Final

Billboard pictures that we used

Jason, 2012. Made in Jersey series premiere billboard [electronic print] Available at: <http://dailybillboard.blogspot.com/2012/09/tv-week-made-in-jersey-series-premiere.html> [Accessed 6th December 2012]

Jason, 2012. Ted movie billboard [electronic print] Available at: <http://dailybillboard.blogspot.com/2012/06/ted-movie-billboards.html> [Accessed 6th December 2012]

John, Everett, 2011. blank billboard 1 [electronic print] Available at: <http://freapstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/blank-billboard-1.jpg> [Accessed 6th December 2012]

FINAL

Before adding to billboard

                               

 With billboard

Report

Introduction

Based on the assignment brief, we were required to pick an advertisement we are most dissatisfied with and write a sound rationale as the reasons why we do not approve the ad, in relation to culture and society. Then, we have to re-advertise the product/brand and explore of all ways possible to produce the ad.

Description of The Unsatisfactory Ad

The ad that we have chosen is entitled ‘The Pepsi with Chinese Monks’.
This ad is about a young boy who is brought to a Buddhist monastery. There he is taught the ways of Kung Fu and learns how to be a monk from an old Buddhist Shaolin Monk master. The final scene shows him doing his final test in order to become a monk. His final task is to figure out what the symbol on all of the monks' heads meant. As he looks down at the Pepsi he just drank, he realizes that crushing the can with his head would give him the same symbol. (Ortwin.O, 2010, online)

Its Purpose

The ad’s purpose is to let the audiences know that by drinking Pepsi , you will gain more strength to accomplish your task. (Phungvuchaulong, 2011, online)

Its Relation to the culture and society it was made for

In the unsatisfactory ad, they showed a few things related to Chinese culture such as, the Shao Lin Temple, Kung Fu, and the traditional music. The Shao Lin Temple which is a monastery which is best known to the Western world. That's the reason why their used a foreigner from western country as the main character.(Ortwin.O, 2010, online)

Shaolindisciplesunion. The Shaolin Temple. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.shaolindisciplesunion.com/SHAOLINTEMPLE.html> [Accessed 31st October 2012]

The Need For Change

The message of this Pepsi ad is effective to some and to others maybe not so much. It needs to depend on the person and how they are feeling at that moment of viewing. When someone is not thirsty, they wouldn't have the urge to drink Pepsi because the humour in the ad doesn't blend in well with the actions. That is why this ad is not effective enough.
The point of drinking Pepsi will make audiences feel stronger is not believable because in the ad it only shows them drinking Pepsi after the monk breaks the brick. Parody and fantasy is different because the audience doesn't expect reality. (Alane.B, 2010, online) People may not understand that the symbol on the monks' heads is the Pepsi can's print because all soft drink cans look almost the same.
For example:

Screen shot from ''Pepsi with the Chinese Monk'' ads

Zoofari,2011. Top of a coca-cola can. [electronic print] Available at: <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coca-Cola_can_top.jpg> [Accessed 31st October 2012]

Difference and Effectiveness of Our Idea in Relation to Culture and Consumerism 

We used facial expressions to convey the message to the audiences. According to PhysOrg.com, people from Asia and European countries have different understanding on facial expressions. However, Malaysians are widely expose to both western and Asian culture. Therefore, we understand most of the facial expressions. (Kashmira Lad, 2012, online) Whereas, in the unsatisfactory ad, they used the mark of the ring on the Pepsi can drink to attempt to convey the message to the audience instead of using facial expressions. The mark of the can drink is no difference from any normal soft drinks.

