Analyzing Communication
Communication refers to the act of conveying information or simply making known of something.
It involves encoding and decoding of the message, as well as the creation and sharing of the meaning contained in the message. Notably, communication serves many functions such as emotional expression, motivation, control, and information. Depending on the purpose of communication, it requires the sender to reveal or express oneself clearly in such a way that one is readily and clearly understood without misrepresenting the intended information. Effective communication requires the sender or the party conveying the information to be clear, precise and straight to the point in a bid to be understood by the other party whom the message is intended to. Effective communication also requires the sender or the conveyor of the message to choose an effective channel of communication trying to capture the attention of the receiver and be able to get the feedback. In business, communication is a vital component as far as effective management is concerned (Wandberg 44).
This is to mean that, an organization can neither conduct its operations nor meet its goals without communication between different levels, departments, employees as well as customers, who are the most important assets of the business. Communication in this aspect is commercial and mainly involves passing knowledge about a new product in the market or improvement on an existing product. It utterly focuses on getting more and more customers as equal as keeping the loyalty of the already captured and potential customers. This paper will explore communication basing its arguments on Viva Young Taco Bell – an advertisement strategy. The artifact, Viva Young-Taco Bell commercial: “Viva Young” 2013 Taco Bell Game Day Commercial is an advertisement strategy that features an old man together with his old school friends when they sneaked out from their retirement home for a wild night that they will always live to remember and cherish.
They seem to have escaped from a den of depression and have gained the liberty to live a happy life as depicted in the artifact due to their frenzy and wildness expressed in their faces. The artifact is purposely aimed at making an impression about the kind of fun at Taco Bell. It unveils the sort of ecstasy that old and retired people are denied, and how fun it is when friends come together to have pleasant and enjoyable moment. The advertisement targets individuals who have retired due to old age and confine themselves in one place without moving out to change the environment and, at least, join their friends to have fun together. This explains why the organization opted to use the example of an old man with his old school friends escaping from a confined and segregated place to break the monotony and boredom to have fun at Taco Bell. The aged and retired folks would be seduced and enticed by the advertisement probably by getting moved by the kind of fun they bycott by restricting themselves in one secluded place.
They will realize that age is not a barrier to making life as interesting as one may wish. The artifact considers the use of a proper medium of communication as a potential effectiveness that will ensure proper transmission of the intended information. The fact the artifact takes into consideration factors such as the nature of communication, the urgency of communication, and distance between the sender and the recipient makes this kind of communication very effective and reliable. Considering the category of the target audience for the information, the artifact also portrays clarity in terms of the use of simple pictorial language in the message for easy understandability of the intended message. Clearness is a very imperative aspect in communication when a communicator wishes to avoid ambiguity in conveying the message.The kind of communication depicted in the artifact has elements of accuracy and considering the type of the target audience.
The aspect of accuracy is crucial since false and misleading statements, gestures, facial expressions, and body movements could seriously compromise the effectiveness of the message and hence rendering the information useless. Any aged person who happens to watch or have a glimpse of the artifact will easily understand the message trying to be conveyed and it is going to impact on them positively about getting out of their retirement cocoons and finding a place to refresh own existing. The fact that a man lives once only is also implicated in the artifact, where the aged are again convinced to enjoy the best moments they might have missed in their life before they die. The artifact unveils that all people are entitled to live a free life without confinement and restriction. Having fun has its advantages especially to the aged in a bid to relieve them of their depression. The fact that these old men and women break out of their retirement homes to go and have fun is a justification the inside condition where they are confined is nothing but a boring den.
The message conveyed here is very critical and of concern as the means they use to flee from their homes carries a greater meaning than just a mere fact of their escape for just have fun. However, the portrayed in the advertisement artifact has its strengths and weaknesses. Accordingly, the key strengths evidenced in it include the colorful use of language, gestures, body movements, and facial expressions. This approach in the advertisement industry is very helpful because the message is considered to be seductive and persuasive in the sense that memorizing the information becomes easier, hence renders the communication effective as the communicator will be sure to get the feedback from the receiver. The artifact shows a consideration of the intended audience a clear indication that communicator evaluated the intended population in a bid to gauge factors such as the current mood, age, as well as the context of the situation that lead to the communicattor to framing the message in the form portrayed in the artifact (Steinberg 45). This enhanced a proper choice of the channel of communication for effectiveness, thus many people are reached by the message within a very short time.
The use of the rhythm is a strategy aimed at capturing at least a full attention of the target audience, and the fact that motional pictures were used in the artifact makes it even more effective since the intended population will easily deduce a meaning out of the video faster. Besides, the aspect of emotional involvement widely used in the artifact makes it even more effective in the passing of the intended message. In the artifact, the audience’s full attention is captured by that limits the possibility of easy distraction and, therefore, one can translate and make an informed choice based on the information obtained. Demonstration is also very evident and the message is very intrusive: it engages emotions, creating a universal appeal about the intended information that is conveyed. The information derived appears credible as well whereas the receiver is able to see and evaluate the information. Secondly, there is a variety of weaknesses of the artifact as depicted in the video.
The artifact portrays the old men and women breaking from their retirement homes in a violent way. This may be interpreted differently by the audience and end up creating a very distinct impression about the video, hence losing its meaning rendering the communication ineffective. The artifact is also weak: it becomes difficult to tell about the impression of the target audience. Getting immediate feedback is a barrier that limits the effectiveness of the communication since individuals hails from different parts of the world. Moreover, the artifact does not take into consideration the social implication of the advertisement considering the type of target audience.Due to the fact the movements depicted in the video are so fast and events within one scene take place too quickly the message can not be understood fully.
In relation to the type of the target population, this information may not be received as expected since one is able to struggle to get the message. The motion involved in a span of time can be quicker the eyes of such intended receiver are unable to figure out what the message really is. In conclusion, for communication to be effective, the communicator needs to consider and take care of the barriers of communication such as use of appropriate communication channel, be able to gauge the mood and emotions of the intended receiver. The sender needs to understand his or her receiver in a bid to convey his message effectively. The use of clear and precise language and information is a significant measure that ensures accuracy of the information.
The sender has to apply the best modes possible and tactics that will capture at least full attention of the intended audience. Avoiding credibility gaps should also be taken into consideration to the best level possible.
