This week my project really started to come together. I organized my notes, mainly focusing on extracting the main ideas. Doing so helped me identify which parts of my notes were most important and therefore should be at the forefront of my final project.

Content-wise, I have come to a clear conclusion that my research focuses on purposeful advertising and the seemingly changing influence of commercials on culture. Now, in the 21st century, we see a major shift in the content of an advertisement. A company’s focus is no longer on just selling the product but selling a positive and meaningful message too. This comes at not much of a surprise, as the content of an advertisement is oftentimes reflective of the time period in which it is produced.

The commericals I analyzed were most, if not all from the 21st century. Advertising in the age of technology is interesting and it’s what I am living through. Technology has allowed for widespread communication and conversation around social issues, possibly allowing underrepresented voices to be heard. Culture is changing. Systemic issues around race, gender, and sexuality are being tackled. Beauty ideals are being challenged. And this overall change can be seen as demonstrated through a medium in which people are constantly influenced by: advertising.

When organizing my notes, I split the advertisements I took note of (all from the 21st-century) into two categories. One category is “markets a message,” specifically showing how many currently successful advertisements are ones that sell a story. The second category is “markets a message + product around said message,” demonstrating the innovative ways in which current ad agencies are using many mediums to effectively communicate an idea.

Ultimately, these two categories act as a blueprint for the 21st-century success of an ad, dictating the different approaches company’s take to sell both a product and a meaningful message.