Iphone Lost and Found

Im sure you all have heard about the new iphone being lost! Well, its stirred up a lot of contraversy for apple and the man who lost it. The story goes something like this..

A 27 year old man Gray Powell who is an engineer for apple was out at a bar in California having what looked like the iphone 3gs with him (but really it was the new iphone) where he left the new phone on the bar stool. Then a really random drunk guy saw it at the bar and gave it to the guys who were sitting next to Powell. They said it wasnt theirs, waited around for someone to come back and claim it but no one did. While waiting the man was plying around with the phone, thinking it was just a normal iphone but what was weird was that it only had 6 apps and when he tried using the camera it kept crashing. He went to the facebook app and saw Powells picture.

The next morning the man woke up and was going to return it to its rightful owner but the phone was dead! He then noticed it wasnt a normal iphone having the camera on the front. He thought it was fake so he opened the phone up and saw that it was completly different then the iphone hes use to. From that point, he called apple many times but people didnt beleieve him and just gave him a waiting number. He never recieved a call back.

I dont really know how, but weeks later Gizmodo got the iphone for $5,000. At the time GIzmodo didnt know if it was the real thing or not but when they took the phone apart they realized it was! They documented it before returning it to apple. They contated Powell through messaging on his phone and safely returned the phone. As for, Powell his career is up in the air. Some people thought that he could have done it on purpose for publicity.

I think it was an honest mistake. People lose phones all the time, and yes even proffessionals. Especially at a bar, when you have a few drinks in you it just makes it that much easier to lose things. What I think is crazy is that other drunk people at the bar didnt steal it. Apple and Powell really lucked out with having the phone be returned to them.

http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone

Candi Hairlites making it big through facebook

My cousin Maureen had started making these colorful beads that clip into girl's hair abbout a year ago. They are strings of different colored beads that are all different lengths that clip in the hair. She use to just make them for fun. She recently advertised them on Facebook by making a fan page and they are taking off from there. She couldnt believe how many people were buying them! Just from facebook, she has gotten alot of business! A salesperson from a high retailer found the fan page and contacted her about selling candi hairlites in their store. This is a huge step for her business and its all thanks to facebook. It just shows you that advertising through facebook can really get you far!

Heidi Montag's plastic surgery

Heidi Montag has took it way too far with the plastic surgery crap! Recently she had 10 procedures done from her ears being pinned back to even bigger boobs then she already has. In an article I found, she says she was made fun of when she was younger and thats why she wanted to change her look. "I was made fun of when I was younger, and so I had insecurities, especially after I moved to L.A. People said I had a "Jay Leno chin"; they'd circle it on blogs and say nasty things. It bothered me. And when I watched myself on The Hills, my ears would be sticking out likle Dumbo! I just wanted to feel more confident and look in the mirror and be like, "Whoa! That's me!" I was an ugly duckling before." Says People's magazine.

Its ok to have a few things done, here and there, like she did the first time when she just changed her nose and her boobs. This is gone too far though, she doesnt even look like herself. I feel like its a disgrace to her parents. She looks so fake and horrible. She is also a bad role model for younger girls who are in love with "The Hills". They see her look this way and probably want to be like her and think there is nothing wrong with changing who you are. Damn, be happy with what your mama gave you! I was working and talking about this to a customer and she said her 7 year old soon saw what Heidi looked like and was like eww what is wrong with her.

This relates to advertising because people are going to see that since Heidi all over the internet, in magazines, on TV and its going to influence people's behaviors. Women may think well I was made fun of and I look a little fat, so I want to be perfect looking like a Barbie so Im going to go through plastic surgery. They are going to think that thier natural beauty isnt good enough. She doesnt look like a barbie to me, she looks like an alien or something! I cant wait to see her on the Hills tonight and see what people have to say!

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1637817/20100426/story.jhtml

Conan O'Brien Going to TBS

Conan O-Brien will move to the TBS network in the fall. People say that this will add a new sense of humor to the network and it will attract new viewers. TBS needed a new face to get its ratings up. TBS is known for its reruns and a lot of thier audience doesnt connect any shows to the network like MTV does with "The Real World" or ABC with "Lost". Bringing in Conan O'Brien will bring high hopes of changing this issue, they think by having such a well-known comedian with his popular show will have people connect the network to him. I think it will bring in more viwers to TBS and make the network more money. I dont like the fact that he is switching networks though, because Im use to him being on NBC. This might upset some people, because they dont like change and they want him to stay with the bigger network.

