Lexus RC F: Feel the Freedom, Live the Luxury

Lexus is a brand known for redefining luxury. For one of the most high-performing luxury cars, it is amazingly reliable. “Toyota Motor Corporation is currently the largest car manufacturer in the world, producing over 10 million vehicles annually. The company was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda and rocketed during the 1970’s oil crisis. With oil prices going sky high, the huge US market required inexpensive economical cars to replace their bulky sedans, mainly powered by V8 engines. That was a turning point for Toyota which gained the reputation of producing cheap and reliable cars. Responding to US import taxes, the Japanese company built the first plant in North America at the beginning of the 1980’s. Later on they launched a new luxury brand Lexus.”  http://www.car-brand-names.com/japanese-car-brands/ Lexus has come a long way in terms of style. “Lexus launched [in 1989] with two sedans, the LS 400 and ES 250, and a commitment to pursue perfection.” http://pressroom.lexus.com/releases/history+lexus.htm My roommate has a 1991 Lexus LS400 in great condition that he uses regularly. Toyota engines are said to run forever if given proper care. The reason I love the new Lexus RC F is because of the body design, the “mean looking” grille, and the fact that it beats a 2016 BMW M4 on the track. “The RC F takes everything—head-rush acceleration, minimized body roll, dizzying lateral g loads—to an entirely different level,” from an article in Autoweek, 2015 http://www.lexusoflasvegas.com/RCF?&pdsrch=sem_google_lexus%20rcf_p_168331641818 I’ve done a lot of research on this car because I’m saving up to buy one! How I fell in love is actually an interesting story. I consider myself a passive aggressive driver, growing up in Chicago where drivers learn how to drive defensively but aggressively. I’m also always running late, so traffic is my nemesis. I was racing the clock to get to work, when out of nowhere this flash of blue flew by me. Sometimes I forget that I’m not on my Suzuki GSX-R and only in my Honda Civic, however I sped up to catch up to my offender. As I approached this beautiful blue car, I couldn’t help but admire the sleek, yet aggressive body style, the sexy alloy wheels, the “F” badge. I literally followed that car around for a few miles, sacrificed being late to work, just to appreciate the style and performance of this car. Why I came up with the slogan for this car “Feel the Freedom, Live the Luxury.” Freedom is feeling 467 horsepower imprint your body into the seat, defying gravity, making you feel like you can take off in flight. Lexus is a label known for its luxury vehicles. Blending luxury with pure adrenalin, to me, reinvents freedom. It's like having your cake and eating it too.

Week 6 EOC - Fake News

Fake news is not new news. False stories always find a way to creep into the media. One hoax I found particularly disturbing is the rumor of Melissa McCarthy's death. She is a comedy star, poignantly  known for her plump disposition, however she hilariously uses it to her advantage. People who are overweight are more susceptible to health issues, so its no shock someone made up some crazy fallacy about the actress. "Rumors of the actress’s alleged demise gained traction on Monday after a ‘R.I.P. Melissa McCarthy’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes."  http://en.mediamass.net/people/melissa-mccarthy/deathhoax.html from the same website, "On Tuesday (February 14) the actress' reps officially confirmed that Melissa McCarthy is not dead. 'She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. She's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,' they said." Clearly some people have way too much time on their hands. What's worse is that people were actually offended by the hoax. They claimed the fake report was "reckless, distressing and hurtful to fans." How do they think Melissa McCarthy feels? If I heard a rumor that people thought I was dead I would be a little concerned. "Melissa McCarthy, born on August 26, 1970 in Plainfield, was an American actress and comedienne. She died on February 16, 2017 at the age of 46." http://en.necropedia.org/obituary/Melissa_McCarthy Today is February 15th. So apparently this website is claiming she is dead...tomorrow. She did have a response to the false report. She appeared on Saturday Night Live and battled Bobby Moynihan to the death. "She also hit Kenan in the face with a ninja star, which might have been the highlight of the whole thing." http://myconnection.cox.com/article/entertainment/aHR0cHM6Ly9pZGVudGlmaWVycy5jbWdkaWdpdGFsLmNvbS9tZWRsZXkvcHJvZC9mZWVkX2ltcG9ydGVyLmltcG9ydGVkZmVlZGl0ZW0vNTczNDYyNS8=/ If I was a comedian that is exactly how I would have handled to whole situation.

