The Message

Have you ever watched a movie and seen the actors use their cell phone, computer, or any other device?  while watching the movie you may have noticed that the item is a specific brand.  For instance, they could be using a mac computer or an apple iphone.  The camera seems to zoom in on these brand names just long enough for the viewer to see them.  The viewer sees the actor using these particular brands and comes to the conclusion that these brands must be good.  This is an advertising tactic that is not only seen in movies but in our everyday lives.  We receive visual messages throughout the day that market products.  Sometimes we are not even aware that a message is being sent.  We are all targets of hidden messages that corporations send to us on a daily basis to convince us to buy their product.  You may see someone writing with a pen that says "First Security Bank" on the side.  This is a message that is trying to tell you to bank at First Security.  There may be a pizza box laying on the desk next to you at work that says "Domino's Pizza".  Later that night if a family member suggest ordering pizza for dinner a name may pop into your mind.  That name would most likely be Domino's Pizza.  Because a visual message was sent earlier that day, the product that was being advertised comes to mind.  There are cases in which a corporation may pay a person or place to display something that symbolizes their corporation.  This could be anything with their name on it.  It could be a pen, a cup, a box, or any other number of things.  We will pass by these items or even use these items and make an unconscious mental note of what we saw.  The corporations that were being displayed are now going to be in our mind.  This business method is frequently used on a daily basis.  I am constantly seeing company labels show up all around me.  Like it or not, brand names are going into our minds everyday so that we might get the idea that these products are acceptable and necessary.  Corporations bombard our society with this tactic of selling product using a visual message.  We have to be aware of what we are seeing and believing.  It is vital to make sure that we do not automatically assume that a product is good just because we received a visual message that it is.  Our daily lives are similar to movies.  We are always seeing names, companies, and products with the spotlight cast on them.  Be cautious that you do not trust everything you see.  Corporations are sending these messages and we are receiving them no doubt, but we can still be aware of this business method. 

Product or Name?

Major corporations such as Nike, The North Face, TOMS, and Apple sell products on a daily basis.  Jackets, shoes, phones, Ipods, and many other items are constantly being sold to consumers.  Corporations produce these items and then sell them to the public.  They not only sell their products but they also sell themselves.  They sell a way of life that their products create.  In my opinion, corporations sell most of their products by first selling an image and a lifestyle.  Many corporations find a way to get their consumers to percieve a certain product as something truly life changing and a must-have.  For instance, Apple sells the image of technology and an easier life because of the technology.  Nike sells the image of being athletic and in shape.  The name of the corporation is what is sold most of the time.  Another great example is the brand Ugg.  They sell all kinds of designer shoes including boots, tennis shoes, flip flops, etc.  There are plenty of other brands that sell shoes much like Ugg's but the price is much lower on the other brands.  Ugg is just a name but it is an expensive name.  The North Face is the same way.  My North Face jacket does not keep me any warmer than my jacket from JC Penny's but I had to have it.  This is because of the image it sells.  When I think of The North Face I think of a sporty, trendy jacket that is popular and in style.  I want this jacket because of the name that is on the front, not because of the fabric or warmth factor.  Most of us are guilty of buying a name and not a product.  Many corporations build their name into something that we as consumers feel we must have and then the corporations advertise their name at every chance they get.  This is a good business tactic because consumers get sucked in by the thousands.  We have to be aware of corporations that are selling their name more than their product because the product itself may not be worth what we spend on it.  Corporations realize how vulnerable we are towards ideas, images, and better lifestyles and they act on that daily.  Just think twice next time you go to buy a product.  Is it the product that you truly want or is it the name?

A Positive Twist

So far in all of my blog entries I have expressed interest in the negative side of corporations in our society.  I have focused on the unpleasant aspects of all corporations and left out any positive influence that they have.  Yes, corporations make mistakes and they sometimes let greed get the best of them, but they are not all bad.  It is obvious that they have a major impact on our every day lives.  I feel that I have demonstrated this with my past blog posts.  They are what turned our economy into one that thrives.  They have allowed our economy to be based on supply and demand and freedom in the business of enterprise.  Instead of raising crops, providing ourselves with clothing, and relying on horses for transportation, we live off of essentials provided by corporations.  Corporations also give out jobs meaning that they employee a great number of Americans.  This in turn keeps our economy flowing.  If it were not for corporations, the Untied States would not be what it is today.  There would be a completely different way of life.  In my opinion, the way in which we live today compared to the way people lived years ago, is much more appealing.  There are definitely things that corporations could do differently.  For instance, they could invest time and money into bettering our environment.  Although some corporations are striving to do this, many others could join in on the cause.  Most corporations could also put more focus on the exact interest of the consumers.  Doing what is best for the people that buy the products that a corporation is selling can only enhance the business.  There are several other improvements that could be made in order to better the reputation that comes along with a corporation.  Most corporations have this reputation for a reason but they can always fix problems within the business.  I believe that corporations are not all bad and we as a society benefit from them. 

