Man Nuts

 Quote: "This is a man's world" 
                                      -James Brown

MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF MAN NUTS!

Public OpinionPoll Results

Subliminal Matters: ice cream in it's manliest form; zeroing in on a specific target audience; man nuts are appealing?; man nuts = strength = great ice-cream treat for real men?; macho madness


Location: William St, Sydney


Ad Review: Is it just me, or is this ad truly hilarious. Can you imagine guys going to the 7/11 on a hot day asking for the ice-cream sandwich made with "man nuts"!!! I would actually pay to see that. Seriously I would. How about the guy that makes the purchase and then sees this billboard...while devouring the sandwich #awkward! 

Bad Advertising in Stereotype-ville

Quote: "When you walk down Sydney streets you see so many different cultures and so many different people. Our TV's haven't reflected that yet."
                              -Firass Dirani, Australian actor 

The Old Days: Use of  Stereotype-ville	2010:Still lazy  lovers of stereotyping	2011:Banned for Racial Connotation

Subliminal Matters: Australian image on screen, multicultural society on the streets but not on television, ethnic tokenism on tv, more integration required to reflect mix.


Location: Australian tv advertisements.


Ad Review: All three ads reflect a very unique part of Australian culture. Australians seem to address racism through stereotypes and comedy. After all, in truth, stereotypes can be funny. However, I have had a difficult time laughing about it in Australia given all the inconsistencies around me. I suppose I don't find it funny when I feel that stereotypes are taken as truth.  


At the same time, I don't think these ads were done maliciously. I think for example, that the KFC ad with the jovial West Indians could have been great. But the sad truth is, it focuses entirely on the wrong thing. As a Trinidadian, I can safely say there's no reason for a white visitor to be sweating bullets in a crowd of West Indians...Unless of course, he or she has a fear of black non-white people!? The commercial doesn't even remember the fact that the Caribbean is an extremely multicultural place...aye! Fact: Australia was playing cricket in the West Indies before I was born, Aussie cricketers know what the people there look like and are like.


 I think maybe the Aussies in the ad industry literally are lazy when it comes to multicultural ads. They constantly overdraw on the stereotype card to make these commercials. Perhaps a more progressive step would involve figuring out how to make ads that have a genuine connection to the group of Aussies that were not born Australians. I have to agree with Mumbrella, throwing a chopstick in an advert doesn't make the commercial multicultural. C'mon Australia, get it together already, I know you can do better! It's okay to come out of the closet and embrace your love for adopted Australians...on tv!

Is It A Right To Speak Racially...Freedom Of Speech Anyone?

Quote: "Is there a boundary between freedom of speech and the use of racist terms?"

                                            - Me, just wondering out loud

Subliminal Matters: fast cars, hot girls, an inherent link between the two things, competition for Grid Girl 2012 draws the line at racism, should a competitor be disqualified for using racist terms on facebook?


Location: Alice Springs, logo for Finke Desert Race and Grid Girls Competition


Ad Review:  Needless to say, the logo is an accurate depiction of a correlation fast bikes and cars made for the world many many moons ago. It's not my cup of tea, but I suppose the fact that there's a girl, pink and a checkered flag draws the obvious conclusion. The logo is pretty unexciting if you ask me.


To be fair, it did not draw my attention for its artistic qualities, it was more the story behind it.  A competitor of the Grid Girl contest was thrown out of the competition for going on her facebook account and calling her upstairs aboriginal neighours names that included the n-word. The organizers of the competition found out and released the following statement: 

"We don't feel that it would be possible for her to be separated from this incident if she were to be selected."

NT News ran the story and my true surprise came from the commentators. The majority of comments seemed to find that there was an encroachment on the competitor's right to freedom of speech. And of course herein lies my question, is there a boundary between freedom of speech and a person's choice to use racist terms?

Australia Day

Quote: "A politician standing up against racism and issues like that would not get elected in Australia because that's not popular. Winning election is a popularity contest."
                                               -my activist friend and mentor





Subliminal Matters: Australia Day 2012, what the 2012 image of an Australia is and what it should be, Aussie identity inclusive or exclusive to all Australians


Location: Australian Television ad for AU Day


Ad review:
The ad is quite funny. I like it for its festive tone and the yummy lamb chops but I love it for the other issues it raised in my mind. I couldn't help but think, there seems to be a lag between Australian immigration laws and Australia. Despite the fact that Australia continues to lawfully adopt minorities as Permanent Residents and Australian Citizens, Australian identity remains stoically defined by images of caucasians, bbq's and surfers. This old image, I realise, is difficult to let go of, however, the government continues to permit people outside of this concept into the country with what seemed to be no intention of initiating or encouraging a formal image change. 


