TA: shock/fear in advertising

I’d like to mention a few things about a technique used in the advertising world. Often times, advertisers will use shock or fear in order to motivate their audience to do or purchase something. There are a variety of opinions out there on this subject. The technique itself is somewhat questionable on the basis of it’s effects on its audience. I speak specifically about those commercials on TV designed to motivate people to stop using tobacco, or drinking alcohol. Are they too shocking? Some people argue that the cases shown in these commercials (where somebody has cancer or some side effect that is clearly and physically disabling and perhaps unnerving) are too graphic. Those employing these shock/fear techniques would argue that unless they use an ad that is clearly shocking, it will go unnoticed. The technique of using shock, however, for this purpose seems to be somewhat effective for the target audience. The major problem that I see is that they will sometimes inadvertently hit other unsuspecting audiences (other TV viewers). Should these other audiences be exposed to these types of commercials? Personally I think these commercials don’t hurt people, they give a perspective of an issue that may be worth seeing. If the shock they use is untrue, it need not be used and is actually deceiving, but real life situations can be effective teaching tools for everyone.

FW: Metzener

So my band (Metzener) had out last big show yesterday. The culmination of 3 years of rocking power, 2 albums, and much merchandise came to a close. We played a gig at “Freeze Fest,” BYU’s winter party at 7 peaks where they had free ice skating, a santa clause, a dance, and of course 2 live bands. It was a fun little gig. People came out in goodly numbers and rocked the night away with us. I kind of wonder how much I’m going to miss playing. It took a lot of work to be in a living, breathing, rock band. There’s weekly practice, song writing, recording, advertising, organizing shows, and a bunch of little things that all need to be paid attention to in order to see that everything gets done as it should. So I’m glad that I’ll have my time freed up to do other things. As far as music goes, I enjoy our music, but there’s other things that I want to do personally with song writing. I will say this, being in a band and playing shows is an experience all of it’s own. Making my own music is quite a bit different than having an actual band. So seeing people come to shows and dance and sing along to songs and crowd surf will probably be missed. Then again, I’m not really that big into large group events. I never went and hung out with other people and fans and what not after the shows. I would rather have just hung out with my girlfriend or something. But all in all, it was some good times.