picture by: geograph

Every Company Has an Image

Every company that is trying to sell a product is going to do everything they can to market the product.  This makes very much sense because without good marketing the product is never going to sell.  Good marketing often means creating an image of what that company is like.  The company makes claims in order to send a message to the consumer.  Claims are what the company says is true about their business.  There are some situations in which companies are not truly honest about how they run their company.  They may paint a pretty picture of what a consumer would like the company to be, but in reality some are not how they appear.  For instance, the company Monsanto claims to be very healthy, green, and beneficial.  On the Monsanto website I found a that one thing they pledge to do is, "Use sound and innovative science and thoughtful and effective stewardship to deliver high-quality products that are beneficial to our customers and to the environment" (par. 6).  They say that they are committed to producing good and safe products that are healthy for the community and the environment.  If you look deeper into who Monsanto really is, you will find that they actually inject a dangerous hormone into the cows on their farms.  This hormone is called rBGH and it is meant to allow cows to carry more milk.  As stated by Sustainable Table foundation, "Developed and manufactured by the Monsanto Corporation, this genetically engineered hormone [rBGH] forces cows to artificially increase milk production by 10 to 15 percent" (par. 1).  The problem is that not only does it make an uncomfortable living situation for the cows, but it can also cause cancer in humans.  The Sustainable Table also says, "Milk from rBGH-treated cows contains higher levels of IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor-1). Humans also naturally have IGF-1, and increased levels in humans have been linked to colon and breast cancer" (par. 9).  Most people are more than likely unaware of these health risks but they wouldn't know any different if they base their opinion of Monsanto around what it states on it's website.  It is wrong for companies like Monsanto to use false advertising techniques.  If a company claims to do one thing, that is what it should do.  Yes, companies should advertise, market, and make a name for themselves.  They should not, however, mislead their consumers.  There are many companies that are not guilty of this.  Braum's is one of them.  In case you have never heard of Braum's, it is a place that sells dairy products, fast food, and some types of groceries.  Eventhough it offers meals, it is best known for it's milk and ice cream.  Braum's claims to only provide milk that comes from cows who have had no injections at all.  On their website Braum's has stated, "We do not inject our cows with hormones like rBGH to stimulate milk production and we don't add antibiotics to their feed" (par. 2).  Their claim is proved true by many sources.  One is The Oklahoman

Newspaper that in one article stated, "The cattle are fed a vegetarian diet and come from Midwestern ranches hand-picked by Tuttle-based Braum's. All-natural beef products available in Braum's Fresh Market will include steaks, ground beef and patties" (par. 1).  What Braum's says they do is what is done.  They provide their consumers with truth.  This makes them a very reliable and trustworthy company.  Monsanto and Braum's are two different types of companies.  One lives by what the claim and the other does not.  I do not agree with the false claims that Monsanto makes and I hope they will be stopped soon.

http://my.uca.edu/tag.371334a5509bd53a.render.userLayoutRootNode.uP?uP_root=root&uP_sparam=activeTab&activeTab=u11l1s26&uP_tparam=frm&frm=frame

http://www.braums.com/whatsnew.asp?id=94

http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/monsanto-pledge.aspx

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/rbgh/

"rBGH." The Issues. Sustainable Table, July 2008. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

"Our Pledge." Who We Are . Monsanto, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

"We Believe in Natural ." What's new . Braum's , 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

"Braum's Offers All-Natural Meat." The Oklahoman 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

