Monday, March 19, 2012

Issues in Academic Writing Example 2

My comments are in italic

The process of advertising has evolved throughout history with the
convergence of multi-media industries, which allow advertisers to
continuously parallel society’s expectations through avant-garde
approaches to modern forms of promoting products.

This introduction would have worked better as two sentences, rather
than one. As it is, it becomes a bit confusing. For instance, one
confusion I have is that you refer to an evolution that has occurred
throughout history - but convergence is only a recent phenomenon. It
seems to me you are aiming, instead, to say something like....'Media
convergence has forced advertisers to change. Previously, mass media
campaigns boasted a wide audience reach. Now, in the wake of
convergence, the mainstream audience has splintered. Young people, in
particular, are more likely to watch videos online, or follow twitter
trails on their mobiles, than sit at home chained to television
schedules (you might insert a reference here to back up this
claim)....'


This is a matter of style. When I advise you to keep your sentences
short it's because it seems as though you are saying things the long
way around in an effort to be formal, or academic. You don't always
have to keep sentences short - it's just a useful tactic in the early
stages of academic writing in order to help maintain clarity. My
other advice is to try and be as direct as possible.


Beginning with newspapers, advertising has reached the eyes of the
public through radio and television, and now in an era of
digitalisation, through online services.

Again, this is a little confusing......how does advertising reach the
eyes of the public through radio and television, beginning with
newspapers? Do you mean instead?: 'Now, in addition to traditional
target media outlets such as newspapers, radio and television,
advertising campaigns extend to online services.'


This has become increasingly prominent with the introduction of Web
2.0 and user-generated content, by which consumers regularly absorb
information and entertainment promotions, - again, I think you need to
be clearer here...rather than 'absorb' information and promotions via
UGC it seems to me that it would be more appropriate to talk about
consumers engaging with UGC content....
thus increasing the
expenditure of online advertising extensively. This has dramatically
altered the presence of advertising in society, thus becoming a
catalyst for globalisation to become a essential process of change.

- Grammatically, there are a few too many 'this' and 'thus' in this
paragraph for comfort. It makes it feel overly wordy and a bit
clunky. Also, the meaning is a little unclear...e.g..is it a catalyst
for globalisation (and you would want to explain a statement like
that), or an essential process for change?


e.g. Rather than...This has dramatically altered the presence of
advertising in society, thus becoming a catalyst for globalisation to
become a essential process of change.

How about something more efficient like...As a result the way that
advertising presents itself has dramatically altered.


At this point I suggest you point directly to the themes of your
inquiry. Generally it's a good idea, after a short introduction, to
state up front what you intend to examine in your forthcoming
analysis.


e.g. This essay examines the impact of online trends on contemporary
advertising. In particular, it explores the shift that occurs when
both the industry that sustains advertising, and the online community
that engages with it, are global phenomenons.



The fusion of ‘global’ and ‘local’ processes are pivotal aspects of
world wide trends of consumerism where food brands such as “Coca-Cola
and McDonalds, for example, produce different products in accordance
with the cultural differences of the localities, nations and regions
where they operate, a practice known as ‘glocalisation’”(Robertson
1995). This is evident in the assorted menu available in various
countries for example, in India there are no ‘Big Macs’ due to Hindu
religion against beef. However, there is a ‘Maharaja Mac’, which is
made of lamb or chicken. In Germany, McDonald’s sells beer, in parts
of Canada, there is a ‘McLobster roll’ made out of lobster. In Japan,
the menu offers shrimp burgers, shrimp nuggets and green tea-
flavoured milkshakes. Honk Kong menus offer ‘rice burgers’, which
replace the bun, in Uruguay, McDonalds sell the ‘McHevo’ which is a
normal burger, however it is topped with poached egg and finally in
Norway, ‘McLaks’ are sold, which consists of a sandwich made of
grilled salmon.

This paragraph is quite clear, although again there are opportunities
to avoid long and potentially confusing sentences e.g.
Contemporary consumers deal with corporate identities that are both
‘global’ and ‘local’. International food chains such as “Coca-Cola
and McDonalds, for example, vary their menus in accordance with the
cultural differences of the localities, nations and regions where they
operate. This practice is known as ‘glocalisation’”(Robertson 1995).



Globalised forces are also evident in fashion trends, which develop
notions of social status within society (end sentence) and (do you
mean that?) are recognised on an international scale. “Market research
identifies ‘global elities’ and ‘global middle-classes’ who follow the
same consumption styles, showing preferences for ‘global brands’.
There are ‘global teens’ some 270 million 15-18 year olds in 40
countries inhabiting a ‘global space’, a single pop-culture world,
soaking up the same videos and music and providing a huge market for
designer running shoes, t-shirts and jeans.” (Human Development Report
1998 Overview).

Asics 2010 Global advertising campaign



(Good that you refer back to the content of the video in your text,
this makes its inclusion more meaningful. I recommend you make the
tie in to this follow on comment more obvious...e.g.This ad is
consciously directed towards the global audience ...
Group Account director, Vitro, Michael Catanzaro states “The thing
about ‘sound mind, sound body’ is that it has a lot of meanings to a
lot of people. We needed to boil it down to one and that was the
cleansing power of sport. It is not about fame or fortune, it is about
the reality of sport.” Hence, the brand ‘Asics’ has different
connotations cross-culturally and this advertisement has focused on a
essence of sport through the use of digital technology and state of
the arts editing processes.


Nike is another sports brand that has used its prestigious reputation
of sportsman ship to align itself with ‘Apple i-Pod’ as a co-branded
mechanism.

In order to make this paragraph flow through smoothly from the
previous point you need to write a tie in sentence...e.g. Global
brands will also collaborate in order to enrich their mutual brand
image.


Advertisers of a particular product can incorporate or design new
features that will complement another brand, hence earning more
revenue, (new sentence) however Nike was the first brand to (do this.
Their...) fuse (apple ipod) technology into Nike-branded runners....(I
recommend you also give more of an analysis of the impact....how was
it received by the audience?).
The product is supported by an
interactive website where consumers can create a training profile,
compare results with others and set personal goals. “They can also
share playlist information, and buy Apple iTunes and other Nike and
Apple branded products and accessories. The site also interfaces with
Google Maps so that community member share route details”. (Spurgeon,
2008).

Nike+ co-branding with Apple iTunes




This interworking of technology such as Apple, consumer brands for
instance Nike and GPS networks such as Google maps, is an example of
convergence within advertising, which is all occurring online. (Well,
in the first instance it's more an example of convergence in
product...the advertising is a follow-on..which is your lead in to
talk about that....Instead, the jump to search engines which
immediately follows is a little disorientating. Again, I think you
need a through line to show why you are pointing this out aswell, how
this is developing your argument e.g. All of these developments are
propelled by the increasing importance of search engines.......and I
think you could afford to talk a bit more about that....As it is you
go from co-branded products, to search engines, to pop culture
websites (not a search engine) in a few sentences without enough
exposition to make it clear why. What point are you making by tying
all three of these phenomenon together? You need to expand more upon
this.)


“The internet search engine is, perhaps, the single most important
development for informational advertising since the time of the first
paid newspaper advertisements or the telephone directory. In less than
a decade, search engines have transformed into new, globally
significant and, increasingly, locally relevant, advertising-funded
media services and institutions” (Battelle, 2005). An example of this
online trend of pop-culture is a website called 'TrendLand', which
features Nike shoes enhanced by digital design.This acknowledges the
interactive nature of online services where individuals can creatively
transform well-known products into a personalised merchandise.


Viral campaigns are perhaps the most popular within society.
(Again, another topic jump which needs at least an introductory
sentence to tie the ideas together... i.e.the fact that these
networked, global audiences have created new advertising
opportunities)

“Advertising in search engines and online directories is the largest,
and one of the fastest growing segments of online advertising. It has
financed the rapid emergence of search engines as highly influential
new commercial media” (Battelee, 2005). This is due to the integral
environment of online networking, as advertisements spread from one
person to the next, immediately invoking awareness of a particular
marketing approach. This (this, this) is made possible through
YouTube, which “ushered in a new genre of video advertising, one that
succeeded on its ability to rise above a world of pet tricks and
backyard stunts, to entertain and to be passed around. Call them
‘viral’ videos, super-sized TV ads, branded videos or just plain
commercials, a few of them have crossed a significant psychic
milestone: 100 million and counting” (Advertising Age, August 2010).
Social networking sites such as Facebook are one of the main resources
for advertising to generate mass viewing “as a counter example,
Coca-Cola’s 5 million Facebook fans easily outnumber the roughly
300,000 monthly U.S visitors to its brand website” (Advertising Age,
Febuary 2010).

