While at the “happiest place in the world” your first instinct isn’t usually to analyze every sign or picture for cross promotion. Usually you’re more focused on finding the next ride, snack, or piece of merchandise. However, if you look closely you’ll begin to notice just how much branding there is in the park. Disney does a great job at making subtle nods to cross promotion by hiding it in the themes of the land you’re in. Coca Cola for instance was written on ship wrecked crates that appeared to be props in Adventure land. It’s these small intricacies of branding that allow it to go so unnoticed by the public, and it almost subconsciously makes you want those products. At times I was even impressed by how well branding was integrated into that park. I don’t think it necessarily detracts from the experience at Disneyland, and I think it’s within their rights to partner with and promote the brands they want. I wouldn’t consider it unethical, but I do think more people should educate themselves on corporate ownership as to not be blindsided by cross promotion. 
Author: knd
Media Literacy Ad/PR Analysis
This is a sticker depicting the Paper Boy logo, a hip local sandwich shop that encourages artistic expression and has partnered with brands like New Balance and Dr. Martens to create stylish merch. I found this sticker on a random pole miles from where the small sandwich shop is, but immediately recognized it as the mascot for Paper Boy. I think the simplicity and nod to skater culture encapsulated by this sticker help creatively drive the image of Paper Boy. While a sandwich shop, Paper Boy encourages creative expression through providing colored pencils and paper placemats to draw while you wait for food, displaying fun murals of the Paper Boy, and showcasing their cool merchandise around the store. If you didn’t know about Paper Boy, yet saw this on the street your interest might be peaked by the fun graphic. However, if you’re familiar with the sandwich shop or their collaborations with big name brands, this sticker might make you crave a sandwich and send you in Paper Boys direction. The purpose of this message is to spread brand awareness in a discrete way that becomes artistic. I loved this logo so much I put it on my water bottle, and it was free! People want to promote their product because of the unique brand they’ve created, so I think this subtle form of promotion is very well-done for their mission.
Gift Shop
Despite the time we’ve dedicated to exploring museums this trip, I still have a hard time deciphering what is ethical to sell in gift stores and what is deemed inappropriate. The standards I used to complete this assignment followed as such: Am I able to recognize the artwork on the object? How useful is the object? And will the artwork be tarnished in use?
The first object I examined, and deemed unethical, was the kaleidoscope. While the purpose of the kaleidoscope is fun and interesting, its function is the appeal of the object and takes away from the art. Additionally, kaleidoscopes aren’t used in everyday life, and because of this it might collect dust in a drawer post purchase. I also thought that the art wasn’t very recognizable on the kaleidoscope. I found the designer chose a piece of Monet’s Water lilies that didn’t actually depict any water lilies, and while it is a beautiful portion of the painting, if you weren’t in the L’Orangerie gift shop you probably wouldn’t recognize the artwork.
The second item I examined was the fan, which I deemed to be appropriate. I find that the fan recognizably depicts Monet’s Water Lillies, showing portions of the painting with the lilies and the water in a landscape format similar to the actual painting. It is a functional item that will benefit the consumer on a day to day basis, especially in the Parisian summer heat.
The Orsay and The Louvre
Approaching these iconic art museums from a critical viewpoint and examining the mass media’s role in the construction of expectations when visiting such places gave me a different perspective of the Orsay and the Louvre. The Louvre in particular was far from what I had imagined. I knew the crowds would be large as it is the second most visited place in Paris, second to the Eiffel tower. However, I was disappointed to see the Louvre, an institution I perceived as prestigious and dedicated to art fall to capitalism and commoditization. When we entered the Louvre from the group entrance the first thing we encountered was a McDonalds. Then we walked through an assortment of stores resembling a mall, something that could be found in the states.
Another experience I had at both museums was witnessing the devaluing of art. I believe this is rooted in the sheer amount of art displayed at these museums. People would casually walk past great artistic feats to get from one destination to another, and that felt strange to me.
Normandy Reflection
This was my second time experiencing Normandy and the historic sites from WWII. Experiencing Normandy as a child was very different from experiencing it as a young adult. This second visit to Normandy I the same age as many of the soldiers who fought and lost their lives on these beaches, which holds a new weight to my reflection. I began to imagine my friends and loved ones having to endure the tumultuous battle on D-day and realized the privilege we have in our current life to be able to be young and dumb. This especially hit me after visiting the American cemetery and seeing the acres of land covered in white crosses and stars of David, only a fraction of the soldiers who actually died in Normandy.
Something that surprised me during our trip to Omaha beach was the tourism of non-American people using the beach as any old beach. People lay sun bathing, eating ice cream, and riding the carousel as if this wasn’t the same beach that hosted one of the most gruesome battles in history. It was hard to grapple whether I found this insensitive or as a light in the darkness. The purpose of the beach prior to D-day was for relaxation and leisure. Does that function have to be completely dismantled after the war? That’s a question I’m still navigating.
Picasso Museum
I was astonished by the amount of work Picasso made in his lifetime. While the Picasso Museum didn’t house some of the artists most famous work, the sheer volume of paintings, sketches, and sculptures on display is a testament to Picasso’s dedication and passion for art. One of my favorite aspects of the tour was learning about Picasso’s relationship with his daughter Maya. This struck me on a personal level, because one of the ways my dad and I bond is through our shared love of art. When I was younger one of my favorite things to do was look through my dads old sketchbooks, then one day he bought us one to sketch in collaboratively. This reminded me of Maya’s influence in Picasso’s life and art. I enjoyed how the museum shared videos, photos, and personal mementos of Picasso’s personal life with his family providing more context on the meaning of his abstract art.
Semiotics
Duties and Consequences
Aesthetics
The Image : A Guide to Pseudo-Events
Daniel J. Boorstin’s book The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America explores the desire for illusions to fulfill America’s “extravagant expectations” (3). Boorstin evaluates the ways in which media, travel, and advertising coincide with pseudo-events ability to create attractions. Initially, pseudo-events were designed to fulfill the growing desire for news in America, but have evolved to consist of interviews, celebrations, announcements, attractions anything that is generated and fabricated for the public’s attention and does not consist of the actual happenings of spontaneity.
The evolution of travel that fixates on tourist attractions is rooted in pseudo-events and caters to the American image. Travel was once intended to broaden one’s perspectives of the world and immerse the traveler in cultural discomfort, “The experience has become diluted, contrived, [and] prefabricated” (79) with the emergence of the tourist. American’s are subject to desiring the fabrication of well-knownness (47); as Boorstin puts it, “The self-conscious effort to provide local atmosphere is itself thoroughly American” (99). Tourism is rooted in convenience and the appeasement of Americanized culture. Franchise hotels, museums, and tourist attractions all cater to idealized images created by American media. As Boorstin puts it, “We expect a faraway atmosphere if we go to a nearby place; and we expect everything to be relaxing, sanitary, and Americanized if we go to a faraway place” (4).
This version of travel is rooted in the American desire for extravagant expectations, and I too find myself guilty of having some expectations for this trip. However, after reading The Image I plan to enter Paris with a critical eye and hope to increase my awareness of the commercial inflictions pseudo-events have had on the image of Paris. I don’t think pseudo-events must be a bad thing, and I’m looking forward to learning how we as journalists, PR professionals, and advertisers can beneficially utilize the pseudo-event to authentically represent foreign places.