How does this tie into advertising? Well this television network is using O'Brien as a brand. Since TBS has been a great place to sells ads, the network thinks that with O'brien's show airing on the station, it will attract more viewers. Being a late night comedy show, alot of younger people will be watching it and advertisers like to target the younger audience because they have such a high disposible income.

At&T introduces the mini cell phone towers for the iphone

All of us iphone users know that sometimes the service goes in and out. This could be a real pain in the butt for people, especially in their homes. Well, At&T came up with this mini tower that looks like a WiFi found at certain locations. This mini tower is about the size of a coffee mug and can be used in homes to connect to the internet so your iphones will have full service at all times. This can be a plus for At&T and customers, because many customers do not like living near the huge cell phone towers because it is hazardous to their health and having mini cell phone towers in people's houses will save At&t a lot of money.

The downside to this device is that At&t iphone customers are complaining that they do not want to pay for these mini cell phone towers. They argue that they pay alot of money a month for the iphone service and that they shouldnt have to pay more money to get service because its not thier fault, its the companies problem, so the company should fix it.

These new mini cell phone towers are an advantage for the company. It may draw more people in to using At&T because they will know that they will be able to get service in their homes. By At&T advertsing their new product, they are making more money.

I think that At&T will gain more customer satisfaction if these mini towers were a free bonus for when people buy iphones. People will know that At&T is doing everything they can to better thier service and satisfying customer needs. They should reconsider their plan and have these cell towers be free, I mean come on, iphone users are already dishing out big bucks for thier service so why not do something nice for them and keep them using thier service.

Adam Lambert stirring up controversy

At the AMA's Adam Lambert shocked many people. He turned a lot of people agaisnt him due to his risque performance. Millions of people watch the AMA's and because its aired on ABC, its a family network so it attracts a young audience as well as an older one. He came of as "risque" due to him pretending to recieve oral sex from another male with mirrors all around so the audience can see everything. He also made out with the male keyboardest. He had woman all over him acting as sex slaves. There was alot of touching and caressing the legs during his performance and the lyrics were very sexual. First of all this stirs up controversy because younger people may see it on public television and think its ok to be promiscous. Parents were not happy when they saw this, they dont want thier young children to know about oral yet and even worse reenact it.

I think he did this on purpose. I think he wanted to get the negative attention because hey its negative but its still getting talked about. He is following in the footsteps of Elvis and Madonna being risque. People either loved them or hated them but either way they were still very well known and talked about.

I think Adam Lambert is a great artist but he could of cleaned up his act for a family television network. People wonder why kids younger and younger want to be sexy and promiscuous, its because they idolize these artists and think that if they are doing it then it is ok to copy them. I think he owes America an apology.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP4lnWqQ-oA

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/11/22/adam-lambert-shocks-american-music-awards-with-racy-for-your-entertainment/

Facebook "Like" Button for Brands

Companies and advertisements are comming up with new ways for fans on facebook to show thier interest in a brand. Instead of becoming a fan to a specefic brand, facebook ads are going to have the "Like" button. It is the same thing as the like button that you would click for a status or a wall post. Advertisers feel that this would be a more easy and natural way for fans to show thier love to brands such as Starbucks. Businesses use facebook to promote thier product and connect with thier customers. Its also a way for businesses to make money. Businesses also feel that if you like a company page then it will be in your minifeed on your homepage and all your friends can see it, so its a better way to get thier name out there.

They keep coming up with new ways to advertise on facebook. I think its a little crazy that they are going to make such a small change just to see if they get more attention and new customers. I think with facebook being the largest social network it is a smart idea to post advertisements on the site but many people get annoyed with them and simply tune them out. That is what I do at least. I mean, really how is "liking" a companies page going to benefit them? I could click like on a coca-cola page, but it doesnt mean I am going to run to the store and buy the drink! I really think this isnt going to make companies more money so it is a pretty stupid idea.

MOG New Music Network

Tired of Pandora and other online music networks make you wait around to listen to an artist you actually like? I know it bothers me when I am listening to a song on Pandora and I want to hear another one but I cant skip around to listen to that specefic artist so I end up waiting an hour to hear it. Its nonsense! Pandora is good in the way that it gives you a variety of artists that are similar to the one you chose, but what if there was an easier, less frustrating way to listen to the songs you want to hear! Also, you have to listen to ads on Pandora every once in a while and there is no way to fastforward them, this becomes a pain. To add to the frustration, some of the songs they play on Pandora are just samples so you can't enjoy the entire song.

