When thinking about the “Wonderful World of Disney” one might think friendly, warm and welcoming. But what some people may not know is that Disney’s customer service may not be so up to par. Disney’s current “Give a Day, Get a Day at Disney” promotes giving one day of volunteer service in return for a free day at any Disney park.
They promised the first million volunteers this free day in 2010. But what my classmate Alanna and I discovered is that their lack of information, and slowness to keep their website updated has caused an overabundance of volunteers trying to claim their free day at Disney.
When researching this program, Alanna and I attempted getting a hold of Disney to discuss their public relations techniques. We were disappointed to discover that not only did they decline to return our messages, but when calling to inquire about our “free day at Disney” we were left with a voice prompt explaining that they had already reached their targeted 1 million people at a surprisingly early time.
This undoubtedly left people angered who had already completed the volunteer hours, and were waiting for their free Disney ticket. The site now has a disclaimer stating that the promotion is over with, but what about those volunteers left waiting?
A place like Disney is supposed to leave people feeling wonderful and appreciated, a place where dreams come true.
In this case Disney has crushed the dreams of many, and that won’t be fading from my memory anytime soon.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Disney’s Collaboration with ABC Stars Lead to Great Results
Disney’s new volunteer project “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” has recently collaborated with stars of the ABC television network. Recently, Disney launched a new project where any person who participates in a day of volunteering is eligible for a free day at any Disney park. In an attempt to promote the new project, they’ve enlisted stars like Taye Diggs, Kate Walsh, Sara Ramirez, and James Denton.
Disney released a series of commercials involving each of the ABC stars. The commercials set out to incorporate both the ABC stars and a variety of Disney characters working side-by-side on construction sites.
Some may be asking, which Disney characters would ABC choose to use? Well who else but the Muppet Babies!
Favorite Muppets like Ms. Piggy, Kermit, and Gonzo starred in these commercials adding just another way to appeal to young kid viewers. These commercials have proved to be a most creative way to promote Disney’s new project as well as provide ABC with a great way to appeal to the public.
Check out these great commercials!
Sara Ramirez and the Muppets!
Ms. Piggy and Taye Diggs!
James Denton and Friends!
Disney released a series of commercials involving each of the ABC stars. The commercials set out to incorporate both the ABC stars and a variety of Disney characters working side-by-side on construction sites.
Some may be asking, which Disney characters would ABC choose to use? Well who else but the Muppet Babies!
Favorite Muppets like Ms. Piggy, Kermit, and Gonzo starred in these commercials adding just another way to appeal to young kid viewers. These commercials have proved to be a most creative way to promote Disney’s new project as well as provide ABC with a great way to appeal to the public.
Check out these great commercials!
Sara Ramirez and the Muppets!
Ms. Piggy and Taye Diggs!
James Denton and Friends!
Disney’s Give a Day Get a Day Volunteer Program
Disney World has always been a place where little kids dreams come true. Whether it be to meet Mickey Mouse and Snoopy up close and personal, or to ride Space Mountain at least 10 times, kids dream of coming to the “magical world of Disney”.
Well now, thanks to Disney’s new “Give a Day Get Disney Day” campaign, kids have the opportunity to experience it for free. The program began on January 1, 2010 with a goal of getting one million people to participate. To do this, a person should visit their website www.DisneyParks.com or www.DisneyParks.ca and search for an eligible volunteer project. Upon completion, Disney then emails out a free printable voucher for a one-day one-park admission.
What a great opportunity Disney provides to get out into the community and volunteer your time. After all your hard work, hop on down to Disney and have the time of your life!
For this project, Disney has collaborated with HandsOn Network to do it. HandsOn Network the largest volunteer network in the nation and includes more than 250 HandsOn Action Centers in 16 countries.
Through this collaboration, Disney should be able to reach 1 million volunteers quickly, so get your workin’ boots on and hit the community to earn your free day at Disney!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Say Goodbye to Hand Use Technology, the Skinput is Here.
