Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Persuaders

* neuromarketing ( psychological )
study consumers  cognitive and affective response to marketing stimuli
Study measures in the brain to track progress, used to measure consumer's preference on products
Example - researchers measured the brain to see how people think in relation to what they actually do. Measure people's satisfaction with products that they use. 



* emotional branding
"do you feel lonely when you eat bread" try to figure out what emotions are attached to products.
register moment by moment feelings of republicans/ democrats.
Emotional branding influences how the company advertises and markets the product because they are much more concerned with what people feel then what they think
Example- persuasion techniques try to persuade people to buy products by making an emotional connection

* branding/creating a culture around a brand
identity of a specific product. creating a name/culture changes consumers attitude on the product.
Example- airline "song" vs. Delta. crucial for song airline to build an identity. don't even show airplane in ads, focused on other aspects, tried to appeal to certain demographic which ultimately failed. shows the importance of advertising, it can make or break a product/company.


* narrowcasting
disseminating information to the general public. radio, tv, newspaper, internet.
Aim media messages at specific segments of the public
Example- "Cabivision"- a network in London cabs which shows pre-recorded TV programs which target taxi cab passengers.


* rhetorical marketing
what accounts for primal impulses? must understand the unspoken need of the people. good marketing research works- marketers understand need of customers. "give us what we want" changing slogans and words to have different meaning to appeal to consumer. by changing the rhetoric you can sell anything to the consumer. (FRAMING).
using technology to figure out what language for politicians to use. when both political parties agree with rhetoric of speach, he can tell, and knows whaent to use that wording when he wants everyone to agree. MANIPULATIVE.
Example- Global warming vs. Global climate change


* under the radar marketing
low- key marketing and advertising
Example- Advertisements embedded into cell phones and games.

* across-media marketing
Guerilla marketing technique, strategic marketing
Example- stamping people's hands at the club with certain logo

* product placement across media
Branded goods or services are placed in context
Example- Done very much in movies, somene holding a Coke can

Original Logo

My Logo on Illustrator

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Internet Debate Questions

1. Based on this debate and previous readings What Definition of democracy do you feel is most fitting for us to use in-conjunction our growing reliance and integration of digital networked technologies?
One brief definition of democracy is "a government by the people" This definition fits perfectly in conjunction to our growing reliance and integration of digital networked technologies. Just as a democracy is a government by the people, the digital networked technologies and Web 2.0 are entirely governed by the people. The content on the web and in mostly all social technologies today are controlled by just about anyone from amateurs, to professionals and everywhere in between.  People can add any kind of information from personal pictures to public info, and everyone can access this information. With social networking these days almost everything can be shared and transmitted online. Keen stands firmly against the simultaneous amateur broadcasting because it leads to amateurs taking over with invalid opinions and information. The integration of social technologies has allowed for a complete democracy where the people are conforming and collectively taking power over the professionals. I agree with Keen's observations, there definitely is alot of power in the amateurs court because of the power that there naturally is in numbers. But i don't think it is always necessarily bad. I agree more with Jimmy Wale's opinion that democracy on the web has had great influences on society. A prime example is his own website, Wikipedia; a collaborative effort by the people, overseen by him, to produce accurate information on just about any topic.

2. How does your answer to #1 fit into the unchecked nature of Web 2.0 technologies, and what are some tangible examples of this? Do you feel this is an important issue that needs to be addressed further?
The unchecked nature of Web 2.0 relates to democracy in that everyone has equal power, and some people don't handle it as well as others. On the internet, pretty much everyone has an equal opportunity to get up there and say whatever they want- and plenty of people abuse that privelege fully. Social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter can be regulated, but there is so much content constantly flowing through it that it's hard to monitor everything. I don't think this is an issue as much as it is an everyday truth about life. Not everything can be monitored, there will always be people braking the rules, so everyone needs to individually take the precautions and know that not everything you see on the internet is beautiful, flowery, and true. I don’t believe this is an issue that needs to be addressed because as long as people are aware of the nature of the Internet, they should be able to regulate themselves and make their own decisions based on what is true or not. 


3. Define and describe the phenomenon of the Media echo-chamber as described in the Internet Debates. What are some examples of this silo effect, and do you believe it is an issue that needs to be addressed? Why or Why not?
The media echo chamber relates to the idea that when there is a specific space in which information is being spread and communicated, there is inevitably a huge echo effect. People will take information and copy it and spread it, sometimes even changing it much like the game of telephone. This is because everyone in a confined space is passing around this same information. This creates a type of silo effect which is "when a managing system is incapable of reciprocal operation with other related management systems". In conjunction with Web 2.0 there is a silo effect because often times one media chamber cannot effectively exchange information with other media chambers because the information is quickly falsified and frequently invalid. This particular issues is one that i feel should be addressed because i feel like there is so much potential for more efficient, clean and organized media . 


4. What are some ways that expertise and authority could be (or is being) enforced on the internet? Who would be behind these forces? Why do you believe are they are needed or not needed?
While there is a very strong degree of democracy on the internet, there is a certain extent of authority on some websites such as Facebook and Wikipedia. On Facebook, anyone can say whatever they please and share whatever type of content they would like, but if something is inappropriate it will be reported and eventually removed. Also, there are rules and regulations that the authority creates, usually the creator.  The same goes for WIkipedia; everyone can input information, but there is someone evaluating the information for validity. I don't think it is possible for everything to be overseen because of the masses of info there is on the internet, but i think that when it can be done, it's a great thing. Just like a democracy, everyone has a say but there is someone in control who ultimately gets the final say.

6. Give a thorough example of an adaptation or improvement made by a of a social, political, or cultural group, government, business or individual to keep up with changing nature of the internet.
Facebook is yet again another prime example. It has transformed over the few years it has been around in order to accommodate and adapt to it's users. Initially, Facebook was only open for the use of college students. Now, it has been made available to everyone. It used to be as basic as writing comments on people's walls and adding photos. Now, people can create applications groups, events, or post an Ad. It also now appeals to businesses and corporations with it's small advertisements on the side. Facebook has advanced tremendously in a few short years because it would fail without the public's support.

7. Is democracy threatened by the unchecked nature of the internet?
I think democracy influences the unchecked nature of the internet. If the internet were checked or censored, a huge portion of the information would be effaced because it is invalid or controversial. Democracy thrives on the internet because it is the perfect setting for anyone to do or say whatever they want, strictly because it is unchecked. If the internet were regulated, not everyone would have an equal opportunity, there would virtually be internet police, giving some people more power than others.