Farewell

Hello all! As you know this will be my last blog posting for my class. (Although I will continue to blog about different things) It has been a blast and I have learned a lot and I hope you all reading have learned a lot as well. With this last posting I will be briefly be talking about the future. We have come along way even just in the last decade. Look at all the technology that is currently around us. Smartphones, tablets, smart televisions, etc. is all a normal part of the day in 2014. As I said and talked about in an earlier posting, this new generation uses this technology with little to no instruction or effort. Almost like their born knowing how to use it while some of us from earlier generations have to relearn new technology as it comes along. I can only imagine what the next 5 to 10 years is going to bring for us and how we as strategic communicators can use this technology to make our lives and careers easier. Technology has already it possible with just a smartphone to take pictures/videos and post to any social media site, takes notes, video chat, play games, use GPS and just about anything that you can think of you can do and its in the palm of your hand. What's interesting is that the AT&T ads video that we watched showing what could be in the future has come to fruition in most cases. You can video chat, buy concert tickets online, watch movies on demand, smart watches that let you make phone calls you name it we have it today. Well class this is it. This will be my last posting for this class but as I said earlier I will continue to blog as this class has opened my eyes to how great it can be and how many people can actually read it and comment about it. Farewell class and good luck on this graduate school journey!

Technology and how our children are using it

Hello all and welcome to this weeks journal entry from yours truly. I can't believe we are in the final stretch of the term. It has been an incredible ride and I have learned alot this term. I plan to continue doing blog entries once this class is over. There is alot that can be done with blogs as far as talking about your interests, likes and dislikes. Anyway, lets get down to business. This week I will be talking about technology and how our children are using it as opposed to how we used it when we were growing. I was born in 1984 and so I've seen technology advice alot in my 30 years. Even just ten years ago I never would've thought we would have these high tech smartphones, Nintendo Wii, HD consoles such as xbox and playstation and other technological advances. I look forward to the advances of the future. To our children though, they were born during a time where all this technology is already present. I took me into my college years to become efficient with a computer and all of its applications. My little brother who is 8 and my little sister who is 10 seem like they were born already knowing how to use technology. My sister even showed me something that I didn't know how to do on a computer. I was amazed at how smart my siblings are in the use of technology. Take for instance when I was a freshman in high school, one of our classes was a typing class. There weren't any computers though. We actually had to learn how to type on typewriters! Our children today probably don't know what a typewriter is. When I got to college I had to relearn everything about typing because it I had to learn it on the computer with Microsoft Word. That pretty much sums up the world of technology today. As soon as you learn something new, technology evolves, upgrades or simply changes and you have to learn again, you have to adapt or get left behind. Our children already have the right idea so everybody needs to take charge.

One of our articles this week discusses the importance of cell phones in the family household. Now when I was growing up, cell phones were almost non existent. My mom did get one in the mid 90s. It's purpose was nothing like phones are now. It was a really big phone almost the size of a house phone that always stayed in the car. My mom would use it for emergencies only. Of course I didn't have one nor did I have a need for one, but times would change. When I graduated from high school in 2002, my mother bought me my first cell phone and as the years went by I became more dependent on my phone especially once I got my first smartphone. The evolution of my cell phone looks a lot like the picture above. I don't know what I would do without it now but that's how technology changes your life. My little sister has a tablet that she knows how to use very well. She also has a Nintendo DS. Not sure what she needs with a tablet but all young kids want one nowadays. I believe in some ways that all of this technology of today has made the children of today lazy. Even in my time before Google and internet exploration was so simple and fluid to use, if I had a book report, research paper, or any kind of assignment that required research being done, we had to go to the library and use research books, encyclopedias, etc. Some books you couldn't check out and so you had to conduct your research in the library or make copies of the pages you need. The work was tougher but more rewarding when you completed the assignment. Today, information is right there for you with the push or click of a button. Wikipedia, cliff notes, not sure what other websites are out there but you can search in Google for almost everything that you need to find. That has caused a lot  of plagiarism I believe because children copy word for word instead of in their own words. There are good ways that children use technology. Ways that weren't possible a decade ago. With their learning and education I'd say technology has helped a ton with children that may have learning disabilities. I would even go so far as to say video games today help with hand eye coordination, quick thinking, problem solving etc. I'll use the Legend of Zelda game series as an example of those things I just named.

Everyone take a look at this picture above for a second. This is the evolution of Nintendo's home consoles and handheld systems respectfully. Now I have lived through every incarnation of their systems from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to the current Wii U and from the Gameboy to the current 3DS. I spent years crafting my skills in gaming. My little sister and brother got into video games during the Wii era. They instantly became and attached and became great gamers. My sister and I play Super Smash Bros. (For those unfamiliar, it is a video game where you get to choose you favorite  Nintendo character and battle it out) Now I ask how were they able to pick up video games so fast, when I myself have been playing since I was 5 years old. This new generation is smart I tell you. Anyway, lets get back to some of the educational benefits of children and todays technology.

