E-Portfolio

San Kim's E-Portfolio


Hi, my name is San Kim and welcome to my E-Portfolio. I am an undergraduate student Penn State University and I am seeking a double major in International Relations and Psychology and a minor is Philosophy. As a student here at Penn State I realized the importance of strengthening my communication skills through public speaking as well as essays and technological mediums. Currently I am seeking to either continue my studies on to law school or to go to seminary school. No matter which path I take, communication is essential and it is something that I value and know that I have to invest my time in. As a lawyer, talking with people, asserting my point of view, and wording phrases to make a more cohesive and sturdy argument are crucial parts of that career. Without the ability to communicate properly and efficiently, becoming a lawyer would be extremely difficult because as a lawyer communication is a key part of the job. Going onto seminary, whatever path I take from that point on, communicating with other people to share religious conversations as well as debates are only a couple of things that require communications skills. When I start to speak in front of crowds about religion, I need to be eloquent in my word choice as well as have good delivery and organization for people to understand and take in what I may say to them. This E-Portfolio is where I gathered my different works of communication to become comfortable with the different types of communication. The culmination of my written, oral, and media presentations will reveal what kind of communicator I am and it also points out my strengths and weaknesses as a communicator. As I add and edit the posting, I only hope to become better and to strengthen my communication skills further so I can really apply these skills to whatever future path I may take. Enjoy!

Anti Vaccination

While doing research for our project over the past couple of weeks I had a hard time understanding why people would listen to people like McCarthy over Dr. Offit. This was very confusing and made absolutely no sense to me. Why would educated parents listen to a celebrity over a doctor? Then I watched one of the interviews and had an understanding of why the parents might have sided with McCarthy. When she is talking about this anti vaccination movement, she is someone that the parents can relate to because they share similar stories with their children being affected by the vaccines. The use of pathos is very strong here and McCarthy knows her audience very well and through her personal knowledge of this, she can get through many parents. In addition with this strong pathos, she seems to have some knowledge of the vaccines and she is fighting against the vaccination schedule which props her ethos. I find it almost frightening to see how a person that is not a professional of a certain field receive so much credibility and support when there is so much opposition and facts going against this case. This needs to be stopped so that the lives of children and the people around them will not get hurt.

Old Spice Blocker!!!!

This is one of my favorite Old Spice commercials and this is the one of the many ones that Terry Crews filmed for the Old Spice Odor Blocker. This commercial is 18 seconds long and for the duration of the 18 seconds, Terry Crews says "BLOCK!" at least twenty times emphasizing the strength of the body wash. In addition, he does not have his shirt on which again emphasizes the masculinity and manliness the Old Spice body wash embodies. The actions he used to “block” odor are just simple moves that brush off “odor” and this shows how easily odor can be “blocked” using Old Spice Odor Blocker body wash. Old Spice did an amazing job portraying this body wash as something men need and using someone as manly and muscular like Terry Crews only helps this identity be passed on to viewers who want to purchase this product. Terry Crews also yells constantly throughout the commercial and flexes which corresponds to the strength of the body wash that Old Spice is trying to sell. If there was a different guy figure for this commercial, I do not think that it would have been as effective because not many people can portray as the crazy muscular man and at the same time attract people to this product. Also I found that the clock at the end of the commercial really allows for the customer to visualize 16 hours and to have odor blocked for 16 hours is a very long time.

I don’t know how other felt about this product, but I went out to buy it and I was very impressed with how well it “BLOCK!(ed)” odor. This Old Spice commercial among many others is the reason why I still use Old Spice body wash.

Gatorade "Big Heads"

Gatorade usually markets to athletes who are “older” in sense because there are many intense and hardcore advertisements giving viewers ideas like never giving up or making history. Usually the Gatorade advertisements are geared toward young adults and older athletes.

Then I came across this Gatorade advertisement entitled “Big Heads.” During the commercial, the kids are the kids with the athlete of their choice as their head. The kids are the “players” in a sense and in this commercial Kevin Garnett, Dwayne Wade, Jennie Finch, Derek Jeter, and Peyton manning were the heads of the five kids. Each “kid” excelled at the sport they represented. Most importantly, we can’t forget about the colored sweat from which represents the Gatorade they drank.

I found this to be particularly interesting because Gatorade is trying to appeal to a younger audience by telling them the same thing they tell to older people, just in a different way. This commercial is more fun and laid back, but at the same time showing that Gatorade still carries the identity of a hard working superstar. With Gatorade, showed in this commercial, kids can be their favorite athletes who also drink Gatorade and be awesome like they are. This commercial, in my opinion, is very effective not only to the kids but also parents because it takes away the “intense” factor with this commercial and makes it more “kid” friendly. Hopefully Gatorade does more advertisements like this to attract more buyers in the younger age group which would be an investment to future customers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SihaR6U2038

