Monday, December 7, 2009

Wikipedia Update

My post on wikipedia has now been up for over a week. It has not been altered or taken down. I posted a popular nickname for the New York Giants in the section about their uniforms and logos. A reason it may still be up is because it is in fact their most famous nickname so the writer possibly knew this and thought it fine to leave up. However, i did not cite it or leave a reference for the information which i thought would increase its chances of staying up. I did make an account though which may be another reason it has been up for an extended period of time. For looking over the others in class it seems to be a about 50/50 with the posts staying up. I can only venture guesses regarding why some stay and some do not. Maybe it is a very biased piece of media like many others in the field.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Final Illustrator Ads Reebok and Nike









These are the two ads I selected. The first one was the nike bull that represents the nike bull line of athletic gear made by nike. It caught my eye so I decided to attempt and make it better. I added more color so that the image would pop out. I also added in text and the nike slogan in case some viewers were unsure of just the logo. I used the pen tool to create the nike logos and curved the sides to mimic the logo as best as I could. Once the logos were made I simply put them in a way that it created the bull as seen in the original image. For the eyes I used the sphere tool from the rectangle tool. After that I messed around with the strokes and effects to make the image mroe astetically pleasing.
My second image was for Reebok athletic company. The original image was the blue one. It seemed very simple and one dimensional. I wanted to make it so it was more vibrant and so that the lettering was popping out. Also i wanted the broken up circle to almost appear as a basketball type texture which I found in the effects tab. I used a drop shadow and a white color for the RBK, so it appears to be in front of the circle and shows the company clearly. As for the broken circle I made multiple vector shapes using the pen tool and once again moved them around trying to create a semi circle that flowed. Once it was made i copied it and used the rotate tool to get the other side. once messing around with the colors and effects my final product was made.
This was my first time using illustrator and i learned a good amount and my projects came out pretty much how i wanted them too from using what i knew how to from class and in the tutorials.




























Illustrator ad 2


Illustrator Progress Ad

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Wikipedia Edit


I selected the New York Giants page because unlike other sports teams pages they did not include nicknames. I took the Giants page from wikipedia and added in their most popular nickname to the logo and uniform section, because their blue uniforms are how they gained their nick name "Big Blue". It was posted 11/29 at 12:00 and still has not been removed.
It is clearly very easy to temporarily change a wikipedia page as seen by the multiple changes made by the students in class. However, many are eventually removed in a few days showing that there are people who check. It still raises questions about who reads and selects what stays and goes, and also why certian things are removed. Other alterations are true, but for some reason are taken away.
I will repost in a few days about whether or not my addition of the Giants most famous nick name stays up on the page or is taken down.



Thursday, October 22, 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Cool Glove

