Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
Group members - Advertising Robert Baird (3281548), Shu Wen (3273864), Eugenia Maria de Souza Ribiero (3248163)
Artefact#1 ‘In a League of its Own’, TV Advertisement, the AFL, 2010. The AFL’s ambitious promotion for the 2010 season was screened on Channels Seven and Ten. Featuring its biggest stars racing horses, mixing with rally cars and outwitting massive American Footballers. The promotion transforms these players into Zeus-like warriors. The tagline calls AFL “the fastest, highest, strongest game on earth”, echoing Pierre De Coubertin’s Olympic Games motto. Sydney-based advertising firm George Patterson Y & R, using clever computer generated imaging, integrates the players running with the Sherrin against rival sports like rugby and soccer, and absurd arenas like an ice-hockey. Players from the other sports are faceless, weaker and significantly slower. The backing soundtrack of an Irish jig supports the tongue-in-cheek larrikinism of the footage. The advertisement should not be taken too literally, yet its allusions are clear: that AFL is a superior, faster sport – even while acknowledging that some sports (e.g. football and rally driving) are impossible to compare. In a speech following the Beijing Olympics that was somewhat self-parodying, London’s Lord Mayor, Boris Johnson, said “virtually every single one of our
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
international sports was invented or codified by the British” (2008). He also names London as the “sporting capital of the world” – a term Melbournians often reserve for their own city, and with some authority: Melbourne was named the world’s “Ultimate Sports City” by Sport Business International magazine (2008 & 2009), easily beating second-placed London. It must be considered then: if our sporting culture has so much in common with London’s, why do we Melbournians insist ours is grander? As Matthew Nicholson and Rob Hess (2007) argue, Australia is “in a class of its own when it comes to a passion for sport” (p.23). Our image as a sporting nation remains central to our national identity and sense of self. Since being a “form of emancipation” during convict days, sport has been a social metaphor for national development (p.25). Melbourne’s development into a sophisticated sporting community was in part driven by her rivalry with the other states. AFL is the most identifiably “Australian” of our major sports leagues. Since expanding from the Victorian-only VFL in the 1980s, football has been re-imagined as Aussie Rules; the Australian Football League. It is our most popular spectator sport (live and on television) and is second only to soccer in terms of participants (p.35). The AFL is a uniting force within Australian culture; within our ‘imagined nation’. It is a useful point of reference between indigenous and non-indigenous people, who might not otherwise have much in common. It is also a common language (to “handball” is a multi-purpose verb used in many fora, including parliament). Taken to extremes, AFL is an obsession. Matthew Klugman (2009) compares the psychological processes that consume devoted fans of losing sides to being physically ill, and some feel shocked into silence, tears or rage, unable to comprehend the awful nature of what has happened. (p.14) A loss affects a fan’s self-esteem, their work and social life, and how he views his community (p.16). AFL governs social relations in a way no other sport does, and
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
Melburnians tie this sport inseparably to their identity, and to Australian identity. Non-fans of AFL or fans of rival codes are no less Australian, but for the fanatical Football only means Aussie Rules Football.
References The Australian Football League (2009). In a league of its own [Television advertisement]. Melbourne, Vic: George Patterson Y & R. Johnson, B. (2008, August 25) Ping Pong. Acceptance speech presented at the Olympic Games hand-over ceremony, Beijing, China. Accessed April 13th, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsFRgIb8mAQ. Klugman, M. (2009) ‘Footy: the Season of Love, Faith and Agony’. In Meanjin Quarterly, vol. 68, no. 3. Nicholson, M. and Hess, R. (2007) ‘Australia’s Sporting Culture: Riding on the Back of Its Footballers’. In Stewart, B. (ed) Australian Sport: Better By Design? The Evolution of Australian Sport Policy. London: Routledge, pp. 23-42.
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
Aretefact #2: Street art at Little Lonsdale Street and Swanston Street
“I am not interested in painting as it has been accepted for so long - hang on the walls of houses as pictures. To hell with pictures - they should be the wall.” (Ellsworth Kelly to John Cage in Plante 1995:37)
Located at the corner of Little Lonsdale Street and Swanston Street, this street art mural adorns the wall of ‘Chinese Express’ restaurant. In 2008, it commissioned street art artist Drewfunk to design and paint this mural. Influenced by his Chinese culture, Drewfunk illustrated folklore creatures, mystical mountains and oriental culinary, an appropriate theme for the Chinese restaurant (Drewfunk 2010). This can be seen as advertising tactic. Advertising’s definition: the indirect communication of information (services or goods) that is usually paid for, includes the communication of ideas (Arens et.al 2008:7). So, this street art can not only be seen as an advertising attempt by the Chinese restaurant, it can also be interpreted as having an underlying message that markets or advertises the idea that Melbourne is a multicultural city.
