Week 8 - Mass Media

Article: What Your Car Says About You.

In this article on Forbes.com, it mentioned that our car tells others more about us than we think. For example in USA, Honda owners are usually technology savvy and practical, whereas 13% of Chevy owners do not use the internet. Apart from these more common automobiles, the article also mentioned the character and type of people who owns a Mini, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Though, the same statistics may not be true in Singapore, the reason and choice of vehicle is similar. It is no secret that Japanese car are the top choice in Singapore - just look at the amount of Toyota, Nissan and Honda on our streets - but luxury European cars like Mercedes, BMW and Audi not only act as just a vehicle, but also showcase the wealth and lifestyle of the owner. This is needless to say for the more exclusive English brands such as the Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Why then do we have the impression that European car owners are always affluent? Or that the owner of a certain brand of car would possess certain characteristics?

The media hegemony theory suggests that the media is responsible for such misconception.

All car companies would try to identify themselves with a target audience group, be it the masses or the more affluent crowd, by using various marketing strategy such as advertising in media publication. In turn, the media would help these car companies promote their brands or products by portraying their client's product and brand in a very positive light, as it benefits both parties in many ways. This shows that the media usually represent the views of powerful elites, or in this case, rich companies.

On a side note, I would like to thank all those who have given me their insightful comments for

my weekly entry in this blog. =)

Week 7 - Culture

Article: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1011782/1/.html

I'm sure many of you have seen these advertising campaigns that Yasmin

Ahmad has created for our Ministry of Community Development,

Youth and Sports's (MCYS) public campaign.

Such advertising campaigns are created from an institutional source,

which in this case is the MCYS; They are also non-exclusive and

temporal in nature as well, given their cleverly scheduled prime time

screenings on television and in the movie theatres.

Through a unique point of view, they propagate the importance of family

in our society with the use of mass media.

They also function as a form of cultural transmission,

to educate the public about the joy of family and highlight

its importance in our lives.

Whereas in the news article, it mentioned that the newly re-branded

Social Development Network (SDN) now offers dating service together

with accredited private dating agencies at a very affordable rate,

in order to encourage more singles to join the network.

Acting only as the facilitator, the SDN aims to help singles find their

prospective partners.

The SDN even has a website (http://www.marriagecentral.sg/)

to provide marriage related services to help couples strengthen their

marriage.

Though its repeated news coverage and multiple advertising campaigns,

the MCYS hopes to bring forth the importance of family to the

public. (Agenda setting)

Yes, the message that the MCYS wants to convey is loud and clear.

To put it more bluntly - If you're single, get married and start a family.

If you're already married, stay that way and be thankful for what you have.

However, as this is an obtrusive issue to most of us, its effects on the

public may be limited.

I have definitely heard many people around me singing praises of these

touching and well-scripted advertising campaigns when they

were launched, but sadly, these campaigns did not successfully make

any them want to settle down or find a partner after watching them.

As for the dating services which the SDN offers, 65% of the

Channel News Asia's online poll participants are not interested to join the network.

(Information correct on 17/10/09, 1700hrs)

I guess it takes more than just affordable dating services and propaganda

to get single adults to actively search for their partners in life.

Cash incentives always work better in our society. Think baby bonus.

Well, on a brighter note, I believe many young couples still have plans to

settle down and start their own families some day,

even though such plans may be postponed till they are both

financially stable.

This is certainly true for my family, as many of my cousins have

gotten married within the past year.

And in view of that, I believe that the effort made by the MCYS

has some subconscious impact on us after all.

Week 6 - Individual vs Group Needs

Article: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/beautynfashion/view/1003568/1/.html

I believe many of you are familiar with this magazine and it requires no introduction, given that it is one of the best-selling magazines in recent decades.

What about this woman then?

Yes, she's Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of American Vogue(as seen above), and her name is often synonymous with ice queen or perfectionist.

Indeed, she has been the epitome of Vogue, ever since she joined the magazine in 1988.

