Analyzing Style

This blog entry will focus mainly on the Nintendo Wii console.  Continuing from my previous post, I'm going to try to look at the "lifestyle" the Wii tries to encourage in its target demographic.  We'll start with a Wii commercial.  Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5cPVP_llfo

What a loaded piece!  First of all, there are two very distinct phases in this commercial (as well as in all of the other Wii commercials I've seen) that repeat as it runs its course.  There are the driving bits, where the two Japanese businessmen are going from place to place, and then there's the scenes with the familys playing their new games.
One of the first things I noticed during the gaming segments is that, unlike many other video gaming commercials, the Wii advertising focuses more on what's happening in front of the television screen, rather than on it.  In fact, many camera angles are shot from the perspective of the TV itself.  The scenes show a family enjoying themselves together, or perhaps a group of friends, with everyone being physically active and involved, standing up and cheering rather than sitting or lounging.
The car scenes break up what is basically the same scene into many pieces, to show a larger group of types of people enjoying the system.

If Lanham was to analyze the commercial, I'd think he would lable the gaming scenes as having a verbal style.  These parts are obviously very active and dynamic scenes,  all showing just how much fun the Wii can be to anyone, of all ages, whether they're familar with video gaming or have never picked up a controller in their lives.  The car scenes also serve to show the details, which you can see as the businessmen arrive at each location.  These moments would be more of a noun style, giving the objective, less action-packed details to the viewer.

While Nintendo is trying to sell their consoles and games, at the end of the day they do that by convincing the consumer that they are selling a unique, interpersonal experience, open to anyone to enjoy.  Even the name tries to push this.  The system is spelled "Wii" with two "i's" to resemble two people coming together, and is named such for simplicity no matter nationality, and to truly emphasize that it really is for everyone.

To sum up, here's a quote from Satoru Iwata, the current president of Nintendo, from a recent press conference:*

"As we've stated before, we're not thinking about fighting Sony, but about how many people we can get to play games. The thing we're thinking about most is not portable systems, consoles, and so-forth, but that we want to get new people playing games."

*Taken from http://ds.ign.com/articles/750/750610p1.html

This blog entry will focus mainly on Sony's Playstation 3 console, and as with the Wii, I will try to show how the brand sells a lifestyle to gamers by looking at it's advertising.  First, we'll start with some commercials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqkNPcUMffU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyFrekxy7wg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qamwVJaYW8&feature=related

For advertising with no dialogue (unless you count the sounds uttered by the baby doll), these are certainly interesting pieces to look at.
I find it hard to deny the very strong vertical tint of these commercials.  They are filled with visual symbols, relating to the utter power of the console (which is arguably the most technologically mighty of the three that I'm exploring), trying to sell a system that offers the consumer a gaming experience unlike any other, something on possibly another dimension.  There are (in each commercial) no people, no video games, not even TVs, just the Playstation 3 console and ordinary, mundane objects, alone together in a sterile white room.
It's also interesting to see what I see as hypotactical elements in the commercials.  The dolls full attention is on the console, and it's disturbing actions  all occur with the Playstation 3 reflected in its eyes.  The eggs seem to be pulled somehow by an invisible force emmenating from the controller, and are helplessly subject to its will, which then smashes them against a wall, birthing a flock of fully grown ravens.  The rubix cube is dragged toward the console, then lifted in the air, solved in an insanely fast manner (to anyone who's ever tried to solve a rubix cube), and then explodes, painting the walls with its color.  In each instance, the console then rises into the air, seemingly of its own volition and on its own power.  The order of importance is stated, so to speak.

I think more than any of the other consoles, the commercials for the Playstation 3 are prime examples of selling an experience rather than a product.  There is no indication of the console's performance anywhere in the advertising, and the potential consumer is left to wonder at the logic-defying power of the system.  The idea is that when you shell out the extra cash for a playstation 3, you're paying for a gaming experience that's another world away from everything else.

Continuing in the same vein as my previous posts, this blog entry will focus on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, and more importantly, the style or lifestyle(s) associated with and "pushed" by it's advertising.
(Note: I've recieved some comments about the last entry, involving the PS3.  Just to clear up any confusion, I was concentrating on commercials from the advertising campaign Sony used to market its console shortly after its release.  I recognize that more recent advertisements do in fact show the games and the graphics of the system.)

We'll start off with a few commercials, as always.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjacKfoiH6o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAfANb2Cs9Q

and finally, one that was apparantly banned, or at the least hasn't been aired on television yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1koDmMSfi0M

Of all three systems, the Xbox 360 is the one that I hadn't seen any commercials for, before this study.  Having seen only many commercials for specific games or groups of games for the console, and knowing that the target demographic of the console is mainly established gamers, I figured the commercials would be more technical and practical, not trying to push an idea of an experience on the customer.  I was wrong.
It's funny, the first thing that came to mind after watching these commercials was how similar they were to the PS3 advertisements, yet so different.  Taken together, you could view all three as one big isocolon, being structured with the same idea and differing only a little with each individual ad.  The difference is that while the PS3 commercials did this with nigh-disturbing images of the raw power of Sony's console, the 360 commercials do the same with seemingly child like or everyday activities involving large groups of people, seemingly with little regard for social distance between different demographics.
It all makes more sense after you read the words at the end of each: "Jump in".
What these commercials show, without even showing off the console, let alone the video games, is that the Xbox 360 can allow anyone to easily "jump in" on the fun, that they have easy access to quality entertainment.  Understanding of Microsoft's emphasis on online support (via the 360's "Xbox Live" service) helps me to understand the philosophy here.  When I turn on my Xbox and sign in to "live," there are at any time thousands of other people who have done the same, and are ready and willing to play their games with each other and me.  And it is in that sense that I more fully understand how the above commercials are doing more showing than telling to effectively sell the console.

In my next two posts I will try to bring it all together.  What are the major differences/overlaps between the ideologies of the differing consoles?  How well do these show up in the advertising?

The last third of this blog report will be devoted to final looks at what's happening with the advertising for the three consoles we've looked at, looking for similarities and notable stylistic differences, and looking lightly at the results of the advertising campaigns.

As I mentioned in the last post, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 commercials seem to have a lot in common.  Both sets of hyperlinked commercials shy away from showing what their respective systems actually do in favor of more abstract notions of what it means to play one, and of course to own one.  The major difference is that the Playstation commercials try to awe and impress with the ominous, perhaps frightening power of the console, while the Xbox commercials emphasize the community aspect of gaming, to which a prospective owner could be granted access, if only he or she will buy the system.

The Wii advertising carves out a different path here.  It is interesting to see the similarity between the Wii and Xbox 360 commercials, with the community aspect appearing in Nintendo's ad.  However in this case the emphasis is on closely knit groups of friends and family, so the reflection isn't perfect.

Equally interesting to me is the fact that I can find no common ground between the Wii and Playstation 3 commercials.  I would cautiously suggest that there is no similarity of style between the commercials, nor any similarity in the experience being advertised.

It would seem that if we were to draw a graph representing the relationship between the advertising of the consoles studied here, the Xbox 360 would be the bridge between the two.

In the conclusion of the blog report, I plan on looking at the relative success and/or failure of the advertising studied.

