Blogs I'm Following

Here is a list of the blogs I'm following. If you know others that you think I should see let me know so I can add them to my list.

http://monstermedia101.blogspot.ca/  Infiltration –Up Close and Personal      Coke Million             

http://hurricane44.blogspot.ca/            Lukes Choices                      

http://media-101.blogspot.ca/              Media                   Chandler Bing                

http://honeybooboochild29.blogspot.ca/         Media is Blinding                Elizabeth Carrie

http://samanie22.blogspot.ca/                         Sam’s Media Madness            Sam I Am

http://ieshaadamss.blogspot.ca/                      Viral Ad’s                Shaunaa Jordaana   

http://evillivingindividual.blogspot.ca/          Your 2013 Media Now                           

http://elearsworld.blogspot.ca/                        Elear’s Mind                        Elear Drysdale           

https://plus.google.com/u/0/103609361673489642197/posts                     Billy Goat             

http://glo-mediatherapy0214.blogspot.ca/         

http://fictionalpanorama.blogspot.ca/       Monica White                                                     

The History of Dog Food

It is an argument in our house whether the dog eats better than we do. Dogfood is often pound-for-pound more expensive than the mostly vegetarian diet we eat. Dogs are carnivores, but long ago most lost all ability to hunt for food and we scold them if they try. Most people feed dogs a commercial food that is mostly grain based. While some are returning to making their own raw meat or cooked dog food, this takes time, is expensive and takes knowledge to make sure the dog gets the nutrients it needs. Historically dogs around a home ate scraps. This is still the case in many poorer parts of the world. Advertising has taught us that feeding a dog table scraps even as an addition to dog food is bad. Commercial dogfood is complete and healthy on its own. 

The first dog food was made in the late 19th century. It was a biscuit of wheat meals, vegetables and meat.marketed as "Spratt's Patent Limited". After WW1 Ken-L Ration introduced canned horse meat as dog food as a way of using up dead horses. By the 1930s Gaines Food Co. also made dog and cat food. In Toronto during the Depression Dr. Ballard's marketed canned dog food by sponsoring a radio show about three bogs and their dogs called "Tom Dick and Harry". The storyline of the radio show always promoted feeding your dog Dr. Ballard's new dog food. At a time when many people did not have food for themselves, the dog food industry was growing.  By the time WWII ended, pet food sales had reached $200 million in the United States. 

In the 1950s companies like Nabisco, Quaker Oats, and General Foods, expanded into pet food production asa way to market the by-products of their industry. People were discouraged from feeding their dogs meat because it made the dog a 'finicky' eater and they were told it was too expensive. In reality commercial dog food was a convenient way to sell meat by-products and meat unusable by humans as well as grain by-products. These ingredients were mixed together and cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria before being canned or dried. By the 1960's dog food marketers were hiring Veterinarians to not only mix their food but to add credibility to their ad campaigns. Health and convenience became the most important thing sold.

How this concoction looked to people was also important. Colour and amusing shapes make dogfood visually appealing to owners. Ken-L-Ration even made dried, extruded fake ground beef! Today after many dogfood quality health scares dogfood companies are still marketing a 'healthier' diet but lifestyle is what is advertised. Look at this link for many more interesting ads:http://www.caninest.com/clever-dog-advertising/

1970's

Viral Advertising: Dumb Ways to Die

We were looking at viral advertising in class--everyone had so many fantastic, funny, "I don't believe it" examples. We wondered what the top viral ads of last year (2012) were. So we googled it of course.
The website Mashable had a list of their Top Ten.

My favourite was "Dumb ways to Die", an ad for the Melbourne Metro Trains. It was made by the McCann ad agency. I love the simple animation accompanied by the sweet female voice singing absurd lyrics in a catchy tune. How twisted! Almost immediately I began to sing along to the chorus "Dumb ways to die". The dumb ways to die, represented by the cutely morbid animated creatures, gain critical mass until they are joined with the dumbest ways to die. These are transit related deaths. It is only after the last chorus when all the dumb, dead creatures are finished singing and dancing, that a female voice accompanied by the Metro logo says: "Be safe around trains, a message from Metro."


Dumb ways to Die is not a hard sell for a harsh subject, but a gentle, motherly reminder--it makes you think of innocence and children with the animation and song. "Be safe around trains" is a "mother message"; children need to be reminded, adults are 'dumb' and childish if they don't act safely around trains.

Dumb Ways to Die

Welcome to my Media Blog!

Over the next term I will be commenting on my media experiences and posting links to great sites I have found. I will also be welcoming comments and links from fellow media bloggers.

Twelve Slogans for the Early Twenty-first Century, 2011, a multiple in a limited edition by Douglas Coupland.

Have you heard of the Canadian artist and author Douglas Coupland? His work explores popular culture and how media effects our lives. He is speaking at Ryerson on Tuesday Feb. 12--for free! I think it would be interesting to go and hear him and comment upon his presentation "Art School is Life:Life is Art School" in my blog. Douglas Coupland at Ryerson Feb. 12 You can read about his novels and see some of his art projects on his website http://www.coupland.com/