Thursday, May 7, 2009

Chapter 9 - It's Greek to Me

Explain two commercials/advertisements derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology.

18 comments:

Grey_spear said...

There are so many Greek gods and goddesses that it is imposable today to watch TV or read a magazine an not come across an illusion to one. Nike, for example is the goddess of victory. Also, if you didn't already know, Nike is brand of shoes. The name of their company advertises itself. Who wouldn't want to run on victory shoes? Also, the Midas auto repair company is a great example of Greek mythology in modern day life. Their slogan, "Trust the Midas touch." alludes to the mythological character King Midas. king Midas was blessed with the ability to transform anything he touched into gold. In other words, everything he touched would bring prosperity. If my car had problems, i would want someone with that kind of magic touch to be fixing my breaks.

sschwegman said...

Hmmmm, when you think of Greek Mythology you think of Zeus, Hercules, and some other Gods/ Goddesses. I consider the mythological stories very interesting and apparently quite a few other people do too. I didn’t realize this but obviously authors did because they intentionally but Greek mythology details in their books! People recognize the details and relate to the book. Foster writes, “The recognition makes our experience of literature richer, deeper, more meaningful, so that our own modern stories also matter, also share in the power of myth.” So where have you seen Greek mythology used in this way? Well, there is a cologne for men made by Chanel that is called Antaeus. Now supposedly Antaeus was a God that was extremely strong as long as he remained in contact with the earth. If a man knows the story behind Antaeus they are going to think, “Well this cologne is named after a super strong God, if I put it on, I will be super strong.” This is what people want buyers to think anyway. Another example is Hercules Hooks. These hooks are supposedly able to be pushed into the wall and hold 150 lbs. Knowing that Hercules was the strongest God, the meaning of the product is pretty much in the name.

Haddison said...

Greek mythology is a topic that baffles us all and yet instigates our need to learn more. Advertisers often use famous names from Greek mythology to catch the consumer’s eye and intrigue them. A commercial that is derived from Greek myth is the Venus razors. Venus was another name for the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite. So, advertisers influence us to think that if we use these razors our legs will be just as smooth and beautiful as a goddess’. Another example that everyone is familiar with is, Nike. Nike was the goddess of victory so once again advertisers are trying to convince you that if you buy Nike brand shoes then you will always be victorious.

Giesting said...

I'm sure everyone has seen the Starbucks logo right; the naked women with her hair covering the right places. Anyways, its a pretty enticing picture, kind of makes you want to go to Starbucks. Well interesting enough, that girl on the logo is supposed to be a picture of a siren. Sirens have a voice that draws you into to their island. No one can resist the Sirens. Pretty good advertising by Starbucks, eh? Trident gum is also a popular product. Poseidon's three pronged trident is a very famous greed element. Poseidon's trident is what gives him power over the seas. The word Trident literally means, three-teeth. Trident is designed to clean your teeth, so the relation is obvious. It's strong teeth cleaning gum.

lclifton said...

Commercials'/advertisements' main goal is to sell their product. What better way to sell a product than to refer to a greek god/goddess. Venus for example is the goddess of beauty and love, and the well-known Venus razor uses her to sell their product. Why would they use her? Well, that is because they want to send out the message that the razor will give women soft, beautiful skin. Another example is Hygieia, goddess of health, cleanliness, and sanitation. She is used in Mr. Clean commercials; Mr. Clean is like a Hygieia figure. This commercial is sending the message that however dirty the mess is Mr. Clean can clean it spotless because he is like the goddess Hygieia. Notice that Hygieia is the name that hygiene is based off of. Using a god/goddess is a smart way to sell products because people think gods are invincible. If a product is as strong as gods, people will think the item is well worth buying.

cpaul said...

