ADS ADS ADS

I just got my take home mid-term for my other media studies class and I had to share it with you. The first half of the mid-term is pretty typical. Upon selecting a scene from a current TV show, you have to write a 2-3 page essay imagining what it would be like if you were seeing that scene 40 years ago and what would be controversial or groundbreaking about it.

The second half of the mid-term is a little more interesting. We have to watch a solid hour of TV and write down every ad that we see during the commercial breaks while taking brief notes about what the ad is selling, who is represented in the ad etc. Then we have to organize this list of ads into groups based on the product i.e. beer, cars etc. and then we have to organize the list into subgroups based on what is being represented in the ad and who is the target audience.

I am actually kind of looking forward to the assignment because A) I am a commercial junkie and B)I think there might be some very interesting results depending on the time slot I choose to watch. It would be funny to watch an hour at like 2am when all the commercials are for LA Live Chat and 1-888-hot-girl and crap like that.

Furthermore, for those of you out there like myself that appreciate the finer art of advertising, like the Geico cavemen series which I think might be the funniest thing I've ever seen, www.ad-awards.com is a great site. The cavemen didn't make the cut, but there is some good stuff on there if you are ever in the mood for a little procrastination.