1. According to Andrew Keen, there are certainly grave consequences in store for us as a result of today's participatory Web2.0. There are a variety of values and institutions that are being threatened as a result of this new era as explained by Keen. The first one that I think should be noted is a combination of both a value system and an economic institution: literature. John Updike said in 2006, "Booksellers, defend your lonely forts," and he may not have been entirely wrong. Technology has become advanced enough to the point where we are able to completely digitize entire texts. This includes books, text books, classics, newspapers, magazines: everything. Book stores around the country have had to close down as a result of the digitalization of texts and the resulting revenue losses that have ensued. At the same time, media sales (digital books, download-able literature, etc.) have been on the rise, especially at Amazon.com at 21%. Not only are the physical copies of the books being lost but also the values surrounding literature. No longer are we decided what we read based upon the guide and knowledge of a book store owner or through relationships of the staff at the local library. There are now websites to tell us what we may like based on our past choices, yet this is completely autmotated: a mere algorithm completely lacking the soul and personality that a bookstore can offer. It is THIS aspect of Keen's fears that I do have strong feelings for; I do agree with it. Literature, in my opinion, is an incredibly sacred facet of culture and it is certainly falling to the concept of digitalization. The concept that one day we may be rewriting the classics such as The Great Gatsby completely sickens me. I should hope that we never reach that day, and until then, technology is going to continue and therefore I know that there is no stopping this. I do believe that there are measures which must be taken so that authors and writers can be given credit for their work. It is a scary though to think that the concept of a bookstore is becoming obsolete; but is there any way to stop it?
Another economic institution that Keen expresses concern for is the music industry. This is certainly the issue that we have been dealing with the longest in terms of piracy and digitalization issues. The music industry is suffering worse than it ever has. As a result of over-saturation of artists and bands, misplaced money, and the fight to stay afloat in the digital marketplace, the industry has become a lost puppy desperately trying to find its place in the rapidly changing world of media and technology. The fact of the matter is that technology has changed the entire way that music works. It is no longer enough to sign to a record label, produce a CD, and have a music video on MTV. That may have worked fifteen years ago but the fact of the matter is that it is not safe to sign to a label anymore. Music is suffering a serious blow and continues to do so because the industry has yet to come up with an alternative to buying music. Most people these days are not doing so; they're using programs like Limewire, Torrent, Rapidshare, or Megaupload to get their music instantly and it is not going to change. Unless one has an extreme loyalty to the label and to the artist (mostly the label because artists see very little of record sales), a consumer is going to choose to have the product for free rather than pay for it. I agree that this is certainly an issue; it is time for a change in the industry. Unlike Keen though, I believe that there is a solution. Programs must be created that allow music to be free, safe, and downloadable. By funding these programs with advertising, the artists can still get paid based on how much their songs are played and the advertisers get an entirely new form of exposure. Underground music is growing stronger, fortunately, in the face of all of this. Bands and artists are rebelling against the absurdity of the industry, choosing not to sign with labels and creating their own success. Bands like The Format, Anathallo, You, Me, and Everyone We Know, Steel Train, Person L, and many others have kept their heads afloat and remained unsigned and loyal to only themselves. They have expressed acceptance for new media and free music, hoping that fans will know and love their music and place their money elsewhere such as on merchandise and concert tickets. Physical music is no longer a necessity; it is just a gateway to new and different profits. If the industry does not soon look at the music as a gateway, it will continue to drown and eventually, it will die.
Finally, Andrew Keen addresses the concept of cheating and the rise of plagiarism, especially in college students as a result of new technology. With books and texts readily available on the internet, immediate sources like Wikipedia, and the ability to buy a term paper instantly, there is no doubt that cheating is certainly much easier. Ask any college or high school student; an overwhelming amount of them will admit to having cheated before, I guarantee it. And I mean cheating at home, when writing a paper, when given access to a computer; not when taking a test or studying in class. It is now so common for Sparknotes to be used, NoFearShakespeare to be utilized, and blogs to be integrated in communication between students so that school work is no longer a solitary work. Andrew Keen fears this and blames it on technology; he believes that the ethics of our generation have degraded. And maybe this is true; maybe the Internet and technology have allowed us to demoralize ourselves and do things that we would not have done without technology. But there is also a certain responsibility that teachers and educators have to ensure that this does not happen. These are the people that have not grown up with technology and are the supposed "non-cheaters." Since this is the case, teachers must enforce that students don't cheat and they must take the extra measures necessary to make sure there is no plagiarism. This includes checking over the papers, requiring services like Turnitin.com to be used, and utilizing other "anti-cheating" tools. It is not losing trust in students and youth; it is merely making sure that everything is being done honestly and is being used as a preventative measure so that temptation is completely eliminated.
