http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123793945676332341.html
I thought this article from this past Wednesday was good in relation to some conversation we have been having in class lately. I do not use Twitter, but do not what it is. Although it has become increasingly popular and is mentioned almost everywhere you turn, apparently it's ability to make profit may be minute. So what better wat to create profit than to somehow include advertising in people's "tweets?"
Basically, advertisers place bids to place their advertisements in tweets that mention specific words like iPod or NCAA. Then people who follow those people's twitters will see the advertisements while reading their updates. Advertising has really flooded everything around us, and anywhere there may not be advertising they are now finding ways to make their way there.
It is so crazy how much advertising there is around us. Just like in that presentation two weeks ago when we watched the clip on advertising placement in movies becoming a bit much, they are becoming a bit much everywhere. I am just curious as to how effective all this advertising even is. There has to be a point where the additional advertising does little to help the company. There has to be a point where the return diminishes in comparison to the money paid for the advertisements.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Are Looser Travel Restrictions Ahead?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123811752650153857.html#mod=todays_us_nonsub_weekendjournal
Since President Obama has been in office he has certainly been tackling a bunch of different tasks. One of the many things he has mentioned to do is to loosen travel restrictions to Cuba.
As you may know, Cuba is the only country in the world that does not allow Americans into its country, aside from reporters and relatives of Cubans. Now, Cuban Americans can visit Cuba once a year and can spend up to $179 a day. I thought this was interesting that they try to cap the amount of money you can spend in one day. Although, while reading the article it said you can get a great seafood dinner for $6, so maybe that amount in a day is reasonable.
Further loosening of travel and trade restrictions does not look too likely, but I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. I was surprised to read how many Americans visit Cuba illegally each year, as well as Cuba's visitor policies like no visas, etc. Being Mexican and Cuban myself, I know this kind of news has meant a lot for my family. My grandmother was born in Cuba and came to the US when she was 18 and has not returned since. Even though she has family in Cuba, it is still difficult to travel there.
I just thought this was an interesting story that was a little more personal for me and thought I would share the story with everyone. I hope to travel there one day, but would love it if the travel restrictions loosened up a little bit more by that time.
Since President Obama has been in office he has certainly been tackling a bunch of different tasks. One of the many things he has mentioned to do is to loosen travel restrictions to Cuba.
As you may know, Cuba is the only country in the world that does not allow Americans into its country, aside from reporters and relatives of Cubans. Now, Cuban Americans can visit Cuba once a year and can spend up to $179 a day. I thought this was interesting that they try to cap the amount of money you can spend in one day. Although, while reading the article it said you can get a great seafood dinner for $6, so maybe that amount in a day is reasonable.
Further loosening of travel and trade restrictions does not look too likely, but I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. I was surprised to read how many Americans visit Cuba illegally each year, as well as Cuba's visitor policies like no visas, etc. Being Mexican and Cuban myself, I know this kind of news has meant a lot for my family. My grandmother was born in Cuba and came to the US when she was 18 and has not returned since. Even though she has family in Cuba, it is still difficult to travel there.
I just thought this was an interesting story that was a little more personal for me and thought I would share the story with everyone. I hope to travel there one day, but would love it if the travel restrictions loosened up a little bit more by that time.
Friday, March 20, 2009
HBO Tries No Sex, New City
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123750922919090551.html#mod=todays_us_nonsub_weekendjournal
The network of 'The Sopranos' programs a different kind of family show
In the Weekend Journal of the WSJ on of the articles was focusing on HBO's new approach to one of their newest series of shows. They have created a show that is more family oriented, it's the network's only series that will air at 8 p.m.
HBO is trying a new approach to maintaining as well as capturing a new audience and they are taking approach that is more tasteful than some of its most recent episodes, of which included The Sopranos. I found this article to be interesting because it made me think about some of the topics we've talking about in class pertaining to media and ideology. We have mentioned that a lot of television networks and producers have stayed away from controversial subjects in order to keep viewers happy and to keep people watching.
