Consumerism/Commodification Packet: Going Deeper

In class today A-block finished the technology discussion and F-block discussed aspects of the school before transitioning into determining the primary purpose of each of the readings in the packet. You will need a sentence about each piece in the packet for the group work tomorrow. (If you didn't finish, finish tonight.)

Then I gave you the homework. First, I assignment each of you a reading from the packet. Tonight you will write a summary, analysis, and evaluation of the reading that will be between 150 and 200 words in length.

(You might being wondering "What should I analyze?" Analyze the use of relevant rhetorical strategies (including structure and style) to persuade and the presentation of details to inform. You might also be wondering "How do I evaluate?" Evaluate the effectiveness of rhetoric and the apparent quality or reliability of the information. You might consider comparing your piece's effectiveness with others in the packet.)

You must have this work in class tomorrow (Wednesday, February 27).

This work has two purposes: (1) we are practicing the sort of writing we will do when creating annotated bibliographies later this term, (2) we will be creating webs/maps in class tomorrow (2/27) using your purpose sentences and your summary/analysis/evaluation writing.

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Brave New World
Here's the discussion/activity schedule for Brave New World.
through p. 99 Friday (3/1)
through p. 145 Tuesday (3/5)
through p. 216 Thursday (3/7)
through p. 240 Friday (3/8)
through p. 259 (end) Monday (3/11)

Current Assignments

1. Consumerism and Commodification Readings
With the synthesis essay prompt in mind read and annotate the texts in the consumerism and commodification packet by Tuesday, February 26.

2. Brave New World
With the questions below in mind read and take notes on Brave New World through page 99* by Wednesday, February 27
1. What policies and features of the World State make it a dystopia?
2. How does Aldous Huxley characterize the significant characters in Brave New World?
3. Would you be willing to give up freedom (as well as a full range of emotion and an opportunity to
4. What aspects of our world (or the world in 1930s) is Huxley making fun of and/or warning the reader about in Brave New World?

Preparing for AP Eng Lang Argument Writing

Our next big task is to work on creating our own effective argument/persuasive essays.
To help with this we're going to take a close look at some of the materials on the College Board's AP Central website. There's a lot there so we're going to focus on the 2012 and 2011 Q3 (argument) essays.

Read and thoroughly annotate the information below. Your notes should be guided by the following questions which will frame our discussion in class tomorrow (Wednesday, February 13): "What are some key characteristics of argument prompts?" and "What are some characteristics of effective (and ineffective) argument essays?"

2012 Q3 (ARGUMENT: CERTAINTY & DOUBT) PROMPT

Consider the distinct perspectives expressed in the following statements.

If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get
yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain
are impossible.
William Lyon Phelps, American educator, journalist, and professor (1865-1943)

I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't
wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.
Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, and philosopher (1872-1970)

In a well-organized essay, take a position on the relationship between certainty and doubt. Support your argument
with appropriate evidence and examples.

2012 Q3 (ARGUMENT: CERTAINTY & DOUBT) STUDENT PERFORMANCE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Question 3

What was the intent of this question?
This question asked students to make an argument about the relationship between certainty and doubt.
The prompt introduced the topic by presenting short quotations from the works of two 20th-century
philosophers. One excerpt celebrates certainty, and the other champions doubt. The question that follows
these short quotations does not specifically refer back to either or both of the quotations, thus giving the
student permission to launch into any number of legitimate discussions of the relationship between
certainty and doubt.
The first passage, from William Lyon Phelps, presents "certainty" in terms of inner motivation, confidence,
and determination informed by "powerful beliefs." The passage from Bertrand Russell, however, situates
doubt in the context of opinions and belief systems that reside primarily within the culture, of which the
individual is only a part. The open-endedness of the prompt and the dilemma presented by the somewhat
mismatched quotations were, however, felicitous for many students. They could legitimately and
successfully respond to the prompt from a multiplicity of angles, finding various points of entry into an
argument about the relationship between certainty and doubt. They could, for instance, define certainty
and doubt as virtues or vices, as attitudes, or as intellectual practices. They could observe certainty or
doubt, or both, in their own lives or in the world around them, as well as in texts they had seen, heard, or
read. They could consider how certainty or doubt operated in the lives of historical figures or present-day
celebrities.