2. Moore's concept of "sheep devouring men" was a reaction to the Enclosure Laws that banned the peasantry from the fields of the great estates. According to Keen, this can be related to our society almost five hundred years later, especially concerning the Web 2.0 world. Journalists are being consumed by computers. But it is not really computers that are doing the consuming; it is the technology and the programs that are a part of the world of computers. Computers have been around for years and years but they are starting to become much more than simple machines used for simple tasks. Journalists are no longer able to find work because newspapers are being swallowed up by Internet-based news sites. Television ratings and movie attendance numbers have plummeted because consumers are now able to be entertained at home, in front of the computer, for free, by companies like Youtube. Bookstores are becoming obsolete because of the digitalization of text and the instant availability of information on the web. We have created something that is starting to evolve and change into something entirely different. Fifteen years ago, our society never could have imagined such a wild transformation and all of the impact that it has had on our culture. Like sheep, we have guided and cared for the Internet, allowing it to grow, to flourish, and to mature. But unlike sheep, computers and the Internet have rapidly evolved as a result of our ideas. If digitalization and new media is in fact a negative thing, can we really complain about it? We have not created Terminator-esque robots and machines that think for themselves and are taking over our society; the Internet is our invention. We control how it evolves, how far it goes, and how it changes. God created sheep and shepherds herd them. We are both God and the Shepard: we have created an evolving entity and we have the power to control if it lives or dies.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Growing Up Online
Growing Up Online is an in depth look at the lives of teenagers as a generation of kids growing up in a world fostered by the online world and the Internet. It is no doubt incredibly different than all other generations before it and my favorite quote from the documentary sums it up. The Internet has created the biggest age gap between children and their adults since rock 'n roll. To me, that is an incredibly accurate piece of insight because of how true it really is. Rock n' roll was a movement that alienated parents because they didn't understand it. They desperately tried to accept it and understand it but it was truly a product of a generation. It was something that kids and teenagers owned and parents couldn't touch. The Internet has become the new rock 'n roll. Parent scan try all they want to understand it but in reality, they never will. They were brought up in an entirely different world where computers were not even a thought, much less a frontier like the Internet. So yes, the Internet belongs to a generation. It is commendable, though, to see that there are teachers, parents, and educators out there attempting to learn about and understand the Internet. It is an ongoing education that is changing every day. Therefore, if educators and parents want to keep up with their children, they have to make the effort and educate themselves.
So how is this affecting our nation's youth? How has advertising, marketing, and promotional campaigning changed over the years with the advent of the Internet and all it has to offer? Well for one, targeting a specific audience and a specific demographic has become much easier. Advertisers can now choose who they want to target and then execute the plan within minutes. By attaching advertisements to specific social networking sites that are constantly being visited like Myspace, Livejournal, or Facebook, advertisers have an entire generation of youth at their fingertips. This has created a second reality, the Internet, where children and teenagers are being constantly barraged by advertisements. By spending hours a day on the Internet and the computer, they are subjecting themselves to an undending and infinite world of advertising, sales, and promotional campaigns. Products are now part of a teenager's life not just when they are watching television or listening to the radio, but when they are talking to their friends, writing emails, surfing the web, or doing school work! Space may be the final frontier but the Internet is a close second. The possibilites are endless and the amount that can be promoted is seemingly infinite. A click of the mouse can open up an entirely new world. This possibility may be very exciting for promoters and advertisers but it must be taken with caution. It can be a very scary world unless monitored.
I think that "Growing Up Online" made a lot of incredibly valid points. The first involves the education system and the growing amount of changes that are taking place within education as a result of the Internet and the technology that is becoming more and more readily available to students and teachers alike. It is so important these days for professors and teachers to become aware of techology and to embrace it. The fact of the matter is that technology isn't going away. In fact, it is only going to continue pushing educational boundaries as it changes more and more. Technology, computers, the Internet...it's all here to say. Therefore, it's completely futile to fight against this new technological education movement that we have been confronted with. Since students and teenagers are generally the most up to date about the newest technology, it is up to teachers to not allow themselves to become dinosaurs. They have the responsibility to become aware of, embrace, and teach with the technology that is at hand. When used correctly, technology can open up new worlds and create new educational possibilites that were never available to students and educators before. It can be a beautiful asset to education but it is also becoming necessary. Unfortunately, students are finding it harder and harder to sit down and read a book, or write a paper, or listen to an hour long lecture. The attention spans are decreasing as the demand for new technological innovations is increasing. This lack of attention now puts an added stress on the teacher. The educator now must educate themselves so that they can remain on their toes, willing to learn and then teach using the newest technology so that they can keep their students intrigued, engaged, and willing to embrace the possibilites that education has to offer through technology.
Aside from education, Grow Up Online shows an incredibly unique transformation that socialization has undergone concerning social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook. It is now possible for people of any age to live multiple lives; to create a new persona for themselves; to immerse themselves in an entirely different world than the one they live in. On one hand, this encourages more socialization and interaction between people who may not have the ability or confidence to do so in the real world. On the Internet, you can be whoever you want. But the fact of the matter is, the world will continue to turn and at the end of the day, reality is what matters most. Therefore, it is necessary that when interacting on these social networking sites, a person is able to separate that from their real life. This was blatantly illustrated with the girl Autumn who had two lives and essentially liked herself better on the Internet. This was also illustrated through the case of the 13 year old boy who killed himself after a bout with cyberbullying. It is the parent's responsibility to monitor their children while allowing them to have a certain amount of freedom. The bottom line is that it is an incredibly thin line to toe but parents must deal with it. Teens should have a clear idea of the difference between what reality is and what it isn't. When that difference becomes blurred is when complications start to arise. The Internet and all it has to offer should be embraced by people of all ages, but like anything, it can be dangerous in excess. People must learn to find a balance. If this balance is not achieved, we will begin living lives through a computer and our quality of living is going to dissapear. As great as the Internet may be, it is only a series of wires and connections. The real connections are the ones that we make in reality and this is a fact that can never be forgotten, even if we are Growing Up Online.
