MC-101 Blog Assignment 4 Brian Burkard

In Public Broadcasting Service’s documentary, The Persuaders, personnel in the advertisement industry are attempting to discover the key in finding the secrets of the consumer’s mind. Song Airlines, a branch company set up by Delta, was a project they established to test certain marketing beliefs. Market research gurus like Clotaire Rapaille and Frank Luntz are both two men leading this field of marketing research. Although their practices are completely different they are both striving to achieve the same goal.

            In the midst of a failing economy, Delta set up Song Airlines to prove that they were still one of the best. Delta want to show us that by setting up Song Airlines, “They to can compete with hip low cost carriers like Jet Blue.” Song set up a team of marketers to decide on the best way to reach out to their audience. The team decide the best way to gain customers was to target women and focus on what they would want in an airline. To do this, Song’s marketing team hired the designer Andy Spade to develop their image. At this point in time, I’m not exactly sure if it was wise of Delta to attempt to start up a completely new airline. Instead I believe they should have put their money toward modifying their current airline rather than attempting to start from scratch. The idea to mainly focus on the interests of women and focus on the homey feel wasn’t too intelligent. Rather than finding a common ground to catch the eye of both men and women, Song only focused on the one gender and lost buyers rather than gaining them.

            Clotaire Rapaille’s theory was if he could understand a persons unconscious mind, then he could unlock the secret that give them the desire to consume. By going inside of the mind of the American shopper Rapaille is able to decipher the code of why people do what they do without even realizing it. Rapaille said, “Why does a person need a Hummer to go shopping,” to prove the point that people do thing for unknown reasons. Rapaille’s theories are brilliant. By making a person do a certain task with out thinking allowed Rapaille into the unconscious mind. Once he was able to see what the person truly wanted, his employers could simply give the consumer what they wanted.

            Like Rapaille, Frank Luntz knew giving the consumer what they wanted was the key to increasing sales. Although they shared this common belief Luntz had a different way to accomplish the idea. Once he figured out what a person wanted, his job wasn’t finished. Luntz believed by wording what you were trying to say in a certain way, you could sell anything. By carefully choosing certain words Luntz though he could persuade his targeted audience to vote a certain way or buy certain products. No matter what anyone cares to believe, Luntz’s ideas work. For example he was able to change how people viewed the Estate Tax by changing on simple word, estate to death. By changing the name to the Death Tax, Luntz destroyed all remaining support to the Estate Tax.

            Although marketing teams are trying to achieve the same goal, to sell their product, they have different theories on how to make their goal reality. In some cases their theories work, but in other they fail and people loose their jobs. Rapaille and Luntz are both very intelligent men with brilliant ideas. They both have proven that their ideas work and due to years of observations and listening they have figured out some reasons why consumers consume. The rest still remains a mystery.

MC-101 Blog Assignment 3 Brian Burkard

            After arriving home from dinner Sunday night I flipped on the Television at approximately seven o’clock.  I had no plans of watching anything besides the Philadelphia Eagles versus Dallas Cowboys football game so I figured I just play it by ear.  I ended up watching a recording of Chuck, the Eagles versus Cowboys football game, Family Guy, and Fox’s ten o’clock news.

I figured since I had an hour to kill before the kick off of the Philadelphia Eagles versus Dallas Cowboys football game, I might as well watch the season premier of Chuck that I previously recorded Friday night.  The episode started with the main character Chuck and his wife Sarah standing on a back porch of a beautiful cliff side home looking out over the Pacific Ocean.  You soon understand why the couple is standing there as the camera zooms out and you see a group of men holding them at gunpoint.  As they see their unfulfilled lives flash before their eyes, Chucks best friend Morgan ends up saving the day by knocking the evil henchmen unconscious with a series of complex karate moves.  At this point in the episode I was think to myself, okay that was awesome I want to see more.  The show if full of suspense to keep the viewers interested in the show.