Greek mythology is something people all ages are aware of. There are numerous commercials and advertisements that come from Greek gods or goddess. One example is Atlas, the god whom holds the world on his shoulders. Atlas had betrayed Zeus in some way, and his punishment was to forever hold the world upon his shoulders. He tried to trick or bribe other gods into doing his job but in the end was still stuck with the world on his shoulders. They say even today the world evolves on Atlas’ shoulders. Now must of us know what an Atlas is right? It is a book containing maps and vital statistics relating to geographic regions, this is from the god Atlas. Another example of advertising inspired by a god is Ares. Ares is the god or war and father of victory. Ares is also a very popular car model. Naming a car after a father of victory is very clever because those familiar with this comparison might believe the car is as great as the god himself.

__jgarcia said...

Whether they know it or not, everyone has been exposed to Greek mythology. Advertisements everywhere use Greek gods and goddesses to gain your business. The FTD flower delivery company’s logo is one of the Greek god, Hermes. Hermes is the messenger god. He helped people travel safely and reach their destination unharmed. If you were to order flowers, wouldn’t you want them to arrive to the desired location completely unharmed? The FTD flower delivery company uses something to simple as a picture of Hermes to give you the impression that if you order their flowers, they’ll arrive to you in perfect condition. Another example of Greek mythology in today’s advertisements is Ajax cleaner. The company’s slogans include “Stronger than dirt” and “armed…with Ajax”. Both of these refer to the Greek, Ajax. Ajax was a warrior in the Trojan War. Because the Trojan War was such a great, victorious battle, Ajax brand wanted their brand to be victorious as well. Therefore, Ajax brand was born. People are more likely to pay attention to the clever and witty connection of the name to the product when it’s named after a powerful Greek.

J_Espin said...

Whether we realize it or not mythology is all around us. Advertising is a place that uses mythology quite frequently. One example is the car the Odyssey. In mythology the Odyssey was the great voyage the hero Odysseus had to undergo to make it home from the Trojan War. This is smart advertising because in modern times people travel by car and make journeys like the Odyssey in cars. Another example would be Atlas Van Lines. In mythology Atlas was designated to support Earth after he was defeated by Zeus. The company Atlas Van Lines carries peoples' belongings all over the world and because Atlas supported the planet it is a natural fit to be the name.

holly_2313 said...

Tristar Pictures logo has a winged horse that closely resembles Pegasus from Greek Mythology. The definition of the winged-horse’s name is “strong”. The company uses this mystical and magical creature to symbolize their strong productions. And Amazon.com is uses the name Amazon from a strong race of warrior women from Greek Mythology. The race of women depended solely on each other to get everything they needed. No men were apart of their race because they didn’t need them. They took care of themselves and each other sufficiently, and were very strong, respected warrior women. This name brings the ideas of the same dependability and sufficiency to the site.

James A. Call said...

My first advertisement is going to be a generic one. Whenever anything Valentine’s Day-related is marketed, Cupid is almost always present. Why? Because Eros, Cupid’s Greek counterpart, is the god of love. Thus, Greek myth-loving roots say that Cupid is the archetypal romance symbol. The second advertisement I picked isn’t necessarily your traditional ‘advertisement’ persay. The track logo is still a logo is it not? Therefore, it’s advertising track, right? I like to think so. The winged shoe, the symbol of Hermes (a very fast fellow, seeing as he’s messenger of the gods, and I guess they don’t like waiting for their messages to be delivered snail-mail style :), is the track logo. This obviously indicates that track runners are very fast, like Hermes, or maybe it’s that if you run track, you’ll become as swift as Hermes. Whatever you take it to mean, that shoe with wings flaunts off track runners’ awesome agility and prowess… or something like that.:)

Garret said...

One example of a commercial/advertisement derived from an aspect of Greek mythology is the Trojan condom. The name “Trojan” is derived from the Trojan War and the people of Troy. The story of the Trojan horse is a well known myth. Many people know it, so why not name your product after it. The Trojan Horse didn’t fail, so neither will the Trojan condom. The name might give you the edge over other products with names that aren’t as familiar. Another example of a commercial/advertisement derived from an aspect of Greek mythology is Olympus cameras. Mt. Olympus was where the Gods lived in Greek Mythology. With a name like Olympus which references to a place of Gods, people might be persuaded to buy your product if they think the pictures will have quality of the Gods. If Olympus is good enough for the Gods, then it is good enough for anyone who wants a camera.

tnunlist said...