So how is this affecting our nation's youth? How has advertising, marketing, and promotional campaigning changed over the years with the advent of the Internet and all it has to offer? Well for one, targeting a specific audience and a specific demographic has become much easier. Advertisers can now choose who they want to target and then execute the plan within minutes. By attaching advertisements to specific social networking sites that are constantly being visited like Myspace, Livejournal, or Facebook, advertisers have an entire generation of youth at their fingertips. This has created a second reality, the Internet, where children and teenagers are being constantly barraged by advertisements. By spending hours a day on the Internet and the computer, they are subjecting themselves to an undending and infinite world of advertising, sales, and promotional campaigns. Products are now part of a teenager's life not just when they are watching television or listening to the radio, but when they are talking to their friends, writing emails, surfing the web, or doing school work! Space may be the final frontier but the Internet is a close second. The possibilites are endless and the amount that can be promoted is seemingly infinite. A click of the mouse can open up an entirely new world. This possibility may be very exciting for promoters and advertisers but it must be taken with caution. It can be a very scary world unless monitored.
I think that "Growing Up Online" made a lot of incredibly valid points. The first involves the education system and the growing amount of changes that are taking place within education as a result of the Internet and the technology that is becoming more and more readily available to students and teachers alike. It is so important these days for professors and teachers to become aware of techology and to embrace it. The fact of the matter is that technology isn't going away. In fact, it is only going to continue pushing educational boundaries as it changes more and more. Technology, computers, the Internet...it's all here to say. Therefore, it's completely futile to fight against this new technological education movement that we have been confronted with. Since students and teenagers are generally the most up to date about the newest technology, it is up to teachers to not allow themselves to become dinosaurs. They have the responsibility to become aware of, embrace, and teach with the technology that is at hand. When used correctly, technology can open up new worlds and create new educational possibilites that were never available to students and educators before. It can be a beautiful asset to education but it is also becoming necessary. Unfortunately, students are finding it harder and harder to sit down and read a book, or write a paper, or listen to an hour long lecture. The attention spans are decreasing as the demand for new technological innovations is increasing. This lack of attention now puts an added stress on the teacher. The educator now must educate themselves so that they can remain on their toes, willing to learn and then teach using the newest technology so that they can keep their students intrigued, engaged, and willing to embrace the possibilites that education has to offer through technology.
Aside from education, Grow Up Online shows an incredibly unique transformation that socialization has undergone concerning social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook. It is now possible for people of any age to live multiple lives; to create a new persona for themselves; to immerse themselves in an entirely different world than the one they live in. On one hand, this encourages more socialization and interaction between people who may not have the ability or confidence to do so in the real world. On the Internet, you can be whoever you want. But the fact of the matter is, the world will continue to turn and at the end of the day, reality is what matters most. Therefore, it is necessary that when interacting on these social networking sites, a person is able to separate that from their real life. This was blatantly illustrated with the girl Autumn who had two lives and essentially liked herself better on the Internet. This was also illustrated through the case of the 13 year old boy who killed himself after a bout with cyberbullying. It is the parent's responsibility to monitor their children while allowing them to have a certain amount of freedom. The bottom line is that it is an incredibly thin line to toe but parents must deal with it. Teens should have a clear idea of the difference between what reality is and what it isn't. When that difference becomes blurred is when complications start to arise. The Internet and all it has to offer should be embraced by people of all ages, but like anything, it can be dangerous in excess. People must learn to find a balance. If this balance is not achieved, we will begin living lives through a computer and our quality of living is going to dissapear. As great as the Internet may be, it is only a series of wires and connections. The real connections are the ones that we make in reality and this is a fact that can never be forgotten, even if we are Growing Up Online.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Persuaders
I'd like to start off this blog entry by just saying, as an advertising major, that I'm very unnerved by these videos that we've recently been watching. Maybe these videos share a common theme that advertising is an evil industry; maybe they just appear that way because they are exposing the industry for what it truly is: a money making endeavor. Regardless, it all appears so fake in these videos. Expositions of the tactics that companies use to try an appeal to senses, humor, feelings, emotions....it all seems so fake. In the end it is really a bombastic shield that fools consumers into thinking that advertising is something more than trying to sell a product and make money. It really isn't, though. I think this is what scares me the most. I think that thinking is something I need to do a lot more of, especially concerning the industry I'm studying and about to enter into. But now, onto the questions at hand.
1. Where are we headed? What's the future? What are your thoughts on how far the techniques of persuasion might go?
In my opinion, advertising will not stop for anything. As the video clearly states in the first chapter, once an advertising campaign gives up, it dies. As soon as brand or an agency enters into the world of advertising, they must not stop moving or like a dormant shark, they will die. They will be eaten alive by the competition and spit out faster than you can hum "I'm lovin' it." So how far will the techniques of advertising go? Well, they don't seem to be slowing down whatsoever. Viral marketing, e-campaigns, internet-based advertising, cell phones, text messaging, advertisements at the bottom of golf holes...the possibilities seem endless. In my opinion, advertising cannot be increased; there's already too much of it out there to begin with and the effort to "break through the clutter" is a rather fruitless one as illustrated by the movie. Once you break through the clutter, you become the clutter. So now the game becomes a matter of working smarter, not harder. Concerning "narrowcasting" as illustrated in the video, I think that a barrage on demographics and very specific marketing may very well be the next step that is going to be taken in advertising. With a magazine and a website for every little hobby, fad, or interest, it is becoming increasingly difficult to market a product to a vast audience. Consumers' interests are becoming more and more specialized. Therefore, narrowcasting people into many different categories may become a necessary device. In my opinion, people are all individuals no matter how similair they may seem. Therefore, it is certainly doing an injustice to people to categorize six billion people into a mere seventy categories as stated by the movie. But this may very well become the normative procedure. Soon enough, we will all become individual tarket markets and the type of person that the advertising agency believes us to be will determine how we are marketed to and what is marketed to us.