Short Rationale of Our Work 

We re-advertise the Pepsi brand through billboards instead of TV commercials because it’s placed along highways, therefore people will notice the ad everyday if they travel the same route repeatedly. Whereas during heavy traffic, audiences will tend to look at the ad. (Tanya.R, 2012, online)
They will also most likely to remember the ad more and there is no option to turn off the ad. Unlike TV commercial, audiences might switch channels before the ad finish airing. (Lynda M.B, 2012, online)

Based on Pepsi’s theme in 2007, “The taste that’s once forever young”, we've decided to use this theme because who wouldn’t want to be forever young and enjoy life? Based on Lexiophiles, the Generation Y or the Peter Pan Generation is a large group of 25-40 years old young adults who are mostly the children of the Generation X. The Peter Pan generation got its name after a famous character from the novel of J. M. Barrie due to Peter Pan's mentality which describes this generation perfectly. This group of people don’t want to face any responsibility and delayed the start of their adulthood. They don’t like seeing themselves as adults because they don’t see anything good in being one.  (Eva, 2012,online)

In our final work,  we make a series of billboard ads, showing people of 3 different age group posing with pouty lips and the lips with the colour of red and blue. The reason why we use people of all ages is to show that everyone is young at heart and we all have an inner child within us. Besides,  Pepsi's logo looks like the shape of a lips.

Spydaman13, 2012. Cross 1.6 Read between the lines [electronic print] Available at: <http://12160.info/profiles/blogs/illuminati-sun-symbolism-world-s-100-best-brand-logos> [Accessed 5th December 2012]

 Elena.Z, 2010. Jessica Biel [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.jurgita.lt/images/id/125503> [Accessed 2nd December 2012]

References

Phys.org (2009) Facial expressions show language barriers too. [online] Available at: <http://phys.org/news169385578.html> [Accessed: 1st Dec 2012].

Lad, K. (2012) Culture of Malaysia. [online] Available at: <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/culture-of-malaysia.html >[Accessed: 1st Dec 2012].

Ortwin Oberhauser (2010) The Pepsi Shaolin Monk boy Commercial Video. [online] Available at: <http://www.ortwin-oberhauser.com/the-pepsi-shaolin-monk-boy-commercial-video/> [Accessed: 29th October 2012].

ct09e24 (2007) Entry2_Phungvuchaulong. [online] Available at: <http://ct09e24.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/entry2_phungvuchaulong/> [Accessed: 31st October 2012].

Alanbane.blogpsot, 2010. The Critical Mind - The Pepsi Monk.[online] Available at: <http://alanbane.blogspot.com/2010/05/critical-mind-pepsi-monk.html> [Accessed 31st October 2012]

Lexiophiles (2012) Do you want to be forever young? – Welcome to Neverland!. [online] Available at: <http://www.lexiophiles.com/english/do-you-want-to-be-forever-young-welcome-to-neverland> [Accessed: 31st October 2012].

eHow (2011) The Advantages & Disadvantages of Billboard Advertising. [online] Available at: <http://www.ehow.com/info_8211770_advantages-disadvantages-billboard-advertising.html> [Accessed: 7th November 2012].

Small Business - Chron.com (1999) The Advantages & Disadvantages of Billboards As an Advertisement Tool. [online] Available at: <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-billboards-advertisement-tool-16143.html >[Accessed: 7th November 2012].

Idea try out

We decided to use facial expressions to depict playfulness as facial expressions are easier to read for most people. We used the pouting lips expression because the Pepsi's logo resembles a pair of lips. The expression also depicts playfulness because it is as if they are asking for a kiss. Playfulness is associated with youth which goes well with our selected theme. After consultation, we decided to replace the images with our own images. In addition, our target audiences are Malaysians, so we replaced the foreigners models to Asians.

Why do we want to be young and beautiful?

From psychological perspective

Within social sciences, the standards of beauty were for a long time considered to be culturally determined, meaning that different people with different life experiences in different cultures acquire different standards of beauty, as captured in the famous sentence "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". 

However, two groups of findings have challenged this common assumption: 
-First, people in different cultures generally agree on which faces are attractive 
-Second, preferences emerge early in life, before cultural standards of beauty are likely to be assimilated. 

