As I sit on the 7th
floor of Alden library, thinking if I isolate myself from everyone I will
actually get things done. After I have gone through all of my social networking
sites multiple times, I finally make myself concentrate on the task at hand. I need
to make a decision and choose a topic for the Myth and Symbols final project. I
come up with a couple of ideas, but I shoot them down soon after. As I
went off into a blank stare at the rows and rows of bookshelves, it hit me.
Books, stories, words, picture. I'm sitting in a place dedicated to storing
these books as tools for people to use and learn from. One of the major themes
of this class was looking at stories, everything from Gilgamesh to the
worm and the toothache, from Bible stories to our own personal impressions
of our visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. I never really gave
much thought to the idea that stories and storytelling were such a vital
part of our everyday lives. Storytelling is
the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or
embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a
means of entertainment, education, culture preservation and to instill moral values
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storytelling).
Why do we tell
stories? We have used storytelling to communicate before we even had a written
language. Why do they work? According to St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, “dialogue and discussion often stay at the level of
the mind, but story can take us into the dimension of the heart. Stories appeal
to both logic and emotion. We also learn much faster if information is delistrvered
in story form, and remember stories much more readily than facts, statistics,
or conceptual statements. Stories help us digest what happens to us and make
sense of it. Story connects us to the meaning underlying our experience, or
helps us to construct that meaning. It often reveals what we share in common,
and what it means to be human.” When we hear a story it connects
with us on a deeper level. For example, I remember the day in class that you
talked about the time you visited the Vietnam War Memorial with your dad. I can
still remember specific details from your story and the way you were feeling
during the visit and how upset your dad got after finding the name. Your
story from that day took me there with you - I felt what you felt that
day. Stories convey more than words. Stories convey emotions. It
sticks in your head.
In contrast, I
remember very little of the lecture that you gave when you talked about the
different theories of myths. I barely remember any of the details of that day.
I can’t remember the names of the people that you talked about. It’s not that I
wasn’t paying attention because I was. But the fact that none of that
stuck in my head just proves how effective storytelling can be, at least in the
way my brain works. When you were telling the story about your trip to D.C., I
automatically related it to my first trip to the memorial and how it affected
me. Rick Stone does a good job of explaining how other peoples’ stories
connect to our own lives.
We grew up listening
to stories. Before we could read, we listened to our parents read to us. We
begged our parents to tell us stories about things that happened to us. Maybe
it was just a way to put off bedtime, but it is those stories of my parents’ imagination
that I remember. Storytime in school was always my favorite part of the day.
It’s was a way to retain information before we could read for ourselves. It
helped us make sense of our young life. It was fun.
But not all
stories were “fun”. I remember hearing stories from my parents that scared the
crap out of us. It was a way to get us to do things they wanted us to do. The
Santa Claus story, is one good example. He’s this big man in all red with a big
long white beard and rosy cheeks, he comes to your house in his magic sled led
by flying reindeer, comes down your chimney and puts gifts (if you’re good!)
under your Christmas tree. He eats your cookies and drinks the milk (at every
house?) and then goes back up the chimney to finish his work of bringing toys
to every child in the world in one night. When we were young this story was
real. We didn’t question it at all. But most importantly, it gave our
parents the power to get us to do whatever they want. If you were fighting
with your siblings all your parents have to do is say the two magic words
“Santa’s watching” and you both turn into little angels again because, God
forbid, Santa doesn’t bring you that Barbie dream house you absolutely need!
In class we talked
about how there were two theories of why stories were told. The first
theory was that these stories help explain the natural world. For
example, a story or tale was used to explain the phenomenon of thunder. Because
the scientific explanation for the loud noise that happens when with colliding
hot and cold air masses was not understood by early people, a simple story, or
explanation, might be that a God was in the clouds hitting metal with a hammer
or rock.
A later theory was
that stories were used to explain everything BUT the natural world. An example
is social class. This theory is present in the story “The Worm and the
Toothache”. Even though it may not be obvious at first read, the story
illustrates the power of the class system and the consequences that come when
you try to move out of his/her class. In the story the worm tries to ignores
his social class. Instead of eating the fruits he is supposed to eat
he tries to “dwell between the tooth and the jaw” because he wants to “suck the
blood” of the tooth and “chew the pieces of food” stuck in the jaw. The worm
stepped out of his social class and because of this he got punished. This story
helps the people living during this time know that it is not wise to question
their rank on the social ladder.
All
the creation stories do the same thing. They create a rule of thumb to live by.
