Images of Minorities

In America, it is a huge melting pot of many races, ethnicities, cultures, skin colors, and the list goes on and on. The advertising agencies have to develop strategies that cater to these entirely different sub groups which is a difficult task. Any image they produce has an enormous effect on the people who view them and how society as a whole views the world. For a long period of time, the only faces pictures in televisions, movies, magazines, and advertisements were just Caucasian men and women. But after many years of civil rights movements and equal opportunity laws there came more opportunities for minorities to have a face in the media. Now days, you see more minorities than ever in the media which is helping to shape the way the U.S. is viewed.
From what I witnessed so far in Berlin, there are not many minorities in their advertisements. Granted, I have only seen the ads in magazines and the ones posted around the city but I have yet to see any representation of a minority-except for one. This advertisement is posted on a city wall and it depicts a black woman with her young black child. While flipping through the magazine there was not one ad that depicted a minority. The only minority I saw in the ad was a celebrity- Jennifer Hudson- and it was an article talking about her weight loss. But that was it! Compared to America, there are more ads featuring Caucasian women but there are many ads that do feature minorities as well. Also, it’s important to mention that there are so many issues of magazines that cater to any interests, hobbies, and cultures. For example, there are many African American magazines such as Vibe or BET magazines and all of their ads feature African American men and women. In Berlin, I have not seen any magazines that accommodate to any other race.
I believe that there are not many minorities represented in the advertisements in this region because there is not as much diversity here as there is in U.S.-specifically Miami. Miami is a melting pot in within itself with all the different Hispanic, Haitian, and American cultures in one area. One of the major clothing companies in Europe is called H & M. Their clothes cater to a younger crowd and their prices are very decent. One of my classmates did a presentation on the company and they found that their ads do not depict any minorities. H & M advertisements depict the typical European look with the fair skin, blond/brown hair, and light eyes. I found this very disappointing because for a company to be known globally, how can they only advertise this one look. It is an excellent idea to become a global brand but that does not mean that a company should advertise universally. Research should be done on a local level to create advertisements that will appeal to people in each region.
In conclusion, I believe that the minorities in the advertisements in Berlin are under presented. There is a huge population of Turkish and Palestinian in Berlin and yet I have not seen one ad that featured them. As I mentioned above, there should be more magazines that cater to the minority group in Berlin. I also feel that companies such as H & M should produce advertisements that feature minority groups because they are a global brand and their images should cater to everyone that shop at their stores.

THE WORLD CUP IN BERLIN!

Lu-Lu-Lu-Luca Podolski! That was only one of the many chants that were sung during the world cup game against Germany and Australia. The World Cup to Europeans is like the NFL to Americans. Literally, everything in the city was decorated in the team colors- black, red, and yellow. Every store, restaurant, bar, and bar that I walked by had the World Cup game on the television. Throughout the city, they had public viewings for the people to crowd together in huge areas and cheer for their favorite team. I went to a public viewing at the main train station called the Haufbanof. There were hundreds of people dressed in their team colors and had the German flag, horns, necklaces, everything you can think of! As you see in the picture below, these people do not hold back when it comes to German pride!
While I was at the World Cup public viewing made me feel like I was back in college. I went to the University of Florida and football is a huge staple in your college years-especially at a well-known university. Anytime the university had a football or basketball the town would shut down and everyone would be at the stadium to watch the public viewing. Everyone would be dressed in our orange and blue team colors and cheer all day long. Even after the game was over we would all crowd into the streets and cheer together. It was exactly the same at the German public viewing. Although I am not from Germany, everyone in the crowd made me feel like I was a part of their team! As long as you had their team colors and cheered along with them they were very inviting and we were all as one.
As I mentioned above, the World Cup is a huge deal for the European countries. In Berlin, many companies and advertising agencies are taking the World Cup as an opportunity to market their products. For example, Adidas is using a great guerilla marketing tactic by saturating the subway with advertisements featuring their products and associating them to the World Cup. The walls are filled with posters, stickers on the floors, and the stair cases are decorated with the Adidas symbols. Local businesses are taking advantage of the World Cup games by hosting special events and offers during the game. One establishment we went to offered free shots for every goal the Germans scored.
In conclusion, I never watched the World Cup games or knew much about them. I wanted to drench myself in German culture and I knew the World Cup would be a great way to do so. It was an amazing experience and it reminded me of being back at home. I really enjoyed being a part of the crowd and cheering with everyone. From a marketing stand point, it is beneficial for companies to take advantage of a big event such as the World Cup and advertise as much as they can. Overall it was a wonderful experience- Go Deutchland!