How well did students perform on this question?
The mean score was 4.43 out of a possible 9 points.
This was the lowest scoring of the three questions, an indication that students were challenged by the
open-ended prompt's demands on their powers of invention. A few students attempted to make this
question fit the form of previous years' questions - for instance, by beginning with an assertion of
agreement, disagreement, or qualification of one of the quoted statements. Many students, however,
appeared to be thinking through the question of how certainty or doubt might be related to one another as
they wrote, so even though this question generally scored lower than the other two, we were heartened by
most students' understanding of the prompt and their ability to begin building responses to the question it
asked them to consider. In short, Readers found that most students comprehended the prompt and
attempted the task it asked of them.
Successful essays focused clearly on the relationship between certainty and doubt. They might have
argued for the virtues of one over the other, but they generally explored the two concepts, either as
constituting an irreconcilable polarity or as being organically interrelated. The best essays impressed
Readers with the range of historical and cultural knowledge marshaled to support a nuanced, logical
argument. Picasso's ego, Van Gogh's doubt, St. Thomas Aquinas' "naïve" assumption about the existence
of God, Descartes' reduction of that assumption to certainty about his own existence but inability to be
certain about anything else, Jeremy Bentham's "hedonistic calculus," the trophy kid generation, and the
ill-fated hubristic venture of Into the Wild all came to the support of well-developed arguments, as did some
touching personal narratives about overcoming cancer and the placebo effect for patients of Parkinson's
disease.

What were common student errors or omissions?
Midrange essays sometimes offered the same kinds of evidence and examples that appeared in support of
the central arguments of high-scoring essays, but they tended to use that evidence in a more plodding,
less fully developed way. The arguments of these essays were adequately structured, often following the
five-paragraph paradigm of introduction, three appropriate examples, and a conclusion. Although the
examples used might be appropriate and supportive of the writer's argument, the arguments themselves
were often simplistic, and the multiple examples tended merely to reinforce the same point (e.g., "The
superiority of certainty over doubt can be seen in baseball, The Great Gatsby, and my own life") rather
than guide the development of a thoughtful argument from the opening question to a well-considered
response. The arguments of these essays tended to be less developed and less precise than the arguments
in more effective essays, often drawing broad-stroke examples from obvious spheres of personal, historical,
and cultural experience.
Lower-scoring essays revealed a range of deficiencies, from faulty logic and simplistic arguments, to
inadequate control of language, to inadequately developed or inappropriately applied evidence. The least
successful fell into mere assertion of a position with little or no supporting evidence, usually, but not
exclusively, taking a position embodying a "little engine that could" faith in the power of self-confidence to
produce success in such areas as sports, the classroom, marriage, business, and spiritual salvation.
The argument prompt, with its focus on abstract concepts and relationships, made literary examples
somewhat more useful this year than they were in response to last year's question about the applicability
in the 21st century of Thomas Paine's description of America. Literary examples used this year were most
successful when students performed a close analysis of the literary text, explaining clearly how the text
introduced a relevant perspective on the relationship of certainty and doubt or provided a testimonial to
the value of one or the other. Less successful efforts to use literary texts tended to offer interpretations of
novels or short stories or dramas as works that simply expressed a position about certainty and doubt that
the student endorsed (The Scarlet Letter proves that the certainty of Hester's knowledge about Dimsdale's
paternity is a more powerful force than her community's doubts about her character).

Based on your experience of student responses at the AP Reading, what message would you
like to send to teachers that might help them to improve the performance of their students on
the exam?
1. Encourage students to explore and discuss the world beyond their comfort zones of peer, family,
community, and mass culture. Students need opportunities to discover and develop their own critical
positions through reading, listening to, and carefully considering the positions of others, and then
discussing these positions and their own in conversations with their peers, instructors, and fellow
citizens of their nation and the world.
2. Teachers can help students develop critical argument skills by asking challenging questions. Students
need to practice writing and speaking for skeptical audiences who demand to see the evidence and
understand the rationale behind students' claims. For instance, a question like "How do you know this
is true?" asks students to reflect on the quality of their evidence or the need for a justification. A
question that begins, "But what would an unemployed factory worker think about … ?" asks them to
consider a question from perspectives other than their own.
3. Students need to be able to identify forms and functions of claims, appeals, supporting evidence,
rationales, and explanation in the texts they read and write. Teachers can point out to students that
the kind of rhetorical analysis they are learning to perform on other people's texts is the same kind of
analysis their own arguments are subject to in academic settings such as the AP English Language
and Composition Exam.

