It’s Your Face, but Someone Else Is Speaking Through It

It’s Your Face, but Someone Else Is Speaking Through It

By Amir Mizroch

1:23 pm ET

Oct 28, 2015

  Once again, I am utterly astonished by what we are potentially capable of. American and German scientist have come together to conceive a method for transferring one man's expressions onto another through video. No matter how much the two faces may differ physically, the concept will still manage to reenact relatively identically, however, they have yet to find a way to imitate the source's voice. Face model calibration achieved with a camera is needed before they commence. Then "the software blends a digital representation of the facial movements into the target face, adjusting for skin color, head shape, head movements, and lighting." Once that is in check, we now have the source's expressions projecting through the "targets" face. This invention has yet to find its purpose, yet some people can see it as a way to translate  "during multi-lingual video conferences, as well as in virtual reality and video editing." Only in the marketing introduction stage, but already in high demand.

  

  I am so excited to see this come to our market. Its so original and ingenious. I can see this potentially becoming useful in conferences when one of the members may be sick or for some other reasons incapable of showing himself at the moment. 

  This concept applies to "product" from the marketing mix. The product, as I have mentioned earlier on, is in the marketing introduction stage and will make way to marketing growth in a short amount of time for it is something we have never seen; Something new  and authentic. This will definitely cause a buzz amongst the public.

-Ann Meyer

Link to original article

Pico: the Keurig for Beer

A Settle-based company, PicoBrew, looks to innovate what it means to have beer at home. As the company has stated, they aim to do for home-brewed beer what the Keurig did for coffee. While the home-brewer is not instant like the Keurig, it still has great potential to be a staple item for every man-cave. The machine, known as the Pico, works just the way a Keurig would, as consumers buy what the company calls PicoPaks. Pop the biodegradable packet into the machine, wait 2 hours, add a few more ingredients, wait five to seven days for the mixture to ferment and you have homemade beer. The process produces approximately five liters of beer which should make up for the long wait and the machine even connects to the internet so you can get an alert when your beer is ready. While the process is long, the cleanup is fairly easy which is what many consumers seek in home appliances. The Pico has since reached its Kickstarter goal of $200,000 and is available for pre-order for $500.

This product is unique in regard to giving the consumer the ability to make their own beer in their own home which may be more cost effective for the consumer in the long run – spend less money and get better beer. The selection of beer that can be made may also play a role in the potential popularity of this product potentially. However, consumers cannot make their own recipes for the time being. Once it goes on sale officially sometime next spring, the Pico will cost $1000 and be sold alongside the Picopaks at most major retailers, including AmazonPrime.The Pico is the epitome of a new product that focuses on technological and economical convenience. This machine really is like a Keurig, just with a longer brewing time. PicoBrew is using consumers’ desires for convenience and economic efficiency to its advantage by creating a self-brewer. 

Read this article 

Tesla's "Autopilot"

Tesla, known for its innovation and creativity in the automobile industry, has released its newest combination of hardware and software featuring hands-free cruising and switching lanes on highways called "Autopilot". This is a huge step forward in the advancement towards driver-less cars.

Since its release on October 15th, many videos have been released showing off this feature, such as someone climbing into the backseat while in autopilot or someone reading the newspaper with no hands on the wheel.  Tesla has said it is currently a "beta" version and that many things can perfect the performance at this moment.  In fact, Tesla discourages such reckless use of autopilot, and requires hands on the wheel several times a minute as a "check-in" feature.

Even though it presents a new set of risks and challenges to overcome, this autopilot is a step in the right direction towards complete hands off the wheel driving.  The beta testing will hopefully help Tesla to take great strides to improving the "Autopilot" and leading us towards an exciting future.

A video showing this technology is attached below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCAZWdqX_Y



http://www.wsj.com/articles/driver-videos-push-teslas-autopilot-to-its-limits-1445765404

Facebook Plans Coding Sites and Targets Conservative Parents

Facebook is planning on changing parents' perspectives from dreaming desiring their children one day will become doctors, lawyers, to programmers. On Wednesday, the social network company released TechPrep along with the definition of programming, awakening skillful programmers and promising career opportunities.