The product I selected from “The Future Of” is the cool glove. This futuristic product has the potential to allow more progressive workouts for athletes. This one product is successful can change the face of sports and training. The glove’s technology lets the user cool down faster than their normal body enables them to. With this they athlete can then restart their workout with little to no exhaustion. The glove would be a relatively expensive price and relevant to a narrow market, however, with the proper marketing techniques this product can be very successful. The marketing tactics I would centralize for this product would be the following; narrow marketing, across media marketing and emotional branding. With these tactics being used this glove can be seen in a wider range then before and the future can become the present for the cool glove.
The reason narrowcasting would be a wise marketing option is because this glove would be geared towards athletes and fitness trainers. As an athlete I know they are always looking for the next best thing that can elevate their game to the next level. This glove has the potential to do that and once seen and heard about could really hit the market with great force. The cool glove could be a ticking time bomb for athletes. It can be pitched that it allows quick recovery and for longer more superior overall workouts. A way to narrowcast would be for the creators of the cool glove to get in touch with big time sports Medias such as; sports center, ESPN, and the professional sports NHL, NBA, NFL and so on. By doing this a specific group and type of consumer would be seeing the advertisements in bulk and the idea would be implemented in their minds. Sports center and ESPN own TV channels as well as web sites and magazines. This cool glove could be seen by only the target market it needs to be in order to flourish. It is clear that the people who would use this the most would be athletes and people into fitness, which is why narrowcasting in these select areas would benefit the cool glove more so then if it was just put out onto random channels or other media waves.
Another marketing technique that would serve the cool glove well would be across media marketing. While still narrow casting if the cool glove could be mass broadcasted on multiple media forms it would have a greater chance to be seen and purchased by consumers. Across media marketing is when multiple media channels are used and advertisements are out in bulk so consumers are bombarded with the product so that it is currently thought about. The key to this would be to still narrow cast to the target market while using multiple channels such as cell phones, emails, magazines, websites, Television and billboards. For example, commercials on big sports channels or when games are on at select days and times such as Sundays for football. Another way would be to find people who purchase fitness products or supplements online. Once they purchase it is clear they are into sports and then an email can be sent to them with the pitch of the cool glove. The options for massively marketing this product are endless.
Emotional branding is a technique that could have an extremely important affect to the sales of the cool glove. Emotional branding revolves around making the consumer feel a powerful connection to the product and feel as if they need it. When dealing with emotional branding with the cool glove it is important to make the athletes who use this glove want it for every workout. The cool glove should be the new protein shake of work outs. All athletes use supplement drinks or protein shakes when they workout. The goal is to make every athlete want to be wearing or bringing the glove to the gym as if it is a regularity of their routine. Also, emotions come into play with the price and quality. No one wants to be using past technologies if something new hits the market. As seen with the iPod for example, some people may have 4 different ones because once the new one comes out they want it. This is why the price being high will not hurt the sales of this cool glove. People will want to go to their workouts feeling confident and attached to their product. It should be pitched as the next step to achieving ultimate fitness with advanced technology. People who are on the fence about making the purchase will want to know that it is the next best thing hitting the market in their field of interest.
Although these marketing techniques require work and studies once they are done and running properly other techniques will come on their own. Word of mouth will become a large marketing tactic over time once the other tactics are set in motion. An athlete will sue it and love the results and pass it on to his friend and so on until many people begin to hear about it in regular conversations. Another tactic that will follow would be product placement among media. Obviously this product is an athlete’s product meaning that sports stores will be selling the product and in largely populated sports areas for example near large stadiums in cities that professional sports are played and so on. With online marketing and selling it will be easier to clear up the issue of product placement. Many of these techniques that I am speaking of for the cool glove is used for many products already the question is are their futuristic media methods that are to come. I can see in the future the possibility of cell phones with internet service making a connection to what sites you go to and what purchases you make via the phone. Once the phone knows what your interests are it can then send you advertisements for products you may like. For the cool glove people can be looking at sports sites or buy jerseys and then get a pop up for the glove with an explanation of what it does. This already occurs in some fashion on computers, but bringing it to phones may be the next big thing in marketing. It is such a wide spread community that if it can be harnessed can result in large returns for the companies.
To wrap up, there are many marketing techniques that could be sued to make this product as popular as it can be. The most important would be, emotional branding for a good overall feeling, narrowcasting to athletes and across media marketing with a plethora of different media channels. With all these being done by professionals I only would anticipate great success for the cool glove as a popular product to consumers. All these marketing options would hopefully create a brand community that would keep expanding over time until the product becomes an athletes home name.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Persuaders

1. I never knew how much science and thought truly went into marketing. I was surprised by the elaborate and complex process to making a marketing ploy. I believed that ads and billboards were put up to simply promote a product or service and get the name out. The truth is that many focus groups and presentations are done before a final marketing scheme is done. I never thought about the words used in ads, but there is so much thought that is put into just one sentence for a marketing ploy that stimulates a consumers brain to start working. It is a science that is used to grad and pull the concumer in.
When watching these clips I realized how much I actually rely on marketing to make consumer choices. Marketing is everywhere, on the streets, computers, television. The amount of it in our lives today is incredible. I think i over look how much is put into marketing because in our time we are suffocated by it so we have become immune to it. I watch tv and marketing for products is everywhere, but it no longer bothers us. Instead we embrace it because we as consumers want to know whats the new fad or style. It has just become a new part of our life that is only going to continue to grow.

