Week 4 EOC | McDonald's Response to Super Size Me

When Super Size Me first came out in 2004, people witnessed what the food from McDonald’s can do to a human body if one eats nothing but McDonald’s food for thirty days straight. The results were surprising and disturbing. Personally, when I saw the film, I swore off McDonald’s and thought who in their right mind would want to eat McDonald’s after seeing what it can do to your body. However, years after Super Size Me came out, McDonald’s still remains the top fast food restaurant in sales and continues to feed billions of people. Expectedly, McDonald’s took action and responded to the film to defend the company. First off, they printed an ad that stated: “If you haven't seen the film 'Super Size Me', here's what you're missing…hat we do agree with is its core argument -- that if you eat too much and do too little, it's bad for you” (Whitehead). They agreed with the message of the film; the message of the film was that if you eat too much fast food and don’t exercise regularly, there would be health consequences. This was smart of McDonald’s for doing this because it would be foolish to deny that their food isn’t good for you, when there is documented evidence in the film. With this ad, McDonald’s has “taken out full page ads in The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Scotsman and The Herald” to get their message across (Dams). On another note, a representative of McDonald’s also said, “the film is slick, well made and yes, somewhat annoyingly, doesn't portray McDonald's in the most favorable light. And yet what we do agree with is its core argument - that if you eat too much and do too little, it's bad for you. What we don't agree with is the idea that eating at McDonald's is bad for you” (Dams). Also, in response to the film, the fast food chain started to offer healthier food option on their menu, like salads, fruit-yogurt parfaits, and apple slices. They have also made it their mission to provide friendly and hospitable service to all their customers. They have made many improvements: “With their remodeled restaurants, additions to the menu and at least one nontraditional ally — mom bloggers — executives are trying to present a greener, more healthful McDonald’s. And in some ways the company is indeed changing” (O’Brien). All in all, McDonald’s have increased their standards in order to stay on top, regardless of a popular film.

 

Sources:

1.     Whitehead, Jennifer. "'Super Size Me' Prompts McDonald's Press Fightback." 'Super Size Me' Prompts McDonald's Press Fightback. N.p., 20 Aug. 2004. Web. 31 July 2013.

2.     Dams, Tim. "McDonald's Adds Heat to Super Size Me in UK." Screen International. Webvision, 23 Aug. 2004. Web. 31 July 2013.

3.     'Brien, Keith. "How McDonald’s Came Back Bigger Than Ever." The New York Times. The New York Times Comapny, 16 May 2013. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/magazine/how-mcdonalds-came-back-bigger-than-ever.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Week 3 EOC | Rolling Stone Magazine

Rolling Stone is a popular magazine that publishes bi-weekly and focuses on events and issues that involve politics and popular culture (music, movies, and celebrities). Recently, the magazine is surrounded by a huge controversy because of who was on their recent cover, but Rolling Stone has experienced that type of scandal many times in the past. So, obviously, the magazine is used to this kind of attention, but why? Why do the publishers of Rolling Stone publish this kind of magazine? What is the magazine all about and what are their intentions? What is their brand?

Jann Wenner and Ralph J. Gleason founded the magazine in 1967 in San Francisco, California. Today, Jann Wenner is still the current chief editor. Rolling Stone was originally known for its musical coverage and for political reporting; however, the magazine changed its format during the 1990s to appeal to a younger audience. As a result, the magazine started reporting on “youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music.” Many people criticize the magazine for focusing too much on style over content. During the 1970s, the magazine started covering politics. Hunter S. Thompson was one of the head journalists for writing the magazine’s political section. Wenner wanted the magazine to be the voice of the generation. He wanted the brand of the magazine to be daring and out there. During that decade, the magazine was like a source of rebellion against social order with the help of music: “What made Jann — and Rolling Stone — successful was the power of rock‘n’ roll combined with his personal ruthlessness and the opportunism, including kindness, that wealth allows” (Weir).

Today, Rolling Stone is undeniably an attention-grabbing magazine. As a brand, they represent a different, distinct perspective on issues that deal with political events and popular culture. It started off as a music magazine, but evolved into a magazine that promotes pop culture: “By the 1980s, Rolling Stone had become somewhat more institutionalized, monetized and adopted ideas (e.g., employee drug testing) shunned by the early culture of the magazine's founders” (dtmagazine.com). The magazine itself includes very lengthy articles, so they aim at a young and educated audience. Because magazine sales are slowly declining, Rolling Stone is now on the Internet, but people still buy and read Rolling Stone, the magazine, because of the Rolling Stone brand and the reputation of the magazine. Overtime, Rolling Stone has become a cultural phenomenon that truly expresses the alternate, youthful perspective. I believe the magazine's brand represents the voice that wants to be heard in society.


