Strategic Management in the Media: Theory to Practice

Lucy Kung in her book “Strategic Management in the Media: Theory to Practice” explores the elements and the applications of strategy in an analytical and comprehensive way. She uses examples to explain and discuss that why and how media strategic theories should be altered in different media settings. This book concentrates on media companies’ strategies and actions in response to the change of media markets, for the purpose of helping the readers to understand media companies’ choices and the reasons of their decisions in the fast changing world of media.

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly

As the new media grow fast, the new marketing tools which can reach the audience cheaply and effectively are urgently needed by marketing and public relations practitioners. In the book “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly”, David Meerman Scott shows how the marketing personnel can use the web-based communication tools to get the audiences engaged in the marketing campaign, persuade them and lead them to take actions. This book is a detailed guide, which provides step-by-step action plan for marketing and PR practitioners to make business with the help of the Internet.

Desperate Networks By Bill Carter

Desperate Networks by Bill Carter is a mind-blowing piece of information for any TV fan; it does not matter if you are a reality show “addict” or a Desperate House Wives fan. Carter describes the different obstacles these particular TV shows had to go through before even being considered for future pilots. He goes over the rejections that some of today’s top rated shows went through and how they were over looked by some networks—networks that later regret their decision. But Desperate Networks is more than a recollection of events and challenges that contributed to the success of TV’s top rated shows such as Lost and Desperate House Wives and how they contribute to the resurgent of ABC as a top competitor. Desperate Networks is a must read not only for couch potatoes, reality shows fans or critics, but also for any one who want to understand the rating war between networks.

extra credit review: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

One of my favorite books to read this summer was Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book, Gladwell focuses on snap-decision making in museums, police cars, psychology, emergency rooms, and everyday life. This snap-decision making is referred to as rapid cognition.
Rapid cognition is a type of snap-decision that one makes without thinking about consequences both long-term and short-term. It’s an instant decision so one does not consider their thought process or beliefs. This decision is made primarily through sub-conscious.
In this book, Gladwell makes it a point to convince his audience that these decisions are as good, if not better, than decisions made with reasoning. He also discussed how the rapid cognition results can be improved.
Although this is of the more interesting parts of the book, the main subject of the book is called “thin-slicing.” “Thin-Slicing” is our ability to gauge what is really important in a short period of time. The author draws many examples from our everyday life. Overall I really appreciate this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Tipping Point: It's So Trendy

Trends come and go but how do they take form? That question is answered in Malcom Gladwell's, "The Tipping Point". From the questionable purchases of pet rocks by a generation of children to the popularization of Vans shoes; Gladwell gives a meticulous description of how these trends were influenced by a series of events and people. I had always thought that trends were a result of a large pocket book and a team of marketing professionals for large companies but Gladwell's, "The Tipping Point" explains how there is a formula for creating a trend. Gladwell describes the three basic components which create the foundation for starting a trend. These components are the following: The Land of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. The Land of the Few is the notion that key individuals with certain personality attributes serve different purposes to advocate a common thing which in turn spreads among the masses. The Stickiness Factor is more of an abstract concept which means that the thing which is to turn into a trend has an undeniable attractiveness that makes it difficult to ignore. Lastly, the Power of Context is essentially the social or environmental changes which allow the thing that is advocated by influential individuals to flourish in popularity. Gladwell does an amazing job in defining an event such as the occurrence of trends in a clear and substantial manner. There are a few instances in which the ideas highlighted were much too abstract to be defined as a significant piece of information but as a whole it does not detract from the main points of the book. Overall it is a great read for anyone interested in understanding the nature of what makes a large group of people drawn to one particular thing.


-Andrew Austria <3

Season Finale

Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB and UPN is the fascinating portrait of two broadcast networks' struggle to thrive in the heartless, unpredictable business of corporate television. The WB programming executive Susanne Daniels brings us inside the television offices, conventions and cocktail parties with honest and descriptive storytelling, sprinkled with esoteric details of company buyouts and mergers, tension among executives and the ongoing pursuit to reach viewers and form a network identity. Season Finale is an insightful and satisfying read for anyone curious about inner workings of the television industry.

Ways to Thrive: Media Advertisment

Giving insight and ideas on how to market to ones target audience, in a way that will add to ones success in sales by using the media, is exactly what to expect from reading Marketing Outrageously. This provocative read stresses the importance of touching the consumers emotions and “motivate the buyer to buy” by evolving from bland marketing techniques (46). Businesses need to find their own notch in the market, by studying competition and offering goods that the leaders do not. Author Jon Spoelstra states the importance of differentiating ones company, from others in a creative way. Jon paints a realistic picture on how advertising in multiple forms within the media, as well as entertaining customers is a good way to inform ones audience about whom you are and why they can benefit from your product. This is a useful book when investigating strategic approaches on how to provoke ones targeted audience to feel rushed or anxious to purchase the promoted product(s), by stressing a “sold out mentality” (161). Jon offers many creative and innovative thoughts for one to consider when expanding a business, especially when using advertisement throughout the media.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Throughout our lives, many people concern themselves with popularity. The notion of “I’m popular, you’re not,” becomes a measure of success. In Dale Carnegie’s, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Carnegie outlines the fundamentals of social skills. Although the title is fairly self-explanatory, this book also provides leadership skills and a variety of ways to interact with other people. I found the author to be very insightful, especially when discussing how to get the best of an argument, which is to ignore it. The book teaches you to gain respect by showing respect for other people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.