So here, in my last blog post, I have one last question to go over.  How successful were/are the console advertising campaigns?  In pushing their "lifestyle" on people?  In living up to what they advertised?  In selling the consoles themselves?  Well I guess that's more than one question.

In sheer numbers, one could argue that all three systems have seen success, depending on where you draw the line.  The difference is in how successful each is.
Sony has sold approximately 10.49 million playstations worldwide.
Microsoft has sold approximately 18 million Xbox 360s.
Nintendo has sold approximately 20.13 million Wiis.
(Sources can be found at the end.)

It would be foolish to say that these large numbers were direct results from the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of the corresponding advertising for each system.  That said, I find it interesting when comparing the relative sales with the styles of advertising used for each.  I can't help but think that the advertising for the Playstation 3 (and perhaps to a lesser extent, the Xbox 360) was ineffective at best, and harmful at worst for its sales.  What sets Nintendo's advertising apart is how it not only sells a unique experience to a wider audience, it also actually shows off its system, bringing the two together.
There are of course other variables as well, price, availability, and such.
But, did the consoles live up to what they advertised?  As some of the commercials (noteably Sony's) were somewhat abstract, the answer to this question is open to interpretation.  The Wii most certainly has, as it offers exactly the kind of experience shown in the commercials.  I've been told stories of retailers at video game stores complaining about how "there isn't enough Wiis because non-gamers are buying them!"  Nintendo has accomplished exactly what it intended with its console.
The Xbox 360 has as well, if you see the advertising as such for the Xbox live community.  This online gaming population has swollen to some 7 million regular users (http://kotaku.com/gaming/onetwothreefourfive/fresh-xbox-live-user-stats-280573.php), giving the service an "always on" feel.
Sony, I'm not so sure about.  The Playstation 3 suffered for a long time from a lack of software support.  It was a gaming system with almost no games.  It has seen a recent upswing in available software, and is starting to become profitable, but in my opinion it has yet to reach it's true potential.  It is, as the commercials suggest, the most powerful system, but in my opinion, for it to make good on the experience it's pushing, it has to be that powerful in more than just a couple games.

Sources:
http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps3_sale_e.html
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=93248
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2008/080124e.pdf#page=8

Over the course of these blogs, it will be my aim to explore how consumer lives are stylized by the media, corporate brands, and most specifically, the video gamer sub-culture, with an emphasis on the lifestyle of gamers who own and or play on one of the major video game consoles of our day.

Some of the issues I hope to discuss are:

What brands target gamers?

Which gamers are targeted by which brands?

Inversely, what aspects of gaming culture affect brands?

What personality is a gamer profiled in by way of his or her choice in gaming technology?

What is the ?personality? of each system?

Are there connections between the video game systems that connect users across brand-lines?

 

I?m hoping to be able to deal with not only these questions, but also any others that arise as we explore the stylization of the lives of ?gamers.?

 

To finish off my first post, I?ll list some details about the flagship products of the brands I?ll be looking at, the three most popular home video game consoles.

 

First, there?s the Nintendo Wii.  It is the fifth home console created by Nintendo, seen by many as the father company of contemporary video games.  Nintendo?s website can be reached here:

 

http://www.nintendo.com/countryselector

 

And the website for the Wii can be reached here:

 

http://wii.com/

 

Secondly, we have Sony?s Playstation 3, the third home console created by Sony, following the Playstation and Playstation 2.  Sony?s website can be reached here:

 

http://www.sony.com/index.php

 

And the website for the Playstation 3 can be reached here:

 

http://www.us.playstation.com/

 

Third up is Microsoft?s Xbox 360.  While the 360 is only the second home console by Microsoft, it has seen success enough in establishing it?s own place in the gaming community as well as in sales to contend with the previously mentioned systems.  Microsoft?s website can be found here:

 

http://www.microsoft.com/en/us/default.aspx

 

And the website for the Xbox 360 can be reached here:

 

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/

 

On a final note, while I may not be focusing, in these blogs, very much on PC gaming, I believe there is a lifestyle attached to computer-gamers as well.  However, I think that that is a different beast of a subject altogether, and so won?t be focusing on it in this work.

The "touchstones," which Lanham lists in his book, are practical check points, to summarize his explanation, that help identify the high, low and middle styles. Harley-Davidson's website contains evidence supporting a high style. Lanham initially provides a limited and introductory description of this style as "the style aimed at the hearer's emotions rather than the facts, which develops into the high style." I've covered a few touchstones that align with a high style, such as rhetorical, ornamented and emotional. Some word choice or diction suggests a high style from a socio-economic perspective. In the "rider creeds" section, a Harley-owner makes a comparison to "the bumpiest country road" and his "Lazy-Boy." And in the next sentence, he mentions "a hilltop road shoulder" alongside his "widescreen TV." These items are usually considered luxuries and this particular rider exemplifies a high style within the realm of Harley owners that coincides with the "aristocratic" touchstone, which is included in Lanham's list. From the same socio-economic perspective, a middle style within the realm of Harley owners seems to exist in other quotations. 

"We believe in road-side attractions, gas station hotdogs and finding out what's over the next hill."

"We believe in wearing black because it doesn't show any dirt or weakness."

Images like unkept beards, oil smudges and rusty industrial metal along with items such as "gas station hotdogs" and "road-side attractions" do not seem different or outstanding, and takes a backseat to other tropes, schemes and images. The aforementioned could be considered stereotypical of a biker or Harley owner and therefore represent a middle style within this lifestyle.

Lanham describes 4 criteria for identifying a periodic style: suspension, parallelism, balance and climax. H-D utilizes a periodic style to help define a lifestyle and satisfies all of the above.  In the creed film, a single person recites the first line and is gradually joined by others.  Eventually, a large crowd of people simultaneously recite the creed.  This slow build-up of speakers coupled with a repeating anaphora, ?We believe?, creates suspension. This build-up is also mirrored by the motorcyclists in the video. Initially, one cyclist and one speaker are seen or heard. Then, other cyclists join the lone rider as more speakers are heard. Eventually, an army of bikers accompanies an army of voices.  At the end of the period, the original speaker finishes the creed alone, which contrasts with the previous rumbling of many, and releases the suspension by ending the anaphora.

?We believe the machine you sit on can tell the world exactly where you stand.?

?We don?t care what everyone else believes.?

Anadiplosis, a device associated with climax that repeats the last word in a sentence at the beginning of the next sentence, is used.

?We believe life is what you make it. And, we make it one hell of a ride.?  

Also, within single lines we see figures of balance, such as antithesis.

?Some of us believe in a man upstairs all of us believe in sticking it to the man down here.?

?We believe the machine you sit on can tell the world exactly where you stand.?

Finally, there are figures of parallelism, such as syllepsis.  ?Going? is used to mean the world is ?changing? in the first clause and in the second clause it takes on a literal meaning, ?to move?.

?We believe the world is going soft and we?re not going along with it.?   The calculated and abundant  rhetoric shows the audience that the speaker has a firm grasp on the subject.

