Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Oscars 2011!!!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Personalization
Ebony Chappel
Personalization
Personalization is defined as being; the customization of products and or services for individuals on a large scale. We can see the evidence of personalization all across our digital and multimedia sphere. At any given moment consumers are organizing digital music playlists, cueing up television shows, adjusting preferences on social media profiles, amongst other things all according to their own personal tastes.
I noticed a while back that my computer seemed to be speaking to me and it somehow knew what I wanted before I had even asked. This of course was a bit offsetting at first but I have learned to be more comfortable with it and it has even stirred up the curious cat in me.
Some of the things I wondered were:
· Why is this information useful to companies?
· How is this information organized?
· What demographic breakdowns are significant in this situation?
(age, race, sex, etc.)
Why is this Information Useful?
The goal of every company is to convince consumers to use their product, be satisfied, and continue to use them, thus building brand loyalty. The Internet is an invaluable source as far as this is concerned. According to NAS Recruitment Communications; in 2009 over half of American households had high-speed Internet. [1] Studies have also shown that consumers in younger age demographics tend to spend more time online as opposed to in front of the television, which would explain what their primary source of both entertainment and information is.
It should go without saying here that having a strong online presence is a must for any company that plans on staying on a first name basis with today’s consumer. Social media such as Facebook have created a platform for businesses to interact with the consumer first hand. However, social media pundits such as Jay Baer of Convince & Convert, find that customization, on Facebook in particular, is a ‘wasted effort’. [2]
“The time, money, and overall exertion being spent on customizing Facebook fan pages is largely misspent. The fact is that in almost every case, the one and only time your fans visit your Facebook page is when they initially “like” the page. After that, all touch points between the brand and the fan are conducted in the Facebook News Feed.”
– Jay Baer
Although there is a valid point being made here about the significance of customization, I would not discount its importance in this way. To rely solely on this web presence is not what I believe the goal is with companies. It is a compliment to what is already happening if nothing else.
By convincing consumers to become fans and participate in this synergy between buyer and seller, businesses are able to key in on what it is that we want and also what we could do without. For example, I became a fan of St. Ives on Facebook and by doing so I was able to find out about new products and also get links to coupons and special offers. The absolute best feature had to be the direct back and forth communication with St. Ives. I could log on and write on their page about a product I love that has unfortunately been discontinued and receive a timely reply message with an answer and also a suggestion to help fill the void of that particular missing toiletry.
Another personal example of mine would have to be an unsatisfactory experience at a local Taco Bell. I tweeted about the poor service on my Twitter profile and I immediately had Taco Bell begin to follow my tweets. This sort of symbiotic relationship between buyer and seller makes customization and personalization even more significant, useful, and desirable in every facet of digital life. By broadcasting what we like and how we like it via social platforms, advertisers become better suited to cater to our every need.
How is this Information Organized
A fairly unknown company [x+1] Inc. knows far more about you currently then you currently know about them. I know that last statement may have come across a bit cryptic but the entire process by which they acquire this information is also
"We never don't know anything about someone,"
John Nardone, [x+1]'s chief executive
According to their website, [x+1] “works with brands, agencies and media companies to determine the most valuable customer attributes (those characteristics that indicate who is most likely to respond favorably) and then interact with those people when and where they are online.” [3]
Initially, after reading about [x+1], I was worried about being prejudged according to some company’s calculations about what type of customer I am and whether or not I was worthy of a company’s time or effort. After realizing what the future holds for my desired field of work however, I was pretty excited at all the possibilities. According to a Wall Street Journal investigation
“the analytical skill of data handlers like [x+1] is transforming the Internet into a place where people are becoming anonymous in name only. The findings offer an early glimpse of a new, personalized Internet where sites have the ability to adjust many things—look, content, prices—based on the kind of person they think you are.” [4]
The topic of price discrimination also came up although it is illegal in terms of race, religion, gender, and marital status among other things. This does not stop race from becoming a customization criterion in other situations. In a February press release, Verizon Wireless, revealed their plans for a campaign geared at African-Americans, based on research surrounding trends in customization. [5]
“Extensive market research in key African-American consumer markets guided the development of the campaign. Findings showed that African-American consumers have a long history of customizing and personalizing their environments, from music and other artistic expressions to fashion to personal living spaces and more. As a result, Verizon's new campaign, with the theme "Personalize Life," portrays ways in which African-Americans can customize products and services from Verizon to fit their lifestyle and their needs.”
