Shot Essay 2

Robert Seiler

WRIT 1133-63

Dr. Leake

07 April 2013

…And That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbled

            Businesses have always marketed their goods and services in predictable ways and this is because the tried-and-true methods of advertising have provided for the highest levels of popular, and monetary, success. When we compare Mrs. Fields cookies with Nabisco’s Chips Ahoy! cookies we see the tried-and-true methods of marketing being reinforced. Mrs. Fields is marketed towards a more sophisticated, somewhat more health-conscious individual with more loose money to spend, while Chips Ahoy is marketed more towards anyone who wants cheap cookies to satisfy themselves, or their children, without spending much money. This distinction is illuminated simply by the packaging each business uses to market their products.

                             Based on the packaging, Mrs. Fields cookies are marketed more towards a health-conscious individual that has more excess money to spend on goods. If one were to look at the packaging of a Mrs. Fields cookie he or she would notice many things. Primarily, each cookie is individually wrapped and sealed in a bag, which shows an elevated level of care, dedication, and pride. The business makes sure you know this information by having it printed on the top of the packaging. The top reads, “Moist & chewy cookies INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED for freshness. This shows that they are trying to market their cookies as being of a much higher quality, resulting in a much more flavorful and enjoyable experience. The next level of text says Mrs. Fields in cursive writing, which gives the product a homier, classic appeal- almost as if Mrs. Fields who “lives next door” prepared these cookies. At the center of the packaging is a picture of very delicious looking cookies. This is all done intentionally by the business to evoke the strong sense of the superiority of this cookie. On the bottom right of the package “0g Trans Fats” is written. This shows that this cookie is not only delicious, but it also does not contain the harmful additives that other, cheaper cookies have. This is done to show the potential customer that Mrs. Fields understands what you want- a delicious tasting treat that doesn’t make you feel as bad for having. This helps justify the higher cost of Mrs. Fields cookies by asserting that it is a “moist and chewy” treat that is not entirely bad for you. This, coupled with the overall appeal of the packaging, is a great example of marketing to a specific, but large, socio-economic group.

            Nabisco’s Chips Ahoy! cookies are marketed to the vast majority of the population. Before analyzing the packaging of Chips Ahoy! cookies, more must be known about Nabisco’s various business endeavors. Nabisco has the largest bakery in the world, has more than 1,500 workers, and produces more than 320 million pounds of snacks annually. Some of these products include Oreos, Ritz Crackers, Fig Newtons, Wheat Thins, and more. Their marketing strategy is the opposite of Mrs. Fields. They do not attempt to seem homey, classic, or high quality- they gear their advertising towards generally families and lower-income audiences. The packaging illustrates this point very clearly. Firstly, the packaging used is flimsy plastic in a rectangular, efficiency oriented manner. This is due the volume Nabisco is producing and a more expensive and delicate form of packaging would be illogical. The package comes with roughly 60 cookies in them all of which are small and packed together tightly. The cover reads “Chips Ahoy!” in a generic font which contrasts Mrs. Fields aim towards a classic look. In smaller letters is written “real chocolate chip cookies”. This is aimed towards parts or adults who do not have very high standards, most likely due to financial restriction, who want ingredients to at least be “real”- quality is not called into much question as there are no minor health facts on the front of the packaging like Mrs. Fields. A neat feature put on these packages in the re-sealable flap that keeps the cookies “fresh” even though they have enough preservatives in them to probably last many days without getting stale. The packaging also includes a cookie with a face on it who is the sort of mascot for Chips Ahoy! This marketing strategy is aimed more towards parents with children who want a fun treat to give to the kids. Since they are “real chocolate chip cookies” the parents do not have to worry too much about the product and can focus on other priorities. Overall, Chips Ahoy! cookies are marketed towards a lower income market that does not demand a classy, high-quality product as the general audience for Mrs. Fields cookies does.

            Businesses have always marketing their goods and services to various audiences in order to survive and generate profit. Mrs. Fields markets more towards an upper-class market that generally enjoys a quality product with a healthy twist, while Chips Ahoy! is marketed towards a middle/lower class that demands cheap prices and decent ingredients. 