In continuation with my analysis of ?the creed film,? which can be viewed here, I think it?s important to mention the trademarked phrase ?Live by it? that prefaces the film because it supports the claim that H-D is marketing a lifestyle.  In the second and third lines of the creed, the ?rebellious? trait of this lifestyle resurfaces. ?Bucking the system? and ?sticking it to the man? are arguably proverbial due to the frequent use of these lines throughout America?s history - with ?the man? and ?the system? often symbolizing the government or a force that oppresses. In the second line, ?The system? smashes ?individuals,? which supports another H-D theme surrounding individualism or style. This line is also a simile that compares ?the system? to a ?windshield.? (However it?s an odd simile because it seems to strengthen ?the system? due to its equivalent, the windshield, dominating the opposing bugs.)  In the third line, we see another possible religious reference in ?a man upstairs.?

?We believe in bucking the system that?s built to smash individuals like bugs on a windshield.?

 ?Some of us believe in a man upstairs all of us believe in sticking it to the man down here.?

Imagery and audio in the film that helps define the Harley lifestyle includes:  atmosphere (sky, mountains, country side), people (a lone biker on a highway as well as companionship in multiple bikers traveling together, female and male gender and racial diversity), tattoos, sunglasses, boots, goggles, cigarettes, metal, chains, the American flag, an old bridge, an old gas station, muscles, rock and roll, the roaring of Motorcycles and the rumbling of idle engines. Additionally, H-D has even trademarked the sound of their bikes? engine ? truly a testament to their pursuit of style (need source). Some of these images portray people with their Harleys engaging in conventions such as marriage, noted by the ?just married? sign on the hind of a bike as a couple treks down a highway.  And, we see elements of family with the presence of children. All of the motorcycles in the film are of different styles as well.

On the same webpage, H-D has provided a place for Harley riders to submit and share their own creeds that embody the same themes that we?ve seen.  Leo Pike of New Bedford, MA wrote ?I believe the Harley is the ultimate symbol of American freedom . . . I look at my Harley and see America!? Peter N. Becker of Plano, TX wrote ?We are the modern day cowboy; we salute another rider, even if we don?t know their name. We respect each other.?  Finally, Kevin Bontrager of Fairview, MI wrote ?I believe in family, friends and God. I believe my Harley-Davidson can get me to all these places.?

In my previous entries I touched on what it means to own a Harley.  I concluded that to own a Harley is not simply to own a motorcycle; it?s much more. One could argue that this ownership helps one to define his or herself. Although the evidence might seem limited to tangible items such as custom sprockets, chrome handlebars, chrome exhaust pipes and custom paint jobs, there?'s a distinct section on Harley-Davidson?s website dubbed ?"Riders"? that helps define this lifestyle with little focus on the aforementioned items. In this section there are one-liners in big bold font, which read ?"Bound by the passion to ride"? and ?"Start the adventure?."?  Here we learn that these particular riders or consumers share qualities such as adventurous, passionate and bold.  We also learn that this lifestyle is akin to a religion, in a short film called ?"The Creed Film."?

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Riders/Creed_Video.jsp?locale=en_US&locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US

The creed is recited as if the speakers are confessing or perhaps preaching their world views.  Also, the creed is terminated with an ?"Amen."?  An impressive anaphora starts nearly every line in this doctrine with ?"We believe."?  In the first line, we see an example of chiasmus with the words ?"going"? and ?"way"? being the first and last words in the first phrase and reversing positions in the latter phrase.  Interestingly, these two words surround two different entities that Harley-Davidson wants to separate - the individual ("?our own?") and "?the rest of the world"? - in order to reinforce a reoccurring theme based on freedom and rebellion.  Furthermore, the independent clause contains elements of a verb style with an immediate ?subject + verb? combination, ?"We believe,"? which Richard Lanham explains in his book.  The following gerund phrase, ?"going our own way,"? supports action too.     

?We believe in going our own way, no matter which way the rest of the world is going.?

After spending some time analyzing their products, I'm convinced that Harley-Davidson is trying to predominantly sell a lifestyle.  A lot of language and imagery is littered on their website that defines this style (www.harley-davidson.com).  However, if one wants to learn more about Harley-Davidson's products, the intuitive "motorcycle" tab leads one to a break-down of the different bike types, although very little useful information is provided here.  A price tag and more of the same rhetoric that supports ideas based on American tradition are found in the varying model's descriptions.  The "Dyna" description reads:

Descended from the days of the first hardcore custom fanatics.
It's ground few dare to tread.
Thick slices of steel and alloy served on top of a thunder-breathing V-twin.

This description utilizes a verb style and is loaded with alliterations that overlap and create multiple layers. The second line resolves the intertwining alliterations, which began in the first line, with "few" and "dare." This line, an adage, thickens because the words "ground" and "tread" also symbolize a motorcycle in action, with "tread" being a synecdoche for motorcycle. The third line, a metaphor, compares the "Dyna" with a food item that is a part of American culture - the hamburger.  Also, the dense third line comprises a new pair of intertwining alliterations that begin with "Thick" and "slices." The "Sportster" description references Independence day and assumes the reader is familiar with related customs, such as igniting fireworks. "Every firecracker fuse you've ever lit was just practise. Live wire performance with just enough flat-track soul."        

If one continues to search for hard information about "Harleys," clicking on any of the hyperlinks will lead to another page with more rhetoric of the same theme. A series of short clips that feature men and women riding Harleys to rock and blues offer very little information about the actual motorcycles, the product. Finally, a visitor is able to access a pop-up window with actual, technical information regarding Harley-Davidson motorcycles.  The style and presentation of this information is the antithesis of their typical form. It's nearly void of all rhetoric, the language is transparent and it's organized in a non-descript chart that's filled with numbers and legal notes.

It's apparent to me that Harley-Davidson is no longer only selling motorcycles.

In the United States some people have come to recognize the brand name 'Harley-Davidson' as synonymous with 'motorcycle'.  This particular brand has been around since the early 1900s and has played a role in major American historical events, such as World Wars I and II.  Harley Davidson's initial success was largley due to technological innovations and their ability to mimic competition's advancements.  However, after enjoying several decades of success, they were eventually unable to keep-up with their compeition and sales plummeted.  Foreign-made bikes were besting the American-made Harleys in the arena of functionality - an old arena that Harley Davidson once stood victorious in.

Today, the company is enjoying success again after having been repurchased and reformed.  And, the idea of 'owning a Harley' has been explored and utilized to help usher in this new-found success.  While other competitive manufacturers continue to focus on logos-centric aspects, such as efficiency and practicality, Harley Davidson has focused on aspects of pathos and ethos in order to further define its product as well as its consumers.  They have redesigned and released older models of motorcycles that remind us of America's past.  They sell a slew of after-market parts and accessories  for consumers to customize or personalize their bikes' aesthetics.  Additionally, Harley Davidson has clung to the claim that their bikes are made in America.  Their website is littered with phrases and one-liners about style, such as "Where preformance and style come together," "It's all about the experience," and "accessorizing is about choices that turn a bike into an expression of your soul."  On accompanying pages, strong rhetoric is used to underscore their style, such as the American flag, images of people wearing bandanas, sunglasses, badges or leather vests that may represent the quintessential American rebel, and there's even content devoted to military veterans as well as their experiences.

