Why do people spend the way they do? That is a question that is very interesting to advertising experts. There is a system of classification made by VALS™, a consulting and consumer research service. According to VALS™, there are eight types of spenders.
The VALS™ Types:
Innovators
Thinkers
Believers
Achievers
Strivers
Experiencers
Makers
Survivors
When I participated in the survey, my results were that I was most like a Maker and second most like an Experiencer.
Makers
Like Experiencers, Makers are motivated by self-expression. They express themselves and experience the world by working on it—building a house, raising children, fixing a car, or canning vegetables—and have enough skill and energy to carry out their projects successfully. Makers are practical people who have constructive skills and value self-sufficiency. They live within a traditional context of family, practical work, and physical recreation and have little interest in what lies outside that context.
Makers are suspicious of new ideas and large institutions such as big business. They are respectful of government authority and organized labor but resentful of government intrusion on individual rights. They are unimpressed by material possessions other than those with a practical or functional purpose. Because they prefer value to luxury, they buy basic products.
Experiencers
Experiencers are motivated by self-expression. Young, enthusiastic, and impulsive consumers, Experiencers quickly become enthusiastic about new possibilities but are equally quick to cool. They seek variety and excitement, savoring the new, the offbeat, and the risky. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, sports, outdoor recreation, and social activities.
Experiencers are avid consumers and spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment, and socializing. Their purchases reflect the emphasis that they place on looking good and having "cool" stuff.
I found these results very accurate.
I am very into self sufficiency, such as growing my own food. I also am quite the bargain hunter. However, I am not a afraid to spend money on a quality item that will last. I spend the majority of my money on activities and "fun stuff" with my friends, but I always try to find the least expensive option. Basically, I like to have fun, but I do it with the smallest amount of money possible.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Reading an Ad
For this latest assaignment for my Communications class, I was to find an advertisment and analyze it, using the following fourteen questions.
I used the advertisment that the link below leads to.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.switched.com/media/2007/08/dolce.jpg
1. What is the general ambience of the advertisement? What mood does it create? How does it do this?
- This ad creates a very sexual atmosphere. It is also very open. The daylight and the setting on the rooftop give a feeling very unabashed sexuality.
2. What is the design of the advertisement? Does it use axial balance or some other form? How are the basic components or elements arranged?
- The main focus is the woman and the man positioned over her. The four other men are placed in a somewhat equal distribution on either side of the main pair.
3. What is the relationship between pictorial elements and written material and what does this tell us?
- There isn't much relation between the actions of the people in the visual and the text. The Dolce and Gabbana clothing ad has a few partially clothed people in it, but the main focus is more on the skin than the fabric.
4. What is the use of space in the advertisement? Is there a lot of 'white space" or is it full of graphic and written elements?
- There is not a lot of blank space in this ad. It is mostly filled with geometric objects or people.
5. What signs and symbols do we find? What role do they play in the ad's impact?
- The main focus of the ad is on very attractive people in a very close and intimate setting. This basically translates to "wear our clothes and you will look this sexy".
6. If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? What can be said about their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, hair color, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships (of one to the other)?
- There are six, young, very attractive people. They are well muscled with oiled skin. They are all in very classic poses that show off their bodies.
7. What does the background tell us? Where is the advertisement taking place and what significance does this background have?
- The background is a on top of a building with a classical beautiful blue sky with white, puffy clouds. This creates a very open and and picturesque setting.
8. What action is taking place in the advertisement and what significance does it have? (This might be described as the ad's "plot.")
- The action is not really clear. There does, however, seem to be a lot of sexual tension in the scene.
9. What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about? (The plot of an advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking but the theme might be jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, passion, etc.)
- The theme seems to be that of passion, sexuality, and freedom.
10. What about the language used? Does it essentially provide information or does it try to generate some kind of emotional response? Or both? What techniques are used by the copywriter: humor, alliteration, definitions" of life, comparisons, sexual innuendo, and so on?
- There was no real language used in this ad.
11. What typefaces are used and what impressions do they convey?
- The typeface used in this ad is very bold and straightforward, with very clean lines. It gives a very strong and classic look to the text and ad.