McDonalds in Japan

While I "youtubing" this past week, I came across advertisements for McDonalds in Japan. I was shocked at the different approach McDonalds took in selling their burgers in Japan. The Ronald McDonald figure we are all familiar too is the plump, curly hair, and warm character. We feel a sense of friendliness and familiarity with the Ronald McDonald we see in the U.S. In Japan, the male Ronald is a very slim, tall character. He is dressed very well and he probably is a model. At first glance, the advertisement seems to be a model or clothing advertisement, if you don’t notice the colors, but towards the end of the commercial, the Ronald figure pulls out the burger. Seeing this commercial, I can definitely see the cultural differences in Japan and the U.S. People in Japan need to see this burger as something that is not unhealthy and it needs to be something that can be sleek and attractive. McDonalds did an excellent job capturing this image through the model and the basic idea is that if a model that looks fit and attractive can eat this and keep in shape, YOU can do it too. The image McDonalds is selling in Japan is completely different from the image they are selling in the U.S. People in the U.S. do not think of a attractive model, but a plump Ronald who eats and plays with our kids. This advertisement also very effectively shows that knowing the audience is key in getting the message across. This advertisement is also one of two advertisements that McDonalds aired in Japan to sell this image through their burgers. 

Remaking of a Classic Ad

In 1993, McDonalds starred Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in a Big Mac commercial where they played HORSE to see who would eat the Big Mac. Now fast forward 18 years and you have Dwight Howard and Lebron James playing a game of HORSE, but now only dunking, to see who would eat the Big Mac. Interestingly enough both commercial are practically the same thing. In both commercials they make impossible shots adding a hint of humor to make the advertisement more interesting. In the 1993 ad Larry Bird tells Michael Jordan that dunks are not allowed and in the 2011 ad Dwight Howard tells Lebron James that jump shots are not allowed, which seems pretty funny because even great players have something that they can’t do.

Now for the rhetorical analysis…

The 2011 ad, much like the 1993 ad, gives off a friendly vibe where in which two friends enjoy a friendly competition in order to eat the meal. The two players don’t seem like basketball players but more like friends who are meeting up to enjoy each other’s company. This warm and friendly feeling is important to support the image of McDonalds because fast food restaurants usually don’t have an air of friendliness but they are usually depicted as cold, industrial companies trying to maximize profit. Then both players perform impossible dunks throughout the game of HORSE and this signifies that people will do ANYTHING in order to eat a Big Mac because it is just that good. This exemplifies the quality and flavor of the Big Mac itself because even if it may just be a burger, it is a burger for which you would do ridiculous things to get. The last scene where Larry Bird comes in and thanks the guys for the lunch is really interesting because the players “seem” to not recognize him but just the fact that their lunch was stolen. Larry Bird is one of the most fascinating players that ever played the game of basketball and yet two basketball All Stars do not recognize him. This use of humor is to show how important the Big Mac is compared to even a legendary basketball player.

Here is the older advertisement so you can compare the two commercials.

THE PANDA STRIKES AGAIN

After watching James’ presentation about Panda Cheese, I had to go and look for other Panda Commercials. I watched the Never Say No to Panda in the Supermarket. Once again, the commercial starts out with a dull and inactive setting. Then you see the father and son shopping for groceries together and you can notice that the father has a dull, grey shirt whereas the son has a bright yellow shirt. This in itself shows the difference of personalities between the father and the son. The son then picks up the Panda Cheese and suggests buying it, but his father quickly scolds him and I am assuming that he is telling him that they have enough food already in the cart. As soon as the father finishes saying that the Panda appears, again, giving the father a cute smile with a couple of blinks. The Panda walks up and knocks the cart over and kicks the groceries multiple times.

This commercial clearly shows that Panda Cheese brings joy and liveliness into the lives of people who enjoy this product. The people who do not want this seem to hate life or just not happy at all. In addition, rejecting this product means that you will be receiving the wrath of the Panda and after watching the multiple series of Panda Cheese videos, you do not want to mess with the Panda.

As I watched the numerous Panda videos, I think the advertisers did a very good job in attempting to sell their product because I really want some Panda Cheese. I WILL find Panda Cheese and when I do, I will bring it to class sometime in the future.

A Kia...

Even as a South Korean person, I could never really support buying Korean cars because the cars lacked in performance and were always out of style. Of all the Korean car companies, Kia is probably the company that bothers me the most and I constantly wonder why they cannot incorporate more modern designs to their cars. 

Interestingly, however, for the past year they have been producing more cars with better and innovative designs and the one that really caught my eye recently was the Kia Soul, where the famous hamsters are in the car either listening to music or outside the car break dancing. As I look back on this car ad, I cannot help but be fascinated to see how the rhetoric of this ad really changed my perception of Kia cars. The ethos in this ad is very powerful and clear cut in the sense that there is a more “hip” feeling to Kia compared to the older designs. In addition, in comparison to the older commercials of Kia, there is definitely a different ethos that is portrayed. Previously, it was a more “conservative” and “calm” kind of car and now it feels more “modern” and “cool”.

I never thought I would catch myself considering buying a Kia until I was exposed to these commercials.  

Kia did a great good job of portraying their ethos to a younger audience with their sleek and modern designs and the affordability of this car company seals the deal for people to consider Kia as an option when they are going to purchase another car.  

