california Raisins.

California is well known for its way of trying to sell itself; especially in aid to its agricultural departments. With several ads and slogans for dairy and fruits distribution, it’s no wonder that eventually someone from the state would come up with something so strange like dancing raisins. The dancing raisins were inspired from the exhaustion of ideas for new advertisements. The ad campaign received popularity almost immediately with four full album releases and a cartoon series. This kind of commercial reveals a very peculiar thing about California. While the state itself has become would wide known for some of its natural beauty, it still shows a need or insecurity with its own image that it still needs to fight to promote an image of something greater. When id does manage to come up with something new to portray itself it really is something unique. But at the same time, it promotes a whole other aspect of California culture that says, if you’re not the greatest, you’re not trying hard enough. This might be the reason the state has places like Hollywood where people have to consistently fight to uphold an image or suffer the horrid feeling of likeness with someone or something else. Then again, it could just be a lucky strike of an advertisement that managed to come up with something really quirky. In the end, the California raisins manage to establish themselves as a key element to what California is. A place where strange things often come out, and are well appreciated. 

Comments

[Taylor Gordon]

As you write about the unique method of advertisement in this post, you tap into the California dream of economic prosperity. It is because of the massive consumer culture here that there is so much competition, and in turn, the competition produces ingenuity and creativity in the advertisement world. However, this also proposes the idea that maybe California is too deep into consumerism. Perhaps it is because of this that companies are running out of ideas and advertisements are becoming absurd. Californians have become desensitized to commercials, and billboards, because they are immersed in them heavily from birth. No matter how much weirder, louder, brighter, or bigger companies project themselves, our society simply spirals downwards into a culture filled with nothing but apathy, with their dreams of economic prosperity stifled. This sobering idea reminds me of the clip we watched of "Blade Runner" where it shows the main character surrounded by blaring radios, neon signs, and massive TVs as he roams the city--all the while he and everyone around him pay no head to the commercialism that envelops them. Perhaps this is a foreshadowing of our culture, and a gloomy one at that!

[Patrick Ayers]

I think you have really brought up an important topic in California culture that explains the actions of many Californians. Because California is so disattached from the rest of the United States, the Californian society believes they must try to recreate themselves in any way possible. I believe this is why the majority of trends are started in California and spread across the nation by means of mass media. The unique aspects of California are brought out by the celebraties of hollywood, who have the most influence of the American people and worldwide. I think the media also uses these techniques to "sell itself" to outsiders to try and bring business to California. This really shows the goal of our culture and how it wants to be the best society.

[Ruben Iniguez]

This post reminds me of the California dream of Economic Opportunity. This is because you mention how this place attempts to advertise its products in every possible way. Although California has made a name for itself in the business of advertisement, it shows how inevitably obstacles will arise during the trip towards economic prosperity. In this case, the atrophy of imagination is what causes the struggle towards marketing raisins. It also reminds me of the typical pioneer in California. Here they are pioneering to generate new promoting techniques, but it seems that their quest lacks motivation. Although the dancing raisins seem like a desperate attempt to sell raisins, they must continue their pioneering expedition of economic opportunity.

[Tyler Hay]

Blue man group (brek the formula of advertisement)

For some reason immediately after reading your post, the Blue Man Group popped into my head. Although they are a band, the Blue Man Group can still be related to the raisin product advertisements because they both share the same general idea of grabbing the audiences/consumers' attention. After seeing so many advertisements, Californians became immune to the alluring created by major corporations. As a result, I believe these abstract forms of advertisement were derived to break the casual advertisement sales pitch. Great post very original