...Little Racist, Nazi, Potty Mouth A review of tay.ai as a new media literary performance. Microsoft’s Tay, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, has been in the news ever since her launch and almost immediate undoing last month following her vulgar and tasteless tweets. Designed to mimic a 19 year old girl and learn the content and style of what millennials around her age talked about on social networks, she existed particularly on Twitter, Kik and GroupMe (Pierson et al.) as an experiment in conversational understanding. Soon however, the control to her learning was taken over by internet trolls and Tay turned into a dysfunctional puppet acting on the instructions of the trolls that trained her. Her culturally insensitive tweets...
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...“To do business in China, you have to do local, that is, local innovation with a global perspective.” (James Xia, 2006) 1 Introduction I recently visited Shanghai to attend the Cass Business School China Symposium. There were a number of very interesting presentations by excellent leaders and experts from across the industry spectrum. For me, the most compelling of these was the ‘Branding in China’ presentation given by Ruth Ang, and this paper focuses on that topic. The main area that I will be analysing is how Chinese and foreign companies are building brands in China, and what the future holds in terms of branding in China. Here I will look at the activities that firms are pursuing in order to build a lasting competitive advantage, not only in the tier one cities like Shanghai and Beijing, but also in the tier two and three cities where hundreds of millions of consumers live, work and purchase. I will also briefly examine the impact of fake brands in the Chinese market. I then briefly analyse exactly how Chinese companies are positioning their brands outside China, and conclude by looking at what branding and marketing core competencies are required in order to build a lasting competitive advantage both inside and outside China, and how Chinese firms can position themselves to succeed strategically in these fluid markets. 2 Branding in China “If it can be Chinese, it should be Chinese.” (Professor Chris Brady, 2006) One only has to look at some of the big established...
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...Since the start of the 21st century, a new phenomenon has emerged in the fashion world. Fashion Bloggers take their form in street style photography, documenting their daily “looks” and interest online, primarily through social media, for the entire world to see. Many are quickly becoming the most influential members of the industry. Amateur photographers with intriguing styles have kicked the doors of the once exclusive fashion world open and draw in millions of readers and viewers, democratizing the industry, showing that even the average can claim a stake in the paramount. Fashion bloggers have become the new faces of this generation, with many of their blogs and social media feeds garnering more followers than celebrities do. Representation is the act of speaking for or acting on behalf of others and one of the greatest sources of representation in the fashion world are bloggers, as they have an extraordinary impact on the business wherein both designers and consumers now look to them for representation of the masses. In “Conspicuous and Authentic”, Marwick defines fashion blogging as “an international subculture comprised primarily of young women who post pictures of themselves, swap fashion tips, sell vintage clothes and review couture collections… [participating] in the global flow of consumption while simultaneously producing fashion media which is read worldwide” (1). Bloggers, in a sense represent more than just themselves, they represent their readers and the brands...
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...their coffee. With the desire to grow their business, they will need to make their company even more visible and easily accessible. By putting Blue Mountain Coffee online they will be able to achieve this task. B. Why does it make sense to go online: There are many types of businesses that currently have online exposure, and have found great success. Creating a website to sell Blue Mountain Coffee’s superior product line would be an endearing, but certainly a rewarding task. By putting their business online it amplifies their marketing voice and allows the company to not only be in front of their neighbors or current customers, but it allows them to gain a piece of the global market. I read recently in the Lightbarar business blog, “Latest statistics show that 1,733,993,741 people worldwide have access to the Internet and use...
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...It is necessary for most companies in the world who wish to broaden their business to expand to foreign markets. Thus, companies expanding internationally must consider the environment in their new country. There is no better way to explore said environment than by conducting marketing research in the area so as to formulate the most appropriate marketing strategies. Nevertheless, companies entering a new market still encounter difficulties even if they employ a marketing strategy because they make several critical mistakes in their marketing. Be it cultural misunderstandings, systemic political differences, or a poor understanding of the market conditions in a given country, marketing mistakes damage a company’s ability to enter (Ghauri and Cateora, 2010). While political differences or a poor understanding of the market strongly impact success in a foreign market, the slightly larger issue that multinational corporations encounter are due to cultural misunderstandings. However, the impact that cultural misunderstandings have on success in a foreign market is dependent on the industry in question. In some industries, international marketing mistakes can often be rooted in the lack of understanding of different cultures such as the aspects buying behavior and product preference. Take the retail industry for example, since the purchasing behavior of customers varies by region, foreign retailers might usually make marketing mistakes due to insufficient knowledge of a given region’s...