The business of selling advice and expertise is obviously a lucrative one.  The proof of this is in the abundance of specialty magazines, television networks, websites, books, etc. that exist specifically to sell tips, techniques and know-how.  There are magazines that promise to teach the reader how to play the guitar like Duane Allman, how to catch the biggest bass, how to get better tomatoes from the garden, how to make the perfect rissoto, how to throw a curveball that breaks harder...In fact, if you can think of a skill you'd like to develop, you can bet there is someone out there who wants to sell you the secrets to success in that skill.  If you don't believe me, try this little exercise - think of any skill or activity, let's call it X, and then do a google search for X tips.  You will get TONS of results.  I tried "fishing tips" and got 1,430,000  results, and a bunch of recommendations about how to refine my search.  Did I want to know about how to tie fishing knots?  How to catch catfish?  Tips about ice fishing?  Let's just say, there is a lot of advice out there.
 

Obviously, some of these websites are "not-for-profit".  Some people just really love fishing so they make a blog about it to share what they've learned with others.  Click a few links, though, and you're sure to find that such sites are in the minority.  The strange thing (as I mentioned in an earilier post) is that most of this information that is being sold is not new.  Is it only now, in 2008, that expert guitar scientists have been able to unlock the key to Jimi Hendrix's guitar style?  Of course not.  We've known exactly what notes he was playing since he first played them forty years ago.

These articles are generally written in an exploded period style.  This style is very effective for getting the readers' attention and drawing him/her into the article because it assumes from the beginning that (keeping with the Jimi Hendrix article, which appeared a few years ago in Guitar Player Magazine) there is a "secret" to Hendrix's style that can be easily learned and imitated.  It also starts with the most exciting conclusion - that it is possible to play like Jimi Hendrix - and in doing so, provides a very strong hook for the reader.  Would an article that was completely up-front be as effective?  Say, an article with the title: "Years of Practice Result in Technical Mastery of the Guitar"?  or "Jimi Hendrix Spent Most of His Life Relentlessly Honing His Talents, and You  Can Too!"?  Of course not.  In the actual article, the advice amounts to little more than this.  It essentially shows a few little "licks" that Hendrix liked to employ as fills between solos and verses and a few of the standard guitar techniques he used (hammer-ons, pull-offs, palm muting - for any fellow guitar nerds) and then tells us that Hendrix spent thousands and thousands of hours practicing and if we practice the techniques described in the article, we can sound like a reasonable facsimile of his sound.

We see here that the exploded period is important in Advice Writing because it provides a strong hook.

Continuing with my theme of Brier Creek and the way it removes individuality from the world of consumerism, in this post I will talk about a specific style associated with Brier Creek.

Thursday we looked at Michel De Certeau's article "Practice of Space." De Certeau spoke of Synedoche in his analysis of New York City. He defines synedoche as "employing the word in a sense that is part of another sense of the same word; in essense, it is naming a part for the whole in which it is included." BC (Brier Creek) is a part--the consumerism part--of a whole--the customer's life. BC is only one aspect of the customer's life, but BC wants the customer to believe that BC is a representation of the customer's whole life. Their website says, "With over 70 retailers and restaurants, there is always something exciting in store for you at Brier Creek Commons." If I may paraphrase, it would read as, "With over 70 stores, you don't need to go anywhere else. Brier Creek Commons can fulfill your every need and desire." It is only a part, but that part represents the world (of consumerism) in its entirity.

Along with analyzing BC, I would also like to look at Crossroads in Cary, and Beaver Creek Commons in Apex. As far as layout is concerned, BC and Beaver Creek are nearly identical. There is a long strip of stores, two long strips for Beaver Creek, and then stores that branch off of a strip perpendicular to the main strip.  In a later post, I will talk more about how the structure of these shopping centers represents one of Lanham's styles.

While Crossroads differs in layout, it does not differ in its use of synedoche. Crossroads' website, much like BC's, reads, "At Crossroads Plaza, you will find more than what you came for! With over 70 stores, services and restaurants, there is something for everyone at Crossroads Plaza." This sounds all too familiar. Both BC and Crossroads promise to fit everyone's style and desire. It is as if the shopping centers want the customers to think that they had every single shopper in mind when they chose their stores. Once again, synedoche can be seen. BC and Crossroads are a representation or a part of the customer's whole. They are a small picture of the world itself and what it should be. The world should "have something for everyone" just like BC or Crossroads has. I don't know about the rest of you, but that scares me. 

I found it interesting, humorous, and rather ironic that BC and Crossroads use the same picture on their websites.

They each have "something for everyone" and "something exciting in store for you," yet the image they use to represent their shoppers is identical. I don't feel unique and catered to when I know that both shopping centers are too lazy and generic to make sure their pictures differ from other shopping centers. The way in which they represent a part of the whole causes BC and Crossroads to lose their individuality, and instead of being a unique part of the whole, they become a part that looks like every other part.  

The cover of this magazine might just spark your interest.  You may ask yourself, "what does every writer need to know?"  The answer, you may be sorry to hear, is not some secret technique or some new breakthrough.  Instead, it is exactly what anyone, writer or non-writer alike, would expect.  Tips like, "Characters should behave in ways that are consistent with their motivations" or "Fiction should invovle a good balance between summary and scene" or "Try reading your dialogue out loud.  Does it sound natural or does it sound forced?", while true, are not the sort of thing that most of us would go clamoring to the news-stands to buy.  In fact, these tips aren't really "tips" at all, but rather characteristics that most good writing possesses.  Shakespeare knew this.  Homer knew this.  Dostoevsky knew this. (See that trope?)  And if those guys knew these techniques so many years ago, why would anyone buy a magazine every month that simply repeats the same things that have been known for centuries?  I blame it on the exploded period!

The periodic style tends to build towards a conclusion, often in a style that resembles a logical argument.  As in, Hulk Hogan is taller than Tom Cruise.  If anyone is taller than X, then X is not the tallest person in the world.  Therefore, Tom Cruise is not the tallest person in the world.  In other words, a periodic style towards to drive the reader to one single conclusion.  If the argument is done well, then the reader will, at least in theory, have no choice but to recognize that the conclusion is true.  An exploded period works differently.  It essentially begins with the conclusion and then lists various supporting claims that are thought to substantiate the conclusion.  For example: "Vote for Barak Obama - he has the vision, the talent, and the good judgment to succeed."  This begins with the conclusion and then lists reasons why this conclusion should be accepted.  These two forms, while similar, differ in some important ways.  The evidences in a periodic style seem to function as premises in a logical argument, which should lead to a validly derived conclusion.  This is not always the case, but the structure of the periodic style mimics the structure of a mathematical or logical proof.  The exploded period style does not follow this same structure, and so the evidences function more as support for the claim and not as premises which lead to it.  We can think of a periodic style as a pyramid, where each successive level of building drives us closer to the conclusion.  There would be no pinnacle of the pyramid were it not for the base.
.
The exploded period is more like (I'm sorry if this seems like a stretch...this analogy wasn't as easy as the pyramid!) an oil rig.  It's there to give structure and support to a drill.  If it were possible for the drill to function without the platform, it would not be there.  The peak of the pyramid requires the base or it cannot exist (almost by definition).  This is not the case for the oil rig, which just exists to give structure to something else, but is not an integral part of that thing.  (I might have just confused myself too.  My apologies!).