I feel like television has become a lot less conservative with shows displaying controversial relationships and topics and some have become popular; however, now just like HBO, some networks are reverting to a family-oriented type of programming in order to capture more viewers. I do not subscribe to HBO but have watched several of their series and I think this might be a good approach for them with what they are trying to accomplish. The show is based off of a novel series and it sounds pretty interesting. I am curious to see if this new approach does for HBO what they hope and I will be sure to keep an eye out.
The network of 'The Sopranos' programs a different kind of family show
In the Weekend Journal of the WSJ on of the articles was focusing on HBO's new approach to one of their newest series of shows. They have created a show that is more family oriented, it's the network's only series that will air at 8 p.m.
HBO is trying a new approach to maintaining as well as capturing a new audience and they are taking approach that is more tasteful than some of its most recent episodes, of which included The Sopranos. I found this article to be interesting because it made me think about some of the topics we've talking about in class pertaining to media and ideology. We have mentioned that a lot of television networks and producers have stayed away from controversial subjects in order to keep viewers happy and to keep people watching.
I feel like television has become a lot less conservative with shows displaying controversial relationships and topics and some have become popular; however, now just like HBO, some networks are reverting to a family-oriented type of programming in order to capture more viewers. I do not subscribe to HBO but have watched several of their series and I think this might be a good approach for them with what they are trying to accomplish. The show is based off of a novel series and it sounds pretty interesting. I am curious to see if this new approach does for HBO what they hope and I will be sure to keep an eye out.
Just Say No....to Smarties? Faux Smoking Has Parents Fuming
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123750945477390601.html#mod=todays_us_nonsub_page_one
Crush Candy, Suck In Dust, Blow Out Puffs; Schools Fear It'll Make Cigarettes Cool
So, in today's issue of the WSJ I found this article and when I read the title I had to read the article. This is just more of an interesting, fun article, but I thought it was something the group might find interesting.
Basically, there is this new fad that has been going around middle school where kids "smoke" smarties. The way you smoke them is by crushing the candy until it is like a powder and then you suck it in from one end (not inhaling) and then just blow it out and it looks like smoke. Intersted in how popular this was I looked into it on Google and YouTube and there are a lot of videos teaching people how to smoke smarties.
Apparently it has parents really worries and school are banning it along the same lines as smoking cigarettes. There is no proof that it does any harm to anyone, I guess the sugar just dissolves and it really isn't a big deal. I suppose the bigger issue here is the fear of this fad making cigarettes popular among younger kids.
I have never heard of anything like that and am curious as to how it even started and spread so much. I am assuming the internet, that is the power it has. All it takes is one person to post one of those videos online and some of them have been views over 200,000 times!! That is a lot of people watching.
I do not think it is as big of a deal as maybe parents and school officials are making it out to be. I mean I played with those candy cigarettes growing up and I still eat them from time to time because my room mate loves them, but it never made me want to smoke. I think it's just kids being kids and I don't see the fad lasting that long. Nonetheless, an interesting read.
Crush Candy, Suck In Dust, Blow Out Puffs; Schools Fear It'll Make Cigarettes Cool
So, in today's issue of the WSJ I found this article and when I read the title I had to read the article. This is just more of an interesting, fun article, but I thought it was something the group might find interesting.
Basically, there is this new fad that has been going around middle school where kids "smoke" smarties. The way you smoke them is by crushing the candy until it is like a powder and then you suck it in from one end (not inhaling) and then just blow it out and it looks like smoke. Intersted in how popular this was I looked into it on Google and YouTube and there are a lot of videos teaching people how to smoke smarties.
Apparently it has parents really worries and school are banning it along the same lines as smoking cigarettes. There is no proof that it does any harm to anyone, I guess the sugar just dissolves and it really isn't a big deal. I suppose the bigger issue here is the fear of this fad making cigarettes popular among younger kids.
I have never heard of anything like that and am curious as to how it even started and spread so much. I am assuming the internet, that is the power it has. All it takes is one person to post one of those videos online and some of them have been views over 200,000 times!! That is a lot of people watching.
