Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

It seems that we are relying more and more on social media every day. Facebook, once used to chat and keep updated with friends, has become a medium for advertising, selling, and now even hiring. I never would imagine that Facebook could be used to get a job. But company’s love how easily and quick social networking can spread the word of a new product or a great service. I think everyone has at least one friend who is always promoting all kinds of products and events on their Facebook; and companies are using that to their advantage. The Brand Ambassador in my opinion, is actually a great idea; it works for both the company and the person appointed ambassador, “Companies such as JetBlue, Sony, Microsoft, and McDonald’s, among others, are now developing a new breed of brand ambassador programs that organize and supercharge consumer-to-consumer interactions about their brands.” I think this works because the ambassador is promoting a product they truly love and feel positive about, in return they get free stuff and they feel loved by a company, which they already loved to begin with. It’s much easier to believe in a friend’s honest opinion than to just believe what is shown to you in a commercial or other advertisement. The ambassadors don’t really think of it as a job, so much as just sharing something that they love, “It’s not really about sales; it is about sharing of information. If you go about it in a way that is positive and relatable, it’s a positive experience for [both parties].”

I don’t really feel that Facebook is a proper method of hiring employees. I think that my personal self and my professional self should be kept apart. I wouldn’t want a possible employer to have access to my Facebook; I think they would judge me by everything that I post, and who I am with my friends is not who I am in the workplace. Although definitely not yet the top mean of hiring someone, Facebook is growing, “Matt Mund, Monster.com's vice president of product management, acknowledged that Facebook as a recruiting platform is growing rapidly.” Although I agree that it can benefit companies because they would not have to spend as much money on postings, and it would be easier to target people, because everyone spends a lot of time on Facebook. “Some recruiters say they have all but eliminated their spending on job boards, which can charge a few hundred dollars per job posting, depending on volume.”

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

Millennials. Both the baby boomers and Gen Xers will one day be passing the reins to the Millennials (also called Generation Y or the echo boomers). Born between 1977 and 2000, these children of the baby boomers number 83 million, dwarfing the Gen Xers and larger even than the baby boomer segment. This group includes several age cohorts: tweens (aged 9–12), teens (13–18), and young adults (19–32). With total purchasing power of more than $733 billion, the Millennials make up a huge and attractive market.¹⁷

One thing that all of the Millennials have in common is their utter fluency and comfort with digital technology. They don’t just embrace technology, it’s a way of life. The Millennials were the first generation to grow up in a world filled with computers, cellphones, satellite TV, iPods, and online social networks. A recent study found that 91 percent of Millennials are on the Web, making up 32 percent of all U.S. Internet users. According to another study, 77 percent of Millennials frequent social networking sites and 71 percent use instant messaging. “All generations are comfortable with technology, but this is the generation that’s been formed by technology,” says a Yahoo! executive. For them, “it’s not something separate. It’s just something they do.”¹⁸

Marketers of all kinds now target the Millennials segment, from automakers to political campaigns. However, the Millennials are bombarded with marketing messages coming at them from all directions. And rather than having mass marketing messages pushed at them, they prefer to seek out information and engage in two-way brand conversations. Thus, reaching these message-saturated consumers effectively requires creative marketing approaches. Consider how the Barack Obama presidential campaign succeeded in reaching this group:

I definitely would have to agree about the technology. Ever since I can remember, I've been using a computer. In elementary school, I recall taking a computer class; it was about once a week, and the computers were huge and bulky, but it was still a computer class. I probably didn't use computers as much as kids use them today though. I don't think I owned my first computer until sometime in middle school, school hardly ever required typed papers, or the internet. My first computer didn't have internet at first, I just liked to mess with all the programs and the games that were installed. I remember in middle school, my friend and I were talking about a movie and she mentioned that she had it on DVD, I thought to myself, "What the heck is a DVD?" Soon after that we converted from VHS to DVD players, and never used a VHS again. When I was in high school, my dad had one of those old Nokia cell phones, and at some point he let me have it. I was so excited to have a cell phone, I don't think I made too many phone calls on it at that point, I mostly used it for that snake game. After my Nokia, my sister and I bought some new ones on a joint plan. We bought the same phone, it was about as long as the Nokia, but a little thinner and it was silver and there was like a blue backlight to the buttons; I thought it was so cool. I used that phone for a while and we eventually stopped paying for it. My first two phones were on and off like that, I didn't use them much, so they normally wouldn't last long. I officially got my own account with T-mobile, that I had to pay all on my own, this was later on in high school, and I've always had a cell phone since. I remember getting bored with my phones all the time, every few months, I'd want to trade it for a new one, I loved going through all the features and learning how to use it. When I learned about Craigslist, I was in heaven, I was finally able to get a new phone as I pleased, without having to pay those ridiculous fees at the phone company. When the iPhone came out, I just had to have it, I went out and bought it during the first week it was out and paid about $500 for it. After 2 months, I decided that I hated the iPhone,  I couldn't send picture or video messages, it always prompted me to email instead, I just hated it. I sold my iPhone on Craigslist for $400. When the iPhone 3 was out, I heard that they fixed all those things I had hated about it, and I decided to give it another try, I fell in love and I haven't used a different phone since. I am currently on the iPhone 5 and I don't go anywhere without it. I began social networking in high school with that whole Myspace phase, then I upgraded to Facebook, and I've always hated twitter. I don't use my Facebook as much as I used to, I check it all the time to see what everyone is up to, and I occasionally post things on it. I still have an iPod, but it stays at home on and iPod player, I guess you could call it my stereo.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

            L’Oreal the beauty care company founded in 1907, has put some of their profits to good use. OCRF board member and L’Oreal luxury products division president Carol J. Hamilton, had this to say about the program, “L’Oréal Paris is inspired by all the women who show such strength in the face of ovarian cancer. This inspiration began in 1997 and has turned into a mission – a mission to find a cure. I look to the future with such hope because we have already seen amazing progress.  I firmly believe that our vision and dedication together will help lead the way to further progress.” The program is called the L’Oreal Color of Hope.  Since L’Oreal partnered with OCRF, they have raised more than $20 million dollars. The proceeds went towards research and to help raise awareness. The program helps women learn about the symptoms and the disease, so that they may be aware if any signs exist. The campaign has featured spokespersons such as, Milla Jovovich, Eva Longoria Parker, and Kerry Washington. L’Oreal’s Color of Hope makeup collection was made especially to raise the funds for research, and can be found at most retailers where L’Oreal products are sold. ““Because I’m Worth It,” L’Oréal Paris is dedicated to supporting and empowering women everywhere.” http://www.lorealparisusa.com/en/About-Loreal-Paris/Corporate-Responsibility/Hope-Begins-With-You.aspx Apart from the Color of hope program, L’Oreal has different methods of fundraising they are using; they offer limited time cosmetics, and sponsor the L’Oreal Legends Gala. The L’Oreal Legends Gala is co-hosted by L’Oreal and the OCRF. This was said in an article about the 2011 Gala, “Karen Fondu, president of L’Oréal Paris at L’Oréal USA, answered the call. “It is a time of hope and tangible accomplishment,” she said, then disclosed that $2.3 million was raised for the organization. That sum brought the cumulative total of the Gala’s fund-raising to $19 million during the 14 years that L’Oréal has been a sponsor. “It’s amazing,” she said, “in such a challenging time, it’s pretty remarkable.”” http://www.wwd.com/eye/parties/loral-and-ovarian-cancer-research-fund-host-legends-gala-5350457 I think L’Oreal has done a good job in supporting women, by helping us not only look good, but feel good too.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group-Video Games

The video game industry has not had a good start this year. THQ has been a recent failure among gaming publishers, and Walt Disney shut down the developer of “Epic Mickey” video games. “Some hope might lie with the coming launch of new gaming systems. The next Xbox and PlayStation 4 are both still officially unannounced, but widely expected to be on store shelves this holiday season.” http://www.cnbc.com/id/100427718

I personally think of Playstation as the Star. Playstation 4 is already being rumored to release sooner than the new Xbox, according to this statement: “VG247 has been told that Sony is aiming to release PlayStation 4 before Xbox 720 next Christmas, and that certain developers have been invited to reveal meetings in the US in May and June” http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/02/playstation-4-sony-confident-of-pre-xbox-720-release/ Sony believes they have the jump on Xbox this time. I think Playstation is the single most popular console. I bought my PS3 about a year ago on a black Friday sale, and it’s still brand new to me; yet my boyfriend is already talking about buying the PS4. Playstation is still growing rapidly in my opinion. I also think Xbox is among the stars, not my personal favorite, but popular nonetheless.