Blog Post 3

Blog Post 3

Freedman and Jurafsky both illustrate the importance of food and advertising mostly in three categories- language, culture, and food. The advertisements for things such as potato chips are directly related to culture and various sub-audiences. The target of advertisements usually aim towards a customers traits (i.e. gender, lifestyle, location) and income level. Businesses target certain audiences to maximize profit and satisfaction amongst their customers.

The importance of advertising is to grab the attention of the reader. Since people are subjected to hundreds of advertisements every day it almost seems like what you say isn’t as important as grabbing the initial attention of the audience.

Freedman and Jurafsky both assert that language is one of the most important marketing tools for a business. Since language is closely tied to individuals’ social and economic standings, it becomes vital to properly market your products or services according to your target audience. For example lower income people prefer more traditional styles of food (including potato chips) and the upper class prefer more progressive, new, and interesting foods (including potato chips). They give two great examples for this:

            Inexpensive: “What gives our chips their exceptional great taste? It’s no

secret. It’s the way they’re made!”

            Expensive: “We use totally natural ingredients, hand-make every batch, and

test chips at every stage of preparation to ensure quality and taste.”

Throughout the article, Freedman and Jurasfsky illustrate the workings of advertising by focusing on one market item: potato chips. They prove that businesses target audiences mostly based on their socioeconomic standing.

Short Essay 1

Robert Seiler

Dr. Leake

WRIT1133-63

31 March 2013

Living to Eat

            JRR Tolkien wrote, “ If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” Food has never really been the center of my life, rather far from it to be truthful, but what transpires during meals with close friends and family is what I really learned to cherish. The significance of food to me is the relationships built, ties strengthened, and fun had while dining. A good meal to me is one where I have meaningful conversations, gain further understanding of people around me, when time stands still and all your worries are put aside for that time. However, now that I am living in Denver to go to school I have new friends, no family, and no familiar restaurants to go to. This geographical change also comes with a big cultural change because eating has always been a family and friend oriented experience.

            Since both of my parents were very poor throughout their childhoods they always wanted to make sure I was well fed. My mother became quite a good cook, and my father had become a very skilled griller so needless to say, we never had any shortage of good meals in the Seiler household. However, as a child I was a very picky eater and I really only liked a handful of foods- mostly breakfast food, hot dogs, and macaroni to be precise. I never really appreciated the excellent chicken, mashed potatoes, and other dishes my mother cooked for dinner every night, but I did somewhat enjoy my father’s grilling. My parents always used to joke about feeding me through a tube because I wouldn’t eat my vegetables and that would make me very unhappy because at the time I could not detect sarcasm as well as I can now. My father would always tell me, “There are two types of people in this world- those who live to eat and those who eat to live- you’re the second,” and this, up until my teenage years, was spot on accurate. Food had never been a significant part of my life and since my parents had to almost struggle to get me to eat, I never had too many meaningful dining. Overall, until recently food had not been an important part of my life, I simply ate to live.

In my more recent years I have discovered the importance of food and the dining experience. Studies suggest that while people are eating food together they are much more sociable and kind and that is something I truly believe. Once I became a teen I developed a greater appetite and a craving to venture out and trying new foods and once that happened I became closer with my parents and friends on a much deeper level. I started enjoying food much more and my mom said to me, “it’s like your taste buds exploded over night!” I started loving my dads grilling and my moms cooking and I soon attempted to learn how to start preparing meals. In short, food became an actual part of my life when I was 13 years old.

I will always remember my favorite food at home: my father’s excellent grilling that he would do multiple times a week back home. Since we lived in San Diego we could eat outside year-round and we took full advantage of that. The most powerful memories are of standing out by the grill with my dad while he grilled some chicken or steak. The cool, sea-scented breeze gently passing through the trees being pushed from the beautiful sunset always comforted me and gave me a strange, yet powerful, sensation of belonging and joy. Looking across my back yard I would see our pool complete with a waterfall and waterslide, the fresh cut lawn where my family and I would play games, and the inviting Jacuzzi where I spent a lot of time. While we ate we would enjoy the beautiful scenery, talk about our days and what we planned on doing in the near future, and we would also be told stories from our parents. Whatever had happened in the time before eating dinner did not matter in the slightest. We would talk, laugh, and enjoy the tasty food regardless of previous confrontation. Even with all the typical drama, we were still a family and when close friends were enjoying life or having issues it would be discussed and sorted out at the table. At our home, and especially at the diner table, our friends were our family. The meals we shared made us feel the deep love we had for each other, the overwhelming appreciation for the lives we were given, and the people we were blessed to shared them with.