Charlie Teo was perhaps just the wind of change that I was looking for. Being a Chinese-Australian neurosurgeon, Dr. Teo represented something quite far away from the old Aussie image which is wonderfully displayed by the advertisement above. On Australia Day 2012 the feature speech

Give Racism The Finger!

Quote: 

                                                                      by Dictionary.com

"GIVE RACISM THE FINGER" CAMPAIGN BY ALL TOGETHER NOW, SPONSORED BY THE BODY SHOP
"ARE YOU EMBARRASSED THAT THE PLACE WE CALL THE LUCKY COUNTRY
IS OFTEN SEEN AS ONE OF THE MOST RACIST
COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD?
It's time to join together
and give racism the finger, once and for all.
The next time you hear someone make
a racist comment, don't be silent.
SAY SOMETHING. Let them know that it's not acceptable.
By speaking up, you'll feel better knowing that
YOU'VE TAKEN A STAND.
Whoever made the remark may then think twice about expressing racist attitudes in the future.
And the person on the receiving end will feel
supported and hopefully less disturbed by the abuse.

Subliminal Matters: racism, combating racism through support, raising awareness of racism, campaigning against racism, racism identified in Australia


Location: All Together Now, Sydney


Ad Review: A middle finger against racism. Well, the campaign is crass, abrasive and truly offensive. I suppose those three adjectives can be used to describe a racist experience which is anything but pleasant. I'm not fully onboard however with the ad campaign itself. 

Changing Illiteracy In Aboriginal Kids

wallofhands.com.au
CAPTION: 4 OUT OF 5 KIDS
CAN'T READ
HANDS UP WHO CARES?

Quote: "Maybe don't live in remote aborigine communities, then your kids can read"
                   -facebook user from NZ




Subliminal Matters: illiteracy in  aboriginal communities, Australian aboriginal kids, education


Location Ad 1: Bondi Junction, Eastgate
Location Ad 2: reposted on Facebook, can't be sure of location but it is likely to be from Auckland NZ, (according to the fb locator near Mascot)


Ad Review:


Below this review you'll find another version of this advertisement.

This Week on Subliminal Matters

Thanks for joining me for my third week, it's great to have you here.


So this week I'm going to touch lightly on the topic of racism in Australia. It's not the most pleasant topic to write about but I thought about it and I think I should bring it up.


Disclaimer: Whenever I say to my Aussie friends: "I don't find Aussies racist, well, not in my experience," without fail, I get the response "Oh no, Australians are racist." That's usually followed by examples crediting this statement. Over my two year stay in Australia, I've been in at most three incidents that I would relate to skin colour but that's it.


In my view, I see racism as something that is learned. It's not innate. People aren't born seeing differences in a negative light. Children will forever prove this point. Chilren also prove that it's for the most part passed down by a social amor for stereotypes and superiority complexes.


My thinking on this led to my decision to have a second look around Aussie. I wish I could still happily profess that I don't find Aussies racist but I'm presently literally perplexed by my findings.

Julia Gillard Facing Kevin Rudd Take Over

Quote:
"I like Kevin Rudd because he's pretty honest. He's not as much of a liar as she is"
   
    -Nicole Bowers,voter


Subliminal Matters:
factions in the Labour Party want Kevin Rudd back as leader; public perception of Julia was low when she replaced Rudd, there's a certain degree of distrust for Julia Gillard in Labour supporters.


Location: taken from City Hub Feb 2-Feb 15 issue


Ad review: While this may not be the conventional advertisement, in that it's a comic, I still list it as an advertisement because of the illustration technique required to produce these. I probably won't be using these much but when and if I come across prize ones I'll be sharing them here. 


As the subliminal matters listed above highlight, the current Prime Minister of Australia has some serious trust issues going on with

Superbowl Ads 2012

So it will soon be a week since the Superbowl and I think that I am now capable of talking about my feelings. I am sorry that the Patriots didn't come out as the winner officially, but I have to congratulate the Giants on another great win.


