Operation Cheesy Fliers
For this week’s class material blog, I’ll be discussing my rationale for my side of my group’s promotion of the APO Blood Drive. In my part of the project, codenamed Operation Cheesy Fliers, my main goal was to create a series of overly corny, random-humor fliers to appeal to the average college student. After seeing some of the shows that other college students watch, and shows that I watch, it seems to me that the best way to get something noticed is to use a random, witty humor of sorts. Looking at shows like South Park and Family Guy, every episode usually features some random figure of pop culture in a parody of everyday life. Furthermore, sometimes these figures are parodied in advertising of sorts. By incorporating icons like Waldo, Mr. T, and Snarf, I’ve created a completely random ad campaign chock-full of cheesy phrases sure to appeal to the average college student. With these figures ranging as soft as Tinky Winky, and as hard-core as Chuck Norris, it will appeal to the soft-hearted soul, and the masculine, iron-pumping Texas Ranger. In addition, the fact that I’m using a lot of well-known people like Stephen Colbert and the aforementioned Mr. T and Chuck Norris, along with carton characters will help to establish additional humor in the juxtaposition of these random characters in a Blood Drive ad campaign. Really, going across campus, seeing a poster sporting Chuck Norris for an event, and in the next building you visit, seeing a poster of the “King” Burger King; if that’s not odd and humor inspiring, I don’t know what is.
Creedage Cheese
I felt it my civic duty to take a moment to discuss a truly talented band that just kills me every time I hear their songs, because they could truly be so much better. This band is the much-mocked Christian rock group Creed.
Let me first say that though I don’t like to affiliate myself with a particular religion, I respect the beliefs of other people as long as they leave me alone and don’t try to tell me what to believe. So before there’s a cry of “Oooohhh, stone the agnostic!” and Pat Robertson and the 700 Club come busting through my dorm wall in a Panzer, let me just say that
THIS IS A CRITIQUE OF CREED AND THE CHRISTIAN ROCK GENRE; NOT CHRISTIANITY AS A RELIGION.
My main point for writing in this week is to say how awesome I think Creed as a band is, except for the fact that they’re Christian rock. I mean, I really don’t care if a band wants to praise the Lord through head-banging and heavy metal, mostly because I never actually thought I’d find a good Christian rock band! But then I stumbled upon Creed, and my whole life changed. Musically speaking, they were exactly what I was looking for – the heavy, distorted alternative guitars, a powerful lead vocalist, and a balance between the negative and the uplifting. But then I started to actually pay attention to the lyrics, and I became sorely disappointed. Let’s be honest; they’re the Dragon Force of Alternative Rock. Great music, cheesy words. I could live with the Christian lyrics; I don’t care personally, but I consider myself an open-minded person in regards to such things. When you make them ridiculously cheesy Christian lyrics, though, it all goes down the drain. Let’s look at “One” for example. I love the music, but if Creed songs are cheesy, this is the Limburger. Take a look at these lyrics:
“The goal is to be unified – take my hand, be my brother.”
“Unity took a backseat sliding further into regression”
“I feel angry I feel helpless – want to change the world, yeah.”
Please, this is bordering on “Peanut Butter Jelly, Peanut Butter Jelly, Peanut Butter Jelly with a baseball bat.” If there’s anything more drab and uncreative than Creed Lyrics, it’s anything in the rap/hip hop genre
Whatever happened to Kurt Cobain’s poetic vagueness? You don’t spell out the lyrics, silly! You have to make them think about it! Maybe we’re actually mishearing them; maybe the lyrics are genius, but we can’t make them out correctly because Scott Stapp refuses to open his mouth when he sings! I heard a comedian make a joke about the song “With Arms Wide Open” and he parodied it as “My Mouth Won’t Open” – I nearly lost it. What’s perhaps most interesting to me is that Creed persistently claimed throughout their career that they were NOT a Christian rock band. Let’s look at the evidence, shall we:
“I Cry out to God, seeking only His decision,” – My Own Prison.
