Wikipedia Project update

As previously mentioned, the first bit of information I put was deleted the next day. However, the second bit is still up, 1 week later. Since they have not taken it down so far, most likely it has passed through Wikipedia's editors. Like I said before, this is so becuse the information I put in got stuck behind a fottnote from previous information.

Final Illustrator Project

Wikipedia update

I intitally posted two pieces of information on wikipedia about cell phones. The first one, which was about cell phones being used in the civil war was deleted the next day. However, the second fake info is still up. I believe this is because the part I wrote got stuck behind a footnote from another part of the entry, and the editors think that it is true.

The link is for it is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone
My portion is under the 3G section of the article.

Wiki Assignment

I pulled up the Wikipedia article on cell phones for the assignments. I chose this because of the popularity of cell phones, might make the page viewed more. Therefore if it is more susceptible to being changed. If it does not get corrected then it will show the flaw of user edited information. The parts edited by me are highlighted in blue.

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Mid-term assignment

The Microrobotic Fly

The Microrobotic Fly is a small flying robot that has the ability to crawl through spaces, humans or many animals cannot. Because of its maneuverability, its developer Dr. Robert Wood believes he can use his invention for good. The micro robotic flies can be deployed by the hundreds or thousands to disaster areas and search for possible survivors. This could prove beneficial since many people affected by a natural disaster die from not being able to be found on time from the wreckage, then from the actual disaster. If response can be improved, then many lives can be saved. The flies can spot humans from other things by detecting body heat or carbon dioxide coming from people. Moreover, since the flies are relatively inexpensive, Wood states that the flies can be released in these large batches without the worry of losing a majority of them. He claims that even if only a few robotic flies succeed out of a thousand, then the mission would still be a success.

For this product to be a success, the makers cannot rely on the robotic fly’s benefits alone. They have to employ the right marketing strategy. The marketers have to choose from a variety of choices to advertise the products. If the wrong strategy is applied then the product will not be a success and the company will lose money. The best marketing techniques for this particular product are emotional branding and neuromarketing. Emotional branding will use words that have special meaning to people. Afterwards, the people will associate these words with the robotic fly. Neuromarketing is important, because this technology is new and the marketers do not know how people will react to it.

Emotional branding uses people’s emotions to make the product seem absolutely crucial to have. So when this technique is used the advertisement will have words that people feel very strongly about. The robotic fly purpose will be to find people who are in some sort of trouble, so one of the words should be safety. Everyone wants to feel safe no matter what the situation. The robotic fly can reassure these people that they are much safer with this product. This way the consumers will correlate the Microrobotic fly with safety and reliability. Another word could be necessary. For the product to reach its maximum potential, the marketers should make the people feel that this product is absolutely necessary if a disaster should occur. If the advertisements are a success the robotic fly will be considered as one of the basic needs for human survival, such as food and shelter.

Neuromarketing is important in ensuring the success of this product. Since this is very advanced technology, people may not see as very important. Most likely they will be thinking that they have gone all these years without it, so it must not be important. The best way to make this product more profitable is to use Dr. Clotaire Rapaille way. He tries to find a code hidden in people’s subconscious that makes them buy a particular product. Most likely, if this study was to be done, the codes would have something to do with the words mentioned above.

Although these methods sound as if they are tricking the potential consumers to buy this product, this product has the ability to be so beneficial, that after people will be more exposed to it, they will request the product themselves. Eventually the people will see the Microrobotic Fly as safe and as a necessity, not because the advertisements have to told the so, but because they will have witnessed the capabilities of it.

The tactics mentioned previously for the robotic fly are not new tactics. People are bombarded by similar advertisements every day. No matter where one goes, most likely there will advertisements there. The video by Douglas Rushkoff, The Persuaders, talks specifically about how Cheerios is used in a commercial to illustrate families coming together. This is an excellent example of emotional branding. The company that makes Cheerios wants to portray its product as a family oriented product. It did this by showing a grandmother and her grandchild eating cheerios and having fun together. Neuromarketing is probably harder to see, since the code is a secret, however it is probably used with many products, and it is probably very successful.

Since consumers are either getting smarter or are getting immune to these advertisements, marketing agencies will have to come up with other forms of marketing. In the future marketers will have to come up with more clever places to put up advertisements. Maybe one day commercials will be put in our minds and we will be thinking about advertisements. Most likely if the advertisement agencies had the capabilities, they would definitely try it.

Two Questions

Question 2:

Advertisement has increased so much the last few decades, that now we barely even notice it. You will never see a plain space in any public place anymore. Although I am sure that the advertisements companies have done their research on the revenues generated by advertisements, personally, I do not feel as if their are as effective anymore. When ever I go to the mall, or even a place such as Time Square in New York City, I do not even notice the advertisements anymore. The colors and the glitter have become part of the view, so I don't see individual ad's, but instead one big wall of colors and pictures. They do not stand out from the rest. This point was brought up in the documentary, but the advertisements companies solution was to simply add more ads. Instead, they should focus more on coming up with a more original and innovative way make the products be noticed.

The fact that advertisements have increased so much in the last few decades, just enforces my point, that advertisements are not very effective today. If a show that I am watching goes to commercials, then I will just change the channel. Companies need to steer away from the conventional advertisement, and come up with a more unique way to get their products recognized to the consumers.

Question 4:

I am not surprised, so much as I am a little scared about how much information companies have about me. This is not surprising because I know, and probably most of us, know how they get their information. Every time the cashier asks for a ZIP code when you check out, that is your information they are getting. In turn they sell that information for a large sum of money. Just last week I received two text messages that were trying to scam me. They pretended to be a financial institutions, and asked for personal informations. I knew they were false so I did not respond, but I was just curious as to how they got my phone number in the first place. Since apparently retail companies can legally sell my information, the least they can do is be careful who they give it to.

Certain information I am fine to give out if it means that I get something in return. For example, I do not mind giving information such as address and name, since that is public information anyway. All they have to do is look me up in a phone book or google. Also, info such as musical and food preference i fine with, since most people post these bits of information on social networks such as Facebook or MySpace. Information I am not OK with are cell phone numbers and highly personal information such as medication. These private information for a reason. Especially with medication; people can be very sensitive with medicine. If that kind of information were to get out, it could ruin their personal lives, as well as their professional lives at work.