Reflections of working in groups with IMK students

I must say that before coming to the IMK I was extremely nervous. I was wondering if the IMK students were going to be friendly? Are they going to know how to speak English? Will they even want to work with American students? And all the answers to my questions were YES! From the moment we walked into the IMK, the students were very inviting and were eager to meet us. Our first day of class, we had the opportunity to sit in on a Friday presentation while they spoke in German. Our class obviously didn’t understand exactly what they were saying but it was great to see how the team interacted with one another because I knew that we would be the next to present in the following week.
After our introductions, we were divided into the groups we would be working in for the Friday presentation. What I really appreciated was that the IMK had a lunch social for the F.I.U. and the IMK students because it gave us a chance to break the ice and get to know one another. The team I was chosen to work with was Cordula Scholdan and Malte Zeller. I had to opportunity to exchange phone numbers and email addresses and got to really know a little more about them. I had a wonderful experience working with them. Our first assignment was to travel to five train stations and research the Berlin Welcome Cards. Everyone in my group pulled their own weight and we finished the assignment on time. What makes this experience rewarding is the fact that we are advertising majors and in most agencies you have to work in teams. Without this experience of working in groups, you will not know how to interact with people or have any team building skills.
For the second Friday presentation I had the pleasure of working with Phillip Kapnick and Maria Carpio. Our assignment was to research and develop new campaign strategies for the Sabah Rhino Project. Again, my team members were easy to work with and we had an awesome time working together. Compared to Miami, the group members are chosen by the students so that doesn’t force us to work with people outside of our comfort zone. I also appreciated working on this assignment because it gave us hands on experience of working with a client, doing research on the project, and actually developing campaigns that they can use to better their situation.
I also had the opportunity to meet with other IMK students and they were so kind to take us around the city just on the first day of meeting us. We all went out to dinner and then to a few bars just so we can all get better acquainted with one another. I felt over-whelmed by their friendliness because I was always told that Germans were very cold and not inviting. But it was the complete opposite. Throughout the weeks, we all spent every day together either working with our groups, going out to eat, or to the local bars. One FaceBook friend request turned into 30 and most of us got along really well!
Overall, my experience studying abroad overseas is one of the best opportunities of a lifetime. But having the chance to work with the IMK students made the experience even better. I had the opportunity to learn someone else’s culture, I have gained great team working skills, and I got hands on experience of developing new campaign strategies. But not only have I learned things that will help me with my professional goals, I also made friendships that will last a life time.

Music and Art in Berlin Daily Life

Music and Art. They seem like two basic concepts yet they are so complex and distinct which makes them difficult to analyze. There are several types of music genres with many different artists. Each with its own style, melody, and lyrics that distinguishes them from one another. The same idea goes with art. Art is dependent on an individual’s interpretation. There is no room for right or wrong or yes and no’s. In Berlin, music and art are the personality of the city. They are the inner workings of the city and are a huge part of the culture here.

From what I’ve observed, the music scene in the city of Berlin is huge and is viewed as an actual lifestyle. I found that the people here are proud of their music and are constantly promoting it every day. They view the music as a statement of connecting with one another and linking with their inner self. I believe that they value the beats and sounds and the rhythm and lyrics. In Miami, it seems that the night clubs are about image and flaunting your money. They care about the V.I.P. booths and how many bottles they can spend. But in Berlin, it’s the complete opposite. They don’t care if you’re arriving to the club in a stretch limo or if you’re wearing the newest suit from Louis Vitton. It’s all about the music. The music that Berlin is well known for is techno, house, electronic, and minimal. Most of the night clubs in Berlin play these four styles of music into the wee hours of the night! This style of music is known in the United States but in places like Miami, you hear more Latin or Hip-Hop music due to the demographic of that area.

Art in the city of Berlin is also very noticeable and relevant in the lives of the people that live here. One art form that stands out the most in Berlin is the graffiti. Graffiti is everywhere in the city, you can’t escape it. It’s on the subway stations, walls, floors, on the walls of buildings and structures, anywhere you can think of. As you will see in the pictures below, the art work is very colorful, unique, and creative. Although some of the graffiti may be offensive (I’ve seen some that say “penis” and “nigger”) I believe that the greater amount of the graffiti is done tastefully and with style. I feel that the graffiti designs are done with a purpose to make a statement in city. I think that the artist are trying to put their individual mark for everyone to recognize that we are all different but we are here to stay and that you have to accept it.

In conclusion, from what I've encountered I find Berlin to be a city full of life and history. The music music scene and the creative art forms are some of the reasons why people are traveling to Berlin each year. From a marketing stand point, marketers can use this to their advantage when it comes to advertising new musicians and artists into the market. As I mentioned above, the music scene in Berlin is focused on uniting everyone together through beats and rhythms. The grafitti art also invites you in and lets you really see someones inner thoughts. Anyone who travels here will feel an automatic connection to the city through the art and music.

