I believe it should be used to a certain extent. It helps with promotion of brands, it engages customers and improved recruiting. It helps when advertising because instead of using papers and flyers, a company can reach out to its audience via social media platforms.
It can be used to share important information about the company in a way a newspaper won’t be able to. It helps to connect with customers. For example, Huggies has a competition for photos of babies. This helps to engage customers or potential customers. This is a great medium for sharing positive information about their product. I believe every marketing team should have social media used in the workplace especially. This is because it exposes them to other people who are time zones away. Just as how people are able to connect across different countries through Facebook or any other media sites, a company can even get new customers who will now consider it.
During work time they are able to connect with customers about how to improve their services. I am not working at this time so I do not know much about company policies. However, I worked at a construction company, Cushman and Wakefield and they were not too strict about using social media. It was more of a free environment as long as the work was being done. I worked in the office at Pace before and we used social media during work time. We were responsible for updating the Facebook and twitter page during work hours.
            I learned in my Public Relations course about engaging with customers and at this point, you will not reach as many people as you would using social media. It allows customers to see that you want to know how they feel and you will go that extra mile to inquire about your services and their satisfaction. It is important that companies have their own policies because there are those who take advantage and use company time for their own use. It is not productive and causes work to be behind so that would be the only reason why social media is not to be used. The positives outweigh the negatives.
How can companies keep track of how employees use social media without videotaping what they do?
Isn't there a way to block certain websites from computers?
http://techranchaustin.com/opportunities-and-challenges-of-social-media-in-the-workplace/

Here is a link to my spotify story about how social media influences consumer behavior:

https://storify.com/kerene02/social-media-influencing-consumer-purchases

Professionalism speaks a lot about a person. One can dress casual and still look professional. In a casual and trendy office, hoops may be allowed and belts with big buckles. However, it is different and not accepted in corporate settings. 

Casual Fridays. I do think it works. If the employees go overboard with what they wear then measures have to be taken to make sure it is appropriate. There should be a guide when a company has casual Fridays. It is an open door for employees to dress comfortably but at the same time, properly. Some people abuse this and dress in ways that are not appropriate.  It all comes down to where the person is working. Everyone who has casual Fridays need to learn to assess their environment. In some companies, they allow jeans and a shirt, in another company, it can mean no tie day or maybe just a buttoned down shirt without a jacket/blazer.

An employee should always dress in hopes to impress the boss or potential future boss. There is a saying, "Dress for the position you want, not the one you are in". Clothes that reveal your bra strap or pantylines are inappropriate.A person that dresses sloppy and loosely would not get any attention for a promotion. How you treat yourself may reflect how you treat the job and appearance is a big part of the work environment. It says a lot about the company you represent.

There can be room for creativity but there is a time and place. I have always had an issue with hairstyles. For a business setting, a question is, how detailed do you get for braids at work? I can say for a black woman, I never always had hair that could be put in a ponytail. I have to braid my hair in order for it to be in a ponytail. I get confused about hairstyles in the workplace. Different hair types create different results. If I am a lawyer and I can only have my hair braided to the back, would I be taken seriously? Would I be frowned upon? I am not sure if it would even be considered appropriate for the workplace. I do not add heat to my hair or it will break off terribly, so how would I survive an environment as such? I would try to use little detailed and do it as simple as possible. Some things are just not possible for every race.

The color is another thing. For example, I do believe that if the person has red hair, it is fine for any environment, however, going out of the way to dye the hair to a bright color would say a lot about the person. Some hairstyles make a person look younger and youth most of the times represent inexperience. It may show that the person is still exploring life and may be a little on the wild side. This is sad because it doesn’t allow a person to express his or herself. I do not believe in changing or breaking rules for a working environment as long as it is not against my natural setting. I will not straighten my hair or perm my hair for a job. It would be gone in a couple months and I probably would have to go bald because my hair cannot take heat.

I like the idea of casual Fridays. It allows the person to dress comfortably but still appropriately. Some boundaries still need to be set. The company may say, 'Casual Friday' and employees show up in maxi dresses, mini-skirts, spaghetti straps, tight body shirts showing a man’s muscles etc., when they meant jeans and shirt.

Shoes also has to be appropriate to the setting. As said before, the person should be able to assess the work environment as dress accordingly or better. It should never be lower than the standard they set. Flip flops and sandals are not appropriate to any work environment unless it is by the beach or a in some fashion department where it is allowed. I would say that heels above 4 inches are not appropriate for a corporate setting. Some positions are innovative and allow for creativity but in corporate settings there is little.


