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~mikeengelen

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About Me Member Illustrator Mike Van Der EngelenAntarctica Recent Activity Deviant for 2 Years
Needs Premium Membership Statistics 9 Deviations
1,542 Comments
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My Prints

A Humble Beggar
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This Is Not a Metaphore
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Demon Child
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Sewer Sweet
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:wave: Hello Friends, here you can view some of my paintings and stand-alone illustrations. If you want to see them in full view, click on them.

Don't be scared of the little yellow buttons!! It doesn't activate any print sale if you click, it's just a preview!!

Please, please, come, see and Enjoy!

This Is Not a Metaphore

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Sewer Sweet

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A Humble Beggar

Print Available

Yet another Interactive test for you!

Mon Nov 23, 2009, 6:03 PM
QUALITY IS ALWAYS WINNING BET
Or how to manage your audience

No?
Yes?

.
I think as for beauty, quality is also in the eye of the beholder, as it is commonly said.
I think it is, well, in the pocket of said beholder... I would add.
Moreover, it depends on the eye of the market, the target public you aim. Two obvious things to consider would be: what does that group of people valorate, and second, after all they are humans, what intrinsically the human being valorates.
2 keys there you have.


.
Say, if you're into music, regardless of the quality of your product, regardless of the personal taste of your public, there're other common traits among the group of individuals ( They don't have to forcibly share any geographic location, age, or even be alive in the same time period, use your imagination for other traits, i.e order of birth).

Let's say you're a musician and you deliver a rock album. And man, you should beware, because people, specially today's youth, take music, very, very passionately.
Of cour$$$e, you can al$$$o take good advantege$$$ of thi$$$, If you know what I sell... I mean.. mean... (One dollar... two dollar.. I mean.. Wink wink!! ;)

Since the art of music is a direct, easy and a digestible form of entertainment, and how spread it is and has been since the radio was invented, it is just so easy, so, but so easy to use, and an ideal medium to carry any message or information onto it, and expose/convince the listener about that information, whatever it's nature. It's subjective and easy to digest, you can carry the idea of boldness, braveness... or you can carry sheer excitement, you can give the listener the idea of intellectualism and refinement associated with an idea of coolness, or by the other hand, carry the idea of mischief and silliness as a preferable trait.


Now, about those last two, wich are directly contrasting of each other: Remember, our western society just came out of puritanism about some decades ago. Some associated ideas from those times are still hardly imprinted into our common culture, they are vestigial, they do not apply anymore in the way they did. An archaic cultural trait. Take for example, the idea of Americans despising English, Latins despising Spaniards, because of the colonial times. An idea like that. Today's Americans and Latin didn't live the actual colonial times, and the issue itself is not relevant. It is an echoed thing.
Of cour$$e you can take advantage of that psychological trait. Others do. ;)


In the case we were treating before, it is the everlasting battle between Youth vs Elder. NOW THAT, MY FRIENDS, THAT IS A WINNING BUSINESS. (Specially for unscrupulous businessmen). Selling quality here won't do too much (Selling the "idea" of quality associated with any other abstract idea your public likes, does a lot), Selling creativity sadly doesn't as well (Selling the idea of creativity seems to do, though). It's sad, but it works like that in the media business world. (And not only there)
Actually what gives you more money and exposure is the act of selling the ideas to a target group wich will agree with them, No matter the package they are enshrouded with.

Say, If you are selling music to a group of academic music listeners, don't sell them academic music, offer them whatever they get from the music.

This thing fits just perfect into what I said before, remember the 2 keys? Because here the idea of an interest of a target group and the idea of Inherent Human interest both apply
Selling the appropriate information the appropriate group will give you exposure.

.A dirty example. Sell fetish magazines to fetishists (Group interest: The fetish ) and it will work perfect, but it will also should work perfectly to sell the magazines to any person in a sexual urge (Human interest: sex itself)
Even more, replace the magazine for prostitutes. It doesn't matter if the prostitute in question is specialized in sodomy,
the prostitute anyway sells sex.
.
Now with the stuff we were before the dirty example:
Say for example, Somehow in the common imagery, this is still perceived: "sensitivity" and "refinement" still today are kind of associated with stereotypes:
- Highly educated and tightly mannered rich people. : "Old boring politicians", "Castrating mothers", "Religious people and religious leaders" "Teachers" "Short minded" etc...)
- Middle class 20- 30 year olds who live an "urban" lifestyle. (Snob Hipsters)

And by the other hand, mischief and fun are traits attributed to:
- Cool and actually more intelligent people, and also much more earthy, practical, free and genuine in their actions.
- Open mindess, not tight .
- 13 - 20 something single or recently married people, or in defect of that, old hippies.