I do not think it is as big of a deal as maybe parents and school officials are making it out to be. I mean I played with those candy cigarettes growing up and I still eat them from time to time because my room mate loves them, but it never made me want to smoke. I think it's just kids being kids and I don't see the fad lasting that long. Nonetheless, an interesting read.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Littlest iPod Packs In Songs and Finds Its Voice
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123680765866800501.html?mod=todays_us_nonsub_pj
So the latest model of the iPod shuffle is smaller than AA battery or a house key! It holds twice as many songs as the previous model and now has a voice?! The voice is used to tell you the song title and artist of the song you are listening too, you can also have it recite upcoming songs to you so you can skip ahead to a song you want to hear right now. Since it has no screen this is a really great feature for this model of the iPod. But honeslty, it blows my mind.
Technology has really done some incredible things in recent history and although it's exciting, it is also kind of scary. With the progress and and capabilities that technologies are making in such little time, I can't even wrap my head around what could possibly be around in 40 years from now! Apple is definitely the most innovative company in the world, they have been ranked #1 several years in a row, with 3M and Microsoft taking #2 and #3 spots as most innovative companies in the world. It's just incredible what Apple has achieved with their iPod.
I am not too sure I would enjoy such a small music player, I would probably lose it among other things or sit, step, break it somehow. The article is really interesting to me and it really opens your eyes to the progress the iPod has made since brought into the world not that long ago. I remember my iPod Nano from my junior year in high school and then I look at my iPod Nano now, it's crazy the improvements that have been made!
I have watched this one video on YouTube several times that I think would tie into this article really well. It's called "Did You Know? 3.0" it is a video that talks about the progression of technology and the world today. It is really very interesting and I think everyone should watch it. Like I said before though, it's a little intimidating and scary to think about, but I guess what the future holds is meant to happen...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8
Anyway, as far as the iPod article goes I think it is amazing. How many more improvements and variations can really be made? I am excited to see what else they could possibly come up with.
So the latest model of the iPod shuffle is smaller than AA battery or a house key! It holds twice as many songs as the previous model and now has a voice?! The voice is used to tell you the song title and artist of the song you are listening too, you can also have it recite upcoming songs to you so you can skip ahead to a song you want to hear right now. Since it has no screen this is a really great feature for this model of the iPod. But honeslty, it blows my mind.
Technology has really done some incredible things in recent history and although it's exciting, it is also kind of scary. With the progress and and capabilities that technologies are making in such little time, I can't even wrap my head around what could possibly be around in 40 years from now! Apple is definitely the most innovative company in the world, they have been ranked #1 several years in a row, with 3M and Microsoft taking #2 and #3 spots as most innovative companies in the world. It's just incredible what Apple has achieved with their iPod.
I am not too sure I would enjoy such a small music player, I would probably lose it among other things or sit, step, break it somehow. The article is really interesting to me and it really opens your eyes to the progress the iPod has made since brought into the world not that long ago. I remember my iPod Nano from my junior year in high school and then I look at my iPod Nano now, it's crazy the improvements that have been made!
I have watched this one video on YouTube several times that I think would tie into this article really well. It's called "Did You Know? 3.0" it is a video that talks about the progression of technology and the world today. It is really very interesting and I think everyone should watch it. Like I said before though, it's a little intimidating and scary to think about, but I guess what the future holds is meant to happen...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8
Anyway, as far as the iPod article goes I think it is amazing. How many more improvements and variations can really be made? I am excited to see what else they could possibly come up with.
Madoff Pleads Guilty to Massive Fraud
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123685693449906551.html
Fallen Financier Apologizes; Judge Orders Jail, Revokes Bail
Well, there it is. Bernard L. Madoff is finally found guilty and is currently being jailed until sentencing in early- to mid-June. This has been really big news since word of the massive fraud came out this past December. This was (and still is) a huge news story covered by many outlets daily.