The creation story in the Bible’s Old Testament teaches us that greed and
over-reaching from your lot in life can find you kicked out of the Garden of
Eden. An ideal state existed, but that was all taken away when Adam and Eve
couldn’t resist the temptation of eating something that was forbidden. That
failure … that sin … by the original couple blew it for all people to
follow. The punishment was permanent banishment from the garden. The story teaches
us that there are some big consequences of doing the sin. This helped keep
people loyal to the church because no one wanted to mess up their chances
of getting into heaven. The creation story also taught the people the idea
that women were put on this earth to help and serve the men. They were looked
at as inferior to men. That is clear in the story when it is Eve who is weak
and gives into temptation first. She eats the apple and convinces Adam to eat
it, too. Is she to blame for “The Original Sin”? It was a woman who was
blew it for the rest of mankind. Her punishment? For one, maybe it is that she
suffers through the pain and anguish that comes with labor and delivery of
children. Like the story of the worm and toothache taught a lesson on social class,
the creation story taught people about gender roles.
In class we
also discussed what makes an image powerful. We talked about how the
physical image might not have power, but the message the image evokes is where
the power lies. Images have the power to “effect human emotions and behavior”
(Mitchell, 2). If just normal everyday images can evoke some sort of
emotion out of you, sacred images hit a whole new level. We have “an ample
supply of magical images — fetishes, idols, and totems of every description”
(Mitchell, 128). In other words, we create objects or images and use them
in place of the real thing we worship/believe in. Throughout our history we
have tried to ban images that have caused too much turmoil or anger in order to
avoid conflict. In the first iconoclastic period, worshiping images was against
the norm and was eventually outlawed. The First Commandment in the Old
Testament in the Bible states “Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. Thou
shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is
in heaven above,
or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the
earth. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them .” (Exodus 20:3-5)
Basically, the Bible says it is wrong, or against God’s law, to make an
image of something God created and worship that image. The people following the
Bible cannot make an image that in essence represents the power of God. Despite
the rules of the Bible, people across the centuries have created
images and have placed great value in their made-up meaning.
Because of the power these images hold to people, the people have suffered
consequences. The “power” of the image can have a negative impact on their
lives and influence their actions and beliefs. The “power” of the image cannot
be denied. Wars have been fought and people killed in certain circumstances due
to misunderstandings about images.
These conflicts
are still relevant today because there is no true right or wrong when it comes
to creating images or interpreting the meaning behind the images.
The person who has created it might believe strongly about it but that
doesn’t mean that everyone feels the same way. An image only has power if the
person experiencing it gives it meaning beyond its physical boundaries.
What do you get when
you add stories plus images? Something that affects our everyday lives.
Something that hold more power then we would ever think. Something we can’t
hide from. I’m talking about the medium of advertisement. The message and the
way the message is delivered is a huge part of our everyday lives. It effects
us in ways and at times we are not even aware of. Ads are the perfect example
of the way storytelling has evolved. Advertisements are a few short seconds or
minutes of the perfect combination of images and storytelling. How can
something so seemingly simple like an advertisement hold so much power?
According to John R. Rossiter in “VISUAL IMAGERY:
APPLICATIONS TO ADVERTISING" he says the “use of imagery in
advertising is well-established. Both mental imagery, verbal imagery, and
visual imagery.” The verbal imagery is the telling of the story, the visual
imagery is the images that go along with the story being told and the mental
imagery is the audience relating the story back to their own life. “Advertisers have long realized the importance of
advertising that creates mental images in the buyer's mind. It has been said it
is the primary principle of advertising. It’s power in persuasion is well
established in the advertising field – its effectiveness in selling products
and ideas is undeniable. Feelings are evoked by the visual and that drives
motivation. From there, viewers are motivated to change behavior, which, in
advertising, can lead to sale of the product. Visual images evoke certain
feelings or emotions. It is then that behavior can be influenced. Advertisers
are experts in taking advantage of the relationship between visual images and
the action. When emotions are captured, then behavior can be influenced.”
(Rossiter p101). If you get into the minds of your customers and connect
to them personally you will have a better chance of getting them to do what you
want them to. No one does this better then Procter and Gamble, one of the leading companies of
our generation. P&G is the “worlds biggest consumer goods company with $76
billion in annual sales, 138,000 employees and operations in more than 80
countries.” (www.cbsnews.com).
Procter
and Gamble has become so successful because they are unlike any other
company - they have been called “Game-Changers” - a name that is the
title of a book written by the past P&G president. A game-changer is
“A visionary strategist who alters the game his business plays or conceives an
entirely new game.” A game-changer is “A leader who understands that the consumer
or customer—not the CEO—is boss.” A game-changer is “A hardheaded humanist who
sees innovation as a social process and understands that human interaction—how
people talk and work together—is key to innovation” (Charan pg VII). The
customers are the ones who are keeping this company profitable, so it’s only
reasonable to make the wishes and desires and expectations of the consumer the
top priority for the company. They go beyond guessing what the consumer wants
they actually “spend time with consumers, in stores and in their homes and in
consumer-testing centers of all kinds—to watch them use our products, to listen
to them, and learn from them what they want from us”. They study the everyday
lives and the habits of their consumers so they can learn from them and
create products that will be relevant to their lives. Specifically, “The more
connections, the more ideas; the more ideas, the more solutions” (Charan pg 5).