2. Is there something distinctive in the American character that makes us susceptible to this world of advertising and messages? "The Persuaders" program explores the idea that Americans are seeking and finding a sort of identity in buying/joining a brand. What is this about?
This is certainly a valid theory and one that must be taken into strong consideration with the new wave of "smart advertising" that we are currently heading into. No longer are products able to be marketed as "er" proudcts: meaning adjectives like tastier, stronger, and better will no longer have the effect they used to. Any product out there can be the best if it says it is. But as Americans, we are no longer content with which product is best; we need identity. We need to feel a connection and experience emotion when thinking of a product. The desire to own a product is no longer a derivitave of the fact that it works for us or that it is the best of its kind. It now needs a special place in our heart and we must create a loyalty to that product. I found it incredibly interesting that cult members, WWF fans, and product owners all had the same basic concepts about belonging to a group and finding an identity. As human nature dictates, we are social creatures and therefore, even through the products we consume, we want to feel as if we are not alone. I want to know that my friends are eating Cheerios in their homes when I wake up to eat breakfast before I wake up. I want to feel a sense of connection with fellow humankind when I pour that Downy laundry detergent onto my clothes. I want to lighten up and feel at one with others when I eat Wonderbread. Sound a bit radical? It certainly is. But advertisers have concluded that this is the best way to market a product and it is certainly working. Campaigns like the McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign have created a sense of community and solidarity amongst people of all demographics. The warmth of the brand no longer comes from the crispy french fries and savory hamburgers but from the warmth that one feels when they are eating with friends and family; it just so happens that McDonalds can give you this feeling. Interestingly enough, this apparent desire to be a part of something and form an identity through a product is counterproductive when concerning the "narrowscaping" tactics that are currently be embraced by advertisers. If we are trying to create an identity and loyalty as social groups towards a product, isn't it counterintuitive to break everyone up into minute categories and therefore take away that social/belonging aspect to the product? Just a thought.
3. What are the common elements in the persuasion/selling strategies of advertising and marketing? And how can we move about in this world with a degree of self-awareness as to what's happening, especially since all these messages are increasingly trying to move us to act and make choices on an emotional level?
Advertising is everywhere. It is on our televisions, in our magazines, on the airwaves, on our cell phones, and in our heads. You absolutely cannot walk anywhere, often even through your own home, without being exposed to some form of advertising. Advertising is a constant competition to break through the clutter which therefore creates even more of the said clutter. Therefore, there is no solution. We will always need "things" and as long as there is a demand, there will be a supply of products and an advertising campaign for them. Ads now appeal to consumers on an emotional, factual, empirical, and imaginiative level. To say that we are no longer safe from advertising is a bit strong; I prefer to say that we can no longer avoid it. This, of course puts a much larger amount of pressure on advertisers and companies to beat out the competition. The hardest, fastest, BEST company will win and the rest will cower under the power that is that company. So there is not doubt that the industry has a great responsibility and amount of pressure upon it. But as a result, this also puts a much larger responsibility on us, the consumer. It creates a necessity for us to learn how to filter. The average teenager, the most prosperous advertising demographic in the industry, will see 3,000 ads a day before they are eighteen years old, totaling over 10 million ads before they are old enough to vote. We must learn how to refrain from being swept up by the inundating wave of advertising that we are constantly barraged by. This requires a certain sense of self-knowledge and understanding what is important to one's self. We now have the responsibility to decide who we are and what products we believe in at a much earlier age. As college students, we are still developing brand loyalty but the age for developing this loyalty is becoming increasingly younger. We are now forced to decide what to buy and what we like at an eearlier and earlier age because advertising is so constant that we must choose at some point. By filtering out the erroneous ads that have nothing to do with out own lifestyles, we must become empowered individuals with the right to decide what we want to buy and what products we beleive in. Advertising in necessary and we must embrace some of it so that we may purchase the best products for ourselves. But we also must not allow ourselves to be fed any bullshit that we do not want to be fed. Consumers must be responsible in their consumption of advertising and product; this means not succuming to every mindless ad out there and thinking for one's self. This will allow a sense of liberating choice: the power to decide what we buy and how we buy it. Individuality, as little importance as it may hold for the ad industry, is the thing that we all have and therefore must not lose it. To allow ourselves to be broken up into specific demographics and narrowscapes only to be preyed upon by advertisers would be to give up our individuality as consumers and this cannot happen. This is where the responsibility lies for us as consumers and this is what is required of us in order to remain intelligent and knowledgeable indivudals about the world around us, especially conerning advertisements.