“Are you ready? Are you ready? For what’s to come?” – Are You Ready
“We all live under the reign – did you know of one King.”– What’s this Life For?
Yeah, I thought so
I’m somehow reminded of that episode of South Park where Cartman decides to make a Christian rock band, and cleverly manipulates the lyrics of other songs by just replacing words like “baby” and “darling” with “Jesus.” He becomes so popular that he sells a myrrh album (the Christian Rock equivalent of Platinum). As I recall, his rationale for forming a Christian Rock band was also “Why not? It worked for Creed!”
If South Park makes fun of it, it is worthy of ridicule – nuff’ said.
Furthermore, let’s look at some other bands of the genre, namely Stryper. Stryper was notorious for throwing Bibles into the crowd to get the audience pumped for their shows.
Personally, I think the whole thing about biting the head off a bat was a little over the top, but I know it would’ve gotten my attention more than a copy of the new testament being slapped in my face.
You’ll also be shocked to learn that Stryper had the same, lyrical cheesiness as their brothers in spirit, Creed.
Back to Creed, though, there are a handful of songs which are either just so good that I can overlook the cheesiness, or they had a stroke of brilliance and didn’t write any to begin with. “Higher,” “One Last Breath,” “My Sacrifice,” and “My Own Prison” are absolutely spectacular songs – “One Last Breath” is one of my all-time favorite songs, period. It sends chills down my spine every time I hear it.
So the moral of this story, if Christian rock is what floats your boat, go for it – but as for me, I’m going to leave rock and roll to Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne, and Ronnie James Dio. But if Creed gets back together, I’d still go see them…as long as they don’t throw bibles.
Advertising in the 21st Century
In today’s world, the market for advertising has much increased. Essentially, today’s marketing techniques aim for the purposes of establishing name recognition, spreading news about a product, Promoting an image, and adding value to a product.
Name Recognition – The basic premise of the name recognition technique is to establish a recognition of product name. This is done in a number of ways – a product can be connected with a catchy phrase or name. One example I can think of was a Seattle dog grooming salon called “High Maintenance B****” – the shop uses the dual meaning of b**** to create a catchy and memorable name association. It can also involve other techniques, like a catchy jingle or tune to make the product last in the heads of the consumer.
Spreading News about a Product – This method of advertising is basically used to promote an old product with a new ingredient or component. It takes the same old product you’ve been buying and claims that through the addition of new and improved doohickey #25, it will make you sleep a full ten hours without interruption. A good example of this were the early days of Arm & Hammer, where the company ran a series of ads to promote the various uses for its product beyond simply baking. Also a good example is the Dr. Pepper 23 Flavors promotion, in which Dr. Pepper promoted its product as having 23 Flavors to tempt your palette. Considering it’s a soda, I doubt that the 23 flavors is much different from any other brand out there.
Promoting an Image – When promoting an image, the company is basically trying to associate the product with a particular image – there’s the the army of Kellogs Cereal characters, the Marlboro Man, and my personal favorite, and the Doublemint Twins commercials. It’s all about connecting the product with a certain image or feeling.
Adding Value to a Product – By projecting a certain image with a product, it can attract a particular crowd. This is where sex appeal and images come into play. One of my favorite commercials that shows this technique is the Volkswagen commercial featuring Slash, the lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver and formerly Guns N Roses (and, for the record, the best guitarist in the world). Slash’s guitar is plugged into a Volkswagen sound system, and the cinematography seems to suggest that the car is really blasting out the crazy jam Slash is playing. It conveys this distinctly bad-ass image because, well, Slash is pretty bad-ass in my opinion. If I wanted to drive a car and be thought of as a Slash-esque character, though, a Volkswagen would not be first on my list…not even on my list, for that matter.