2012 Q3 (ARGUMENT: CERTAINTY & DOUBT) SAMPLE ESSAYS
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap12_english_language_q3.pdf


2012 Q3 (ARGUMENT: CERTAINTY & DOUBT) SCORING COMMENTARY
Overview
This question asked students to make an argument about the relationship between certainty and doubt.
The prompt introduced the topic by presenting short quotations from the works of two 20th-century
philosophers. One excerpt celebrates certainty, and the other champions doubt. The question that follows
these short quotations does not specifically refer the student back to either or both of the quotations, thus
giving the student permission to launch into any number of legitimate discussions of the relationship
between certainty and doubt.
The first passage, from William Lyon Phelps, presents "certainty" in terms of inner motivation, confidence,
and determination informed by "powerful beliefs." The passage from Bertrand Russell, however, situates
doubt in the context of opinions and belief systems that reside primarily within the culture, of which the
individual is only a part. The open-endedness of the prompt and the dilemma presented by the somewhat
mismatched quotations were, however, felicitous for many students. They could legitimately and
successfully respond to the prompt from a multiplicity of angles, finding various points of entry into an
argument about the relationship between certainty and doubt. They could, for instance, define certainty
and doubt as virtues or vices, as attitudes, or as intellectual practices. They could observe certainty or
doubt, or both, in their own lives or in the world around them, as well as in texts they had seen, heard, or
read. They could consider how certainty or doubt operated in the lives of historical figures or present-day
celebrities.

Sample: 3A
Score: 8
The student's argument in this effective essay focuses on the productive power of doubt insofar as it allows
for the questioning and challenging of certainties and the stimulation of creativity, ingenuity, and progress.
The student cites the example of space exploration in order to demonstrate that certainty - man was earthbound
and only fanciful science fiction entertained the once ludicrous idea of space exploration - must be
constantly challenged in order for progress to be made. In the second example of productive doubt, the
student considers the relationship between doubt and certainty in the logic of experimentation. Thomas
Edison was certain of his scientific breakthrough but not until he confronted constant doubt fueled by over
fifty unsuccessful attempts at harnessing electricity and producing light. This effective essay is not without
flaws: the student, even in the effective examples cited above, does not always control the terms "certainty"
and "doubt" with absolute clarity. The final example of religious faith is the most elliptical in its usage of
these terms, as in the essay's claim that "even in this process of comparing the two sides one is doubting,
because one is extrapolating that either could be true. If either are true, we are uncertain." Such flaws,
however, are understandable in the draft of such an ambitious essay, one that works at a high level of
abstraction. Taken as a whole, the essay effectively establishes a position on the relation between certainty
and doubt by using appropriate and convincing examples to develop the idea of productive doubt.

Sample: 3B
Score: 6
The student finds adequate support for both Phelp's and Russell's claims, ultimately determining that
"certainty can help us to achieve great things" but also cautioning that in some situations certainty must be
moderated by doubt. In one appropriate example, a test taker is more likely to do well on a test when
confident, rather than doubtful. In another, McCandless in Into the Wild might not have perished had he
entertained a useful measure of doubt about his ability to survive in hostile terrain. Both examples present
sensible approaches to assessing the meaning of the abstract terms, certainty and doubt, and are sufficiently
developed. Less strong is the example of the American colonists, with its premise that the colonists were
successful in breaking away from England because they were confident that "they could do just fine as an
independent country." The essay demonstrates adequate control of language, and despite the inclusion of
the weaker example, sufficiently develops a nuanced position on the relationship between certainty and
doubt.

Sample: 3C
Score: 2
The essay consists mainly of paraphrases of Phelps and insufficiently tested generalities (for example, "if you
are certain you can do anything, than [sic] you can, no matter what others believe"). The single example of
the student's lacrosse team, meant to testify to the power of certainty, lacks enough detail and discussion to
be convincing. Without any consideration of Russell's claim about doubt and without much development of
Phelp's idea, the essay demonstrates little success in taking a position on the relationship between certainty
and doubt.

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2011 Q3 (ARGUMENT: THOMAS PAINE) PROMPT

The following passage is from Rights of Man, a book written by the pamphleteer Thomas Paine in 1791. Born in England, Paine was an intellectual, a revolutionary, and a supporter of American independence from England. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay that examines the extent to which Paine's characterization of America holds true today. Use appropriate evidence to support your argument.
If there is a country in the world, where concord, according to common calculation, would be
least expected, it is America. Made up, as it is, of people from different nations, accustomed to
different forms and habits of government, speaking different languages, and more different in
their modes of worship, it would appear that the union of such a people was impracticable; but
by the simple operation of constructing government on the principles of society and the rights
of man, every difficulty retires, and all the parts are brought into cordial unison. There, the
poor are not oppressed, the rich are not privileged. . . . Their taxes are few, because their
government is just; and as there is nothing to render them wretched, there is nothing to
engender riots and tumults.