1. Where are we headed? What's the future? What are your thoughts on how far the techniques of persuasion might go?
In my opinion, advertising will not stop for anything. As the video clearly states in the first chapter, once an advertising campaign gives up, it dies. As soon as brand or an agency enters into the world of advertising, they must not stop moving or like a dormant shark, they will die. They will be eaten alive by the competition and spit out faster than you can hum "I'm lovin' it." So how far will the techniques of advertising go? Well, they don't seem to be slowing down whatsoever. Viral marketing, e-campaigns, internet-based advertising, cell phones, text messaging, advertisements at the bottom of golf holes...the possibilities seem endless. In my opinion, advertising cannot be increased; there's already too much of it out there to begin with and the effort to "break through the clutter" is a rather fruitless one as illustrated by the movie. Once you break through the clutter, you become the clutter. So now the game becomes a matter of working smarter, not harder. Concerning "narrowcasting" as illustrated in the video, I think that a barrage on demographics and very specific marketing may very well be the next step that is going to be taken in advertising. With a magazine and a website for every little hobby, fad, or interest, it is becoming increasingly difficult to market a product to a vast audience. Consumers' interests are becoming more and more specialized. Therefore, narrowcasting people into many different categories may become a necessary device. In my opinion, people are all individuals no matter how similair they may seem. Therefore, it is certainly doing an injustice to people to categorize six billion people into a mere seventy categories as stated by the movie. But this may very well become the normative procedure. Soon enough, we will all become individual tarket markets and the type of person that the advertising agency believes us to be will determine how we are marketed to and what is marketed to us.
2. Is there something distinctive in the American character that makes us susceptible to this world of advertising and messages? "The Persuaders" program explores the idea that Americans are seeking and finding a sort of identity in buying/joining a brand. What is this about?
This is certainly a valid theory and one that must be taken into strong consideration with the new wave of "smart advertising" that we are currently heading into. No longer are products able to be marketed as "er" proudcts: meaning adjectives like tastier, stronger, and better will no longer have the effect they used to. Any product out there can be the best if it says it is. But as Americans, we are no longer content with which product is best; we need identity. We need to feel a connection and experience emotion when thinking of a product. The desire to own a product is no longer a derivitave of the fact that it works for us or that it is the best of its kind. It now needs a special place in our heart and we must create a loyalty to that product. I found it incredibly interesting that cult members, WWF fans, and product owners all had the same basic concepts about belonging to a group and finding an identity. As human nature dictates, we are social creatures and therefore, even through the products we consume, we want to feel as if we are not alone. I want to know that my friends are eating Cheerios in their homes when I wake up to eat breakfast before I wake up. I want to feel a sense of connection with fellow humankind when I pour that Downy laundry detergent onto my clothes. I want to lighten up and feel at one with others when I eat Wonderbread. Sound a bit radical? It certainly is. But advertisers have concluded that this is the best way to market a product and it is certainly working. Campaigns like the McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign have created a sense of community and solidarity amongst people of all demographics. The warmth of the brand no longer comes from the crispy french fries and savory hamburgers but from the warmth that one feels when they are eating with friends and family; it just so happens that McDonalds can give you this feeling. Interestingly enough, this apparent desire to be a part of something and form an identity through a product is counterproductive when concerning the "narrowscaping" tactics that are currently be embraced by advertisers. If we are trying to create an identity and loyalty as social groups towards a product, isn't it counterintuitive to break everyone up into minute categories and therefore take away that social/belonging aspect to the product? Just a thought.
3. What are the common elements in the persuasion/selling strategies of advertising and marketing? And how can we move about in this world with a degree of self-awareness as to what's happening, especially since all these messages are increasingly trying to move us to act and make choices on an emotional level?
Advertising is everywhere. It is on our televisions, in our magazines, on the airwaves, on our cell phones, and in our heads. You absolutely cannot walk anywhere, often even through your own home, without being exposed to some form of advertising. Advertising is a constant competition to break through the clutter which therefore creates even more of the said clutter. Therefore, there is no solution. We will always need "things" and as long as there is a demand, there will be a supply of products and an advertising campaign for them. Ads now appeal to consumers on an emotional, factual, empirical, and imaginiative level. To say that we are no longer safe from advertising is a bit strong; I prefer to say that we can no longer avoid it. This, of course puts a much larger amount of pressure on advertisers and companies to beat out the competition. The hardest, fastest, BEST company will win and the rest will cower under the power that is that company. So there is not doubt that the industry has a great responsibility and amount of pressure upon it. But as a result, this also puts a much larger responsibility on us, the consumer. It creates a necessity for us to learn how to filter. The average teenager, the most prosperous advertising demographic in the industry, will see 3,000 ads a day before they are eighteen years old, totaling over 10 million ads before they are old enough to vote. We must learn how to refrain from being swept up by the inundating wave of advertising that we are constantly barraged by. This requires a certain sense of self-knowledge and understanding what is important to one's self. We now have the responsibility to decide who we are and what products we believe in at a much earlier age. As college students, we are still developing brand loyalty but the age for developing this loyalty is becoming increasingly younger. We are now forced to decide what to buy and what we like at an eearlier and earlier age because advertising is so constant that we must choose at some point. By filtering out the erroneous ads that have nothing to do with out own lifestyles, we must become empowered individuals with the right to decide what we want to buy and what products we beleive in. Advertising in necessary and we must embrace some of it so that we may purchase the best products for ourselves. But we also must not allow ourselves to be fed any bullshit that we do not want to be fed. Consumers must be responsible in their consumption of advertising and product; this means not succuming to every mindless ad out there and thinking for one's self. This will allow a sense of liberating choice: the power to decide what we buy and how we buy it. Individuality, as little importance as it may hold for the ad industry, is the thing that we all have and therefore must not lose it. To allow ourselves to be broken up into specific demographics and narrowscapes only to be preyed upon by advertisers would be to give up our individuality as consumers and this cannot happen. This is where the responsibility lies for us as consumers and this is what is required of us in order to remain intelligent and knowledgeable indivudals about the world around us, especially conerning advertisements.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Merchants of Cool
It is undeniable that teenagers are the most important marketing demographic in regards to the media. There is no refuting that and, as long as teenagers remain the way they are, this is not going to change anytime soon. So it is easy to understand why they are the most targeted and sought out demographic concerning media and product marketing. That being said, though, the difference between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable to market towards teenagers is becoming more and more difficult to discern. Like the documentary, Merchants of Cool, clearly stated, teens can be subjected to almost 3,000 advertisements a day, and more than 10 million before the time they reach eighteen. Anywhere a teen rests their eyes, they are being sold a product; an idea; a concept; a look; a life. Is this merely a marketing campaign or has it come too far? There is a very real fear by many people that teenagers are given no room to create their own culture; they are merely spoon-fed a culture created by media and marketing and are told to call it their own.
