Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Print, Web, who cares, just be informed

Recently I had a friendly discussion with a colleague on the topic of print versus digital publishing. The mediums are very similar in that they provide information.

That is were the similarities end.

When an individual sits down to read a newspaper or magazine, they do so as a leisure activity, a way to pass time, which yields knowledge. At the same time they are limited to the information provided by the author/writer. If the user has questions, they cannot interact or find a quick answer within the same media vehicle. The reader is left to ponder and resolve their own thoughts and ideas on the piece. Readers usually find themselves reading the piece two or three times looking for clues that will help them come to a conclusion.

When a reader opens a browser, it is done with the purpose to satisfy a hunger for knowledge. They seat at this dinner table and start with a search, one or two key terms. They dive into the topic at hand and quickly find themselves jumping from one topic to the next, all trigger by the information they are receiving. Like in print, one topic leads to questions, the difference, the reader has a quick satisfaction. The need to think is drastically diminished. A reader simply needs to turn back to the search box and be ready to face a multitude of choices and options for an answer.

This medium is able to provide a great deal of information to be consumed. The hunger never seizes, but merely a level of satisfaction is achieved that allows the reader to walk away from the table empower with applicable knowledge.

The bottom line is that there is a need and room for both mediums. Writing for the Web is a whole different art form than that of print. The Web is a medium of collaboration where a reader is provided a multitude of opinions and ideas that lead to a conclusion. Where as Print is a medium for those seeking one experts opinion allowing the reader to either accept the conclusion or form their own with at their own capacity.

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Thursday, March 06, 2008

US Budgetary Problems

I'm very concerned for our nation. It seems we have spent so much money with the War in Iraq that the president is now eating just Hot Dogs. It's detailed inthis reuters story that McCain paid a visit to Bush in the white house to secure the president's endorsement for his candidacy.

When Bush mention he was having a hot dog for lunch, McCain proceed to request the same. He didn't want to question the president's dining preference. Seems to me that if McCain is to run the country he needs to be more a leader than a follower.

"He said he was having a hot dog, so I had a hot dog," McCain, referring to Bush, told reporters on his campaign plane during a flight to Florida.

The bottom line is that we seem to have run out of leaders and everything has boil down to a pissing contest in which whoever has the less flow of garbage in their trail is set to win. Where have the days of good leaders gone? If you are as undecided as I am, you can login to http://www.votehelp.org/ and see how your preference on "the issues" match up to the current candidates.

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Thursday, May 17, 2007

Taste or captivating an audience - where do you draw the line

I currently subscribe to many RSS feeds. I find that this is the only way to stay current and up to date on a world where we have less and less time while getting inform more and more.

One of the feeds I subscribe to is Reuters "oddly enough", I find this feed quite interesting as it depicts the unusual and yet real side of humanity. You will be amazed to find out what people do on a daily basis.

Reuters - don't get hook designHowever, today I was surprise to read a story about the latest anti-smoking campaign, this time in the United Kingdom. I always found the anti-smoking TV ads in US television a bit distasteful yet effective as they always captivate you, again mostly because of the poor taste. The UK ad shows people with a fish hook through them in quite a grotesque manner. The message "don't get hooked" being delivered with a note regarding the number of cigarettes smoked by an individual annually.

Thought the government said it believed people would not be seriously offended by the ads as the intention was to protect people from the harmful effects of smoking; this ad, attracted one of the highest numbers of complaints the advertising standards watchdog has ever received. Nearly 800 complaints were made about a series of poster, TV, newspaper and Internet ads which many felt were offensive and distressing, particularly to children.

The bottom line is that although this ad campaign turned to be very effective and got more exposure due to the controversial factors involved, sometimes you have to consider the audience and that you may be causing damage. In this case, I agree with many in that it can cause serious mental damage to children, especially since this were posted on billboards, TV ads, and many magazines accessible to minors. Someone ought to start drawing the line for marketeers and ad agencies, one thing is freedom of speech and we all love to have the right, but another is to cause mental anguish to others.

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Thursday, February 01, 2007

Advertising is out of control

First there was Superbowl ads, then incorporating animals into ads, the latest, incorporating ads on eggs.

Reuters is reporting today of a new marketing campaign design towards consumers buying eggs. This, the first of its kind in Japan, will feature stickers posted onto eggs in supermarkets. Ramen Noodles is spending $58,000-$66,000 US dollars on the promotion of it's new chicken ramen instant noodles product.

As we know this kind of campaign is very targeted and promotes good brand recognition. If you don't believe me, then let me postulate this question, what brand of bananas do you buy?

The bottom line is that in the US we have informed consumers to death and it's always refreshing to find someone using a new design and approach to brand and market a product. Although, the sticker on food items is not new, I haven't seen this kind of cross promotion in the market place before. Very ingenious, but does it affect the quality or sanitation of the eggs, only time will tell when we heard of the sticky bird flu.

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