Crua Stone Class Project Featured on Etsy.com

Vanessa Bertozzi, now Director of Community & Education at Etsy, followed our marketing project for Crua Stone and helped with priceless advice and feedback on Mike's Etsy shop during a cool virtual lab session. On July 2nd she blogged about our project and featured the promotional video we created:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/reviews/students-from-stone-to-store-at-ringling-college-of-art-and--8780/

Don't miss the comments of fellow Etsy members. Everyone is supportive and excited about the project and about Mike's art.

Print and Online Ads

Crua Stone Promotional Video - PREMIERE

Crua Stone LOGO

Here is the image of final logo.

Also, available to download at:
http://webspace.ringling.edu/~ltan/crua_stone_Final.pdf

Disney Homework-For partial credit

Disney has created such a strong brand image by reaching out to kids through the use of cartoons, movies, parks, rides, playing dress up...ect. By growing up to this life style of wanting to go to the next Disney movie or Disney World, we are blinded by what some critics are projecting that there is racism and sexism flowing through out the story line of the films. I am pro Disney because back in the day (1950's)- we as a society thought about things in a different way and it was of "the times" to express these issues in a subtle way because we could. Racism was wide spread and woman where staying home and raising a family. My point it is, is that those things were going on at that time and Disney followed (in a subtle way) those story lines because they were real!
Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And if they can find something to criticize they can do it, and will find a way.
As a consumer of Disney products, it is natural for me to expect that Disney would reflect our today's society- I believe that Disney knows that they have these critics and are realizing that they could be ruining their reputation. But in all reality...it is Disney and Disney will stay strong by coming out with the latest movie,new ride, doll, costumes...ect. Every girl wants to be a fairy-tale princess.

Extra Credit Homework Assignment-Facebook

In the U.S. there are about 100 million visitors that check out Facebook almost every month. Facebook was once only accessible to valid college students and now the majority of Facebook users are business owners. Many businesses and entreprenuers use Facebook as a social network to promote their companies and create relationships with customer communities. For Cura Stone, advertising Mikes work on Facebook ( currently in the processes of doing so)- here are the benefits of what is going to come with Cura Stone advertised on Facebook:
Facebook allows the visitor to pick and choose groups and ads that companies can target customers based on a user's profile information. With Cura Stone it is important that it targets the right people. "Zeroing in a specific audience lets you get the most bang for your advertising buck!"
It is important that Cura Stone reaches out to college students and people of the Florida area. Since Mike's necklaces are made out of stone and natural hemp it is afordable and fashionable for beach wear. But i also agree that we should advertise Cura Stone and test various target demographics. Advertising on Facebook will bring more people to check out Mike's jewlery because Facebook reaches out to everyone!
When advertising Cura Stone we need to make the ads POP on Facebook. Things need to be carefully considered: color, Line, Text. Cura Stone cannot be a traditional ad on Facebook because it will be pushed to the side ( i don't think it would be a traditional sign since we are a very create bunch!)
This will be very exciting for the weeks to come with Cura Stone. I am glad that i am apart of the advertising team!
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100201/how-to-advertise-on-facebook.html

Disney Discussion

1) How, in your opinion, has Disney created such a strong brand image that we are having hard time associating negative intentions with the company's brand?
2) Do you as a consumer of Disney products expect from the Disney corporation to better reflect today's society and to be socially responsible. Why or why not?

In class we watched a documentary about the stereotypes Disney portrays in its movies and the potential negative influence it could possibly have on children growing up. This is something that isn't new to me because of my previous studies of the book "Fast Food Nation" and how large corporations like McDonald have a specific niche to target children to create lifetime customers. If you tell someone that something is good, and that's the way it's suppose to be done, and repeat it hundreds of times over years, then someone would believe what ever you said and hold it to be true because you've managed to established it over and over again.

The same is true for Disney. If Disney decides to keep reestablishing the same character archetypes in their films time and time again, children expose to this material would tend to behavior in the same manner. Disney has a distinctive charm that the film talks about that creates life time consumers who are willing to turn a blind eye over because they believe whole heatedly that Disney is good and that's it.

Human beings learn through imitation, and children even more so soak up everything around them in order to elevate right from wrong and how to live their life. Disney films are not produced for for kids, by kids. These people who create these films are grown adults who understand the world and try to make their films as universal as possible, whether or not they want to incorporate sexual or racial themes to lure in a universal audience that not specific to children anymore because life time customers do inevitably grow up.

The Disney Documentary

I agree with the statement that everything you have ever seen in a Disney movie is completely intentionally put there. So when Jasmine uses her body to distract Javar and gets what she wants, Disney is intentionally putting that in kids faces for a reason. I believe that through their movies and with their more exploiting scenes, Disney is trying to reflect a certain reality. There are women out there that use their bodies to get what they want, but there are also many women who know where the line is. This is why I say Disney is somewhat reflecting reality, but in very exaggerated and generalized way. I think that cartoons to most people are suppose to reflect on some kind of reality, like a boy learning a lesson or the good guy winning. But I think we can also agree that because essentially Disney is producing entertainment, these cartoons and stories are exaggerated for our joy in watching them! If Disney wholly reflected reality in there movies they wouldn't be so successfully known for their innovative and magical, unrealistic ways.

disney

the movie was interesting, but i personally think that man was just looking for attention. No one is about to mess with my childhood. Disney may be some corporation whore, but at some point, they aren't everything that those people claimed it to be. Sure, every corporation out there has something to hide, but there is a time where you exaggerate a little. First of all, who putting a race on an animal is absolutely ridiculous. Animals don't have a race, its a freaking' animal! It is what it is. And sure I understand how a Mexican would get mad for them portraying a chihuahua like that, but its not like they were wrong. Besides, a child doesn't know that. All they see is a dog that has a funny accent or whatever. Kids at that particular age, probably don't even know what really is going on. I know my nieces and nephews, when they watch Disney movies, they don't even know the storyline. They just love the talking animals. But they can differentiate reality with fantasy. ... i had a lot more to say. But I'd get to the point where i would insult that poor, sorry man.

Disney

The movie was quite insightful when you stop and think about it. I mean at times they went overboard but a lot of it did make scenes. And when you really stop and think about it those sort things are out there and you can't just ignore them. Parents need to step up and let kids know the difference right and wrong, good or bad. . . . . but also not deprive them of their childhood. Let them be kids Its not just disney though tons of companies are doing this.  But also the same can go with over analyzing them as well. I think the class was defending not just defending Disney, but most of all our childhoods. . . . its what we grew up knowing and people do not like change.