How is this a problem? If teenagers are accepting this form of marketing and culture-feeding, why is this even an issue? The issue is that teenagers have nowhere else to turn. The media and the constant advertisements that teenagers are bombarded with take the choice away from teenagers; they surround them so that there is nowhere else to look and no other culture to accept. The creativity of being one's own person is sucked out because there are few options. Of course, this is in regards to popular culture and mainstream advertising. There are plenty of teenage dissenters that choose to shy away from popular culture and product; eschewing the marketing schemes that are thrown their way and going for the complete opposite. But the capitalizing of this opposition is where the (evil?) genius of teenage marketing really shines through. If one culture or marketing campaign is not being accepted, that counterculture is often changed from being something out of the ordinary and different to just another fad and another opportunity for a new marketing campaign. This is vividly portrayed by movements such as "rage rock," involving bands like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Insane Clown Posse. Of course, these bands are controversial but that is what makes them so appealing. By being so "anti-establishment" and counter-culture, these bands and this movement become exactly what they are opposing.
This is a result of the "cool hunters" that the documentary focuses on. Their sole purpose is to study teenagers and anticipate the next trend and fad. But are they really anticipating it, or are they creating it? One may argue that rage rock and the bands that are involved with that music genre may never have garnered any mainstream success without the help of marketing, advertising, and the push that originally was scoped out by the merchants of cool. Not only are they creating a culture for teenagers but they are also creating a counterculture which can also be marketed. This can be exemplified through stores like Abercrombie and Fitch which markets itself to good looking, athletic, "mainstream" teenagers as opposed to Hot Topic, a store that is just as successful but markets toward the demographic of a sub or counterculture. Both are controlled by larger companies, they are just marketed differently.
So now the editorial portion of the blog...has the marketing of cool come too far? Are teenagers being subjected to advertisements that try and sell to them more than just a product? Well, in the case of the "mook" and the "midriff," it is undeniable that much more than a product is being marketed towards teenagers. It's about a look and a lifestyle. It's about fitting in with a popular image and doing (or buying) whatever it takes to fit snugly into that mold. Pop culture icons like Britney Spears and Tom Green give us the archetype and marketing gives us the means by which to emulate the archetype.
In my opinion, popular marketing and mainstream advertising is targeting teenagers and marketing to them for one thing: money. They bring the most revenue and by design, marketing executives and advertising personell are trained to make the most money possible. The ethics of these jobs do come into play, but mainstream and popular culture are not the only options out there. Teenagers have a responsibility to have a mind of their own and not allow themselves to be dragged down by the inundation of advertisements that they are exposed to every single day. At a certain age, it is one's OWN duty to filter out what the bullshit and therefore, these places teenagers in an even more important role than they are given credit for. Teens now must decide who they want to be, how they want to act, and how they want to be controlled at an earlier age. Do I think this is right? I'm not knowledgable enough about the industry to understand all of the ethics and give a pertinent opinion. I do know, though, that all the blame cannot be pushed onto the leaders of marketing and advertising. Yes, they have a responsibility to take into account the impressionable market that they are aiming at, but they are also attempting to create the best campaigns and sell the most product. The ball is in the court of the demographic. Teens need to create their OWN individual personas and as a whole, their own culture. The only way to do this is by allowing one's self to be subjected to the marketing that will invariably invade their space and reject what is unwanted. The parent of the teen must also play an active role in supervising the purchases of the teenager; this certainly does not involve "guilt purchases" because a parent doesn't spend enough time with their child. That's absolutely unacceptable and because of this, blame becomes equally distributed between companies, teens, and their parents; the issue is much deeper and impacts many others aside from just the teens.
Although certainly not a simple debate or a case of easy-to-point fingers, I believe the concept of consumer responsiblity is so important here. One must control what they buy and how this affects them. We all have the responsibility to filter media and choose how it is going to affect us. Are you going to allow yourself to become a product of mainstream pop culture? Are you going to embrace an anti-culture movement which is really just the facade of another mainstream movement? Or are you going to be your own individual and create your own culture? In reality, as is the case with so many other hot topics (pun certainly intended) out there, it is up to the individual to make the decision.
