Topic Proposal for Essay #4

Topic: How Social Networking is causing a growing obesity in people of all ages. 

Media: Powerpoint-Videos, Pictures

Not only is this topic funny, but also it is becoming a major issue in America. We are using Powerpoint in order to get our point across. The inclusion of pictures and video will show how serious this problem actually is.

SWA 9

Dear Skechers,
First and foremost, I want to apologize for the discontent that I brought upon the company. When examining your ad for the first time and giving my approval, I did not think through the effects, or more so, the lack of effects that this ad would have on viewers. I approved your ad because I thought an attractive woman, Christina Aguilera, as the shoe modeler, would gain immediate attention. Both women and men I thought this would be effective upon. Women for the fact that an attractive woman looks good in these shoes and therefore, upon purchasing this brand of shoe, buyers will also gain beauty. For men, this ad I thought would be more of a viewing pleasure and catch their eye, making Skechers brand a better known brand to them. However, none of what I hoped would come out of this ad, did. Viewers seem to be confused to why the model, Christina Aguilera is posed as a scandelous nurse, and also the patient(the one wearing the Skechers). Viewers did not seem to understand what this advertisement was trying to portray and therefore, did not find this to be effective enough for them to buy the shoe. Sure, women claimed the shoe was flashy, but the advertisement gave them no further information on how the shoe felt, and the advantages to purchasing Skechers brand sneakers.
Therefore, to fix this solution, some immediate changes need to be put into effect for this ad. Instead of a nurse-patient scene, I propose to show whoever is modeling the shoe, to be in action. Whether walking or running, Skechers shoes need to portray that they are both comfortable yet stylish at the same time. Sure, an attractive woman can still be used to model the shoes, but what will be different is the type of setting we put the shoe in. And Skechers are not only for women to wear. Men can wear them too. Instead of having only a woman wearing the Skechers, a male model should also be in the ad, showing off his Skechers too. This new idea will draw both men and women's attention to this ad and encourage them to buy the shoe that seems to provide comfort and style.

Once again, my apologies for the letdown. Hope this proposal adds more emphasis to selling the shoe, instead of the model.

Sincerely,
Vanessa Hartmann

#7 The Rhetoric of the Market

1. Advertisements serve the purpose of persuading potential buyers that their product is the best one out there and that with the purchase of this product, one will be guaranteed satisfaction.
2. The first advertisement that I chose is for Skechers Footwear. Starting with the explicit, this advertisement is trying to sell comfortable-looking shoes. However, for the implicit, the chosen costumes can be said to attract attention. The model is very attractive, dressed in a nurse suit, but portrayed a bit scandalous. This aspect will draw men to this advertisement. For the women, an attractive woman, modeling these shoes, encourages women to buy them also because they in a sense want to be like the model in the advertisement.
http://www.adpulp.com/archives/sketchers_print.jpg
The second advertisement I chose is for Hydroxycut, the weight loss formula. The ad shows before and after pictures of a woman dropping 21 pounds. Although the woman is shown to have successfully lost weight, it cannot all be due to this formula. Women get tricked into thinking this weight loss substance will immediately get them results, however, they must work out and eat right to effectively lose the weight. Hydroxycut is just an aid.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/raim0007/gwss3307_fall2007/Ahydroxycut-thumb

3. For the skechers, it is all about the label. If an attractive woman is wearing skechers, then other women want to wear skechers. Wearing a generic brand name of sneaker makes people feel less confident about their style. Any other sneaker, however, may just have the same amount of use than the Skecher brand. The ad portrays Skechers as being the shoe that will make women more attractive.
For Hydroxycut, potential buyers of this formula are tricked into thinking that this formula will make them lose the most weight the fastest. However, there are many other weight loss pills and diets out there that all seem to say the same thing. Using photos to display the “rapid weight loss” of one buyer, gives potential buyers more hope.
4. The audience for the skechers is primarily young women, those that want to buy the shoe. For men, this ad is more of just something to look at.
Hydroxycut is also aimed more towards women, since the photo displayed is of a woman who lost weight through this formula. However, men may want to try this formula also.