Out of Class Exercise on Persuasion and Consumption

When going to Starbucks once a week I have noticed there a lot of “consumption” space to encourage me to buy services and items. Once you go into a Starbucks you are easily persuaded to use your dollar. Although it doesn't go very far like a $1 meal menu at McDonalds. I ordered a tall hot chocolate for $2.15 even though I didn't need it I wanted it because it sounded good at the right time and I was thinking "I am in a Starbucks!" It can easily persuade you to buy the good because of how they market and display their products. Not only does Starbucks use space for their items such as: coffee mugs, books, gift cards, coffee makers, CD’s and now Christmas items. With their coffee beans that sell quite regularly and there famous seasonal beans of course that come from different parts of the world, it is not hard for you to be persuaded to use your money. I have noticed that Starbucks has a lot to offer. They are very persuasive with their products. I know that even their food display will always grab my attention. This summer I took summer school in Portland and almost every morning I would stop at a Starbucks to buy there Bacon Gouda breakfast sandwich. Even though I knew that spending $3.00 on a sandwich is ridiculous it didn’t stop me from buying it. I finally realized that being a consumer led me to being broke because of all those breakfast sandwiches. I also know that the Holiday mugs at Starbucks grab my attention and I have bought so many mugs that I ended up giving them as presents. Starbucks not only markets their coffee well, but also their items. Right when you come into the store items catch your eye from across the room. I have also noticed when coming into a Starbucks that there are many people who are willing to spend hours on their laptop and drinking coffee. Starbucks provides a variety of newspapers even the NYtimes. It also markets itself well because the stores provide wireless internet. I know the Starbucks across the Seattle University is famous for the wireless internet. I have noticed that Starbucks isn’t just a coffee shop it’s a place where anyone can come together. It’s always the place to say, “hey lets get together and get grab some coffee at Starbucks.”

Advertising as Persuasion

Chapter 10 Questions:

In chapter 10 it says, "Advertising is symbiotic. It plays on our cultural icons, heroes and events (both good and bad). Michael Jordan/Air Jordan shoes, Tiger Woods/Nike, or Britney Spears/ Pepsi are very strong associations." I agree with this statement, I believe that advertising is symbiotic. I know that if Nike didn't have Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan to represent there brand Nike wouldn't have the big name in sports. Although with some endorsements deals many stars such as Britney Spears can also bring a bad image to there name. I believe there are many ways that endorsing stars and such can be good and bad. Advertising is symbiotic, do you believe this? Do you think that advertising can do without it's endorsement deals with it's stars?Would Nike not be a big named sports brand with out it's Micheal Jordan and Tiger Woods?and why?

Children:
"Children watch an average of five hours of TV a day, and the majority of children are exposed to over 40,000 commercials per year. There are more ads per hour in programs for children then there are for adult or general audience programming...3% are for healthy foods compared to 22% for cereals and breakfast food, 18% for snacks and drinks..." pg.302
I believe that children are exposed to a lot of advertising. Not only on TV, but also in the stores,malls, and magazines. Kids these days are smart and are very curious with many things. I have noticed with my nieces and nephews whenever we watch TV and commercials come on they are well aware of what is happening. Because the next thing I hear is, "can we go to McDonald's?" "Can I get that toy for my birthday/Christmas?" Advertising is influential and most of them don't even know what is feeding them. It's incredible to think that even food commercials can persuade children to persuade their parents to buy these things for them. I think if I was a parent I would not allow my children to watch 5 hours of TV a day because I believe that kids are easily influenced and I wouldn't want that to happen to mine. What would you do if you had children? Do you think that 5 hours of TV a day is a lot? Do you think children are more exposed to more then TV commercials? Like magazines, stores (food/candy isle), and malls? Is advertising good for children? Let me know what you think?

Week 3: Questions on Articles

1)Jencks points out, "Not only does [architecture] express the value(and land values of a society, but also its ideologies, hopes, fears, religion, social structure, metaphysics. It may represent these facts of betray them.."
Protoghesi puts the case somewhat differently, in his suggestion that the rhetorical tendency displayed by postmodern architecture "allows architecture to criticize and dissent as well accept..." Who do you agree with Jencks or Protoghesi about there thoughts of how architecture is a part of rhetoric? If you agree with Jencks or Protoghesi why?
2)"Physiological studies of emotions reveal that changes in blood chemistry, heart rate, endocrine, secretion, palm sweat, and so forth very little from emotion to emotion. Whether an individual's aroused psychological state is interpreted as hate, fear, anger, joy, love is partly determined by drama that accompanies the emotional state." Do you believe this is true? When an individual either gets mad or creates emotion, does the emotion of love always counter act with other emotions?
3)"Renaissance architects, trained within the rhetorical tradition, looked at the city through the lenses of their rhetorically trained memories, leading them to conceptualize...As Anthony Vidler writes, " Architects became aware of the possibility of transferring to the realm of reality that which they had imagine in their memory: That is, of cutting out of the fabric of the real city the squences and places of their memory maps of the city."- Is Vidler's statement true? Is Renaissance architecture a rhetorical tradition? If you think so, why?

Response to Arianne Judy's blog

1) I think that as a receiver pictures and words are effective. In campaigns concrete pictures and words are effective because it needs to send a clear message to the people. People can relate to pictures and words. It varies as a whole, many people are more visual and like pictures and others like a straight forward message.
2) It is definitely more effective to see commercials more then once or even twice. companies have a better chance of viewing there commercials more then once. Even though repetition can be boring, it is also an effective way for consumers/audiences to remember your product. One commercial I always remember is Coca Cola that always plays every year in the super bowl, but the commercial is different, the product is the same.