Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, November 5, 2010
Humour in Advertising of Singapore
The main purpose of advertising is to inform consumer about the benefits, price and availability of the products or services. It is a communication activity. However, consumer may think the purpose of today advertising has gone too exaggerate which creates false needs to them.
According to average consumer behaviour, it shows that individual seeks and processes information on advertising according to their needs and abilities to buy. Consumers also delay their purchase until they have collected sufficient information about the product or service. The decision is especially affected by the price and branding of certain products or services.
In the old days, there is hardly any humour elements inSingapore Singapore
However the situation has changed. Singaporean is seeing more humour in local advertising nowadays. I reckon it is because the invasion of western culture, the young generation is adapting and accepting the change easily when the older generation may respond badly to these advertisements.
I would like to share with you two public transportation awareness campaigns' videos and few commercial advertisements in recent years. Audiences have different views and comments since the broadcast. Most of the people like them because it features local culture and character. However some receive negative feedbacks from the audience, such as this year Graciousness Programme advertising which features the Dim Sum Dolly. Most of the people find it annoying and less humour compared to last year's advertisement which featured local actor, Gurmit Singh as famous local drama character - Phua Chu Kang .
I managed to gather some Phua Chu Kang's posters which accidentally found in some train stations (I guess the staff may have overlooked and forgotten to take them out ?!!) and some are found in my photo folders. Meanwhile, I downloaded 2009 & 2010 both "Gracious" campaign videos from youtube which normally can be seen on the train's TV monitor only.
Here are some of the commercial advertisements found and taken...
Video Source: Youtube
According to average consumer behaviour, it shows that individual seeks and processes information on advertising according to their needs and abilities to buy. Consumers also delay their purchase until they have collected sufficient information about the product or service. The decision is especially affected by the price and branding of certain products or services.
In the old days, there is hardly any humour elements in
However the situation has changed. Singaporean is seeing more humour in local advertising nowadays. I reckon it is because the invasion of western culture, the young generation is adapting and accepting the change easily when the older generation may respond badly to these advertisements.
I would like to share with you two public transportation awareness campaigns' videos and few commercial advertisements in recent years. Audiences have different views and comments since the broadcast. Most of the people like them because it features local culture and character. However some receive negative feedbacks from the audience, such as this year Graciousness Programme advertising which features the Dim Sum Dolly. Most of the people find it annoying and less humour compared to last year's advertisement which featured local actor, Gurmit Singh as famous local drama character - Phua Chu Kang .
I managed to gather some Phua Chu Kang's posters which accidentally found in some train stations (I guess the staff may have overlooked and forgotten to take them out ?!!) and some are found in my photo folders. Meanwhile, I downloaded 2009 & 2010 both "Gracious" campaign videos from youtube which normally can be seen on the train's TV monitor only.
"A Happy Journey Starts Like That!"
 |
| PCK 1 |
 |
| PCK 2 |
 |
| PCK 3 |
 |
| PCK 4 |
"Love Your Ride"
A continue campaign of Graciousness Programme in 2010, sung by Dim Sum Dollies
 |
| Dim Sum Dolly 1 |
 |
| Dim Sum Dolly 2 |
 |
| Dim Sum Dolly 3 |
 |
| Dim Sum Dolly 4 |
 |
| Dim Sum Dolly 5 (Campaign poster) |
Besides the above two campaigns, I also included another three posters which wanted to increase public awareness about the their safety in train. These posters also have displayed the humour elements.
 |
Be Safe 1 |
 |
| Be Safe 2 |
 |
| Be Considerate |
 |
| Karaoke club promotion board |
 |
| Udder Ice Cream name card |
 |
| Health Science Authority Blood Donation Program |
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
I Hope It Does Not End Here...
When I first started this blog, I was worried that I couldn't do it because I have not written any before. But now, I have done it. Yeah! I would like to dedicate it to my friends for giving me their advice on the outlook's design. They probably would be the first and last visitors to my blog.
During the progress, I have learnt a lot about media issues such as copyright issue of Youtube, censorship in Thailand etc. These were the issues I would never pay attention to. It is a shame to call myself media student as I always pay attention to print media and rarely read from online.