Bob McDonald the chairman/ president/ CEO of P&G explains in the video to the right how important the relationship is between the consumer and the producer. Fast-forward to about 00.42 and listen to how he explains the goal of the marketing people. He says “Any medium that can help us (P&G) create a one on one relationship with any consumer, is what we want to do.” That doesn’t limit P&G to just the typical or traditional means of advertising. They promote their products in many ways from Facebook pages to sponsoring Gay Pride parades in communities around the country, to creating their own movies and coupons so when girls are wandering down the cosmetic aisles for the first time and see the words “Covergirl” they are automatically attracted to it. If Taylor Swift uses it, then it MUST be cool. I know it seems crazy, but it works. I’m as guilty as anyone else. You admire these celebrities and they look really good in that advertisement and you want to look that good, too. You buy the same mascara she wears. You trust the product because you think Taylor Swift wouldn’t use it if didn’t work. Plus, this is a crucial age in a young girls’ life. You are walking the thin line between still being a girl and becoming a woman. Covergirl products were the first beauty products I ever purchased and it’s safe to say that I still go straight to that “Covergirl” sign every time. It’s not that I think Covergirl is the best because I know that isn’t true, It’s just that this is all I know and I trust these product. This is the “loyalty” McDonald was talking about. His ultimate goal is to create a “one on one relationship with 7 billion people in the world and to be able to customize offerings to those people” (Charan pg 10). P&G was successful with that strategy with me - I’m a Covergirl for life.
One of
Procter and Gambles biggest targets are the mothers of America. What do you
think of when you hear things like Swiffer, Dawn, Pampers, Tide, Vics, Charmin,
Gain, and Downy? (just to name a couple) If these products don’t scream
MOM to you then you have something seriously wrong with you. P&G’s new 2012
Olympic campaign has also successfully been able to touch the hearts of their
biggest customers, the mothers. Take a look…
After
watching this ad the first time I thought about the day in class when we talked
about ripping a picture of our moms apart. Most of us agreed that this was
something we wouldn’t be able to do. Like I stated before, it wasn’t about the
picture physically, it was more about the meaning behind it. Same goes for the
ad … it’s not about whether or not you’r training for the Olympics. You
don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to relate to this. I bet you could think of
a time where you’re mom woke you up for something, whether it was school, or
practice and you can still make the connection. We all know that the
people in these commercials are just actors playing the part, yet we still feel
emotion from them because we automatically think of our moms.
Philosopher Mircea Eliade, thought about myths in this same mind set. He believed that Myths
explain, but also present an opportunity to return to the time of myth through
hearing, reading or reenacting. This is the early beginning of understanding
things that we know now as Mirror Neurons.
Your
Mirror Neurons play a big role in the emotional tie in these ads. As Mark
Goulston explains in “Just Listen: Discover the Secrets Of Getting Trough To
Absolutely Anyone” how when studying monkeys brains they “found that the cells fired when the monkeys threw a
ball or ate a banana. But here's the surprise: these same cells fired when the
monkeys watched another monkey performing these acts. In other words, when
Monkey #1 watched Monkey #2 toss a ball, the brain of the first monkey reacted
just as if it had tossed the ball itself.” We don’t just watch these commercials and think about how the
actors might be feeling, we actually replace them with ourselves. We don’t just
SEE a mother waking up a child, we FEEL our mother waking us up because we can
draw from the memory of when this actually happened to us. “These remarkable cells may form the basis for human empathy
because, in effect, they transport us into another person's mind, briefly
making us feel what the person is feeling.” When you see the mother crying at
the end you feel a tug at your own heart. "Sometimes people aren't able to
care about what you want them to do, until they feel cared about by you.” (Goulston,
p 1) this is exactly what an ad is designed to do. You feel like they you are
in their best interest and understand you and your problems therefore you feel
the need to buy their product because it will fix your problems.
Images and
storytelling are powerful ways to convey the message, whatever the message. We
have studied the way the way images, myths and storytelling interact and
combine to impact our consciousness … in good ways and bad ways. If we have a
better understanding of how all this works, then we can understand its impact
on our everyday lives. Technology is bombarding us with messages - it’s good to
know the power behind the messages. Maybe it will help us sort out the good and
the bad, the serious and the goofy, the meaningful and the fluffy ones.
Regardless, we should appreciate and be aware of the power of the message.
