Week 4 [24-30.04.2017] Development in advertising

In the developing world commercials have a huge impact on people’s everyday life. Under their influence, more and more kinds of services and products are purchased. The increasingly rapid pace of life formed two types of advertisement: traditional commercials which can be divided into a few most important subcategories like: TV commercials and print advertisements. The opposite field is presented by digital advertising unlike traditional  commercials is mostly based on the network.

Source:http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1711952.1394058119!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/tv6f-1-web.jpg

To with begin, the main advantage of the print advertisement is their availability on the market. Posters and leaflets are still the cheapest way to encourage customers to acquire products. TV spots are still one of the fastest ways to interest customers in their product or service. Nevertheless, cost of production and cost of buying advertising space are still one of the highest.

 

Source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/teens.jpg

On the other hand, digital media are more popular among youngsters. They spend most of their time online, as it is directly linked to their lifestyle. Undoubtedly, a weaker side of digital media is a limited number of users. Still, many companies cannot use the social media and the internet advertisement properly. Especially interesting is the development of video content. By increasing popularity of video blogging, television became out of date and dull. However, it is still the most effective and attractive way to encourage customers to a specific brand. According to the article written by Matt Bowman (owner of Thrive Internet Marketing, a web design and SEO company) the changes have influenced the video market, not only the ways of presentation, but how the market changed itself. Nowadays video commercials accompany us in everyday life, mostly on portable electronic devices. They are now definitely one of the fastest tools to reach the specific group of customers.

Source: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Smartphones-Drive-Increased-Time-Spent-with-Digital-Media-UK-Adults/1013884

The numbers prove that people spend more time with digital media. The biggest increase, we could see in smartphone time usage. In Emarketer.com’s article Bill Fisher (eMarketer senior analyst) said that “The ad spend balance is clearly tipping toward mobile in the UK, which isn’t all that surprising given the rate at which consumers are shifting their media time to this environment”. The growth of mobile advertising is also visible in Poland. Starcom Agency estimates, the web value of the digital advertising market, which includes publisher cash revenue from the sale of basic online advertising formats, has risen by about 50% over the past five years. - from PLN 1.2 billion in 2011 to over PLN 1.8 billion in 2015. In the same period, the television advertising market increase by only 3.2%.

Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFLpewXgNZEay4DffDc_-qZKTHE8PF8C8p_HflZ_LWMQ0QLd8y

To sum up, more and more people prefer mobile devices, what contributes to a greater range of ads online.  Especially effective became video materials on the Internet, cheaper is to pay a YouTuber to advertise a product on his/her channel than to create a professional television advertisement. In my experience, I buy a lot more products recommended by bloggers than by the stars on television.

Source: http://www.chip.de/ii/3/2/7/1/1/7/5/8/Bibi-e7e63564c43fed5a.JPG

Questions:

1.What do you think about digital media?

2. How Do Advertisements and Marketing Strategy help promote business products?

3.Have you ever bought a product recommended by a blogger?

4. What is the future of advertising?

Sources:

https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Smartphones-Drive-Increased-Time-Spent-with-Digital-Media-UK-Adults/1013884

http://interaktywnie.com/biznes/newsy/biznes/reklama-online-w-polsce-2016-2017-co-sie-zmieni-na-rynku-254348

https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateharrison/2017/01/09/top-10-trends-that-will-transform-digital-marketing-in-2017/&refURL=https://www.google.pl/&referrer=https://www.google.pl/

https://www.thebalance.com/different-types-of-advertising-methods-38548

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/different-types-advertising-56054.html

Week 4 [24-30.04.2017] Fact Check – Google is becoming capable of validating authenticity of search results

The Internet is a great thing, right? Since its beginning all the information we have sought is within reach of a few clicks. We can get answers to all awkward, weird and disturbing questions by simply Googling them. We just type a phrase, hit ‘enter’ and here we go, there is an answer! But… is it?

Has it ever happened to you that you found information that you knew it was fake? It’s very easy to validate it if you know something by heart, if you’re a specialist in the field. But what if you’re Googling something which you have no clue about? Have you ever thought of this? The websites you might find may contain information which is not necessarily true. No worries anymore, because of Google Fact Check! 

Source: https://www.purepc.pl/inne/google_jest_gotowe_do_walki_z_nieprawdziwymi_informacjami

How does it work? I’d expect some sophisticated algorithm building page ‘credibility’ rank showing suggestions that some of the websites may contain fake information. Apparently Google has chosen, less digital way of resolving the problem. They stared cooperating with 115 companies and organizations such as PoliFact and Scopes which take care of validating information on the Internet. Each time you Google a phrase, you see Fact Check tags showing you credibility of the information and agency responsible for information validation.

