Job Discussion Forums

[SeasonedVet]

I have never really understood how advertising works. I have sometimes doubted that it does work but it has been confirmed that it does work. Although those images on TV advertising food or drinks, health care products toothpaste and even languages are fleeting (some of them) they seem to register with the viewers nonetheless.
I am sure we have all heard about how messages go directly into our subconscious without us ever even knowing or remember ever seeing the thing being advertised.Although I wasn't doubting that part I was however doubting the effectiveness of advertising and its effect on viewers.
Let me look for a little bit at Language advertising. We have heard time and again on this board references being made to the Blond Hair and Blue Eyes being connected with English language Instruction in Asia. So that teachers who don't possess those characteristics have been either disqualified or put to the back of the line. So that students have come to expect either Blond Hair or Blue eyes as connected to instruction in English and failing that the grade decreases backward to those without blond hair and blue eyes but of the same ethnic makeup and then failing that other ethnicities.
It doesen't stop at Language instruction it is involved in advertising other kinds of products. But do we know the connection? Example, I showed a young student a flashcard of what appeared to be an African-American wearing a surgical mask and surgical gloves and surgeon's green uniform and the goggles and I asked him " What's His Job" and the reply I got "He's a basketball player" well I wasn't expecting that. But it was an interesting answer.
From that I drew the conclusion that advertising and stereotypes are definitely connected.
If you always see an ethnicity advertising sports you might think that they are all involved in sports. Similarly if you see an ethnicity "apparently" always in trouble on TV news shows that deal with Law and Order you might think that they are all like that.

Kudos to SoftBank whose recent commercial features a guy who does not have Blond hair and Blue Eyes and who isn't caucasion. He does a fine job of advertising the product. But More than that I have a story that has come about as a result of that commercial.
A guy I know who is a Teacher and who (some people think) has features similar to the guy on the SoftBank commercial ( the only similarities I can see though is the same ethnic makeup) has been catapulted into a small world of fame ( unprecedented for him) with his students and even strangers on the train or on the street.

If this same principle of advertising were applied to advertising language instruction I wonder what might come of it.

[Zzonkmiles]

I was riding the train yesterday and three high school girls sitting in front of me looked at me, whispered to each other and then said in a voice just loud enough for me to hear:

"Yoso Guy!"

I guess that's better than students asking me if I like rap or if I can teach them Black English. But still...

Funny ad campaign though. I like it! Seems to be a mixed reception among the Japanese though, based on some Japanese message boards and blog sites I've read.

[Kleetus]

sorry to rain on your parade Vet, but you are aware of the SoftBank commercial being shown every break of the Japan series that features Cameron Diaz??

[SeasonedVet]

Zzonkmiles wrote:

[SeasonedVet]

Kleetus wrote:

[Zzonkmiles]

[Gordon]

How did Vodaphone become Softbank? Sounds like a mighty big takeover. I am surprised the name changed since Vodpahone is such a recognized name worldwide.

[canuck]

[fluffyhamster]

Talking of the Softbank takeover of Vodafone, me ol' Preca prepaid mobile now won't display emails from friends' Hotmail accounts (or any of the variety of junk mail addresses floating around). When it was just Vodafone, it wouldn't process mail from Yahoo accounts, but Hotmail?! Come on! Maybe Softbank think I'm going to top up my now-expired credit simply to keep what would then just be a very expensive telephone.