Although the number of visitor of my blog will always be zero, I have discovered the possibility of issues happen in our world thru this assignment. These have broadened my point of view to media world. It also changed my perception that blog is not just a place for people to 'log' their thoughts about something. It is a place connecting similar people to sharing similar interest without any boundaries.
If I can do this, so can you!
During the progress, I have learnt a lot about media issues such as copyright issue of Youtube, censorship in Thailand etc. These were the issues I would never pay attention to. It is a shame to call myself media student as I always pay attention to print media and rarely read from online.
Although the number of visitor of my blog will always be zero, I have discovered the possibility of issues happen in our world thru this assignment. These have broadened my point of view to media world. It also changed my perception that blog is not just a place for people to 'log' their thoughts about something. It is a place connecting similar people to sharing similar interest without any boundaries.
If I can do this, so can you!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Does State of Emergency Justify Censorship in Thailand?
Bangkok has not in peaceful since its former Prime Minister Mr Thaksin Shinawatra was forced to step down in 2006. Since that time, all the former prime ministers were overthrown by the country's protest group. The infamous incident would be the takeover of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport in 2008 by protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The purpose claimed was to remove then government and would like to provoke the army to step in and depose the former prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat. All the flights were cancelled and thousand of tourists were stranded in airport during the invasion. This has seriously jeopardized the country's reputation and tourism aspect.
Reporters without Borders thinks it is natural for the attorney general office to prosecute media that carried appeal for violence. But the press freedom organization thinks that this action should be taken by the court and they wish to call for an end to the censorship of media.
A lot of grumbles and complaints from local and international media saying that these was not justified for the band of its media activities. Dozens of Television channels and community radios were forced to shut down, especially those based in the Red Shirt provinces. According the The Nation, 35 Red Shirt radio journalists have been prosecuted for inciting the listeners to participate in the Red Shirt demonstrations. Local print media also can't be escaped from the harm. Although the website of the main Thai media have not been affected by the censorship, many alternative sites its official opposition websites which suspected of supporting the Red Shirt movement have been blocked, even the official opposition website such as UDD Thailand and Norporchor USA are no longer accessible in Thailand.
Reporter without Borders is concerning about the long term consequences of the media of the restriction imposed by government and army. They have no clue what will happen if the censorship is to be continue in the country. They afraid that this may be worsen the current nation's situation.
Image Source: Guardian.co.uk
Article Source: 1. Thailand protest strands thousands of tourists at Bangkok airport
2. Does state of emergency justify censorship in Thailand?
| |||
The present Thai government in order to pacify and overwhelm the feeling of its people, they have been controlling local media which affiliate and support the Red Shirt since a state of emergency was imposed in Bangkok and many other provinces in 2009.
Reporters without Borders thinks it is natural for the attorney general office to prosecute media that carried appeal for violence. But the press freedom organization thinks that this action should be taken by the court and they wish to call for an end to the censorship of media.
A lot of grumbles and complaints from local and international media saying that these was not justified for the band of its media activities. Dozens of Television channels and community radios were forced to shut down, especially those based in the Red Shirt provinces. According the The Nation, 35 Red Shirt radio journalists have been prosecuted for inciting the listeners to participate in the Red Shirt demonstrations. Local print media also can't be escaped from the harm. Although the website of the main Thai media have not been affected by the censorship, many alternative sites its official opposition websites which suspected of supporting the Red Shirt movement have been blocked, even the official opposition website such as UDD Thailand and Norporchor USA are no longer accessible in Thailand.
Reporter without Borders is concerning about the long term consequences of the media of the restriction imposed by government and army. They have no clue what will happen if the censorship is to be continue in the country. They afraid that this may be worsen the current nation's situation.
Image Source: Guardian.co.uk
Article Source: 1. Thailand protest strands thousands of tourists at Bangkok airport
2. Does state of emergency justify censorship in Thailand?
How to Detect Bias in the News
We all know that there is a bias in news although the author doesn’t have the intention to do it deliberately. It is difficult for writer to be as objective as possible because they will be influenced by the background of the interviewer, writer, photographer and even editor.
Bias is unavoidable. But we can become a more aware news reader by following journalistic techniques so we don't influence by writer.
Bias through selection and omission
A writer can express a bias by choosing what to or what not to report in the news. Within a given story, writer can choose to ignore some they think not so important details. Also the choice of words and tones will give the readers a different opinion about the news reported. The only way readers can find out whether the writer bias to the news is by comparing news reports from various type of news outlet.
