Online search histories of social media users are changing how businesses market and communicate to potential customers

Have you ever stopped and thought about what kind of content you are searching for online and whether or not someone could know this information thousands of miles away? Well it has recently crossed my mind and I have found it to be an interesting, yet somewhat unsettling idea. Facebook has the ability to track and know what every user is doing on the internet and what they are searching for. Facebook has employees who work for them whose sole job is to track Facebook users search histories daily. Facebook can then sell the ability to advertise on their website to businesses and from there, essentially ensure these businesses that Facebook has narrowed down the potential intended buyers by what Facebook users have been searching online recently.

Facebook and other businesses work together in today's marketing scheme

Since Facebook is so popularly used, marketing on this website is a no brainer for a businesses looking to get their product on to the market. There are two types of ways businesses market on Facebook. There is the idea that Facebook uses advertising to make money, which essentially is Facebook selling spots on their page for a click by click basis to businesses who want to market to their potential customers. This method will most likely reach the most potential customers, however it can be expensive to produce and use. Then there are businesses who uses Facebook's page applications to advertise. In this instance, the business will make a Facebook page that people can "Like" and get updates on specific products, whether it may be discounts or a new product that is coming out soon. This method is free and can be very helpful, but it is also hard to extensively promote a new business using solely this method because there is no brand attached to this company name and many people won't know who your business is. 

Marketing on Facebook is great for businesses, but uses private information that customers might not be aware of

Graph of what Facebook is tracking on a daily basis. 

Now that the relationship of marketing between Facebook and businesses has been established, I will go in detail about what Facebook does in order to find out more about their members. It is safe to say that Facebook is watching their users every move online. Whether you know it or not, many businesses have been using this type of tracking or spying to their advantage in order to reach out to potential customers. According to Business Insider, Facebook uses cookies, Javascripts, 1-pixel beacons, and Iframes in order to monitor and track what websites people are going to, how often they go to them, and what they buy on these websites on a daily basis. Facebook then uses this information to figure out which websites you visited most so they can start a marketing campaign for these specific types of products. For example, when I go on my Facebook page right now I see ads on the right side of my news feed that are promoting "The Varsity", which is an apartment complex about a mile away from where many college students live. Facebook knows my age, gender, race, where I go to college, where I live, and how many times I have visited "The Varsity" web page in the past when I was looking for potential housing in 2013. It doesn't just stop there however. They also know my favorite sports teams, the fraternity that I am in, the fact that I shop at Brooks Brothers and JCrew, and what types of movies I like. All of this information has come up in some sort of ad just in the last day after checking Facebook a few times. The question is, do people actually know this is going on and if they do, are there a large enough population that would not be alright with having this private information made public? My guess would be absolutely yes.

Since I am currently in college I thought it would be a good idea to get a professionals view on the issue. I was able to interview Dr. David B. Godes, the Associate professor of marketing in the business school at University of Maryland, College Park.

Godes talks about whether or not it is unethical or an invasion of privacy to use social media users past search histories in order to promote and market to potential customers. He gives a very diplomatic answer and says it is wrong if people don't know about it, but it is ethical if people are aware of it and there is a way to control whether or not Facebook can use their search histories.

Social media has become a part of everyday life and influences many people

Wake up, get out of bed, go to the computer, and check Facebook. Eat breakfast, go to work or school, and check Facebook on your phone. Get home from work or school, go to your computer, and check Facebook once again. This has become a normal routine for millions of people of all ages around the world. Social media in general is something that, as of about fifteen or so years ago, did not exist in popular society. Social media has completely changed the way we communicate, shop, and stay connected with friends. It is acceptable to say that social media in general, has a great deal of influence on the way our society operates and continues to progress. According to socialbakers.com, Facebook is still on the rise around the world and is being used by more than half of the population in the United States. To put that into perspective, there are around 169 million Facebook users in the United States today. In my opinion, that is a lot of people to have some sort of power over, which makes Facebook a huge influence on the way people think and make decisions in today's society.