After further hunting, it seems as if Verizon has altogether abandoned their campaign, which is unfortunate in my opinion. I do feel, however, that continuing to use lifestyle choices as opposed to racial identity could prove to be better for creating effective strategies on how to market to a specific consumer group.
Personalization and customization is not about what is going to happen. It is what is happening right now. The synergistic and symbiotic ties between the single consumer and the single producer of goods and/or services is extremely fascinating and will continue to create more opportunities for perfecting our day to day experiences.
1. "Internet Usage in the United States." www.nasrecruitment.com . N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov 2010. http://www.nasrecruitment.com/docs/white_papers/Internet_Usage_United_States.pdf
2. Baer, Jay. "Digital Sharecropping – Why Most Facebook Customization is Wasted Effort." Convince&Convert , October 27, 2010. Web. 14 Nov 2010.
3. "About Us." [x+1]. X Plus One , n.d. Web. 15 Nov 2010.
4. Steel, Emily . "On the Web's Cutting Edge, Anonymity in Name Only." Wall Street Journal August 4, 2010: n. pag. Web. 15 Nov 2010.
5. "Verizon Launches New African-American Ad Campaign That Touts Customization." PR Newswire February 14, 2010: n. pag. Web. 15 Nov 2010.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Fear In The Media
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Vampire Craze
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiGySzy_Au4
Teen Pregnancy in the Media
kyle, marisha, brittany, katie, mike
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Oops, I need one more :/
When we read the Baghdad Burning blogs in class I was so struck by the words and the stories they told. I enjoyed our in class discussion. I think a variety of valid points were made. We talked primarily about the validity of the blogs as a news source. And even though I understand other people's points of view I think what is still the most important part of the blogs to me is their message and that it is getting out there. The novelty of a woman (or a woman's point of view) being told in the middle of a major conflict in an area of the world where supposedly women are oppressed was so awesome to me.
Then I went to my favorite website, Amazon (yikes, I know right?), to see if the book forms of the blogs were on there and one of my favorite Amazon features 'Other customers also bought' popped up a bunch of books about womens' perspectives of major conflicts. Now some of them were fiction but many were not. And this got me to thinking about how we aren't really made aware of these books. We know about the latest Nora Roberts and Dan Brown books but not about these stories of real life struggles by women. And I wonder why? I know that most people (myself included) who read for pleasure want to escape to a less complicated world but it seems to me that the real life struggles should be more emphasize in curriculums and by the media. Basically this all boils down to concerns about the superficiality of our society. (No judgment here, I can be as superficial as the next, just wonderings.)
Okay, I really think this is my last one.
Peace
Corporate Control
It saddens me that as a whole we're okay with this. When i bring up media ownership around my family or some of my peers I'm left with blank stares. Whether they aren't understanding the severity of what I'm saying, they don't understand, of if they just don't care, I'm not quite sure.
The fact that my scriptwriting and my creative writing professors are trying to train me to write what is popular and what is successful rather than just working on teaching me how to create sickens me as well. People talk about how they hate government control so much, but the media has become it's own government, and the only way to be a part of it's dictatorship is to buy yourself in.
South Park
Raising the Youth: T.V.'s New Power
We all know that the media is filled with debauchery, drugs, and disorder. So don't let the television raise your fucking kids. As a parent you have every right to control what television your child consumes. For crying out loud, every television set bigger than 13 inches that has come out since January of 2000 has been installed with a v-chip. The v-chip is a device that gives parents the power to choose what programs they find acceptable for their children. Most satellite and cable boxes come with the same features. If you care so much about what your children are being exposed to then quit bitching and do something about it. BLOCK IT. It is not the media's responsibility to raise the nation's children, plain and true. While I understand that it is hard to escape the media and it's messages, it is the parent's responsibility to put a good head on their children's shoulders. Would you rather your children's morals be instilled by you or the box that vomits up what corporations want you to hear in your living room? I hope that people can become conscious consumers and can pass that mindset on to their children. Again we all know what deviance lurks on television, and we know we don’t have to watch it. We need to be able to take certain things with a grain of salt and understand that they are entertainment in it’s simplest form. So watch your Jersey Shore, but don't live your life by the messages of that and other similar programs.