In James B. Twichell’s article, “What We Are to Advertisers”, he argues about how each person has a certain identity and it is shown in “You Are What They Eat: The Influence of Reference” a study conducted by Jennifer Edson Escala and James R. Bettman. Twichell believes that the type of clothing people buy shapes their identity. He argues that what a person buys can help advertisers target a certain social group or class. According to Twichell, social groups like “high class businessmen” relate with how an identity forms through buying certain brands of clothing. In “You are What They Eat”, Escala and Bettan states that identity forms through how brand name clothing makes a person feel and see themselves.
In “You Are What They Eat”, the authors discuss about the theoretical development of why people buy certain brands. For example, Twichell states “Mass production means mass marketing, and mass marketing means the creation of mass stereotypes” (Twichell 192). In the example, Twichell means that as more products are created, they are advertised, and after they are advertised, many people of certain identities will buy the products. When people are becoming part of a stereotype, it leads to more consumption of similar products relating to brand names. An example that would support Twichell’s argument is how businessmen relate themselves with certain brands of clothing because a businessman stereotype is neat and proper. Most businessmen or “young” businessmen usually buy clothing buy clothing at stores like “Express”, “Lord and Taylor”, “Mens Wearhouse”, and many others.
An example from “ You Are What They Eat” that proves Twichell’s argument is, “The set of associations can then be linked to consumers’ mental representations of...
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...ászló Zsolnai. Frugality: Rebalancing Material and Spiritual Values in Economic Life. Bern: Peter Lang, 2008. PDF.
Coleman, David. "Don't Step On My Steel-Toed Shoes." New York Times (2008). Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Oct. 2011.
Escala, Jennifer Edson. "You Are What They Eat: The Influence of Reference YOU ARE WHAT THEY EAT ESCALAS AND BETTMAN Groups on Consumers’ Connections to Brands." Journal of Consumer Psychology13.3 (2003): 339-48. Duke.edu. Web. 29 Oct. 2011.
Norton, Anne. "The Signs Of Shopping." Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Ed. Sonia Maasik and J. Fisher Solomon. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 1994. 101-06. Print.
Twichell, James B. What We Are to Advertisers. Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Soloman. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford, 1997. Print.
the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 296-304. Print.
In the 1997 article Listening to Khakis, published in the New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell effectively paints a vivid picture of the thought and science that goes into advertising campaigns. Gladwell begins his paper by focusing on the Dockers’ advertising campaign for their line of adult male khaki pants, which he labels as extremely successful. This campaign was the first line of successful fashion advertisements aimed directly toward adult males (Gladwell, 1997). This campaign was cunningly simple and showed only males wearing the pants being advertised with the background noise filled with men having a casual conversation (Gladwell, 1997). This tactic was used because studies showed that Dockers’ target market felt an absence in adult male friendships. (Gladwell, 1997). The simplicity of the advertisements was accentuated as to not to deter possible customers by creating a fashion based ad because, based on Gladwell’s multiple interviews of advertising experts, males shy away from being viewed as fashion forward or “trying to hard” (Gladwell, 1997).
Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 6th ed. Eds. Sonia Maasik
Gabler, Neal. "Social Networks." Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2012. 355-63. Print.
In Solomon’s words, “American dream encourages the desire to ‘arrive,’ to vault above the mass, it also fosters a desire to be popular, to ‘belong’.” (169) Advertiser whose “ads are aimed at a broader market” (169) are utilizing such kind of human mentality. For instance, Nike is a famous clothes brand to almost everybody. In its advertisement, there are always people in different genders, races and ages wearing Nike’s products running on streets, on riversides or in parks. Through its advertisement, Nike is trying to convey consumers that everyone is using Nike’s products, and you should be one of them. People want to fit in as part of most people, so they buy Nike’s products. Nike’s advertised products make people belong to it. If I were going to buy a new pair of shorts for running, I would consider of buying a pair of Nike shorts because it seems that so many people wear Nike shorts and I want to keep the same with them. People buy those advertised products to increase their senses of belonging, but they are losing their individuality at the same time. Despite many advertised products could decrease the individuality, some of them indeed make people more of
Blum, Deborah. “The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?” Signs of Life In the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Ed. Sonia Maasik. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000.
Maasik, Sonia and Jack Solomon. “Brought to You B(u)y: The Signs of Advertising.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Boston; Bedford, 1997. 172. Print. 10 Mar 2014.
...s’ rather than ‘consumers’. We should consume on our own terms and thus learn to define our own desires instead of merely accepting the choice that the market offers us.
Attention getter: Lion, tigers, and bears, oh my! When the circus comes rolling into town, many people are excited to go and that is all that is talked about; about the clowns, the trapeze artists, the ring leader, the elephants and all the other marvelous wonders of the circus. But would you all still be excited to go if you knew the truth about the circus and the animal trainers of how they treat the animals? Because in reality, for our spirits to raise at the circus, they break the spirits of all the animals, especially the elephants.
This essay proposes to investigate the ethics of training, and subsequently utilising, circus animals for the purpose of human entertainment. Therefore, the essay will respond to the question “what moral or ethical obligations do humans have in respect of other animals? How can these obligations be filled?” It should be noted that a distinction is made between morals, which are personal standards of behaviour – and ethics – which are moral principles that govern societal behaviour. This essay will focus on ethical obligations. Specifically, the treatment and training methods of circus animals will be researched to ascertain what, if any, physical or psychological discomfort results for the animals. More precisely, investigations will be undertaken to gauge circus animals’ quality of life, and thus arguments that circus animals both enjoy and loathe this treatment will be explored. Additionally, specific cases of cruelty to circus animals, together with various legislation that either allows or prohibits such behaviours, will be examined.
The life of a circus animal is hard and demanding. It is not an acceptable way of life for an animal. Circuses would quickly lose their appeal if the public were more aware of their mistreatments of these animals. Many circuses do not have much money and as a result the animals suffer from inadequate care. These animals spend most of their time in small cages used for transportation. The Animal Welfare Act provides cage requirements, but many circuses fail to follow this law. Even the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus was cited for 65 violations over a two-year period according to Florence Lambert. When traveling, animals spend hours, even days between sites in confinement..
Consumers today continue to be fascinated by personal appearance and fashion styles. Fashion, and the way we present ourselves through clothing
Since the beginning of the modern day circus in the early 20th century millions of Americans have enjoyed the performances by both the people and the animals that perform for our entertainment. However, the audience is blinded by shock and awe of the show from what really happens behind the curtain. Animal cruelty, poor living conditions, and lack of legal regulation scars the animals and becomes very dangerous to the overall health of the animals and those who are around them. The mistreatment of animals in circuses has been occurring for far too long, and new laws need to be implemented in an effort to prevent future acts of cruelty toward these animals.
Watkins, Craig. “Fast Entertainment and Multitasking in an Always-On World.” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Seventh ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 97-103. Print.
Early on in the twentieth century, when mass marketing and production became commonplace, company branding allowed consumers to identify with a company. The consumer made a one sided personal relationship