I had noticed over the past couple of years that the product placement in TV shows had become more obvious and the frequency had increased. What I didn't know was the reason behind it. After watching the Persuaders it makes perfect sense. I had thought it was just the actors selling out like Bob Harper on the biggest loser. He went from being a personal trainer to a spokesman for sugar free gum and nalgene bottles. The show went from an inspirational reality show to a two hour infomercial. It was very disappointing to find that it was a direct result of my actions. I am guilty of recording all shows and fast forwarding through the commercials. I almost never watch live TV any more. With Comcast On Demand there is virtually no need to watch a show when it is being broadcast. It is interesting to note however that Comcast has found a way around the consumers impulse to fast-forward through commercials during on-demand programming. At least with my box the On-Demand programming is not as responsive to the control commands and will not jump forward or back to the intended stopping point. Because of the way it is programmed you are forced to watch at least a portion of the commercial or miss part of the show you are trying to get to. Very frustrating, but now I understand why they do it. They ensure that the product is seen, sometimes 3 times if you are persistant like me and try to get it to stop at the right place. I hate commercials, but frankly I would much rather have commercials that can not be skipped than have them take over the show.
Don't get me wrong, product placement is ok when it is done well. It has become a game in my house to identify what type of cars NCIS or CSI's drive. If you watch closely you will see that in certain episodes every vehicle you see them drive is a single brand. In the next episode they mysteriously have new cars. Sneaky product placement but it is smart because it peaks my interest and now they have me looking for it specifically. This is a brilliant tactic because it doesn't annoy the viewers.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
English 402 Real World Application
Because of our segment on tone in professional writing I have become very aware of the tone in messages at work. The tone was always there and before this class I usually had an emotional reaction to it. I wish I could say that because I now recognize the tone I can separate my feelings, but unfortunately that is not the case. What I have found is that my response has changed.
One of the issues I see frequently in e-mail chains is an escalation of negative tone. The first message may be a little abrupt with each response a little more severe, until upper management is being copied on what has become a written tongue lashing or tattle-tell session. This happens frequently between departments or shifts due to varying priorities on certain tasks.
One specific example that comes up routinely is for a quality monitor that requires cooperation from multiple departments. In the most basic terms one department delivers the material and another department completes the test. A schedule has been set in place to minimize impact to production. If the material is not available on schedule the e-mails start flying. Before long we have management from both departments copied on an e-mail chain indicating that NO ONE knows how to do their job. Although this can be amusing as a by-stander it is not at all productive. Because of this class I was able to see that it all began with the tone of the first message. I was able to neutralize the situation through a diplomatic e-mail explaining to both departments the necessity of the test and the benefits of staying on schedule. As a result I am now the person BOTH departments contact if any material goes missing. I just haven't managed to figure out how exactly that benefits me. I need to find a way to use these powers to reduce my workload instead of increasing it.
One of the issues I see frequently in e-mail chains is an escalation of negative tone. The first message may be a little abrupt with each response a little more severe, until upper management is being copied on what has become a written tongue lashing or tattle-tell session. This happens frequently between departments or shifts due to varying priorities on certain tasks.
One specific example that comes up routinely is for a quality monitor that requires cooperation from multiple departments. In the most basic terms one department delivers the material and another department completes the test. A schedule has been set in place to minimize impact to production. If the material is not available on schedule the e-mails start flying. Before long we have management from both departments copied on an e-mail chain indicating that NO ONE knows how to do their job. Although this can be amusing as a by-stander it is not at all productive. Because of this class I was able to see that it all began with the tone of the first message. I was able to neutralize the situation through a diplomatic e-mail explaining to both departments the necessity of the test and the benefits of staying on schedule. As a result I am now the person BOTH departments contact if any material goes missing. I just haven't managed to figure out how exactly that benefits me. I need to find a way to use these powers to reduce my workload instead of increasing it.
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