Evolutionary psychology explores the psychological adaptations (evolved psychological mechanisms constructed by natural selection) that constitute human nature. From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, beauty is not a cultural construct and appreciating beauty is not learned but is rather a biological adaptation, a part of universal human nature: the preferences for some physical characteristics reflect adaptations for mate choice because they signal aspects of mate quality. 

Theory of natural selection explains the adaptations, which help organisms in their tasks of survival. However, an organism can be adapted and survive for many years without passing its qualities to future generations--to pass them it must reproduce. The theory of sexual selection explains the adaptations that have arisen as a consequence of successful mating. In order to gain reproductive success, women and men adopt certain mate selection strategies--integrated sets of adaptations, not necessarily conscious, which organize and guide the individual's reproductive efforts. (Acta.C.C, 2010, online)

From general perspective 

- For me, it's the idea that by accepting age, it puts me psychologically at the end of my own one, short life. Trying to stay young allows me the perception that I have more time to live. Of course physically, that doesn't make any sense because we all live to different ages and no one has any control over that...but I feel happier "thinking" that I've got a long way to go.

- You only live one life.

- No one wants to experience what comes with getting old, wrinkle skin,hot flashes, no teeth, expensive dyes,male and female wigs, week bones, loss gravity,bad feet, bad eyes, bad hearing, hearing aids stuck in your ear, not having the strength to do what you once could,can't drive, can't run can't walk, can't read the small print that some are using to decieve older and younger ones , and no one around to care in the times we are living in.    (Yahoo, 2008, online)

The Peter Pan Generation

The Generation Y or the Peter Pan Generation is a large group of 25-40 years old young adults who are mostly the children of the Generation X. The Peter Pan generation got its name after the famous character from the novel of J. M. Barrie due to Peter Pan's mentality that describes this generation perfectly. They Are Never Growing Up!

The members of the Peter Pan Generation are not able or don’t want to face any responsibility such as housing, jobs, marriage and children. Many of them still live with the parents or depend on them financially, since they spin out their studies with years. The people with Peter Pan Syndrome (yes, it exists!) don’t like seeing themselves as adults because they don’t see anything good in being one. They delayed the start of their adulthood. They would like to have a balanced work-life ratio, they tend to spend their time for social networking, friends, hobbies, career is less important. 
(Eva, 2012, online)

Reference

1. Answers.yahoo.com, 2008. Why do people want to stay young?. [online] Available at: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100109081720AAtu4Td [Accessed: 5 Dec 2012].

2. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2010. Why do we all want to be young and beautiful (and women especially)? From the evolutionary psychological perspective.. [online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21830463 [Accessed: 5 Dec 2012].

3. Lexiophiles, 2012. Do you want to be forever young? - Welcome to Neverland! [online] Available at: <http://www.lexiophiles.com/english/do-you-want-to-be-forever-young-welcome-to-neverland> [Accessed 5 Dec 2012]

by Shu Man and Nicole Yong

Idea Development III

 by voon ann

During consultation with Ms.Jinchi, she suggested us an idea of a lady doing her make up in front of the mirror to show the feeling of 'Youth' and instead of cosmetics on her table, its all pepsi. This is the sketch that we try to draw out the idea.

by Nicole

We continue to expand the idea of women wearing make up for our sketches,
this is because make up hides the flaws in people and shows the beautiful and young side of a person.  

 by Voon Ann

by Nicole

youngsters nowadays like to take pictures of themselves therefore this shows a different side of youth.

by Voon Ann

Two little kids riding on the roller coaster. 

This is because roller coaster brings out the energy, that only young people usually have.

Their hair is half red and half blue (which represents the color of the pepsi logo)

Whereas their shirt has the pepsi logo on.

                                          by Ruth

Instead of riding on the roller coaster, the people in the advert will be riding on a huge pepsi can instead.

While riding on the huge pepsi can, pepsi will splash everywhere.

by Camille

A group of teenagers are seen riding a pepsi bottle instead of a boat to go whitewater rafting.

