Learning X Digital media

In this 21st century, where most of our youngsters come from the Y generation, it is of no surprise that many education institutes are making use of digital media to enhance students' learning experience. Learning is definitely made effective through the use of such digital media, and I believe students are enjoying the process of it!

Digital learning allows us to be exposed to many different things. We do not just simply rely on the textbooks which can only go so far. With the help of the Internet and computers, learning can go far beyond that. We can watch videos to understand a scientific process better, we can learn social knowledge through watching a particular video, or do experiments and research through surveys and data collection from the use of the Internet. There are so many things to make learning more interesting. When learning becomes a form of interest, we learn better and fast, and this is taken from Affective domain by Bloom's taxonomy. And from experience, this is definitely true. Though i dislike using word documents or some form of digital media devices to take notes during lesson, I enjoy doing research on the Internet as compared to conventional methods of finding information in the library. The latter is so much more tedious and time consuming as compared to the unorthodox way of learning with digital media. I love it when lecturers can upload videos relating to what they teach to give me an overall idea of the topic itself. These videos often leave longer lasting impressions on me and knowledge is entrenched in me.

Privacy issues X E-commerce

Many believe the Internet is private. Since the Internet may be used in the privacy of homes or offices, there is a misconception that transactions are private. But this may not be the case. There is bound to be some form of record created.

Disintermediation is the driving force behind e-commerce. It assumes there is nothing between the seller and a customer, except a direct and personal connection from one computer to another, from one browser to another. Is there really a direct and personal connection? What are the implications for security and privacy?

Mr. Gerstner at CeBIT '98 reflected on the current state of electronic business, by examining the increasing computing power of systems ("Deep Computing") and the sophisticated algorithms that permit powerful levels of data mining. He spoke about the rise of global networks that create in turn a networked economy:

"The next milestone is what we call "pervasive computing." Fifty years ago, where did you find electric motors? In factories and power plants. They were big and expensive. Today, you might find 100 electric motors in the typical home. They're in appliances, the heating and ventilation system, the CD player, the VCR, and if you're fortunate enough, the electric toothbrush. We don't buy electric motors. They come inside all the things we use every day.

The same thing is happening with computing devices. Chips are getting so small and inexpensive, they're being embedded in everything: cars, appliances, tools, doorknobs, clothes. Most significantly, all these tiny intelligent devices will be interwoven in the global fabric of computing and communication.

And soon we'll see this hyper-extended networked world - made up of a trillion interconnected intelligent devices - intersecting with the data mining capability I spoke of earlier. "Pervasive computing" meets "Deep Computing." Companies and institutions will amass more data, more information than ever in history - and for the first time be able to do something productive with it - turn raw data into knowledge and move that knowledge to the right people instantaneously. Personally, I believe that future leadership institutions of all kinds will be those that know how to compete and win on the basis of knowledge - learning, adapting and improving using this vital asset we know as information.

While the benefits to be gained are immense, the potential pitfalls are just as large. The security of e-commerce decreases as its functionality requires the use of distributed applications that execute many transactions against multiple databases. On the surface it may seem rather easy for transactions to be made, straightforward and simple, but what lies deep down is the complexity of records, chips, and databases that happened in the Internet. Afterall, it is not as simple as it seems. 

Given the potential for abuse, it is highly likely laws and regulations will begin controlling privacy and security mechanisms. However, it may be a good thing that there is some form of government intervention, and there is some sort of evidence to show this. In a recent Business Week/Harris poll, most of the participants cited privacy issues as the number one reason they are not using the Internet. In the same poll, 78% of extremely active Internet users said they would use the World Wide Web more if there was a guarantee of their privacy. Another 50% of those polled were of the opinion that the U.S. government should pass laws as soon as [possible to manage the issues of digital collection of personal data. 

Successful companies X Social media

Social media is such an easy and effective way to turn many businesses lucrative. With the vast networks and users up on social media, it is so direct and easy to build brand awareness and engage with customers. Other than businesses, there are campaigns reaching out to the masses to raise awareness on certain social issues as well. Below are 3 successful companies which used social media marketing the right way.

WATERisLIFE Campaign

WATERisLIFE is a non-profit organization that strives to bring clean water to those in need. Their long-term goal is to save lives and transform villages in dire need of water to self-sufficient thriving communities. As with any non-profit looking to raise awareness, WATERisLIFE needed support.

Their social media marketing strategy team took a unique approach. Instead of starting a new Internet trend to build awareness, they decided to end one. The challenge was figuring out how to do so without offending followers of the trend while inspiring action at the same time.