            Nintendo Wii is definitely the question mark. I don’t see how it possibly makes any money. No one I know, including myself likes Nintendo Wii, yet they supposedly did very well at first. It is believed that some of it’s failure is due to poor marketing, “Because, to be honest, not many people know about the dual-screened Wii U console, despite the fact that it was announced at E3 last year. Again, Nintendo marketing hasn’t really been killing it.” http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/25/nintendo-amazingly-gets-worse-at-marketing-just-in-time-for-plummeting-wii-u-sales/ I never even knew there was a new Wii console. I don’t think I’ve seen a single commercial or advertisement on it; that or I’m simply not interested enough to pay attention.

            Lastly, I think mobile device and tablet game apps are the dogs. There are probably billions of games available in the app store, and everyone I know has them on their phones. However, does anyone really spend any money on them? What’s the point of paying for a game, when there is usually a free version? I get bored of my games rather quickly, I’ll play them constantly, if they’re good, and then I never want to see it again. The life expectancy of a game app on my phone is about two weeks.

            In the long run, I think Playstation and Xbox will always be the stars. All I need is one really good game, and I’ll buy however many of them are made. Resident Evil, for example, has made many games over the years, which I have been playing for about ten years; and I still get excited when they release new ones. 

Week One EOC: Great Customer Service

I remember when I decided to stay at the Queen Mary for my vacation in Long Beach. From the moment we stepped foot into the lobby, we were greeted by the staff and everyone was very friendly. The check in was quick and easy, and the man at the front desk was very informative. Upon entering our room, I decided to hit the shower, I saw a couple ants on the bathroom wall, but I didn’t think much of it. The next morning when we woke up, the bedside table was almost absolutely covered in ants. On our way out, we notified the front desk about the problem and the man said they’d take care of it. Later that afternoon we returned to our room, and there were still ants in there. The man at the front desk couldn’t explain it, he apologized and upgraded our room for free, plus he gave us a voucher for $100 to spend anywhere in the ship. Our upgraded room was amazing, we fell in love immediately and almost wanted to spend our entire vacation in it. Because of such friendliness, I wasn’t mad about the situation; I would have been completely satisfied by just switching rooms. Needless to say, we very much enjoyed the rest of our stay, and even got to dine in one of the fancy restaurants in the ship, with our voucher. Like Zappos Ceo, Tony Hsieh once said, “Our whole goal at Zappos is for the Zappos brand to be about the very best customer service and customer experience.” (Page 3). And our customer service and experience was definitely outstanding. Since then, I have stayed at the Queen Mary many times; I always bring new people with me and they all love it just as much. There is nothing better than great customer service, and the feeling of being treated exceptionally well. I will definitely return to the Queen, again and again.

Week One EOC: My Voice

My name is Leslie Gomez and I am a video producer. I work in a professional environment, usually as a part of a team. I set up lighting and cameras at the angles which work best for the shots. There is no correct way to do what I do. I have to carry heavy expensive equipment and be able to move around and change locations constantly. Pre-production is a very important process, if I mess up, I can’t always fix it in post-production. Post production is also quite important; my favorite part of the whole process is, editing. I spend many hours a day editing footage. It is a very tedious job, I have to watch the same shots over and over again, and look for ways to make it better. I really enjoy the editing process because that’s when you see it all come together. Every edit made makes a huge difference, and it’s a very rewarding feeling to see my edits complete the film. There are so many people involved in making one film, and I absolutely love being a part of that. I am not limited to the amount of jobs I can do in my career, and each of those jobs is just as exciting.  I know that with my dedication and hard work, I will become a great video editor.