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I’m With the Brand

John ShepherdKelsey KeeganRyan FinneganJosh Michalec

Summary

Morgan Spurlock's documentary explores the ubiquity of branding messages in our daily lives and the relationship between content and advertising

We are exposed to constant advertising and branding to the point that: “We are not being brainwashed, since the products are not being

used in the right way" (Tetzeli and Karpel 92). 95% is wasted effort

People should recognize this branding, question it, and wonder about the process When is a brand a byproduct of a story/film/etc., and when does

the brand drive the story/film/etc? Is a story really this important, or important to a sponsor?

Summary

It's up to the consumer to decide what is the truth and what is smoke and mirrors We must determine credibility and which media and

sources to trust

 Do you feel as if TV shows, films, newspapers, books, etc. that you consume are still credible and/or enjoyable if filled with exorbitant amounts of advertising? Or does this, in a sense, devalue the show, film, etc. in

your eyes?

The Brand Called You

You are your own brand Everything you do, say, wear, etc. says something

about you specifically The different aspects that make up your life are what

make you unique

You have to think of yourself as a brand Do I agree with what I am selling? Do I realize that I am advertising a product? 

Discussion Questions

Does this type of advertising image work? Is it so disturbing that you're intrigued or so disturbing that you dismiss it all together?

To what extent do you associate advertisements and the the media you view them in?

Greatest Movie Ever Sold Trailer http://www.gotchamediablog.com/2011/03/trailer-morgan-spurlocks-greatest-movie.html What are your thoughts on this?

Discussion Questions (Continued)

Morgan Spurlock: The greatest TED Talk ever sold:http://bryanlong.com/2011/04/morgan-spurlocks-greatest-ted-talk-ever-sold/ Talking about Transparency What do you think about this?

The 3 Most Important Things in Advertising: Reach Frequency Impact

We know advertisers reach innumerable amounts of people incessantly, but how has this guerilla advertising affected an ad's impact on the consumer? Is it hard to find the truth amongst all the clutter?

Discussion Questions (Continued)

The purpose of advertising is to: Inform (Emphasize Features) Persuade (Emphasize Benefits)  Remind (Reinforce Prior Messages)

Which one of these purposes do you feel is the one that advertising companies push too much? Are the informational, persuasion, or reminder ads the

ones that you get the most annoyed with?

Essentially, what forms of advertising do you think are most effective? Least effective?

Questions?