Styles “Scene” In the opening paragraph of Chapter 4, Styles Seen, in our Lanham text, Lanham refers to the hypotactic style—a style that I have identified in reality television-- as one that lends itself to climactic resolution, and that verbal style has a “visual component.” In other words, prose usually written or spoken can be taken to another level—a level where it can be seen. If the style of reality television can be seen, what does it look like? We can begin to form its visual style, as Lanham suggests, with expectation. Viewers of reality television shows expect conflict between individuals featured (whether it is humorous and trivial or serious), to be let inside the lives of others, and often they expect the climax mentioned above. Events that occur on a reality show could just as easily be written into a sitcom, but reality television has the expectation that it is a different genre of television. Reality television is “supposed” to be composed of a transparent style. Viewers expect fast-moving plots and background info so that if they sit down in front of the TV at any point during the program, it remains easily understood. Again, other types of television shows may by coincidence have these qualities, but one expects them from a reality show where they may be only secondary qualities of another type of show. In addition to expectation, there is shape. The shape of a television program is in the words spoken and in the way the show is presented. I will begin with presentation on-screen. Does the show have a loud, attention-grabbing, or glitzy opening theme song that depicts its stars and their names or a more low-profile introduction? Multiple images on-screen or fast-paced scenes that involve several people in conflict or several people in movement create a verbal style that is centered around action and form a unique shape. In terms of language spoken, does the show consist of short, choppy scenes or longer ones that seem to flow together? We might ask a similar question of prose or analyze prose in the same way to get at the meaning of the language and discuss the type of language used. One reality show could encompass different styles of prose; in one scene there may be co-workers screaming at each other or a couple fighting, and in another there may be a head-shot of one star talking quietly to the camera or a host explaining some aspect of the show. The mix of prose styles used in reality television to fulfill the viewer’s expectations creates the shape and the visual style of the program. The prose style of reality television (and any television show) is dependent upon sight, upon viewing the prose as images and vice-versa. By providing viewers with a way to hear and see prose simultaneously, television allows the style of language (in this case, hypotactical) and the overall shape of the particular show (through its expectations and presentation) to be experienced together.

    So it seems that the life of a dog owner is a life of contradictions. You have both a hypotactical and a paratactical style of living, one in which the overall hypotactical framework is peppered with instances of parataxis brought on by moments of hypotactical accidents on the part of your puppy. Your connections with other people and your causal relationships also take on whole new meanings within this hypotactical/paratactical framework, thanks to your four-legged friend, because while some of your relationships grow and strengthen, others you had before puppy came along are dashed to bits. And your low-style way of living, though it may take some getting used to, is comfortable and satisfying. But when you go to places that cater to the dog crowds, you can become high-style, high-minded -- if just for a little bit.
    So revel in the scent of wet dog, but make sure you take him to the PetsHotel when you leave town so he can exercise in that awesome playroom. And the next time you're cursing the dog for interrupting your study session, remember that life is boring if it is perfectly structured, after all. And just roll with the puppy punches.
    And if you don't have a dog, and you want to be cool, you should get one. If you can afford it, I mean.
    If not, just head over to PetSmart. I'm sure there is a new puppy owner there who can't wait for people to gush over her new mutt. I mean, that's where I'll be.

I have proof the university wants to redefine the library through the Learning Commons. I was having lunch with my friend Carl, and he was drinking water out of a bottle he received from the Friends of the Library. The label on the bottle had a picture of the Learning Commons and its logo, which is a bunch of colorful dots forming lines, with "meet," "discover," "learn" and "create" scattered around the dots. At the top of this logo is a catch-phrase for the Learning Commons: "The New Library." I immediately asked my friend if I could have the bottle, and I can show it in class today if people want to see it. I was going to scan it, but I didn't have a chance before leaving home. (Plus, I didn't want to get my scanner sticky with the label or have to pull it off of the bottle.)   

The Learning Commons also wants to appear high-tech, which is another thing not associated with a library. I think of the library as a classic place -- a place to interact with paper and hardcopies -- but the Learning Commons practically flaunts its technology, with its video games, TV screens in the group work rooms, live camera, computer availability shown online and electronics students can borrow -- which includes iPods and the new MacBook Air. This use of technology is not congruent with the traditional idea of a library, which further supports that the Learning Commons is a different kind of library. However, I don't agree with the Friends of the Library that it's the "new" library. It is an alternative to the traditional library.

So, I guess it would make sense to have a form of a conclusion as I wrap up my last blog. The Learning Commons has a verbal, paratactical style and creates an atmosphere for students that is familiar to them because it reminds them of a dorm room. This creates a positive environment for students who don't tend to like libraries. It is the library for the average student.

    Aside fromt he obvious necessary costs associated with being a dog owner, like vet bills and food, there are a whole host of things most new owners -- including myself -- just don't account for. Those chew toys that you buy to keep puppy from destroying all your shoes, those are pricey. And you'd be amazed at how fast they go through them. There are other edibles like doggy treats -- which also need to be replenished regularly -- and daily living supplies that also have to be replaced because the dog tends to outgrow/destroy them, like a crate, a leash, a collar, a harness, and water and food bowls.
And then there are training classes and obedience schools, and if you go travel where fido is not welcome, a pet sitter.
    And there are entire corporations that cater to these very particular consumers. Places like PetSmart and PetCo have built their empires on allowing people to bring in their dogs and peruse their pet products, because obviously the dogs have a say in what their owners purchase for them.
    And personally, I believe being a dog owner institutes a sort of low style in your life, unless of course you have one of those stupid prissy dogs. But dogs have long been considered man's best friend, a down to earth, capable companion, and this companion comes with a bit of crudity, as dog owners tend to become very familiar with the mud and dirt the dog tracks in, the smell of wet dog, and feces, urine, and all the other bodily excrements of their four-legged friends.
    But places like PetSmart, they cater to the high minded individual hiding inside through the use of a higher style in the way they market themselves. Your dog accompanies you to the store, like a person, and helps you pick out its favorite items. There is a groomer there. A groomer. Who goes to a groomer? People with money to waste, that's who. Classy people. And obviously, people like the ones who take their pets to PetSmart are classy people. And if you have to go out of town, don't fear the kennel. At PetSmart, there is a PetsHotel, where your dog is treated like the classy creature it is. There's even an excercise room with a fancy play place. Don't believe us? Just look through this huge glass window at how much fun all the puppies here are having! It's like puppy day camp!
    So for just a little bit, you and your pet can be treated first rate, and you can temporarily forget that Fido left a puddle on your persian (hey, you're classy right?) rug in the hallway right before you left home, or that Spot tracked mud all over the house after he ran away from you outside in the rain last night. And you can spend a lot more money than you would have if you were using your sensible, low-style budget.