            I finished Chuck just in time to see the kick of the Philadelphia Eagles versus Dallas Cowboys football game.  The Eagles dominated the play of the game and went up twenty-four to zero in the first half.  The second half went along the same lines as the Eagles offense broke through the Cowboys defense and scored another touchdown and kicked a field goal.  Finally late in the second half Tony Romo and his team were able to get on the board by scoring a touchdown late in the game.  This resulted in a thirty four to seven loss for the Cowboys.  Being an Eagles fan and having Michael Vick as quarterback of my fantasy football team, I was very excited about the outcome of the game.  I can’t imagine Dallas fans were to happy with the blow out.  Football is a really exciting to watch because it is so action packed.

            Once the Eagles finished stomping all over the Cowboys, I started flipping through the channels to see what else was on.  I ended up landing on TBS where an old episode of Family Guy was being broadcasted.  The episode was about Bryan, the dog, and Stewie, the baby, attempting to renovate a house.  Stewie constantly got on Bryan nerves and eventually angered him to the point where he blew up the house they were attempting to renovate.  The show, as always, attempted to make fun of as many races and ethnicity’s as it could in the thirty-minute span in which it is shown. The point of the show is not to make fun of one race or ethnic group but to make fun of all of them to represent that everyone has flaws and its okay to laugh at them.  By making fun of everyone, a singe person cant be offended that they are being joked about because everyone else is in the same boat as them. 

            Family guy gets repetitive sometimes so I switch the channel to Fox to tune into the ten o’clock news.  The Fox news crew covered a story about local citizens and how they would be partaking in the upcoming Halloween event.  They anchors interviewed locals and a police officer to cover the issue of mischief night.  On Sunday night there was no breaking news or major headlining story, so the Fox news crew covered stories like rising gas prices, a stabbing at an elementary school, and predictions of black Friday.

            All in all television that is broadcasted today isn’t too violent.  The violence that is displayed generally isn’t gory or too intense.  Racism isn’t displayed unless they go back to a certain time.  Generally when one group is being made fun of every other group is also being laughed at also.

MC-101 Blog Assignment 2 Brian Burkard

In NBC’s 30 Rock, Tina Fey’s character Liz Lemon argues that reality television should never be considered an art.  To argue her opinion Fey says, “I don’t think eating bugs to earn tampons is art.  Performance is an art.  Writing is an art.”  I agree with what she says one hundred percent.  Calling reality television a form of art should be considered blasphemous.  It is only when you capture a writer’s voice through the dialogue and emotions of an actor or actress, that you can truly call television art.

            In my eyes, reality television is strictly made to entertain its audience and it should not be seen genuinely as art.  With shows like The Jersey Shore and The Real World, it’s hard to believe that stupid people doing stupid things could ever be considered an art.  It’s not fair that carefully constructed shows like Lost and Saturday Night Live should be classified the same as mindless reality television shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians and Flava Flav’s Flavor of Love.  Without the use of scripting and performance, how can someone even consider reality television an art?  If art is a skill not easily achieved and all you need is a camera and couple individuals being themselves to make a reality television show, why is reality television being an art form still even being debated?  

            Although I personally tend to have a distaste for reality television, there are some reality television programs I actually watch and enjoy.  When I think of reality television, I think of Jersey Shore or shows like the Bachelor and The Apprentice.  I wouldn’t generally view shows that I do watch, such as The Buried Life and Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, as reality shows despite their classification.  Although the majority of these shows are based on the characters’ real lives, there are scripted sections in them.  That why, I prefer to categorize these kinds of shows more as documentaries rather than reality show.  I would consider shows such as these art, because although they are based on people’s real lives, there is thought and creativity that goes into carefully constructing an episode.  In these kinds of programs, the characters generally are doing something with a purpose, not just going to the bars to get drunk and degrade women.

If music is art then reality television shows like American Idol and Americas Got Talent should also be considered art.  It is true that the contestants on these shows are artists but the shows themselves are only capturing their artistic talents.  This goes for all contestant shows such as Survivor and Top Chef.  Yes, in some cases the characters on the show are very skilled people, but to call the shows art doesn’t make too much sense.  Besides planning events and tasks, there is nothing much the directors of these shows actually have to do.