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...not for brands. In this article, we explore the emergent cultural landscape of open source branding, and identify marketing strategies directed at the hunt for consumer engagement on the People’s Web. These strategies present a paradox, for to gain coveted resonance, the brand must relinquish control. We discuss how Webbased power struggles between marketers and consumer brand authors challenge accepted branding truths and paradigms: where short-term brands can trump longterm icons; where marketing looks more like public relations; where brand building gives way to brand protection; and brand value is driven by risk, not returns. # 2011 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. All rights reserved. 1. The party crashers: Marketers and the Social Web Brands today claim hundreds of thousands of Facebook friends, Twitter followers, online community members, and YouTube fans; yet, it is a lonely, scary time to be a brand manager. Despite marketers’ desires to leverage Web 2.0 technologies to their advantage, a stark truth presents itself: the Web was created not to sell branded products, but to link people together in collective conversational webs. As more branding activity moves online, marketers are confronted with the realization that brands are * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: fournism@bu.edu (S. Fournier), jill.avery@simmons.edu (J. Avery). not always welcome in social media. Amid the cultural conversation, most brands seem inauthentic; their presence...
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...entertainment (e.g. music icons). Curran and Seaton highlight the debate between optimistic globalisers/neophiliacs and cultural pessimists as to what effect this all has on popular culture; while optimistic globalisers see globalisation and the wide use of new media as a positive thing (creating a global popular culture in which once distinct cultural products and customs are becoming more alike), cultural pessimists see this as an illusion due to the ownership of the new media still being concentrated and belonging to large, powerful corporations, hence its content has led to a decline in the quality of popular culture. Neophiliacs see the convergence, compression and interactivity involved in the new media as allowing for an increase in consumer choice. For example; we can watch the same events on different TV channels to get a range of perspectives on them. They see elements of high culture as being integrated into popular culture to be produced for mass audiences, thereby further increasing consumer choice. Neophiliacs see the quality of media presented to the public as increasing with competition between media institutions, as well as a variety of media delivery systems being available. Best sees this consumer choice as opening up various doors regarding identity/lifestyle construction, thereby liberating audiences to consume to meet the symbolic requirements of their desired identities. Optimistic postmodernists see the global media as good in that it provides new ideas to develop...
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...and had no problem sharing his wealth with all. However, Elvis was a different person on the inside then what he showed, his personality best reflects the theories of Carl Jung and Otto Kernberg. Psychobiography on Elvis Presley Elvis Presley was a musician, singer and actor, born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on 8th January 1935. Despite the fact that he came from humble beginnings, he matured to become one of the greatest individuals in rock and roll. His presence on television, radio and screen began to be felt in mid-1950s (Guralnick, 2000). His early death in 1977 was as a result of heart failure due to drug addiction. However, even in his absence, Presley’s name is still popular and analysts believe that he is still a great music icon. As a result of the complex developmental history, comprehensive psychobiography of Elvis is a challenging task taking into consideration that there is a shortage of reliable information. However, experts such as Peter Whitmer, who is a clinical psychologist, have analyzed and composed a book-length psychological biography of Presley. Several aspects of psychobiography on Elvis have also been analyzed. Since Elvis became a famous personality, his name has been subjected to psychological speculation by several scholars. Psychiatrists and psychologists have been asked by journalists to diagnose Presley together with his fans. The questions became more insistent after the death of Presley (Rosenberg, 2011). However, theories we have learned...
