Continuing from my blog post from last week, more news has come out in the streaming industry. The same exact week that DisneyPlus was released, Netflix attempted to steal back some of the younger viewers. Netflix announced that they have signed a deal with Nickelodeon to start streaming their shows. This is a huge deal in the streaming race because now some parents might not want to pay for a new streaming service like DisneyPlus now that Netflix has reloaded and added more shows that focus on younger audiences.

I think that this is a great move by the owners of Netlflix. Now that there are a lot of older shows that some of the younger parents grew up watching, there won’t be any reason for people to buy more streaming services. This also makes the streaming race more official as these services are growing into even larger monopolies.

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206512/

Augmented reality (AR) is a way in which an individuals perception of reality can be altered through the use of technology. As technological innovations continue to interrupt various industries, AR is doing just this in multiple areas.

AR has had a major impact on the way in which certain industries go about interacting with their clients. According to an article done by Forbes, AR has been used in a multitude of ways, and by very different industries to achieve this. For instance, when it comes to advertising and selling products, AR can be a huge aid for companies. The article mentions that in certain Sephora stores, they have “virtual artists”. Essentially, you can look into a “mirror” that has a display feature that gives you the option to see what you would look like with certain makeup styles. When people are able to see what products they like, without having to actually test them, they are more likely to make a purchase. This type of AR feature has begun to really take root in online marketing, and companies are profiting off of it.

Another example of how AR has impacted people is through the use of animated filters on popular social media apps. This type of AR has especially been seen on Snapchat, with filters that can be overlapped on photos or videos. The best example of this would be the “dancing hot dog” filter that was trending just earlier this year. These types of filters are popular because they are fun and easy to use, but still provide an entertaining and amusing element to the apps functions.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/07/30/9-powerful-real-world-applications-of-augmented-reality-ar-today/#fc221952fe95

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/augmented-reality-the-past-the-present-and-the-future

The chief of content, Ted Sarandos, working for Netflix recently reported that Netflix will change absolutely nothing in response to Disney+. Netflix does not feel the need to take any action in regards to exterior competition. Sarandos is worried that Netflix soon will have to rely on its’ content due to a high rise of competition. In regards to Disney+, around $10 million people signed up on the first day. While Disney and Netflix used to have a stellar relationship, they officially stopped selling shows to Netflix. 

In my opinion, Disney should have done this a long time ago. I think that this will benefit millions of people who love Disney films and enjoy watching them. For Netflix, I think this is awful. From a 19-year-old standpoint, Netflix used to be the most used app to watch movies and t-shows. However, as more and more competition arrises, Netflix has become worse and worse. This move will benefit Disney and enhance their company.

Reference: https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-content-chief-says-nothing-has-changed-with-disney-launch-11573759213

NASA currently stated that their project in 2020 will be researching for fossils on Mars. The scientists told Icarus Journal that the inner rim crater has concentrated carbonate mineral deposits. Similar to earth, carbonate helps form fossil, allowing these artifacts to survive for thousands of years. While scientists are not looking for skeletons, seashells, they are investigating for the signs of life forms in the planets, telling us how Mars might have been a habitable planet to a deserted one. The rover will reach the research site in February 2021. ( Kooser, 2019)

This project will allow us to gain more astronomical knowledge. By having these kind of information, we can then explore more of the planet’s geography, which might allow us to send people there in the new future.

Reference: https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-will-hunt-for-fossils-on-mars/

Volkswagen group recently made an action that declares they will be investing heavily in the electrical vehicle industry. The company stated that they will spend $66 billion from now to 2024 in research and development, with $33 billion will be spent towards an electric vehicle. The company states that they want to start building electrical cars that run with MEB electric- car platforms, a high-performance electrical car, and 6 million of these models will be sold. The remain money will be spent toward hybrid vehicles and new technology. The German automaker is also setting up a new division to work on self-driving car. (Szymkowski, 2019)

From my perspective, after seeing Tesla opening a mass- production factory in China. This will allow more opportunities to improve the climate and allowing consumers to choose between more options rather than having Tesla growing as a monopoly.

Reference: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/volkswagen-electric-cars-technology-investment/

The advance of technology lead to moving from brick-mortar-stores to online in other industries including financial industry. Big technology companies like Apple introduced its own credit card in summer 2019. “Amazon.com Inc. has talked to banks about offering checking accounts. Facebook Inc is working on a digital currency and hopes it will upend global payments” (Rudegeair & Hoffman). Google will launch a project which is called Cache in 2020 (Rudegeair & Hoffman). Google will offer checking accounts to consumers by working with Citigroup Inc and a credit union at Stanford University (Rudegeair & Hoffman). This tendency threats financial-services firms that they would potentially lose their “mobile-first customers” (Rudegeair & Hoffman). Federal regulators also are examining whether Google collects user information from search engine, google tech products, G-mail, and other Google apps to compete in financial industry unfairly (Rudegeair & Hoffman).