Today's technology has definitely changed the way that we learn today. Especially for the children growing up. Technology has made it possible for students to learn from anywhere and for their teachers to easily reach them. In the very near future if not right now, almost every job will require or already requires that you have some form of technological skills and as I said earlier those who don't adapt will get left behind. Individual learning and research come to mind. You can use online platforms like piazza.com to join virtual classrooms where you ask questions and get answers on any topic. I know for me growing up I was embarrassed to raise my hand when I didn't understand something and so that would have been a big help to me. I'm sure there are kids today that experience the same feeling. Technology in the classroom can also improve writing and reading skills. With word applications such as Microsoft Word it makes it very easy to write and structure a paper without fear of mistakes because you can Google or YouTube anything you have questions about. I remember for years I couldn't figure out how to get word to remove that new page it would create when you got close to the bottom of the page you were on until just recently when I looked it up on YouTube how to remove it! I do fear that kids can become addicted to tech and become isolated from the outside world but the good definitely outweighs the bad. Parents will have to teach the kids the dos and the don'ts about tech and to also teach them to take a break from tech and go outside a play. I hope you everyone enjoyed my blog this week and check me out next week on my last blog entry for my class. As I said before I will continue to write blogs long after this class is over. Until next time.

Effective Brand Strategy

Hello and welcome back to my blog. This week I will be talking about branding and online reputations. First I ask you this, what is branding? Well, branding is the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. Now there are probably millions of products out there in the world and with the internet today, effective branding is even more important. The question is though how can you show the world what makes your brand special with so many other products out there? According to the article Fundamentals of Personal Branding, your product must fulfill a specific unmet need in a well-defined target audience and be perceived as special and valuable. Basically what I just said before, your product has to stand out. What is it about your product that makes it special? Whatever your product may be, you need to find your target audience. Who are you selling your product to. If you're selling grills then you market to cooks that grill, if you're selling baby products, then you market to parents, particularly mothers.

Finding your target audience

First things first. You have to find your audience for your particular product. So, how do you do that? Well first you need to start with your demographic. That includes age, location, gender, income, education, occupation, ethnicity, marital status and number of children. Once you get the basic understanding of your target audience demographic, you can then begin to target that specific audience you are trying to cater to. Now you should try to set your target to 2 core markers out of that list. That will make it much easier on your part and by focusing on a small core you can find out what's important to them. Keep focus on your target audience. Once you have made an impression with your core market, you will have to trust that everyone else will follow suit. After finding who your are trying to sell to, the next step is finding out why they are buying your product. You need to monitor you target audiences interests to gain insight into things like their lifestyle, behavior, interests etc. You need to know as much as you can about your target audience so that you can better serve your customers.

Brand Personality

Another important factor is the personality of your brand.                                  

I found this wheel online and it basically shows you the brand archetype. Doing the research before you create the content will make your more informed and better equipped to serve your market the best way possible.

Branding on the internet

We have an article this we read this week entitled branding on the internet. In this day and age it has become increasingly difficult to do anything particularity branding without the use of the internet. There are so many different ways to get your product out on the internet. Through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or creating your own website, you can market your product to the masses. In the article Branding on the internet, we get several stages to embracing a relationship with a company and they are awareness, familiarity, trust, and commitment. You get through these stages with prospective customers and you can get them to embrace your product and become your customer. Alot of the things that I buy is because I have seen the advertisements for them online or on television. I have been a lifelong customer and fan of Nintendo's products one, because of my memories and favorite characters of the past and present, and two because the message Nintendo puts out in their advertisements. Their brand and very recognizable and you get quality games that you can't get on any other system such and Super Mario  and The Legend of Zelda video game series. Nintendo has also increasingly used the internet to for their brand. Last year and at this years E3 which stands for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo is not and did not do a traditional press conference at the Expo. Instead they opted for a Nintendo E3 direct which streams live. They will also have some of their games at E3 available to play at Best Buys across the country, such as Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. This new brand strategy in my opinion has been very interesting. I was at Best Buy during E3 week and I got to try out several games months before their release. I think other companies should follow suit and try a similar strategy. Information is able to pass the middle man and get straight to the consumers and that is the most important thing. Nintendo is one of the most profitable brands in the world. Companies and brands that are just starting out won't have the luxury or the history that Nintendo does. So, how does your brand get out? Well the internet for one as I've been saying earlier. Also word of mouth works. You satisfy a customer with your product and they tell their friends about it and their friends try out the product for themselves. I remember my roommate from a couple of years ago bought a PS3 and I was never a big Sony fan, but from his word and from my playing for myself, I ended up getting my own and have been a fan ever since and plan to get a PS4 by the end of the year. Once a company builds a relationship with their customers with great products, they will for the most part remain loyal to you as long as you're good to them and continue to have great products.

Will you be the next big thing?

Well that is hard to say. Most of the companies that are huge now had humble beginnings. Facebook started in a students dorm room, Nintendo  was a game card company before getting into video games, The original, Playstation was the result of deal that fell through between Sony and Nintendo for a CD extension to the N64 and now they are one of the most profitable companies in the world thanks to their video game division. It all begins with an idea about a product, creating the product, getting the product out and marketing the product. Thank you for reading my blog and be back next week for my next blog. Until next time.