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Well it has arrived. The dreaded home stretch of the semester where you have officially moved in to the library, your caffeine intake is at a concerning all time high, and you are on the verge of a breakdown.

Only two weeks stand between you and freedom from academic responsibility, yet it feels like an eternity.  Until then, the only thoughts your brain can process are term definitions and APA formatting guidelines.

Although it may seem like stress and anxiety are inevitable during this time in the semester, here are a few tips to follow during finals to help you keep your sanity through the final exam period:

1. Plan out your study schedule:

By assigning separate slots of time for your exam studying and essay deadlines,  you can feel like your life is less of a whirlwind, and devote your attention to one thing at a time. You can check your to-dos off as you go, and maybe even start to feel less weight on your shoulders as the list gets smaller and smaller.

2. Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb”:

The last thing you need to break your focus and send you down a deeper hole of procrastination is the distraction of Twitter threads and group Snapchats. The virtual world won’t forget about you if you go M.I.A. for a few days, and keeping your phone on “Do Not Disturb” will make your notifications unnoticeable, which will make it less tempting to distract yourself from your work.

3. Reward yourself:

Even though minimizing non-school related distractions during final exams is important, keeping your sanity is essential. In order to do this, taking breaks is crucial to make sure that you don’t burn yourself out. Set studying goals, and once you achieve them, do something like go to the beach for an hour or go out and have dinner with a friend, because you have earned the right to pick your head up out of a book for at least a little while.

4. Make time for sleep:

Okay, I know this tip seems virtually impossible when you are timing out your day by the minute, and there is physically no second to spare that you are not studying. But, you HAVE to make time for this. Even if its not the full 8-10 recommended hours, making sleep a priority is crucial if you want a functioning brain. Skip the cup of coffee that you are about to pour at 1:00 am, and make peace with yourself that a few hours of snooze will refresh you enough to input more information in the morning.
I know that it seems like your life seems like Hell on Earth right now, but I can assure you that all of your hard work is going to pay off. Follow these tips, just keep breathing, and open your eyes to see the light beaming ahead at the end of the tunnel!

-Jordan Flaherty

Several months ago, I sat alone watching a TV show on CMT called Nashville. I will be the first to admit that it is not the type of show that I would normally watch; However, that is besides my point for today.

(Disclaimer: The following content discusses events that have occurred in CMT’s Nashville, if you wish to watch the show unspoiled, just beware of what you read.)

One Thursday night over the summer, I was in the middle of watching the newest episode of Nashville when I came across something very revolutionary pertaining to advertising. Before I tell you what that is, let me first define something for you. What is Native Advertising?

According to Sharethrough, “native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed.”

Ordinarily, native advertising comes in the form of in-feed ads, promoted listings, content recommendation widgets, and custom content units. However, what you are about to see is very different in style, but the core concept is relative to native advertising. The form that this example has taken is in the form of video.

If you are not familiar with the TV show Nashville, it is a heartwarming drama surrounding the lives of various musicians trying to make it in the country music business. One record label has invited Zack, a tech mogul who has an interest in the country music business, to help keep things running smoothly. Zack and his team pitched an idea of artist-brand partnerships, much like athlete-brand partnerships. Will Lexington, one of the artists on the label, was the first one approached by a company – the brand being, Budweiser. Now that I have given you a brief background, I will let you just watch the scene, then I will continue my train of thought.

Okay, you are wondering, “So what?” Well, as streaming becomes more relevant and commercials become ever more unwatched, I realize a demand for new techniques in presenting ads in streaming services. The catch is, however, they will not be presented in the usual we-will-be-right-back-after-this-quick-break fashion. The key is to implement advertising within television shows themselves. Essentially, viewers will not realize that they have just watched a commercial, which is almost, if not exactly, a type of native advertising.

Consequently, there are several issues surrounding this approach, one of which being that the show Nashville just happens to be the perfect platform for that kind of rollout. But, the concept does seem to have some potential. For the folks interested in advertising and innovative ways to communicate them, this is definitely something to keep your eye on in the future.

— Ben Yerby

‘Tis the season for family, fun, and… advertising. With more time to fill than any other point in the year, companies amp up their marketing strategies to tell us just what to do to pass those hours. The movie industry utilizes this time in its full extent to release films that continuously break box office records. If a film has a high anticipated success rate, releasing it around the holidays will ensure that the amount of money the film is bringing in is maximized. Let’s analyze the most anticipated films and the trends they share.

Blasts from the Pasts

Jumanji and Star Wars: The Last Jedi are classic films that can bring in a wide range of audiences, but particularly cater to the family dynamic. How are you going to get dad into the theater with his family? Bring back a movie from his past so that he is just as invested in the film as his pop culture-concerned family. Star Wars and Jumanji are highly anticipated films because they are reinventing classics, making the following of the past combine with the following of the present to bring in the most revenue as possible.

Everybody Needs a Hero

In the past few years, the film industry has taken a liking to super hero films. It makes sense; there’s action, comedy, attractive people, the good conquers all mentality… there’s something for everyone. With high anticipation for these films, a holiday release means rolling in the big bucks. Similar to the blasts from the past, these films cater to the family dynamic and is something that everyone can agree is worth watching. Films such as Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League have the hype to bring in a large crowd and catering their release to around the holidays where families are together and looking for something to do makes their success escalate that much more.