2011 Q3 (ARGUMENT: THOMAS PAINE) STUDENT PERFORMANCE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

What was the intent of this question?
This question examined students' ability to write an effective, compelling argument based on a prompt, drawing on evidence from their own experiences, observations and reading to support their central claim or thesis. In particular, students were presented with an excerpt from Thomas Paine's 1791 book, Rights of Man, in which Paine argues that, despite the diversity of its population, the United States is a nation in which "all the parts are brought into cordial unison." The question directed students to "write an essay that examines the extent to which Paine's characterization of America holds true today."

How well did students perform on this question?
The mean score was 4.44 out of a possible 9 points. The prompt offered a wide range of issues students could consider, relating Paine's view of America in 1791 to their own perceptions of American society and culture today. Students chose to write, for example, about immigration, diversity, religion, politics, education, economics and gender issues. The students who focused on how the form of government influenced the United States then and now were generally more successful than students who simply made personal observations about oppression or injustice or those who chose to write only about freedom of religion or immigration issues.
Accomplished responses, moreover, tended to draw evidence from various sources: history, politics and current events. Students writing these essays were knowledgeable about pivotal historical issues as well as about contemporary events and controversies and were skilled at linking their evidence directly to the argument they were building in the essay. Some students chose to take a satirical approach to the task, mocking ways that today's America has not lived up to Paine's early view. These essays for the most part were well developed, with a distinctively sharp and perceptive voice. When personal examples were used effectively to develop the argument, they were used purposefully and strategically. Finally, the best responses displayed ample evidence of controlled, sophisticated writing.

What were common student errors or omissions?
As with argument questions in the past, many students struggled with incorporating appropriate, compelling evidence that would effectively contribute to their arguments. In many essays that
earned scores in the lower range, students did provide some type of evidence, but it was generally weak or did not corroborate the argument being constructed.
The use of literary references, for the most part, did not work well with this prompt. Some students tried to fit references to novels into their arguments but did so with little success. Many students, moreover, used only historical evidence without referencing how Paine's characterization was true today.
Based on your experience of student responses at the AP Reading, what message would you like to send to teachers that might help them to improve the performance of their students on the exam?
• Consider incorporating in classes more discussions of current social issues and the impact they have on modern society. The more students know about the world around them, the more material they will have at their disposal when they work to create sound arguments.
• Classroom instruction might focus on guiding students through the process of establishing what is suitable evidence and how to use it strategically - whether it be historical, political, pop-cultural or related to current events.
• Classroom instruction might focus on close reading of the prompt and passage. Students might benefit from rewriting the prompt in their own words or circling or underlining words in the prompt that direct them to their task.
• By building students' evidentiary toolbox, teachers will help them learn how to expand their argument with more significant and less obvious examples. (Remind students that the first thing that pops into their minds will probably be the first thing that pops into the minds of 90 percent of the other students.) Show students how to dig deeper into the prompt for other approaches.


2011 Q3 (ARGUMENT: THOMAS PAINE) SAMPLE ESSAYS
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap11_english_language_q3.pdf


2011 Q3 (ARGUMENT: THOMAS PAINE) SCORING COMMENTARY
Overview
This question examined students’ ability to write an effective, compelling argument based on a prompt,
drawing on evidence from their own experiences, observations, and reading to support their central
claim or thesis. In particular, students were presented with an excerpt from Thomas Paine’s 1791 book,
Rights of Man, in which Paine argues that, despite the diversity of its population, the United States is a
nation in which “all the parts are brought into cordial unison.” The question directed students to “write
an essay that examines the extent to which Paine’s characterization of America holds true today.”

Sample: 3A
Score: 9
Beginning with an introductory paragraph that demonstrates a consistent sophistication of style, this
essay effectively examines the extent to which Paine’s characterization of America is true today. The
student uses a seamless blend of evidence and commentary throughout to build a convincing argument.
For example, the student contends that “[e]ver since Lyndon Johnson loosened the quota system in
1965, every year thousands, if not millions of people from all backgrounds pour into America,” but these
newer immigrants never fully adopted American values, so Paine’s “… ‘principles of society and the
rights of man’ no longer serve … in uniting the American people.” In another example, the student plays
with Paine’s use of the word “concord,” illustrating the country’s “discord” by citing “[t]he recent budget
standoff.” Each example provided is thoroughly developed, and the essay’s control of its language,
organization, and thinking is especially impressive. For example, “the ‘tomato soup’ analogy” works well
to start building the student’s argument. The essay is stronger than those that received a score of 8
because of its impressive control of language (despite a few lapses here and there) and its exceptionally
cohesive argument.

Sample: 3B
Score: 5
This essay begins with an awkward opening paragraph, presenting the argument that “Paine’s belief
still holds true even though there are greater distinctions in America.” The essay improves with the
examples in paragraph 2, which are adequate: the student cites personal background, contrasting it to
the backgrounds of others, to illustrate that “people share their similarities and express their
differences.” However, the next paragraph’s evidence is limited. Here the student makes the claim that
“[p]oor people have to [sic] same oppurtunity [sic] to enter a prestigous [sic] college as do rich people
have” and then supports this claim with the brief evidence of “[a] system of finincial [sic] aid and
scholarships.” The following paragraph, regarding political parties, is unconvincing with its brief
discussion of “political distinctions.” Overall, the essay is uneven and contains a number of lapses in
diction and syntax, although the prose usually conveys the student’s ideas.

Sample: 3C
Score: 2
The essay demonstrates little success in examining the extent to which Paine’s characterization of
America holds true today. Throughout, the prose demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing, and
the explanations of evidence exhibit a lack of development. For example, in an attempt to discuss a
quote from Paine’s passage, the student states, “This is true because of america [sic] today which is
filled with many different nationalities and also a diverse nation.” The essay does make an attempt at
organization, with its paragraphs announcing their first, second, and third points; however, there is a
lack of coherence in the discussion within this structure.

Advertising Analysis Assignment

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY

ADVERTISING ASSIGNMENT

Analyze five (5) advertisements to turn in on Tuesday, February 12.

Respond to each of the following ten (10) prompts for each of the five (5) advertisements you plan to analyze.

1. Knowledge. Describe the advertisement in detail without judgment. What do you see? What do you hear?

2. Knowledge. What product, service, or idea is being advertised? What do you know about the product that might be relevant to your analysis of the advertisement?

3. Knowledge. What appeals or techniques are used in the advertisement? (Advertising techniques are listed on the back.) Explain.

4. Knowledge. What micropropaganda (slogan, logo, jingle) is used in the advertisement? (If necessary draw the logo.) (Micropropanganda techniques are described on the back.)

5. Knowledge. When and where did you view the advertisement? (In other words… In what magazine? On what TV station, during what TV show, and at what time of day?) Answering this question will help you determine the target audience.

6. Analysis. What is the advertisement’s demographic target audience? Explain your answer. (Demographic categories can be found on the back.)

7. Analysis. What is the advertisement’s psychographic target audience? Explain your answer. (Psychographic categories can be found on the back.)

8. Analysis. How does the ad appeal to thinking and reasoning (logos), establishes the trustworthiness of the advertisement and product (ethos), and/or plays on the audience’s emotions and desires (pathos) in order to achieve its purpose. This question has three parts.

9. Analysis. Put it all together. How does the ad work overall? How does all of the above come together in an attempt to persuade you to think, feel, and/or act a particular way? Explain your answer.

10. Evaluation. With the techniques, micropropaganda, target audience, and purpose in mind, explain how the advertisement is effective or ineffective. This is your judgment, but it must be supported with evidence.

Notes:

Information to help you answer question 3.

Appeals to Pathos (Feelings and Desires)

·         Celebrity Endorsement (Associate the product with someone who is famous, well-liked and/or well-respected.)

·         Sex or Beauty Appeal (Associate the product with our desire to be beautiful or to see beautiful people.)

·         Appeal to the audience’s insecurities or fears (Make the audience feel insecure and promise or imply that the product will take away that insecurity.)

·         Snob or Status Appeal (Associate the product with high status. Promise or imply that if the viewer buys the product s/he will be seen as important, powerful, and/or successful.)

·         Lifestyle Appeal (Associate the product with particular lifestyles: raising a family, playing or watching extreme sports, partying, attending sporting events, etc.)

·         Appeal to Nostalgia (Associate the product with the good old days)

·         Bandwagon Technique (Associate the product with the majority. Everyone is doing it, so it must be good. This is also called peer pressure.)

·         Humor Appeal (Associate the product with laughter, with good times; humor is also used to make an ad memorable, to help it stand out against all the other ads.)

Appeals to Logos (Thinking and Reasoning)

·         Expert endorsement (for example “four out of five doctors say this aspirin is better than that one.)

·         Testimonials (for example: before and after pictures or statements like, “This product changed my life; it could change yours too.”)

·         Facts (information about the product; for example: “This car goes from zero to sixty in x seconds.”)

·         Comparisons (This product is bigger, stronger, faster, etc.)

·         Explanations (The ad explains what the product is and what it does.)

Information to help you answer question 4.

Types of Micropropaganda

·         A slogan is a short, catchy phrase. For example: “I’m lovin’ it” is a slogan for McDonalds.

·         A logo is simple, memorable image that is associated with a product or company. For example: The swoosh is Nike’s logo. Sometimes a company’s logo is simply the company’s name written in a particular font with particular colors. This is true of the Dunkin Donuts logo.

·         A jingle is a short, simple, catchy song associated with a product.

Information to help you answer question 6.

The target audience is the group to which an advertisement is directed.

To determine the target audience…

·         Think about gender (Is the ad targeted at men or women or both?)

·         Think about social class (Is the ad targeted at the poor, the working class, the middle class, the rich? Or is the ad targeted at all class groups?)

·         Think about age (Is the ad targeted at children, at tweens (middle schoolers), teens, young adults, adults?)

·         You might also think about geographical location, ethnicity, race, education level, etc.

Information to help you answer question 7.

Psychographic Groups for advertising and marketing

What are psychographics?

v      Psychographics are the descriptions of target audiences according to psychological characteristics as opposed to demographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, region, income, etc.)

v      Values, attitudes, and lifestyles are among the psychological characteristics that marketers and advertisers are most interested in.

v      Psychographic groups are determined by values, attitudes, and lifestyles the way demographic groups are determined by age, gender, ethnicity, region, income, etc.

Here are two different ways of grouping target audiences using psychographics, in other words two different ways of grouping consumers based on values, attitudes, and lifestyles.

1. Cross-cultural consumer characterization (4Cs)

Origin: Young and Rubicam, Inc., an advertising and marketing company based in London, UK.

Purpose: Use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to identify the primary (and secondary) needs of consumer groups; understand the relationship between particular human motivations and consumers’ feelings about brands; create psychographic groups that transcend national and cultural groups.

Discoveries:

• The levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs correspond with consumer motivations and consumer motivations correspond with psychographic groups:
• Maslow’s levels of transcendence, self-actualization, and aesthetic needs correspond with a consumer’s desire for enlightenment. People who are primarily motivated by a search for enlightenment are called reformers.
• Maslow’s need to know and understand corresponds with a consumer’s desire for discovery. People who are motivated by a need to discover are called explorers.
• Maslow’s esteem needs can be broken down into two types of esteem: self-esteem and esteem from others.
• Those who are motivated by self-esteem seek forms of control and are called succeeders.
• Those who are motivated by esteem from others seek status and are called aspirers.
• Maslow’s need for love and belonging corresponds with a consumer’s desire for security. People who are primarily motivated by security are called mainstreamers.
• Maslow’s need for safety corresponds with a consumer’s desire for escape from the bad situation of his or her life. People who are primarily motivated by the desire to escape are called strugglers.
• Maslow’s physiological needs corresponds with a consumer’s desire for survival within a bad situation. People primarily motivated by the struggle to survive are said to be resigned to their situations.
• The Young and Rubicam researchers discovered that by “segmenting” mankind into these seven groups—based on the core (or primary) motivations (or needs) of the members of that group—they could successfully market particular brands to the particular groups regardless of nationality and cultural background.
• Young and Rubicam researchers also discovered that advertisers and marketers could sharpen their approach to the psychographic groups by considering secondary motivations as well as core (or primary) motivations.

Groups:

Reformer: A reformer seeks freedom from restriction in order to pursue personal growth and social awareness. A reformer makes independent judgments, tolerates complexity, and is anti-materialistic but is intolerant of bad taste. A reformer is curious about innovations that are substantive rather than flashy. A reformer selects brands for their intrinsic quality, as opposed to what those brands “say” to others. (Higher education) Motivation: ENLIGHTENMENT

Explorer: Explorers value energy, freedom, new challenges, and exciting experiences. Explorers will choose brands that highlight their uniqueness and independence, their need for new sensations and adventures, and/or their desire for instant gratification. Explorers may be the first to try new brands. (Younger - student) Motivation: DISCOVERY

               

Succeeder: Succeeders are driven by goals. They tend to be confident, well-organized, and hardworking.  They tend to be conservative in the sense that they support status quo and seek stability. Their brand choices tend to be based on reward and prestige. They want to be seen as consuming and possessing “the very best.” (Top management) Motivation: CONTROL

               

Aspirer: Aspirers tend to be materialistic. They like to buy things that help them become members—or seem to be members—of the social groups they aspire to belong to. They are interested primarily in image, appearance, charisma, persona and fashion. Attractive packaging is more important than the quality of the contents. (Younger, clerical/sales type occupation) Motivation: STATUS

               

Mainstreamer: Mainstreamers tend to be home-oriented, conformist, conventional, sentimental, passive, habitual. They prefer not to stand out and, therefore, favor big and well-known value-for-money 'family' brands. Mainstreamers are usually the largest 4Cs group. Motivation: SECURITY

               

Struggler: Strugglers live for today. They see themselves as victims of the system. They have few tangible resources but often have physical skills. Strugglers are often heavy consumers of alcohol, junk food and lotteries. They choose brands that seem to promise an escape—even if only temporary—from their lives. Motivation: ESCAPE

               

Resigned:  This group is rigid, strict, authoritarian and chauvinist in its values. The resigned group is oriented to the past and to established roles. They choose brands that are safe, familiar, and economical. (Older) Motivation: SURVIVAL

Works Cited:

“Psychographic Segmentation”. Exams Tutor. 4Feb09. http://www.examstutor.com/business/resources/studyroom/marketing/market_analysis/8_psychographic_segmentation.php,

“There are Seven Kinds of People in the World”. Young & Rubicam’s 4Cs. 4Feb09. http://www.4cs.yr.com/global/default.asp?tid=b0c57e2f-6b8f-4e32-8b20-5bcf74124349.

2. VALS (Values and Lifestyles)

Origin: 1978, Standford Research Institute.
Purpose: Identify target audiences, uncover the consumer and personal behavior of target audiences, identify how to communicate with a target audiences, gain insight into why target audiences act the way they do.

Discoveries:

• People pursue and acquire products, services, and experiences that provide satisfaction and give shape, substance, and character to their identities.
• They are motivated by one of three powerful self-orientations: principle, status, and action.
• Principle-oriented consumers are guided in their choices by abstract, idealized criteria, rather than by feelings, events, or desire for approval and opinions of others.
• Status-oriented consumers look for products and services that demonstrate the consumers' success to their peers.
• Action-oriented consumers are guided by a desire for social or physical activity, variety, and risk taking.

Groups:
Actualizers- Actualizers are successful, sophisticated, active, "take-charge" people with high self-esteem and abundant resources. They are interested in growth and seek to develop, explore, and express themselves in a variety of ways--sometimes guided by principle, and sometimes by a desire to have an effect, to make a change. Image is important to Actualizers, not as evidence of status or power but as an expression of their taste, independence, and character. Actualizers are among the established and emerging leaders in business and government, yet they continue to seek challenges. They have a wide range of interests, are concerned with social issues, and are open to change. Their lives are characterized by richness and diversity. Their possessions and recreation reflect a cultivated taste for the finer things in life. They are more likely to have; Membership in Arts Association, Visited Art Museum in Past Year, Own Electronic Espresso / Cappuccino Maker, Foreign Travel in Past 3 years, Cruise Ship Vacation in Past 3 Years, Own Import/Foreign Car, Play Golf, Own Personal Computer at Home.
Fulfilleds - Fulfilleds are mature, satisfied, comfortable, reflective people who value order, knowledge, and responsibility. Most are well educated and in (or recently retired from) professional occupations. They are well-informed about world and national events and are alert to opportunities to broaden their knowledge. Content with their career, families, and station in life, their leisure activities tend to center around the home. Fulfilleds have a moderate respect for the status quo institutions of authority and social decorum, but are open-minded to new ideas and social change. Fulfilleds tend to base their decisions on firmly held principles and consequently appear calm and self-assured. While their incomes allow them many choices, Fulfilleds are conservative, practical consumers; they look for durability, functionality and value in the products they buy. They are more likely to; Have a Swimming Pool/In Ground, Membership in Church Board, Stayed in Ski Resort in Last 12 Mo's, Belong to a Book Club, Own Backpacking Equipment, Foreign Travel in Last 3 years. (PRINCIPLE)
Achievers - Achievers are successful career and work-oriented people who like to, and generally do, feel in control of their lives. They value consensus, predictability, and stability over risk, intimacy and self-discovery. They are deeply committed to work and family. Work provides them with a sense of duty, material rewards, and prestige. Their social lives reflect this focus and are structured around family, church, and career. Achievers live conventional lives, are politically conservative, and respect authority and the status quo. Image is important to them; they favor established, prestige products and services that demonstrate success to their peers. They are more likely to; Have Sun/Moon Roof in Car, Own Video Camera, Membership in PTA. (STATUS)
Experiencers - Experiencers are young, vital, enthusiastic, impulsive and rebellious. They seek variety and excitement, savoring the new, the offbeat, and the risky. Still in the process of formulating life values and patterns of behavior, they quickly become enthusiastic about new possibilities but are equally quick to cool. At this stage in their lives, they are politically uncommitted, uninformed, and highly ambivalent about what they believe. Experiencers combine an abstract disdain for conformity with an outsider's awe of others' wealth, prestige, and power. Their energy finds an outlet in exercise, sports, outdoor recreation and social activities. Experiencers are avid consumers and spend much of their income on clothing, fast food, music, movies, and video. they are more likely to; Play Pool 10+ Days in Past Year, Attend Rock/Pop Concert in Past Year, Own Weight Training Equipment. (ACTION)
Believers - Believers are conservative, conventional people with concrete beliefs based on traditional, established codes: family, church, community, and the nation. Many Believers express moral codes that are deeply rooted and literally interpreted. They follow established routines, organized in large part around home, family, and social or religious organizations to which they belong. As consumers, Believers are conservative and predictable, favoring American products and established brands. Their income, education, and energy are modest but sufficient to meet their needs. (PRINCIPLE)
Strivers - Strivers seek motivation, self-definition, and approval from the world around them. They are striving to find a secure place in life. Unsure of themselves and low on economic, social and psychological resources, Strivers are concerned about the opinions and approval of others. Money defines success for Strivers, who don't have enough of it, and often feel that life has given them a raw deal. Strivers are impulsive and easily bored. Many of them seek to be stylish. They emulate those who own more impressive possessions, but what they wish to obtain is often beyond their reach. (STATUS)
Makers - 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 experience the world by working on it--building a house, raising children, fixing a car, or canning vegetables--and have enough skill, income, and energy to carry out their projects successfully. They are unimpressed by material possessions other than those with a practical or functional purpose (such as tools, utility vehicles and fishing equipment.) (ACTION)
Strugglers - Struggler lives are constricted. Chronically poor, ill-educated, low-skilled, without strong social bonds, elderly and concerned about their health, they are often resigned and passive. Because they are limited by the need to meet the urgent needs of the present moment, they do not show a strong self-orientation. Their chief concerns are for security and safety.

