Trends with Far Eastern Youth Culture

The trends that I focused on was Japanese Animation and how it effects America. 

Japanese animation which is also know as anime has become extremely important and influential not only in Japan but in America as well. Anime refers to any type of animation that is from Japan. Astro Boy was the first Japanese anime TV show that aired in America on NBC during the 1960s. It was only popular for a shirt period of time, but it gave Americans their first taste of anime. Overall anime has become highly marketable not only in Japan but as well the rest of the world.

The fan base in American is not large, however they are extremely devoted to anime. In the beginning it was hard for fans to get access to TV shows and films. They would have to go underground in order to view the anime TV shows and films. Fans in America are so devoted that they were able to view brand new anime even before the Japanese were able to. Anime is in America because of there devoted fans. In the past twenty years anime has become even more popular and demanding than ever before. With such hits including Sailor Moon and Pokemon, a younger generation are able to view anime on television and movies. Large American coroporations such as Disney and Dreamworks have invested there time and money in Japanese animation. Pokemon is an excellent example of anime success in America. It started off with a toy, then a video game, trading cards and now a TV show.

Japanese animation has become popular in America due to the success of dubbing. Dubbing as allowed peopleall over the world to have the chance to view anime films and TV shows. Shows such as Pokemon are dubbed so well that many viewers did not even know it was Japanese. Another example of dubbing is the popular anime TV series Sailor Moon. Due to the language barrier and culture differences the creators had to use dubbing for the American audience.

Due to the growing demand of anime, other countries such as America are wanting in on the success. With the help of foreign currency, Japan is able to produce more anime for the rest of the world. There is a downfall with bringing Japanese anime to America and that is it will lose its cultural appeal. There is much debate whether or not anime is Japanese animation or a style of animation. Regardless anime needs American money in order to be successful. Anime is no longer just for the devoted fans in America. Anime has become accessible in local video stores such as Blockbuster.

Working in Corporate Communications and Public Relations you must always be up to date on all the current trends. Anime is popular all over the world. Working in the anime field, you need to know what is hot and what is not when it comes to Japanese animation. Networking is important  when it comes to working in the international arena. Anime is successful in certain countries because it is fresh and different. As a PR practitioner working in this field, you must have a strong relationship with American companies such as Dreamworks, Pixar and Disney. A problem that Japanese anime has in America is the fact that not everyone knows what it is. Many Americans are still left in the dark about the creativity and beauty that lies in the animation. A PR practitioner must be able to make the Japanese anime marketable.

Overall, I found my topic rather interesting. I knew absolutely nothing on Japanese anime and at first found it difficult to find proper information. However in the end I was able to locate some interesting information on anime. I was also suprised of the fan base especially in America. Japanese animation is unlike anything we have seen in North America and Europe.

Steph Harkin

Some of the sources that I used;

http://en.wikipedia.org (Just type in Japanese animation or anime)

www.ex.org/3.3/14-column_riap.html “American Anime: Blend or Bastardization”

Newitz, Annalee (1995). Magical Girls and Atomic Bomb Sperm: Japanese Animation in America. Film Quarterly, Vol 49, No 1 pp2-15.

Offshore Labour-Edited

After researching for an assignment on Offshore Labour, there are many trends and themes, which are common to this topic. Today, I am going to post a blog on one of the trends relating to Offshore Labour.  A reason why businesses and companies rely on offshore labour is to reduce costs and to be more effective.

My research for this class assignment is mostly from journal articles and some internet articles from websites. To start, technological advancements are very important to area of Offshore Labour. In order for Offshore Labour to be effective and for companies to perform well, having a knowledge of the different technological tools is important. The host country relies on technology tools for communication purposes. Without these technological tools the host country would not have an efficient or profitable base to their profit. Hence, it is important companies research and know their labour force offshore.

The term “Outsourcing” is relavant to offshore labour. I performed a search on the definition of Outsourcing on google.ca, and it defines outsourching as taking the internal company functions and paying an outside firm to handle them. Outsourcing is done to save money, improve quality, or free company resources for other activities. In regard to Offshore Labour, all these are primary motives and reasons why companies offshore labour. Hence, it is apparent the theme of cost savings and effectiveness is relavent here.

