A strategic communication message that stood out to me on our trip was the large Cartier advertisement that covered the side of a building right next to the Louvre museum. This message was created by Cartier and features a model in some of their jewelry. It is a fairly simple photo, with the model taking up the majority of the image and a simple light blue background behind her. It feels class and elegant, and is represents the company well, but what makes it so strange is the location it is placed in. The advertisement is easily over 100 feet long and it’s nearly impossible to be in the area without seeing it. The image has a lighter color palate, but in comparison to the neutral tan tones in the building, the color makes it stand out. Depending on how familiar people are with the brand, they may be confused about what the image is promoting. There isn’t a phrase or description used in the image that gives more context to what they are promoting. Instead, it’s relying on the audiences knowledge of what they sell for them to understand. By placing their advertisement by the Louvre, Cartier is demonstrating that they are are a high end brand that is considering themselves on par to such an iconic museum. I find this advertisement to be a strange use of the space. The Louvre is known for having some of the most iconic and historic art pieces in the world, so the modern advertisement seemed to be misplaced.
Author: slavigna
Normandy Reflection
While the day at Normandy was defiantly heavy, I took a lot away from the experience. Getting to be in same area that such an important moment in history happened was an experience I don’t take for granted. On one of the beaches there were some signs that had pictures and information about some of the soldiers that lost their lives there. I was particularly moved by one man who was my age. I took a second to think about how he probably had no idea that all these years later people would still be learning about him. One thing that shocked me was when we got to Omaha beach and saw so many people laying out and swimming. It was hard to imagine spending free time there knowing what had happened.
Disney Cross Promotion
After our discussion about cross promotion, I saw Disneyland from a whole new perspective. One of the main things I noticed was that every ride ended by leading you into a gift shop. Inside the gift shop would have many cross promotional items that I wouldn’t have considered before. Wither it was pixar stuffed animals, disney channel references, or even tags with streaming services, there were advertisements everywhere. I also noticed a stand in the park that was selling travel packages for the Disney cruises. One add that caught my eye was the Coca-Cola sign on main street. The print had a vintage feel to it and fit so perfectly into the aesthetic of main street that I almost didn’t even notice it was promoting something that didn’t have to do with Disney. I googled it and learned that Disney owns Coca-Cola, so no wonder there was such a big add!
Art Museum Gift Shop
After the tour of the Musée de l’Orangerie and our discussion in class about ethically using artwork in gift shops, I was really excited to see the products that were being sold. The first thing that caught my eye was a pair of socks that looked like some of the artwork on display. I thought this to be ethically concerning. The socks were no printed very clear, so the artwork was very blurry and not anything like the original. While I understand that the socks were designed in an innocent way, we have to think about the original intention of the artwork. I then saw a set of coasters that showed three different art pieces. These looked very similar to the originals and didn’t overly distort the original. I think that this was ethically created because it still demonstrated the artist’s original intention. 
Orsay and Louvre Reflection
I really enjoyed our time at the Orsay and Louvre museums. When we were in the Orsay, one of the exhibits that stood out to me was the architectural history of Paris. They had floor plans, initial sketches, and renderings of famous buildings in Paris which I spent some time looking at. I also loved the Edgar Degas ballet paintings and was mesmerized by details in the ballerina’s tutus. As someone that used to be a ballerina and an architecture major, this museum was my favorite. At the Louvre, my favorite part was seeing the Mona Lisa. We have spent so much time this summer discussing how the media consumes us and this was a perfect example. While everyone was in line to see the painting, everyone had their phones out trying to get the perfect shot. Very few people were just spending time actually looking at the painting. It has been an incredible experience getting to see such famous paintings in person.
Picasso Museum Reflection
I really enjoyed getting to visit the Picasso Museum. While I had previously known some basic facts about Picasso and seen many of his pieces online, it was really interesting to learn more about his background and what his inspirations were. I did not realize that his many girlfriends were the muses of several of his pieces. I really loved the section of the museum that had pictures of Picasso and his children. To see his love for his children in their photos and then see that translated over to his art was a perspective I had never experienced before. The opportunity to see Picasso’s work in person made me think of Boorstin’s argument about how our perception of art is altered when we see the images online in comparison to in person. In person, I was able to see the line work details and colors in a more complex way than when I view the same pieces online.
Duties and Consequences
Semiotics
Aesthetics
The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events
Daniel Boorstin’s book The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America explores how certain images are created and perceived by Americans. Boorstin describes where pseudo-events stemmed from, and how these fabricated events have created a false reality for decades. Pseudo-events have developed unrealistic expectations of the world around us, and Boorstin believes that they are designed to fool the public into thinking they know real news.
One of the main concepts Boorstin explores is how the media develops our unrealistic expectations of the world around us. Pseudo-events are classified as an event that is arranged for the publicity that they will generate. They have allowed for the hard news like science and politics to blur together with soft news like gossip and entertainment. Boorstin explains how pseudo-events have allowed for people’s images to be calculated.
Boorstin describes how pseudo-events have impacted the travel experience. Traveling used to be for experiences that were unfamiliar to people and to see places they didn’t know much about. Through the digital age, people now travel to see the places that they have already seen images of online. What was previously seen as nearly impossible and rare is now casually achieved by people every day in a matter of hours. Tourist attractions act as a pseudo-event because none of them are real, but rather an image that was designed to satisfy the customer.
Boorstin’s argument allowed me to see our trip from a different perspective. Coming into this month, I had ideas in my head about what I thought the city and our time here would be like. But after hearing Boorstin’s ideology about the media placing certain expectations in our head, I stopped to think about where my visions were coming from. All I really know about Paris is from seeing things on social media. I don’t know much about the history of the city, but I could tell you a lot about the aesthetics. I want to make sure I spend time over the next month really getting to know this city, beyond what meets the eye.