When cell phones first hit the tech world, people thought the concept was crazy. I bet they thought, “A phone you can carry around WITH you? That’s just unheard of!” A lot of people - - scratch that most people, value the convenience of a cell phone. They’re small, pretty easy to use, and you’re now able to use them pretty much anywhere.
But what if you didn’t have to carry it around with you at all? People would probably think, “What? Now THAT is crazy.” Well, I’m here to inform you that a guy named Chris Harrison is about to make it happen.
It’s called the Skinput.
Harrison, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University and a former intern at Microsoft Research, has developed a working prototype of a system called Skinput. With this new piece of technology, you’re able to dial your phone, play a game, or listen to your iPod, all at the push of…your skin.
Yes that’s right. The Skinput is a piece of new technology that would allow a person to tap their thumb and middle finger together to answer a call; touch their forearm to go to the next track on a music player; or flick the center of their palm to select a menu item. All of this would be controlled by an armband, containing 10 muscle sensors that strap around their elbow.
The Skinput user taps their index finger and thumb together which send a ripple effect of vibrations into the sensor, thereby allowing it to determine the users request. This new invention isn’t quite consumer ready yet, but the prototype is promising in every kind of fantastic way. Harrison expects it to be ready in 2-5 years.
The Skinput is sitting on the horizon of technological genius.
Geeks get ready, the future is here.
I'll show YOU beauty...
We all know that the marketing industry can be cruel, insensitive, and in my opinion down right evil. They play on the public’s insecurities using stick-skinny models to represent their products. When women see these ad’s they undoubtedly get the impression that this is someone they need to copy themselves after. They spend hundreds of dollars on hair products, skin firming lotion, and make-up thinking that these are the things they need to be “beautiful”.
Well, the marketing industry has met their match.
Dove’s new “Beauty Backlash” campaign is one for the books. Instead of using starving model’s, and plastic-surgeoned women to create a “sexy” image for their product, they decided to use real women, women who to any normal person would find in shape, healthy and beautiful.
Any typical advertising exec would deem this campaign stupid, and destined to fail. But this campaign not only addresses the benefits of using their products, but it attacks societal trends to connect thin, large-breasted women with beauty.
This photo shows women of all shapes, sizes and colors. Not only are they up there flauntin’ their stuff, they’re having a good time while doing it.
They are proud, confident, and happy with who they are.
And that to me, is real beauty.
Well, the marketing industry has met their match.
Dove’s new “Beauty Backlash” campaign is one for the books. Instead of using starving model’s, and plastic-surgeoned women to create a “sexy” image for their product, they decided to use real women, women who to any normal person would find in shape, healthy and beautiful.
Any typical advertising exec would deem this campaign stupid, and destined to fail. But this campaign not only addresses the benefits of using their products, but it attacks societal trends to connect thin, large-breasted women with beauty.
This photo shows women of all shapes, sizes and colors. Not only are they up there flauntin’ their stuff, they’re having a good time while doing it.
They are proud, confident, and happy with who they are.
And that to me, is real beauty.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Target Field
*Attention* The information in this release is factual, but the purpose of this release is for a class assignment and was not written on behalf of the Minnesota Twins. Please disregard this as a professional statement from the Minnesota Baseball Authority.
PRESS RELEASE
“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE”
March 22nd, 2010
NEW BALLPARK COMING TO MINNESOTA CAUSING MUCH ANTICIPATION FOR THE 2010-2011 TWINS BASEBALL SEASON
Since the passing of the financial plan for the Minnesota Twin’s open-air stadium in 2006, Minnesotans everywhere have waiting in anticipation for a day that is fast approaching. On Monday, April 12th the Twins will play their first game in Target Field against the Boston Red Sox, a game that will launch the Twins into a potential Championship season.
In a field design that incorporates conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency, this environmentally friendly stadium seats 40,000 people. And while that number has dropped from the Dome’s 60,000-person capacity, the quality of Target Field’s seats are almost priceless.
Not only will the new stadium provide a refreshing new game-watching environment, but with new revenue being generated from the stadium, the Twins now have a much larger draft budget for the 2010-2011 season. Since November of 2009 the Twins have signed major contracts with players like Nick Blackburn, Jim Thome, JJ Hardy, and Joe Mauer. With the combination of these newly secured players, and the brand new ballpark set to open soon, Twins fans have been squirming in their seats as the day comes closer and closer.