Facebook's coding website strategy is closely related to marketing, specifically in targeting promising customers. According to the article, the social network's site is available in English and Spanish, with the purpose of aiming towards groups having "exposure to career in coding". Furthermore, it was told by Maxine Williams - Facebook's global director of diversity that due to a shortage of computer science knowledge, Hispanic and black parents are pulled away from aiming their children to a program coding career. In my opinion, Facebook's strategy of targeting those customer is quite risky but also interesting at the same time, changing one's perspective is not always easy and the reason why it is interesting is that if Facebook succeed in its strategy, the expansion will become even greater and TechPert would be a huge success. It was also stated in the article that Facebook will target parents and guardians based on their location and interests.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-plans-coding-site-1445400666

Nintendo Pursues Next Level With Mobile Gaming

"Nintendo Pursues Next Level With Mobile Gaming"

Amanda Esquivel

Published: October 23, 2015

http://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-pursues-next-level-with-mobile-gaming-1445602828?mod=WSJ_TechWSJD_NeedToKnow

     The flop of Nintendo's Wii U as well as the slowed sales of its 3DS portable system have urged the company to take an unwanted turn. Straying away from its tradition, Nintendo plans on introducing its first game for smartphones by the end of 2015. While the company has always stayed true to their console-based gaming model, research states that mobile games will do better in sales this year for the first time globally. Nintendo, unlike other console companies, has taken a great hit due to the rise of mobile games because they both target casual gamers. Although the company has lagged in its journey to the mobile gaming world, this new venture will supposedly be the core of the new Nintendo. Investors, who have lifted Nintendo's share price by nearly 70%, are optimistic that the company's character index will generate additional revenue when extended to a new format. 

     This relates very well to marketing because it discusses Nintendo's struggles to keep up with competitors and satisfy its target market. Nintendo is joining the mobile game party way too late, and their sales have suffered because of it. Although, I do appreciate the company's intention of wanting to keep its tradition of console gaming. Since everything in the marketing world is constantly changing, Nintendo needs to do so also. In this case, the company needs to do so just to stay afloat. This article caught my eye because I just recently rediscovered my Nintendo DS and have been playing with it every day. I am very excited that Nintendo will be creating a smartphone game and hope it does well enough to lift the company's sales.

Takata Launching Recall Ad Campaign, Boosting Production of Air Bag Fix Kits

So what exactly is Takata? I’ve never heard of it but it’s a pretty big deal for anyone driving a car. Takata is a Japanese automotive parts company. Recently they discovered that once inflated the air bags would release potentially fatal shrapnel. Not exactly the pillow of safety you come to expect from an airbag. The faulty airbags have affected 19.2 million vehicles from Daimler AG trucks, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota motors. You could say this was a complete failure seeing as on the first page of their website they have a “world with zero fatalities from traffic accidents”, as a part of their mission statement. To add insult to injury, many people with the projectile airbags did not respond to the recall because they did not feel the urgency of the matter.  To facilitate the recall, Takata has launched the company’s first online campaign to encourage people to get their airbag fix kits.

    This relates to many aspects of marketing including product, customers, and company. The product they delivered was in desperate need of improvement and they are taking strides to correct their mistake. The company itself takes pride in encouraging safety in automobiles and this recall could place their reputation in danger. People won’t feel as comfortable with a faulty airbags. The hope is that we never have to use the airbag. However we hope that if we do have to use it, it won’t Edward Scissorhands our faces.