Obviously it’s not possible to assess each and every information on the Internet, therefore only selected search results will contain the Fact Check tag. Moreover, it may happen that certain information will be assessed in a different way by different agencies. That’s why Google claims that tags are only opinions. Last but not least – credibility assessment will not influence position or presence on the search results list – it will still be fully based on the Page Rank system.

Source: https://www.purepc.pl/inne/google_jest_gotowe_do_walki_z_nieprawdziwymi_informacjami

Google has known history of ‘managing’ search results – getting rid of inconvenient information and promoting its own services at the cost of competition. Shall we fully trust the giant this time? I believe it’s up to us.

Personally I find the problem very serious. While 30 years ago the major issue was availability of the information in general, now we stepped into a completely different era. We’re flooded with information. The problem is no more to find the information, but to validate it. Not only in the context of being true or not.  The greatest challenge is to verify the quality of information. Nowadays everybody is a creator and may fill the Internet with his/her own creativeness. Very often it’s a low quality content. It’s all gathered up and mixed on search result lists. Each time we look up for information we have to cross check the results or very often to challenge them with traditional sources of information such as books. The process of assessing the results is energy and time consuming. But… it is what it is.

1. Are you fine with Google assessing credibility of the search results? What kind of potential threats do you see here?

2. Is the problem of fake or low quality information real in your opinion? What kind of alternative solutions would you propose to solve it?

3. Can you foresee any upcoming challenges related to validation or manipulation of information on the Internet? What kind of problems may we be facing in next 5-10 years?

Week 4 [24-30.04.2017] Protesting - a nice little weekend hobby brought to you by Pepsi.

A few weeks ago Pepsi released a commercial with a global message of unity and peace. A model-wanna-be celebrity - Kendall Jenner - took part in the production. The spot showed that all that is needed to bring peace to the world is... a can of Pepsi. The commercial proves that creating a marketing campaign that is socially engaged is not easy. The 2,5-minutes spot shows a marching crowd of protesters. They carry banners with pacifiers and slogans like "love", "peace", "join the conversation". Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner's professional photo session takes place on the same street. Curious model decides to leave the plan to join the march. She rips off her blond wig, revealing her real hair colour, which some people ironically claim is the most unexpected twist of the plot. Kendall goes through the crowd with a can of Pepsi and gives the protesters high fives. Finally, the march reaches out to a police line. Jenner approaches one of the policemen and offers him a can of Pepsi. The officer hesitates for a moment but takes the drink. Then the crowd starts cheering.

The spot, created by Pepsi's in-house creative agency "Creators League Studio", was immediately and widely criticised. The brand's efforts showed in the spot seem to be just awkward and tasteless, especially in the light of recent protests such as the ones related to the election of Trump or against Police brutality. The scene where Jenner approaches a policeman refers to the protests against the war in Vietnam where activists handed flowers to policemen. For some people, the scene also reminds the last year photo taken during a protest against police brutality in Baton Rouge, when a young black woman stood in front of armed police officers.

The woman stood with preternatural calm facing off against two heavily-armored state policemen who rushed awkwardly to arrest her.

source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36759711

If only she had brought a can of Pepsi with her...

Pepsi, however, claims that there's nothing inappropriate in their spot. This is a global advertising that shows people from different backgrounds joining in the spirit of harmony. We think this is an important message - the company writes in its statement.

In the end, Pepsi brought all the people together because all of them started mocking the ad. Critical feedback came from just about everywhere, including celebrities, ad agencies and publications ranging from Esquire to the Federalis.

But the most perfect takedown came from Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.:

source: https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/849656699464056832/photo/1

According to Benjamin Blank, CEO and chief creative officer at Uproxx Media Group, Pepsi probably had data that probably said 75% of millennials consider themselves activists, or whatever that data piece was, so we are going to embrace the idea of activism. They wanted to follow that trend. But why they hired Kendal Jenner for the ad? Kendall Jenner - a voice of protesters, really? Her family for sure knows how regular people are feeling, doesn't it? Moreover, the protest in the commercial looks so untrue for me. The people seems to have no idea what they're protesting. They are just having fun, dancing, singing and carrying all those slogans, of course all in light blue Pepsi colour. They are passing other people having lunch who don't even look at the protesters, because protesting is so normal in this dystopian reality. They just keep drinking Pepsi. So the protesters do, because they have coolers full of ice and Pepsi products. You can't just protest without being catered anymore, can you?

