Knuckleballs, Dutch angles and pop-ups : an examination and demonstration of gimmicks in sports, media and the web
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Abstract
Gimmicks are a ubiquitous part of human culture. In competitive sports, marketing and advertising, Television and movies, the Internet, and even food and drink, gimmicks are used to gain people’s attention or gain the upper hand. The word gimmick has long held a negative connotation of tackiness, cheapness, or unfairness. These negative connotations are not always accurate however. Several products that were originally labelled as gimmicks have become staples of our everyday lives. Strategies and tactics in competitive sports that were initially called gimmicky or cheap have evolved to be used by people universally. Untraditional filmmaking techniques, novel product ideas, even the Internet itself have been labelled gimmicks. In this creative thesis, I define gimmicks and through a hypertextual and interactive website, demonstrate and explain the effectiveness of many successful examples.