When I left my family and best friends for college, I also left behind the connectedness created by eating meals together. This made my transition from high school to college rougher for me. I started eating many of my meals alone and the food in the cafeteria was bland and boring- and the dining environment was even more so. I had begun to lose the love and happiness I felt back home because I did most of my talking over meals which was, at the time, impossible. This realization of the importance of food is very new to me- in fact I realized it only a few short weeks into coming to the University of Denver. However, I have been fortunate enough to gain close friends through my college journey and I have shared many meaningful dining experiences with them, but it still is not the same because my small piece of heaven in San Diego, California where the skies are blue, the nights are warm, and my family is still sharing the best home cooked meals you’ve ever had.

Until recently, I simply “ate to live” instead of “lived to eat”. If one were to examine both options, “living to eat” seems like it would lead to being a very portly individual, but I believe my father meant it in a different way. I think “Living to eat” means understanding, and acting upon, the idea that the most meaningful conversations and deepest understandings of life can come from sharing a simple meal with the most important things in the world to you- your family and friends.

Blog Post 2

WRIT 1133 Blog Post 2

The respect of heritage is most definitely one of the most prominent food values not only here in America, but all around the world. People for the most part do not enjoy drastic change, and food certainly falls under that category. Food from your home country reminds you of happy times and pride in your country and family. This is something many families want to pass down to their children, especially if they live in a different country from their homeland.

In Nicholson’s article “Eating White” he attributes eating lunch to his mother who had passed away. He writes how it is very difficult to find Cheshire cheese in California versus back in Britain. Nicholson continues to relate his “white meal” to his home country and his heritage and explains the hardships related to now living in the United States of America. He definitely emphasizes the importance of heritage and traditional dining when discussing values towards food.

Ahn has a different approach to food values in respect to culture. In his mind, the most effective way of passing down values in traditional food is to make it at home with the family. Being of Korean decent, he once took his family to a Korean restaurant where he ordered a dish with the same name as one he liked from his home country. However, the dish ended up being much different from the traditional food he was expecting, so this led him towards cooking at home to instill cultural values in food.

Overall, heritage and traditional dining play a huge roll in how people eat every day.

Blog Post 1

Robert Seiler

WRIT 1133-63

Dr. Leake

25 March 2013

Blog Post 1

            The last meal I ate was extraordinarily average so I’ll be writing about another experience. I chose to write about a dining experience I had over spring break. Being from San Diego, I did not grow up in a place that has much weather change so when winter hit and it became cold and, at times, snowed I was in a bit of a culture shock here. Back home I grilled food, ate outside, and spent most of my time outside until coming to Denver to go to college. One thing that I really missed was that casual and relaxed atmosphere of outdoor dining.

After coming back from my family trip to the desert I invited some of my closest friends, my girlfriend, and my family to join me in an old-fashioned America meal. I grilled steak, burgers, hot dogs, and people helped make beans, corn, salad, and other various foods. It was sunny and about 75 degrees outside with a slight breeze and I couldn’t help but smile during the entire event. Looking over the pool, the inviting Jacuzzi, and the beautiful landscape rekindled some of my deepest childhood memories of eating at my house. I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of my father while I grilled the food for everyone, just like he used to do multiple times a week.

The reason I decided to write about this particular meal was not only because of the tasty food we all enjoyed, but also because of the connectedness of all the people I shared it with and the memories and hopes for the future that went along with it. We all shared stories from the past and present and discussed about our aspirations and passions. Overall, it was a perfect meal, on a perfect day, with many of the people I love in this world, in my little piece of paradise. At the end of the day, that was all I could have asked for.