Online Social Networking Advertising- Facebook and Coca Cola


In 2004, Dove introduced a viral video that has been viewed 41,000,
000 times, with 40,000 views within its first day and 1,700,000 within
a month of its upload. The success of the campaign is due to its
appeal to the younger generation, (new sentence - or, see next point)
which formulates (do you mean 'forms'? Formulate is something you do
with tabulations - or, 'who form the bulk of the social networking
audience.' to keep it simple...the section that follows is overly
complex and confusing as a result e.g. young people don't formulate
participants in online social networking...after 'and' the following
phrase needs to relate back to the first)
the majority of consumer
user-generated content and participants in online social networking.
The viral advertisement targeted ‘self-esteem’ notions of adolescence.
(adolescents) Thus, (Don't need to say thus) its relevance to the
majority of internet users dramatically increased its online viewing.

Dove- 'Evolution'



Viral campaigns are a useful way to provoke interest and discussion
before the advertisement is released on television. An example is
Carlton Draught “Bid (typo - Big) Ad’ which like most beer ads
“involve quite extravagant and spectacular stories…The Big Ad had been
viewed 160,000 times before it even went to television and cinema”
(O’hara, 2008).

Carlton Draught- 'Big Ad'



Carlton Draught has (cut has) used its colossal expenditure to amaze,
entertain and subtly persuade audiences of the ad’s magnitude. This
ad, however,(Despite that, it ) does not make the viewer feel
subverted or pressured to buy the beer, (new sentence) but rather
humored by its entertainment values by playing on the ‘better sell us
some bloody beer'.

Branded content is an important asset of the advertising industry.
“Smart companies see the game today as making bold statements in
design and wooing consumers by integrating messages so closely into
entertainment that the two are all but indistinguishable”
(Perez-Latre, 2007). Also known as branded entertainment, this hybrid
form of production “perpetuates the blurring of the distinction
between commerce and art, and popular culture and public culture. “ It
is the movement of advertisers away from mainstream” (Spurgeon, 2008),
and where the decipherment of what is promotional and entertainment
are unclear. (oops, most of that paragraph was great....but, the
last sentence 'the decipherment' etc. could be clearer e.g in to a
realm where the lines between diversion and promotion are
unclear....although, since you're repeating what was said in the
earlier quotes, perhaps you would have done better to introduce new
information e.g. refer to consumer reaction to this trend.


Branded content: Creative Coca Cola Advertisement




This advertisement exudes and balances elements of creativity and
commerce by which entertainment and promotional aspects become
enmeshed. Thus ‘branding entertainment’ has been used by Coca Cola in
recent years to supplement the impact of media fragmentation and
proliferation, and escalating media sponsorship costs. (The way this
sentence is written it seems as though you are suggesting that
Cocacola has used branded entertainment to supplement (augment)

escalating media sponsorship costs) Another aspect of hybrid
technology and branded content is product placement in which big brand
goods are cleverly incorporated to appear within movies. (In keeping
with this trend, advertising is also cleverly incorporated in to
mainstream movies in the form of product placement.)

Product Placement: Pepsi advertisement- 'Back to the future'



Pepsi was the most popular beverage within (of) the 80’s, (end
sentence)
thus a major celebrity such as Michael J Fox became the
representative of this brand following its appearance in ‘Back to the
future’. (I don't know that Michael J. Fox's brand representation is
a given due to product placement within his movie...I would avoid
'thus' and instead say. e.g. After the drink featured in the
movie...the star of the film, Michael J. Fox, went on to become the
brand's representative.)


(Again, a flow through sentence might be useful here....e.g. From this
analysis it is clear that..)
The advertising industry is (now) a
complex, interworking maze of technology, social networking, consumer
values and big-budget spending. Global and local facets of new media
are highly influential in the way products are marketed and consumed.
This allows international recognition of social status and notions of
reputation within a brand. Branded content blurs the lines between
entertainment and creativity and commerce. Advertisers can therefore
innovatively advertise merchandise in a way that grabs viewer
attention, whilst also promoting key concepts. Online services have
allowed these campaigns to become widely eminent within society,
constantly shared through networks such as Facebook and YouTube.
Advertising had never been so impressive. (Careful, that sounds a bit
gushy. Others may argue that it's insidious and evil. (I'm not
saying it is, just that you might do well to be aware of that
possibility.) Without detailed, in depth research to back up
statements like 'impressive' your words could get you in to trouble.
That's why, in academic argument, it's generally better to keep your
praise measured - and if you want to gush, quote somebody else and let
them do it).

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