Sources:
1.) Freedman, Samuel. “Literary ‘Rolling Stone’ sells out to male titillation.” USA Today. 2002. http://www.samuelfreedman.com/articles/culture/ust_rolling.html
2.) Weir, David. “Wenner’s World.” Salon. 20 April 1999. http://www.salon.com/1999/04/20/wenner/
3.) http://www.dtmagazine.com/cmopg1924/rs1.html

Week 2 EOC | John Varvatos

John Varvatos is a famous American contemporary menswear designer. Not noticeably, Varvatos is known for his way of designing pieces that fuse fashion with rock and roll. He has earned many awards throughout his career and has even been recognized as GQ Designer of the Year in 2007: “John’s goal is to red American men of their phobias about style. He wants American guys – regular blokes! – to start saying the F-word: fashion…Once Varvatos injects his image with a lethal dose of Aerosmith, a whiff of Alice Cooper, a soupcon of Iggy Pop, and a whisper of Joe Strummer, men are powerless to resist” (GQ, December 2007 issue). I would consider Varvatos a true innovator for menswear design. Varvatos has many different strengths that play a great deal into his success today. One of his strengths is his experience. He has worked with many of the top menswear designers, before venturing out on his own: “Varvatos joined Polo Ralph Lauren in 1983. Recruited by Calvin Klein in 1990, he was appointed Head of Menswear Design and oversaw the launch of the men's collection and the influential cK brand. In 1995, he returned to Polo as Head of Menswear Design for all Polo Ralph Lauren brands and created the highly successful Polo Jeans Company” (www.nbc.com). So, obviously, Varvatos knows a thing or two about menswear. Also, Varvatos has a way of being able to captivate the men’s demographic in America. The way he fuses music with fashion really grabs people’s attention. Some may consider Varvatos to have a couple of weakness. For example, he only designs for men. In the future, there could always be the possibility that his menswear will not be enough. A demand for a women’s wear designed by Varvatos might grow into demand. With that being said, an opportunity of expanding into designing clothes for women. Most designers venture out into designing clothes outside of their comfort zone, so I would assume that Varvatos might try womenswear. I can predict it being a good opportunity for him. Varvatos’ threats include other designers trying to copy or replicate his designs: “’We have people that come in our store and spend $20,000, and then we get their credit card and we see that they’re with another designer or a vertical retail store,’ he said” (nymag.com, Marcus). However, Varvatos doesn’t see that as a major threat; it just means that there is a high demand for his clothes: “If they stop coming here to buy it and they’re going to somebody else, you’re no longer the hot person. When people stop knocking me off, that means we’re not the relevant people anymore” (nymag.com, Marcus). All in all, Varvatos knows his stuff and he definitely knows what he is doing. He is a true inspiration for prospective designers.

Images below are some of my favorite pieces from the John Varvatos Spring 2012 Collection:
Sources:
1.) http://www.johnvarvatos.com/about/gq-magazine-designer-of-the-year
2.) http://www.nbc.com/fashion-star/about/bios/mentors/john-varvatos/
3.) http://nymag.com/thecut/2010/02/john_varvatos_knows_when_a_com.html

Week 1 EOC | How to Make it in America

In the first episode of “How to Make it in America,” the character, Ben, and his best friend, Cam, are struggling to make money. Ben works as a Sales Associate at a high-end retail store in New York and Cam spends his time trying to make money in various different ways. Also, in this episode, viewers see an example of entrepreneurship. On a train, a twelve-year-old boy sells chocolate bars for extra cash. He realizes there is a need; people who commute from place to place in New York tend to get hungry. As a solution, the little boy buys chocolate bars at a lower price at some grocery store, then goes out and sells them at a higher price to people who are willing to buy them because it is convenient. The little boy will try to find out what people have the need for and will try to come up with a solution that satisfies that particular need. Later in the episode, Cam needs to payback a loan to his cousin, so he gets Ben to help him sell fake leather jackets. They are unsuccessful because of two reasons: 1.) There was no need for fake leather jackets that were suppose to replicate a higher-end leather jacket and 2.) They were just two random guys on the street, so no one knew who they were. They were not a brand that people could trust. Today, brands pretty much dominate any market. People tend to buy things from brands because they can expect a sufficient product: “People are passionate about brands whether they support them or not. While some brands inevitably carry a financial status and equity that can make them powerful, they are ultimately accountable to their audience” (More than a Name, 32). In the future, for Ben and Cam to be successful, the need to find a true need, something that people want or are willing to spend money on, and then develop a trustful brand.

Week 1 EOC | My Voice

If you’re looking for a boring industry, you are definitely in the wrong place. The fashion industry is an exciting, interesting, and captivating industry that continues to inspire and fascinate billions across the globe. Personally, fashion is the only place where I really fit in. I can remember staying up all night reading fashion magazines under the covers, when I was a child; however, I only started taking fashion seriously when I got my first part-time job at a local GAP near my college. Like Frankenstein, I became a monster – completely obsessed with the concept of fashion. I know it sounds cliché, but fashion became my passion; it became something all I wanted to talk about, think about, and learn about. Fashion is so big and has no limits; yet styling is something very personal. Style is the unspoken communication that is used to express one's own thoughts and emotions between others in the fashion industry. My style is constantly in development, which it should be, for fashion is in a constant cycle of change. As a personal stylist, my goal is to be a continuous learner of fashion and hope to help others with trends, affordable fashion, but most importantly, confidence. Confidence is the only thing that will never go out of style!