Lap of Lux: Inquiry Blog

Inquiry Blog Reflection:

My feelings on the Inquiry Blog are very mixed. I feel like the work we did within the blog itself was very useful. It allowed me to get ideas from my peers, and critiques on some of my citations. It was also a very useful tool for storing some of the research I conducted when this project was first introduced. Using a blog on the other hand I feel was pointless. It's a good idea, but it just doesn't translate to the way I think it should work. There is a lot of extra things that are required for some simple tasks. A prime example of this was when I had to post my paper to this blog. I had a few options, but none were convenient. I could either screen shot, copy and paste, or use another means of getting my paper on the blog. I learned a few things from maintaining this blog. I learned about the importance of establishing a working knowledge, and the importance of keeping track of your research. The annotated bibliography assignment also gave me some new insight on how to evaluate sources. I think it is a good method that I will use when I'm in the process of collecting research for future works of writing.

The Inquiry Question

Topic: Advertising

" How can the use of language impact an advertisement's effectiveness and ability to serve it's purpose? "

The Inquiry Question Assignment:

The general area of writing that I wish to inquire into is how language is used within advertising to encourage certain reactions from their audience. I think it is amazing how advertisers know what words to say, or how to say a certain thing to make a person want to buy their product. There are secrets in language that advertisers take advantage of and use to manipulate their audience. I am interested in this because I believe there are a few elements of language that the writers of these advertisements have to consider. I want to know what they consider, and why what they consider would work or not work. I’m also interested on why certain advertisements are successful, and others are not. It’s amazing how a 5, 10, or 15 sec commercial can push someone to purchase something at a store. I have a little bit of knowledge on this topic. I know for a fact that advertisers manipulate language to their advantage. They use it to boost the sales of their product. I also know that the language of advertisements take into account the context of the situation. They use diction appropriate for the setting or their audience. I also have a little bit of experience with advertisements, because I see them so frequently. I have seen many different advertisements throughout the course of my life, and they have never been the same. They are different based on the time, place, product, or purpose of the advertisement. I need to know more about the techniques used to manipulate an audience’s reaction or interpretation. I would also need to know why language helps the sales of products advertised. I would plan to get this information from research someone else has conducted on this subject. I might be able to find an academic journal on the science of advertising, or something of that sort. I came up with this topic because it is hard to go a day without seeing a form of advertisement. There are billboards, tv and radio commercials, ads on the internet, and ads within literature like magazines or newspapers. It’s interesting to think about what goes on behind the scenes of an advertisement. The questions I have for this topic are: What determines the language to be used in an advertisement? How can diction affect an audience’s reaction to an advertisement? What elements of language are used in advertising?

There are indeed multiple angles on this topic. I think the angle would depend on the context the advertisement would be. An informational ad would be judged and reviewed differently than one for a product. It also depends on what type of ad it is. There are different criteria for an advertisement on TV, radio, and the internet. When you look at a TV or internet advertisement, there is more at work than just the language. There are colors involved that promote certain emotions from their audience, and graphics are also used to make the advertisements more entertaining.

Inquiry Post Two:

http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/comp/ad-claims.html
This link is a handout that was given out at the University of Mississippi. The handout talks about different strategies that advertisers use for language to have the desired effect of the advertisement. Specifically, it details the strategies of the claims advertisements make. It breaks down each claim, gives a short explanation and/or examples of each. This will be useful as it provides certain information on need to directly answer my question. It shows how different uses of language can have different effects on an advertisement.

http://www.psyc.memphis.edu/faculty/kreuz/FLAN.pdf
This link is research conducted by a professor at the University of Memphis. The purpose of this research was to solve the problem of recruiting and retaining qualified military personnel. The solution they came up with was advertising. They focused on using figurative language to make their advertisements more effective. The research done in this study was very thorough, and an experiment was even performed. Actual data was collected, and a conclusion was made based upon that data. The research may be a bit dated, but it is still a good example on how certain uses language impact the effectiveness of the advertisement. This could be very useful for my research question.

http://lsb.scu.edu/~emcquarrie/rhetjcr.htm
This link is to the author's copy of an article that was published in the Journal of Consumer Research in 1996. The focus of this article was the rhetoric in advertising. It goes into details about schemes and tropes used within advertisements. There are examples given of these schemes and tropes as well. It also details on how to classify certain rhetorical figures within an advertisement. All of this research was done to further the research of rhetorical structures within advertisements. The only negative of this link is the scope of the research which was limited to only print Ads within magazines.. This is still a useful link as it goes into detail about how language can impact an advertisement's effectiveness or how it can help the ad serve its purpose.

Establishing a Working Knowledge:

http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/advertising/advertising.php?pageID=gloss
This link is to a list of terms that pertain to the advertising industry. Adds to my working knowledge of the advertising industry.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49608692/ns/business-press_releases/t/spending-mobile-advertising-us-projected-soar-billion/
This link is an article that talks about the new frontier of advertising, mobile advertising. Mobile advertising is advertisements used on smartphones. There are many in use now. The most common place that I have seen mobile advertisements are on free versions of smartphone applications.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-creative-people-in-advertising-2012-7?op=1
This link is to a list of the 25 most creative people in the advertising industry. Shows how creative people in the industry made successful ads.

http://adage.com
This link is to a magazine focused solely on advertising and marketing. Has important and pertinent information for people involved with the advertising industry. Also has information on current advertising trends.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-important-people-in-mobile-advertising-2012-6

This link is to another list created by business insider. This is a list of the most important people in mobile advertising this year. This is very relevant as mobile advertising is projected to be the future of advertising.

Inquiry Research Proposal

IP Research Proposal

Reaction to Presentation:

The presentation was beneficial to me. I got a few new ideas, and developing the working knowledge helped me to refine my question. I still have not decided on an argument, but I am getting very close. I may change my question from the effectiveness of the advertisement, to how advertisements have driven American society to make unhealthy choices. The advertisements I would focus on would be cigarettes and fast food. The language in these advertisements is what distracts attention from all the negatives associated with the product. I am still on the ropes about making the switch, but it is a possibility. I still feel unsure about the project because I am still thinking of an argument. If I switched my question, my argument would be that advertisers targeted the youth to sell cigarettes or fast food. I am still thinking about an argument for my current research question.

Annotated Bibliography:

Annotated Bib Revised

Inquiry Research Paper:

Inquiry Research Paper Final

Reflection on Inquiry Project:

This assignment was one that taught me a lot of new things. This paper was different from any research paper I've done in the past. Normally I would have came up with an argument, and then conduct research to find evidence supporting my claim. This assignment required me to research and understand my topic of choosing first. I didn't like it at first, but now I understand the importance of developing a working knowledge. Developing a working knowledge helped me to know what was going on in the world of advertising at the time. I also found good sources that ended up in my research paper. A big difference about this paper is that the research guided me to the argument I made. I found information from different sources about the same techniques that have been, and are being used in advertising. The research also helped me to refine my research question itself. I feel good about the finished product. I think I picked a good argument that is relevant. I also found sufficient evidence to support it. The paper will also influence the way I write research papers from now on. A new thing that I plan to adopt is shying away from the three point thesis. My AP English teacher told me that in eleventh grade, and now my college professor has expressed the same belief. I also learned how to use the resources that are available to me as a student of UNCC. I feel this assignment will definitely benefit me in the future.

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