Although there has been many criticism of her over the years, such as her demanding work attitude and ice-queen demeanor, the stunning results of her work as the editor-in-chief of American Vogue always put these criticism to rest. She is also often described as one of the most powerful and influential person in the fashion industry around the world.

Why is she able to reign over of this fashion bible for twenty-one years then? That's the amount of time I've been in this world. This is where individual and group needs come into play.

First, on individual need, which in this case, refers to Wintour's personal career goals. Joining American Vogue in 1988 is a big step for her career as a magazine editor, after working as a fashion editor for various magazines in both U.S.A and U.K. There is no doubt that Anna Wintour takes her job as the editor-in-chief seriously and in turn, it definitely satisfied her career goals by providing her with fame as well as power. Evaluation certainly took place where she continuously measures the benefits gained from being the editor-in-chief of this influential fashion magazine, in which she revived from an otherwise stagnant publication in 1988.

It is also no secret that she dictates what is hot and what is not, in the ever-changing fashion industry.

On the other hand, the publisher of the magazine(American Vogue), which is the group here, needs Wintour and her team in order to maintain their advertisement sales and magazine circulation. In this case, both the individual and group shares many similar goals, resulting in a harmonized effort to success.

However, collective rationalism usually takes place in the group, whereby sometimes they favor monetary benefits over more intangible factors such as image. It is in these situations that Wintour would act as the devil's advocate to ensure that the magazine's best interest is served. Though advertisers are very important to American Vogue - 727 out of 840 pages are advertisements in the September 2007 Issue - Wintour has declined the advertising offer of several firms on various occasions, as their products and services are not in sync with the magazine's image. This is probably one of the reasons why she is able to hold her position for over two decades and has no plans to step down anytime soon.

Lastly, for those who are interested to find out more about American Vogue or a more personal side of it's editor-in-chief, "The September Issue" would certainly be a great way to start.

Hope you enjoy it.

Week 5 - 500 Days of Summer

Official Website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/500daysofsummer/

Synopsis: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in director Mark Weber's wry, non-linear romantic comedy about a man who falls head over heels for a woman who doesn't believe in love. Tom (Gordon Levitt) is an aspiring architect who currently earns his living as a greeting card writer. Upon encountering his boss' beautiful new secretary Summer (Deschanel), Tom discovers that the pair have plenty in common despite the fact that she's seemingly out of his league; for starters, they both love The Smiths, and they're both fans of surrealist artist Magritte. Soon, Tom is smitten and all he can think about is Summer. Tom believes deeply in the concept of soul mates, and he believes that he has finally found his. Unfortunately for Tom, Summer sees true love as fairy tales, and isn't looking for romance. Undaunted and undeterred by his breezy lover's casual stance on relationships, Tom summons all of his might and courage to pursue Summer and convince her that their love is real.

As seen in the film, Tom and Summer had their first conversation due to their similar taste in music for The Smiths(similarity). Apart from Summer's beauty, having the same liking for The Smiths was one of the reason that left Tom to believe that Summer was 'The One' for him. As Tom and Summer worked in the same card company(proximity), it was definitely much easier for them to get to know each other, much to Tom's delight.

Though this is still a boy-meets-girl type of Hollywood film, the catch here is that the man in the show is the one who believes in love at first sight, whereas the woman does not share this belief. It was due to such different perspective of love and relationship(conflict) that caused Tom his heartache and also led to the end of their relationship in the end. In one of the scene, a random man tried to hit on Summer at a bar, and Tom eventually ended up in a fight with the man. Tom felt that Summer should not be chatting with random guys at a bar since they're in a relationship, but Summer felt that Tom was being possessive. Such conflict was caused mostly due to their different needs from their relationship (relational needs). Tom wanted to be with Summer all the time, but Summer preferred to have her own personal space and freedom.

Personally, I feel that this is a very interesting take on the difference in perspective of a relationship between a man and woman, especially with their role-reversal. Relationships between people, be it love or friendship, are often complicated and require much effort in order to maintain it. However, if we handle them carefully, these relationships often give us great satisfaction and provide us with some much needed support, as they form an essential part of our lives.