WSJ Article 
Date:Oct. 19, 2015 2:12 p.m. ET

Trucking Industry: Let Teens Drive

"Trucking executives say the age limit is making it hard to find enough drivers, with the most severe shortage in long-haul trucking, which typically requires drivers to cross state lines, " says Robbie Whelan. Because of this, companies want to lower the minimum age to 18 instead of 21. This is a humongous problem. Companies should not do this because it is already statistically shown that during the teenage years, one is a higher risk. Just look at insurance companies for example. If you are a teenager buying insurance, the amount you pay is way higher than the amount your parents pay. Why? Because teens are a higher risk. Also, let's take a look at drinking laws. Why did the government decide that 21 years of age was the proper limit? Because by that age, we are "mature" enough to make correct decisions. So why should trucking companies lower the age minimum to 18, when this is clearly a risk?

Companies believed to be experiencing this downfall because of the pay's low reputation, but they were proved otherwise. Aaron Tennant, president of Colona, III.-based Tennant Truck Lines Inc., said his company raised the pay twice in the same year to attract drivers, but it didn't seem to work. The real problem, they believe, is that they need to lower the age minimum so that teens can work. 

John Lex is a trucker who has two sons that showed no interest in trucking. He says, "A young kid who is 18, coming out of high school, he gets a job somewhere else, stays three years, decides he likes it." The age minimum keeps being the main factor for the loss of workers in truck driving industries. People don't want to wait three years just to get a job.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/trucking-industry-let-teens-drive-1445508000

Disney Launches Digital Subscription Service in Europe

Oct. 21, 2015 

 Disney Co. is going to start offering many of its popular movies / television shows directly to consumers in Europe through DisneyLife, a digital subscription service.

Launching in the United Kingdom in November and other European markets in 2016, DisneyLife will initially feature primarily older content from Disney library of family-friendly TV and movies. Content will include Pixar movies as well as TV shows from the Disney Channel. “DisneyLife is a great example of our strategy to utilize technology to connect with consumers in more direct and compelling ways,” said Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger. Disney said the service will include thousands of Disney Channel shows and hundreds of movies, albums and books.A Disney spokesman said DisneyLife is designed to be a “complementary service” to its existing relationships.The fee for the monthly service will be £9.99 (about $15). It will not include any linear streams of the Disney Channel or other Disney networks.While CBS Corp. has launched a similar service in the United States called “CBS All Access,” a Disney spokesman said there are no current plans for a DisneyLife-like service in the United States………sad day. )-:

Not sure if you guys noticed, but this is actually my second Disney article to blog about. I chose this particular article because I have a slight Disney obsession and I would be the first subscriber if they offered this in the US.

This advancement made by Disney was possible because of technology in the external environment. Made to make Disney lovers happy.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-launches-digital-subscription-service-in-europe-1445449014

The Simpsons

This October, Fox will air a new “Simpsons” episode, “The Tree House Of Horrors XXVI”. Now what does the comedy show “The Simpsons” have to do with marketing, you might ask? Simple: everything.  Matt Groening and his production team have kept the show current and on the air for 27 seasons...an incredibly long time for a show to run! What are they doing right? Simple again: keeping it fresh and spiced with hundreds of popular guest stars. They started with a comparatively young target audience who has stayed loyal through the decades.  This target market has recruited other fans as well.  Even my 83-year-old grandmother knows the show.  The production team keeps the show up with the times; they constantly evaluate their markets, and through careful application of the Four P’s, they reach the needs of their target market, keeping the show funny, and up to date on current news. This makes the show interesting and easy to follow.

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/10/21/the-simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-xxvi-watch-homerzilla-rampage-in-springfield-exclusive-clip/

Amazon to Hire 100,000 U.S. Workers for Holidays

Amazon's distribution center in Phoenix, ArizonaPHOTO: REUTERS

Who could have imagined that an electronic commerce would have a higher employment rate than other large retail corporations? Amazon.com Inc. announced that they hope to hire over 100,000 seasonal workers for the upcoming holidays. That is surpassing the popular retailers who are keeping steady between 60,000-85,000 of seasonal workers for this year. The plans take Amazon to reach a 25% higher employment rate from last year compared to other retailers like Target Corp., Macy's Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. For this reason Amazon now has over 50 warehouses and 20 package sorting just in the U.S. and continues to build more. What's surprising is that holiday hiring is decreasing on these other retailers due to changing shopping habits. People like myself find it less of a hazel to shop on Amazon for example than to deal with overcrowded stores and long lines. This new strategy allows Amazon.com Inc to maintain great customer service in their prompt delivery with a less cost due to their high demand this season. 

