Week 7: MK225 Internet Marketing (Communities)

Reading:

Chapter 10-11

Discussion Question:

Many people participate in social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace, as well as other online communities such as blogs. As a marketer, how would you advise firms seeking to interact with those communities and why that approach? What preference, if any, do you think people give to purchase recommendations that come from within those communities? How trustworthy do you think people consider other members of those communities to be? You will need information from our textbook and perhaps other sources to answer this question well.

Discussion Answer:

As a marketer,  I would advise firms seeking to interact with social network and blogging communities by instructing them to keep their content current (multiple times a day, if possible), creative (using multiple resources to provide many unique points of view) and credible (professions in your industry or similar). I fee that this approach will be the most engaging to most audiences and customers, by keep the content up to date and interesting should keep them interested and coming back (hopefully, daily) for more information. In the blogger community, I feel that the majority of them are trustworthy and sharing their experience as stay at home mom and the products or services they use and how well they work for her. Social network communities are tougher to gauge.

Assignment Question:

You are in charge of a new product launch. In a one page summary, identify five steps you would take as a marketer to develop early feedback using online resources. You should identify the potential benefit of each method, and explain how it could increase flexibility around the design process.

Assignment Answer:

I have been put in charge of launching a new product for our company. I have formatted an online strategy to get early feedback from our current and potential customer base through social media and other online resources. 


Facebook has more than 500 million active users with more than 250 million active users accessing it through their mobile devices. The potential benefit is the ability to access a large number of people at no cost. 


Twitter has more than 175 million registered. Like facebook this service is free and has the ability to reach a lot of people quickly and get instant feedback. Additionally, you can track how your message is through the use of hashtags (#). Formspring is a free online service that allows business and individuals to ask and answer questions. The potential benefit of this method would be the ability to a a very specific and direct question to users and potential users of the product. The customer would also be able to post the same type of questions to us.


Tumblr is a free online blogging service where you can post text, photos,quotes, links, music and video via your browser, phone, desktop, email and more. On the paying end of things, we could advertise via web banner and email blasts to increase exposure to the new product.

Week 7: HU121 Film In Society (Catch Me If You Can)

Discussion Question:

Do films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino, and Donny Brasco glorify the lives of those involved in organized crime? What about HBO's award-winning series The Sopranos? Why do so many people find Tony Soprano to be a sympathetic character? In Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale, Jr. steals millions of dollars and lies his way through the world, yet somehow he remains relatable. Are these characters glorifying crime?

Discussion Answer:

I feel that films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino and Donnie Brasco do glorify the lives of those involved in organized crime because they show that it is exciting, without consequence and can be quite profitable. This is also the case with the HBO's award-winning series The Sopranos. Tony Soprano is found to be a sympathetic character by many people because he is essentially a family man just trying to provide for them. Yes, these characters glorify crime, like I stated before because they show that it is exciting, without consequence and can be quite profitable.

Assignment Question:

1. Compare and contrast Ethan Edwards (the protagonist in The Searchers) and Michael Corleone. If you watched Catch Me If You Can, contrast Ethan Edwards with Frank Abagnale, Jr. In what ways are they similar?  In what ways are they different? 
2. Discuss the intercutting of the baptism scenes with the murders of the rival families.  What point is Coppola making about Michael? What point is he making about the sanctity of life? For those of you who watched Catch Me If You Can: Evaluate Leonardo DiCaprio's acting in this film and in general. The book describes him as a very versatile actor. Why?
3. Don Corleone tells Michael that he had hoped he would be able to lead a different life than the one he chose, a life outside of the criminal world.  Do you think this would have been possible for Michael even if he had not? For those of you who watched, Catch Me If You Can: Compare and contrast Frank Abagnale, Jr. and Carl Hanratty. Who is the hero? Who is the villain? What motivates these men?

Assignment Answer:

1. Ethan Edwards & Frank Abagnale, Jr. aren't necessarily evil people but they did live outside of the law. Ethan was outside of the law because he was seeking revenge for the tragedy that occurred to his family. Frank initially began being deceptive to meet girls and then into then excitement to see what he could actually get away with.
2. Leonardo DiCaprio's acting in this film is one of his best, in my opinion.  It show how he can be a troubled son in one scene and a sauve airplane pilot in the next. Being able to do this is very important in this film because he is portraying someone who was able to deceive people for years on end. In general, Leonardo DiCaprio could do almost any role. From his start as a runaway on Growing Pains to a hopeless romantic in Titanic to a mentally handicapped boy in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (or which he received he first Oscar nomination).
3. Frank Abagnale, Jr. and Carl Hanratty both had damage family lives, which caused them to devote themselves entirely into their work. Their work just happened to be on different sides of the law. Frank is clearly the villain, but only because he is breaking the law. Carl is the hero because his job is to catch people breaking the law but can be deceptive in order to get what he needs. Ultimately though, Carl general does come clean to clear his conscience. 

Links:

Avagnale & Associates

Catch Me - The Musical