Week 4 Response

The two things that remain in my mind from Monday's class and that from the comments posted so far, seem to be on the minds of others are the "wrong reason" and presentations.

**My experience with the "wrong reason" way of thinking cracks me up til today. Last December I was taking care of my then barely 4-year-old nephew, Isaiah at my friend's house. My friend has a brother who is 6'1" -ish who he looks up to. So, when my nephew wasn't drinking his milk, the first thing that came to my mind was, "You better drink your milk so you can be tall like Ibrahima." Oh, did he drink that milk fast or what...but the story doesn't end there.

The next morning he woke up and started crying and I asked he why he was crying. He looked down at his little legs and arms in the oversized t-shirt and said, "Ah, man. I'm not big like Ibrahima!" I couldn't help laughing bc I didn't expect this kid to remember the "wrong reason" why he should drink his milk.**

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In regards to the presentations, I agree that some professors should revive their lectures with some of the tips that Dr. E presented in class on Monday. I know if I were ever in the position to lead a discussion, focus group, or class I know some of the info I have gained from this class would definitely be incorporated.

This part of the lecture made me get excited about ideas on how I would present my thesis!

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BTW, who's excited about our group projects? I know I am bc of the real world connection - awesome idea! Ciao...

Per Ansley's Request

I am changing my profile pic since Ansley was so unhappy with it...Do you approve, Ansley?

Week 3 Response

Although all group presentations were well done given the limited amount of time given, the one group campaign that stood out the most for me was the one proposing the use of Hannah Montana's celebrity.

The reason being they were able to apply one benefit/cue, etc. so that it would involve the target audience. At the same time, the campaign was unique enough to utilize more or less the same resources to pass 2 separate messages for 2 different groups - thus, potentially reserving costs.

I also found it interesting how many groups utilized the power of celebrity to convey within their campaigns....

Week 1 Response

I definitely found the video about 50 years of Health Communication very interesting. One thing that I mentioned in class (and still remains with me now) is the power of 'celebrity'/entertainment stars. I'm putting 'celebrity' in quotation marks bc that word is definitely open to interpretation, esp. today. In the video we saw how this power/influence could have both a negative and positive effect on the behaviors of their target audiences. For example, Lucy and her husband, Ricky (or Desi) - no se - were seen promoting a product (cigs) which could have persuaded some to start an unhealthy habit. Whereas, on the other side, we saw the ailing Yul Brenner and his anti-tobacco ad decades later. To see a star that ppl may have idolized has the possibility to make someone change their smoking behavior.

In these same two examples, though, what is also apparent is that they occurred in 2 different times. Lucy and Ricky/Desi were promoting the use of a product which I'm sure in that day didn't have as much research as now (or even in the Yul Brenner's ad's epoch) that showed how the use of tobacco products is overwhelmingly associated with cancer and other underlying diseases. So, it makes me question, if Lucy had known what we know now (or, again in Yul's last days) back when she did the cig add would she have done it......doubt it bc America is falling out of love with cigs and pushing anything associated with cigs to the margin. So how would one become popular in mainstream America when they promote/associate with something that mainstream America doesn't agree with.

One last thing. This is in response to Danette's blog about the type of tv advertisements being tailored for the particular/likely audience. THAT IS SO TRUE. I was watching Sex and the City and I was like - daaaang -bc I had never seen so many monistat/pad ads grouped together like that.

I think I've made it...

This is my 3rd attempt at creating a blog - hopefully it works bc I really don't want to get docked any points. I'm kind of excited about this whole blog situation, especially if I become a pro at the end of the semester