.
:dollar: MAKING $$TEREOTYPE$$ WORK FOR YOU.

Now those traits were applied very well and were valid in the middle 20th century. Mothers were tight, Fathers were too.
People didn't have sex nor any explicit expression of sexuality, (wich was aggressively and actively repressed), Woman didn't vote, intellectualism was seen with very suspicious eyes, but then ideological changes came along, first from the working class, and the the youth; actually youth and adolescence as we know it were born at that time (before then, there was no "adolescence", you reached 15, you looked like an adult, then you were an adult and you were obligated to look for a partner to marry and then go to church every week and have like 10 children) It also happened that stuff like music, audio/visual arts and philosophy and breakthroughs of scientific research
(If not philosophers and researchers themselves, take Kinsey for example) became symbols. Youth culture was born then.

Nowadays, although those ideas are still in the mindset of our society, they don't apply anymore as they did. Although you often
hear about politics scene, art scene, the "war of sexes", about religious oppression, about feminism, Nazism,
about films and deep stuff, those just don't apply like now in the exact way they did then, precisely, because those are not as prominent issues now
as they were before, and therefore, they do not need a contrary reaction to deal with them.
Nevertheless, the reaction still exists, but it is shooting an nonexistent bulls-eye.
For example, if you talk about close-minded 40 year old adults (parents and teachers), that doesn't exist anymore. Adults today are more actually like urban professionals, and they have been since their 20's,
cool-cats and hipsters, who will work at an office after-hours , but are aware of the latest news in fashion and lifestyle, and
often go clubbing.
Even more, today, doubtfully someone is going to hit you or segregate you because you don't go to church, or work during holidays.
But the idea of religious repression still exists, although society freed itself from that leash long time ago, and now
the only place you get to see religious stuff in a prominent way is when tabloid-like media exposes it: "The pope said this, His Holiness
The Dalai Lama said that" or "Rock artist talks about their faith"
Although these concerns were still valid like a "continuation" in the cold-war era, and the last fight of its remnants
happened in the 90'a (Remember Sinéad O'Connor and the Pope's pic?)

Still, the idea of the oppressing old people is still in the common imagery. Youths can perceive adults as "others, not like us", "old people they don't know nothing", even if those adults are more youngster-like than youngsters themselves!
I've found people who deem stuff like "Hotel California" and as "old fashioned, not interesting", while others think it is an immortal masterpiece.

Again with youth culture: although it is a normal thing for every person to express rebellion in their life, it is not the same what happened in the 50's - 60's. Today's pop culture would be more like an "echo" of the mid 90's - early 2000's teens, more than a continuation and solution of may concerns (Wich is what happened in the nineties: i.e. Unified economy, Death Of John Paul II)
But then again, it's history repeating itself.

And why focusing in youths and pop culture? Because that's the mo$$t juicy market out there, but of course, it also serves
as a model for other market$$.

It's very interesting; some days ago I talked with a very good fellow deviant here; The issue was about how some artist sold his excrement and it got bought.
Now there are those who bought it for the simple fact of buying the stinky thing as a piece of art. But there were other/others
who bought the thing just (Cans filled with the depositions) just for making sure it was real.

What's fascinating, is that very sale. The purpose of the cans was to sell some weird form of art, or at
least, that's what was perceived by the public.
But you got an extra sell, not motivated to buy the turd in can as a piece of art, but with another purpose,
examination.

But for a salesperson, a sale is a sale. The 2 keys apply here, you got a sale not only in your target public
(Yes, just as it sounds, someone just targeted the public with his turds, one turd per person. Bullseye!!),
but he also managed to get a sale outside of his obvious public.

Now, why does this matters to you or me? I'll tell you later.

A sell, does not occur precisely in the moment of the transaction, it occurs at the moment the client is convinced and has an urge to purchase. If anything gets in the way of the person getting to make the physical transaction, be it the rain, or a fatal accident or be it a change of mind (Wich is improbable) the sale will occur.


IN A NUTSHELL; WHAT YOU WOULD BE DOING IN ADVERTISING IS ARTISTIC POPULISM

For example I'm often amused by this: Yoghurts
Have you ever got to see heavy advertising on Yoghurts for females. They are advertised to them as the solution
for digestive tract and abdominal pains and intestinal distress, constipation and even as a relief for symptoms associated with menstrual period. (Cramps)
Why is it surprising? Because again it fits the "2 keys" model.
Objectively speaking, women do not suffer abdominal problems and constipation as if it was some truth of life, or a thing that "all women suffer"
Not because you're a female you inherently suffer of intestinal and problems.

