I believe that online marketing can cover anything online. This covers banner ads on the top of the websites, ads at the beginning of YouTube videos, and any shared messages or videos on social networking. Traditional marketing would be anything not online, such as billboards, television commercials, flyers, etc.
The main difference is that viral marketing works better in online marketing. Viral marketing relies on the sharing of a message, like a video, to reach the target audience. A single flyer can reach at least one person, but it likely won't reach more than a household of people. However, a video shared on Facebook can reach millions of people. This is especially true when there is interest and interactivity in the video. A good example is the Ice Bucket Challenge. Everyone was eager to post a video of a friend dumping a bucket of ice on them. They would then tag a few friends, who would go on to do the challenge themselves.
These challenges do a great job of getting the message out. However, I am not sure how much they do to actually sell goods or, in the case of the Ice Bucket Challenge, raise money. Now everyone remembers the challenge, but how many people remember it was for ALS? Or how many people actually know what the disease is or helped the cause?
To determine how effective online and viral marketing depends on what the company wants out of it. I know that I enjoyed watching the Dove "Love Your Body" commercials, however this did not make me go out and by any of their products. I didn't even visit their website. But now a greater number of people can recognize the brand.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Fair and Transformative Use featuring Girl Talk
Fair Use allows a person to copy part of a copyrighted material for criticism, news reporting, teaching, and research. Under Fair Use, the user does not need to ask for permission or pay a fee to use the material. For example, Dr. Lou can copy part of a textbook for the class to read for educational purposes without needing to ask permission from the author of the book.
Transformative Use is a newer addition to Fair Use laws, that allows a person to copy part of a copyrighted material without permission or payment to the copyright holder if they transform the work into something new and original. It must hold a completely different meaning than that of the original work.
Girl Talk takes parts of well known songs and transforms them into one new song. Under Transformative Use, he should be protected because he transforms these bits of songs into something completely different than that of the original song.
This seems to be no different than a research paper building off of the knowledge of writers before them. Not once in my college career did I need to ask permission or need to pay a fee to quote another research paper in my own paper. It was always allowed so long as I cited the source.
The difference in Girl Talk and a research paper boils down to money. The people who are angry at Girl Talk are the corporations that could make millions of dollars if they were able to charge Girl Talk for each song that he uses in creating his own music. However, the people who go see Girl Talk in concert are going to hear what he has created from taking bits and pieces from other music. They are not going to listen to that one clip he borrowed from Jay-Z, because it is not comparable to Jay-Z's music or concerts. He has created something completely new and expanded on what we consider music. For this he, and other "samplers", should be allowed to continue to create new music and protected under Transformative and Fair Use laws.
Transformative Use is a newer addition to Fair Use laws, that allows a person to copy part of a copyrighted material without permission or payment to the copyright holder if they transform the work into something new and original. It must hold a completely different meaning than that of the original work.
Girl Talk takes parts of well known songs and transforms them into one new song. Under Transformative Use, he should be protected because he transforms these bits of songs into something completely different than that of the original song.
This seems to be no different than a research paper building off of the knowledge of writers before them. Not once in my college career did I need to ask permission or need to pay a fee to quote another research paper in my own paper. It was always allowed so long as I cited the source.
The difference in Girl Talk and a research paper boils down to money. The people who are angry at Girl Talk are the corporations that could make millions of dollars if they were able to charge Girl Talk for each song that he uses in creating his own music. However, the people who go see Girl Talk in concert are going to hear what he has created from taking bits and pieces from other music. They are not going to listen to that one clip he borrowed from Jay-Z, because it is not comparable to Jay-Z's music or concerts. He has created something completely new and expanded on what we consider music. For this he, and other "samplers", should be allowed to continue to create new music and protected under Transformative and Fair Use laws.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Interactivity and Internet Communication
7 Important Interactive Design Trends for 2015
Here is a list of what Michael Meder thinks are the emerging trends for interactive website designs in 2015.
1. Mobile First Responsive Design
While this isn't a new trend, it is important to recognize the strength in the mobile audience. They mobile audience is about to outnumber the desktop audience, so websites must learn to cater to them. This presents difficulties with one code that will work perfectly across many devices.
2. Flat Design
Have you noticed the slight change in the look of your apps on your iPhone as you upgrade to the new one each year? The design is called flat design and gained momentum over the last couple year. This trend is catered to the mobile audience, since icons now have clean typography, are easily scalable, and a small memory footprint.
3. Responsive Interactive Infographics (aka Webgraphics)
This trend has taken infographics and made them interactive. The new infographic style, or webgraphic, creates a memorable and fun experience by adding interactive elements and animations.
4. Focus on Typography
As previously mentioned, in the past year responsive design and flat design have become increasingly popular as to make sure that sites are consistent across all platforms.
5. Long Pages, Shallow Websites
Websites are starting to include only a single-page long-scrolling experience. This again caters to the mobile user, who wants to scroll rather than click to experience a webpage. Websites like Tumblr and Pinterest come to mind, that you can endlessly scroll without ever have to click on something to gain more information.