Now as CTF_SL mentioned in the comments, I did reside in NYC for sometime. As a matter of fact, I LOVE NY, there's no place in the world as infatuating as that city. Having said that, I am a PATRIOTS SUPPORTER. While I lived in the states I remember asking friends around Superbowl time, "who should I support?" and I'd generally just pick a team randomly. I did this because I didn't feel a connection to the teams not even to the Giants. However, Patriots, man... I am all about what they're about! I LOVE THAT TEAM and that's all there is to it. CONNECTION!


So on an even lighter note to close off this week I'm posting my six favourite commercials from the Superbowl. I'm with Roandee, Oiko definitely made me laugh out loud and I do mean literally. I'm only indicating my top two, the rest are in random order, and I do give special mention to the Chevy Stunt car because all of those were really done, that's impressive. 

Oiko's Yogurt my #1	M&M #2	Man's Best Friend
eTrade Baby	Best Gift Ever	Most Impressive Chevy Stunt

Any thoughts on Madonna's halftime show?

Look who's got a FAT YAK!

Quote: "Is there a fifth leg on that Fat Yak?"

  -No need to mention who said that

Subliminal Matters: alcohol billboard no. 3, anatomy, legs, encouraged alcoholism in Australia, more binge drinking supplies...

Location: Taylor Square 

Ad review: Well I'm sure the vegans won't be in love with this advertisement BUT, you have to admit that the blurred area...well...implications, implications. Who knew you could say so much without words?

There is a subliminal message in here though. The use of a yak is

Not As Sweet As You Think

Quote: Male/Female supermodel Andrej Pejic

I'm sure the guys in today's ad can relate:

Subliminal Matters: alcohol billboard no. 2, gender, transgender, gender equality, feminine, masculine, more binge drinking supplies...


Location: Taylor Square


Ad review: The creator of this ad exhibits the idea that looks can be deceiving in a clearly comical way. Men pretending to women to promote 5 seeds cider is funny. I like this advertisement not just because it's witty but because it raises the masculine vs feminine issue in a light way. 


The implication of the ad however is that men are not and cannot be as "sweet" as women. Which also suggests that being "sweet" is

This Ad Is An Enigma!

Quote:
"Hey, is the girl in that billboard naked?"
        
         -Yours truly (me)


Subliminal Matters: even the allusion to a slender female figure attracts buyers; selling ice-cream with a woman is better than selling ice-cream with just a bear; a bear with an attractive woman on its arm must be a pimp/or should at least look like one, degrading or exalting the female form is an advertising pass-time.


Location: Taylor Square

YOUR SOFT SIDE
IS IRRESISTIBLE
TRY IT
This was located obliquely opposite
the billboard version in Taylor Sq.

Ad review: Where do I begin with this advertisement. Cornetto has clearly out done themselves, the juxtapositions throughout the ad are baffling. What message does a huge teddy bear, embraced by a "sexy woman" and two Cornetto ice creams convey? Not to mention that one of the ice-creams is without "waffle" covering down the middle! Clever? I don't think so, let's have a look up close.


Notice how in the close up, the fully "waffled" cone got the boot, but, the one without "waffle" covering down the middle is right next to the lady in her flesh toned bathing suit? Poor cone, I wonder where it went wrong?... to get booted off the set like that...such a shame, maybe nobody told that cone that sex sells ice-creams. 

Australia's Binge Drinking Culture?

Quote:  

"We also need the makers and suppliers of alcohol to stop encouraging people to buy massive amounts of cheap booze which fuels our binge drinking culture"                                                                                                                 

           - Brian Vandenberg, VicHealth's Alcohol Program Manager

Subliminal Matters: drinking and over drinking is a part of Australian culture; binge drinking; do we need to separate having a good time with alcoholism?; is  it a binge drinking culture or something more serious?

Location: Taylor Square, Sydney Australia

Ad Review: 


The creator of this advertisement is well aware of a cold Carlton's appeal to any drinker. The mention of the beer being best "straight from the tap" I have to say is not a mistake. These words easily put you at a bar stool in a pub with a cold beer in front of you. Hey what can I say, words translated to thought often translate to action, and I'm not naive to the fact that on a hot day a billboard like this can make you skip the thoughts and go straight for action! 