Non-Traditional Advertising in Berlin

Non-traditional advertising is a form of advertising that is not atypical. And in Berlin that is exactly what you see! All over the city there are many different advertisements that are created in non conventional ways that catch your attention easily. The advertisements are also strategically placed in areas where most tourist and locals visit.
A perfect example of a non-traditional advertisement would be Oakley sunglasses marketing campaign. The campaign was entitled as “Rebel” and was launched in June 2010. In Berlin, the advertisements take on a different approach to make its presence to the audience. The advertisements are only placed in multiple subway stations around the city. The advertisements are over saturated and are positioned on the subway walls, subway columns, the stair cases, the subway pillars, and on the floors. I believe the ads were a good example of guerilla marketing because the ads come at you all at once and in a unique way. The ads feature professional extreme sports athletes such a Shaun White, Julian Fields, and Kyle Forks. The ads depict them in action while they are surfing, snowboarding, etc. I believe that the marketing team found this style of adverting to be successful because it catches the audience’s attention and gives them different angles to look at the product.
While traveling throughout the city of Berlin, I noticed that some of their advertisements are displayed in more advanced techniques. For example, another form of non-traditional advertising would include ads that are integrated onto an LCD screen slide show. This form of advertising is seen in enclosed locations such as the train stations, subway stations, the shopping centers, and some dining areas. There were many different products that were featured in the LCD screens such as apparel. I find this form of advertising to be most useful because it allows the audience to feel as though they are in the comfort of their home watching the television. The LCD screens are very bright and crisp and leave no room for misinterpreting the advertisement.
Also, another form of non-traditional advertising that I have seen in Berlin is the ads that are placed in rotating columns. I have noticed these rotating columns in the subway stations, bus stations, the train stations, and at the shopping centers. The rotating column gives the audience about three advertisements to see simultaneously one right after the other. I believe that this form of adverting is successful because the columns are continuously advertising to many people at the same time.




In conclusion, I found that the advertising forms that are developed in Berlin are quite fascinating. They use creative techniques that really catch the eyes of the audience whether it’s your target market or not. The non-traditional forms of advertising that are utilized in various areas around the city include heavy saturation in one location, the use of LCD screen slide shows, and the use of rotating columns. All of these methods are strategically thought out and do the job they are supposed to do if any- gain awareness!

First Impressions of Advertising in Berlin

Funky. Hip. Innovative. Creative. Unique. These are only just a few words that describe the distinctive advertising techniques that are scattered all around the city of Berlin. I have never been to a city that was open to self expression and appreciative of creative ideas and concepts. As you can see with the picture above, advertisements in Berlin hold no barriers! The ad is taken from the clothing store called the United Colors of Bentton. It was located in an area of Berlin called Krusfadamm and it was centered in the middle of a busy shopping center. I was actually shocked to see the ad because in America I would never expect to see an ad portraying a woman’s breast in the middle of a shopping center! I sincerely respect the honesty of the advertisements because the images that the ads might display may be taboo but they acknowledge that its apart of life and the ads in Berlin don’t shy from them.
Throughout the whole city you can’t help but notice all of the many creative advertisements! The ads are extremely interesting but more so are the different techniques of how they are displayed throughout the city. For instance, I saw one advertisement for Ray Ban featuring Shaun White that was depicted on the stair case that can only be noticed when you’re standing directly in front of the steps. I also saw a unique advertisement that looked as though it was being painted on by an actual person when in actuality it was only a dummy standing on the latter. Berlin is so busy and overcrowded that advertises have to use different techniques to get people to notice them. Also, I noticed that many of the advertisements are featured all over the city continuously. The ads that were repetitive were the Sex in the City movie poster, Red Dead Redemption X-Box game, and the Macintosh Ipad. With these three ads being most predominant among others, I would assume that advertisers view Berlin as a city full of a younger, “electronic- friendly” demographic and are trying to specifically target this age group.
Compared to Miami, I believe that the advertisements in Berlin are made for a mass audience rather than localized. The ads are more standardized and can be used in any other part of the world. But in Miami there are many ads that can only be decoded by the people who are from the area. For example, IKEA developed billboard advertisements that made reference to the different parts areas that are in Miami. One ad said “IKEA is to Miami just like dominos are to Calle Ocho.” This technique is a great strategy because it allows the consumers of the location to feel that the advertisement is talking to the individual personally.
Overall, I found the advertisements in Berlin to be very innovative and inspiring. I notice myself developing new ideas of how I would advertise different products. The advisement images and messages were very forward and “in-your-face.” Also the techniques used to deliver the messages are more advanced than in America. The only thing I would recommend is for the advertisers to localize their advertisements to attract more residents in the city. Berlin is an amazing city and the advertisements just add to its charm!

