Around the World Now for Us

On the venerable prime-time game show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, contestants earned their way toward the titular ton o' cash by answering a series of increasingly difficult multiple-choice questions.

Getting to the million was not easy; few contestants actually achieved the feat.

The new Fox series Million Dollar Money Drop (Mondays at 7 p.m.) comes at the acquisition-of-riches thing from the opposite direction -- everyone who walks onto the stage immediately becomes a millionaire by being handed a huge pile of cash (in neatly stacked $20,000 bundles). But that's when the tricky part starts, as each tandem of contestants is challenged to see how much of it they can hang onto during a white-knuckle sprint through seven multiple-choice puzzlers.

Like Millionaire, the genius of this new Brit-import format lies in its simplicity. But its gut-grabbing and addictive appeal is found in the fact that the money -- and its disappearance -- is right there for contestants and viewers to see.

In each game, a pair of contestants is introduced and given a few seconds to fondle and sniff the $1 million that host Kevin Pollak has declared to be all theirs. And then the questions begin -- the players choose between two categories and are then presented with a question with four possible answers (in later rounds, the options are narrowed to three, and then just two).

Questions test general knowledge and pop-culture aptitude -- on a standard touch-tone phone, which combination of numbers spells out the name of U2's lead singer? (The answer is 2666 -- BONO); or which advertising slogan was heard on TV first: "Just Do It," "Where's the beef?" or "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands"? (It's the third option, M&Ms' long-used tagline).

As time ticks away on a big digital clock, the contestants must pile their cash onto the "drop zone" of whichever answer they favour (if they're not sure, they can hedge their bets by distributing the money onto more than one answer, as long as at least one zone is left empty).

After the cash is sorted and the appropriate amount of game-show delays and dramatics are played out, trap doors in the drop zones related to the incorrect answers open up, and the cash piled in those places drops away, gone for good.

At the end of a seven-question ordeal, contestants get to keep the cash that remains.

Based on the preview provided by Fox, it looks like pretty gripping stuff, even taking into account all the foot-dragging, forced tension and "after this commercial" antics that Pollak is required to inject into the proceedings.

Unlike Deal or No Deal, which reduced game-show competition to a random pick-a-number exercise, Money Drop does test its contestants' -- and, by extension, its viewers' -- intelligence at least slightly, and that makes it a much more engaging program.

It's unlikely to replicate the prime-time-altering success of Millionaire, but the betting here is that Fox will make money on this import even faster than its contestants watch their recently acquired riches fall away to oblivion.

read more : http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/how-to-lose-a-million-in-cash-makes-gripping-viewing-111986124.html

Op-Ed: The story, promotions behind the M&M

As we begin the holiday season, our homes are filled with aromas and refreshments that enhance the coziness of the season. Small dishes are filled with treats such as the new Milky Way-Simply Caramel bites or the seasonal candy canes. Grocery stores sell more than a hundred different candy bars, but we choose only a few. Factors such as taste preferences, prices and the time of the year affect our decisions, but the largest influence is the success or failure of a company’s advertisings. The advertisers of M&Ms use many tactics to persuade their customers to fill their dishes with M&Ms.

The Mars Company produced its first batch of M&Ms in 1941. Today, it is an international company producing 400 million M&Ms daily in the U.S. alone, as documented by their official site. MARS, the parent company of M&M, has been very successful in its initial advertisement techniques. According to a fun fact on the MARS website, M&Ms were introduced to GIs in WWII and are still part of the soldiers' rations. Today, children and adults across the world enjoy this treat.

Ttwo advertisements, printed in 1985 and 2008, were the most interesting. M&M has used television ads to promote its creamy little treats since their release. The print ads have been successful as well.

In the 1985 advertisements, the M&M advertisers appeal to the senses to promote the chocolate to the youth. First, they visually attract the audience by using multicolored M&Ms. Children love colors, so this is a smart choice. Second, the creation of joyous cartoons develops a stronger emotional connection. The advertiser personifies the candies by adding human parts such as eyes, arms and legs to the lentils (the name of each M&M according to the MARS fun facts), so that children can better relate to the now animate candy. As the lentils escape the plain packaging, they develop fun and unique personalities. The audience can recognize the lentils' facial expressions and can vicariously experience the happiness and joy that the M&M characters emit. The advertisers definitely want the consumers to believe that purchasing M&Ms will transfer the same happy-go-lucky mood to reality.