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
The street art’s illustration is a façade for understanding the Chinese culture that is commonly reinterpreted and recreated in other forms of media or structure. For instance, the similarities in structure and colors of Chinatown’s gates all over the world, there is no significant difference. So, this street art’s illustration unintentionally communicates a generic idea of the Chinese culture, as well as market Melbourne as a multicultural city. Stereotyping of the racial category - as depicted in the generic illustration - can affect individuals’ social behaviors and are usually created by outsiders (Anderson 1987). Created by a Malaysian, Drewfunk is of Chinese descent and had been brought up in the Chinese culture but his views, illustrated from his various drawings, could be interpreted as not being rooted deep in the cultural values as a born and raised China’s Chinese (see Drewfunk 2010). However, the constant generic illustrations are not a way to depreciate a culture’s value but can be attributed to the fact that the public is easily persuaded if the message can resonate with them. Overloading of messages forces people to gather and notice aspects that are similar to their personal belief system (Morgan and Welton 1987). So, a generic illustration is good for marketing and advertising because a complex and deep cultural representation would only diminish the lasting impact and influence of the message as Melburnians and tourists generally do not have similar understanding in other cultural beliefs. Graffiti, an illegal form of street art, usually depicts social and political issues such as poverty and warfare (Goldman 1977:127). As Melbourne City Council (2009) continues its effort to legalise street art, its messages are now often centered around marketing a product or a neutralised message rather than for individuals to voice their dissatisfaction on social and political issues. As seen in this 21st century mural, street art paintings have been depoliticised. Street art can be expected to adorn the walls of city buildings, marketing products or services as well as communicating an underlying message – a neutralised, positive idea about the people and its city - becoming an alternative form of advertising,
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
inviting 771,000 city users (Melbourne City Council 2010) to interpellate its message and subsequently affect their belief system. References Arens, W.F & Weigold, M.F & Arens, C 2008. Contemporary Advertising, McGrawHill, New York, United States. Anderson, Kay.J 1987, ‘The idea of Chinatown: the Power of place and institutional practice in the making of a racial category’, in Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 77, No. 4, pp. 580-598. City of Melbourne 2010, Users of the City, viewed 24 May 2010, http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/Statistics/Pages/CityUsers.a spx 2010. --------- 2009, Graffiti Management Plan, viewed 14 April 2010, http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutCouncil/PlansandPublications/st rategies/Pages/Graffitimanagementplan.aspx Drewfunk 2010, Murals, viewed 25 May 2010, http://drewfunk.com/blog/?page_id=20 Goldman, S.M 1977. ‘Resistance and identity: street murals of occupied Aztlan, Latin American Literary Review, vol. 5, No. 10, pp. 124-128. Morgan, John & Welton, Peter 1987, ‘Selection and Communication’, in See what I mean: an introduction to visual communication, Edward Arnold, London, pp.51-66. Plante, M 1995. ‘"Things to cover walls": Ellsworth Kelly's Paris paintings and the tradition of mural decoration’, American Art, vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 36-53.
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
Artefact #3: Billboard Screen on top of the Young & Jackson’s Hotel
The Young and Jackson’s Hotel is located at the intersection between Flinders and Swanston street. It established itself as one of the prominent icons in Melbourne not only as one of its oldest hotels, but also of its use of commercial symbols. The billboard TV screen on top of the hotel launched in September 2008 replacing the Channel 7 news ticker. It is one of the most prominent advertising spaces transmitting through digital systems, running a regular video sequence that dwarfs all nearby advertising banners. It is a perfect location for eye-catching advertising, situated on one corner of the city’s busiest intersection. The other four corners - containing Federation Square, St. Paul’s cathedral and the famous 20th century Flinders Street Station – are Melbourne icons. Moreover, the 100 square metres screen ensures optimal viewing clarity from as many vantage points as possible by wrapping the screen around onto the building’s Swanston St facade. Attracting passers-by with its large TV screen that transmits images from various local and international advertisers such as Sony, That’s Melbourne, Just Jeans and many others. Each advertisement runs for 7.5 seconds, allowing eight different advertisements to appear in a 60-second loop within 24 hours (McBeth, P 2009).
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
The integration of media technology like large TV screens, either into the “skin” or attached to buildings, has become a common element of design in many modern cities. After the first introduction of media façade building skins in Blade Runner in 1982, they have become widespread in many European and Asian urban centers. The use of video to cover the building has both functions: presentation of the architecture and advertising. It attempts to combine an artwork with advertising as a part of urban scene (Dovey, 2005, p.111). Furthermore, media facades produce an energetic building effect through their colourful light and video graphics. It represents not only the building’s owners but also the city landscape. The use of such billboards could be interpreted as a kind of direct communication advertising in order to sell products and services to the consumers. The advertising through TV screen in the centre of Melbourne is creating an image of Melbourne for local and tourist consumption. For instance, the use of celebrities on Just Jeans advertisements will effectively influence customers as it invites customers to imagine being imbued with their ‘idol’s’ status and success upon buying the same jeans. In addition, “That’s Melbourne” advertising primarily uses its laneways to promote Melbourne as a world city. Melbourne’s lanes are shown as spaces of attraction, beauty, cosmopolitan and sophistication. Consequently, encouraging tourists to visit Melbourne. Advertising primarily markets goods, but at the same time is a medium of social communication (Leiss, Kline and Jhally 1990). The use of billboards also helps cultivate a shared identity of Melbourne. However, with the constant moving or changing of advertising in the billboard could lead to difficulty of mapping identity. It raises questions about what kind of city Melbourne ought to be. Some opponents argue that the screen is not appropriate for Melbourne because it seems too colourful for a sophisticated and stylish city, and too closely mimics other cities. According to Melbourne City Councillor Fraser Brindley “Melbourne does not need to emulate Hong Kong, New York or Tokyo to succeed.” Instead, Brindley favours the classic European cities like Paris as template (Lucas, C 2007).
Communication and Social Relations Tutor: Grant Bailey (11.30-1.30) Assessment #3 – Group project
RMIT University
References McBeth, P 2009, Young & Jackson Hotel, Australia: Melbourne’s most prominent advertising goes digital, viewed 14 May 2010, <http://www.barco.com/projection_systems/downloads/AS_Young_Jackson_L R.pdf>. Lucas, C 2007 ‘Billboard too showy for classy Melbourne, say critics’, The Age, 23 November. Leiss, W, Kline, S & Jhally, S 1990, Social Communication in Advertising, 2th edn, Routledge, New York. Dovey, K 2005, Fluid City: Transforming Melbourne's Urban Waterfront, UNSW/Routledge, Sydney/Oxfordshire.