Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Temporary Break
Good Afternoon all!! I have to come to the final week of this term which will mean that I will not be posting as often. I would like to say that I am sad that this portion of this my blog posting has come to a halt for now, but I would be lying. The reason for this is because now that this term is facing its conclusion means that I am one step closer to graduating from Troy University (again!!), but this time it's with my Masters! Who would have thought that?! I have thoroughly enjoyed discussing various topics with you from the way companies and people brand themselves to all of the new technology that faces us. I have no doubt that when I resume this blog there will be some form of new media making its appearance. Let's face it, everytime we turn around there is some new gadget that has taken the whole world by storm! That's just the way of the world these days and we have no choice but to accept it. If you care to go back and read some of my postings please do and let me know what you think. I would love to hear your thoughts! As we sit and talk about new technology it leads me to think about the fact that new technology is the reason why I am sitting here obtaining my Masters Degree and speaking to you all through a blog. The world in which we live in provides me with the ability to go to school and is the purpose of my job (I am a Social Media Coordinator), which is pretty astounding. 20 years ago none of this was happening, but now it is the norm. The technology of today provides us the ability to reach out to people in a way that we haven't been able to before and achieve things that used to not even be thought about. I will speak to you all soon, but for now I am signing off!
Friday, May 10, 2013
It's All in the Parenting
The topic of technology and children has not always been a hot topic because, well...there hasn't always been technology. At least of the magnitude there is today. It has only been in the last 15 years or so that the debate about children and technology have come into play. I can understand why there is such a debate because in my opinion technology has changed the way things are done. For instance, I cannot walk down the street without seeing some teeny bopper on his/her telephone. Honestly, it drives me nuts. These kids can be no more than 12 and they have more gadgets and gizmos than I do. Am I the only one that thinks there is something wrong with that? They have no sense of real communicaiton with the public because everything they do is online and through Facebook, which is not a good thing. This will only create problems in their future because if they cannot communicate properly how can we expect them to make something of themselves?
If we are on the topic of children and technology I will bring to light something that I do not agree with. There seem to be continuous debates that surround the topic of children and violence distributed through technology. I can understand how some people may think this may cause some problems, but honestly it's just something that I cannot agree with. Sure, the violence on television and through XBox games are more available to the public than they were, perhaps 30 years ago, but let's face it...it's nothing to new to our culture. If I recall there was a movie called Psycho in the early 1960's, then of course there was The Shining in the early 80's and an earlier version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Violent movies and violence are nothing new on television, so I do not understand why people are making such a big deal of it now. Personally, I think they are trying to blame someone or something else other than themselves. "It can't possibly be my parenting skills. It's definitely the video games." Now, do I think there are some people that are just so screwed up in the head that no matter what has been said or taught it will do them no good? Yes, I do. The people that can go into a school and kill 16 innocent young children have a serious problem; it goes way beyond playing Halo on an XBox.
I am going to use my brother as an example. My brother is 15 years old. He has an XBox and a Playstation 2. His favorite game is Halo. Guess what folks...he is perfectly normal. He doesn't draw creepy pictures or make obscene statements. He is also a huge outdoorsman. One of his favorite outdoor activities is hunting. Throughout the months of October-January and March-April you will hardly see that boy without his .243. I am mentioning all of this because he enjoys doing the things that people say increase violence in young people.
I do think that children and technology is a problem, but not because of the violence issue. I would like to say it will not stay this way forever, but that is not the case. There will be more inventions and more hand held gadgets that everyone must have and the children that have access to these will become younger and younger. It is a problem when you look to your right and see a five year old playing with an IPhone. Honestly, what five-year old needs an IPhone? There isn't a single child that is of that age that needs one. What this is doing to the younger generation is teaching them that they do not have to communicate face-to-face. The other night at a restaurant I witnessed an older gentleman with his three grandchildren; two of them were boys and looked to be around 13 years old. They were not paying him any attention and just sat there in the booth playing on their phones. Unfortunately, this is a trend in today's society and the only people that can stop it are the parents. It all comes back to the parents, doesn't it?
