ENG 1101-D355

Reading Popular Culture

The Hard Sell Assignment

Here is the story we read in class today about the “Hard Sell” The Cosmopolitans Excerpt

Assignment: Imagining the “Hard Sell”

For homework, you read an excerpt from Sarah Schulman’s novel, The Cosmopolitans, in which Valerie demonstrates the concept of the “hard sell” to Bette and Hector. She explains how to convince consumers that they need to buy a product even if they don’t really need it. She says, “If I need to sell it more than you need to buy it, you will buy it” (Schulman 128).

For Essay 1, you have been analyzing a print advertisement or commercial that is trying to sell something to its audience, and you have thought a lot about who that audience might be. Now I want you to imagine what was going through the minds of the people who created the ad and write a scene, poem, song, narrative, or graphic image modeled after this scene from The Cosmopolitans that shows your readers how you imagine they came up with the idea for the ad and why they thought this particular approach would best convince consumers to buy the item.

On March 7th, Sarah Schulman will be on campus to talk about her book and read some selections from it as part of the Literature Roundtable! I encourage you all to attend the Roundtable at 2:30 p.m. in the Atrium Amphitheater on the Ground floor of the Atrium Building (at the bottom of the ramp). Please consider sharing what you have written/created OR asking a thoughtful question.
Requirements:

• Focus: Write or design a scene, poem, song, narrative, or graphic image that imagines and conveys the behind-the-scenes process that went into creating the ad you have been writing about. Show how you think the creators developed the idea and why they thought it would work as a “hard sell.”
• Length: One page, minimum
• Submission: Post your completed assignment on OpenLab. If it is a song or graphic, you may attach a file or link out to an external site. Before you submit, categorize your post by clicking “The Hard Sell” on the right side of the page.
• Due: March 7th before 11:30 a.m.
• Participate (optional): Come to the Literature Roundtable at 2:30 p.m. in the Atrium Amphitheater and share what you have written/created OR ask a thoughtful question.
• Weight: 25 points in the Active Participation category

Blog 1

Blog 1 (Due 2/7 by 11:30 am)

For this blog, you are going to perform a semiotic analysis of yourself. Imagine that someone is looking at you right now, and write a description of yourself from their point of view using 3rd person point of view. In a well-developed paragraph, describe the signs that they see on your body (your clothes, hair, shoes, phone, etc.) and imagine how they would interpret those signs to make assumptions about your personality and identity.

For example, you might start out by writing something like this about yourself: “He is wearing a futuristic-looking bluetooth device around his neck that makes him seem like he cares about the latest technology and wants the world to know that he has the newest tech gadgets. I imagine that he has a job so that he can afford the bluetooth headset and the Android phone that he holds in his hands. While most of the people around him have iPhones, he has chosen an Android to show that he is an independent thinker who wants to be able to customize his phone and who doesn’t follow the crowd.”

To post your blog:

  • Make sure you are logged in to OpenLab and have joined our course on the “Course Profile” page
  • Then click on the + at the top center of the page
  • Use your name as the post title
  • Write or copy/paste your paragraph into the text box
  • If you want to include an image or file, use the “add media” button
  • Then click “publish.”

Jim Beam Whiskey Poem

Ojani Tejeda

Professor Westengard

English 1101 D355

March 7th, 2017

 

Hard Sell Poem

Jim Beam whiskey, best to drink when you’re chilling,

Jim Beam whiskey, best to drink away from your children.

The taste is so strong it, it’ll leave your stomach hurting,

And when you’re drinking your bourbon, you don’t want any disturbance.

Away from your woman and away from your family,

Call the homies up to get a drink and come hang with me.

Throw on a basketball game because what else would we watch,

4th quarter, 1 minute left and LeBron caught a block.

Get three cups of ice and let’s fill them all up,

Ain’t no women around to ask what’s that drink in my cup.

Just me and my 3 bros we enjoying the game,

To not have women around, it could be a shame,

But it’s usually because all they do is complain.

Buttery popcorn with the pretzels in the cut,

None of them have tried some because they’re stuck on their cups.

Jim Beam whiskey might just catch you when you least expect it,

If your girl walks in the room, tell her please respect it.

I just killed Gucci

Isaiah Lacen
Eng. 1101
3/7/2017

“I just killed Gucci”
Hmm, let’s see. How can we make this stick
we can’t be too obvious with stereotypes or
else we’ll get caught up in politics the Dogma sticks
you know the one where we tell them how to be
without actual working knowledge of their physiology
dichotomy, juxtaposing things that don’t click like oil and
water, two things that don’t mix let’s pretend that we care
or even know what’s going on. We’ll draw them in with
diversity it’s all a part of our con. We’ll chant “black power”
and tell them black lives matter and when the going gets tough
Just turn our backs in the latter. Let’s stop the chatter
And get to work, these clothes aren’t going to sell themselves
“I’m actually trying to make a difference” is the mantra they’ll tell themselves
or get the women of color + natural hair to pose for pics
it’s Pandora’s box with golden locks but just please don’t open it
“From ghetto to Gucci” was the headline on all the papers
but when you speak upon these lines then you’re a hater
But I can tell when it’s real
cause I’m hip to the deal
I know their hatred is sealed
But my 3rd Eye steady peeled
so just chill Gucci
keep it real Gucci
I don’t “feel Gucci”
I just killed Gucci

Rule Yourself

Rule Yourself

Sebastian Wasilewski

*A group  of executive’s gather in a room to discuss a new ad campaign*

Executive #1

“So do we have any ideas at the moment?”