Just the other day I was discussing with a couple of my friends about how social media like Facebook and Twitter has been affecting the way that businesses have been marketing to potential customers. The first person I asked was my friend Adam Chubak, a senior at UMD, on the issue and this is what he says:

listen to ‘Interview #1 non expert’ on Audioboo

Next I interviewed my roommate and good friend Alex Silverman, a Sophomore government and politics and journalism major, about the same question I asked previously and this is what he says:

listen to ‘Interview #2 non expert ’ on Audioboo

Business have changed their focus to social media due to large amounts of potential customers and the ability to use potential customers preferences from internet searches

Imagine being able to reach millions of people with the click of a button. That is how businesses in today's society feel and it is one of the best things that could have ever happened to the marketing world. Now imagine being a business and knowing down to the specific person who to market your product to. This is essentially what Facebook has done with the ability to track users past history searches and it has been very successful. Therefore, online search histories of social media users like Facebook has changed businesses way of marketing to potential customers.

Audio boo non expert interview

These are two non-expert interviews on my final project topic.

listen to ‘Interview #1 non expert’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Interview #2 non expert ’ on Audioboo

McDonalds' TV commercials now and then are still just as effective as always.

The beginning of the McDonalds franchise

Arguably one of the most well known fast food restaurants around the world is McDonalds. Mac and Dick McDonald established McDonalds in December of 1948. They franchised the restaurant in 1953 beginning in Arizona and California with the idea of fast and simple food. They had an almost assembly line like process of making food, where the speed of the food was the most essential part. Their original menu consisted of hamburgers, fries, soft drinks, milkshakes, and apple pie. All of which were very cheap, even for at that time. A family of six could comfortably feed everyone for around $2.00 to $3.00. In the 1960s and 1970s McDonalds advertising campaign "look for the golden arches" gave a huge boost in sales. This type of fast food style restaurant was the first of its kind and really became popular because of its speed and simplicity. 

The first McDonalds TV commercial ever made

In 1963 McDonalds restaurant came out with their very first TV commercial. The McDonalds commercials we see today and the commercials we would have seen almost 50 years ago would have been two completely different sights. After watching the video on YouTube you will understand what I am talking about. The video starts off with a black and white picture of the McDonalds restaurant. The camera then zooms out some while it is looking for the newest McDonalds advertising character, Ronald McDonald. It turns out that the audience is watching a TV on a TV, which is a little confusing at first. The screen then zooms in on this clown like figure that happens to be Ronald McDonald. Now when I say this character is Ronald McDonald, I mean he looks nothing like the Ronald McDonald that exists today. This character is wearing a hat that seems to be made out of a McDonalds meal and has a cup for a nose, but I will say he does have the very well known yellow and red stripes on his shirt. In the next sequence of the commercial the clown talks to the audience and tells them about what they have to offer and shows to be a very happy, playful, and cheerful character that loves his McDonalds. I found the jingle at the end to be surprisingly very catchy. It was a little short song with an upbeat feel that gives the targeted audience a sense of happiness and peace. This is turn might give the appearance that McDonalds’ food will also make you happy and at peace if you go to their restaurant and eat their food. The clown, Ronald McDonald is also dancing in the background while the jingle is going on, furthering the idea that McDonalds will make you happy and want to dance. In my opinion, this first McDonalds TV commercial was a very effective way of promoting their product. Next lets talk about the McDonalds commercials in today's society.

 

The contemporary McDonalds TV commercials that everyone knows

Still today in the 2012, McDonalds fast food restaurant continues to use TV commercials as an effective way of promoting its product. One of the newest McDonalds' commercials starts with a couple eating at a McDonalds restaurant and a pump up type song comes on in the background. Both people look shocked and amazed at the same time. It then moves to a lady and then another guy who both have the same look of amazement on their faces. It eventually turns to a women with a big juicy 1/3 pound burger with bacon and onion straws on it. Just describing this burger is making my mouth water. The overall commercial has an up beat, excited to see what everyone is shocked about, feel to it. When it eventually turns to what everyone is looking at, the lady holding the burger takes a bite and her facial expression shows pure enjoyment. This portrays the message that anyone eating this burger is going to have the same satisfied look on heir face after they take just one bite. The final scene before the commercial ends is the McDonalds' slogan, "I'm lovin it". This slogan has been a very effective slogan that has worked for many years. Next I will compare and contrast the two commercials and discuss how much they have changed in the past 50 years.