2. On the topic of the amount of advertising we see in today's world I would say there is too much. However, there needs to be this much do to our life styles and although there is a large amount of advertising we do not complain because it is a part of our lives and we welcome it. In America many people want to have the latest trends and the best cars. Because of this advertising is growing and growing. People want to know whats out there and the only way companies can do this is by putting out advertisments in the most easily accessible places for consumers. Tv, papers and the streets we live and drive on are where these advertisments go. It has become a regular part of life so it is no longer a nuisance. The companies will continue to do what they are doing because as a whole our society has embraced this culture of marketing and purchasing with open arms. A large difference between society today from 20-30 years ago is that we are bombarded with advertising so we know exactly what is out on the market and where we can get it. Also, it helps the consumer compare and contrast prices or find out exactly what they want. Before shopping and going to a store was normal. Now people know what they want and go online to find it. It has changed our lives to a more fast paced attention grabbing society.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Myth of the Image Original photo


This is the original photo. It is a corona ad, however, when i cropped out the beer and lime it seemed to be a normal image of a beach view. This shows how many things can be used to sway the actual meaning or content of an image. Many people can take images and alter them however they want to make their point. You cannot always be sure an image your a viewing is true or is being completely shown in its entirety. By simply cropping out a few pixels this images message was completely changed.

Myth of the Image

This is my cropped image, it appears to be a regular old nice tropical beach. People could use this on a website to promote a vacation or many other things.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Second Collage

This is my second collage I made the changes I could not do before, such as the background color and the arrows that no longer look terrible. I still have a lot more work to do as far as photoshop goes.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Photoshop as a media medium

Photoshop is a medium because it allows people to entend there abilities through the program. As McLuhan states new technologies are just extentions of the human body and mind. In this case photoshop is available and gives the tools for the professional all the way down to the amatuer. Anyone can use this program to alter pictures or create their own images at the click of a few buttons. It lets people get their message across in the manner in which they choose. A friend can change a picture to send to a friend for entertainment as well as professionals can use it to create images for magazines or online web pages. As a medium it can be seen as an extention of the eye and thought do to the fact that there are so many options in how any image can be displayed. It is a remarkable program that will only continue to grow in my opinion.

Improved Photoshop Collage

There are a few things I want to change in my collage that I was unable to do at first. I wanted a colored backround as well as different shapes and sizes to my pictures. Another change i wanted to make was to have better arrows and possibly color changes to those as well. The firs time through i had to draw them using a tool which was difficult to keep in staright lines. I have alot of work to do as far as photoshop goes, so the viewers of my blog must bare with me for a bit. My new collage will be up shortly, I am still making it more aesthetically pleasing.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Medium Collage


I am a novice to photoshop so my apologizes. As far as my medium goes, I selected a Blackberry. A Blackberry is an evolution to a standard cell phone. With Blackberrys people can now not only text and make calls, but send emails and be connected to the world wide web at all times. People can do simple tasks such as checking their email or even find out what the wheather is going to be by a few buttons. Although there is numerous contents for this medium I picked the Internet. This is because now one does not need to be in front of their computer to do their daily tasks and in turn saves time. The message that comes from this I believe is that with this phone more people are connected in a way that they were not before. People can talk, text, type a blog, email or even play games together in an extremly simple manner. It does not take a professional to function the phone, meaning a wide variety of people can become a part of it. It takes many machines and connects them into one extending the eye, hand and mind as McLuhan would put it.
Thank you for reading, I'll do my best to improve on my weak collage.