Video Mashup Project – Gender Wage Gap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGX4FxnKhhE&feature=youtu.be

Citations

BuzzFeedYellow. “What Does The Gender Wage Gap Actually Look Like?” YouTube. YouTube, 05 June 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIQ1CaI13tU>.

BuzzFeedYellow. “One Woman Discovers The Wage Gap.” YouTube. YouTube, 07 Apr. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm3YfMtgEdI>.

OgilvyDO. “GoldieBlox Breaks into Toys R Us.” YouTube. YouTube, 08 July 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz7g4qy0l9M>.

Oliver, John. “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Wage Gap.” YouTube. YouTube, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsB1e-1BB4Y>.

Tadelesmith. “Feminist Makeup Tutorial (PARODY).” YouTube. YouTube, 13 June 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lET-WXTsSwc&feature=youtu.be>.

Thethrashlab. “What Do Feminists Have Left?” YouTube. YouTube, 27 Sept. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flm8BwEmM3E>.

Culture Jam

  1. Original Ad
    Original Ad
  2. Diet Coke has grown to become an alternative for regular Coke drinkers as it is replaced by artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Artificial sweeteners can trigger insulin, which gives our brains the signal to convert into fat storage mode. These manmade chemicals can still cause obesity, diabetes and possibly cancer due to aspartame consumption. As caffeine and aspartame being key ingredients in Diet Coke, this combination is known to spark addictiveness. The word “diet” often tricks people into believing the product is healthy. In order to retain customer confidence in Diet Coke, they invited Taylor Swift, a Grammy award winner music icon, to be featured in their advertisements and commercials. By using celebrity endorsements, Coca Cola is trying to boost sales, especially by targeting die hard Taylor Swift fans. A can of diet coke won’t help you lose weight and it won’t give you Taylor Swift’s slim figure. The fact that she is pouring the coke into a tall and slim glass is also giving consumers the image of becoming slender after consuming coke. Her sharp red dress and sunglasses purposely matches Coke’s logo to grab people’s attention. Taylor Swift fans may feel encourage to begin drinking Diet Coke, or for fans that have already been drinking Diet Coke may drink in higher volumes now. Higher volumes could lead to a higher chance of obesity, diabetes and cancer. Kids and teenagers are especially vulnerable to the misleading takeaways from this advertisement, their bodies and minds may not be mature enough to realize that this celebrity endorsement is luring people in to consume a beverage with completely no nutritional value. Taylor Swift may be promoting Diet Coke, but in my eyes, I think she is promoting aspartame instead. Aspartame is more commonly known as “NutraSweet” or “Equal” which often comes in small packets along with your average tea or coffee. It is deadlier than sugar, which is why Coca Cola is investing in this celebrity endorsement to maintain the sales of Diet Coke. By consuming Diet Coke, you will not “stay extraordinary”, as the tagline says at the top left of the advertisement.
  3. Jammed Ad
    Jammed Ad
  4. My jamming philosophy aspired to invoke the actual contents of a Diet Coke. As with the original ad, I replicated mine to look similar while trying to reveal the sugar content being poured out of the Diet Coke can. Taylor Swift originally pours out Diet Coke into a wine glass. In my jammed ad, I used a can of Diet Coke with Taylor Swift’s signature on it, then replace the wine glass with a regular glass to prevent misconceptions. The interpretation of a wine glass mislead customers into believing Diet Coke is a classy and indulgent drink. Also, having Taylor Swift’s face on the ad purposely grabbed fans’ attention. Without her figure on my ad, Taylor Swift fans may be less inclined to drink Diet Coke, whilst still giving an indirect endorsement from Taylor Swift. As the Coke is poured out into the glass, I revealed sugar cubes in the liquid. Even though Diet Coke has zero calories, it has no nutritional value and consumers must be well aware of this. Lastly, in the original ad, the slogan was “Stay Extraordinary”. In my jammed alternation, I decided to respond to the slogan by answering it with a “What Extraordinary”. I want my audience to take away that nothing is extraordinary about Diet Coke except for its zero linkage to studies of cancer and neurological problems. I am not trying to discourage people from drinking Coke but I want them to drink in moderation with its health concerns in mind.