In today’s global market, companies and businesses are primarily just interested in making money and or profit. With the research I have compiled for this class project, I strongly believe, Offshore Labour will continue to occur in the future. In regard to Public Relations, the practitioner must be able to communicate globally and know the language of the country where the labour is being offshored. Even though, offshore labour is done to save money and be more effectivess, research and culture are very important when considering offshore labour.

Here are some of the sources I used in my research:
Davison, D. (2003, December 9). Top 10 Risks of Offshore Outsourcing. Tech Update. Retrieved October 7, 2006 from Google.ca search engine on the World Wide Web: http://www.METAgroup.com

Kakumanu, P. & Portanova, A. (2006, September 1). Outsourcing: Its Benefits, Drawbacks and Other Related Issues. Journal of American Academy of Business,9 (2), 1-7. Retrieved September 21, 2006 from ProQuest Database on the World Wide Web: http://www.lib.uwo.ca

. King, W. (2006 summer). Offshoring decision time is at hand. Information Systems Management,23 (3), 102-103. Retreived September 23, 2006 from ProQuest Database on the World Wide Web: http://www.lib.uwo.ca

Jamie Gill, CC&PR Edited

Why Choose Podcasting for Public Relations?-Edited

 

Why Choose Podcasting for Public Relations?

 

Podcasting has begun to take on an entirely new face as the idea continues to grow and evolve. Originally used to communicate daily news stories, podcasts are now used for so much more. University lectures, sportscasts, as well as television shows have all been converted to podcast form in order to reach their publics. As this communication trend continues to catch on, how do podcasts help public relations practitioners effectively communicate with their publics?

 

I believe that there are pros and cons to podcasting. Podcasting can be beneficial to public relations practices and marketing campaigns if it is executed correctly. It is a fresh, new and very strong tool that can help you stand out against your competition. It may currently be the one tool that makes you special and sets you apart. At the same time, I believe that podcasts will quickly become the norm for public relations companies. Therefore, public relations agencies need to make sure to choose creative podcasting methods or topics to capture their audience, communicate their message, and keep their audiences coming back for more. Gaining even a small, faithful audience may soon help your company’s podcast gain popularity worldwide which in turn has the ability to draw attention and popularity to your company.

 

If talk is generated, and there is a buzz in the air, people will want to know about your company. This may be the reason a company chose to start podcasting in the first place. Extra positive exposure and discussion can never cause hindrance.

 

Podcasting seems very easy, but in public relations keeping your podcast current is very important. It takes a lot of effort and dedication. In the public relations field where information is constantly being communicated 24 hours a day, people have been conditioned to receive their information quickly. With blogs, email, instant messenger systems, cell phone text messaging, and the Internet, we are a generation that needs a constant flow of updated information. Keeping your podcasts current will help to develop a trusted emotional bond with your listening public. If there are slip ups, and inconsistent breaks in the flow of your information after you have developed an audience this can potentially encourage them to lose interest in your podcast. Negative effects on your company, its product or service, or its reputation may be a result. Podcasts must be sequentially listened to in order to derive value. If you are willing to put in consistent work and effort with an original angle and style to attract your publics, podcasting for public relations can yield positive outcomes.

 

Nijah Smith

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  1. The Value of Podcasting Retrieved October 14, 2006, from 101 public relations.com Website: http://101publicrelations.com/blog/the_value_of_podcasting_001792.htmlThis article is a debate on whether podcasting can be useful to public relations or not. It balances the pros and the cons
  2. (2005) 20 Creative Uses for PodcastingRetrieved October 14, 2006, from Strategic Public Relations Website: http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2005/09/20_creative_use.html  ThisArticle outlines ways branded podcasts might be used to engage customers.
  3. (2006) iPressroom Adds Podcasting Functionality to Online Media Center Service Retrieved October 14, 2006, from the ipress room Website:http://www.ipressroom.com/pr/corporate/info/iPressroom-Adds-Podcasting-Functionality-to-Online-Media-Center-Service.asp  This  article talks about how podcasting can be a very useful tool for corporate communicators.