12. What is the item being advertised and what role does it play in American culture and society?
- The Dolce and Gabbana brand is being advertised. This includes clothing, fragrence, and all other sorts of fashionable accessories. This highlights the culture's focus on possessions.
13. What about aesthetic decisions? If the advertisement is a photograph, what kind of a shot is it? What significance do long shots, medium shots, close-up shots have? What about the lighting, use of color, angle of the shot?
- The photograph that makes this ad is very close; bringing you into the moment, which increases the intensity. The angle also brings you into the moment by putting you on the same level as the subjects. The lighting is very bright, which creates a very open feeling.
14. What sociological, political, economic or cultural attitudes are indirectly reflected in the advertisement? An advertisement may be about a pair of blue jeans but it might, indirectly, reflect such matters as sexism, alienation, stereotyped thinking, conformism, generational conflict, loneliness, elitism, and so on.
- This ad highlights gender roles by putting the woman in a submissive position, but also making her the focus of all of the men in the photo. She is also looking away, while all of the men are completey focused on her.
I used the advertisment that the link below leads to.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.switched.com/media/2007/08/dolce.jpg
1. What is the general ambience of the advertisement? What mood does it create? How does it do this?
- This ad creates a very sexual atmosphere. It is also very open. The daylight and the setting on the rooftop give a feeling very unabashed sexuality.
2. What is the design of the advertisement? Does it use axial balance or some other form? How are the basic components or elements arranged?
- The main focus is the woman and the man positioned over her. The four other men are placed in a somewhat equal distribution on either side of the main pair.
3. What is the relationship between pictorial elements and written material and what does this tell us?
- There isn't much relation between the actions of the people in the visual and the text. The Dolce and Gabbana clothing ad has a few partially clothed people in it, but the main focus is more on the skin than the fabric.
4. What is the use of space in the advertisement? Is there a lot of 'white space" or is it full of graphic and written elements?
- There is not a lot of blank space in this ad. It is mostly filled with geometric objects or people.
5. What signs and symbols do we find? What role do they play in the ad's impact?
- The main focus of the ad is on very attractive people in a very close and intimate setting. This basically translates to "wear our clothes and you will look this sexy".
6. If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? What can be said about their facial expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, hair color, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships (of one to the other)?
- There are six, young, very attractive people. They are well muscled with oiled skin. They are all in very classic poses that show off their bodies.
7. What does the background tell us? Where is the advertisement taking place and what significance does this background have?
- The background is a on top of a building with a classical beautiful blue sky with white, puffy clouds. This creates a very open and and picturesque setting.
8. What action is taking place in the advertisement and what significance does it have? (This might be described as the ad's "plot.")
- The action is not really clear. There does, however, seem to be a lot of sexual tension in the scene.
9. What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about? (The plot of an advertisement may involve a man and a woman drinking but the theme might be jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, passion, etc.)
- The theme seems to be that of passion, sexuality, and freedom.
10. What about the language used? Does it essentially provide information or does it try to generate some kind of emotional response? Or both? What techniques are used by the copywriter: humor, alliteration, definitions" of life, comparisons, sexual innuendo, and so on?
- There was no real language used in this ad.
11. What typefaces are used and what impressions do they convey?
- The typeface used in this ad is very bold and straightforward, with very clean lines. It gives a very strong and classic look to the text and ad.
12. What is the item being advertised and what role does it play in American culture and society?
- The Dolce and Gabbana brand is being advertised. This includes clothing, fragrence, and all other sorts of fashionable accessories. This highlights the culture's focus on possessions.
13. What about aesthetic decisions? If the advertisement is a photograph, what kind of a shot is it? What significance do long shots, medium shots, close-up shots have? What about the lighting, use of color, angle of the shot?
- The photograph that makes this ad is very close; bringing you into the moment, which increases the intensity. The angle also brings you into the moment by putting you on the same level as the subjects. The lighting is very bright, which creates a very open feeling.
14. What sociological, political, economic or cultural attitudes are indirectly reflected in the advertisement? An advertisement may be about a pair of blue jeans but it might, indirectly, reflect such matters as sexism, alienation, stereotyped thinking, conformism, generational conflict, loneliness, elitism, and so on.
- This ad highlights gender roles by putting the woman in a submissive position, but also making her the focus of all of the men in the photo. She is also looking away, while all of the men are completey focused on her.
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