Coms 2020 - online Assignment 1

Abby Luckhaupt

COMS 2020

Candice Thomas-Maddox

Online Assignment #1

Part One

1. Persuasive stimuli –

• McDonald’s billboard: This is a big, red sign with directions to the nearest McDonald’s; which was 2 miles north and on the right.  The sign included a very big picture of a Big Mac and the sign said, “hail to the beef.”  The billboard is located on 33.
• Hell is Real billboard: This is a big sign with the words “Hell is Real” on it.  The background is solid black.  The ‘H’ in “Hell” is outlined white with red inside.  The rest of “Hell is Real is in white lettering.  The billboard is located on 33.
• State Farm billboard: This is a big, red sign with big, white words saying, “In Case You Hit A Wolverine.”  At the bottom of the sign is the number for state farm (1-800-STATE FARM or an agent near you.)  On the right side of the billboard is a state farm insurance logo.  The billboard is located in downtown Columbus.
• Chipotle Burrito billboard: This is a big billboard with the words “Burrito? Or Body Pillow?”  The picture includes a picture tinfoil covered burrito.  The background is plain white.  On the right-hand side of the billboard is the Chipotle logo.  The billboard is located in Westerville.
• iPhone X billboard:  This is a very large billboard with the words “November 3” and the Apple logo with the words in black.  The billboard has a solid white background.  It includes a picture of an iPhone X, on the iPhone X is a screen with various bright colors such as pink, blue, orange and white.  The sign is located in downtown Columbus.
• Chase Bank “Line Starts Here” sign: This is a solid, blue sign with the words “Line Starts Here” in white lettering.  The sign indicates that the line starts about 10 feet from the first bank teller.  The sign stood at about eye height for me and I am around 5’ 2.”  The sign stood at the end of a long rope where the line would stand.  The sign is located in Canal Winchester.
• Chipotle “Maximum Occupancy” sign:  This is a red sign that stands at about eye level.  The sign says “Maximum Occupancy 47” in bold, white lettering.  The sign was located near the restrooms.  This sign is located at the Chipotle in Polaris.
• Palm Beach Tan “Please Wait in Line” sign: This is a white sign that stands at about eye level.  The sign was right near the entrance to the building.  The words “Please Wait in Line” were in bold black lettering.  This sign is located in Westerville.
• “Muslims love Jesus too” billboard: This is a big billboard with a dark green background.  The “Muslins love Jesus too” lettering is white.  At the bottom of the billboard, there are words that say, “seek the truth at ask-a-muslim.com.”  The billboard is located in Westerville.
• Planned Parenthood billboard: This is a big billboard with the words “Killing a Baby is No Way to Plan Parenthood” and they are white colored.  The words ‘killing’ and ‘plan parenthood’ are emphasized more because they are outlined in red.  There is also a picture of an unborn fetus on the right side of the billboard.  At the bottom, there is a number to call and a bible quote.  This billboard is located in Columbus.
• “Wednesday’s are Spirit Days” at OU-L: On the women’s restroom stalls, there are flyers that say, “Wednesday’s are Spirit Days.”  There is a picture of some students wearing Ohio University clothing in class.  There are a few bullets listed that basically tell someone to support OU-L on Wednesday’s but wearing the college apparel.  This flyer is located at Ohio University – Lancaster.
• Menards slogan: I saw the Menards slogan on television.  The Menards slogan is “Save Big Money at Menards.”  On the commercials, the camera pans from shot to shot inside Menards and at the end, the shot goes wide on the outside view of Menards and the slogan starts up.  This slogan originated in Wisconsin, but I heard it in Lancaster.
• Buckeye Toyota billboard: The billboard is a well-light screen with pictures of various cars.  On the screen, I saw a red Toyota Corolla, a blue Toyota Tacoma, and a grey Toyota Prius.  The background of each picture was blue and white, almost like the sky.  The billboard was located in Lancaster.
• AT&T billboard: This billboard has a yellow, orange and red combined background color.  There are white letters that say, “More bars in more places.”  On the right side of the letters, there is a cell tower and five bars.  At the bottom, there is white wording that says, “The most phones that work in the most countries.”  On the far right-hand side of the billboard, there is the AT&T logo.  This billboard is located in Columbus.
• Texas Roadhouse billboard: This billboard has a yellow background.  On the left side, there in the Texas Roadhouse logo.  On the right side, there are directions to the Texas Roadhouse.  The restaurant is located at exit 112 on the left.  This billboard was on I-70.
• “Jesus is Real” billboard:  This is a big billboard.  The background on the billboard is a dark blue color.  The “Jesus is Real” writing is in white.  The billboard is located on 33 E.
• Dr. Pepper billboard: The billboard has a dark red background.  On the left side, there is a glass of Dr. Pepper.  On the glass, it says ‘Dr. Pepper.’  Next, to the glass, there is an open can of Dr. Pepper.  On the right side, kind of in the middle, there is a quote.  The quote says, “A taste that’s One of a Kind.”  This quote is in white.  This billboard is located in Columbus.
• AAA billboard: This is sort of a yellow background.  In the top left corner, there is the AAA logo.  In the middle, there is a tire looking banner that says “dnt txt n drV” in white.  In the bottom right corner, there is a website and another saying.  The saying is “It’s the Law” in black.  The website is AAA.com/NoText.  The sign is located in Westerville.
• “Smoking Kills” sign: This is a white sign with a thin black border.  In the top part, there is a cigarette with smoke, but over the cigarette is a circle with a line going through it.  At the bottom, there is black lettering that says, “Smoking Kills.”  This sign was located at my doctor’s office in Lancaster.
• “Brush Your Teeth… The Right Way” sign: This is an instructional sign that shows someone how to brush their teeth, the right way.  On the sign is five short instructions to demonstrate how to brush your teeth.  The first instruction includes a child putting toothpaste on their toothbrush.  The second instruction includes the same child wetting the toothbrush and toothpaste.  The third instruction includes the same child brushing their teeth.  On the sign, in small black wording, it says, “Brush teeth for at least two minutes.”  The fourth instruction is the same child spitting the toothpaste out.  The fifth instruction is the same child rinsing their mouth out with water.  The sign was up on the wall across from the chair that I was sitting in.  This sign is located at my dentist’s office in Lancaster.