If we are on the topic of children and technology I will bring to light something that I do not agree with. There seem to be continuous debates that surround the topic of children and violence distributed through technology. I can understand how some people may think this may cause some problems, but honestly it's just something that I cannot agree with. Sure, the violence on television and through XBox games are more available to the public than they were, perhaps 30 years ago, but let's face it...it's nothing to new to our culture. If I recall there was a movie called Psycho in the early 1960's, then of course there was The Shining in the early 80's and an earlier version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Violent movies and violence are nothing new on television, so I do not understand why people are making such a big deal of it now. Personally, I think they are trying to blame someone or something else other than themselves. "It can't possibly be my parenting skills. It's definitely the video games." Now, do I think there are some people that are just so screwed up in the head that no matter what has been said or taught it will do them no good? Yes, I do. The people that can go into a school and kill 16 innocent young children have a serious problem; it goes way beyond playing Halo on an XBox.
I am going to use my brother as an example. My brother is 15 years old. He has an XBox and a Playstation 2. His favorite game is Halo. Guess what folks...he is perfectly normal. He doesn't draw creepy pictures or make obscene statements. He is also a huge outdoorsman. One of his favorite outdoor activities is hunting. Throughout the months of October-January and March-April you will hardly see that boy without his .243. I am mentioning all of this because he enjoys doing the things that people say increase violence in young people.
I do think that children and technology is a problem, but not because of the violence issue. I would like to say it will not stay this way forever, but that is not the case. There will be more inventions and more hand held gadgets that everyone must have and the children that have access to these will become younger and younger. It is a problem when you look to your right and see a five year old playing with an IPhone. Honestly, what five-year old needs an IPhone? There isn't a single child that is of that age that needs one. What this is doing to the younger generation is teaching them that they do not have to communicate face-to-face. The other night at a restaurant I witnessed an older gentleman with his three grandchildren; two of them were boys and looked to be around 13 years old. They were not paying him any attention and just sat there in the booth playing on their phones. Unfortunately, this is a trend in today's society and the only people that can stop it are the parents. It all comes back to the parents, doesn't it?
Saturday, May 4, 2013
It's All in the Image (Or Black Chiffon...)
When you think about branding your mind either goes to branding a cow (my neck of the woods) or what type of brand your company has. The latter will be the discussion for this week. Honestly, I have not ever paid much attention or given much thought to a companies branding. It's not that I haven't noticed, but in all honesty it's not one of those things that has not lingered at the forefront of my brain. That has all changed this week because it has been brought up as topic of discussion in my graduate school class. When you delve into the world of marketing it is pretty cool how different companies brand themselves to the public. For instance, Troy University markets itself to the public as a university that will do more than just teach students and give them a diploma; they will teach young people how to act in a way that demonstrates good character. Their slogan, "Educate the mind to think, the heart to feel, the body to act" is seen on practically every billboard that is advertising Troy.
I suppose that branding has taken a new turn with the explosion of social media in our world. That is to be expected because businesses don't have to depend solely on billboards and magazine ads. It is a new day when you can post an advertisement on youtube and then share it on facebook or twitter. It is automatically delievered to your followers and they then know what the company is about or if they are rebranding. I just mentioned "rebranding" and that leads me into another thought. When I was doing my internship, CMT was right in the middle of the rebranding process. They were changing the colors, the styles of the logo, etc... It was interesting getting to watch the process unfold. In celebration of slowly changing over the website, facebook and images to reflect the new brand a "rebranding" party was thrown in celebration. The new logo filled the room while Gary Allan played a free concert at the party. Other companies should take note of how CMT went about their rebranding. By getting all of the members working at the company into the fold and throwing a celebration in recognition for all of the hard work that everyone had done, they was able to shower everyone with appreciation; even little ole' me.
