Entertainment - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Reddit, Rocket Mortgage, and Cheetos Win Big with Super Bowl Ads

February 9, 2021

Despite the circumstances surrounding the pandemic, this year’s Super Bowl managed to hit some familiar notes as Tom Brady lifted the trophy for a seventh time and companies once again spent big on high-profile ads. According to USA Today’s Ad Meter, the night’s big winner was Rocket Mortgage, whose two commercials featuring comedian Tracy Morgan took the top spots in the annual poll. Amazon and M&M’s humorous ads took third and fourth while Toyota’s uplifting spot featuring Paralympian Jessica Long Continue reading →

Marketing, Sports, Promotions, Entertainment, Advertising, Super Bowl

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

[VIDEO] How Options-Trading Redditors Fed the GameStop Frenzy

February 2, 2021

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Last week, GameStop stock shot through the roof as users on forums like Reddit bought up shares in droves after some hedge funds shorted the stock by as much as 240 percent. This video takes a look at how both professional and at-home options traders upended expectations for many market observers.

Questions:

Why did GameStop’s stock price skyrocket last week?
Do you think stock trading apps like RobinHood should have restricted users from buying shares in GameStop? Why or why not?

Economics, Ethics, Entertainment, GameStop, Stock Market, Options trading, Volatility

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 19: Securities Markets, Videos

Budweiser Will not Air Ads During this Year’s Super Bowl

January 26, 2021

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For more than 30 years, the Budweiser clydesdales have marched across millions of American television screens during the annual Super Bowl broadcast. This year, though, the horses will stay in the stable as Budweiser instead donates a portion of its marketing budget to a public service campaign. The Anheuser-Busch company has joined a $50 million effort by the Ad Council to combat misconceptions about Covid-19 vaccination.

Other major brands like Coca-Cola, Audi, and Hyundai are also choosing not to Continue reading →

Marketing, Sports, Promotions, Entertainment, Advertising, Super Bowl, Coronavirus, Pandemic

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Gaming Consoles Claim Vital Microchips before Car Makers

January 14, 2021

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At the start of the pandemic, auto companies anticipated a drop in car sales that indeed lasted throughout spring and summer of 2020. As a result, manufacturers cut back on orders of expensive items like microchips while demand remained low. By the end of the year, though, auto sales bounced back quicker than expected, which sent car companies scrambling for supplies. But try as they might, none of the major firms could seem to secure the microchips they needed for Continue reading →

Economics, Operations Management, Global, Manufacturing, Entertainment, Health, Product Distribution, Supply & Demand, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Gaming

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How PlayStation Saved Sony

November 19, 2020

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Sony’s PlayStation 5 launched earlier this month and is expected to be one of the blockbuster products of the holiday season. This video looks at the evolution of the console throughout the years and how it became a central focus of Sony’s business.

Questions:

How did the PlayStation help Sony transition from a consumer electronics manufacturer into a gaming company?
Why did Sony decide to focus closely on the gamer market for future generations of the PlayStation, and how did they accomplish this task?

Marketing, Operations Management, Global, Manufacturing, Product Development, Entertainment, Product Distribution, Video Games, Sony

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

[VIDEO] The Unexpected Death of the Ad Jingle

October 29, 2020

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Jingles were once a regular feature of television and radio advertising, but these catchy tunes are no longer as popular with admakers as they used to be. This video looks at the history of jingles in commercials and why they have slowly disappeared in the age of digital advertising.

Questions:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using jingles in modern advertising?
How did the use of music in commercials evolve over the course of the 20th century?

Marketing, Product Development, Promotions, Entertainment, Television, Advertising, Music, Product Distribution, Commercials

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Videos

[VIDEO] How Robots Made This Food Commercial Look Effortless

October 16, 2020

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On the surface, food advertisements don’t seem to be overly complicated. As this detailed video shows, though, filming the average food commercial often requires scientific precision as well as robotic assistance.

Questions:

Why is it important for ad makers to stick closely to what their clients want to see in a commercial?
Do you think it is worth the expense for companies to use robots and other complicated and expensive filming techniques in their ads? Why or why not?

Marketing, Branding, Promotions, Entertainment, Advertising, Automation, Robotics, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Videos

McDonald’s Boosts Sales Through Marketing Partnerships

October 15, 2020

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Despite being one of the largest restaurant chains in the world, McDonald’s experienced a drastic drop in sales at the beginning of the pandemic just like many other businesses. Once the chain recovered from the shock of closing tens of thousands of dining rooms, though, it refocused on streamlining its drive-thru business and menu. McDonald’s also struck a marketing partnership with the rapper Travis Scott for a branded meal that became a bestseller for the month that it was available Continue reading →

Marketing, Product Development, Promotions, Entertainment, McDonald’s, Product Distribution, Food & Drink

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Popcorn Farmers Look for New Markets as Theater Business Dwindles

September 24, 2020

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With audiences largely reluctant to return to the movies, it’s not just theater chains that are struggling to adapt to life during the pandemic. Farmers who supply theaters with popcorn have seen orders for their product almost disappear as retail suppliers have seen sales surge. While Orville Redenbacher, Jolly Time, and Pop Secret have benefited from consumers staying home, the Preferred Popcorn company in Nebraska has millions of tons of unsold kernels on hand.

Preferred Popcorn primarily supplies snack distributors Continue reading →

Operations Management, Entertainment, Supply chains, Packaging, Product Distribution, Movies, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Movie Studios Hold Back Major Releases as Theaters Stay Empty

September 22, 2020

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On August 27th, Warner Bros. began gradually releasing the movie Tenet in theaters that had been closed for months due to the pandemic. After more than two weeks on American screens, though, the $200 million film has only earned $29.5 million domestically. As a result, Hollywood studios may hold back on releasing major titles until audiences are ready to return. “You can’t do it. The economics won’t allow you to do it,” said one studio executive. “We can’t give [theaters] Continue reading →