Comedies

 The holidays are a time to break from the chaos of life, and what better way to do that than through laughter? Films such as Pitch Perfect 3 and Daddy’s Home 2 offer an escape from reality without being too much for the brain to process. Comedies are a great film to watch with a friend you haven’t seen in a while or with your cousins to lighten the mood during the holiday season.

-Nia Crerar

2017 holidays are amongst us and this year it’s all about glitter and pineapple Christmas trees! What is with this pineapple trend! I don’t know about you guys but there is no way I’m substituting my beautiful evergreen for a fruit. I will however incorporate these yummy holiday treats I’ve read about on Pinterest! But one thing I will incorporate into my holiday season are these delicious no bake peppermint fudge energy bites! As we all know working out is big now so why not put a festive spin on those protein bars!

Recipe: only requires almonds, medjool dates, dark chocolate chips and peppermint. After a little mixing, and some time in the fridge, they’re ready to go.

Is Black Friday still Black Friday anymore?

Business professionals seem to think that retailers succeed by opening their doors early to their customers, while others think that an early Black Friday means putting profit ahead of consumer.

You may be wondering, “When did all of this even start?”

Black Friday began with the start of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade back in 1924.
“Black” refers to stores moving from the “red” to the “black,” back when accounting records were kept by hand, red ink indicated a loss and black indicated a profit. Up until just a few years ago, Black Friday started at 12am on Friday, leaving all of Thursday for quality time with loved ones along with yummy food.

So what’s the big deal?

Many argue that these two holidays are quite different. Thanksgiving is all about time with family and friends and reflecting on all that we are grateful for, while Black Friday is all about shopping and deals. Needless to say, each holiday should have their own separate day. It’s easy to say that businesses are making more profit by opening their doors at 6pm on Thursday instead of 12am on Friday, but there’s also something to be said about the fact that this is cutting into precious Thanksgiving time with family and friends.

But…What’s so bad about starting early?

On the other side of this argument, it’s no surprise that Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year. Why not maximize on this by extending the day even further? Opening stores early on Thanksgiving gives people a chance to get their shopping out of the way and also allows minimizes crazy crowds. As a child, I can remember going with my mom at 11pm to wait in line for stores to open. We would wait in what seemed like a never-ending line of people just to be some of the first people in the store. Now, I can head on over to the mall right after dinner without having to fight through huge crowds. Some say that opening doors earlier is even safer than opening at midnight due to the fact that people have more time to slowly trickle into stores, rather than aggressively storming in with one big crowd at midnight.

So whether you think Black Friday should start on Friday or think that an earlier start to your shopping is good, make sure you celebrate each holiday to its fullest!

-Katie Kromer

November 2017 has been a month of exciting new movie releases, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Here are a few titles that have already hit the big screen, and some more exciting releases to look forward to!

The month started off with “Thor: Ragnarok” hitting theaters. After finding himself imprisoned and without his mighty hammer, Thor must race against time to get back to Asgard and save his home from utter destruction. To do so, he must first survive a gladiatorial battle with a good friend, the Incredible Hulk. This battle will unite the two on this epic journey to save the gods. It is safe to say that Marvel knows exactly what they are doing with their film universe. “Thor: Ragnarok” received a 92% approval rating from Rotten Tomato’s, with the critics’ consensus calling it “Exciting, funny, and above all fun, Thor: Ragnarok is a colorful cosmic adventure that sets a new standard for its franchise — and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

Speaking of superheroes, DC released its own highly anticipated title with “Justice League” debuting in mid-November. In the newest extension of the DC film universe, Batman enlists the help of Wonder Woman to assemble a fearsome fighting team. Joining the team are Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash. Will this team be enough to save the world from catastrophic destruction? Despite their past success with Wonder Woman, DC just can’t seem to get much success with their other films. “Justice League” scored only 34% on the Tomatometer, and the critic’s consensus for the film says it “leaps over a number of DC movies, but its single bound isn’t enough to shed the murky aesthetic, thin characters, and chaotic action that continue to dog the franchise.”

Is it possible to get much lower on the Tomatometer than that? Why yes, it is! In what was anticipated to be a hilarious continuation of the Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell duo’s “Daddy’s Home,” “Daddy’s Home 2” failed to deliver the laughs despite its awesome cast. Unfortunately, the saying “like father, like son,” doesn’t really work the same way with originals and sequels. The critics’ consensus shows no mercy on this film, calling it “A formulaic comedy that’s unlikely to spread much yuletide merriment, Daddy’s Home 2 can only muster a few stray yuks from its talented cast.”

One new release to look forward to comes this Wednesday. Disney and Pixar will be releasing their latest title named “Coco.” The film tells the story of a boy named Miguel who dreams of becoming a musician. However, Miguel’s family has a ban on music that spans back several generations. Trying to defy that ban and follow his dreams, Miguel finds himself in the Land of the Dead. He teams up with a trickster named Hector, and they set off the learn of Miguel’s family history. So far, Coco has received very high ratings, scoring a 94% from Rotten Tomato’s. The critics’ consensus says, “Coco’s rich visual pleasures are matched by a thoughtful narrative that takes a family-friendly — and deeply affecting — approach to questions of culture, family, life, and death.”

-Ty Myatt