So what was Brian Vandenberg saying again? (If you're wondering who he is in the first place?-I refer you to the quote above) To be honest this Carlton advertisement is blantantly lying when it

Walkabout to Taylor Square

Sydney is quite a versatile city. If and when I inevitably lose my bearings while getting around, I always come across some aspect of Sydney that I find new and interesting.


This week I'll be showing mostly billboard advertisements from Taylor Square. As the flags in the location shot to the left highlight, Taylor Square is pretty much a hallmark to the LGBT community of Sydney. Needless to say, it's quite vibrant and full of things to do. If you're ever looking for a drag queen show experience, Taylor Square's where you'd visit!

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials & Season Highlights

So I thought it would only be fitting to round up my first week's advertisements with some of my favourite Super Bowl commercials and a clip of the top 10 NFL plays of 2011-2012.  I hope you enjoyed spending the first week with me. According to my google analytics report I've had quite alot of hits and I really appreciate the visits so do keep coming back. If you're more of a reader than a commenter like myself that's fine too, thanks for the support thus far. Oh, and good luck, may the best team win!!!! Go Pats! :) and giants...:)

Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell 2010, I think he channeled Stewie	Sprint's Crime Deterrent, OUCH!	Classic from Crash the Superbowl Finalist 2010
Another CLASSIC, from Crash the Superbowl Finalist 2011	Doritos "Told You So" 2011	Top 10 NFL Plays of the Year 2011-2012

Megaupload Song

Quote:
Journalist, Edward R. Murrow: Who owns the patent on your polio vaccine?
Jonas Salk: Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?





Subliminal Matters: file sharing should be free of copyright infringement laws, the internet is a sacred place of development, laws that currently apply to file sharing are wrong, not all artists feel cheated by having their work on these sites.


Location: Taken from Youtube posted by the culprit himself, owner of megaupload, Kim Dot Com now called...


Ad Review: The message sent is clear: there's a practical need that's being met by sites like mega upload. The use of celebrities in the ad challenges the discourse that says the entertainment industry are the main victims of these sites. The subliminal message requests the viewers support for online communities that share files at their own discretion. 


We can keep going about the rights and wrongs about copyright infringement but we won't. Instead, we'll just leave it to the US to mess up a good thing. Oh noooo, what am I saying, I mean... megaupload went down because it made money off of copyrighted material?! Truth is, some things are just NOT meant to be SHARED. People, if you think about it for one minute, I'm sure you'll agree that Jonas Stalk's polio vaccination is not as important as entertainment! Hmmmm... #scratchinghead

Rethink Refugees with Mothers

Quote: 


Me: So you don't think refugees are a problem?


Friend's father:  If you compare the number of Europeans overstaying their visits in Australia to the number of people coming on boats...well no. Plus, if you consider what these detention centres are costing the government you have to think that race is an underlying factor.  


Subliminal Matter: Australian refugee crisis, racial undertones. 


Location: Near the Sydney Int'l Airport

Ad Review:

The message and intention of the advertisement has been outlined by Renée Murray, the Creative Director from Rethink Refugees with Mothers:“...We wanted to create a campaign that centred around a single universal value and thereby build empathy with the Australian public about the situation of an asylum seeker.”

There is an alternative interpretation of this advertisement. The words “I’d do anything to save my child,” plastered on the face of

Guzman y Gomez promotes Charity!

Text in pic: "54 MEXICAN KIDS, 37 SURF BOARDS,
2 AUSTRALIAN PARENTS.
THE CHILDREN'S REFUGE, MISION MEXICO, REVEALS THE INSPIRING
 STORY OF ALAN AND PAM SKUSE. THIS AMAZING AUSTRALIAN
COUPLE IS CHANGING THE LIVES OF ORPHANS AND STREET KIDS IN
TAPACHULA, MEXICO. WWW.LOVELIFEHOPE.COM

Quote: 
"Charity begins at home and ends abroad" 

-Unknown (my        grandma:)

Subliminal Matters: People can change the world, humanitarians impact lives beyond their own, don't be lazy do something for someone else... in a far country! :)


Location: Bondi Westfield, Sydney


Ad Review: 
Even though the humanitarian message is clear, somehow despite all the proof surrounding poverty and need people can still feel either skeptical or incapable of helping others...An issue advertising companies still fail to overcome...


Overall, it's a positive message and I can appreciate Guzman y