Media @ Magic Hat Mardi Gras/ Media Meditation #2

This Saturday I attended A Mardi Gras themed celebration sponsored by The Magic Hat Brewery, It took place on Church Street in Burlington VT, it involved many events and a parade. Shown below is the schedule of the days festivities, footage I uploaded to youtube and some pictures I took from the parade.

Mardi Gras Church Street Celebration schedule:
(obtained from http://www.magichat.net/mardigras2010)

12pm-1pm: Swing Band Caravan of Thieves plays on the top block of Church St
12pm: Registration for the King & Queen of Mardi Gras Costume Contest begins outside City Hall on the lower block of Church St. Winners get $500 EACH and will help lead off the Grand Parade with Alan Newman and Mayor Bob Kiss.
12pm-5pm: Magic Hat Mardi gras Headquarters open at the former Maplehurst Florist space on Church St for all your bead, mask and Mardi Gras needs.
12pm-2:30pm: Concert poster artist Jim Pollock signs handmade Mardi Gras prints to benefit WRCC at the former Maplehurst Florist space on Church St. For more info on the availability of Pollock's prints, see our Pollock Print blog post.
12:30-1:30pm: Sambatucada warms up the crowd with their unique Afro-Brazillian beats in front of City Hall
1:30pm: The Mardi Gras Costume Contest concludes as Alan Newman crowns the King & Queen and hands over $500 to EACH of the winners in front of City Hall
2pm-2:30pm: Gypsy-Swing Band Caravan of Thieves plays on the top block of Church St.
2pm-2:30pm: Sambatucada warms up the crowd with their unique Afro-Brazillian beats in front of City Hall
3pm: The Grand Parade begins to wind its way through downtown Burlington!
After the Parade:: The Mardi Gras Parade Post-Party begins as soon as the last float has been filed away. Hit the purveyors of potables and foodstuffs around the Marketplace and fill up on New Orleans cuisine, Magic Hat beer and friendly folly with folks from all over the world."








This was a media experience from many different angles, using the power tools listed below helped me decipher exactly how it relates to Mass Media.
eight shifts

I identify this celebration as fitting into a cultural or Economic shift for it is influenced by the celebration of Mardi Gras but also has some other unique aspects for its sponsorships and Location. Not only did the Vt based brewery, Magic Hat, sponsor it but several local and national businesses either had a float in the parade or had some other form of advertising or sponsorship. The combination of cultures and commercialism displayed throughout the day and celebration helped me decide on this.


Applying 7 out of these 10 Basic Principles of Media Education:
Value Message Principle
The celebration, parade and many represented businesses all brought along several value messages both intended and unintended for us to pick up on. I found that the celebration brought on a tradition or cultural message however each individual business brought on their own specific messages as well. For example Jet Blue had multiple people dressed in plane customs throwing out blue colored potato chips, this appealed to the consumers and was a clever way of getting the "Blue" or Jet Blue name and meaning to the public.

Ownership
The fact Magic Hat Brewery was the main sponsor of the event made it clear of their influence, however other participating businesses used several techniques to influence or advertise. An Example was the floats in the parade giving away product samples, Mardi Gras beads, candy, playing music and displaying large signs or banners. This clearly got attention to these businesses and their role in the celebration.

Emotional Transfer Principle
In my opinion the friendly and social environment Magic Hat Brewery presented was to transfer this event or emotion to their symbol or products. Not only was their existing persona of a talented fun brewery present but a new friendly cultural aspect could be interpreted as well. I found that this could be interpeted many differnt ways depending on your age and background but regardless of how it was interpreted they were aiming for an enjoyable family oriented experience.

Persuasive Techniques to Analytical Tools

Symbols: Magic Hat Brewery along with the several other businesses involved in the celebration all presented symbols relating to their products or services. In addition the Mardi Gras culture was represented through the many traditions found both in this celebration and in the native Mardi Gras in New Orleans .

Bribery/Flattery
The majority of represented businesses had give-aways some examples were candy, beads, key chains or small toys. Although they may have not been bribing us consumers technically, they were aiming for some exposure or flattery. A major example was Boloco restaurant, this not only drove people in to get a free burrito and maybe something else but also caused much commotion outside of the storefront.

Humor
The celebration as a whole was to be a fun festive experience, I felt a light or funny attitude going along with it. I found many of the floats in the parade were also using humor as a backbone to their ideas and representations.

Plain Folks/Group Dynamics
This celebration and parade consisted of many volunteers or locals. This level of participation showed how much of a community effort it was and provided for a common, local feel. In addition they made every volunteer or way of helping be pointed out and appreciated.

Warm Fuzzies
The upbeat attitude the celebration, parade and crowd gave off along with the many clever floats persuaded through this method of "warming your heart".