There is so much relief, or at least satisfaction, in the judges decision to jail Madoff with no bail in those that have lost so much money from this scandel. Unfortunately, all those affected have lost so much money and will not be getting it back. The only satisfaction they really can have is from Madoff's sentencing, and the fact that he will be jailed until that point makes those involved feel even better. The article also quotes some of Madoff's statements about how sorry and ashamed he is for his crimes. Give me a break! If he was so ashamed and felt so sorry he would not have carried it out for decades!! He also says he knew this day would inevitably come; to me, that's like well I thought I would hold out for as long as I could and see if I could get away with it. That's not being sorry. He knew he was robbing people of all this money and the situation only got worse over time. It's pretty ridiculous and I don't believe him. It's so easy to be sorry when you're caught doing something.
I do not think that this is a story that can be spun different by any news outlet. The construction done by the news no matter where you read or hear it from has the same story. This guy is a huge fraud and deserved to go away for life.
For me, I am just waiting for his accomplices to be prosecuted. There is no way this one guy is the only person in the whole business that knew about what was going on. It is mentioned in the article that his brothers and sons, even his wife all worked for him. Did they really have no clue? The sons are the ones who turned him in, but if I were him I would try and save my family too.
I think it's all so crazy. I am glad this issue has finally been addressed and he is getting what he deserves. His sentencing can be up to 150 years in prison, I have no doubt he'll spend the rest of his life there. I just feel so bad about the investors who trusted in this person and their firm. It's also scary because it just makes people trust less in a time when the economy needs people to not be scared to invest there money or it will be slow getting back to a stable economy. With situations like this happening, I don't think it's looking good.
Fallen Financier Apologizes; Judge Orders Jail, Revokes Bail
Well, there it is. Bernard L. Madoff is finally found guilty and is currently being jailed until sentencing in early- to mid-June. This has been really big news since word of the massive fraud came out this past December. This was (and still is) a huge news story covered by many outlets daily.
There is so much relief, or at least satisfaction, in the judges decision to jail Madoff with no bail in those that have lost so much money from this scandel. Unfortunately, all those affected have lost so much money and will not be getting it back. The only satisfaction they really can have is from Madoff's sentencing, and the fact that he will be jailed until that point makes those involved feel even better. The article also quotes some of Madoff's statements about how sorry and ashamed he is for his crimes. Give me a break! If he was so ashamed and felt so sorry he would not have carried it out for decades!! He also says he knew this day would inevitably come; to me, that's like well I thought I would hold out for as long as I could and see if I could get away with it. That's not being sorry. He knew he was robbing people of all this money and the situation only got worse over time. It's pretty ridiculous and I don't believe him. It's so easy to be sorry when you're caught doing something.
I do not think that this is a story that can be spun different by any news outlet. The construction done by the news no matter where you read or hear it from has the same story. This guy is a huge fraud and deserved to go away for life.
For me, I am just waiting for his accomplices to be prosecuted. There is no way this one guy is the only person in the whole business that knew about what was going on. It is mentioned in the article that his brothers and sons, even his wife all worked for him. Did they really have no clue? The sons are the ones who turned him in, but if I were him I would try and save my family too.
I think it's all so crazy. I am glad this issue has finally been addressed and he is getting what he deserves. His sentencing can be up to 150 years in prison, I have no doubt he'll spend the rest of his life there. I just feel so bad about the investors who trusted in this person and their firm. It's also scary because it just makes people trust less in a time when the economy needs people to not be scared to invest there money or it will be slow getting back to a stable economy. With situations like this happening, I don't think it's looking good.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
In Ads, 1 Out of 5 Stats Is Bogus*
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123672828150888771.html
*Actually, It's Misleading, Incomplete or Obscured in Fine Print that Few People Read
So, this article was located in the Currents section of the first section in the WSJ. The article is focusing on how the "downward-spiraling economy" has had an effect on advertising for many food products. Some of the prime examples used in the article are Progresso vs. Campbell's, Domino's vs. Subway, and Burger King vs. McDonald's. Since the economy is in a recession and there is not as much cash flow to grow these food company's, they have begun trying to take their competition's pieces of the pie. If they cannot grow within the industry, they have to gain market share and grow within the current size of the industry pie.