Businesses are not the only ones that have a brand. If you think about it, celebrities have a brand. Take note of Reese Witherspoon. She had a brand, whether she realized it or not. She was portrayed as a good southern girl, but this past weekend she messed up. She made a mistake and because of that one mistake people are now seeing her in a different light and, perhaps, rebranding her. Now, I'm not going to get into whether I think she deserves it, it isn't my place to judge, but the fact is people may start to see her differently. The one celebrity that comes to mind, for me at least, that practically has a brand is Stevie Nicks. Think about it people. This woman has been in music for 40 years and since the beginning of her days with Fleetwood Mac (1975) she has been branded as this "witchy" character. (Her publishing company on every record is Welsh Witch Music.) It's no doubt either because she wears black chiffon and floats around the stage like she's casting a spell on the audience. She has her signature things that she includes in every show including: all black attire, high platform suede boots, shawls, top hat and a tambourine. She knows how to brand herself and she has done a damn good job of it for 40 years. No matter where you see her, she is in all black with her platform suede boots. Styles have evolved over the past 40 yeras, but her style never changes and whenever flowy clothes come back it's always, coincidentally, when Stevie has done something. I have heard people say, "The Stevie style is back." My opinion, it never went anywhere. I have clothes in my closet, at this moment, that are reminiscent of Stevie's wardrobe. She branded herself a long time ago. The times may have changed since 1975, but her brand has remained the same. Take a look...
Branding is all about doing what is best for your company. It is what best represents your company and what people will associate first when they think of you. Brand your company with something that will stand the test of time; have an image that may be improved, but the base will always remain the same. If you think about it, whether you are a company or not, "you" have a brand. Your brand is how you portray yourself to others. For me, I feel that I portray myself as a fun, carefree person who is loyal to her friends. How you act and what you say does speak volumes. Have you thought about your brand?
I suppose that branding has taken a new turn with the explosion of social media in our world. That is to be expected because businesses don't have to depend solely on billboards and magazine ads. It is a new day when you can post an advertisement on youtube and then share it on facebook or twitter. It is automatically delievered to your followers and they then know what the company is about or if they are rebranding. I just mentioned "rebranding" and that leads me into another thought. When I was doing my internship, CMT was right in the middle of the rebranding process. They were changing the colors, the styles of the logo, etc... It was interesting getting to watch the process unfold. In celebration of slowly changing over the website, facebook and images to reflect the new brand a "rebranding" party was thrown in celebration. The new logo filled the room while Gary Allan played a free concert at the party. Other companies should take note of how CMT went about their rebranding. By getting all of the members working at the company into the fold and throwing a celebration in recognition for all of the hard work that everyone had done, they was able to shower everyone with appreciation; even little ole' me.
Businesses are not the only ones that have a brand. If you think about it, celebrities have a brand. Take note of Reese Witherspoon. She had a brand, whether she realized it or not. She was portrayed as a good southern girl, but this past weekend she messed up. She made a mistake and because of that one mistake people are now seeing her in a different light and, perhaps, rebranding her. Now, I'm not going to get into whether I think she deserves it, it isn't my place to judge, but the fact is people may start to see her differently. The one celebrity that comes to mind, for me at least, that practically has a brand is Stevie Nicks. Think about it people. This woman has been in music for 40 years and since the beginning of her days with Fleetwood Mac (1975) she has been branded as this "witchy" character. (Her publishing company on every record is Welsh Witch Music.) It's no doubt either because she wears black chiffon and floats around the stage like she's casting a spell on the audience. She has her signature things that she includes in every show including: all black attire, high platform suede boots, shawls, top hat and a tambourine. She knows how to brand herself and she has done a damn good job of it for 40 years. No matter where you see her, she is in all black with her platform suede boots. Styles have evolved over the past 40 yeras, but her style never changes and whenever flowy clothes come back it's always, coincidentally, when Stevie has done something. I have heard people say, "The Stevie style is back." My opinion, it never went anywhere. I have clothes in my closet, at this moment, that are reminiscent of Stevie's wardrobe. She branded herself a long time ago. The times may have changed since 1975, but her brand has remained the same. Take a look...
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| 1976 |
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| 1980's |
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| 2010 |
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