If some say reality television is an art, then why are reality shows constantly being called the worst shows on television?  It is true that many people tune in to watch these shows, but do they actually believe it’s quality television?  Unfortunately I fall under this classification of individuals who tune into these crafty shows, due to my fondness for Jersey Shore.  It’s not that I enjoy watching the show; it just make me feel better inside knowing thatI’m not that as senseless as the cast of Jersey Shore.  In my eyes reality television is just a way to escape the stress of your own life.  Reality television allows people to take time from their hectic days and to just relax as they watch people on MTV embarrass themselves on national television.

All in all, reality television for the most part is just a waste of time that should never be considered art.  Just the thought of calling it art brings tears to my eyes.  Without writing and performance, a television show is just footage from a camera that had been turned on.  There isn’t much creative thought that goes into making these shows due to the fact that the characters are being themselves.  I believe art is something that should be looked at and admired by many.  Reality television in my eyes should and will never be an art form.

MC-101 Blog Assignment 1 Brian Burkard

Given that class is in session, being without sources of media would cause me to fall behind in my studies.  Therefore, a twenty-four hour media fast was out of the question.  However, I have done this twice in the past.  The first time was a four-day voluntary religious retreat with my high school.  The second occurrence ensued unexpectedly in the mountains of Maine.

Last year I attended a Roman Catholic high school called Pope John Paul II.  At Pope John Paul II High School, it is a tradition that every year the senior class goes on a mysterious week-long religious retreat called Kairos. I was told nothing about the retreat other than the fact that I could not bring computers, cell phones, IPods, books, magazines, or any other kind of electronic or paper bound resource.  The retreat was designed to get rid of all distracting sources of media so you could focus on yourself and the people around you. 

It honestly was a lot more fun than I would have thought.  At first, being excluded from the outside world was difficult.  You almost don’t know what to do with yourself.  After the first day, it actually felt quite nice not having to worry about issues that don’t pertain to your life.  Being cut off from all sources of media made it feel like you were in your own little world and since everyone at the retreat was also cut off, no news from the outside could get in.  Instead of being wired in to a cell phone or computer, people spent their time talking to one another face-to-face rather than through fingers on phones.  Being cut off like that makes you more aware of a lot of things around you.  It also allowed me to get to know people I hadn’t ever talked to even though I had been attending the same school as them for four years.  Some of the people I met on that trip have become some of my closest friends.

When I got home from the retreat, using my phone and computer felt really weird.  I attempted to continue the media fast for a few more weeks, but unfortunately being a teenager in this day and age the odds were stacked against me. I couldn’t withstand the desire to reconnect for very long.  I attempted to stop texting and only use my phone to make calls, but the habit eventually seeped back into my daily life and I was once again addicted.  I also tried to only use my computer as a resource for school, but like texting, my habit eventually resurfaced.   However, I was able to successfully delete my Facebook account and I reached my goal of going without it for four whole months. 

After I graduated high school, my family and I traveled to Maine for a vacation.  For the first three days we decided to drive to the mountains and stay in a cabin on a river.  I remember being in the car texting my girlfriend when all of a sudden I lost service.  We were an hour away from our destination and cell phone service was nowhere to be found.  The cabin we stayed in was in the middle of the woods at the base of a river.  It had a television but when we turned it on, there was noting but static. We were officially cut off. 

The next three days we spent hiking, white water rafting, and mainly enjoying time off from life at home.  Being without Internet and cell phone service for three days was hard enough as it is.  I can’t imagine living like that all year around.  Sure you could buy a giant satellite dish to put in your backyard, but most likely you would only get a few channels.  I ended up spending most of my free time reading.  I read more on that vacation than I had in a long time.  I learned that cutting myself free of distracting material allows me to focus solely on the material at hand. 

Being cut off from all media and electronics for a week made everything seem alien.  Ever since Kairos and Maine I have attempted to regulate my use of electronic media more than ever before.  I believe, every now and again, your body needs a break and cutting out media can in some ways relieve the pressure that is built up inside.  I try not to watch television on a daily basis but when I do, I attempt to watch things that I can learn from rather than mindless reality shows with no purpose.  Although I am “addicted to texting,” I try to avoid it as much as possible.  I feel if someone really needs to talk to me they can call me. To me, sending out written messages from a phone weakens the importance of what someone is saying.  Sure it is easy.  It is often harder to deal with people one-on-one compared to having all the time in the world to create that perfect message and clicking send.

Brian Burkard