Author: spr1333jroe

Advertising: The Connection for Twitter and Television

Posted on by spr1333jroe

twitter

Anyone who has a Twitter knows that it is not out of the ordinary for users to tweet about a certain television show or sports program as they are watching it. While Twitter users may think this is just them stating their opinions to the Twittersphere, these tweets are actually giving the social networking site an opportunity to capitalize on advertising.

Last year, Twitter partnered with ESPN and Ford to expand their advertisement section. The partnership with ESPN and Ford allowed for replays from football games to be promoted to people who showed interest in sports. The executives at Twitter saw this worked in their favor, and wanted to continue  improving their advertising process. They knew their advertising results would not change unless they implemented another change into their process. They needed to stretch their goals beyond where they were currently standing.

Twitter executives are taking the steps towards improvement by capitalizing on all activity users are sending out during programs. A new product will send ads to people who are commenting about multiple programs. In other words, brands will now be able to match advertisements with tweets sent out by viewers.

Twitter said they will be working with media companies, including Time Inc., Bloomberg, Discovery, Vevo, Vice Media, and Warner Music Group to allow a format of digital video or television clips from the shows.  Those clips will then be able to be shared on Twitter by users, and advertisements can be run before or after the videos are viewed. Matt Derella, a director of brand and agency strategy, said, “When people turn on TV they turn on Twitter.”

Do you think this move will be beneficial to Twitter? Do you foresee people sharing these clips and getting advertisements out there? 

References: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/business/media/twitter-lets-brands-find-viewers-of-their-tv-ads.html?ref=technology

Want a “bidding war” for your First Class Seat?

Posted on by spr1333jroe

A new trend being seen in airlines overseas resembles that of eBay for first class or business-class seats. As we all know, the price of airline tickets are not cheap and therefore, it is normal for many customers to automatically choose a coach ticket when flying. Airlines realized this was not giving them their most potential profits and looked for a way to fix it. As learned in class, in order to succeed, you have to continually look at the systems you are working with, and learn how to improve and be the best that you can. Airlines overseas, such as Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic, Brussels Airlines and CopaAirlines, realized this airline eBay and saw it as a potential to improve their company.

A company in New York has developed a system that essentially gives customers the opportunity to have “bidding wars” with one another in order to upgrade their seats. Once you purchase a coach seat, the airline will then allow you the opportunity to bid on an available upgraded seat. You will be given a minimum amount that you can offer in your bid, and then you decide the amount you would be willing to pay. If customers choose to participate in this auction process and end up with the highest bidding amount, the airline contacts them 48 hours before their flight and notifies them they had the winning amount and will receive the upgrade.

The decision to implement this newly developed system is turning out to be very profitable for the airlines. This eBay style system is not only saving customers hundreds to thousands of dollars due to not having to pay full price for first class seats, but it is also generating a good amount of revenue for the airlines. It has given them an opportunity to receive money for seats that weren’t originally selling at all.

While this system has seen many positive outcomes, there are a few worries airlines are having with it. Airlines are seeing that their loyal and frequent flyers, that are normally offered these available upgraded seats, are complaining they will no longer receive this. Airlines, therefore, have to come up with a solution that balances opportunities for frequent flyers and opportunities for flyers using the bidding process. Airlines do not want to implement a system that benefits half of their customers, but enrages the other half.

Do you think airlines will be able to come up with a balance between frequent flyers and flyers using the bidding process? Do you think this airline eBay will be something that continues to grow? Is it something that only overseas airlines will grab onto, or do you see this system succeeding in the U.S. as well?

Sources:

Video – http://live.wsj.com/video/airline-ebay-for-first-class/56E98E77-CDB9-4742-862A-E7751DDCDAC6.html?mod=WSJ_article_outbrain&obref=obnetwork#!56E98E77-CDB9-4742-862A-E7751DDCDAC6

Picture: Etihad Airways – http://society.ezinemark.com/best-first-class-airline-seats-worldwide-77365a7d46da.html

Forecast: Apple up, Android down

Posted on by spr1333jroe

Forecasting is a very important process for any business. It is the process of predicting future events for the company. Forecasting is the underlying basis for all business decisions. Information gathered from it will not only help a company decide what is best for production and inventory, but also personnel and facilities. The use of it can significantly help a company in the long run.

 

I read an article recently that discussed the IDC’s forecast prediction for the tablet in 2012. As we all know, the popularity of tablets is quickly expanding. Due to this, there are many versions of the tablet, coming from companies such as Apple, Android and BlackBerry. It will be virtually impossible, however, for every company to succeed in the production of tablets. IDC has the BlackBerry tablet virtually nonexistent in the market. Their share in the tablet market was already significantly small in 2011, and it is only predicted to decline for 2012.

 

The two main competitors in the tablet market are Apple and Android.  While many people may believe that both companies will see growth in the market, IDC does not predict this to happen. IDC expects Apple to maintain growth, moving from 58.2 percent in 2011 to 62.5 in 2012, however they do not see the same for Android. Apple’s growth in the tablet market will come at Android’s expense. They are expected to fall from 38.7 down to 36.5 percent.

 

IDC’s forecast for Apple is no surprise, especially due to their popularity. Apple is known for its innovation, and is a trusted name in the technology field. Android seems to be having some trouble competing. What do you think Android should do in order to gain back share in the tablet market?

Resources:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57453525-92/idc-forecast-ipad-up-android-down-blackberry-irrelevant/

Project Management Improvements

Posted on by spr1333jroe

We have discussed the importance of project management at great lengths in class. In order for a company to be successful, on all aspects, it is essential to have leadership come from a good project manager. The project manager will be the one dealing with all activities involving planning, scheduling, and controlling. As we have learned, their activities will include setting the company’s goals, handling work break-down schedules, and monitor resources, costs and quality, just to name a few. If their team needs pushing or encouragement, they project manager should be the person to step up. In other words, the project manager has to be at the top of their game; they have to be someone people can rely on.

 

I, as I’m sure many of you, have been in situations where I experienced poor project management. Tasks and workloads for each team member were unclear, which in the end lead to the job not getting done on time. Examples such as these, remind me how important the quality of good leadership is for project managers.

 

I read an article recently that discussed the necessity for business leaders within a company to attend a conference that will allow these individuals to pinpoint their weaknesses and strengths, and ultimately improve them. It was said that attendees will participate in activities and sessions that will examine the greatest challenges businesses face in today’s economy. Patrick Sweeney, president of Caliper Corporation, the company holding the event, stated, “The conference gives executives an ideal forum for discussing strategies that all companies need to align visionary leadership with corporate culture.” This event can ultimately provide business leaders with new ways to effectively guide and lead an organization.

 

As expected, some business leaders will find conferences, such as these, to be unnecessary. However, are all project managers performing at the level they should be? If required by businesses, these conferences could greatly reduce situations of poor project management.  So, do you think companies should require all business leaders to participate in events such as this one?