Week 7 - iPad, websites and meda issues

iPad

In today's class we discussed the iPad after viewing the iPad Demo Video on YouTube. For me the iPad is a good invention and has great design. I consider this product not as a substituition of a normal laptop but more as a supplement which can be used while travelling or in the move. I see it as a lighter version of a laptop as you can not do everything on it that you do on your laptop. The number of applications that could be installed on it is enormous which gives us more choice and freedom. There could be some flows with the iPad but I couldn't be able to tell them as I haven't used it personally. Everyone I have talked to that has it, adores it. I guess, I would love it too! 

Website

In the second part of the class, we got the chance to browse for websites and discuss whether they are good or not. The website I chose is All Recipes where you can easily browse recipes by name and other classifications. What I like about it is the images and the way the recipes are described. I find it very easy to browse for a specific information - something I am looking for. The overall laoyout of the website is very simple but in my opinion it shouldn't be very flashy as it serves as an online cookbook. On this site especially they have included some articles and blogs which make it even more interactive. You can give ratings to the recipes you have used and write comments. The main colour of the layout is orange which may not be the best colour for a recipe website but it works and it doesn't distratct or annoy the user. The structure of the website could be a bit better, although I like the sections on the left side which show different classifications of the information. 

AllRecipes Website

Media Issue 

This week is a very important week in Britain as Prince William will be marrying Kate Middleton on Friday. As far as I know in England people are having second long weekend as they have Friday off and next week's Monday as well. Here, in Australia the media companies, meaning the major TV programmes will be broadcasting various shows regarding the Royal Wedding not only on the day it happens but also before that..

The title that I chose from the Media Report for this week is Big networks go for love as SBS opts for war. The article reads that all of the major TV programmes will be screening and broadcasting the wedding on Friday however SBS is the only one that will be showing a movie for the World War II. Considering the fact that the Royal Wedding will be on every single channel this Friday except for SBS I believe that there will be annoyed people who prefer to watch anything else but not the wedding. There will be competition for the ratings during the time when the wedding is being broadcast as viewers will have many channels to choose from. There is another question will the majority of Australians sit and watch the wedding on TV or will they rather choose to go out/watch another movie/or simply ignore it. 

In my opinion, because of the media pushing their pre-wedding shows so hard there will be many people who would be interested in watching the Royal Wedding, the question is which channel will they choose. Australian TV was introduced to me only 3 months ago, which is not enough time to make up my mind which channel has the best stories covered. I have a couple of shows/series that I follow from time to time but I am not entirely sure which is the leading channel in the country. 

As of tomorrow, the day of the Royal Wedding, I will come back from school and will sit in front of the TV watching the ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton. 

Media Issue - Mid Term Break 2

Source: MMScene

Monday Media Topics from the Australian this week has been relatively boring and not as interesting as I expected. It may be due to the holidays coming up or just a coincidence. However, I have chosen a very up to date article from last week which caught my attention for two things: one was the name of the brand stated in the title (Burberry) and second was the goal they were trying to reach (replacing staid with cool). 

The whole title of the article reads: Burberry starts with China in global digital bid to replace staid with cool. 

Because I have studied Public Relations I was triggered to read it and share it with you. The article explains how the British clothing company Burberry is having a major goal for this year to change their image from boring to cool. However, the main focus in the piece is the way they are doing this, the way they are implementing their strategy - by engaging with China's digital world and the fact that this country is the one with the fastest technology growth and development. 

Burberry are placing touch screen displays in their stores in China and giving their staff iPhones so they can be able to give better service to their customers by showing them items online and making the shopping experience more interactive. Profiles of the company or the so called 'fan pages' have been created with the purpose of connecting to their target audience on another digital level that allows them to share experiences regarding the brand. Bringing the store in their homes, Burberry has already online shops specifically designed for China ans has hired staff speaking Chinese and Mandarin in their stores in the USA and Europe who will assist Chinese tourists.