Additionally, the crowd is so extremely diverse, there is an Asian cellist in a beanie, a girl photographer wearing a Hijab, black street dancers, a chav and even trannies. Pepsi probably though that they needed at least one of every single type of person in this world so they wouldn't piss anyone off and at the same time nobody would feel excluded. I am just wondering why all policemen are white...

In my opinion, Pepsi chose the most cynical way trying to co-opt very real thing, which is people protesting for their rights and grievances on the streets. They tried to capitalised on a growing problem in America. The commercial was made by corporate slavers in an effort to extort more money for their sugar water.

1. Have you seen the commercial or heard about it before?
2. What do you think about the commercial?
3. Do you think that people who critised the commercial are just making a meal out of it?
4. Do you thing that there are any rules that ads should not break?
5. Have you ever felt offended by a commercial or an outdoor ad? Or at least have you though that an ad was so bad and tasteless that it should not have been released?

sources:

• https://thefederalist.com/2017/04/04/pepsi-new-kendall-jenner-ad-is-everything-wrong-with-millennials/
• http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a54311/pepsi-kendall-jenner-coca-cola
• http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/pepsi-pulling-widely-mocked-kendall-jenner-ad/308575/
• http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39511906

Week 4 [24-30.04.2017] Doctor at home

Can a doctor be in any home in the world? Yes, maybe it's simpler than anyone could ever imagine. Just take a cat to your own home.

Do you know that many scientists claim that cat has a positive influence on our health? Imagine that there is more than a dozen proofs for this theory. The first one is a good influence on our heart. And it's not just about the sweet eyes and even the sweetest figures the doctor has received. Vascular scientists at the University of Minnesota have argued that cat owners show less tendency to infarcts.

The second proof is napping. So, our cats teach us how to do naps. Research shows that people who choose to take a 20-minute nap will improve perceptiveness, memory, creativity and of course mood.

It is time for the third proof. Cats never give up. Fly hunting cat has experienced failures many times,  but it never gives up. After the fall, he gets up and tries to catch the prey again. Fourth proof. Purr unloads stress. There have been many scientists writing about the salutary effect of purr on blood pressure and mood. Moreover, cats are able to modulate the frequency of sounds from 20 to 140 Hz, and some registers act on the human body more effectively than many therapies. Fifth,  cats are masters of tranquility. "I lived with a few Zen masters, all were cats," said Eckhart Tolle, author of books on meditation and spirituality. You want to calm down - take care of the cat.

Another proof? Please. Cats cause laughter.

It is impossible to not laugh looking at the trials and crashes of the cat - from his pursuit of prey, from how he creeps over food, how he copes with obstacles or even how he fights with a vacuum cleaner. And as you know, laughter is the best medicine. Last year's research by researchers from Loma Linda University in California shows that it takes just 20 minutes to watch funny cats to reduce cortisol levels (stress hormone) and improve short-term memory.

Moreover, laughter supports the work of the heart and immune system. Now one of the most important proofs: cats help people with autism in communication. This is confirmed by research French scientists in 2012. They observed 40 children with autism.

It turned out that children who had pets in their houses, including cats, were calmer and easier to communicate with than children without pets. This openness in children is related to an increase in the level of oxytocin (happiness hormone) that is released when the fur is stroked. Caressing also strengthens feelings of trust and love. Of course, the cat will not be replaced by a qualified specialist, but I do not know better home treatment.

Source: private

1. Do you have a cat?

2. Do you use his “healing power”

3. Can you give any other example of positive influence on your health (other than those mentioned in article)?

Sources:

https://twitter.com/eckharttolle/status/775690748004077568

http://wiedzoholik.pl/naukowcy-wykazali-ze-koty-potrafia-leczyc-ludzi/
http://www.rp.pl/Nauka/303289978-Felinoterapia-czyli-leczenie-kotem.html#ap-1
http://www.naturaity.pl/artykul/19,kocie-mruczenie.html#ad-image-0

Week 4 [24-30.04.2017] Remote Work

When employees carry out their duties away from the office, that's called  remote work or teleworking.  The remote work can be understood in a few ways. The most common one is work from home, but some workers, like, for example, consultants often are located permanently outside a company, and it is also considered to be remote work. 