Although technology can bring convenience and speed, privacy always has been a issue with technology firms. Google indicates that the company must convince the public that personal data would not be sold or shared. However, over half of population participated in survey conducted by McKinsey & Co. said that they would trust financial products from Google (Rudegeair & Hoffman). Personally, I am not comfortable to use credit cards from a company which is not a financial-service bank. An article from McKinsey & Co. says that Generalization Z is “digital native” (Francis & Hoefel). I believe that the public will accept it in the future because younger generalizations are born in the age of technology.

Resource:

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies

https://www.wsj.com/articles/next-in-googles-quest-for-consumer-dominancebanking-11573644601

In class we learned about the different technology enabled business models. These business models consist of the brokerage model, bricks and clicks, the advertising model, direct manufacturer model, and the subscription model.The direct-to-consumer marketing is on the rise. Branded manufacturers are the ones benefitting the most. The Forbes article, “The Rise Of Direct-To-Consumer Marketing” stated that, “thanks to sites like Amazon, manufacturers no longer need the help (or costs) of larger, established brands to connect with customers.” The article also touched upon the topic of social media being an important tool in marketing for these branded manufacturers.

Some examples of popular direct-to-consumer digital strategies are using third party sites, mobile apps, and customized content. These third party sites can bring in thousands, sometimes even millions, of potential customers. Mobile apps are a direct path to consumers and a good way to make your company stand out amongst others. The article also discussed the benefits of customized content. It said that, “one of the biggest advantages of this form of marketing is that you have much more control over how your customers engage with your products. However, this only works if you take the time to understand how your consumers want to do this.” Some want to see videos of the product in action and to hear reviews from people who have used it.

Some brands that are taking advantage of this direct-to-consumer strategy are Adidas and Nike. Brands like Foot Locker are seeing a drop in their shares, Foot Locker shares dropped 28%. These are some examples of bigger companies, but companies of all sizes can benefit from the direct-to-consumer model.

Source:

Grosman, Lin. “The Rise Of Direct-To-Consumer Marketing.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Sept. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/09/27/the-rise-of-direct-to-consumer-marketing/#159024d01478.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/09/27/the-rise-of-direct-to-consumer-marketing/#159024d01478

As technology evolves, companies need to adapt to those changes to continue to be successful. There are many benefits to utilizing virtual teams. The article, “Why Virtual Teams Are The Future Of Workplace Culture” stated that, “In order to understand how the virtual teams are becoming the future, it is important aspect to know the eminent business sense they make, for organizations.” One being that you can find the right talent anywhere in the world. It can be hard to be moving people to one central location to all work, so this saves companies money and all the hassle by letting people work from where they are already located. Using virtual teams is more reliable than outsourcing because when outsourcing, the organization/ company does not have direct control over the quality and performance. Virtual teams and technology in general is a game changer for the workplace. It has helped with companies’ efficiency and staying connected to your co-workers. The article also stated that, “technology and accessibility to global talent has made it possible to make this a sustainable phenomenon of having offshore employees.” This helps show that this isn’t just a short-term impact of virtual teams becoming a more prominent presence, they are sustainable.

This can also help attract future employees by how companies can offer them flexibility and empowerment. They won’t have to travel frequently or to far places, because they can stay local. If they see these aspects of your company, it’ll make your company more appealing.

This connects to what we discussed in class about virtual teams and virtual enterprise collaborations being the future of work. HP and Microsoft are just two examples of companies that are using virtual collaboration solutions. They are doing this through file sharing, cloud storage, workflow tools, and video conferencing.

Source:

https://inc42.com/entrepreneurship/virtual-teams-future/

Newly released games (Mario Kart and Call of Duty), have created an immediate surge in downloads all over the world. Both of these games were heavily marketed before the release, hand have already passed expectations on how popular the game would be to users. These two app releases are considered to be “two of the most successful app releases ever”. During October COD mobile had about 148 million downloads, making it the top app for most downloads. Mario Kart mobile which is extremely popular for students of all ages has had about 40 million downloads, which is still extremely substantial.

COD and Mario Kart were also in the top 30 for top grossing games in October. This is still a pretty good statistic because these apps may not contain a whole lot of options in which users can pay a certain amount of money to upgrade their characters or levels. PUBG Mobile was first in revenue followed by Honor of Kings and Candy Crush. All of these statistics combined proves that the video game industry is taking over, and increasing at an extremely high rate. As technology continues to develop, then app downloads will continue to surge. App developers have also made it extremely easy for users to download these games in which they just have to tap a few buttons from their phones or consoles. One of the biggest factors in which COD and Mario Kart have become so popular is because they are free from the App Store. This option has given the opportunity for people of all ages to test out the game first to see if they like it, and if they do they can upgrade the game by paying low amounts of money. Overall, the app developers of these two games have created an App Store surge.

Call of Duty and Mario Kart front a siege of console IP on mobile