Published: Oct. 20, 2015 1:55 a.m. ET

http://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-hire-100-000-u-s-workers-for-holidays-1445320512

Long Nights in a Sleep Lab

Sleep deprivation is a health issue in today's time as ones mood, learning, productivity, slow response times, accidents due to attention lapses are affected negatively. A typical human should get at least seven to nine hours a sleep every night.

Researches at the University of Pennsylvania has one of the largest labs with the goal of understanding the body and brains functions when humans do not get enough sleep. During this study the volunteers are hooked up to wires to look at the brain habits while taking attention and reaction speed tests. They are only aloud four hours of sleep per night and can partake in watching TV, studding, board games, and may only eat/drink what is provided for the nine days they are studied by the researchers. In result they found that being sleep deprived is a danger for your health and the life of others. They are still trying to optimize humans toleration to sleep loss, and prevent it.

This laboratory's target market are those humans receiving less than optimal sleep. When conducting each individuals test they planned all the variables out the same as they wanted to compare each individual. They researched the background of each person like a company would do with their competitors, and put them in groups accordingly. Sleep is very necessary, so tonight everyone try to get a good amount of sleep.

Netflix Is Making Movies Shunned by Studios

Just like my last article about Gucci, this article as well has caught my eye because the company (Netflix) is doing something that truly does not follow the mainstream system of society. Netflix, as many of us already know, was a shock wave that not only rocked our nation, but the world as well. In a world where we had to go to Blockbuster, and or Hollywood Store to rent out DVDs, Netflix became the ultimate way to watch movies and or shows.

  

Now we all know the usual process of Netflix; you pay a monthly amount to have unlimited access to all the shows and movies they have on their site, and you can even pay a little extra to have certain movies sent to your home that they cannot post on their sites do to legality and or prices. The difference that we do not see here in Netflix, as compared to the movie theaters as well as other movie/show providers, is that they are showing and promoting low budget "indie" films. In the article it reads, "Even on that basis it fared poorly though, grossing just $50,699—a sign that perhaps few people are willing to buy tickets to a film they can watch at no extra cost if they already pay for Netflix." Netflix may not be making millions of dollars from promoting these films in theaters, but later on it says, "one of Netflix’s goals was simply to make “Beasts of No Nation” eligible for Academy Awards, which is why it had to be released in some theaters, not just to watch at home via streaming."

Netflix is not just looking to make a quick buck, but they are looking to invest in the future of movies and shows as we know it. Netflix has gone on their own to make tens of shows which have grossed higher than many popular shows from big sponsors such as TNT and AMC. They are doing what no other service has been able to do in a long time, which is be original. The catch with Netflix is that they are not just taking time to make their own shows, but also giving these independent film makers the opportunity to shine. This has truly taken the nation by surprise, and if it were not for Netflix, films like Beast of No Nation would never have been a relevant discussion this week.

The way this article applies to what we have learned in class is the "product"  as well as the service of the four P's. They are offering the public a product that is unlike any other company. It started with online movie and show services, and has gone to a level of making and marketing their own movies and shows. The new service that they are providing, which in some ways is a revival from the past is the support of low budget independent films. These are qualities of a company that will not only be around for the next year or so, but for the next few generations. If Netflix can continue to remain original, as well as bring small budget companies under their wing, it will be a long time before we see another competitor come in and challenge them.