    Now, as we all know at this point in the semester, parataxis is a rhetorical style characterized by a lack of connectors and causal relations. This particular style can be used to characterize the flip side of the coin I detailed in my last entry.
    But how is that possible, you say? How can a dog fuse new bonds and relationships while also cutting ties and destroying old connections? How can a dog begin to dictate your day-to-day activities and establish a routine while also instituting breaks in the causal relationship of those same activities? Yeah, in a sentence or two, it really doesn't seem to make too much sense. But let me explain.
    Whereas my little bundle of joy, Rainer, has definitely helped me branch out in my neighborhood, and while we do enjoy puppy play dates with people I probably wouldn't have ever met otherwise, all of this time spent with these canine companions has drastically reduced the amount of time I spend with my other friends. Now, I've always been pretty good at juggling my time. My life used to consist of my job at the Technician, my personal free time, and my schoolwork, usually in that order. Now, with the addition of Rainer to my life, I've added an additional category to that list -- a category that has jumped to the front of the line and is slowly usurping all other categories. Personal free time has been all but eradicated, because when I am not at work or school I am with the dog. So the time I used to spend with my friends has been consolidated into that puppy time, and if I have a friend is not such a big fan of puppies, then we don't really see each other anymore. But I mean, who wants a friend who doesn't like dogs, right? Right. So those are some connections that have been severed pretty severely.
    And even the friends who do like dogs have to vie for my time now that I have this whole new group of puppy-loving playmates. God, I'm so popular. Or, well, wait. That's just the dog. *sigh*
    And in addition to this doggy dilemma of friends, even within the framework that your pet has created for your daily life, there are instances that break it. Once you have a puppy, you realize that the only way to properly train it is to have a routine or a schedule of sorts. This schedule revolves around the dog. This is when you wake up. This is when you take the dog out. This is when you feed the dog. This is when you take the dog out again. This is when you take the dog for a walk. I mean, you get the picture. So this is very obviously hypotactical right? Everything is ordered and causal. But remember, dogs are a living, breathing thing. This means there will be complications, and changes within the schedule. So whereas things made perfect, causal sense one minute, the next they will most definitely not. So here is an example of how that hypotactical construction begins to look:
    You've just fed the dog and taken her out, and now you're cooking dinner. You're stirring a pot of sauce. The dog gets sick. You're cleaning up the dog vomit. You're making the sure the dog is OK. You're cooking dinner.
    And there are a thousand other instances like this of little interruptions, ranging from homework and accidental potty breaks to emergency trips to the vet.
And yes, it seems the instance within the structure of the dog getting sick and you cleaning, or the dog peeing and you cleaning, or the dog needing to go out and you taking her, are causal and hypotactical, but these are instances within the overall paractical structure of the instance within your schedule, which is an instance of parataxis within a larger, overall hypotactical frame of the schedule.
    Phew. Now that I've got that all out, I'll reiterate. The life of a dog owner is one characterized by an overall, overarching hypotactical framework of structure and routine. However, within this framework are moments of paratactical responses that are prompted by hypotactical, causal instances. And at the end of the day, it is a LOT of work, and a lot of rolling with the punches.
    But at the end of that same day, when my 35-pound puppy is stretched out beside me on the bed, snoring loudly, it's still worth it. 

Throughout these entries I have covered many of the ways that Urban Outfitters sells a totally complete lifestyle to its customers.  Its main objective seems to be to market products and consumer preferences to the faction of our generation that wants to seem "cool" and "different."  Over the past two weeks I have chronicled almost every aspect of their marketing strategy except one, the one that seems to be the overreaching component of Urban Outfitters' attraction:  its appeal to ethos.

As I have stated previously, the products sold and recommended by Urban Outfitters are very specifically targeted to one type of customer, namely, one who is creative, artistic, has eclectic interests, and who likes vintage-type clothing and accessories.  It seems to be a very specific subset of humanity, so if the store's appeal is based on this ethos, how are they able to stay in business?

Much the same way that stores like Abercrombie, the Gap, and J. Crew implement their ethos in their products and advertisements, Urban Outfitters has as well, creating their own brand of "cool."  Granted, the ethos of Abercrombie is much different than that of UO, but the concept is the same:  selling a desirable disposition to the masses.


When you go to UO.com, it is rare that you can find a model who is smiling.  Most look extremely put out to have their picture taken.  This model's bad posture is not only Tyra Banks approved, it conveys a specific disposition.  Let's compare her with a model from a different ethos:

Target can definitely be considered a verb style marketer. As you walk in the store, the store?s logo, various signs, colors, all attribute to the ambiance that puts consumers in the mood to shop. The front of the store is always in movement because the check lanes are there, the main bathrooms, the water fountains, Target?s restaurant, and the doors to go outside are all centered in the same place in the front of the store. The opening of the store is the starting place to the different main aisles that take you from department to department.

 

The verb style layout leads to a vertical scheme of repetitional positioning. Most of the different shopping areas of the store are the same size, shape and layout. As I have mentioned before, this is what generates the different types of shoppers. The Verb/Vertical style of the store gives the consumer the opportunity to become an ?individual? type of shopper. This may seem unscientific but it actually works (which can be seen from Target?s sales reports).

 

Since opacity can show up where vertical structures show up, I think it?s safe to say that Target?s layout can be viewed as being opaque. In the Cary Target (like I?ve said before), the store?s layout offers a lot of confusion as to why certain departments are where they are. I?ve already mentioned why Target does this but this is evidence for the opaqueness. Opacity can also be found in comparing different Target stores to each other. One Target?s layout might be completely different to another. The type of consumer that shops at the different stores is what creates the opacity. And the opacity derived from the consumer is how the store knows how to advertise their product to the local community.

 

So the idea: ?Advertisements control the customers; customers control the stores,? isn?t that hard to imagine. In a consumer world, this is pretty believable. Stores want to make money and want to do it in a way that will create more customers. Target has excelled in this. Most of the income rewarded to the store is generated because of the various advertisements. Different Targets post different advertisements depending on where the stores are located. They range from the cute puppy with the black patched eye to a skyscraper that is surrounded by spotlights. When the customer changes and decides they want something different than what Target has to offer, then the store changes to meet the consumer?s needs. It?s a cycle that will continue to flow until Target decides it doesn?t want to cater to the customer anymore, which isn?t going to happen.  

 

In this entry, I would like to further address the Jason Witten commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLrAPNagAms

This time, I would like to talk about the tropes used in Witten's portion of the narration.  At the end of the commercial, Witten makes this statement:

"A little you goes a long way."

As he says "you," the "U" at the beginning of "United Way" is graphically emphasized.  This use of language can be classified in more than one way.  Generically, it is a pun, or a play on words.  There are different types of puns, but this one seems to be an example of paronomasia, or the use of words that are alike in sound but different in meaning.  In this case, the "you" articulated by Witten is meant to mean both "you" in a literal sense, as well as stand for the "U" at the beginning of "United Way."

There also seem to be two distinct examples of synecdoche contained in this sentence.  Synecdoche is a figure of speech where a part stands for the whole.  In this case, the letter "U" is meant to stand for "United Way."  One letter of the name is intended to make us think of the entire proper noun.  Furthermore, "you" seems to also be intended to stand for the United Way.  The message is that the United Way's efforts are successful through the volunteerism of individuals (some of whom are NFL players).  Thus, "you" stands for "all of the individual volunteers who make up the United Way."

