Ta Mako- Echoing Maori Roars

This week, at the Rodarte runway show, M.A.C. designed Maori-inspired geometric tattoo makeup – meant to evoke the feeling of a futuristic tribe.

The result? Ridiculously hot.

“The idea for the tattoos stemmed from Kate and Laura’s desire to celebrate makeup as art not only for the face, but also for the body in a similar way that Indian culture uses henna. They want women to look at makeup as an accessory for an outfit the way you would a bracelet or a necklace,” said Chantel Miller, M.A.C senior artist.

Tattoos are a form of body art, and how they are perceived differs from individual to individual.

Our perception of objects around us is shaped by our gender, culture and social background. As such we through past knowledge, we form prototypes and sterotypes of people with tattoos.

Previously, tattoos were associated with the triads and gangsters. These assumptions are not exactly wrong either as tattoos were sported on gang members as an emblem for gang membership.

An emblem is a symbol in which someone uses or sports so as to appear or pledge allegiance to a particular group. This is such as sporting a badge or flag. Right here, we have the use of tattoos.

Tattoos are really interesting as they hold great personal meaning for the wearer. In fact, i feel that doing a tattoo is the greatest sacrifice or decision one can do for himself or someone else. This is because it is a decision that is permenant and in fact totally optional, making it a rational decision.

The intricate lines patterns and swirls also hold great allusion to the culture and societal influences of the wearer, as well as the groups or ideals he or she hold great allegiance to.

In the past, nobleman used to tattoo their families’ coat of arms over their chest. This is because each family has a unique coat of arms, representing important aspects of their family history or ideals. It usually contains a griffon or a lion at the side signifying protection, bravery and honour. The coat of arms is then passed on from generation to generation, and displayed in a prominent place.

As such, the deep culture and traditions of the wearer is held close to his heart. Echoing the passage of time and history. Such a strong emblem would serve to strengthen his personal identity, by enabling him to identifying more closely with the members in his family, through a shared tattoo, therby creating an in-group.

This is also similar for the ancient Maoris. Tattoos were known as ta mako and they were an ancient signfer of family history, traditions, strength, honour and rank. As such only prominent member of the tribe were allowed to sport a tattoo. As such a tattoo was a privilege to be bestowed upon, not a choice or a mere fashion accessory. Dishonoured members of the tribe would thus have to cut away their tattoos or be banished from the tribe.

With such great importance placed on tattoos, the Maoris definitely did not want anyone to sport such ancient tattoos easily. Not especially so if they are not even maori, or even understand the significance behind the ta mako.

Thus the cosmetics company’s MAC use of ta mako could thus be seen as a violation of Maori culture by some. However i feel that conversely, the use of ancient Maori art on the models have instead served the community by drawing attention to the Maori’s rich sense of history and traditions.

These would otherwise be lost to the ravenges of time and modernisation. Besides due respect has already been paid by MAC, by using Maori inspired designs rather than actual ta mako.

Hello hell!

 While driving the other day on the AYE near harbourfront, i happened to see this billboard ad by M1 which i felt was very clever.

It looked as if it said ‘hell’ at first glance, but if you take a closer look, you would discover that the ‘o’ in the word ‘hello’ has actually fallen off, thus forming the word ‘hell’. The ad then said ‘ for better coverage, switch to M1′

What made this advertisement stand out as compared to the rest, is that it first of all takes a really uses a very strong word HELL as its main focus. Like all other expletives, strong words such as these are not often shown or discussed in the media, at least not for an advertisement. This is done so as to observe the socially acceptable communication rules which helps to define our public and private space.

Next, the word HELLO is also used. HELLO in this case is used as an international form of greeting. It is one of the most basic from of greeting known to men of all nationalities and cultures. It is the lingua franca of communication. It is the first thing you say when you pick up the phone and it is the only way to begin a conversation.

Thus the advertiser cleverly exploits this familiar symbol of communication, and drops the O, literally making life Hell for everyone. The message of the ad ’ if you do not use M1, but choose the other cheaper carriers, you would get poorer coverage and reception, and your calls would be cut off, just like the O, thus literally making life hell for you.’ could then just be conveyed in just one word.

Billboard advertisements such like this are the most traditional forms of advertising. As such it makes use of the interactive model of communications to get the message across.

Encoder (Information source)- M1 is the encoder. It deliberately created the ad in an indirect manner. Instead of merely saying  ‘Although singtel promises lower prices, they provide bad service and coverage as well.’ , M1 saves itself from a lot of legal trouble. In addition, M1 appears more profession by putting their message across indirectly, as they do not appear to be taking part in market style wrangling and haggling.

Message- The message that M1 wants to send out is thus ‘ M1 provides the best coverage out of all. Therefore, you should switch to M1 as they provide the  best quality. Although you may be paying more for your mobile plan, you are actually saving money in a long run especially if you travel often to the extreme or less populated corners of the island regularly. This is because your handphone is not likely to switch over to the malaysian or indonesian networks due to the weak local signals.’

Decoder (Audience)- Of course, the ad is created for the local audience who own a handphone. This is because a foreigner would not understand why there is bad phone coverage since its such a small island. In addition, only someone who has lived here for a significant period of time would recognise that red is the colour representing singtel, and get the joke that M1 is making fun of their substandard quality. Taking these local context and factors into account, M1 has definitely created an ad which to definitely appeals to the local audience, made more powerful by the use of local symbols, therfore effectively getting their message across.

Feedback and Noise- Of course the true power the advertisement would be seen in the number of people who are actually convinced and switch over to M1. In addition, external noise rebuttals and opposing data from the other telcos would serve as noise in diminishing the impact of M1′s message.