How is this a problem? If teenagers are accepting this form of marketing and culture-feeding, why is this even an issue? The issue is that teenagers have nowhere else to turn. The media and the constant advertisements that teenagers are bombarded with take the choice away from teenagers; they surround them so that there is nowhere else to look and no other culture to accept. The creativity of being one's own person is sucked out because there are few options. Of course, this is in regards to popular culture and mainstream advertising. There are plenty of teenage dissenters that choose to shy away from popular culture and product; eschewing the marketing schemes that are thrown their way and going for the complete opposite. But the capitalizing of this opposition is where the (evil?) genius of teenage marketing really shines through. If one culture or marketing campaign is not being accepted, that counterculture is often changed from being something out of the ordinary and different to just another fad and another opportunity for a new marketing campaign. This is vividly portrayed by movements such as "rage rock," involving bands like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Insane Clown Posse. Of course, these bands are controversial but that is what makes them so appealing. By being so "anti-establishment" and counter-culture, these bands and this movement become exactly what they are opposing.
This is a result of the "cool hunters" that the documentary focuses on. Their sole purpose is to study teenagers and anticipate the next trend and fad. But are they really anticipating it, or are they creating it? One may argue that rage rock and the bands that are involved with that music genre may never have garnered any mainstream success without the help of marketing, advertising, and the push that originally was scoped out by the merchants of cool. Not only are they creating a culture for teenagers but they are also creating a counterculture which can also be marketed. This can be exemplified through stores like Abercrombie and Fitch which markets itself to good looking, athletic, "mainstream" teenagers as opposed to Hot Topic, a store that is just as successful but markets toward the demographic of a sub or counterculture. Both are controlled by larger companies, they are just marketed differently.
So now the editorial portion of the blog...has the marketing of cool come too far? Are teenagers being subjected to advertisements that try and sell to them more than just a product? Well, in the case of the "mook" and the "midriff," it is undeniable that much more than a product is being marketed towards teenagers. It's about a look and a lifestyle. It's about fitting in with a popular image and doing (or buying) whatever it takes to fit snugly into that mold. Pop culture icons like Britney Spears and Tom Green give us the archetype and marketing gives us the means by which to emulate the archetype.
In my opinion, popular marketing and mainstream advertising is targeting teenagers and marketing to them for one thing: money. They bring the most revenue and by design, marketing executives and advertising personell are trained to make the most money possible. The ethics of these jobs do come into play, but mainstream and popular culture are not the only options out there. Teenagers have a responsibility to have a mind of their own and not allow themselves to be dragged down by the inundation of advertisements that they are exposed to every single day. At a certain age, it is one's OWN duty to filter out what the bullshit and therefore, these places teenagers in an even more important role than they are given credit for. Teens now must decide who they want to be, how they want to act, and how they want to be controlled at an earlier age. Do I think this is right? I'm not knowledgable enough about the industry to understand all of the ethics and give a pertinent opinion. I do know, though, that all the blame cannot be pushed onto the leaders of marketing and advertising. Yes, they have a responsibility to take into account the impressionable market that they are aiming at, but they are also attempting to create the best campaigns and sell the most product. The ball is in the court of the demographic. Teens need to create their OWN individual personas and as a whole, their own culture. The only way to do this is by allowing one's self to be subjected to the marketing that will invariably invade their space and reject what is unwanted. The parent of the teen must also play an active role in supervising the purchases of the teenager; this certainly does not involve "guilt purchases" because a parent doesn't spend enough time with their child. That's absolutely unacceptable and because of this, blame becomes equally distributed between companies, teens, and their parents; the issue is much deeper and impacts many others aside from just the teens.
Although certainly not a simple debate or a case of easy-to-point fingers, I believe the concept of consumer responsiblity is so important here. One must control what they buy and how this affects them. We all have the responsibility to filter media and choose how it is going to affect us. Are you going to allow yourself to become a product of mainstream pop culture? Are you going to embrace an anti-culture movement which is really just the facade of another mainstream movement? Or are you going to be your own individual and create your own culture? In reality, as is the case with so many other hot topics (pun certainly intended) out there, it is up to the individual to make the decision.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
How do Media Professionals "Know" Their Audience?
There are many tactics that media professionals may use in order to know and understand their target audience. Some of these are simpler, involving ratings and sales figures. These are simple numbers that tell what the audience is viewing, listening to, or buying and what it isn't. Direct response methods, such as email or interactive television may also be utilized in order to garner a response from audiences based on the media that is represented by certain media professionals. But there is another method which these professionals get to know their audiences: research.
Production research is a vastly important component to media creation, selling, and buying, yet it is rather overlooked because most of it happens behind the scenes. Production research not only studies the audience but also the production and preparatory means taken by media professionals so that they can see how others are accomplishing media-related tasks. It stresses not only text and tangible product, but also the context in which the product is being released in. This takes into account demographic, geography, trends, fads, and other factors that may affect how media is perceived when it is released. Two strands of production research are used: the first concentrates on the constraints of media professionals and the second analyzes certain concerns as well as other media text. The constraints may included political and economic forces as well as the constraints of an imposing or over-ruling ideology that is present in society, often supporting a certain class or social group.
Various research methods are also employed in order to analyze audiences for research. Typically, methods such as interviews, case studies, archival research, and detailed analyses of public and private documents are used to garner further information and "know" the audiences of the media. The balance between researching and understanding media audiences as well as the creators of that media (especially in production) is very important and can allow media professionals to create better media that is more successful for them as a company as well as more sucessful with the audiences that they are attempting to cater to.