The similarities and differences between the original and newest McDonalds' commercials

There are clearly many similarities and differences between the commercials that we see today and the commercials that our parents saw 50 years ago.  Some similarities that I noticed between the commercials was the up beat attitude in general and the fun and enjoying background sounds. Both commercials have a catchy song or jingle that puts the audience in a good mood. Some differences that I noticed are the picture quality and setting of the commercial. The visual techniques as a whole have progressed a great deal. The first commercial had poor picture quality, mostly because when it was made and the technologies they had at that time, but the new one had a clear, vivid picture. In the first commercial there was a great deal of talking where in the newer video, none of the actors said a word. It was all based off facial expressions and body language. I also noticed the commercials emphasis is different. In the old commercial, the focus is on Ronald McDonald, where as in the new commercial, the emphasis is all about their newest product, the 1/3 Canadian bacon BBQ burger. I think there is a distinction because in the old commercial, McDonalds was still trying to get their name out there to the world, where in the newer commercial McDonalds is already a very well established fast food restaurant, so they can focus on their newer products rather then their image. All in all, both commercials are interesting to watch and in my opinion both are very effective advertisements that speak to their intended audiences at that time.  

The Ratings and Shares on Competing TV Stations are Varying and Progressing

The differences between ratings and shares

A very good method of measuring how a certain TV show is doing is by the use of ratings and shares. Many TV networks pay to have these services done in order to enhance their viewing possibilities. There are distinct differences between the ratings of a TV show or network and the shares of a TV show or network. The ratings on a TV show or network are the total percent of all households with TVs, on or off, that are actually tuned into a TV program in the average minute. Where as, the shares on a TV show or network is the percent of households, of those who are using the television, who tune in to a specific program, station, or network at a specific time. In general the rating percentage is usually less than the share percentage. Let's take a closer look at the ratings and shares in two specific TV networks, ABC and FOX. 

How the competing networks of ABC and FOX differ in ratings and shares

Two very well respected and popular competing TV networks in the present time are ABC and FOX. First, ABC and FOX will be compared during a specific time slot of this past Saturday. This past Saturday from 8pm to 11pm there was two college football games being played, one on ABC and one on FOX. On ABC, the Wisconsin vs Nebraska game scored a 1.2 on the ratings scale and a 4 on the shares scale with about 4 million viewers total. Where as on FOX, the Texas vs Oklahoma State game scored a 1.1 on the ratings scale and a 4 on the shares scale as well with about 3.5 million viewers. In this instance the two networks were similar in both categories. However there are more things than just football and there are certainly other days of the week that will give very different results. Take a Wednesday night for example. On Wednesday ABC scored a 2.2 on the ratings scale and a 7 on the shares scale with about 8.7 million viewers. Where as FOX scored a 3.0 on the ratings scale and a 10 on the shares scale with about 9.4 million viewers in total. In this week, FOX had a better overall viewer scale on Wednesday night but ABC had a better viewer scale on Saturday night. Both networks viewer scales fluctuate from week to week and from show to show, but they both are always looking for more viewers, which in turn makes more money. 

The rise of the connected viewer experience

With the rise in people owning cell phones and specifically smart phones many more people have started to engage in the connected viewer experience. The connected viewer experience is using a mobile device to, in someway, connect to the TV show that the viewer is watching. This may entail using your smart phone to vote for a reality show, look up something said on TV, on the internet, to see if it was true or not, visit a website that was mentioned on TV, see what other people are saying online about the show, or posting comments online about the show. The future has not been written yet, but it is safe to say that smart phones will play a significant impact in the future. 