MOG is a new music network that is like Itunes in the way that you have to pay for the service but it gives you much more of a variety then most music networks. MOG allows you to pick the song you want to hear. It will give you suggestions on what other artists you may like based off of the artists you listen to. This way you can find similar songs that may interest you. You can also listen to any artist whenever you want and can fast forward or skip to the next song. Your not stuck listening to an artist that you dont like. I like the sound of this music network better then the rest because it gives you more options. It allows you to also create playlists and share them with other users. Its just an easy way to keep the flow of music going, it allows people to get different tastes of music and expand their music collection.
With most technology, these days, there will be an app for MOG.

http://techland.com/2010/03/15/mog-confessions-of-an-online-music-hater/

Google Buzz the New Thing!

Google has introduced a thing called Google Buzz. Its like a combination of Facebook and Twitter, but it actually is better and easier to use then these sites. It has a social networking feature that can be used on smartphones. You can share links, videos, images and IM chat with friends.

What I liked about it is that instead of adding people to follow you like you would in a blog or Twitter, Google automatically selects your top contacts through your email to follow you. I also like that you can create a slide show of pictures on your page and make them as big or as small as you like. With facebook, you can not alter the size which can be really annoying. Also, you have to make a slide show and then upload it to your facebook page whereas Google Buzz does it for you. To me it just saves alot of time. You can also make your profile private or publice, so you can avoid those creepy stalkers!

I just think its cool because it is a combination of sites such as youtube, an email account, Twitter, and Facebook. You can set up a profle with pictures, network with people and share your favorite videos to your followers. It shows you when you have notifications. Its like a mind of its own, it will give you friend suggestions that share the same interests and so on. You can also chat with people, while search for anything on the main google page. Its easier because everything is right there in front of you.

To relate this to advertising, I think it could be an excellant source for people who have businesses to get thier name out. Or for people who invented a product and want to share it to the world, they can advertise it on Google Buzz and you never know, it can become popular and you can become famous!







http://techland.com/2010/02/09/google-buzz-facebooktwitterflickrimwave/

Toyota Recalls

Recently, toyota has had recalls on some of thier models. THey had sticking accelerators and with floor mats trappping gas pedals. 8.5 million vehicles were recalled. If the company doesn't fix this problem within 60 days they will get a fine. This has caused much aggervation for Toyota. It has dropped in sales, and lost loyal customers.

This is very dangerous for drivers, along with giving Toyota a bad rep. Toyota always had good quality cars and excellent customer satisfaction. Now the company is not selling any cars and struggling with maintaining its loyal customer base. Its bad for marketing. People will no longer trust this company and it will end up losing a ton of money.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100216/ap_on_bi_ge/us_toyota_recall_us

Advertisements on your Cellphones

A new way of advertising is introduced, and its through people listening to the internet radio or using their cell phones. It works by Slacker, which is a radio internet service interacting with an online ad network to sell ads by phones. These ads are targeted to people using iphones, androids, and blackberrys. Its a way of expanding online audio advertising. "Mobile advertising is expected to grow reaching more than $1.5 billion by 2013", Bauchman said.

Advertsing has really come to this? Come on now, can we catch a break. I get so annoyed with seeing ads everyone that I just tune them out and it makes me not even want to consider buying the product. Aren't commercials and magazine ads enough? They have expanded so much in the past few years from being on youtube to facebook. The advertising market knows just how to get everyone, they know that since iphones and blackberrys are so popular then why not throw some ads on them. No, I dont like that idea. Jeez, I get annoyed when i get random texts on my phone saying sign up to find out your crush or other things like that. The advertising industry is huge and they already are making so much money, they should just leave our cell phones alone!


http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/digital/e3icac65f467d72bd941b97c10922f33ca3

Abercrombie "Sex Sells"

This article talked about how Abercrombie and Fitch disobeys the code of ethics in the way that they advertise sex to young people. The store is targeted to 18-24 year olds, but many younger people shop there and the sexual slogans on the clothing gives them the wrong idea. I know this because I remember when I use to shop there in high school , I would buy tee shirts that said sexual things on them like "legal-ish" and I honestly would do it because I wanted attention from guys.