Witten also says that "you don't have to be a Cowboy to make a difference."  In terms of the NFL's marketing and branding, this seems to be related to the Matt Hasselbeck commercial I analyzed in a previous entry.  The NFL seems to want to portray it's players as "regular Joes."  By showing Jason Witten helping out in the community and emphasizing that this is something that you, the viewer, can also do, it seems to emphasize this "regular Joe" quality.  However, the "you don't have to be a Cowboy" part seems to suggest that Witten is helping out in spite of his superhuman status.  Thus it also reinforces the ideas of the dramatic "high style" promo video I analyzed.  Perhaps, then, this United Way commercial is the "middle style" I have been looking for.  It seems to reinforce the ideas present in both the "high style" and "low style" NFL commercials I have looked at.

In my last post I spoke of how I was going to analyze the styles of the respective hangouts of emo and frat kids.  I talked about the high style and the values East Village implicitly caters to for the fraternity kid demographic.  In this post I’m going to do a similar analysis of the Jackpot as a stylized social gathering spot for the emo kids.

The style of the Jackpot caters to the low style of the emo kids in almost every way.  The low style is shown in the building itself, the design of the bar, and the amenities of the bar.  If you’ve never been to the Jackpot, you may not even know it exists.  It’s a hole-in-the-wall, inconspicuous building on the Morgan side of Hillsborough St.  But that’s fine, because if you haven’t already been to the Jackpot, they probably don’t want you there – because you’re obviously not in the “in crowd.”  The bar is on the seedier side of Hillsborough (if there’s even a seedy side of Hillsborough) situated next to an IHOP, Progress Piercing, and Phoenix Tattoo.  This convenient location satisfies potential for the emo kids who have recently stamped out their heartbreak on their bodies via tattoo to then drown their sorrows in a $6 pitcher of PBR.  

The Jackpot is set up to suggest the style choices of the people it attracts.  Often they consist of small, inclusive groups, so the four-top tables and booths that line the perimeter of the bar are fitting.  Whereas the frat kids seem to enjoy standing around in a crowded bar as they spill their drinks on each other and search for potential mates, the emo kids want to talk to their three other depressed friends and listen to their underground, dark music in an equally dark, smoke-filled bar.  The emo kid doesn’t want to be approached, they don’t want to be touched, and they don’t want to meet new people…if they did they wouldn’t have nearly as much to be sad about, and then it’s “so long identity.”  

There is also a level of tacit persuasion going on in the arrangement of the bar.  The old, wooden booths, the pool table room, and the fairly consistent music genre throughout the night are inviting to those who enjoy the bar, and they encourage the customers to hang around.  It suggests that the people who enjoy the Jackpot enjoy it for what it is, and have no need to barhop, otherwise the bar might only offer bar seating and standing room, have a more diverse music playlist, and only offer drinks by the glass rather than offering various pitcher specials so as to cater to a variety of social groups.

A look at the color schemes of the American and the UK websites can shed light on the lifestyles being addressed in the advertising. Using “Color: Messages and meanings” by Leatrice Eiseman as a guide for color meaning,

Though we cannot see much of the UK site, for (it says) reasons of rights, we can see an overall color scheme. And this color scheme is vastly different from the colors we see portrayed in the American site. What do these color say about the different styles marketed towards different lifestyles?

Colors could be equated to overall style, as in writing, being draped over a particular content, that adds meaning and content through its connotation and associations. In this way it is similar to word choice—certain words have certain connotations. And the connotations, in writing, can add or detract from the overall meaning or message. Here we see different connotations being laid on the meaning of the show, in two websites that are in essence advertisements. And these different colors are addressing different lifestyles. With a look at the connotations of the colors, we may see what aspect of the show that the connotations, like word choice and like verb/noun and parataxis and hypotaxsis, add meanings and feelings to content that given in any other way would have slightly different “meaning” despite the exact same content.

Color Analysis: (the quotations are from Eiseman’s book)

The American Site: http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/262/index.jsp

Cosmopolitan “skyscraper”: “Connotates a modern landscape—an urban enviroment filled with concrete and asphalt, shiny steel and the glimmer of glass against the background of sky, sometimes blue often gray…the shades are for the most part cool and “techno-oriented.”” Black, which is prominent in this site’s design, is “more worldly-wise and sophisticated, the shade most worn to cocktail parties and black tie events, the lustrous hue of a Steinway grand piano, the glossy stretch limo…” Though Torchwood features no limo, the fast driving alien-chaser of choice, a Range Rover, is jet black and has heavily tinted windows.

All this fits in well with my previous posts of the modern feel and quick movement of the show. “Torchwood is ready” helps adorn this cosmopolitan modernity that is displayed in its color scheme, combination.

The UK Site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/sites/content/pages/nonuk.shtml

Earthy “unearthed”: “Connects to the earth, one that could even be described as organic and natural, yet at the same time artful. The colors evoke the eroded copper browns, rustic tans…” Brown is not always just associated with the earth, brown is also “favored by sports activities specifically hunting fishing, hiking and camping.” Which is interesting, because this sounds more like the British, highland lifestyle, than our prestige metropolitan lifestyle. Unlike the American site, this color reading doesn’t fit in with my previous posts of modernity and motion, but rather history meeting with present—hunting, the “good life” of farms. It should be noted that there is no farming or hunting in the old sense in Torchwood, so this connotation must be taking the target audience to a comfortable place then asking them to equate that old world to the new—one with hunting being for aliens and with high tech-equipment.

The different styles are displayed here in an interesting way. And, as a political speech can change a few “colors” in word choice and alter its meaning to appeal to the opposition, so here the advertising of Torchwood aims to claim viewers from two vastly different lifestyles.

I plan, for my final presentation, to use what I’ve already discussed on the blog to do close analysis of a few video clips, commercials, and show the lifestyle” and “style” of Torchwood.

Another ad campaign that I frequently see during NFL games is a series of commercials highlighting the NFL's partnership with the United Way.  The following commercial features Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLrAPNagAms

The ad features two distinct narrators: a child and Witten.  At least part of the child's narration seems to be in a hypotactical style:

"I made some new friends, and had a lot of fun.  But most of all, I learned how to play the game."

The child's statements are designed to convey how he ranks the events that occurred at the football camp.  His statement builds (on a small scale, but it builds nonetheless) up to what he sees at the most important thing he took away from the experience: learning how to play football.  The three clauses are linked with conjunctions ("and" in the first instance, and "but" in the second.  This use of conjunctions marks the dialogue as polysyndentic.

The use of polysyndeton and hypotaxis also leads us to classify this as a periodic style.  The periodism is, in this case, being established within a context of just two sentences.  It is demonstrative of the child's ability to reason and draw meaning from this event.  The listing of things he took away from the event build towards a climax; they build towards what he saw as the most important thing.  The use of climax is another common characteristic of a periodic style.

The child's dialogue is also characteristic of a verbal style.  It is centered on action verbs.  In the two sentences I was dealing with above, we see two example of this: "I made" and "I learned."  In the remainder of the child's narration we also get "Jason taught" and "I tried."  These action verbs grant a rhythm to the narration, and propel it forward.