Honestly, this has been an advertising tactic for decades. I remember watching commercials when I was a kid asking the audience why they take 6 Tylenols when they could be taking only 2 Advils to do the same job. I do; however, think that today's advertisers are stretching their boundaries a little in comparison advertising. As far as medicine goes, it is more scientific and easier to prove. Comparing Tums to Alka-Seltzer, or Tylenol Cold PM to Nyquil. These type of comparisons can be proven in studies. On the other hand, food comparison ads are more subjective based on "taste testing." The article talks about how some of the companies are not willing to show their research to support their claims.
It is becoming more and more prevalent in the food advertisements that they compare their tastes to the competition. Most recently has been Dunkin Donuts vs. Starbucks. How seriously can consumers take these ads though? Are we supposed to believe the numbers, and just because most people enjoy one taste over another says nothing for the consumer personally. Many people have already had a BK Whopper and McDonald's Big Mac in their life, some of these decisions are already made and I do not see how these ads really benefit some of the companies that do it. Domino's vs. Subway is a little more understandable because Domino's has this new product that they're trying to break into the market with, but even here I don't think people really ever compare in their minds Subway or Dominos.
We've talked about consumerism in class and the effect of advertisements on society. As stated in our presentation last class, just because the economy is facing a recession doesn't downplay advertisements, it just changes the way of advertising. More and more advertisements today focus on prices and getting the most value for your money. Or, like the food industry, advertisements have begun attacking the competition more and more. It is a tough time for the marketplace and to maintain a large share in your industry, and nearly impossible to really grow right now. I guess it's survival of the fitest, or at least survival of the most convincing.
*Actually, It's Misleading, Incomplete or Obscured in Fine Print that Few People Read
So, this article was located in the Currents section of the first section in the WSJ. The article is focusing on how the "downward-spiraling economy" has had an effect on advertising for many food products. Some of the prime examples used in the article are Progresso vs. Campbell's, Domino's vs. Subway, and Burger King vs. McDonald's. Since the economy is in a recession and there is not as much cash flow to grow these food company's, they have begun trying to take their competition's pieces of the pie. If they cannot grow within the industry, they have to gain market share and grow within the current size of the industry pie.
Honestly, this has been an advertising tactic for decades. I remember watching commercials when I was a kid asking the audience why they take 6 Tylenols when they could be taking only 2 Advils to do the same job. I do; however, think that today's advertisers are stretching their boundaries a little in comparison advertising. As far as medicine goes, it is more scientific and easier to prove. Comparing Tums to Alka-Seltzer, or Tylenol Cold PM to Nyquil. These type of comparisons can be proven in studies. On the other hand, food comparison ads are more subjective based on "taste testing." The article talks about how some of the companies are not willing to show their research to support their claims.
It is becoming more and more prevalent in the food advertisements that they compare their tastes to the competition. Most recently has been Dunkin Donuts vs. Starbucks. How seriously can consumers take these ads though? Are we supposed to believe the numbers, and just because most people enjoy one taste over another says nothing for the consumer personally. Many people have already had a BK Whopper and McDonald's Big Mac in their life, some of these decisions are already made and I do not see how these ads really benefit some of the companies that do it. Domino's vs. Subway is a little more understandable because Domino's has this new product that they're trying to break into the market with, but even here I don't think people really ever compare in their minds Subway or Dominos.
We've talked about consumerism in class and the effect of advertisements on society. As stated in our presentation last class, just because the economy is facing a recession doesn't downplay advertisements, it just changes the way of advertising. More and more advertisements today focus on prices and getting the most value for your money. Or, like the food industry, advertisements have begun attacking the competition more and more. It is a tough time for the marketplace and to maintain a large share in your industry, and nearly impossible to really grow right now. I guess it's survival of the fitest, or at least survival of the most convincing.
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