1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nkf34jhapo
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUedArPH5a4
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Uvwb2MFok
As many of us know, American Idol is a huge advertisement for itself and many other companies. To prove myself I am one out of many people who regularly watch American Idol when it is on television. Last Tuesday February 9, 2010 I watched the season nine episode called "Hollywood Round #1." If you click the first clip it illustrates how American Idol visually and unconsciously sneaks advertisements through commericals and the programming. The clip shows American Idol symbols and written words on the backdrop of the stage, judges panel, bottom left corner, singers name tags, and slang or inappropriate language is blocked out. This proves that American Idol repeatedly advertises their company as well as other major companies.
While watching American Idol last Tuesday, each judge was seen walking out of Ford vehicles into the Kodak Theater. I was unable to find the clip from that specific episode, but Ford has always been a major advertiser on American Idol. My second link is a clip from the seventh season of American Idol that shows the idols dancing, singing joyfully, and "breaking free" when they jump into a Ford vehicle. If you were a dedicated viewer and watched American Idol more than a couple of season, it is a possibility that Ford vehicles may influence your next decision car purchase. Another thing I noticed, is that during each commercial break there is at least one Ford commercial. This is interesting to ponder about how much time, thought, and money Ford puts into their commercials when American Idol is showed on television.
American Idol does not only advertise for Ford, but Vitamin Water-Zero which is visibly shown on the judges yellow cups in my first clip. Another advertisement is American Idol is held at the Kodak Theater in which the announcer visually and verbally advertises the place through commercials and the programming. The last noticeable advertisement was A T&T. When I saw American Idol advertising A T&T the company offered free text messages to American Idol voters, but if you were not an A T&T customer you had to pay a small fee to vote for potential American Idol winners.
What I am getting at is that the medium we take for granted everyday does have some influence on us. For example, American Idol is a reality television show that travels around American to search for the best American singer for that season. With that said, Ford is an all American company so it is important for Ford to associate themselves to a similar audience like American Idol to influence that same audience. The Ford, Vitamin Water-Zero, Kodak Theater, and A T&T are all great examples that American Idols blend to their programming known as commodification.
Before I graduated from high school in 2007, one of my great friends Julia constantly watched American Idol and never missed an episode. For her eighteenth birthday, she dreamed of a 2007 Ford Mustang. I believe American Idol, Ford's advertising, and her father's money influenced Julia to get her car on her eighteenth birthdayon July 7, 2007. To this day Julia still drives her 2007 Ford convertible Mustang, talks about how much she loves her car, and watches American Idol religiously. I do believe there is a connection with the media and her influence to want and receive that Ford. If you would like to view the 2007 Ford Mustang you can click on the third link. This link views an American Idol commercial designed by Ford that shows the idols signing and driving around in the 2007 Ford Mustang