The organization set out to reverse the popular ‘#firstworldproblems’ trend used to voice silly complaints of the privileged -- tweets such as the ff:

• "I hate it when my phone charger won’t reach my bed."
• "When I go to the bathroom and I forget my phone"
• "I hate when my leather seats aren’t heated."
• "When my mint gum makes my ice water taste cold"

WATERisLIFE filmed a documentary featuring the men, women, and children in Haiti reading the hashtagged tweets. The video showed them in a real setting where their poverty and strife is apparent, a stark contrast far detached from the tweets they were reading. The contrast highlighted #firtsworldproblems as downright ridiculous and ignorant. The project took a team of eleven people four months to complete.  

The video ended with a striking notion – “First world problems…aren’t problems.”

The video was an absolute success. The message was received with gratitude as audiences began to share what they were thankful for in place of first world problem complaints. In just four days the video received over 1 million views. Since it’s debut, the views have more than doubled.

Ultimately, the campaign generated a generous response of 1 million days worth of clean water for poor communities.

Dove: Real Beauty Sketches 

Dove beauty supplies had a very specific goal in mind when they launched their Real Beauty Sketches campaign in April of 2013. They wanted to generate more sales and leads by reducing their overall environmental footprint and increasing positive social impact. Their social media marketing team took a close look at their biggest consumer group -- women. They investigated a striking trend in behavior of the self-perception of women and came to a single significant recognition:

Women are their own worst critics.

The challenge was to create a campaign that encouraged beauty as a source of confidence. Dove hired an FBI sketch artist to illustrate real women and produced a video documentary of an experiment they conducted. The artist produced two portrait drawings of the women without seeing their faces -- one as described by the subject of the portrait and another as described by an acquaintance of the subject. The difference between each sketch was astonishing.

Whilst the women focused on their physical flaws, their acquaintances saw and described the beauty in them. When the women saw this notion reflected on the portraits, they were moved. And so were the viewers.

To date, over 114 million people have watched the video which went viral on social media outlets. The compelling video also became the number one viewed online video ad of all time within a month of launching. It also holds the record for the most shared video ad of all time.

Frito-Lay: Do us a flavor 

Frito-Lay, the popular snack company, wanted to develop a campaign that would increase consumer engagement with their brand.

So the company created a campaign that allowed their audience to know that their opinion matters,  that they have a say and that the company is listening.   

The campaign was aimed at engaging with consumers through social media channels and to stretch beyond the shelf life of an average marketing splash.

The ‘Do Us a Flavor’ campaign accomplished both. The initial launch of this campaign was in October of 2012. The company raised the bar to encourage everyone to participate by offering $1 million dollars to the winner (or 1% of the 2013 net sales for the winning product). 

Over 3.8 million people across 14 countries submitted their ideas for the next flavor craze through a Facebook app created by Frito-Lay. The campaign generated 955 million organic Facebook impressions and 1.26 billion PR impressions, boosting sales by 12%.

As planned, the campaign didn’t stop there. It stretched into 2013 with three finalist flavors:

• Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Chicken & Waffles
• Sriracha

Early this year, the company stocked shelves with these consumer picked flavors and once again took the decision to the social media channels. Consumers could try the new flavors and vote for their favorite online.

And the winner…Cheesy Garlic Bread!

Social Media's Power

This week I'm gonna talk about the use of Social Media (SM) and how various companies are making good use of these platforms to expand their businesses.

A very distinct company which uses SM to reach out to customers is MDS Collection, a brand that sells female fashion apparels and accessories.
Before using SM, this company was just like any other companies with different outlets located in prominent shopping malls like Wisma Atria, Bugis Junction, etc. From what I have seen, the stores were usually empty and there was only a handful of customers whenever I patronize. It only started using SM to promote their brand in 2014, which seems pretty successful albeit a late-starter. I went in the store and was about to purchase an item when the sales girl notified me about a promotion they were having at the time. Of course my eyes lit up at the thought of discounts discounts and more discounts! The promotion was to either follow their Instagram account or to like their Facebook page, and I would be entitled to 15% discount right away. It was as simple and accessible as that for me to save some bucks. But obviously that was a strategy for them to gain customers through the SM and making use of reviews and pictures of customers to expand their brand. It was like a free and accessible advertising strategy they employed to gain popularity. And the result? Definitely a success in such a short period of time.

As I am typing this, they are currently having a promotion whereby they are giving free giveaways for customers who take pictures of themselves in MDS Collection outfits and to post them on Instagram, with hashtag #mdsootd. Such promotions come once every few months, and I think it's a very sustainable kind of marketing strategy.