at their desks, they may want to read more information regarding the news that caught their attention earlier. He also argues that viewer/reader involvement engages the viewer, builds loyalty, and allows the news to feel accessible.

One sample of interactivity that Batsell presented was a story published by The Telegraph, a British news organization, about the highly expensive Stradivarius violin. Rather than simply publish an article about the violin’s superior features and sound quality, The Telegraph invited readers to participate in an interactive challenge to see if they could tell the difference in sound between the Stradivarius violin, an 18th century violin (owned by the musician playing the instruments), and a £39.99 (about $60) violin from Tesco (a general merchandise/grocery store).

This challenge was really creative. Not only did I have fun taking it, but I felt really fancy and sophisticated when I guess the answers correctly. Interactivity engages the viewers and challenges are easily shared and transferred online, as readers want to see how their friends, family members, coworkers, etc., perform on the test as well. Instead of using words to describe the quality of the Stradivarius violin, the challenge allows viewers to “see for themselves” through a unique experience.

The Advertising Standard Authority

So…I believe I’ve discovered my dream job.

My awesome roommate, Monica Saunders, scheduled a visit with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) earlier this week, and I was blown away by their presentation. I took a Race, Gender, and Class in the Media course last year, and it really challenged me to think deeply about the power of the media’s influence and the importance of media literacy.

The ASA was my class on steroids.

The Advertising Standards Authority is responsible for determining whether or not an advertisement should be banned, if it is offensive or immoral. Their company motto is that advertising should be “Legal, decent, honest, and truthful.” What made the careers of Matt Wilson and Bridie Creely (our speakers) so amazing, was that the ASA actually has the power to regulate advertisements through multiple mediums, such as TV, Internet, radio, billboards, e-mails, social media, etc. If only an organization like this existed in the United States. (sigh) We need it desperately.  The advertising industry is very creative and exciting, but with great power comes great responsibility.

The ASA helps hold advertisers accountable.  The organization is based in the United Kingdom, and their purpose is to regulate and uphold the standards of advertising in the UK. They receive 90% of complaints from consumers, which puts the viewers in control.  And if the advertisement in question needs to be evaluated, the ASA will arrange a meeting with an internal jury to decide if an ad needs to be banned, or put further restrictions on when and where the ad can be aired or printed.  I personally am a fan of advertising, and I think it can be really creative and inspiring when a product or brand is good. But advertising is also very powerful and it’s important for advertisers to meet a specific standard in order to prevent consumers from manipulation or harm. During the presentation, Matt and Bridie provided examples of print and video ads that were controversial. They also shared the ASA’s final decision on whether to pull the ad. One advertisement that received a lot of complaints was a KFC commercial for their new Mini Fillet chicken sandwiches. Can you guess some of the viewers’ complaints?

Majority of viewers complained because the sandwich in the advertisement looked larger than the real sandwiches sold at KFC. Bridie mentioned, in a sort of embarrassed way, that it was sad that many “Brits” were up in arms about the size of the sandwich. But her statement made me wonder about commercials that have ruffled the feathers of some Americans. I immediately thought of the controversy that boomed after the Cheerios commercial that featured a mixed child and her interracial parents. I wish the first ad to popped into my head dealt with the size of a chicken sandwich.

Visiting the ASA on Tuesday was very timely as well. Earlier in class, we discussed Chapter 2: The Trouble with Culture of our textbook for our advertising class, Another Bites the Grass: Making Sense of International Advertising by Simon Anholt. It discusses how everyone has their own individual culture, and can never completely understand another culture without having grown up in that culture. It was encouraging to know that the ASA had a diverse group of people serving on their jury when reviewing advertisements, but they also aimed to become even more diverse.

Media Literacy is so vital. The use of Photoshop, thin models, overt sexual images of women and men, and ads that cause harm to children, are all elements the ASA pays close attention to.  The United States needs an organization like this. Both Bridie and Matt agreed that many of the advertisers in the U.S. can get away more questionable ads. Below is an advertisement for American Apparel that was banded in the UK, with a lovely “made in the USA” seal of approval.This ad is extremely offensive with an unhappy model partially nude on the left, and a faceless woman posing suggestively on the right. How awkward was this photo shoot? On both pages the woman’s face is overshadowed by her body. And I don’t understand how one can advertise clothes in a bedroom. What were the creative directors thinking? This is why organizations like the ASA are necessary.

The ASA receives 90% of its complaints from consumers. The are also independent, so no companies can sway the ASA’s decision making through bribery or financial pressures. I also appreciate them for their reasoning in deciding whether or not to ban an ad. Rather than being so strongly influenced by the public, they receive their complaints and then consider all perspectives when making a final decision. I believe the ASA is essential to protecting unsuspecting  viewers, and if there was something like this in the United States, I would definitely be submitting my application.

London Goes Green

When I first spotted the red bus “going green” for London (pictured above), I thought it was a sheer coincidence. I quickly snagged a picture of the bus with the UNT Albino Squirrel and thought it would be a great branding strategy for the university. UNT has always encouraged recycling and conservation since I first enrolled in 2009.   I remember the university placed recycle bins for paper, metal and plastic products throughout the campus and encouraged students to “B.Y.O.B.” (Bring your own bottle), and refill reusable plastic bottles rather than purchase disposable ones. Both are great initiatives for such a large university, but they pale in comparison to London’s own going green efforts.
To be such a big and bustling city, London has been successful in designing energy conservation and recycling into everyday life. In addition to the going green buses, I noticed a lot of public service announcements for bicycle riding and shared travel throughout the city. I also saw recycle bins on various street corners next to bins for general litter and rubbish.
Even in certain advertisements, companies are selling products in the UK that promote green efforts. Like this Coca Cola motion graphic that was on display in a major metropolitan area in London, the Piccadilly Circus. (click picture to the left) There is no audio, but you can visually get a sense of what the brand is trying to push. New 100% recyclable bottles, made from recycled materials and plants. The ad has nothing to do with the actual flavor or taste of the soda, but the ad’s purpose is to establish Coca Cola as a brand that cares about the environment. 

In a recent issue of the Evening Standard Magazine, there was an advertisement for recycled, eco-friendly loo rolls (toilet tissue) by Andrex. Again, function of the loo rolls are for…well….using the restroom, but here the company puts forth an extra effort to promote environmentalism.

Aside from public service announcements and the ad campaigns, the structure of the electricity and water pressure here are also different. The power outlets are really cool. Each one I’ve seen are accompanied with an on/off switch. By turning the switch off, you cut off the power source completely.  For power outlets without this feature, electricity is slowly used whether a machine is plugged in or not, but the off switch prevents this from happening. The water pressure in London is lower too, and most sinks have push-top handles that shut off automatically after sometime. What other methods can UNT implement to promote environmentalism on campus and in Denton?