The Questions at hand are as follows: Is supporting the small independent companies a good idea? Are Netflix's self made shows as popular as they sound? What other companies are rising up to challenge this movie giant?

http://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-is-making-movies-shunned-by-studios-1445201653

Posted by Joseph Brown at 7:15 PM

Tencent Tests Out Student-Loan Startup

October 1, 2015

Fenqile focused on the staging of shopping mall Students consumer groups. Student with their student ID can apply for the "staging shopping" and "cash" small consumer loan services. Fenqile provide genuine security for college student, zero payment installment, zero service prepayment fee. Easy to buy, at any time to pay. It is very popular in the college student.

Another aspect of the user experience is repayment. There is no additional costs for early repayment. And the remaining few months after prepayment fees are no longer charged. Once the student is really no money for this month, then the student can only pay month service fee for this month and move to  next month to further installments.

For the huge human resources, Fenqile hired more than ten thousands part-time college student. Labor costs per person per month in about a thousand which the company can afford.

For users, it would provide more people and scenes in the future. This year Fenqile welcome to their first graduate students. They are high-quality users, facing their next rent, buy a car, get married and a series of things that may need staging. These students start use Fenqile when they were in the campus. After they graduate form university, they would like to use Fenqile for all the payments they have. Therefore, the company start the plan when the users are still in the campus let the users have the habit to use Fenqile. And in the future, the users will continue use Fenqile for more stuff.



http://www.wsj.com/articles/tencent-tests-out-student-loan-startup-1443697147

Tough Day? How About a Frosty Schooner of Pizza or Pond Scum?

Who would have ever thought that beer would expand their ingredients to create a larger competitive market? Yeah, maybe some of us because it seems pretty reasonable, but adding a caramelized moose's head? I bet as great as our imagination wanders, no one could have predicted that.                                                                                                           Surprisingly enough, one of the brewing companies brewed a beer with grasshoppers, and it was a complete hit! Another beer contained yeast from a beer maker's beard! As exotic as the flavors may sound, the public loves it, which means they must be doing something right.....right?                                                                                                                       Of course, these brewing companies have competitors and most of them seem to believe that their "5 seconds of fame," as we may call it, will be over soon. Other companies produce what the public is consistently buying, so they do not feel the need to change their formula. This company, however, feels that because they need to be competitive, the people need something new. A variety of products attracts people's eye.                                                                                                             There will be continuous growth in this "new product," for the company has already come up with a new kind beer: using food waste as an ingredient. After all, we're trying to promote recycling!

http://www.wsj.com/articles/tough-day-how-about-a-frosty-mug-of-pizza-or-pond-scum-1444415107

Toyota says bye to gas cars.

According to today’s Wall Street Journal, Toyota is moving away from producing gasoline cars. They claim that by 2050, hybrid, electric and fuel-cell cars will account for a majority of its sales.  Right now, 85% of Toyota’s total global vehicle sales are gasoline and diesel engine powered cars; they want to bring it down to zero… can you imagine the reaction of the oil and gas industry?!? Oil industry megapowers such as Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, and British Petroleum make money by supplying fuel to consumers of gas and diesel cars.  They depend on automakers producing these types of cars. This means they will need to get into clean energy or lose money.  This is a pretty amazing turnaround for the Toyota, considering only five years ago, the corporation was faced with possible extinction due to unpublicized brake problems. 

Now, let’s talk competition, specifically Chevy. Chevy has only two electric cars, while Toyota has seven hybrids. In my personal opinion, Chevy will make better hybrid cars. Why? They are only manufacturing two vehicles, and they do it well. While Toyota has seven models, they are sacrificing quality for quantity.  In addition, both of Chevy’s cars are fully electric, and not just hybrid like Toyota.

How does this relate to marketing? Simple: the gasoline car is moving out of the market maturity stage and into the declining stage. Why? People are demanding cleaner, more fuel efficient cars to make our world a better place. My only complaint with the fuel-efficient cars is that they are ugly and slow. I hope they make a fast, fuel-efficient car that is easier on the eyes than the Toyota Prius.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/toyota-maps-out-decline-of-conventionally-fueled-cars-1444824804