Now the question remains, are Twins fans ready for freshly groomed grass, hot summer evenings and starry nights? I guess we’ll have to see, but chances are looking good.
For more information please contact the Minnesota Ballpark Authority at 612-659-3880 or visit the Target Fields website at http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/ballpark/index.jsp
Friday, March 5, 2010
After watching the documentary "War Made Easy" I suddenly had a new sense of how I viewed America.
Yes, I've heard of government conspiracy happening in the States before...and yes, I knew that the media was biased to a certain point, but never in my life had I seen proof, actual documentation of the political and governmental corruption that has ensued in our country for such a long time.
Until now.
It's obvious that I, among millions of others throughout time, have fallen victim to the United States propaganda tactics. Sure, maybe I was naive and should have seen through some of it, but is it so unnatural to want to trust your government? To want to believe that what they are telling you is true? No, it isn't. Which makes the reality just that much harder to grasp and their job of fooling the public that much easier.
I used to sympathize for other countries like China and Russia, whose government censors and controls what they are allowed to see and read about their government. But now, it seems that we aren't that much different. Sure, I recognize that we still have many more freedoms than they have available, and I embrace those freedoms. But I realize now that we too are being lied to and manipulated by our government.
America is supposed to be the land of liberties. When I see the way our government has spun stories in order to convince the American people of the necessity of war, I feel utterly ashamed. A specific example, and perhaps one of the largest piece of falsified news to be discovered, was the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August of 1964. It was said and confirmed by our government that three North Vietnamese ships deliberately unleashed a torpedo attack against one of our U.S. Naval ships, the destroyer Maddox, in international waters. At the time, President Johnson used this attack to further escalate the war against Vietnam.
This was a lie.
The story was deliberately falsified to give Johnson more ammo against the Vietcong and was quickly accepted as the truth by the media. Because of the presses refusal to challenge the story it was much easier for congress to quickly pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which was pivotal in opening the door to the Vietnam War.
It was this story that resonated the most emotion in me. Years later, this is still happening. Before the start of the War in Iraq, broadcaster Phil Donahue was asked to resign from his very popular news segment. The reason? He was too strong of an anti-war voice and the government didn't anyone speaking out that strongly against the war.
After viewing this documentary it is hard to imagine all that we still don't know. If this much corruption has been uncovered from one documentary, the amount of hidden information about the governments intentions over the course of over 200 years must be endless.
I guess what I've learned is that political spin and governmental propaganda happens, in places you wouldn't imagine and in situations you wouldn't imagine.
And now, after being exposeed to it all, it's hard for me to not ask the question, when does it all end?
Bibliography
Alper, L. (Producer), & Earp, J. (Director). (2007). War made easy: How presidents and pundits keep spinning us to death [Motion Picture]. United States: The Disinformation Company Ltd.
Yes, I've heard of government conspiracy happening in the States before...and yes, I knew that the media was biased to a certain point, but never in my life had I seen proof, actual documentation of the political and governmental corruption that has ensued in our country for such a long time.
Until now.
It's obvious that I, among millions of others throughout time, have fallen victim to the United States propaganda tactics. Sure, maybe I was naive and should have seen through some of it, but is it so unnatural to want to trust your government? To want to believe that what they are telling you is true? No, it isn't. Which makes the reality just that much harder to grasp and their job of fooling the public that much easier.
I used to sympathize for other countries like China and Russia, whose government censors and controls what they are allowed to see and read about their government. But now, it seems that we aren't that much different. Sure, I recognize that we still have many more freedoms than they have available, and I embrace those freedoms. But I realize now that we too are being lied to and manipulated by our government.
America is supposed to be the land of liberties. When I see the way our government has spun stories in order to convince the American people of the necessity of war, I feel utterly ashamed. A specific example, and perhaps one of the largest piece of falsified news to be discovered, was the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August of 1964. It was said and confirmed by our government that three North Vietnamese ships deliberately unleashed a torpedo attack against one of our U.S. Naval ships, the destroyer Maddox, in international waters. At the time, President Johnson used this attack to further escalate the war against Vietnam.