Love Hurts

After searching far and wide, I decided to blog about one of the Super Bowl ads I saw this past Super Bowl. It was a PepsiMax commercial entitled “Love Hurts”. The entire ad was about how a woman in a relationship prevented her fiancé or husband from eating high calorie foods. There are multiple scenes where she takes away food, destroys the food, and etc. At the end the husband figure is drinking a PepsiMax and sees his wife drinking only to realize that PepsiMax has no calories.

As funny as this commercial may be, it has a message and was created in a purposeful way which I will share with you through this blog. The Pepsi Company first starts with a Pathos appeal and it shown through the “pain” of the man who cannot eat “tasty” foods. As men, unable to eat the food we want and having to diet with our partners in relationships or even dieting by ourselves can be a challenge. No matter how we try to hide it, someone will catch us in the act and will either make us feel guilty or make us eat healthy.

In the midst of this pain, Pepsi says that we can find relaxation and relieve our diet stresses with a PepsiMax. This is clearly shown when the husband figure is drinking PepsiMax, thinking it was a regular soda, until he saw his wife drink it which made him realize that it had zero calories. In addition to Pathos, the Ethos is shown through the name PepsiMax and having the Max instead of diet really changes some peoples’ perception of zero calorie drinks and takes away the “bad taste” mentality towards diet drinks.

Let me know what you guys noticed too.

Kairos

President Obama came to Penn State today to speak about Energy Innovation and how important students are to this cause. He explained vaguely about plans for the future to make our homes and businesses more efficient. He also talked about how Penn State will lead one of the government sponsored Energy Innovation Hubs in Philadelphia.

As important as energy innovation and needs for efficiency are, I do not think that today was a kairotic situation for President Obama to talk about it. I understand that the President is a VERY busy person and that changing his schedule to fit the right kairos is very difficult. However, topics such as energy renewal and innovation are constantly replaced by more pressing issues such as the crisis in Egypt and because of this incident; energy renewal will be pushed back to the end of the agenda for the government. I find this situation to be fascinating because the President failed to find the kairos for this cause and in effect energy renewal and efficiency will, at first, be considered but when more “urgent” issues, like I mentioned before, like the political instability in Egypt, arise this speech will be long forgotten along with the facts and points from the speech.

It would have been more effective if the President had talked about Egypt and it political instability and somehow linked it to our dependence on foreign resources for oil. In this way, the message would have felt more urgent and it would have been a very appropriate time for something like this to be mentioned.

This I Believe Podcast Link

http://www.zshare.net/audio/860527417740eebd/

A Great Rhetor

In my Philosophy of Race class, we discussed Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”. It was my job to research and analyze the speech and while doing so I found Frederick Douglass’ use of rhetoric to be very powerful and very effective. Frederick Douglass is a master of rhetoric and in this particular speech his rhetoric is especially moving. He first states that to do the slave, the 4^th of July is not a day of independence, but it is a day when black slaves can look at the hypocrisy of the United States. He says it is a holiday in which black people are mocked when white people talk about liberty, justice, and freedom. When Frederick Douglass talks about this, he appeals to the emotions and minds of the people listening. Many people who were listening at the time probably never thought about how the day of liberation of the United States just brought more pain and suffering to others. In addition, throughout the speech, his choice of words is so powerful and so descriptive that it is hard to not picture the descriptions in your head.

Here is an example,

“To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.”(What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?, Frederick Douglass)

The words are very harsh and crude, but they were necessary at the time to express, his emotions as well as for the slaves who couldn’t speak up about this issue. His use of rhetoric to send a message to the audience is clearly seen and was quite effective of getting the effect he wanted.

Take the time to skim through his speech (it is quite long) and see other great examples of rhetoric Frederick Douglass provides. 


What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Frederick Douglass

The Hand Teleprompter

In class we explored the four different modes of speeches which are manuscript, memorized, impromptu, and extemporaneous. Each of the different modes have its different pros and cons and are used in different situations such as the manuscript during a news cast or an impromptu speech given during our class about our scars. The extemporaneous mode of speech is used most frequently for presentations and speeches of sorts by long preparation and possible note cards to remind the speaker throughout the speech or presentation. I don’t completely know if this example was an extemporaneous method of speech but I still thought it would be interesting to share.

Sarah Palin during the Q & A for the Tea Party was caught using a “hand teleprompter”. To be a politician of her status where she is recognized nation-wide and is a possible nominee to be our future president, I am really fearful of the politics in the United States because people will allow unprepared and irresponsible representatives to be nominees for such an important part in our country. I knew Sarah Palin was not the smartest of the politicians in the United States but to be so ill prepared for a Q & A session for her own party and to have the nerve to write “notes” on her hands for something as serious as being a presidential nominee is very disrespectful to the party as well as the citizens of the United States.

This is probably a very bad example of the extemporaneous method and some might exaggerate this to be the manuscript method (I’m trying to be funny). So ladies and gentlemen, this is just something not to do on live national television, or even for our speeches coming up.