Tag: Entertainment

Academy Awards Entertain in More Ways Than One

March 2, 2011

The Academy Awards is one of the most glamorous nights on television.  This year at the 2011 Academy Awards there were more than just the fabulous fashions and celebrities that walked the red carpet, or as Justin Timberlake described it in his interview with Tim Gunn, the “fuschia” carpet because it looked more pink than red.  Other than Melissa Leo being the first winner in Oscar history to drop the F-bomb in her speech and the all the British nominees racking up numerous wins with The King’s Speech, aspects of marketing were apparent throughout the night.

Now we all know that the Academy Awards isn’t the Super Bowl, that’s a given.  However, they do have something in common.  Advertisements.  During the commercial breaks there were plenty of new advertisements for ABC network shows such as The Bachelor, Dancing With The Stars, and Good Morning America.  ABC revealed that the new cast for this season of Dancing With The Stars would be announced the following night during an episode of The Bachelor.  ABC also showed that Britney Spears had a big announcement that she was going to make on Monday’s airing of Good Morning America.  The network even incorporated the Academy Awards into a commercial for its series Modern Family, having the characters playing a game of Charades acting out the well-known films.  ABC markets how each series of shows, whether it be reality or drama, are integrated with one another as an actual “network”.  Every show has a way of incorporating another.  This may be a way ABC attempts to gain viewers because they are hoping people are interested in finding out the newest DWTS cast and what big news Britney Spears has to share.

Aspects of marketing did not only show up during the commercial breaks.  One example unexpectedly came to attention during Christian Bale’s acceptance speech when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as boxer Dicky Eklund in The Fighter.  The real-life Dicky Eklund was present at the award show and Christian Bale made sure that everyone knew it.  Bale thanked Eklund in his speech and told him how excited he was to watch the next chapter of his life and that everyone else should too if they want to be a true champion.  He told everyone to check out dickeklund.com for more information on boxing lessons with Eklund.  This got a large laugh from the audience.  Was this a way for Bale to return the favor to Eklund since he won an Oscar for his portrayal?  Maybe, maybe not, but it sure was good publicity.  If you visit the website, one of the first pictures on the site is of Bale and Eklund at the Academy Awards.

-Danielle Dorantich

Beyonce: More than Just Bootylicious

September 17, 2010

Corporate Communication is present in almost every industry, whether we recognize it or not.  One industry that many people would not typically associate corporate communication with is the music industry.  Musicians and artists create their own identity and brand themselves in a way that is different from others in the industry.  Beyonce is one artist who has been extremely successful at creating her own identity, which has helped her create a large fan base and expand her success into other industries.  Beyonce’s musical talent has earned her several Grammys and many of her albums have gone on to be multi-platinum selling albums. Beyonce states that her newest album “is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage. The double album allows me to take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that people only know me see.”

When people hear Beyonce’s name, several things come to mind.  Jay-Z, Single Ladies, her dancing abilities, Destiny’s Child, her clothing line, and much more. Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly writes, “Beyonce Knowles is a storm system disguised as a singer.” She even has her own YouTube station. Beyonce is not only a musical sensation, she is a corporate powerhouse.

Her clever strategies to success have gotten her where she is at today. Beyonce’s musical career has evolved into a huge corporation. She uses music to form her identity, image, and brand her corporation, which has opened up many other doors for her in the entertainment industry.  She has acted in films, created her own fashion line, and been on countless magazine covers.

She was recently featured in a 60 minutes news brief talking about her success as an entertainer. Take a look.

House of Dereon is Beyonce and her mother Tina Knowles’ clothing line that they began in 2004. Expanding the brand, Beyoncé and her sister Solange Knowles  launched the junior line Deréon that is geared towards younger consumers and is more reasonably priced. Deréon was introduced in 2006. The tag line for Deréon is “Where the sidewalk and catwalk meet”. Beyoncé also mentions the clothing line in the song Get Me Bodied, from the album B’Day, and in her hit single Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).

Beyonce\’s House of Dereon

-Megan, Fran, Lacey, and Ari