 The water will be replaced by pepsi instead.

by Camille 

 a continuation of Nicole's pouty lips idea, I came up with an idea of a lady holding a ring from a pepsi can and thinking of her youthful days.

Visual Reference

We used some of Pepsi's Ads as our visual reference for our billboard ad.

Lajo, 2009. Joy-Pepsi. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.janubaba.com/c/forum/topic/34676/Teen_Talk/Coke_Versus_Pepsi> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

Anonymous, 2008. Pepsi. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.webdesignerhelp.co.uk/index.php/2009/02/30-creative-adverts/> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

Geeksucks, 2009. Inspirational Pepsi Ads. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.geeksucks.com/inspiration/inspirational-pepsi-ads.htm> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

AdMe Group, 2004. Pepsi attracts straws. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.advertolog.com/tmpbrand/print-outdoor/pepsi-attracts-straws-6511455/i> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

Geeksucks, 2009. Inspirational Pepsi Ads. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.geeksucks.com/inspiration/inspirational-pepsi-ads.htm> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

Geeksucks, 2009. Inspirational Pepsi Ads. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.geeksucks.com/inspiration/inspirational-pepsi-ads.htm> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

Geeksucks, 2009. Inspirational Pepsi Ads. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.geeksucks.com/inspiration/inspirational-pepsi-ads.htm> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

Geeksucks, 2009. Inspirational Pepsi Ads. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.geeksucks.com/inspiration/inspirational-pepsi-ads.htm> [Accessed 17th November 2012].

Almap, 2003. Teeth. [electronic print] Available at: <http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/pepsi-teeth-5332055/> [Accessed: 17th November 2012].

                                                                                                       by Voon Ann.

Target Audience

Our target audiences are Malaysians from the age group ranging from children as young as 12 to adults in their 40s.

DinoBeano, 2012. Malaysians living in harmony. [electronic print] Available at:<http://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/malaysians-speak-out/> Accessed: 3rd December 2012]

According to Phys.org, people from Asian and European countries have different understanding on facial expressions. However, Malaysians are widely exposed to both western and Asian culture. (Kashmira Lad, 2012, online)
We've decided to convey the message by using facial expressions as Malaysians tend to rely on non-verbal communications to interact. Examples of non-verbal communications are voice tone, body language, eye-contact and facial expressions. (Geert Hofstede, 2009, online) .Silence is considered an important element in communicating in Malaysia. For example, Malaysians usually pause before responding to a question because they tend to give in more thoughts on how to appropriately respond to the question. (kwintessential, 2012, online)

Uteclementconsulting, 2012. High context low context. [electronic print] Available at:<http://www.uteclementconsulting.de/ucc/en/company/consulting/6.-intercultural-context/6.-intercultural-context---complete.php?lang=EN> Accessed: 3rd December 2012.

Malaysia is considered as a country with high context culture because they use lesser words but more actions  to communicate. (Geert Hofstede, 2009, online) A high context culture means a culture in which an individual    internalized information so that little is expressed stated in written or spoken messages. (Amy Tan, 2004, online)





References:

1. Geert Hofstede, 2012. Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions on Malaysia. [online] Available at: <http://predicate.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/geert-hofstedes-cultural-dimensions-on-malaysia/> Accessed: 3rd December 2012.
2. Amy Tan, 2004. High context cultures and low context cultures. [online] Available at: <http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/tan.html> Accessed: 3rd December 2012.
3. Kwintessential, 2012. Malaysia- Language, culture, customs, etiquette. [online] Available at: <http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/malaysia.html> Accessed: 3rd December 2012.
4. Regional Language Network, 2007. Malaysia and Singapore- People, culture, language. [online] Available at: <http://www.rln-london.com/pdf/country/Malaysia_Singapore.pdf> Accessed; 3rd December 2012.
5. Phys.org (2009) Facial expressions show language barriers too. [online] Available at: <http://phys.org/news169385578.html> [Accessed: 1st Dec 2012].
   
   
   

                                         by Voon Ann