Globalization

Globalization is the process catalyzed by technological developments of nations around the world becoming increasingly interconnected for economic and capitalistic reasons.

A concept related to globalization is cultural imperialism.  Cultural imperialism takes place when one one culture is more highly promoted and becomes dominant over another culture.  In many cases, the culture being promoted is the American or "Westernized" culture.  This scares many people into thinking that there will be a loss of indigenous or local cultures.  Cultural imperialism relates to globalization because cultural imperialism is when the idea of interconnectedness between countries becomes imbalanced.  Instead of an even flow of culture, there is a dominant culture and a submissive culture when dealing with cultural imperialism.  The western culture creeping in and overriding local culture is enhancing capitalism worldwide.  This "americanization"is turning the world into a giant market, populated by consumers.  For example, the American Colgate-Palmolive company advertises on multinational soap operas.  Those nations where these products are advertised will begin using this American product.  This is an example of the capitalistic motives of globalization resulting in cultural imperialism.

Twitter in China
This news story is a perfect example of globalization and cultural imperialism.  Twitter, an American website, is now being used in China.  This American phenomenon and facet of culture is now making its way to China.  However, as seen in the article, the local culture of China has repercussions for this certain user of the website.

Advertising

Honda Accord Crosstour

This is the ad for the Honda Accord Crosstour.  The ad is based around a series of brightly colored blocks on a black background.  The blocks begin to bounce and then transform into different scenes such as white water rafting, playing frisbee with a dog in the park, and camping out.  The scenes retain the color of the boxes they came from and are vibrant against the still black background.  The song played keeps the tone of the commercial upbeat and gives it more life.  At the end, the car's tagline is said. "It fits, without fitting in." I found this commercial to be powerful predominantly because of the image.  The colorful transformations captivate the eyes and keep the viewer interested until the end when the car is shown.  The song is catchy and really added to the mood of the images.  To me, a powerful commercial is one that is remembered, and I definitely remembered this ad.
One of the advertising appeals discussed in lecture was "autonomy and escape".  An ad that uses autonomy and escape to sell a product would show the viewer that this product will help them do just that.  It shows that the product will give them an escape from the stress of everyday life and enable them to relax.  It shows that the product will give them a sense of personal independence and control over their lives.
This ad is definitely utilizing the appeal of autonomy and escape.  The idea of boxes is introduced in the very beginning of the ad.  As I said earlier, the boxes turn into different colorful scenes.  The first boxes show two people white water rafting.  The second set of boxes turn into a man playing frisbee with his dog.  The third set of boxes turn into what appear to be a father and son camping out and looking into space.  All these scenes are displaying acts of leisure and escape.  But what makes this ad effective in selling the car?  In the last few seconds of the ad, the boxes that were once scenes are shown being put into the back of the car.  This symbolizes that you are capable of experiencing all these scenes and more if you buy this car.  This car is perfect for an escape.  If you buy this car, you will feel a sense of independence as you get the leisure time you deserve.