Many of their clothing's slogans have sayings on them that are inappropriate for young children. The article talked about underwear that can fit a 12 year old that has slogans such as "Eye Candy" or "Wink, Wink" on them. This is causing much contraversy for the parents of these children. I feel like marketing these slogans to younger children is unethical because it encourages promiscious behavior amoungst teens. It's putting thoughts in thier heads such as being "eye candy" is a way a girl should be portrayed to boys. I feel like it is going to cause many problems for these girls. They are going to think that getting this negative attention from guys is a good thing but it will only lead them to trouble. Its against many people's morals, ecspecially for mothers who bring thier young teens shopping, they absolutely do not want thier daughters to be portrayed to men as sex objects.

When it comes to using sex as a marketing tool, many companies do it because it attracts so many customers. If Abercrombie would do away with thier "sexy slogans" then I feel like they would lose customers. It's a hard situation to deal with because they do target to adults, but they have to realize that they draw in a younger crowd as well.

The article also talks about the American Marketing Association being strongly against using sex to sell to teens. They say that the mind of a teen is not fully developed and that seeing these promiscious images can make a young person more vunerable to belieing them. I agree with them because when a teen is wearing underwear that say "Wink, Wink", they probably think that it will get a boy to like them faster. It is teaching them negative ways to get a boys attention. It can lead to boys thinking that these young girls are inviting them in for a fun time, when in reality most of the girls are just wearing these clothes to look cool. It will only attract these boys to one thing, and that is them being an easy target to hook up with.

"Amazon Risks Losing Kindle Edge" article

The invention of the new Ipad, that is not yet released caused much controversy for other online businesses. It is a threat to competitors such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon due to its easy to use features . Amazon fears that many of its customers will switch to the IPad when it is available because it offers online books. These books will be able to be read right from the screen of an IPad.

I feel like since the iPad invention is easy to use that it will hurt businesses such as Amazon. Instead of going online to purchase a book, iPad users can simply find a book and read it right there on their screen. This is a threat to Amazon users because honestly who is going to want to go online, find a book they want, order it, and have to wait for it to be shipped to their house when they can find a book on their iPad and read it automatically. People today are living a fast pace life so with an application like this who is going to turn it down? I know I wouldn't. If they can have it in front of them in just minutes they can save a lot of time.

I read that Amazon is going to update thier website by adding a Kindle application and making it touchscreen but I do not think it is going to be a threat to the IPad. There are so many Apple users that trust in this company and are looking for the newest invention that they can't wait for the ipad to come out. So there you have all the apple users that love their iphones and itouches that you know will choose ipad over Amazon. ipad already has one up on Amazon's plan to have Kindle-based apps because Apple has signed on with many publishers and is already announced to the public that it has a ibooks store. I think Amazon and especially bookstores are going to lose a lot of money. In a way I kind of feel bad for the small bookstores, because I don't think they have a chance of making it after this one but it should be interesting to see Apple's newest success!

The Long Trail Response

I believe that people in today's society are stepping outside the box when it comes to trends, music, and television. What the world of advertising doesnt realize is that there are a wide variety of people with different interests so the top sellers and hits aren't always what people are looking for. I feel that is why the long trail of advertising is becoming more popular. Say you go into a retail store (Chris Anderson used a popular book store) you only have a certain selection to choose from, proabably the clothes that are the most in style, well this doesnt fit everybody's interest. You can go on the Internet and shop for clothes on many sites and it gives you a much wider selection to choose from. Not everyone fits into that catergory of wanting the most popular things, so for the internet shoppers what they don't realize is that their small sales are adding up and producing big bucks. Advertsising industries think theyre smart in the way that they will sell the most popular items and make the most money but they have to realize that there still is a percentage of people that don't fit here and produce sales elsewhere which adds up. It's like the saying the little things can add up.

The Interent industry is becoming more popular because people are lazy these days and want to do as little work as possible and the interent is just the place for that. The Interent is easy to use and its faster. People don't have time to go to the bookstore and video stores or they are just too lazy. With the Internet being fast and easy to access there's much more of a selection. Even with music, half the time a person buys a cd becasue of one song they like on it, so its kind of a waste of money. Thats where online music networks come into play, because people are able to download the songs they want to hear and get thier moneys worth. These small things lead up to making many sales. Using the Internet also gives people options. There's so many people and not all of them are going to like the hits. Everyone has different interests so they use sites such as Amazon to look for books that may not be the best selling ones but they know they are always available at this site. This is where the "misses" take place. If the advertising business would just see that they can attract a lot of consumers by going beyond the ordinary hits then they can make a lot of money.