First Account

15 October 2009, by C.Antonini

You will begin your first simulation of your "yet to be established" communications company.

Situation

As budding media gurus, you and a few friends have been invited to investigate emerging media for a possible first client: The Toronto District School Board. The TDSB would like a one to two page "primer" on the new merging/converging technologies that young people are using today. They plan to use the information for planning their future technology purchases for elementary and secondary schools in Toronto.

Your job is to work in small groups of 4 to research some new computational mediums that you feel may be useful in an educational setting (VR, electronic paper, smart-pens, video rendering software, new social networking sites, web sites/tools, smart boards and many more for you to explore).

Your first job is to do online searches for information on one or many of these new media. You will login to the forum and hold your first "brainstorming meeting" with your group, which will be followed by a face to face meeting to finalize your media selection.

More details on step #2 are in the pick-up folder.

Assessment/Evaluation: Rubric

Activity #1

Tuedday, 27 October 2009, by C.Antonini

Do the questions 1 - 4 in groups; number 5 is and individual responce. By the end of today, you should have a clear understanding of how branding works, brand recognition, brand image and brand loyalty. The will show up in a test at some point.

Question 1

1. In groups of 3, brainstorm a "top 10 list" of brands you feel teenagers consume the most. Remember that not all brands are expensive, nor are all brands related to physical objects (for example, web sites, services etc.).

Question 2

Brand Recognition

In terms of selling ideas, products and services, branding refers to creating an identity for a product or service that gives it personality and makes it distinct from similar products. This is called Brand Recognition. It is how is a brand is recognized in the world of its competition.

2. For the top 5 of your list, indicate how each one is different than other similar products/services on the market. For instance, if you listed Nike, explain how Nike is different from other shoes makers.

Question 3

Brand image

When advertisers create a Brand, they attempt to attach or associate the personality to logos and/or jingles. This becomes the Brand Image.

3. What personality or image is associated with each of your top five? Ask yourselves, what would brand x be like as a person? What emotional association do I make with brand X? Why? (be specific)

Question 4

Brand loyalty

Once you have started using a brand, companies want to keep you as a consumer. This is known as brand loyalty. However, many brands that you are aware of are not products/services that you consume, yet (VISA, automobiles, cities, universities). One method of influencing future consumer/public behaviour is the use of logos, jingles and slogans. They can be thought of as "seeds planted" in the public consciousness in hopes of building brand loyalty later in life.

4. In your groups, discuss who has the oldest memory of each brand. What do you remember? Are there brands that you plan to use in the future (Visa, M/C, Ford, BMW, etc.)? Why that brand and not its competition? Where and how are advertisers planting brand seeds today? Can you think of any examples?

Question 5

5. Personal response: It has been suggested that while companies and organizations Brand their products and services, the public "brand" themselves by the consuption choices they make. Think about your consumption choices (products/services you use/buy). Do you feel you are branded by your consumption choices? How so? Or, why not? Thinking of your past, what has influenced your consumption choices? What influences you today? 1/2 to 3/4 page - drop off in your drop folder.

Activity #3

Tuedday, 8 December 2009, by C.Antonini

After watching The Persuaders, go to the class forum and complete the activities under "Final Branding Discussion."