Bias through placement
Newspaper reader always judge the story by reading the first few paragraphs of the news or those published in first few pages because they look more important than those publish in the back.
This same goes for the television and radio which will run the most critical stories first. Therefore, where a story is placed influences what the reader thinks about its importance.
Bias by headline
Many people read only the headlines of a news item because it is the most readable part of a paper. However, we know that the headlines do not always speak of the story itself because newsman would over exaggerate the reporting sometimes in order to sell the paper.
Reader must read through the whole story and summarize it in order to find hidden bias and prejudice.
Bias by photos, captions and camera angles
Some pictures flatter a person while others don't. For example on television, the choice of which visual images to display is very important to capture viewers attention. Like wise, the captions of newspaper below photos are also potential sources of bias.
Bias through use of names and titles
News media often use labels and titles to describe people, places, and events. A person can be called an "ex-con" or be referred to someone who "served time twenty years ago for a minor offence". It is the same situation whether a person is described as a "terrorist" or a "freedom fighter" is a clear indication of editorial bias.
Bias through statistics and crowd counts
To make a disaster seem more spectacular, numbers can be inflated. For instance, "only minor injuries in air crash" is to be reporting as "a hundred injured in air crash" certainly reflecting the opinion of the person doing the counting.
Bias by source control
News is provided by a reporter, an eyewitness, police or news buyer. The truthful of the source of news is questionable. Each may have a particular bias that is left into the story. Therefore to detect bias, always consider where the news item "comes from."
Image Source: Johndotorgslashblog wordpress
Article Source: Media Awareness Network
Bias is unavoidable. But we can become a more aware news reader by following journalistic techniques so we don't influence by writer.
Bias through selection and omission
A writer can express a bias by choosing what to or what not to report in the news. Within a given story, writer can choose to ignore some they think not so important details. Also the choice of words and tones will give the readers a different opinion about the news reported. The only way readers can find out whether the writer bias to the news is by comparing news reports from various type of news outlet.
Bias through placement
Newspaper reader always judge the story by reading the first few paragraphs of the news or those published in first few pages because they look more important than those publish in the back.
This same goes for the television and radio which will run the most critical stories first. Therefore, where a story is placed influences what the reader thinks about its importance.
Bias by headline
Many people read only the headlines of a news item because it is the most readable part of a paper. However, we know that the headlines do not always speak of the story itself because newsman would over exaggerate the reporting sometimes in order to sell the paper.
Reader must read through the whole story and summarize it in order to find hidden bias and prejudice.
Bias by photos, captions and camera angles
Some pictures flatter a person while others don't. For example on television, the choice of which visual images to display is very important to capture viewers attention. Like wise, the captions of newspaper below photos are also potential sources of bias.
Bias through use of names and titles
News media often use labels and titles to describe people, places, and events. A person can be called an "ex-con" or be referred to someone who "served time twenty years ago for a minor offence". It is the same situation whether a person is described as a "terrorist" or a "freedom fighter" is a clear indication of editorial bias.
Bias through statistics and crowd counts
To make a disaster seem more spectacular, numbers can be inflated. For instance, "only minor injuries in air crash" is to be reporting as "a hundred injured in air crash" certainly reflecting the opinion of the person doing the counting.
Bias by source control
News is provided by a reporter, an eyewitness, police or news buyer. The truthful of the source of news is questionable. Each may have a particular bias that is left into the story. Therefore to detect bias, always consider where the news item "comes from."
Image Source: Johndotorgslashblog wordpress
Article Source: Media Awareness Network
Designing of Print VS Designing of Online
A good print designer doesn't make him a good web designer because they often tend to make one mistake: using print layouts and print marketing strategies to design and market a website. Print designer often makes the art / layout design as their priority. Hardware and software are not the main consideration during the printing. However, spacing is. On the other hand, wed designer makes the content and navigation to their priority. Effective web site is to allow visitors access the information they want in the easiest way.