     Nowadays, more and more companies support teleworking or its variations. The trend can be easily noticed in job offers. Declaring part of overall work, which can be done remotely has been becoming common practice. Companies which truly believe in such a model offer even 100% remotely work. The chart below shows the Google search for "work remotely" phrase over the last 10 years:

Original size: http://blog.hubstaff.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pasted-image-0-2.png

It has been rising systematically over the years. It's not a coincidence, every year more people prefer to work from home. Still, it's often said that home provides too much distraction.You have television, books or maybe do not live alone and there is always somebody to interrupt you. That's true, home environment can be to your disadvantage. If you decide to work from home, choose 8 hours a day when you will work and stick to them no matter what. It might be hard, but people can cope with it. The best proof are companies that do not giving up offering remote jobs. Clearly, it means they are happy with hiring remote workers and the quality of their work. From a company’s   perspective, there are a lot of pros. You do not have to provide office space for your worker. Also, a remote worker can live in a foreign country, so it's hugely expands the market of potential employees.  

Source: https://www.liniumrecruiting.com/blog/topic/job-seekers/remote-work-can-it-work-for-you

On the other hand, one of the cons is communication. When you don't see your coworkers, you need to rely on modern means of communication like Skype, e-mails or simply phone calls. Moreover, security of sensitive information is tougher to provide. Those disadvantages have been getting less significant over the years thanks to modern technology. Nowadays, quality of electronic or phone communication is almost the same as face-to-face communication. The same concerns security, which is getting better every year.

I encourage you to watch a video, a speech by Mike Hostetler about remote working:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23oBUH270YU

1. Would you like to work remotely?
2. Do you think remote work will be ever more popular than "normal" work from an office?
3. Do you think that everybody is able to work remotely?

Sources:

http://blog.hubstaff.com/why-remote-work-is-better/

https://www.liniumrecruiting.com/blog/topic/job-seekers/remote-work-can-it-work-for-you

https://en.wikipedia.org/

Week 3 [03-09.04.2017] Astronomers Discover

On 22th of February 2017 NASA informed about a crucial discovery. The details of this discovery have been described in the prestigious magazine: Nature.

Astronomers have found that in the 40 light-years away system there are at least seven Earth-sized planets. The founders have announced that on these plants there could be similar climate to the Earth’s climate. There could be water on their surfaces. NASA supposes also that on three planets can exist  life. Common name of these seven planets is “seven sisters”.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnKFaAS30X8&feature=youtu.be

The newly discovered planets orbit an ultracool red dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1. The planets have been called from the following letters TRAPPIST-1 b, TRAPPIST-1 c till TRAPPIST-1 h. Six planets have surface temperatures that range  between  0 and 100 degrees Celsius. Three of the seven(e,f and g) are on the habitable zone and the founders believe there may even have oceans on the surface. The objects go close the star and they are very close to each other. For seven of them the space between them is five times smaller than the distance from Mercury to our Sun. The circulations around TRIPAST-1 are (1.51 days, 2.42 days, 4.05 days, 6.10 days, 9.20 days, 12.35 days and for the last of them is over 20 days.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAPPIST-1

The star TRAPPIST-1 is a little star. It is a bit larger than the Jupiter. The temperature is much lower than the temperature of the Sun and its mass is only 8% of the Earth’s mass. TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf so its light has a salmon hue. The scientists suspect that very little stars can have many planets on tight orbits. The system TRAPPIST-1 has provided the first literal confirmation of this hypothesis. 

Source:  https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-telescope-reveals-largest-batch-of-earth-size-habitable-zone-planets-around

In this historical discovery there have been used a lot of ground-based telescopes and space-based telescopes. The research started at the end of the 2015 with TRAPPIST (Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope) telescope based on the Atacama desert in Chile.  30 astronomers from a lot of countries have been involved in this research– from Belgium, United Kingdom, Switzerland, USA, France, RPA, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.  

Source: http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/three_earth_sized_planets_found_orbiting_a_tiny_nearby_star

In the future these seven planets will be the main destination for astronomers in search of life project. To do this, there is under construction a very responsive telescope: James Webb Space Telescope(built by NASA, ESA and the Canadian agency CSA,  scheduled to be launched in October 2018) It will be positioned 1 million miles from the Earth The end of the construction is planned between  2022-2024. These two telescopes will search for  extraterrestrial life.

“These are the best Earth-sized planets for the James Webb Space Telescope to characterize, perhaps for its whole lifetime. The Webb telescope will increase the information we have about these planets immensely. With the extended wavelength coverage we will be able to see if their atmospheres have water, methane, carbon monoxide/dioxide and/or oxygen.” said Hannah Wakeford who is postdoctoral fellow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

1. Do you believe in life in outer space?
2. What do you think about space travel to one of the seven planets?
3. Would you like to participate in one way travel(without returning home) to such planets?

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAPPIST-1

https://www.nasa.gov/

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu