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Break-Up Playlist

Why, might you ask, is my first blogpost since last winter entitled "Break-Up Playlist?" Is it because I have very recently gone through a bad break-up? Has my young and naive heart been used, abused, and taken for granted? Weirdly, the answer is absolutely not (with an interjected "HA" in front of it). Besides the cold, hard fact that my love life will be eternally non-existent at the rate I'm currently going, I entitled this "Break-Up Playlist" after reading a friend's blog and being reminded of the various "girl-power" or "break-up" songs that have accumulated over the years. Now, considering the fact that I haven't really had an actual, "official" relationship with someone in a while does kind of give this a sort of inauthentic flair, but I have the right to blog about whatever I want, SO we're doing it. live. (please tell me you've seen this video in order to get the reference... if not, get out from under that rock. No, seriously, that's just weird.) I digress, but back to my initial point: break-up songs are spectacular. I know listening to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" on repeat is closely equivalent to hitting rock bottom for most, but you have to give it some credit for being able to pull teenage or twenty-something year old girls out from their teepees of tear-soaked tissues. Now, I don't consider myself a feminist by any means, but when it comes to media and music that serve to empower women and girls, then I'm all for it. Break-up songs have the power to give you that get-up-and-go boost when the your love life, or in my case your blogging life, comes crashing down on you. (Or at least that's what I've heard..) Okay, I know this was somewhat pointless, but I honestly just needed something, a n y t h i n g, to propel myself forward on this blogging endeavor. With that, I solute you "Break-Up Playlist" for helping me get back in the game, even if I am referring to the blogging arena.

The Huffington Post

Last week in class, my fellow classmates and I talked a lot about the various types and brands of assorted media sources. To be a bit more specific, the majority of our discussion was centered on Arianna Huffington's The Huffington Post. Establishing itself as an "Internet Newspaper," the website consists mainly of blogs of celebrity authors (both actual celebrities and scholarly writers) and their discussion of the current news and media. Although being a news source is obviously the main purpose of the website, I think it is the Internet aspect and the opportunities it presents that has made the brand so successful. In fact, it has even branded itself, under the masthead, with the identifiers: news blogs video community.
 The fact that the source is primarily Internet-based gives it an edge in the social networking world, offering readers the opportunity to connect The Huffington Post to your Facebook or Twitter page, thereby electronically branding yourself as a HuffPot reader and inspiring a sense of community between others.

As for the layout of the website, The Huffington Post is quite different from most other media sources' websites. Aside from the gigantic headline and leading picture following the also enormous masthead, the site is blocked into three columns with most readings in no particular order. So, how is one to know what exactly is most newsworthy or important? Well, the editor actually does tend to put the most important blogs in the center column running until about 5 rows down. Though, other than that, it's really up to the readers to figure out as the scroll bar on the side just keeps going and going and going with various types of blogs, spanning from political to entertainment to religion. Therefore, if you do not have a lot of time to spend browsing the website or are not looking for a way to procrastinate in a semi-intellectual manner, this form of media source may not be for you... However, if you're like me, and tend to view things in a sort of ADD manner anyways, you will probably take a liking to the website. GO NUTS!

The Justin Bieber Experience

In class lately, we have been discussing the topic of both brands and advertising, even toying with the idea of celebrities as brands. Yes, celebrities can most definitely be brands. Perfumes and fragrances are perfect examples. Picture it: You're an avid fan of Britney Spears. "Hit Me Baby One More Time" is shamelessly still the most played song in your iTunes library, and OH NO! you've just run out of perfume. So, you venture out to the nearest store where Britney's new fragrance is sitting front and center on the shelves. Five minutes and $23 later, you now smell exactly like Mz. Spear's current favorite aroma. Hook, line, and sinker- you've just fallen into the trap of celebrity branding. It doesn't matter if you're not exactly crazy about the fragrance, it's all about the celebrity endorsing the product that made you think it was cool enough to buy. Now that you understand (I hope...) what I'm trying to get at with the idea of celebrity branding, I should probably fill you in on my reasoning behind this blog... But, you have to promise to continue reading no matter whose extremely talented and underaged name I mention.

Most know him as Justin Bieber, JB, J-Beebz, or my personal favorite, The Biebs. It's no secret that his trademark hair flip can make the heart of any girl under the age of 16 melt in less than 5 seconds. Nor is it unknown that this kid is in truth exceptionally talented at both singing and dancing (and now acting? *in reference to his new movie Justin Bieber: Never Say Never*). 

For this reason, Glee decided to incorporate the Bieber brand into it's show this past Tuesday. When one of the main male characters, Sam, is going through a rough patch with his girlfriend, he knows it's time for a change and is willing to do anything to get his girl back. So, he decides to take on what it means to be The Biebs. He reasons that girls love The Biebs, so in order to get his girlfriend to love him again, he must, therefore, embody The Biebs. At school the next day, he walks in wearing black jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt, a purple hoody, Nike dunks, and his hair combed across his forehead. He's clearly wearing the Justin Bieber. There it is- Celebrity Branding. This look is now the brand of Justin Bieber, which is clear when three more boys on the show walk in wearing the same branded outfit the next day. Whether most viewers are aware of it or not, Glee has just co-branded their show with Justin Bieber, at least for this episode in particular. Looks like we just can't escape The Biebs...




