IMC

IMC analysis blog entry #1:


When arriving to Berlin the first thing I noticed when I walked out of the airport was a soccer ad. It was very big and it publicized Germany’s lovable sport. As I expected, advertisements were everywhere. The ads that I saw around the city were not extremely different than the ones in the States. The difference though, was that some seemed a lot larger than those as in New York City. Some would even cover an entire face of a building. It was interesting, but it was something I noticed that many major European cities do as well.


When I got off the metro at Potsdamer Platz, I first noticed two very large ads that covered the side of the building. One ad promoted Greece as a travel destination and the other promoted their well known, German made Audi. The size of the ad made it hard not to miss, so my attention was definitely focused on the advertisements. The Greece ad depicted beautiful Greek scenery, making it very desirable to go. The colors and the expressions on the couple’s faces were very visible to the eye, even from afar.

Something that I found very interesting was a few advertisements on a paper towel in a restaurant bathroom. The idea was very creative and without a doubt caught my attention. To me it seemed to be apart of a campaign. If so, the idea to promote on a paper towel was one way to remind people about that product everywhere they went, even when they’re going to the bathroom.

When I was walking through a more suburban area of Berlin, I became aware of how this advertisement depicted two men kissing. In America we do not usually see advertisements like that. Considering the fact that Berlin has the third largest gay community, it makes it acceptable to advertise gay ads. They have targeted their demographics and that’s what makes a good advertisement. (http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-166/i.html)


Another really interesting advertisement was on the famous T.V. tower. It was a big wall paper the covered the .ft tower with text messages to loved ones, promoted by T-Mobile. Interestingly enough it made the tower look better and far more interesting to look at it. The text messages were in all different fonts and font sizes. This gave it a interesting variety to the city of Berlin.

Expectations of Berlin

Intercultural analysis blog entry #1: Expectations


I have been to many European cities, but never to Berlin, so I did not know what to expect. Many cities throughout Europe have remarkably old architectures, especially cities like Rome and Paris, so it was hard to determine if Berlin would be the same, considering their harsh experience during World War Two. The night before arriving into Berlin I expected how the city would be like with its advanced technology, innovative advertisements, green scenery, city’s architecture, German culture, bi-lingual speaking Berliners, and generous hospitality.


In my opinion, I expected to see the city Berlin advanced in technology more than other cities in the United States. They have always been known for their cars and and scientist(http://germancarscene.com/2009/05/16/audi-commercials/). As for advertisements, I projected very innovative ads. For example, I pictured ads to be all over Berlin, similar to New York City. New York City is famous for their big, creative, audience grabbing advertisements, and it seemed like Berlin would be comparable, but not as clustered as New York, and more spread out.


To me, Berlin gave me the impression of futuristic modern architect as well as classic and traditional. In my mind the architect would be very similar to Austria’s and the southern Germany region of Bavaria. I figured since the bombings of World War Two, they would have to renovate and create new buildings, making them more modern then trying to go back to traditional. This would give the city a mixture of classic and modern all together in one, making the city a step forward in technology, modernism and new expressionists then other cities around the world. Also, throughout the city I imagined the scenery to be very green, also similar to Bavaria.

On behalf of the culture throughout Berlin I was looking forward to seeing Berliners more as business men and woman and a very youthful crowd. They would be more open-minded and more innovative. I am not expecting to see as many different cultures as London or New York City. A large majority of the people would speak English as their second language. As for the city life, the city would be noisy, but not disturbing. The night life would be very lively and young. The community would be very active physically, also involving activities for the city to be involved in.

I am very open to what I will be seeing in Berlin, no matter what I expected. I’m open to learn and to see what Berlin has to offer!