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...Management, 300 The Fenway, M-336, Boston, MA 02115, U.S.A. KEYWORDS Branding; Brand management; Social media; Web 2.0; Co-creation Abstract Brands rushed into social media, viewing social networks, video sharing, online communities, and microblogging sites as the panacea to diminishing returns for traditional brand building routes. But as more branding activity moves to the Web, marketers are confronted with the stark realization that social media was made for people, not for brands. In this article, we explore the emergent cultural landscape of open source branding, and identify marketing strategies directed at the hunt for consumer engagement on the People’s Web. These strategies present a paradox, for to gain coveted resonance, the brand must relinquish control. We discuss how Webbased power struggles between marketers and consumer brand authors challenge accepted branding truths and paradigms: where short-term brands can trump longterm icons; where marketing looks more like public relations; where brand building gives way to brand protection; and brand value is driven by risk, not returns. # 2011 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. All rights reserved. 1. The party crashers: Marketers and the Social Web Brands today claim hundreds of thousands of Facebook friends, Twitter followers, online community members, and YouTube fans; yet, it is a lonely, scary time to be a brand manager. Despite marketers’ desires to leverage Web 2.0 technologies to their advantage...
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...Introduction Business is about making money. Even if you’re a genius and saint, you can’t stay in business unless you make a profit. Profitability is a lot more predictable than most people realize, but failure can still result if you don’t execute consistently on your business plan--or a hundred other factors that manifest unexpectedly. Here are some steps to take before you decide to make a go of a business idea. The business plan under discussion is to launch an eBusiness website for a company ABC Inc. The company is a scientific company specializing in manufacturing of chromatography gadgets, which are used by a variety of researchers in different industries including petro-chemical, pharmaceutical, clinical research, government, forensic, toxicology, fuels, academic, industrial and commercial laboratories. The gadgets and accessories manufactured by ABC Inc. are mainly used to solve the separation and purification challenges for researchers in drug discoveries, pharmaceutical developments, food safety, petro-chemical compounds extractions, and environmental analysis. The manufactured gadgets are available for separation of different mediums including solid, liquid and gas chromatographical techniques. The company mostly sells its products through a large sales team which is specialized in different techniques of chromatography, using traditional marketing and selling strategies. The company has been doing good business in North America and has loyal customer base. Since...
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...(Representation Theory) Stereotyping is Shorthand for Identification: "One way that texts like Waterloo Road and Skins for example allow for audience identification is through stereotyping and giving characters an extreme representation". Angela McRobbie (Gender Theory) Post Feminist Icon Theory: "Lara Croft, Lady Gaga and Madonna for example could be identified as post feminist icons as they exhibit the stereotypical characteristics of both the male and female strength, courage, control and logic but also are willing to be sexualized for the male gaze. This control element of their own representation is crucial in understanding the theory". Baudrillard Hyper Reality: "Some texts are difficult to distinguish in terms of the representation of reality from a simulation of reality e.g. Big Brother. The boundaries are blurred as codes and conventions create a set of signifiers which we understand but in fact the representation is a copy of a copy". Uses and Gratifications Theory: "Different audiences gain different pleasures from a media text e.g. Gravity can be enjoyed via diversion or escapism, it can use surveillance to give information to audiences and can also be discussed on forums and blogs as a form of developing personal relationships(common also in video games). Personal identity can be developed with audiences who relate to certain characters more than others". Blumler and Katz (Audience Theory) Carol Clover...
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...Amazon.com the Hidden Empire Three digital engines to reshape and dominate retail Amazon.com: a digital shop around the corner… … and a digital colossus. Did you know: all these companies belong to Amazon… Did you know: Amazon is also… AmazonBasics Amazon-branded electronic products AmazonFresh sells and delivers groceries in Seattle AmazonStudios online social movie studio Amazon WarehouseDeals offers discounts on refurbished products Did you know: Amazon has had one of the fastest growths in the Internet’s history… Revenues reached within first 5 years $2,8 bn $1,5 bn $0,4 bn eBay Google Amazon Amazon and eBay results from 1995 to 2000, Google from 1998 to 2003. Even though Zynga and Groupon appear to have an even quicker growth, they haven‟t been compared because 1- sales have not been officially disclosed 2- they haven‟t reach their fifth year Did you know: Amazon Web Services drives these companies… Did you know: Amazon.com is a giant… Y/Y growth for Q1 2011 +38% Market cap $90 bn Customers 137 m 3 × growth of 2 × market cap 2 × # customers E-commerce market Employees 33,700 Annual revenue $34 bn Internet traffic rank 16th Retail brand 1st Paid out $1.2 bn 15 × more than 16% more than before before to buy Source: Amazon.com, Alexa, Brandz. Market capitalization as of April 2011. Why? A vision… From 1994, Jeff Bezos knew he could create a retail website that would not have the limitations...