That's Not My Job

There is a very dangerous mindset that some corporations encompass.  This mindset allows them to do business without much consideration of the effects of that business.  Many corporations will do all that they need to do in order to achieve goals that they have set for themselves, but they neglect the issues that could potentially be involved in the goals.  This way of thinking is very external.  It is the pushing aside of future external problems so that progress can be made in that particular moment.  The problems that may arise later are called externalities.  These problems are created when a corporation makes a decision to do something that looks good at the time but can later have consequences.  The corporations may even be aware of the tolls it could take but they try to externalize them, or in other words ignore them, for the benefit of their business.  Pushing the problems onto someone else is not uncommon.   They have this way of thinking that seems to say, "That is not my job so let someone else do it."   Corporations have profit to uphold and deadlines to meet so they have to do what they can to get the job done, even if that is ignoring problems or expecting someone else to deal with them.  Externalities are not a good thing.  In fact, I think that corporations who fall into this mindset are doing nothing but harm to our future and the future of generations yet to come.  For instance, South Western Energy Company has been drilling for oil by means of hydraulic fracking and in turn causing hundreds of earthquakes.  They are externalizing the effects of this drilling even though these effects are very obvious.  They are trying to expand their profit but at the same time they are doing damage.  This example shows that certain corporations are running a successful business but they are causing harmful effects in the meantime.  Some companies do not even cause harmful effects they just push aside issues that need to be resolved.  They let someone else take care of these issues instead of dealing with them.  The point that I want to make is that corporations who have externalities need to deal with them instead of pushing them into someone else’s hands or ignoring them all together.  I believe that externalizing problems may better the business at that time but in the long run it will turn out bad.  If corporations know that a goal they are trying to achieve cannot be achieved without some type of problem occurring down the road, they should reconsider.  It is scary to think that some corporations choose to push problems aside that could have negative effects on our society.  I think that corporations should strive to eliminate externalities and choose more appropriate alternatives. 

Advertising: Children as Targets

In the American society, we are all bombarded daily with advertisements through commercials on t.v., magazines, the radio, and many other media outlets.  Companies work very hard to sell their products to the targeted audience that will provide the best sell rates.  We are surrounded with pop culture throwing ideas and items at us constantly.  As adults, we know that not everything that is advertised is a good and necessary product.  We learn to ignore advertisements that don't apply to our lives specifically and we keep in mind that the company does have the goal of selling the product no matter what it takes.  Children are a different story.  They, too, are bombarded with advertisements that try to reel in their interest.  Many times, the child will decide that they want a certain product and they do anything to get it.  For instance, after a child sees a new toy commercial on t.v. what are they going to do?  They are going to ask their parents for the toy.  They are not just going to ask, they are going to nag.  They will keep this up for a long as possible or until they get what they want.  This puts the parents of the child in a bad position.  They do not want to just give in and teach the child that nagging gets them what they want, but the parents can only take so much of the nagging.  The Majority of corporations understand how to sell a product to a child.  They also understand that while the parents of the child wouldn't normally buy the product, even after seeing it advertise, the child will add extra pressure which will do the trick.  Most corporations make children believe that the product is something they want.  This causes the child to nag and no parent likes a nagging child.  In most cases parents give in and buy the product that the child wants.  It is simply easier for the parents.  With this said, it only makes sense that companies would aim the marketing of their product towards children and not the parents.  Much of the time it is through the child's nagging on end that finally pushes the parent over the edge.  This advertising occurs so often and is in fact successful.  The problem is whether or not it is truly ethical.  Is it right for corporations to make innocent, basically clueless, children believe that they need a certain product?  That question is definitely hard to answer.  Yes, advertising to children is affective, but to what degree is it acceptable? Marketing to children is not necessarily a bad thing there is just the issue of how to go about it and which lines should not be crossed.

Plunder

In writing class today, we discussed the problem of plundering within corporations.  For those of you that don't exactly know what plundering is, it is basically taking natural resources from the earth that the wildlife of this planet need for everyday life.  Plundering is taking something that doesn't only belong to you, but to others as well.  Most of the discussion in class was geared toward why corporations believe they have a right to these valuable resources on the planet.  It seems as if corporations feel they can take, take, and take some more without considering the harm they could be imposing on, not only the wildlife, but the earth in general.  Many corporations will do what they can to gain the resources they need to continue their business.  In most cases, the welfare of the environment is just forgotten or shrugged off as if it is not as important as what the corporation is doing at the time.  This is not the way corporations should think but sadly it is most of the time.  There are times when corporations such as Interface Carpets do realize the mistakes that they have made and agree that some things they do are wrong.  In the video below Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpets states, "The way I've been running Interface is the way of the plunderer; plundering something that is not mine, something that belongs to every creature on earth".  Anderson's eyes were opened to his corporation's mistakes and he admits that plundering is wrong and should be illegal.  One major question is why do corporations feel they have the right to take from the environment in the first place?  One of the thoughts that was brought up in class today was that corporations argue that man has dominion over all living things.  This is what the bible states in Genesis but corporations could be using this out of context because the bible also states in Genesis that man should take care of the earth they were given.  Man is not supposed to harm the earth but rather better the earth.  If corporations want to have dominion, this means they also have to treat the planet considerately.  In my opinion, corporations forget the second part of the rule very often.  My hope is that corporations will follow the example of Interface Carpets and become more environmentally friendly.