Work Cited:

Box, Doug. “Values and Lifestyle”. Simply Selling. 3Feb09. Simplyselling.com.

Applying *The Ad and the Ego*

How does advertising influence how we see the world?

CONCEPTS FROM THE AD AND THE EGO

Concepts

·          "A democratic civilization will save itself only if it makes the language of the image into a stimulus for critical reflection -not an invitation for hypnosis." Umberto Eco

·          Individual advertisements are seldom very influential, but the cumulative effect of all the advertisements we consume has a profound effect on us.

·          Advertisements are effective in part because they seem so natural and normal that we do not question their techniques, messages, and place in our culture.

·          Advertisements influence and even teach without engaging the viewer’s critical mind.

·          Images are often more persuasive than words. (“Seeing is believing.” “Pictures don’t lie.” Or do they?)

·          In the nineteenth century advertisements seemed to assume people are rational, now advertisements assume people are now (and have always been) motivated by subconscious or irrational desires and emotions.

·          Advertisements produce consumers.

·          Advertisements suggest how people within a target culture (or subculture).should act and what they should want Advertisements help us learn what behaviors, needs, wants, and dreams make a good and/or normal person within a society. This is called socialization, which is part of identity formation.

·          Advertisements are often effective when they create an inner sense of conflict and unease in the audience. (You’re not okay.) This influences self-image, which is another part of identity formation.

·          Advertisements often link our inner dreams – of happy social lives, happy families, intense romances, control of work and free time, individual freedom, etc. – with external products and services. This implies that we can then achieve our dreams or express our pursuit of dreams through products.

·          Advertisements often turn people (especially women but sometimes men too) into bodies (or body parts); this teaches the audience to see others as objects instead of as fellow humans.

·          By constantly linking products with our desires, advertisements teach us to believe in technology: technology has created and will continue to create new products that will fulfill our needs.

·          Advertising is everywhere. Wherever one looks, wherever one goes there is likely to be advertising. This gives advertising a great deal of control over cultural spaces. (Think of Channel One at O’Maley. Think of Times Square in New York City. Think of Route One. Think of Dasani bottles and Dunkin Donuts cups in English class. Then think of television and radio.) Other forms of communication tend to be pushed to the margin or even censored when advertising dominates.

·          Advertising’s goal is to increase consumption. With increased consumption comes increased waste and pollution. However, this relationship between consumption and damage to the world we live in is hidden by advertisements. Ads show us products and their (magical) effects on people; ads show us neither how products are made nor what happens to the products after they are consumed.

·          The consumerist lifestyle created by advertising affects people throughout the world. The United States’ foreign policy is often shaped by the desires of American consumers (i.e. you).

1.         Prioritize these concepts by writing a number (1-15)  Put them in order from most important to least important. There is no right or wrong answer, but you should be able to explain your choices.

2.        Take a position on each of your top three concepts. Then support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your observations, experiences, or studies. (Develop a full paragraph for each position. Be stylish and convincing.)

Post below before class on Monday.