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...Amazon.com the Hidden Empire Three digital engines to reshape and dominate retail Amazon.com: a digital shop around the corner… … and a digital colossus. Did you know: all these companies belong to Amazon… Did you know: Amazon is also… AmazonBasics Amazon-branded electronic products AmazonFresh sells and delivers groceries in Seattle AmazonStudios online social movie studio Amazon WarehouseDeals offers discounts on refurbished products Did you know: Amazon has had one of the fastest growths in the Internet’s history… Revenues reached within first 5 years $2,8 bn $1,5 bn $0,4 bn eBay Google Amazon Amazon and eBay results from 1995 to 2000, Google from 1998 to 2003. Even though Zynga and Groupon appear to have an even quicker growth, they haven‟t been compared because 1- sales have not been officially disclosed 2- they haven‟t reach their fifth year Did you know: Amazon Web Services drives these companies… Did you know: Amazon.com is a giant… Y/Y growth for Q1 2011 +38% Market cap $90 bn Customers 137 m 3 × growth of 2 × market cap 2 × # customers E-commerce market Employees 33,700 Annual revenue $34 bn Internet traffic rank 16th Retail brand 1st Paid out $1.2 bn 15 × more than 16% more than before before to buy Source: Amazon.com, Alexa, Brandz. Market capitalization as of April 2011. Why? A vision… From 1994, Jeff Bezos knew he could create a retail website that would not have the limitations...
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...the above topics will conclude with a proposal of a market research plan to obtain information in any given situation. LO1: Buyer Behaviour Figure 1.1a: http://www.enotesmba.com/2014/06/marketing-notes-consumer-decision-making-process.html (Accessed: 23rd Nov 15) Figure 1.1a: http://www.enotesmba.com/2014/06/marketing-notes-consumer-decision-making-process.html (Accessed: 23rd Nov 15) Engel, Blackwell and Kollat (1968) developed a model of the consumer buying, decision making process in five steps (see figure 1.1a): Problem or need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives to meet this need, purchase decision and post-purchase behaviour. They believed that these five stages displayed what led a shopper to purchase a new product (http://theconsumerfactor.com, 2015). Stage 1: Problem or Need Recognition - This is identified as the first and most important step. A purchase cannot take place without the recognition of need. The need may be triggered by internal stimuli (e.g. hunger or thirst) or external stimuli (e.g. advertising or word of mouth). The problem/need recognition is sub-categorised into an ‘ideal situation’ and the ‘actual...
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...Racechange and Cultural Tourism Race, Identity, and Public Culture Popular cultural representations, in particular those in the fashion industry, have recently reinvented a historically loaded image in their performances: blackface.1 In the past several years, blackface and other images of physical transformations of race have appeared in a number of high and popular fashion contexts including a “yellowface” fashion show in Shanghai sponsored by Karl Lagerfeld, supermodel Heidi Klum photographed wearing only chocolate syrup, an issue of French Vogue featuring a white model in black body paint and elaborate “African-inspired” costuming, a photograph in V Magazine of two models, one in blackface and one white, wrestling, two episodes of America’s Next Top Model involving racial and biracial transformation, and an editorial naming American Apparel and showing a woman in blackface. Blackface, though in a contemporary form more accurately described by the term “racechange,” or the performance of one race by another (Gubar 2000), far from being taboo have become an aesthetic in the fashion industry. Though popular magazines and newspapers such as Essence and a number of fashion blogs have responded to particular instances of racial transformation, there is relatively little scholarly work on the rise of racechange in contemporary fashion. This essay attempts to fill that gap in scholarship by examining racial transformation through the lens of cultural and critical...
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