Public Relations
In response to this week’s topic of public relations, I think that the way in which the famous can manipulate the media to its eye is a very valuable tool, and especially through the use of publicity stunts it can change the way they are viewed. Case in point – the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake “wardrobe malfunction.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this was a publicity stunt meant to boost record sales for a declining artist. Such has been the case all over – when people want attention, they will use different means to get it, and for those in a position to do so, the media provides a perfect outlet. I would be curious to see just how involved Jackson’s PR people were in the event, whether it’s planning (or not-planning) and the reputation cleanup afterwards. I suspect a similar incident in the case of Michael Jackson somehow; after Nirvana’s 1991 Nevermind effectively showed the world that Jackson really is a no-talent pop star begging for attention, I can imagine why he’d be looking for ways to reclaim the spotlight. The Public Relations career is dedicated to making others look good, and to someone skilled with a pen, a creative mind, and, depending on who you work for, no conscience or sense of moral, it can mean a lot of money. It’s still interesting to me at least, how the field has gone from a career of shouting out the attractions at circuses, to subliminal advertising techniques and minute strokes of advertising genius.
Jar of Flies: Alice in Chains Unchained
I thought that I’d take the time to review a very under-appreciated album of the grunge scene; a forgotten favorite, if you will. Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains is perhaps one of the best by the group, which is otherwise known for its thundering, bass-laden grunge rock. In contrast, however, this piece features a more acoustic approach, producing a much more intimate sound. While Nirvana is often hailed as a great band when it comes to acoustic versions of their music, Alice in Chains is perhaps more gifted in that aspect, or at least as gifted. In addition, this piece also displays some exploration on Alice in Chains’ part, even departing from their heavy sound to explore some blues-based rock. Overall, I give it: **** (4 Stars)
Rotten Apple – This track has a chanted, almost hypnotic vocal quality that is very characteristic of the softer Alice in Chains tracks. The vocals are so drawn out and restrained, and, for lack of a better word, creepy, that it sends chills down your spine. Combine that with Alice in Chains’ typically dark lyrics, and you get a very powerful song. The whining guitar in the opening sequence of the song really adds to the overall effect. This is a sample taken from the bedrock of grunge. *****
Nutshell – Probably my favorite track on the whole album; this song is really well done and showcases a more acoustic side of Alice. It’s still grunge, but unplugged. It’s one of the most underrated songs in the band’s history, and I think it’s one of their best. Layne Staley’s chilling vocals follow much the same trend as from “Rotten Apple.” I’ve seen live, totally unplugged versions, and I have to say that Alice in Chains rivals Nirvana in skill with acoustic songs. I love these types of songs; they’re so much more intimate. While Alice’s bigger songs like “Man in the Box” are in your face in instrumentation, “Nutshell” grabs at the heart. *****
I Stay Away – This would really be a great song if the chorus were not so contrasted in comparison to the rest of the song. While the chorus has a dark, heavy sound, the rest of the song is almost uplifting in tone, complete with an orchestral section as well. It’s a very interesting song, to be sure, but so differentiated that it loses a little power. ***
No Excuses – picking up where “I Stay Away” left off, “No Excuses” has a lighter tone. It seems to have a sense of sarcasm and regret similar to the other grunge works of the time, and is all in all a catchy piece. For Alice in Chains, it’s a departure from the usual, bass-laden heaviness present in songs like “Man in the Box” and “Grind.” ****
Whale & Wasp – a 2:37 instrumental piece that showcases some very haunting guitar parts. You can tell the “whale” from the “wasp” – it’s interesting, but ultimately, an instrumental. ****
Don’t Follow – another interesting piece for Alice in Chains. Staley’s vocals take on a more melodic tone from their usual dark, restrained growl. A harmonica adds to the other little quirks of the piece. It takes on the tone of a traditional love song, but even so, Alice in Chains makes it sound great. It’s hard to believe that they wrote such songs as “Man in the Box” after listening to this. ****
Swing on this – Imagine Alice in Chains dressed as the Blues Brothers, and “Swing on This” is what you get. It has a very distinctly blues-based groove, with Alice in Chains’ ghostly, strung-out vocals giving the song an interesting feel. Stylistically, I’d much rather have “Man in the Box” any day of the week, but you have to give them points for trying. ***