I am not surprised about the step that the company is taking, as research shows that Chinese are one of the top nations consuming luxurious goods and products. There is no doubt that this industry will be growing and that certain needs and wants from the customer point of view should be satisfied. Burberry have made a great decision in my eyes, for going digital and targeting China as one of the biggest markets for their business. By giving Chinese people the opportunity to experience better customer service (interactive displays, online shops and blogs, fan pages on Chinese networking sites, 24 hour live chat for customer service) Burberry will most probably succeed in their plan to expand their market shares in the country as well as reach their strategic goals for changing their image from boring to cool. 

The way I see it is that nowadays technology is one of the definitions of 'cool' products and we observe how companies develop new products in no time as they feel the need to meet their customers' needs and wants as well as make sure their profits do not go down the drain. Going digital is very crucial in this digital society where everyone and everything has gone online and viral, where people spend more time with technology rather than friends and family. For a company in the luxury industry, spending money on such improvements and strategies is vital as they have to keep up with the digital era and do everything to satisfy customers. 

To access the original article, click here. 

Media Issue - Mid term Break

This is the 1st out of 2 weeks mid term break. It was supposed to be a break for this blog as well, however I decided that due to my excessive free time I could spend some fraction of it discussing the following media issue. In the Monday Media Report of the Australian (11 April 2011) there was an article regarding the net users and the time Australians spent online. For surprise to everyone according to Nielsen Australians 'have increased their time online by a record-breaking four hours a week'. What struck me was the fact included in the article which states that the average internet usage has more than tripled for a decade. Although, I am aware and used to very fast technological developments, this data is still jaw-dropping for me. Realizing that people nowadays dedicate so much time staying online purely means that they have scratched some of their previous activities out of the list! This issue is not discussed in the article, however it makes me think in this particular direction as media once more has invaded our world and the facts even prove it.

It is very interesting to see that an increase in people accessing online content related to the TV programme or ad is observed. That means that more and more advertisers reach their goals by tricking the audience to go online after watching a TV programme. It means more hits to their website and the awareness among people increases as well. I do not have anything against TV ads that make you go online if the commercial has been entertaining enough for me. Because advertising is a major subject in my degree I am used to critiquing and analyzing different sorts of commercials. From my human point of view I could say that some commercials are very irritating and makes me feel abandon the porgramme I have been watching just because I hate bein interrupted every 15 minutes. But from my let's say professional point of viewing advertising, annoying commercials can cause people to ignore the advertising clutter even more. That's why I believe that entertaining commercials are mole likely to succeed in catching the viewers attention and reach the goal of the audience going and buying the product/or service advertised.

Anyways, that's all for this week! You can access the article I have read via the following link.

Media Issue - Week 6 - Nine Newsbreak iPhone App

Image Courtesy of http://ninemsn.com.au/ 

During week 6 we discussed several issues in class from the Monday Media report of The Australian. The issue that I had printed for this class was about the Ninemsn new iPhone application which apparently was downloaded more than 100, 000 times within a week of its post launch.

The new application gives the visitors the chance to stay up to date with latest news. The issue discussed in the article is whether the viewing data from the recently launched application can be implemented in the television ratings figures. Ninemsn has estimated that according to the statistics their new application has had 10 times more downloads than an application created by Sydney Morning Herald a year ago.

iPhone app

Personally I believe that the application has attracted so many visitors mainly because it is free service. Second of all most people love staying tuned to the news and would rather have an easy access to the latest stories. Of course, most people have their personal cell phones with an Internet access. However, this particular application is for iPhones only, so the number of users will be limited to people with iPhones. Anyways I think it is a great break through for Ninemsn to launch an application that is absolutely free and for sure their ratings if possible to be estimated will increase. As stated in the article soon Ninemsn will be launching the same application especially designed for iPads - again limited to uiser of Apple only.

Introduction

This blog serves as a medium where I will express my views on media issues and such concerning publication and design. Every week I will be posting and updating the contents with the latest news from the Media report of the Australian as well as any others that I come across and find interesting to share.

Feel free to comment and ask any questions, I am always open for discussions and looking for stories!

Image Courtesy of http://www.ubalt.edu