Production research is a vastly important component to media creation, selling, and buying, yet it is rather overlooked because most of it happens behind the scenes. Production research not only studies the audience but also the production and preparatory means taken by media professionals so that they can see how others are accomplishing media-related tasks. It stresses not only text and tangible product, but also the context in which the product is being released in. This takes into account demographic, geography, trends, fads, and other factors that may affect how media is perceived when it is released. Two strands of production research are used: the first concentrates on the constraints of media professionals and the second analyzes certain concerns as well as other media text. The constraints may included political and economic forces as well as the constraints of an imposing or over-ruling ideology that is present in society, often supporting a certain class or social group.
Various research methods are also employed in order to analyze audiences for research. Typically, methods such as interviews, case studies, archival research, and detailed analyses of public and private documents are used to garner further information and "know" the audiences of the media. The balance between researching and understanding media audiences as well as the creators of that media (especially in production) is very important and can allow media professionals to create better media that is more successful for them as a company as well as more sucessful with the audiences that they are attempting to cater to.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Money as Debt Analysis
To say in the least, this video was an incredible eye opener. It shocked me for a few reasons. First off, I actually was engaged in the video and cared about what the narrator had to say. This is only shocking to myself because normally money is the last thing I want to talk and/or hear about. I am certainly not financially astute and my work with numbers pretty much cuts off at basic statistics, adding, and subtracting. This being said, I really enjoyed Money as Debt not only for its hard hitting message but also its simplicity in its explanation and presentation. It breaks down America's currently failing monetary system with ease, appealing to those that are financially learned as well as those (like myself) who are not as fortunate. The simple animations may seem trivial and corny but when looked at from a deeper perspective, the animations often are symbolic; representing larger ideals or adding to a bigger meaning. One of the symbols that stands out to me is the repetition of the hooded animation figure pounding the word DEBT over and over again with something that resembles a hammer or gavel. It simply, for lack of a better word, "pounds" the idea of money as a debt into the viewer's head. I liked this because it brought the movie back to its central point often, allowing the viewer to keep scope of the message.
Its presentation and simplicity were not the only aspects of this movie I enjoyed; I also agreed strongly with the message and the fact that it made me reflect on our current economic situation. Obviously, we are in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and with the current Presidential election being the most important one of our time, it is without doubt that our nation is at a crossroads; a decision must be made. Lobbyists and greedy politicians have been running this country for the past eight years; people thinking of themselves and the large corporations that run this country rather than the well being of the country as a whole. The middle class (the largest in the country) has been all but forgotten and now they are struggling. We live and die for the money that feeds our children, that fuels our vehicles, that clothes our backs and puts a roof over our head. This money is handled by banks that we as a nation assume are trustworthy, but they are an entity that we do not think of and analyze often. This film assumes that position and lays out the facts for us as a nation to digest. As simple as the problem may seem, even to the point of absurdity, it is obviously a problem that can only get worse.
As our economy plummets, so does the hope for reform for the current banking system that America and Canada currently use. The solutions that Grignon suggest may seem radical but anything that is going to cause a financial shift for the country is going to be. Obviously, going back to gold coins or silver bars is not going to work. We cannot, as a nation, continue to hoard money as individuals and trust the banks with physical money. As has been demonstrated by the video, the banks only create more money and therefore, more debt. The digital age that we have entered must be taken advantage of. The card solution may very well work, although it will take time. Money for labor may also be another solution that has some validity to it. But if we as a nation accept the fate of a plummeting monetary system, we are in for far worse times that we are currently experiencing. In order to prevent a fall to the Dark Ages, we must be smart and swift about the changes that need to be made in order to steer this country's economy and way of doing banking business in a new direction.
Its presentation and simplicity were not the only aspects of this movie I enjoyed; I also agreed strongly with the message and the fact that it made me reflect on our current economic situation. Obviously, we are in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and with the current Presidential election being the most important one of our time, it is without doubt that our nation is at a crossroads; a decision must be made. Lobbyists and greedy politicians have been running this country for the past eight years; people thinking of themselves and the large corporations that run this country rather than the well being of the country as a whole. The middle class (the largest in the country) has been all but forgotten and now they are struggling. We live and die for the money that feeds our children, that fuels our vehicles, that clothes our backs and puts a roof over our head. This money is handled by banks that we as a nation assume are trustworthy, but they are an entity that we do not think of and analyze often. This film assumes that position and lays out the facts for us as a nation to digest. As simple as the problem may seem, even to the point of absurdity, it is obviously a problem that can only get worse.
As our economy plummets, so does the hope for reform for the current banking system that America and Canada currently use. The solutions that Grignon suggest may seem radical but anything that is going to cause a financial shift for the country is going to be. Obviously, going back to gold coins or silver bars is not going to work. We cannot, as a nation, continue to hoard money as individuals and trust the banks with physical money. As has been demonstrated by the video, the banks only create more money and therefore, more debt. The digital age that we have entered must be taken advantage of. The card solution may very well work, although it will take time. Money for labor may also be another solution that has some validity to it. But if we as a nation accept the fate of a plummeting monetary system, we are in for far worse times that we are currently experiencing. In order to prevent a fall to the Dark Ages, we must be smart and swift about the changes that need to be made in order to steer this country's economy and way of doing banking business in a new direction.
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