Executive #2

“if anything, shouldn’t we look at what we have to work with first?”

Executive #1
“Fine,  we’re supposed to create an ad showcasing the new line of Curry merchandise we’re releasing later this quarter, 2 new shirts, shorts, and shoes. So again, any ideas?”

Executive #2

“Do we have any models for a short commercial? Since i don’t know how we’re going to showcase 2 sets of clothes with 1 person…”

Executive #3

“What if we just got a body double, and they play a one on one?”

Executive #1

“That’s been done before, we need something original…”

Executive #2

“Not to mention, it’s not exactly showcasing the merchandise if you can’t get a good look at it in the first place”

Executive #3

“Well I don’t hear you guys coming up with anything”

Executive #1

“Your right, but i’m not exactly the creative type”

Executive#2

“What about a training montage and we just add a plug at the end, just to add emphasis?”

Executive #3

“I thought we did that with Brady already? Not to mention how long that took to film and edit.”

Executive #1

“Or instead of a montage, we just create a still, save some time and money, still have the same effect.”

Executive #2

“I guess we’re doing that then, let’s set it up and get to work!”

Executive #3

(Mockingly)

That’s been done before

“Yet we’re just remaking one of our own ads…OKAY”

Executive #1

“What was that?”

Executive #3

“Nothing sir.”

The Hard Sell Peom

UNSPOKEN DESIRES

I can sell you anything with the knowledge of unspoken desires from deeper within,

where truth been told is set at the heart in hidden files, where there is no better place to be than watching countless smiles. Yes, I can sell you

anything because your needs

and wants come from many from strings.

Once freedom is declaring on a concreate floor, one will come out into the financial world

and appreciate life just a little bit more.

I do pay attention to everything, searching for the ways how you would value things, and after watching what matters to you during your harvest

dedication, here I am planning your life innovation.

                  Best,

                                      lamar Sinclair

 

 

Open Happiness

Sheldon Waite

The Hard Sell

CEO: Welcome everyone. I have scheduled this meeting to establish a new ad for Coca Cola ad. Any thoughts on what to put on the ad?

Employee #1: Maybe we can feature a popular celebrity in the ad.

CEO: Hiring a celebrity is too expensive. We need to make the ad simple and inexpensive.

Intern: How about an ad that appeals to a person’s fantasies and dreams?

Employee #2: People won’t fall for that gimmick.

Intern: So, what would you put on the ad?

Employee #2: For the text, I would state “Coke, the best drink ever”.

CEO: Employee#2, that is too straight forward. I agree with the intern’s idea. Intern what do you suggest as the image of the ad?

Intern: The ad should be a picture of a relaxed man in a meadow on a beautiful sunny day drinking Coke. People will think drinking Coke will make a person happy liked the man in the ad.

CEO: That’s brilliant. It’s a shame how a recently hired intern can come up with an idea rather than my two employees.

Intern: Thank you sir.

Presenting Tom Ford’s Cologne

           With a new task to complete on their hands, the marketing crew gets to work behind the scenes on how to promote their new product. Different planners coming to the centre table with different ideas as the Manager and his Assistant sit at the head of the table. In presence of their employers they both exclaim “ how are we suppose to present this cologne to MEN!” Constantly looking to the head of the table to see if they are going about it the right way. All eyes on the cologne in the centre of the table, staring at it with there blank faces. The boss is tired of the silence so he grabs the cologne viciously and made several sprays in the air. The air-filled with this sharped freshness gladly invites it’s way into the nostrils of those present. His Assistant then says John this scent suits you well and draws closer to him as she lays her hands upon his which he holds the cologne with. Sarah being one of the planners says “Hey I’ve got an idea”. Yelling “ You two freeze in that position” she then snap a photo of them from the forearm to the fingertips. There we have it, this is exactly how we will promote it. She explains that how the hands are present in the picture shows signs of how this product is meant for men and draws the ladies. They now go to professional photographers to get the photo to the look of their liking. No extra brainstorming they have the ad they think will work, now it’s time to publish it. The manager was fascinated and ecstatic of what the sharp thinker planner came up with. This is a rough idea of what happened behind the scenes to get the ad that is present in the latest magazines and surface the worldwide web.

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