This was a lie.
The story was deliberately falsified to give Johnson more ammo against the Vietcong and was quickly accepted as the truth by the media. Because of the presses refusal to challenge the story it was much easier for congress to quickly pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which was pivotal in opening the door to the Vietnam War.
It was this story that resonated the most emotion in me. Years later, this is still happening. Before the start of the War in Iraq, broadcaster Phil Donahue was asked to resign from his very popular news segment. The reason? He was too strong of an anti-war voice and the government didn't anyone speaking out that strongly against the war.
After viewing this documentary it is hard to imagine all that we still don't know. If this much corruption has been uncovered from one documentary, the amount of hidden information about the governments intentions over the course of over 200 years must be endless.
I guess what I've learned is that political spin and governmental propaganda happens, in places you wouldn't imagine and in situations you wouldn't imagine.
And now, after being exposeed to it all, it's hard for me to not ask the question, when does it all end?
Bibliography
Alper, L. (Producer), & Earp, J. (Director). (2007). War made easy: How presidents and pundits keep spinning us to death [Motion Picture]. United States: The Disinformation Company Ltd.
Friday, February 5, 2010
What You Need to Know About Novak
Hello friends,
My name is Ashley. I'm 20 years old, a Junior at Hamline University. For all my life I've been a people person. A very talkative people person involved in many activities growing up. I've done it all, from t-ball in Kindergarten to Future Entrepenuers Club in my Senior year of high school, I've done it.
Soccer, basketball, skiing, golf? Done it.
Piano, flute, drums, student council? Done it.
Heck, I even dabbled a bit in swing dancing in my freshman year of college.
My point? I like to do a lot of things, and through my involvement in these various activities I have learned that adaptability is key. To be able to adapt in a world of expanding technologies and changing demographics I believe is a fundamental part of succeeding in the world today.
For this reason, I chose to go into the Communications field, more specifically, the field of public relations. I relate well with people and have had a lot of experience from a young age interacting with the business world. My father was a former state legislator and for my entire life up until I was 12, served in the State Senate. I learned at a young age how to talk and act around adults, politicians more importantly. I learned the etiquette of how to behave at fundraisers and saw first hand what goes into planning events and the strategy that is involved in making business deals. These are all important aspects that a successful Communications representative should possess.
In my more recent experience I spent a summer interning with a non-profit organization where the President allowed me and my partner to develop their PR strategy from the beginning. This provided great experience and was able to show me more specifically what goes into a good public relations campaign.
Although I may have "done it all" in my youth, there is still much for me to accomplish in my adult professional life. But by channeling my experiences I've had so far, I hope to be able to one day consider myself successful in the field of public relations.
Ashley
Soccer, basketball, skiing, golf? Done it.
Piano, flute, drums, student council? Done it.
Heck, I even dabbled a bit in swing dancing in my freshman year of college.
My point? I like to do a lot of things, and through my involvement in these various activities I have learned that adaptability is key. To be able to adapt in a world of expanding technologies and changing demographics I believe is a fundamental part of succeeding in the world today.
For this reason, I chose to go into the Communications field, more specifically, the field of public relations. I relate well with people and have had a lot of experience from a young age interacting with the business world. My father was a former state legislator and for my entire life up until I was 12, served in the State Senate. I learned at a young age how to talk and act around adults, politicians more importantly. I learned the etiquette of how to behave at fundraisers and saw first hand what goes into planning events and the strategy that is involved in making business deals. These are all important aspects that a successful Communications representative should possess.
In my more recent experience I spent a summer interning with a non-profit organization where the President allowed me and my partner to develop their PR strategy from the beginning. This provided great experience and was able to show me more specifically what goes into a good public relations campaign.
Although I may have "done it all" in my youth, there is still much for me to accomplish in my adult professional life. But by channeling my experiences I've had so far, I hope to be able to one day consider myself successful in the field of public relations.
Ashley
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