The Movie Industry is Powerful and Rapidly Changing

Movies, a two hour break from stress and reality that helps the viewer experience an entertainment of visual masterpieces. This is the primary function of the movie industry, to entertain. Entertainment is a key component of human nature and what better way to be entertained than through a fun and interesting movie. However, entertainment is not the only function of the movie industry, there is also a cultural transmission aspect. Many people view movies as a serious visual art form that is very much comparable to paintings, sculptures, and architecture. This is not to say that all movies are considered a high piece of art because many movies are made for the sole purpose to make money, but I am inferring that there is a good amount of movies that do uphold to this serious high art form. 

The first and very important major full-length film was a American classic movie called Birth of a Nation. It was a film directed by the American innovative film pioneer, D.W. Griffith in 1915. This film was a black and white, silent film that introduced many innovative cinematic techniques for the time. Chronologically, newer movie making techniques came about as the years progressed. The major ones include the addition of animation, then sound, then color, and then significant advances in video quality or higher definition pictures. It has even made the jump all the way to 3D movies with 3D glasses and then soon to be 3D movies without the need for glasses.  

The functions of the movie industry have been changing since the creation of movies. It started off in the very beginning as documenting what goes on during an ordinary day or daily life. This essentially was the reproduction of reality and did not really tell a story. As the movie industry progressed so did the functions of the film making process. Movies were now being made to tell a story, although it started off with short and simple stories, it later developed into complex stories. Along with the story telling came what age group the movies were being geared towards. At first it was generally the adult population. It wasn't until Walt Disney came out with Disney's first animated hit, Steamboat Willie in 1928 that movies became an all ages type of activity. In this animated hit, the famous Micky Mouse was introduced. Four years later Flowers and Trees was created, which was the first color cartoon.

More currently the function of the Movie Industry has been for entertainment or the ability to make money. Both of which the movie industry has definitely succeeded at. I will go back to talking about the artistic aspects of filmmaking. Digital technology and special effects has allowed filmmakers to do things they have never been able to do. The special effects are so mind blowing in certain movies that it would be very difficult to call them anything else but art. Art is supposed to spark emotions, something that films like Avatar and Transformers have been able to achieve. The movie industry has come a long way and I can not wait for what is in store for the future of this industry.

The Digital Rights Management Prevents Consumers From Doing Everyday Tasks!

What really is DRM?

What really is DRM? DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. DRM is a way to control copyrighted material using technological means. DRM is essentially removing the usage control from the person who bought the digital content and then gives it to a computer program. It is an attempt to control what you, the consumer, can and can not do with the media and hardware you have purchased with your own hard earned money. A few companies such as Amazon, Apple, BBC, Microsoft and Sony all use this digital rights management on a daily basis. Now that we know what DRM is, our next question is how does it actually work?

The logistics of the Digital Rights Management

The Digital Rights Management operates on three different levels. They establish a copyright for a piece of content, manage the distribution of that copyright content, and control what a consumer can do with the content once it has been distributed. The first generation of DRM software merely controlled copying of files. The second generation of of DRM seeks to control viewing, printing, altering and everything else the consumer could ever do with digital content. DRM systems often encrypt material in a way that only particular devices can play or retrieve it, enforcing constraints on how it used and what device will actually be able to work with it. Lastly we will discuss why this such a controversy and what it means when you try and download something.

The actually meaning for the consumer when trying to download something

The use of Digital Rights Management is one of controversy. The content providers claim that DRM is a necessary aspect in order to fight copyright infringement online, especially when talking about the artistic control of the content. Those opposed to DRM debate there is no evidence that proves DRM actually helps prevent copyright infringement, arguing that instead it actually serves to inconvenience legitimate paying customers. They also say it helps big business stifle innovation and competition by making it easyier to quash unauthorized uses of media and technology. There are many real life instances when DRM hurts paying customers and you can find these at the embedded link. All in all it is tough to say whether I am in favor of DRM or not because it does some good and some bad in my eyes.

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