This Wide World of Ours

Globalization is the process wherein disparate cultures are able to congeal and merge to form a larger whole. Globalization is made possible because of recent advances in technology, allowing instantaneous and easy communication around the globe. In addition to merely facilitating communication, globalization also represents the unification of various cultures, such as the appearance of McDonald's in the middle of China, or the usage of Sony products in Brazil.

One of the drawbacks of globalization is supposed "cultural imperialism," or the continual imposition of Western, and particularly American ideas upon the wider world. America, and the West in general, features a capitalistic set of values, which are often in direct conflict with ideologies of the east. Yet, such is the force of Western influence, that these cultures are often obliged to shift to a Western mindset, as Western companies and products begin to saturate and control the market. Indeed, globalization allows for specific companies to influence not just a particular part of the world, but the entire globe.

An example of cultural imperialism is the transplantation of western beauty ideals, such as blond hair, to the world at large. This New York Times article (New York Times) outlines how poor women in Russia sell their hair so that wealthier individuals can buy them for use as wigs or extensions. The article shows that the Western beauty concept of blond hair has saturated even the vehemently anti-west former Soviet Union, with the hair being quite valuable. The hair not only services those wealthy Russians who wish to appeal to western sensibilities, but they are also shipped around the world, thus illustrating how far the American concept of beauty has spread.

Fly Little Pengiuns

The BBC ad featuring flying penguins was powerful because it employed both novelty and shock value to grab the viewers attention and promote the station.

The ad begins with the calm voice of Terry Jones in an Arctic setting with a group of penguins, a fairly non-descript opening. However, as the ad progresses, he piques the viewer's interest by explaining that these are not any ordinary penguins. The penguins then take to the air as Jones explains that these penguins can fly and live out the winter in the jungles of South America. The ad seizes the attention of the viewer by showing the utterly ludicrous idea that penguins can not only fly, but fly to South America when it gets too cold, making it powerful by its sheer absurdity.

The ad is an example of satisfying curiosity, for it poses a question at the beginning in regards to these particular penguins, and then proceeds to answer said question. The benefits of an ad that satisfies curiosity, is that it appeals to the innate sense of curiosity that every person has; even if someone does not particularly care for an ad they will feel compelled to discover the answer to the riddle that is presented.

The penguin ad personifies the idea of satisfying curiosity, because it is able to lure in viewers by promising a special kind of penguin, and then deliver with a powerful image of penguins taking flight. Terry Jones' narration as the camera zooms across a glacier full of penguins draws the interests of the viewer by posing an unanswerable question. The only way for the viewer to feel satisfied and receive an answer is to continue watching, until they are surprised to find a group of penguins taking flight.

The ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDRgmnm00lQ