COM 101 : Entry 2

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The T-Mobile Dance

T-Mobile, a mobile network operator with networks in Europe and the United States, has came up with an entertaining advertising campaign rather recently. Before we advance any further, let us take a look (or two) at their advertisement!



One of the things that we have learned about perception, is that we select stimuli or information based on the specific qualities that is possesses, namely:

- Frequency
- Contrast
- Intensity
- Novel Stimuli

Let us see how T-Mobile's commercial adheres to these qualities.

Frequency
Considering the fact that this ad is not broadcasted locally, it is hard to determine the frequency of it being aired on television. However, going by the number of hits the official ad has gotten on Youtube, its mention in British newspapers such as the Dailymail as well as the sheer number of people involved in its creation, it should be safe to say that the chances of it appearing frequently are high.

Contrast
I believe that contrast can be illustrated in two different contexts here. First up would be contrast within the commercial itself. The people involved in the ad are clearly distinguished from the general public due to the eye-catching dance and eventually, some bystanders even join in! It is a combination of this point and that of Intensity that best illustrates T-Mobile's motto, Life's for Sharing.

(Commuters being entertained)

Next, amidst a myriad of other commercials introducing product functions and services, T-Mobile's ad stands out due to its novelty and uniqueness in representing the company's beliefs rather than directly providing information about the services and products it offers.

Intensity
The intensity present cannot be undermined. With a mix of high-energy dance moves and ballroom waltzes, the passion of the dancers can be felt as a form of non-verbal communication from one human to another, be it to viewers of the commercial or bystanders present at that moment. One of the criterias of success in this particular ad was the ability of the dancers to persuade members of the general public to join in the dance, and this was fulfilled reasonably due in part to the intensity of the dancers' emotions and conveying of those feelings to the public.

(Don't you just feel like joining in ?)

Novel Stimuli
The crux of this advertisement. While flash-mobbing is not an entirely new concept, I believe that this is the first time that is has been harnessed as a marketing tool. The novelty of the ad will no doubt cause it to be embedded in the minds of many people, which subsequently prompts recollection of the company's name or brand in the future.

What are your thoughts regarding this T-Mobile advertisement ? Feel free to share!

(Youtube link is from T-Mobile's official site, images used taken from the Dailymail)

In the name of fun, let us take a look at a failed example of flash-mobbing in Japan :D

COM 101 : Entry 1

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Student Decapitated at Virginia Tech
Source: AOL News

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Jan. 21) — A graduate student (Xin Yang) from China was decapitated with a kitchen knife in a campus cafe at Virginia Tech by another graduate student who knew her, police said on Thursday.

This article reports on an incident which took place a day after U.S President Barack Obama's historic inauguration . Virginia Tech, site of the deadliest shooting incident in US history, has suffered yet another on-campus tragedy which would no doubt revive the horrors of April 2007.

Before delving further into personal opinions, let us first quickly examine the article starting from the headlines. By including the name of the school and the means of death, it will no doubt capture the attention of most readers by either drawing upon their previous knowledge of the Virginia Tech Massacre, or interest in the unusual means of death. Compare the current headlines to "Student killed at US College" for example, there is no dispute as to which is more informative and eye-catching: a key point to constructing a good article.

Moving on to the main article, apart from providing details about the incident and brief backgrounds of the victim and alleged killer, the inclusion of quotes from public authority figures help lend an air of credibility to the article. This could be seen as a method for winning over public trust through substantiation of the facts provided. The second part of the article addresses the actions taken to deal with the case, such as the suspect being apprehended by the police as well as a mention of the campus alert system, throwing a positive light on efforts taken to minimize casualty rate. Condolences are also offered by the Virginia Governor, and in this context, his reference to the massacre in April 2007 is only natural and justified.

Being a relatively new student myself, it is indeed heart-wrenching to hear of others embarking on a new journey of knowledge and discovery only to be halted in cold blood. One laments the loss of an innocent human life and the grief felt by those who knew Xin Yang must be unbearable. According to the article, the victim and suspect were not arguing prior to the decapitation, nor was the suspect known to the university to be mentally unsound and this makes the brutality of the murder all the more astounding. Three immediate questions that come to mind are :

1) Why did none of the witnesses react to stop the assault ?

2) A huge debate regarding firearms legislation was raised following the Virginia Tech Massacre. However, in this case, a kitchen knife was used as the murder weapon. Given the arsenal of everyday items that can be used to snuff out a human life, is there no way then, to ensure the safety of the students on-campus ?

3) The instigators of both the massacre and decapitation were all asian. How will this consequently affect the perception of Americans towards asians in general ?

Hopefully, subsequent investigations will shed light on the case and may justice be done.