Greek Gods and Goddesses were big subjects for legends and stories a long time ago. Those stories and legends are still very popular today, and are even in our everyday lives. Around valentines day you always seem to see cupid around. He is advertised everywhere for various things, including: jewelry, candy, cards, and anything else that could be romantic or a gift for valentines day. Also, the Venus razors for women tell you to "revel the goddess in you". That is a very obvious reference to Greek mythology.

h_mckinney said...

Basing a logo or the name of a product after a figure of Greek mythology is a major selling point for advertisers, especially those who are smart enough to realize that Greek mythology is ingrained in nearly everything and everyone in some way. Still, though a very successful tactic for companies such as Nike and Venus, I thought it was rather difficult to find two good examples of this practice, perhaps because all the good ones were already taken or even because Greek mythology is such a large part in our creative thinking and education that it’s barely noticeable. My first example is the site Pandora. In an age of iTunes and digital music and entertainment, Pandora is based off the figure in Greek mythology that opened the box that contained all the evils of the world such as death, war, and disease, and gives people the chance to listen to their favorite music and also listen to new music without any fees or cost. Basically this means that the Pandora site has taken Pandora’s incurable curiosity and used it as a selling point for its site that allows people to explore and discover without having to deal with all of the “evils” that they may be exposed to elsewhere. My second example of a reference to Greek mythology is the Ford Taurus. According to Greek myth, Zeus transformed into a white bull (Taurus) that the woman Europa (a Phoenician woman that Zeus became enamored with) liked so much that she got on the bull’s back and so Zeus took the opportunity to abduct her and then traveled over the sea to Crete. When comparing the vehicle its Greek origins the name would simply imply that the vehicle has as the strength of a bull and the god Zeus as well as the power to travel to far away lands. It’s also quite possible that the Ford Taurus would have to have some level of attractiveness to it as was in the tale with the fair and beautiful Europa, though that exact answer to this posed question couldn’t come from the advertiser.

tnunlist said...

Scott, I really liked the Nike comparison one, It is one of the more popular ones today, but is not noticed very often. A lot of people are even surprised when they hear that Nike was a Greek goddess.

Garret said...

Jack - Good connection between Odysseus and the car the Odyssey. I like how you realized that it was smart to name a car after someone that can make it through so much. It makes it sound like this model of car will last a long time, and it could attract more consumers to buying the car.

CKoury said...

Two commercials that I have seen, are for Olympic Airlines and Saturn automobiles. Olympic Airlines comes from Olympus, the home of the Greek gods. Since gods lived on Olympus, it was presumed that life was great on the top of Mount Olympus. The airlines would have been a nice way to travel, being named after the gods' home. Saturn automobiles are named after Cronus, Zeus's father. Saturn is Cronus's Roman name.

lkarbowski said...

Greek gods and goddesses are among one of the most popular forms of advertisements. Poseidon is one of the more well known Greek gods, as he is the king of the sea. Poseidon Seafood is a well known brand of seafood goods. Also the king of the sea is used in names of companies, such as, Poseidon Advertising and Trading Company. Atlas was a god who was damned to support heaven on his shoulders. Atlas is used in two well known companies in today’s society. One is Atlas Van Lines, a moving company, which closely relates to the fate of the god doomed to support all this weight on his shoulders. Second Atlas Travel is a popular name for travel agencies all over the world.

__jgarcia said...

Chris – I like your connection to Starbucks. I had no idea what the Starbucks logo was. I figured it was just some weird design the company made up. So, thanks for enlightening me. Like you said, the sirens draw people in, just like the scent of Starbucks gives me cravings. Although the sirens drew you into your death, isn’t the cost of Starbucks coffee “killing” everyone?