Most everyone has heard of the term skateboarding, and some of us may have even tried our luck and this action sport. Skateboarding is a sport that goes beyond the ramps and parks, and has a subculture that frequent skateboarders become a part of. What is this? How does someone join this subculture? I'm no anthropologist, but let's try to tap into this skateboarding subculture. Belief Systems: This subculture generally includes young males from ages 8 to 22, according to researcher Graham L. Bradley. The appeal of this culture is its fluidity and flexibility. Skateboarding does not require practices or scheduling, and gives the individuals freedom in when/how they skateboard. This sense of freedom is a key value in this subculture, and differentiates this sport from other common sports people of this age are being encouraged to join. Language: Like every subculture, these individuals eventually formed a certain type of language around their craft. Skateboarding language is mainly slang that acts as shortcuts to frequently used terms. For example, a skateboard is simply a "board" or sometimes "deck" is used when referring to a specific wood part of the board. Other terms such as rad or sick defines the performance or terrain. The term sketchy means not trustworthy, and stoked means excited. This language is not cryptic, but specific to the skateboarding culture. Artifacts: Skateboards and skate shops obviously fall into this skateboarding culture, but other brands such as Vans and DC have also become incorporated. On social media, a whole collection of skating trick videos can easily be found on Youtube or Instagram. Kinship: Tony Hawk is the classic professional skater that comes to mind, but there is a wide range of skaters that have gained a following due to their tricks and "rad" performances. These individuals inspire others to try their moves and join this culture. Symbols: As mentioned earlier, certain brands have attached themselves to this skating subculture. As a result, their logos are often seen as symbols for the skating community, most often in the form of stickers on one's board. Rituals: The fluidity and freedom that this sport offers is one of the main reasons it appeals to so many young people. However, even though the sport does not have much formal structure, certain rituals can still be found. Preparing for the sport has many steps, such as waxing, applying their grip, adjust wheel graphics, tweak nuts and boards of the board, and arrange their stickers perfectly. According to skateboarding blogs, skateboarders are types of perfectionists when it comes to their preparation for performance, so these rituals are key to the culture.
As a 20 year old woman with absolutely no coordination, my experiences with skateboarding have been short and often painful. However, through this search I have discovered much more about the significance of the culture around this sport, and hope you have as well! Rad!
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There are two main reasons to watch the Super Bowl: the football game, of course, and the commercials. The suspense of which brand will present the most intriguing, elaborate, or hilarious commercials is almost as engaging as who will win the actual game. Super Bowl spots are millions of dollars for companies to invest in, so the time to shine is now.
Today’s society is in a delicate climate, and the Super Bowl ads of the past may be scrutinized more harshly now than in previous years. One example of this is the use of women as a sex appeal for brands. Certain companies, for example Carl’s Jr., have been known to create commercials that objectify women to sell their product. With women empowerment being a large focus in today’s society, it is no surprise that this trend has been removed from the Super Bowl ads—finally! Another trend that could be related to today’s societal climate is the idea of unification. The political climate has been more divisive than usual, and certain ads like Toyota’s “We’re all on one team” ad unify consumers rooting both football teams, but also the general American public. In regards to this trend, not many advertisements took on a political stance in their commercials. High profile celebrities are usually a trend seen in Super Bowl advertisements, and this year’s was no exception! Amazon, Michelob Ultra Beer, Tide, Kia, Doritos and Mountain Dew are just a few of the brands that recruited well known celebrities to include in their Super Bowl spots. Amazon’s “Alexa loses her voice” ad included celebrities such as Cardi B, Gordon Ramsey, Rebel Wilson, and Sir Anthony Hopkins to be Alexa’s replacement voices. Because this group of celebrities is so diverse, their different fan bases increase the excitement among various consumers when they see their favorite celebrity within the commercial. The trend of celebrity usage within these commercials not only increases audience approval, but also humor within the advertisement. Seeing celebrities often makes the commercial funnier because consumers have a larger context and knowledge of the famous individual in the ad. Telling stories are what commercials allow brands to do, and the Super Bowl lends itself to telling longer stories because of the ongoing consumer viewing. Brands like Bud Light, and Tide took advantage of this by creating campaigns that continued throughout the Super Bowl. Bud Light had 2 commercials that continued a medieval storyline about the quest for Bud Light, and Tide ads played in all quarters of the Super Bowl using iconic advertisement themes with a twist at the end—they were all actually Tide ads. This trend is unique to the Super Bowl because it has a high viewer retention rate until the end of the game, allowing brands to tell stories through multiple commercial breaks. There were not many shocking statements made in this year's Super Bowl commercials, but nonetheless many brands made great use of their million dollar spot and created hilarious and memorable advertisements that will reflect positively on their companies. QSR (quick service restaurants) are known for their inexpensive, convenient food production—not their ethics. However, even though big chain companies often receive a negative reputation regarding corporate social responsibility, there are ways these QSR can implement certain positive modifications into their framework. The most important CSR aspects for QSR, in my opinion, are fair treatment of their employees and responsible sourcing/quality of their products.
Many large chain restaurants (and larger businesses in general) are prone to unfavorable treatment of employees due to the massive amounts of workers they manage. Certain fast food chains, including Chipotle and Starbucks, have enforced college education reimbursement programs to allow their employees education to be compensated for while working. There are also many other benefits (e.g. paid sick days, paid vacation, healthcare benefits) that these types of QSR can implement to increase their CSR value and better treat their employees. Responsible sourcing of products is another significant CSR factor when discussing QSR. Fast food restaurants often receive a bad reputation for their unhealthy menu choices. Although the nature of QSR does not make customers' wellness the primary concern, these restaurants can take a step in the right direction by being transparent about where their products come from. Using ingredients that do not obtain artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, preservatives, etc. can boost a restaurants ethical image by promoting health and wellness. If these items are sourced responsibly, safely and sustainably, this is another step that increases the ethical integrity of QSR. Although the structure and goals of QSR may lend themselves to unethical procedures, there are many ways these restaurants can still implement ethics and responsibility in their companies. It is a balancing act. Certain CSR initiatives can increase the price of the QSR's products, which eliminates the low price and value that is a large appeal to their customers. While ethics are important to consumers, price and convenience are also significant factors in consumers' decisions. Although giving employees benefits and sourcing food responsibly may be additional expenses, these two CSR initiatives would positively affect the QSR company in the long run. Creating a pleasant employee environment could lower employee turnover and establish better customer service. And sourcing food that is more wholesome will place these QSR above the curve for health and wellness, making them excellent choices for a convenient, healthy meal. |
AuthorMy name is Lexi Haskins, and I am a Junior Communication Studies student at Loyola Marymount University. I am also apart of the M-School Marketing Program. Archives
March 2018
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