             How you present yourself says a lot about how you would represent a company. Businesses want to look their best and employees are the ones that create that image.

Here is a news report about Towers Loans sent a new employee the new written policy that  Dreadlocks, braids and other hairstyles areagainst company guidelines. She was told to cut her hair or be fired. The policy changed after she started her job. It is a part of her culture and identity. It is said to be unacceptable. She is the only one with the hairstyle. This is discriminating. I would expect that if she does cut her hair, it will grow and will be kinky. Then it may be banned also from the workplace. She may be told to straighten her hair which is against her culture. What should be done in situations as these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDQ9i58SORE

The director is like a supervisor, he supervises everything and should leave nothing untouched. I agree that the director needs to be there for the actor because if he isn’t supportive or encouraging, this might weigh down the actor. He has a hard job. I can see why they had more than one directors before because he has a lot to do.
The director should explain what his vision is for the actor. He has the final say after all is put together. He needs to have a good relationship with the actors because they have to be on the same page. This is one of the areas he or she needs to focus on. Another is the talent. Organization is key. This goes hand in hand with scheduling. He has to book interviews, schedule days to do shooting, oversee that the set is looking realistic and the actors look great for the part and be able to reschedule if weather changes.  These are some of the responsibilities of the director. If he doesn’t pull his strings, the movie may be a huge failure.  Lastly, the director of photography. This is an important part of the movie production because he is responsible for how the movie looks. He hires the camera crew. It is important for him to take care of this so that the director only oversees to make sure everything is in order. He chooses the type of camera that will be used too.

If not organized well, the production set can cause confusion because there is so much that is taking place.  This saves time and money because if everyone is running around like a chicken head not knowing what’s going on, then they may have to retake some scenes. In order to be an effective director, the set needs to be in order so they don’t go over the budget. In some cases, there are directors who do just well even if the set isn’t organized. An example is Bernardo Bertolucci. He stated in the book that “I cannot plan a film as a script or as a storyboard. I need a camera; I need actors…” (Peacock 237). It works for his as he has had successful films. He is an improviser. He changes things depending on how the actor is. Peacock used Alfred Hitchcock as an example of one who is well planned out. He stays with the plan and this makes it less likely that he will go over the budget.
The actors have to be in sync with the vision that the director has for their characters. They have to possess a great communication relationship in order to bring the right harmony. They have to be on the same page and not go different ways. This is key as it will save time and money, not only that, make the movie more successful. The director should be able to successful transfer his vision to the actors. If he cannot bring it across clearly, then the actor will do his own thing. He has to be a great teacher and possess artistic skills so he can paint the picture for them while describing so they can act it out perfectly. Peacock went on to talk about realism and expressionism. This is important to know the difference because a director can choose the movie to be realistic than expressionistic. Dictionary.com describes that the expressionism style departs from the conventions of realism and naturalism. It distorts an inner experience rather than representing natural images. So a director has to possess the role of an artist and see beyond the normal if he has to be expressive.
Peacock describes realism as approaching a subject with the intention of recording unadorned physical reality on the screen. The director should capture the real aspects of the times, situation and character so that people will forget that it is just a set of props. This will allow the audience to divulge into the movie and better experience what the characters are going through.

The Seattle Times paper is furious with the FBI for installing a spyware unto a computer using a fake site that is seen as being from the times in order to track information from a suspect. They installed the Computer & Internet Protocol Address Verifier that allows the computer to track the IP address, browsers used, username information and much more. The unethical issue was because the FBI impersonated Seattle Times and acted as if they were sending a message from the website itself. They practically tampered with their information and used it to their advantage. The issue of Authority and passing the already blurred lines come into question. Is it okay for them to potentially damaging a company because of a security issue? I do understand that it probably helped saving lives. I just am concerned about the way they went about it. They could have gotten permission or an okay first or telling them after rather than leaving them to find out seven years ago.
In 2007 it tracked a fifteen year old student who were making bomb threats to his highs school but this time they used. He was charged and placed in juvenile detention. In addition he was expelled from school and barred from using the computer.
The wired Editor, Kevin Poulsen reported that the message was used as a phishing attack that would tempt him to read about himself at a custom URL sent to his MySpace account. They impersonated The Seattle Times and that was unethical. Yes, it all worked out in the end but to place them as a part of their ploy can damage their credibility. They used fake email that impersonated real news stories so that they could get control over the computer software.
In Martin Kaste’s article, Paper Outraged after FBI Used Fake 'Seattle Times' Site To Install Spyware, he explained how the employees just learned about this that happened years ago. They were not made aware of the FBI using their name at all and that is very disrespectful. They only learned about it through a research that was being done about the FBI techniques.
The issue is also that people now will not know if they can trust the news that is being sent from Seattle Times. It could be the government spying on them for all they know. This can cause great damage to the company.