Cultural Differences

Cultural differences
All over the world people have different cultures that make up who they are as an individual. Culture is defined as values, norms, traditions, etc that are shared with a particular group. Within America, there are many different people that come from numerous amount of cultures but there are many similar commonalities that they all share. But when you compare America culture to the city of Berlin there are many cultural differences that stand out. The cultural differences that stand out the most to me are the fashion, food, and music.
For some reason I had imagined the fashion in Europe to be very trendy, stylish, and very fashion-forward. I pictured people in Hugo Boss business suits, Gucci pumps, and Chanel handbags but I found out that it was the complete opposite. In Berlin, it seems that they don’t stress on their images and are not interested in flashy labels. In America, image is so important and people will go to extreme measures to create a certain persona. As you see in the picture below, their style is very hipster-mixing colorful scarf’s, black tights, boots, and topping it off with a bright jacket! Also, there is a huge Turkish community and their style is reflective of their religious beliefs.
The food in Berlin is also very reflective of their culture as a whole. I noticed that many of the restaurants in the city are all influences from other countries around the world. For example, there are Italian restaurants in almost every street corner! I have also seen many restaurants/stands that sell different Turkish food such as lamb kabobs, donors, and currywarst.
There were also many American fast food chain restaurants such as Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, and Subway. This actually made me feel relieved to know that if I didn’t find anything I liked to eat, I could always find something that I’m familiar with. Now although there are many different styles of food in Berlin, there were still an abundance of restaurants that had German cuisine. The foods that are known as staples in the German culture are shnizles, spezli, and wursts.
While being in Berlin, I realized that music and art are huge staple in the German culture. The music in Berlin is a lifestyle in the sense of how it influences the clothing, atmosphere, and attitudes of the people here. I have been to many clubs in America but the vibe and the mood is completely different. He night clubs in Miami are more for trying to impress other people and trying to convey this high society status quo but in Berlin it doesn’t matter how you dress or what you look like- its about being in a space where the music connects you with one another. Also, throughout the city there is tons of graffiti all over the sidewalks, walls, train stations, everywhere! The graffiti here is different than anywhere else because it’s a form of expression and a movement to say this is my city and ill express myself anyway I please.
Overall, as I mentioned above there are many cultural differences between America and Berlin. The clothing style in Berlin is more about inner expression rather to please the people around you or mold into a popular image. The food in Berlin is continuing with its traditional recipes but is also incorporating other cuisines as well. Lastly, the music and art scene in Berlin is appreciative of the statement and the history that are associated with them. Berlin is an amazing city full of life and I’m grateful to be invited into their culture and lifestyle.

Reflections On Language Barriers!

Language! Lenguaje! Sprache! Before coming to Berlin, I was most anxious about how I was going to get around the city without being able to speak German. The picture that I have chosen was a street sign called "Potsdamer Platz" taken at the Potsdamer Platz subway station. It is only one out of hundreds of words that looked like gibberish to me! All of the street signs were foreign to me and it was extremely hard to get around the city. One of the students in the program spoke German fluently and I felt that I would be very reliant on her to get me through this study abroad program. As soon as I landed in Berlin, I quickly discovered that I would not need my own “personal translator” on the trip at all. I found that most of the people in Berlin spoke English fluently or at least understood enough to hold a conversation with an English speaking person.

I noticed that throughout the city of Berlin, each establishment that we visited catered to the many different people who visited the city. Berlin is visited by hundreds of people each year and they developed a system of including language assistance throughout the city to accommodate which allows for travelers to feel more comfortable while visiting. For instance, we took a bike tour around the city to visit historical sites and the tours were given in German, English, Spanish, etc. We also took a private tour through the Parliament of Berlin and each tourist had the option to choose the language they would be most comfortable for each group. Also, most of the restaurants that we visited included English menu’s or included English subtitles. Compared to American, most of the establishments are only in English and do not include any other languages. Although in Miami there are many locations where you can find Spanish menu’s but that’s because the geological area is made up mostly Hispanics.

It was also an interesting experience meeting with the IMK students who were from different parts of Germany. For most of the students, German is their first language and English was their second. I don’t believe they have the opportunity to speak in English that often but they were most gracious to try and speak with the FIU students. For the most part the IMK understood everything we said except for some phrases, words, reference points, and gestures that we may use in the United States. It was actually nice to have some of the students ask us questions about different words or phrases we use because I use them so often that I don’t even recognize that I do it or why! Some of the German students even incorporated some of the words or phrases into their own vocabulary!

Overall, when traveling to different countries I think it’s crucial to take to time to really understand the countries culture and language. It would be beneficial to a traveler to understand basic phrases to allow them to get around the country in ease. Not every country you go to will put effort in displaying other languages just for tourists. Compared to America it is interesting to be in a city that really tries to accommodate the different people that come and visit. I believe that the best way to overcome language barriers is to respect each person’s language and of course be friendly and courteous! It always works!