The main piece of feedback given by Simon on my essay was as follows:
'Could you talk about how social media and internet culture has generated more ways of communicating to the consumer through language or imagery exclusive to the internet - such as memes?'
Coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins, a meme is a 'package of culture.' Pre-internet, this meant things like regional sayings, fashion, and architecture. These are styles, concepts, and behaviors that are infinitely replicable (so we’re not talking about trading physical items) and spread out to other cultures from the point of origin. Today, memes have become much less cultural in terms of their representation on social media sites.
After some research online I came across on a new McDonalds campaign in China for new products with lychee
Leo Burnett did historical research at the National Library of China for the project. In China, 'young adults take a lot of pride in traditional Chinese culture being represented in a contemporary, fun kind of way' said Angie Wong, general manager of Leo Burnett Shanghai, which worked on the campaign with Chinese animation studio Wuhu and director Willis Wong of production house Tribe. By taking influences from old culture and imagery, technology has allowed companies to market new material that can appeal to specific consumers.
Thinking back to study task 02, Linda Hutcheon - a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory and criticism, opera, and Canadian studies, highlights that despite parody being more of a mockery of the original work, with pastiche new work created is refreshed with a different style, meaning and message. This is highlighted where she says 'its art forms (and its theory) use and abuse, install and then subvert convention in parodic ways, self-consciously pointing both to their own inherent paradoxes and provisionality and, of course, to their critical or ironic re-reading of the art of the past'. In this sense, technology has allowed companies to reconsider the way they market themselves, particularly when targeting particular cultures.
In a way these points all interlink in relation to the point that Simon suggested. I summarised them all and triangulated them into one paragraph that will be inserted into my essay after the data section.
Summary
Whilst data can be collected to target specific demographics, it is also important to remember that technology has allowed companies to communicate with their consumers through language, or imagery. One example of this can be seen by McDonald’s lychee product campaign, which launched in 2017. Leo Burnett, an advertising company, used old historical research into Chinese imagery to target consumers in the country. According to Angie Wong, general manager of Leo Burnett Shanghai, ‘young adults take a lot of pride in traditional Chinese culture being represented in a contemporary, fun kind of way’ (2017). By taking influences from old culture and imagery, technology has allowed companies to market new material that can appeal to specific consumers. Linda Hutcheon, a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory and criticism, opera, and Canadian studies, makes a point that, despite parody being more of a mockery of original work, pastiche allows new work to be created and refreshed with a different style, meaning and message. This is highlighted where she says 'its art forms (and its theory) use and abuse, install and then subvert convention in parodic ways, self-consciously pointing both to their own inherent paradoxes and provisionality and, of course, to their critical or ironic re-reading of the art of the past’ (2008). In this sense, technology has allowed companies to reconsider the way they market themselves, particularly when targeting particular cultures.
McDonald's China Has a Quirky Campaign For New Products With Lychee, Pineapple. 2017. Doland, A. Available at: https://www.adage.com/article/digital/mcdonald-s-china-a-quirky-strategy-chinese-year/307598/
Hutcheon, L. 2008. The Politics of Postmodernism: Parody and History. Telos.
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