6. Bigger Images
Over the past couple years more designers are using full screen images, and is now showing up on mobile platforms as well.
7. Video Backgrounds
This trend is not seen on mobile because of certain restraints. Websites like Square Space and Take Your Pulse use engaging video backgrounds to add personality to a layout.
I think it is important to note that most of these trends are focused on the mobile user and making sure that websites are consistent among all platforms. This shows the extent that the internet is in our life. Many of us cannot stand to leave our phones at home, or to not look at our phone multiple times within an hour. The internet is connected to us almost every second of every day. You no longer need to startup a bulky desktop computer to access it. So it makes sense that interactivity would shift to encompass the shift from desktop to mobile users, while still ensuring that you get the same experience on your phone or your desktop. The way we communicate with and on the internet is still evolving as we move towards a more mobile internet.
Measuring interactivity with these new trends may be a bit more difficult. One way to measure interactivity would be to have viewers fill out surveys after a couple seconds on the website to see how much they have enjoyed it. This could be tricky because you don't want to annoy the user with a pop up or discourage interactivity, but you would want to see want features they like or didn't like and if they had fun with it. You can also measure how long a user was on the site and with a heatmap for where the mouse was, or finger in the case of mobile phones, to see how much they interacted with the website.
Here is a list of what Michael Meder thinks are the emerging trends for interactive website designs in 2015.
1. Mobile First Responsive Design
While this isn't a new trend, it is important to recognize the strength in the mobile audience. They mobile audience is about to outnumber the desktop audience, so websites must learn to cater to them. This presents difficulties with one code that will work perfectly across many devices.
2. Flat Design
Have you noticed the slight change in the look of your apps on your iPhone as you upgrade to the new one each year? The design is called flat design and gained momentum over the last couple year. This trend is catered to the mobile audience, since icons now have clean typography, are easily scalable, and a small memory footprint.
3. Responsive Interactive Infographics (aka Webgraphics)
This trend has taken infographics and made them interactive. The new infographic style, or webgraphic, creates a memorable and fun experience by adding interactive elements and animations.
4. Focus on Typography
As previously mentioned, in the past year responsive design and flat design have become increasingly popular as to make sure that sites are consistent across all platforms.
5. Long Pages, Shallow Websites
Websites are starting to include only a single-page long-scrolling experience. This again caters to the mobile user, who wants to scroll rather than click to experience a webpage. Websites like Tumblr and Pinterest come to mind, that you can endlessly scroll without ever have to click on something to gain more information.
6. Bigger Images
Over the past couple years more designers are using full screen images, and is now showing up on mobile platforms as well.
7. Video Backgrounds
This trend is not seen on mobile because of certain restraints. Websites like Square Space and Take Your Pulse use engaging video backgrounds to add personality to a layout.
I think it is important to note that most of these trends are focused on the mobile user and making sure that websites are consistent among all platforms. This shows the extent that the internet is in our life. Many of us cannot stand to leave our phones at home, or to not look at our phone multiple times within an hour. The internet is connected to us almost every second of every day. You no longer need to startup a bulky desktop computer to access it. So it makes sense that interactivity would shift to encompass the shift from desktop to mobile users, while still ensuring that you get the same experience on your phone or your desktop. The way we communicate with and on the internet is still evolving as we move towards a more mobile internet.
Measuring interactivity with these new trends may be a bit more difficult. One way to measure interactivity would be to have viewers fill out surveys after a couple seconds on the website to see how much they have enjoyed it. This could be tricky because you don't want to annoy the user with a pop up or discourage interactivity, but you would want to see want features they like or didn't like and if they had fun with it. You can also measure how long a user was on the site and with a heatmap for where the mouse was, or finger in the case of mobile phones, to see how much they interacted with the website.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Information and Networks
I agree with Reed's Law the most as it applies to Web 2.0 and how the majority of people use media today. The way people interact with the internet has changed and therefore their power has changed. Reed's Law states that the utility of a network with n members increases exponentially. This explains why videos, such as the ice bucket challenge, go viral. In this example, one person started a video and then posted it for his "friends" on Facebook to see. Then his/her friends could share their video version of the ice bucket challenge with their "friends." With each share, the network of people that this video reaches grows exponentially.
However, I also believe that Sarnoff's Law and Metcalfe's Law are valid when discussing specific networks. Sarnoff's Law states that the value of network increases linearly with the number of people on it. This works with traditional television shows. The power of a television show is based on the number of people who watch it. So if 50 people watch a show, then advertisement on the show would have the power to reach 50 people.
Metcalfe's Law states that a communication network with n number, each member can make n-1 connections. So its power is roughly to its square. For example on a phone network increases with each user. A single phone is useless, but the more people on it the more valuable the network.