Ps. Just came across this on Hulu- The brand of The Bieber strikes again!

Boo!

If you haven't heard about him, seen his Facebook page, or viewed some of his adorable YouTube videos: meet Boo. Boo is a Pomerian, who is taking the Internet world by storm with his cuteness. Not only is he "liked" by 22 of my Facebook friends, Boo currently has 855, 141 total "Likes" on Facebook. (And the count climbs daily) This completely lovable, captivating puppy has even been spotlighted on celebrity Khloe Kardashian's blog. Not that I buy into celebrity hype like the rest of America... But it just shows that this dog has surely gotten around on the web, even to those who some of America consider the elite class. (Ps. I'm using the word "elite" very lightly here..) Now that the undeniable cuddliness of this dog has been established, the real question is just how has Boo (as well as some other furry friends) become such a viral sensation? Well, I can actually think of a multitude reasons, differentiating for various age groups. 

Let's begin with teenagers, the age when most usually begin surfing the web without parental supervision. When we don't feel like doing work, or somehow become distracted, and end up on a cyberspace tangent, most typically turn to Facebook to fulfill their procrastination needs. Once there, the newsfeed can lead you anywhere, seriously- the possibilities are endless with status updates, "likes," pictures, and wall posts. Fortunately, I did not have to do any personal facebooking to discover Boo, as one of my friends posted a picture of the adorable pup to my wall. After visiting his other daily photos, I was instantly hooked and began showing his page to my other friends so they would not miss out on the opportunity to have their day brightened by Boo too. Little did I know, I sparked a Boo obsession between my closest friends, and we now compete almost daily to find the cutest, most precious photo of the Pomerian. Anyways, the vicious circle plays out in such a manner as mentioned before: one person stumbles upon the cute animal and feels compelled to share the link with their closest friends, who sends that link to their closest friends, who sends the same link to another set of people, etc. 

Next, I think it's important to examine the way moms and women in their late 30s and beyond use the internet to share their thoughts. Using my own Mom and her friends as an example, I can honestly say that I do not think anyone has as many "status updates" or "tweets" as this group of women. For some reason, it seems as though they feel compelled to make every single thought that crosses their mind public and available for others to comment on. So, when one of them discovered Boo and posted a photo of the dog as her status, the rest of the women submitted endless comments on the photo and even copied the link for emailing purposes. BAM! Another vicious circulation of Boo's photos, this time via email instead of Facebook like the teenagers. 

Finally, the routine following of furry friends like Boo have become such a large part of our lives, especially for the workers in their 20s and 30s, because it provides a break from their hectic and unappealing business lives. Taking a quick look at something as precious as Boo can brighten someone's day instantly, especially if they are an animal lover. Come on, his eyes are the textbook definition of puppy dog eyes. Looking at Boo's cute and cuddly pictures can make you feel all warm and happy for at least a minute or two, and this is a nice break from most images in the media depicting devastation, war, and tragedy. 

Here I leave you with a couple of videos of Boo, but don't say I didn't warn you when the next time you look at the clock two hours have passed... 

Valentine's Day! ...and ad viewed during Modern Family

As I returned to my dorm last night for sign-in, I entered upon our dorm's compliment watching her usual 9 o'clock television show, Modern Family. Seeing as that show is currently one of my favorites as well, I sat down, naturally mesmerized by the visuals on the screen, and began to watch. Once I realized it was the show's Valentine's Day episode, I was intrigued by the idea of waiting to see if the commercials and advertisements would be tailored to products and brands typically associated with the holiday or love and romance.

Unfortunately, I arrived only in time to see the last couple of minutes of the show, but after awkwardly sitting through a KY commercial next to my early thirties, mother-of-three dorm compliment, I was already halfway convinced that my hunch had been right. In order to finish viewing the show complete with advertisements, I decided to watch online at Hulu.com. Sure enough, KY had plastered their brand name on the web page for the episode, with a "Happy Valentine's Day" banner draped underneath, and it was also the first ad featured during the commercial interruptions. KY must've really cut quite the deal...

After making this analyzation, I then realized who the audience of this modern sitcom is: mostly families, meaning kids, teens, and adults. So, what role does KY play in this situation? Well for one, the ad makes for a significantly awkward moment between parents and teenagers as both parties understand the purpose of KY... but why not advertise something that's appropriate for the entire family? Like chocolates, flowers, or jewelry, or something also associated with the romantic holiday?

Also, doesn't this advertisement for a Valentine's Day episode seem to make the holiday primarily about sex? I know it sounds cliche and silly, but what ever happened to real love? Or simply wanting to enjoy the company of that special someone in your life on Valentine's Day? The KY advertisement, promoting a product for sex, sends the wrong message in my opinion. It tells viewers that it's time to get down and dirty in a sexual manner rather than promoting a message for appreciation of your partner. In my opinion, an ad for a jewelry store or chocolates would've fit much nicer with the viewers in mind...