Question: What is marketing research? How does this research influence the process of distribution and, sometimes, even the production process of a particular film? Why is the study of marketing research relevant to understanding the motion picture industry?





Market research, is gathering information about a target audience. This data is used to plan different ways of reaching an audience in a successful way. In doing this, one can avoid regenerating the same methods that may cause failure. In evaluating this information, one can consumers to the marketer and as a result monitor performance. It helps to identify certain problems that can be avoided.  This can include data analysis, sampling, surveying, reporting and problem definition. It can be a great movie but if no one knows about it then it is all going to waste. Distributors have to handle publicity of the release early in the post production cycle in order to maximize profits. Marketing covers all the process that goes into promotional tours, television interviews, print advertising, merchandising and research.

Behind great successful ad poorly done movies are lots of research and analysis. In marketing, the company has to know what the consumers like and dislike. They have to study how people reacted and reviewed previously films and the style used in films. That’s way, the can follow a successful route and do the same in order to get a good reaction from the audience and avoid the not so good ones. There has to be a specific demographic that is in mind for certain movies. Yes, the movie is for everyone to watch but who is the target audience?


The marketing agency has to consider, what are the most effective ways to promote the film before it is released? He or she has to research the different ways other films have been advertised successfully and unsuccessfully. They have to find the most interesting scenes in order to edit and give the audience a snippet of what is to come. It has to be visually appealing and something they audience won’t forget. You want your audience to be on fire just for the trailer so they can tell friends and family. People have to hear about it before they want to go see it. The use of promotional materials is very important.


So we can say that marketing research has a great deal of influence on the process of distribution and production. It includes sound, visual appeals, high points of the movie and something to leave them wondering what happens next. This means that he or she would have to study the way an audience responds. Little research can cost of film millions of dollars and poor outcome. Even during production, they have to research how the setting will affect the movie and how that particular area will gravitate to what they are doing. For example, if they go to film a movie in a town that is against using hazardous chemicals, they may get a backlash from that community and as a result, will turn away many from even watching the trailers. 


Word of mouth is one of the ways to promote a film. You have to make sure it is visually appealing to grab the hearts and attention of the audience because in those few minutes of preview, you may lose an entire audience. They should want to come back to watch it when they see it advertised. The audience should be left wondering how the rest of the plot will play out. If it is the same cliché previews that we see, then the audience might look the other way. It has to grab their attention and cause them to not want to leave till it is over. There are campaigns, interviews on shows and merchandising that helps to promote the film. It is important to get the actors and directors in interviews so that it will be on the television for those who don’t go to the cinema to see.


Here is a current blog bringing us update with the marketing and distribution of films in the last 5 years. In her article, Moving on…A Change in Direction, Sheric Andler explains that it is a filmmaker's desire for the audience to want to share his or her work.


They prefer to do interviews that help to expose the audience to the film. They prefer their films to go out theatrically. This way, they can get more press coverage. A part of marketing is making it as legitimate as possible and getting a lot of media coverage to market the film gives it more credibility. The goal is to get the audience talking about the work. Word of mouth marketing has been major way of sharing information and excitement about a film.


She explains the problem is “relying on (word of mouth) as your main marketing (or sole marketing) tool is your work really has to be remarkable, as in worth remarking on. Or you have to create or curate a bunch of online content that will make them want to share it.” She went on to describe Marketability as the ability to attract an audience to a film. Executives are actually pitching their ideas to the audiences in order to win them over to come back to watch the movie. Andler describes the distribution process as being misunderstood most times. The filmmaker has to use the trailer and connect that work to the audience. The creativity is just as distribution. If no one knows how good your work is then they won’t appreciate it. So marketing is very important to film distribution.

Here is a video of Martin Myers as he speaks about starting the process of distribution and marketing films.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj1jTAq4_U4


http://www.shericandler.com/