Week 5 EOC - Super Bowl Commercial

My favorite commercial in Super Bowl 51 was by far the Mr. Clean commercial! I love the message that a woman loves a man who cleans, and it's also showing what Mr. Clean can do! I believe that women reacted strongly to this ad (I was watching it at a bar and mostly women commented on it) but it could also evoke some reaction from the men. After all, I know a lot of men who can appreciate Magic Mike and Justin Timberlake...just setting the bar. "In the 30-second commercial, created by Leo Burnett [Toronto], a woman notices a mess on her stove top and gets sad. Thankfully, an animated Mr. Clean appears, accompanied by seductive music. The camera pans up his digital body. He's wearing skintight white, rippling with muscles, and armed with cleaning supplies. Oh, and he's bald, of course. With a sly smirk, he wrings a sponge, slams down his bucket of cleaners, and dances like Justin Timberlake while cleaning her kitchen, bathroom, and living room. She watches as he bumps and grinds. And cleans." http://www.forbes.com/sites/susannahbreslin/2017/01/29/mr-clean-sexes-up-pgs-super-bowl-ad/#3a5e79e24744 This is the first Super Bowl ad by Mr. Clean, but the timing couldn’t be more perfect. "Mr. Clean's brand going back to the 1950s was about a genie-in-a-bottle helping women with chores. But the growing possibility of men shouldering the cleaning burden, particularly among millennials, makes the idea of that mythical figure morphing into a real guy more believable now." http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/spot-mr-clean-sexy-p-g-bets-bigger-icon/307701/ I can personally say that I get upset when my partner leaves a mess and doesn't help me clean. I definitely relate to the woman in this commercial. Its discouraging to see a messy house and have the burden of cleaning it all by yourself. "P&G exec Martin Hettich said the commercial was targeted at couples and takes aim at how they divide up household chores. 'There’s a clear disconnect between what men say they’re doing and what they’re actually doing,' Hettich said, citing an internal study of heterosexual couples that found only 17 percent of households equally shared chore responsibilities, despite the fact that most men thought they did half the chores. Perhaps if men pitched in, women would have more time for... other activities. In fact, a 2015 study from the University of Alberta found that heterosexual couples had better and more frequent sex when men chipped in with the chores." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mr-clean-super-bowl-commercial-sexy_us_588ae3b8e4b0303c0752f4b5 How this ad affects us? Well that last quote basically sums it up.  

 

Week 4 EOC - Women in contemporary ads

 

Women have definitely been a big topic in advertising. There are typically sexual innuendos and misogynistic messages, although I believe with all the fuss about feminism uprising, a lot more female based ads have been positive. This Dove ad (and most of the Dove ads in general) make me happy. I love seeing the "campaign for real beauty." It delivers a powerful message to women of all ages that imperfection is beauty. That's from one of my favorite quotes by Marilyn Monroe, "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." It hangs in my bathroom to remind me that even when my makeup isn’t on point, I'm still beautiful. The "campaign for real beauty" empowers women by reminding them that beauty is more than skin deep.  

 

I like this ad because it depicts a woman confidently running, appearing to be racing and winning. This ad makes me think of the commercial that aired a while back, "Anything you can do, I can do better." Not to say that men are inferior, but I feel like women have so much more to prove. On top of that, athletic women have so much to prove! There are "model-type" women, "thick" women, "petite" women, etc. The category of "athlete" is very limited and mainly consisting of men. It takes a huge commitment and stringent training to be an athlete. Many women who are considered "athletes" are also deemed "manly." I would honestly have to say the woman in this ad looks pretty feminine. Nike always seems to do a good job at depicting equality between men and women, however this ad shows tasteful chivalry. "Ladies first" is an age old saying by charming men who would hold doors for women and let them go first.