Five years from now I think our smart phones will be more advanced so that they know how we are feeling. It will be able to sort through information and present what I would want to see in that moment. Although I hope that we have a way to block what information we don't want in the moment. I also believe there will be a bigger shift to put everything online and smart phone compatible. Laptops are already becoming too cumbersome to carry around. It is easier to access everything from my smart phone.
However, I also believe that Sarnoff's Law and Metcalfe's Law are valid when discussing specific networks. Sarnoff's Law states that the value of network increases linearly with the number of people on it. This works with traditional television shows. The power of a television show is based on the number of people who watch it. So if 50 people watch a show, then advertisement on the show would have the power to reach 50 people.
Metcalfe's Law states that a communication network with n number, each member can make n-1 connections. So its power is roughly to its square. For example on a phone network increases with each user. A single phone is useless, but the more people on it the more valuable the network.
Five years from now I think our smart phones will be more advanced so that they know how we are feeling. It will be able to sort through information and present what I would want to see in that moment. Although I hope that we have a way to block what information we don't want in the moment. I also believe there will be a bigger shift to put everything online and smart phone compatible. Laptops are already becoming too cumbersome to carry around. It is easier to access everything from my smart phone.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
"Generation Like"
1. Using examples from the documentary to explain these terms "engagement," "interaction," "reach," and "target."
Engagement is participating within the online community. It may be as basic as watching a video or liking and commenting on a picture your friend posted on FaceBook. The teenagers at the beginning of the video were engaging onling.
Interaction is communicating within an online community. Many YouTubers interact with their viewers by responding to comments or answering questions in their videos like Tyler Oakley and the female singer.
Reach is how many people view your content. For example, the skateboarder who had hundreds of thousands of likes on his videos has a large reach. However, his friend did not have as large of a reach because he only had hundreds of views.
Target is the audience the marketer or advertiser is going after. In most cases, like the Hunger Games movie, the target are teenagers as they can achieve brand loyalty.
2. Explain what "Like"ing someone's post on Facebook means to you.
"Like"ing someone's post on Facebook is as easy as clicking a button. It means that I genuinely gained some positive experience from seeing it. I also know that if I "Like" something a person posts, they will feel better and noticed in the vast world of social media.
3. Does knowing others "Like" what you "Like" influence you? Explain.
Knowing what others "Like" does influence me. It may influence me trying a new product or new restaurant, because I trust their opinions. It also can change the way I present myself on social media. For example, if something does not get a lot of "Likes" I may take it down or delete it. However if something is liked a lot, I will try to mimic what made that post successful. Gaining those likes makes me feel more confident and can be empowering.
4. Explain the concept of "influencer."
An influencer is someone who has gained a lot of popularity online and can influence people's opinions or purchases. Tyler Oakley is an influencer. He has gained lots of followers and by liking a movie he can influence many other people to see that movie.
5. Explain how marketing Oreo along with a current issue helped the sale of Oreo.
People identify with issues that a prevalent in their life. For many people, the current issue of gay rights is very important to them. So by associating an Oreo with marriage equality and gay rights allows for those people to connect with the company. The then like this image and feel noticed by the company and important.
6. How do companies use social media to advertise?
Companies pay attention to what people, especially, teens are viewing and liking to learn about what is trending. Through this, they learn about their customers and potential customers. It is valuable information. They can then associate their product with what is trending to generate profit.
7. How are marketers using social media to build a 'brand "trust"'?
Marketers build brand trust with social media through sponsoring people that many people pay attention to. Because people trust this person, they will buy the product. They also ask consumers subtly to share and market their product sometimes with incentives, such as a chance to win concert tickets. This then creates brand loyalty.
8. How do celebrities use social media to advertise?
Celebrities use social media to reach followers who like the same thing they do. It makes the celebrity seem more down to earth by allowing their fans into their daily life. The celebrity can gain a brand endorsement by learning about what most of their fans like.
9. What is Corporate Sponsorship?
Corporate Sponsorship is when a company, like Pepsi, gives products to a famous person with a lot of views. This person will then show this product in a video, as subtly as drinking a can of Pepsi or as blatantly as wearing a Pepsi jersey.
10. Are marketers being transparent or invisible when using technology as described in the documentary?
Marketers try to give the illusion of being transparent. No one likes being force fed content, so it must feel natural for the consumer to buy in. However they mostly sit behind the scenes manipulating this content in order to gain the most views, likes, and followers. It is a strategy to them.
11. How is the Hunger Games plot a lot like advertising using social media?
In the Hunger Games, there are the teenagers who are forced to compete for entertainment of the Capital. Social media advertising has noticed how teens use social media and are able to use them to market their products though Facebook likes and tweets. Fans then want the company or celebrity to notice them, so the post as much as they can while volunteering their own content. This content is then used by the company to advertise and create more fans. They are essentially sitting back in the control room and letting the fans create content for them in order to win the most likes.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Welcome!
This is my blog for my Internet Communications class. I am a senior business management major with a concentration in entrepreneurship at Appalachian State University. Go Mountaineers!
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