June 17, 2014

Yahoo!: On users, brands and creativity

Marissa Mayer's presentation wasn't as engaging as I would have liked it to be. I can't say I took much away from it. I would have preferred a more engaging session from Yahoo!.

Gale Ann Hurd, EP of The Walking Dead

This was a unique opportunity that provided new information that I was previously unaware of. I have never seen The Walking Dead, but the fact that the show seems to have interactive elements attatched to it to engage viewers sounds phenomenal to me. I think that the more an audience can engage with a brand, the more attatched they can become to it. An interesting aspect of the conversation with Ms. Hurd was her perspective on being a woman in her industry. She says she has chosen to be respected over being liked. As a female also pursuing a career in the media industry, her statement makes me reflect on the state of the media world and how it remains to be a male dominated industry. I can only hope for progress for this in the future. I also wonder if a better balance exists where a woman can be successful, liked, AND respected. I would like to think that there does not always need to be a trade off with this, though it may be a tough balancing act.

Calvin Klein: Global Brand, Digital Age - The Four Enduring Truths of #CALVINKLEIN

Seek simplicity, dance with controversy, leverage tension, embrace the culture. These are the four truths of Calvin Klein as told by the Calvin Klein Chief Creative Officer, Melisa Goldie. Her presentation displayed many of the iconic ads that have shocked audiences for decades, and some that still hold their shock value today. Calvin Klein's sexy ads seem to work well for building their brand while supporting their profits. Despite Goldie's informative presentation, I remain opposed to their tactics. After taking a course entitled Media and Body Image, I have become more keenly aware of the negative effects of objectification in media. I wish more companies aimed to stretch their creative muscle a bit more to move beyond the norm of always using sex to sell. Overall, she outlined Calvin Klein's strategy, and they have made the brand quite memorable over the years. 

Awards Ceremony

The awards ceremony was packed with people and held an amazing atmosphere. Awards were aptly given to some unique campaigns. A really memorable campaign involved creating a gas station with extremely low prices to attract attention to their advertisement. Another created a rice field made of different colored rice that made artwork which was also used as a sort of QR code to help sell more rice. The festival has shown some really amazing creativity and ideas.