In order to avoid these happen, the organization and designer must learn to identify some common problems:
Readability
Reading paper is much easier than from screen due to certain conditions such as lighting, brightness of the monitor etc, it is no good to stare at monitor for long period. For a reason, designer is advised to use more conservative fonts because it will be replaced with substitute font if certain individual computer may not have installed the same font. Larger text also makes it more readable. Paragraph and line spacing is crucial to create white space (Parker 2003).
Navigation
Print is often printed in portrait so readers can hold it easily while web page is in landscape. This is to allow important information can be showed on the monitor, reducing the needs of vertical scrolling and from top to bottom.
Colors
The advantage of color on web is that it is very cheap. Designer can produces and shows million of color possibilities on screen. The fact is that a PC can only shows 216 types of web-safe-color, like the text selection. The result also may not be produced exactly the same as seen on screen due to various materials / qualities o paper.
Interactivity
Main difference between print and online design is the level of interactivity involved. Print can be only flipped front and back. Web site allows visitors choosing content and links they want which involves greater level of interactivity of the multimedia, such as video, audio etc. These elements are important as visitor can access to information they want without need to read all the texts (Kress 1997).
Of course, the above mentioned problems doesn't refer to print designer cannot be a good web designer, as long as the designer has a clear mind about the different between print and online design.
Article Source: (1) Print Design vs Web Design - Part 1
(2) Print Design vs Web Design - Part 2
(3) Differences Between Print Design and Web Design
Reference:
Kress, G 1997, ‘Visual and verbal modes of representation in electronically mediated communication: the potentials of new forms of text’ in Snyder, Ilana (ed) 1997, Page to screen: taking literacy into the electronic era, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Chapter 3, pp. 53-79.
Parker, RC 2003, ‘Designing documents for web distribution’, Looking good in print, 5th edn, Paraglyph Press, Scottsdale AZ, Chapter 14, pp. 269-293.
In order to avoid these happen, the organization and designer must learn to identify some common problems:
Readability
Reading paper is much easier than from screen due to certain conditions such as lighting, brightness of the monitor etc, it is no good to stare at monitor for long period. For a reason, designer is advised to use more conservative fonts because it will be replaced with substitute font if certain individual computer may not have installed the same font. Larger text also makes it more readable. Paragraph and line spacing is crucial to create white space (Parker 2003).
Navigation
Print is often printed in portrait so readers can hold it easily while web page is in landscape. This is to allow important information can be showed on the monitor, reducing the needs of vertical scrolling and from top to bottom.
Colors
The advantage of color on web is that it is very cheap. Designer can produces and shows million of color possibilities on screen. The fact is that a PC can only shows 216 types of web-safe-color, like the text selection. The result also may not be produced exactly the same as seen on screen due to various materials / qualities o paper.
Interactivity
Main difference between print and online design is the level of interactivity involved. Print can be only flipped front and back. Web site allows visitors choosing content and links they want which involves greater level of interactivity of the multimedia, such as video, audio etc. These elements are important as visitor can access to information they want without need to read all the texts (Kress 1997).
Of course, the above mentioned problems doesn't refer to print designer cannot be a good web designer, as long as the designer has a clear mind about the different between print and online design.
Article Source: (1) Print Design vs Web Design - Part 1
(2) Print Design vs Web Design - Part 2
(3) Differences Between Print Design and Web Design
Kress, G 1997, ‘Visual and verbal modes of representation in electronically mediated communication: the potentials of new forms of text’ in Snyder, Ilana (ed) 1997, Page to screen: taking literacy into the electronic era, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Chapter 3, pp. 53-79.
Parker, RC 2003, ‘Designing documents for web distribution’, Looking good in print, 5th edn, Paraglyph Press, Scottsdale AZ, Chapter 14, pp. 269-293.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Youtube Phenomenon
Whenever surfing the internet, you will come across various video clips embedded in web page. This is becomes so ordinary and has been going on for quite some time. This happens because of the emerge of new Vblog: Youtube.
According to Youtube fact sheet, people are watching billion of videos on Youtube and uploading hundreds of thousands of videos a day to Youtube. Due to the billions of viewing, marketers have embraced its marketing platform as an engaging vehicle with their target audiences.
However, despite it is an independent subsidiary of Google Inc. and its popularity among users, Youtube also faces issues to some videos which user uploaded has infringed copyrights. This issue has not been solved till now.
Image Source: Youtube
Article Souce: Youtube Fact Sheet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)