Find Your Greatness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JnYcuRW_qo

Nike has done a series of ‘find your greatness’ commercials.  This one in particular stood out a lot to me.  It sends a very powerful message to everyone.  The setting is on a kind of beaten country road.  The sky is a beautiful light purple and it looks like the sun is rising.  The grass is really green.  There is a small tin mailbox as the boy runs by.  Finally, there is an overweight boy running towards you.  The whole setting seems beautiful but very simple as to say the setting is natural.  They could’ve put the boy in a city setting or crossing a finish line but they put him on a country road.  My first impression of this is that they just want to reinforce that your greatness can just be running a little ways versus something like finishing a marathon.

The sound involved in the commercial is something to be taken into consideration.  The first sound is almost silent expect for the soft sound of feet shuffling in the distance.  The voice over is in a somewhat deep tone.  The voice has a slight foreign accent. 

Overall, I have to support the message.  Everyone has the potential to find their own greatness instead of watching others.  The great people in this world don’t have to be just the prodigies.  Nike has done a very convincing job with these ads.  That being said, buying Nike clothing most likely won’t help you find your greatness.  I am finding this pattern in most commercials now.  Companies are advertising something the product cannot give the consumer.  The commercial does still send a positive and powerful message.

Stevie Wonder Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing

Everybody's got a thing
But some don't know how to handle it
Always reachin' out in vain
Just taking the things not worth havin'

But don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing (don't you worry, baby)
'cause I'll be standing on the side when you check it out

They say your style of life's a drag
And that you must go other places
Just don't you feel too bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces

But don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing (don't you worry, baby)
'cause I'll be standing on the side when you check it out

When you get off your trip
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing

But don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing (don't you worry, baby)

'cause I'll be standing on the side when you check it out

Everybody needs a change
A chance to check out the new
You're the only one who see
The changes you take yourself through

Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing (sweet baby)
'cause I'll be standin' in the wings when you check it out

Don't you worry 'bout a thing

Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry 'cause I'll be right here waitin' for you baby
Repeat (fade)

This song is an old classic.  It has influenced generations of people.  It has been remixed, featured in movies and so much more.  The song was produced in 1974 but still manages to reach the ears of listeners today.

It makes sense why the lyrics are enjoyed by so many people.  I see the song as Mr. Wonder offering to protect people (especially women) from the world’s realities.  This includes the very harsh ones like corruption.  Out of the whole Inversions album this is one of the most upbeat songs.  The album scrapes the surface of vast world problems.  On the surface the song seems very upbeat with its rhythm and the different instruments.  However, if you really evaluate the lyrics and what they are saying you can find a whole other meaning.  I admire Stevie Wonder and his courage to go into these topics.  The popularity of his music and the issues he presents creates a big impact on the world.  He writes all of his own music. 

I could say why the I enjoy the lyrics and what they mean to me but there is a bigger topic at hand, the power of music.  This song calms me down when I’m overwhelmed, stressed, etc.  Music has a power nothing else in this world has.  It captures the nations attention.  It makes us break into dance.  It lets us belt out the lyrics with it.  Music has the power to change our mood.  You could be a classical fan or country fan, you still have a kind of music that makes you happy.  We love our music so much we idolize the people who make it.  People say that music simulates more parts of the brain than anything else.  The songs people put out for the world have a potential to have a positive impact on others.  

Orwell Question #3

12/6/15:

3.  Orwell says that every writer “ask(s) himself at least four questions: What am I trying to say?  What words will express it?  What image or idiom will make it clearer?  Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?”  What do you think of these questions?  Do you agree or disagree that they are the most essential questions for writers to ask themselves?  Explain why.

I am fond of the questions.  I like to believe I ask myself similar questions while writing.  Of course, you need to consider what you are trying to say.  If you’re not sure what you are trying to say how is anybody else supposed to?  Finding the right words to use is crucial.  Words can have different meanings to different people.  if you don’t pick and choose your words artfully people can easily interpret what you are trying to say wrong, for better or for worse.  Creating the image in your readers mind is needed.  if I can’t visualize what someone is writing or apply to something that’s really going on in the world it is very unlikely I will understand what you mean.  For the sat question, I am not sure if ‘fresh’ is the right word to use there but the concept of the question is needed.  Basically, is there enough relevance in your writing so that people will intently read it.  

I agree, these are generally the most essential questions.  However, the “at least” part of George Orwell’s point is important.  Those questions shouldn’t be what you limit yourself do.  There are many other elements to possibly consider and evaluate.  “What am I trying to say?” is the foundation to compare the other three questions on.  You want people to understand what you are trying to say the way your thoughts understand it.  It is difficult to do.  To go from thoughts to words so that other people understand what you are trying to say is hard.  Finding the right words, making a clearer image, and evaluating relevance all are extremely important. 

2014 Super Bowl Commercials- A Bigger Meaning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoqWo3SJ73c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIxA3o84syY

12/6/15:

This past Super Bowl, I saw these commercials, as well as many more I can’t remember. They all advertised something much bigger than the product itself.  The ‘Always’ commercial advertised a confidence meaning to the phrase ‘like a girl’.  They showed girls who have gone through puberty ideas about what it means to be a girl and those who haven’t.  The difference was drastic.  They didn’t mention the product name or what it is at all until the very end.

The brand Always was appealing to a desired trait in all girls: confidence.  They were advertising that this brand would somehow give us confidence?  I don’t know about you, but what kind of tampon I buy doesn’t effect my confidence level.

As for the Dove commercial, all of the same things apply.  They were advertising how what a guy really needs to do is care and that caring gives you strength.  What kind of deodorant you buy won’t make you a more caring guy.  Caring might make a man stronger in some sense.  However, the ad doesn’t have anything to do with what the product actually is.  The product is named Dove+ care.  The commercial ends my saying this name and that “care makes a man stronger."

These ads are some of the most effective.  Why these ads are effective is the biggest question.  The simplest answer I could think of was that it appeals to the audiences emotion. I think people want to be understood then marketed to.  These brands are connecting with the audience in that they supposedly have something you need.  Girls want to have more confidence.  Nothing about the message they are sending is wrong, it's that it doesn't connect to what the product is.  

I love these commercials as much as anybody.  They just aren’t advertising the true product they are advertising an emotion.  It is like they want you to think you are buying confidence.  These are the commercials that make your mom cry.  In my opinion, they are very effective in appealing to a very wide audience.  Nevertheless, through the watery eyes we need to evaluate what is actually being sold and what they are trying to get us to think.