I want to take a final look at the aspect of “vacation” for the housewife.  As the ad below shows, children, for this demographic, are a key component to the idea of "vacation."  What is really important, these ads seem to say, is that the children are enjoying themselves.  Again, everything is focused on pleasing oneself by pleasing others.  The emphasis is not placed on spending time with your spouse, or even spending time alone.  It is the children who take the forefront, reinforcing the hypotactical significance of the child seen in previous ads.  It reinforces the idea that children and being a proper mother are essential to being a good housewife. With lives as busy as these women's are portrayed to be, it seems like a real vacation should be one of inaction, but each of these ads depict action.  Each photograph is one of movement, one frame of a larger picture, a vacation full of activity.  The language is typical of the verb style.  "Imagine the sand between your toes," "You don't even need to see their faces to know they're smiling,"  "Touch a stingray.  Meet a shark."  All promote action as a key element to a good vacation.







Throughout my analysis, the level of persuasion that every company utilizes to push their product on this demographic has struck me.  The companies use things closest to “home” to depict the lifestyle of their target.  Children play an essential role, depicted as the source of the “busy” in these women’s lives.  But in the same way, advertisers use this to sympathize with the housewife.  Their message is, “We know your life is busy, use our product to make it easier.”  Their ads are an appeal to not only pathos, but also ethos.  The pathos being the love for their children and their domestic life, and this pathos being an essential part of what makes them who they are.  As these ads depict, there is no separation between their domestic life and their “personal” life.  They are inherently connected.  And this is how these ads have come to be so effective.  They integrate preexisting conceptions of what makes a housewife a housewife, while simultaneously working to create this very idea.

Conclusion—

Now that I’ve finished wandering all over the place with my last five blogs, it’s time to look for a consistent pattern.  I think that for my presentation, I will be focusing mostly on the rhetoric used to attract and then to market the diet lifestyles to the consumer society.

For my presentation, I’m probably going to look at a couple of informational websites, the Whole Foods grocery store and website, diet-lifestyle products and brands, possibly a couple of commercials (if I can dig anymore up), and maybe a few restaurant menus that include “healthy” options.

Looking back over my posts, I find that there were a couple of consistent patterns and schemes:

•Tacit Persuasion (this includes colors, food packaging, environment, and language)

•Appeals to Pathos

•A Verbal Style (I believe it is this scheme that really defines the lifestyle)

(There were a couple instances of a hypotactic style, but I think that this style is more a definition of grocery stores and websites in general rather than exclusive to those promoting the diet lifestyles I’m examining.)

I would argue that the Tacit Persuasion patterns and the Appeals to Pathos are how consumers are attracted to a diet lifestyle; these schemes are how the diet-lifestyle argues for itself.  These patterns help answer the question “Why should I identify with a diet-lifestyle?”  Once within the lifestyle, the verbal pattern is what separates the diet-lifestyle from the regular grocery-store-non-diet population.  The verbal pattern is what creates the community of diet-lifestylers.  I may also examine the use of the High Style and how it might set the diet lifestyle apart from those groups who do not identify with a particular diet lifestyle.

Finally, I will probably not be able to include every diet-lifestyle in every section of my presentation simply because I lack good examples—most of the websites will probably be vegan/vegetarian and most of the actual products will probably be organic.  However, I believe that the same rhetorical schemes can be apply to both information and products for all the diet-lifestyles.

So far I have looked at four different styles that can be seen in Brier Creek:

 

Synecdoche

Hypotaxis

High Style

Periodic Style

 

In my final blog, I would like to tie these four styles together with the Verb style.

 

Verb Style and Synecdoche

 

Synecdoche, as a reminder, uses a part of something to represent its whole. Brier Creek is only a small part of the world of consumerism, but Brier Creek wants its shoppers to think Brier Creek is the only place to consume goods. It has prided itself in a variety of stores that fit each shopper’s needs and wants. Thus, it is a part that represents a whole. The way in which this relates to the verb style is that the verb style is often considered unscientific or subjective. For each shopper, Brier Creek means something different. That is what Brier Creek wants. It does not want to be clearly defined, but it wants to maintain a certain ambiguity in order to please the wide variety of customers it attracts.

 

Verb Style and Hypotaxis

 

Hypotaxis has its base in cause and effect. As I mentioned in one of my blogs, there is a cause and effect for the shopper. If the shopping center is convenient, catering to the needs and wants of the customers, then the shopper will invest his or her money there. Brier Creek is aware of this cause and effect and does everything to maintain its convenience and continually caters to its customers. Brier Creek knows if it provides the cause (the “if”), then the shopper will provide the effect (the “then).

 

Verb Style and High Style

 

One of the features of the verb style is its “vertical” structure. Although the “vertical” structure concerns schemes such as anaphora and alliteration, I can’t help but associate the high style with a “vertical” structure. As I showed with the demographics, Brier Creek caters to middle class, white, blue collar workers in their late 30s to early 40s. However, Brier Creek also attracts shoppers who do not fit into these social categories. Thus, when thinking of the Brier Creeks’ variety of shoppers, one can think of a “vertical” style, and in that “vertical” style, one can see the high style.

 

Verb Style and Periodic Style

 

The Periodic style is known for its three stages: beginning, middle, and end. This represents the shoppers. The shoppers are always at some stage: browsing, deciding, or buying. The shopper does not necessarily have to buy something in order to be a part of the verb style or periodic style. Just the shoppers’ movement adds to the action of Brier Creek. The periodic style is also a climatic style. The climax of the day is the end of the day when the stores count the money they have earned, which is the main reason for Brier Creek. Yes, it is there for the shopper, but it is mainly there to make a profit. This climax resembles the verb style, which is a style that is driven. Brier Creek is driven to take shoppers’ money. Brier Creek is a shopping center that is constantly moving and acting in order to make a profit just like the verb style and periodic style are constantly moving in order to reach that climax—the end goal. The end goal for the shopper is to drive away after having had a pleasant experience (and having their pockets emptied), and the end goal of Brier Creek is to have the shoppers’ money.

 

Many styles can be “squeezed” out of Brier Creek, and they all come together via the verb style, a style which is driven by movement just like the shopper is driven by consumerism.  

 

 

Alas, the final blog post is upon us.  If I recall correctly from ~2 weeks ago, we are supposed to use the final post to sort of tie everything together and briefly muse on what is coming in the final presentation.  Here goes.

Through the course of my study of guitar center I have found certain dominant themes.  Their has been a regular appearance of the nominal and verbal style.  These styles have been show to have a correlation to the price of things.  There has also been a regular appearance of the running v. periodic style that also has a correlation to price.  Ultimately all of Lanham’s devices can be seen in the store and are in some way associated with a price category.  

I believe that ultimately this connects to the principle of high v. low style.  It seems that every element of style in the store can be connected with the target consumer and the social class/price range that is connected to that consumer.  This is apparent in the way the guitars are hung on the wall, among many other factors explicated previously, as well as in the individual product designs.  For example just look at the two pictures below.





One product offers “Insane Rockstar Settings” and the other is the perfect starter rock star set.  These products are both far on the cheaper end of things.  They are targeted at that dad picking out a new guitar for his 14 year old child or even that college freshman trying to pickup the instrument “for the ladies.”  You won’t find descriptions like this on nicer products.  They come unornamented—standing by themselves in a nominal style like a work of art.  

I plan to analyze all of these things in my final report and make final conclusive statements about how the guitar center on capital blvd. uses rhetorical style to attract certain customers to certain areas and products.