Another major aspect of the ad is a strong equality theme. At the top of the ad, it states “Packs of fun for everyone.” Not only is it bluntly written across the top, each M&M character displays a different personality through their different body colors and accessories. One is bouncing a basketball, while another is looking through a pair of binoculars. Although each lentil displays their unique personality, they are all dancing and high-fiving each other proving that people with different personalities can get along as well. Children are always thought to be happy, innocent and carefree. This element would also convey to adults that eating a bag of M&Ms will reduce their stress and create a relaxed atmosphere. M&Ms are for both scientists and athletes, shy and outgoing personalities, as well as children and adults.

To further appeal to the adult audience, the advertisers added practical aspects of M&Ms. In the first ad, printed in small black letters on a white background is the slogan, “The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not your hands." The choice of color, font and position illustrates the sensible thinking of the candy makers; no one wants chocolate-covered hands. In the ad, there are two pouches, one for plain M&Ms and the other for peanut M&Ms. M&M producers know that not everybody has the same preferences, so they added options. M&Ms are designed to be carried everywhere; the lentils come in bite-size pieces and are sold in small, handy packages. They are perfect for enjoying on the go. There is definitely no smarter option.

The last major part of the ad are the two M&M packets. The giant brown and yellow M&M pouches are tactically juxtaposed in the center of the ad. The pouches contrast each other: brown is a dark, dull color, while yellow is a bright, cheery color. The letters M&M are printed in large white letters on the packaging to ensure that the audience knows that this is an M&M advertisement in one quick look. The first ad was printed in 1985, the early history of M&M, so it makes sense that the audience would not necessarily know that they were M&Ms. The newer keyboard ad depicts the M&M logo at the very bottom in miniscule letters. Today, we all know that the colorful lentils are M&Ms without looking at the logo. Since the candy is well known, the company does not need to explain every single detail to sell the “melt in your mouth” candy.

The purpose of the latter advertisement is to sell the personalization scheme. The generic M&Ms just have the letter “m” printed on them, whereas the ones in the advertisement contain all the letters and other keys from the QWERTY keyboard such as “shift” and “return”. The QWERTY keyboard alludes to modern day use of technology. In modern society, anyone, from a three-year-old girl to a seventy-year-old man, will be able to understand that the letters are not just randomly placed; they are in the order of the QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is at the center because that is where the eyes go. It would look bizarre if the keyboard was at the very top and the slogan was just at the bottom. This ad looks balanced. Printed across the bottom is the claim, “Communication just got sweeter.” This would appeal to adults or teens, who use computers and phones to email and text. Little kids might appreciate it because it says, “I know that you have been begging your parents for a cell phone and they still won’t get you one, but at least you can have M&Ms, the next best thing.” When you communicate with people through a cell phone or computer, you are connecting with them. These M&Ms will have the same effect; if you are awkwardly sitting at the table with some people that you do not know well, you can easily remove the awkwardness by sharing a bag of M&Ms. No one will be able to resist the taste of this delicious chocolate candy. The personalized comments will also give you a topic of discussion.

The two different ads also convey the changes in society. In the 1980s, Americans were starting their busy lifestyles. According to Peggy Whitley, author of American Culture History webpage, the 1980s were all about flaunting one’s wealth. The first advertisement demonstrates the diversity and hectic routine that is the norm today. The demanding schedule has paved the way for on-the-go communication. Over the years, technology has become our biggest addiction, replacing our bright and cheerful group hobbies with emotionless e-mails and texts. We feel completely helpless if we leave our phones at home. The reduction in emotions could be another reason that the second advertisement does not show personified lentils.

Over the years, the M&M Company has changed its advertisements to better suit the audience. People will only buy products that will relate to their lives. As the desirability of the treat grows, so will the number of M&M filled bowls.

Sources:

Whitley, Peggy. American Culture History. 2008. Lone Star College Kingwood Library. Web. Oct. 17, 2010.

M&Ms. 2010. Mars, Incorporated and its Affiliates. Web. October 12, 2010