But in the social imagery it is interpreted by that. The ad is not selling you Yoghurt, it is selling satisfaction; and has sold too, (Or given for free) just by watching it, an identity trait and a feminine trait; and at the moment of purchase and consuming, it sells that, and
also it sells a need satisfier (The relief of symptoms) along with a real need satisfier (nutrition). Associate a non existent need
mixed with the very fact of exercising femininity by buying the product, not even by actually consuming it.

Moreover, since femininity itself is an abstract apparatus wich, although associated with, exists apart from the very fact of
being a woman, the product itself is selling women the very fact of actively exercising their womanhood and their individualism. Such product is associated too with notions of modern and healthy lifestyle, alternative medicine and all that kind of stuff, wich in this society are things popular among females.

(And remember the Yoghurt is not only selling femininity, but womanhood, since it is providing a "woman's need")

Then again, this fits the model I told you the "2 Keys" (There are a lot of other keys, you bet there are ;))

Now take this approach to males, females, kids, elders, nerds, casanovas, geeks, preppies, and all of the stereotypes you know
(But remember, there are more ways to segmentate your public, remember the "order of birth" thing?, Yet stereotypes works because they're strongly imprinted in people's mind, even if it is in a comedic way.

Populism (Spoiling public with the idea and praising of the "US", the "WE" with the things they like) and Demagogy (Alienating and "Other-fication" of other people or other traits tastes and stuff)

Both take a role here, just that this is in the hands of corporate guys instead of merely politicians. You're coddling and spoiling your
target market, just by letting them exercising the things they like and want. And ultimately, You're giving them
COMFORT.


EGO SYNTONIC / EGO DYSTONIC IDEAS, MENTAL HOMEOSTASIS AND ASSOCIATIVE THINKING

Tired of reading? My apologies. Let me tell you a joke. Oh by the way would you like to have some Funch? Well you shouldn't...
"Funch"? YEES! It's F**ING after LUNCH!! :cake: :chew: :cookie:


Ok, now, I thank you for your infinite patience whoever you are for reading this, (and really I do admire you) and for having endured to this part, and well well, this is the final part.

Whenever you get to hear about ago syntonic ideas
it means the things people perceive as being concordant with what they like, with their self-image, even their
super ego (The super ego is something we all have wich is an idealized version of ourselves, a goal version of ourselves we would like to make real).
Ego dystonic is the contrary. It's input that is not concordant with our view of things and our view of ourselves, and it can even be distressful and cause hard anxiety if perceived as something truth.

For example, tell a religious fanatic any blaspheme stuff, and see how it reacts.
Now don't blame the poor fanatic. He or she just needs mental homeostasis, it's just, that his mental homeostasis depends on religious ideas.
And all people need mental homeostasis (Equilibrium) to be sane and not end up in the nut house
Just as with chemicals (And actually we're talking about chemicals in your brain, since your brain uses chemicals
to work) mental homeostasis will happen, for example, if you're fed up with ego dystonic stuff, you brain will reach the
harmony it is used to by making your mind look for escape or for ego syntonic elements, or by being numb about
the ego dystonic input.

Use and play with ego syntonic and ego dystonic ideas, you have some good examples in all the previous text.
Do it not only in a business machiavellic way like all the stuff I've put here, but yes, play too a little with your public's homeostasis.

This whole thing has simply been a tip on how to manage your public's reaction.

An in all is a tool for presentation and managing of abstracts contents such in the media you work with, and it always come in handy to know a bit more.

Au revoir, nous nous verons la prochaine fois!! :wave:

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Comments


:iconuncopyrightedvinegar:
~uncopyrightedvinegar Oct 5, 2009, 6:39:15 AM
Thank you for the fave on my Vegan - Not Preachy stamp :).
Niz xxx

--
I think, therefore I am...dangerous.

*+* Change is inevitable, except
from a vending machine!*+*
~VegaNiz.com~
(rarely updated)
:iconmikeengelen:
~mikeengelen Oct 5, 2009, 11:26:00 AM
:highfive: No problem!

--
mikeengelen
:iconbrokenmachine86:
~BrokenMachine86 Sep 12, 2009, 6:46:26 PM
Thanks for the fave!

--
"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken' [...]. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion."
-Carl Sagan-
:iconmikeengelen:
~mikeengelen Sep 13, 2009, 6:56:35 PM
:aww: Thanks partner. :D

--
mikeengelen
:icongardendoor:
~gardendoor Sep 3, 2009, 7:43:17 AM
Thanks muchly for the fave!
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