1. Attention-getting and subtle stimuli –

• I believe that was the most attention-grabbing was the ‘Hell is Real’ billboard.  The reason this billboard was so obvious and attention-grabbing was that it’s in the middle of 33 and it’s practically located in the middle of nowhere.  Just a giant billboard with the words “Hell is Real” with no real reason to be there.  The real reason it grabbed my attention so well was that of the lack of city life or homes in the area.  It was just a giant billboard in the middle of a cornfield.  The background is solid black, but it still grabbed my attention well enough.
• I believe the subtlest stimuli was the “Line Starts Here” at Chase bank.  There was nobody else in Chase at the time that I went so I didn’t see a real purpose for the sign.  I was filling out a check form and glanced over so I saw the sign.  If there were more people in the bank, I would see more of a purpose for it.

1. Variety and number of persuasive stimuli –

• I believe that the most attention-grabbing stimuli were the billboards.  Especially the billboards that were located in spots further away from civilization.  I found myself glancing every once in a while, at the billboards that were located near civilization, but they didn’t grab my attention as much as the billboards located near absolutely nothing.

Part Two

1. The buzz/viral persuasive approach that I chose to use is Coca-Cola.  The Coca-Cola ad campaign is “Share a Coke with…” and on each coke is a name.  This ad campaign created a buzz through name personalization, which has a universal appeal.  This buzz that Coca-Cola started is a coke bottle with your name on it which means it’s something to be proud of; something you want to share with others.  I believe that with this ad campaign, Coca-Cola has been able to make an even better name out of themselves.  

1. http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/share-a-coke-how-the-groundbreaking-campaign-got-its-start-down-under 

1. This act would be described as a profitable attempt.  The goal of the Coca-Cola company is to make money.  I believe that with their ‘Share a Coke’ campaign, they were able to increase their revenue significantly.  People are going to buy whatever they can to make themselves feel better.  If people find their name on a bottle of Coke, they’re going to want to buy it.  This ad campaign was a very smart way on Coke’s part to make more money.
2. I believe that Coca-Cola was using an unethical approach to make more money.  The reason I believe that they used an unethical approach is that Coca-Cola is very bad for a person’s health.  I’ve seen videos where Coca-Cola has been used to remove rust from a car.  Coca-Cola needed a way to generate more money, which is ethical and understandable.  I do understand that money is a very important aspect of a business, but Coca-Cola is made with very unhealthy ingredients.  Therefore, I believe Coca-Cola is using a very unethical approach to make money.