How much online research do you do before making a purchase? What do you check for? Do you follow any brands on social media? If so, why? (What's in it for you?) How effective for a brand is it to have an online presence?

Outdoors

Think about the daily routes you take to school, work, an internship, or to visit friends. What kind of out-of-home advertisements do you see? List the ones you can remember, and whether or not they are relevant to you. What is the value of using outdoor and transit advertising? When is it valuable and when should it not be used?

There's an APP for that

What would happen if you phone were taken away from you for the weekend? Would that impact your life? In what way? What are the top three apps/functions of your phone you would miss the most?

As seen on TV

Let's talk about television commercials. What are your feelings about TV ads? Do you skip them? Do you enjoy them? What are some of your favorite spots, and what makes you enjoy them? Describe the elements that you believe make a television ad successful.

It's your turn

Share your blog idea with the class. What will your blog be about? Will it be fictional or non-fictional? What is the look you have in mind? What are some of your post ideas? Which social media websites do you plan on incorporating into the blog?And finally, add the link to your blog.

Can Video Games Be Never Art?

Watch the TED Talk below and read this article to get a perspective on both sides of a long-standing argument and share your opinion on the value of video games for society.

Welcome to the magazine party

Do you read magazines? Which ones are your favorites? How do you get them? What are your thoughts on magazine advertising? Which are some of the most memorable magazine ads you can think of and what makes them memorable?

All the News That's Fit to Print

How do you keep up with the news? What are your favorite means of receiving information? What do you look for in your news outlets, and how do you choose from the overwhelming amount of information available out there?

Extra! Extra!

In this highly digital world, what is the value of traditional newspaper advertising? Why would someone still choose to put out an ad in the classifieds section of the paper, or take out a full-page newspaper ad?

Digital Storytelling for Promotion and Advertising

Think of one of our favorite products or services (something you often use, or recommend to all your friends) and do some investigating on what kind of advertising and promotion they currently use to attract a target audience. What kind of interactive, digital storytelling means do they use?

Campaigning

Let's explore the role of advertising in political campaigns. Do you think political ads matter? Do you think they have an impact on how people vote? How do you view political ads? Read this article posted in the Journalist’s Resource (Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy's blog), and share your thoughts below.

Spring Break!

How will you utilize interactive media to communicate over the break? Give multiple examples and explain. 

PRIMETIME TRANSMEDIA

Think of your favorite television show or series. Do some research and describe any transmedia elements associated with it. For instance, take a look at Downton Abbey's homepage and all that it offers. Does your chosen show have a fictional website? Do the characters have their own social media accounts? Can you participate in the story through the internet?

Client side

As we get ready to wrap up our IMC project, I'd like you to step into the role of the client you chose to represent. Make a list of 5 questions you (as the client) would like to ask the "advertising agency" (you as the student) who is presenting a campaign proposal next week.

Interactive Films

What's the idea behind an interactive transmedia film?

What's the premise of HBO's Voyeur?

What's the premise of High Rise, the documentary?

What are some interactive elements you found in both High Rise and HBO's Voyeur?

What are your overall thoughts on both projects?

Transmedia storytelling

Do you ever participate in a digital conversation when watching television or a movie? Can you think of an example of when you've done that? Or if you haven't, can you think of an example where you could digitally interact?

SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUR FUTURE

For today's blog, take inventory of your life as portrayed on the internet. Have you ever googled your name? What kind of story are you telling through your social media profiles? Do you think your social media presence might affect your future, especially when it comes to employment? Why or why not? If so, what changes do you need to implement in order to create a more cohesive, intentional online story?

ALL ABOUT THAT PLOT

Think of the last movie or TV episode you watched and briefly describe its plot; in other words, the sequence of main events.

CAPTION THIS

As we discuss the creative process this week, let's get our creative wheels turning. As best as you can, caption this.

CHARACTERS

Who is one of your all-time favorite characters? Think back to your childhood, or your current life, whether from movies, books, or oral narratives told by someone. And makes this character so special  and memorable to you?

Career paths

If you were to enter the advertising world after college, where would you see yourself working? In-house? In an ad agency? A boutique or big agency? As an account executive, researcher art director, copywriter? Explain your choices.

Superbowl Storytelling

Did you watch the commercials during the SuperBowl? If you didn't, take a look at superbowlcommercials2016.org and select one brand you believe was the best at telling an interactive story to the public. Explain your reasoning.

SUPER BOWL Recap

The biggest day of the year for advertising has come and gone (marketers spend up to $5 million for 30 seconds of air time) and now it's your turn to share what you thought of it all. What were your favorite and least favorite spots and why?

Mountain Dew's PuppyMonkeyBaby

Personal Branding

As most of you are getting ready to graduate in a few short months, it is time to start thinking about your personal brand, especially when it comes to your online presence. Read this article and share your thoughts on what your profiles say about you. Do you think they will impact your career and job search? What should you do or not do when it comes to sharing your life online?

Interactive Narrative Brainstorming

As we start preparing for our first big project of the semester, take some time to brainstorm on potential means of storytelling - whether through a blog, social media (think beyond Facebook to Steller and Periscope instead), a video game, interactive film, or even VR. Think of what genre of story you would like to tell, and share below.

Golden Pizza

Although not an official Super Bowl sponsor, Pizza Hut is still celebrating the game's golden anniversary, with plans to deliver 50 gold-flaked pizzas on its busiest day of the year. What are your thoughts on the idea? Does it appeal to you? What do you think are the most effective Super Bowl commercials?

THE TECHNOLOGY OF STORYTELLING

Watch Joe Sabia and his use of different technological devices to tell a story. What are some of your favorite digital channels of storytelling at the moment? Is it blogging? Video games? Interactive film? Which ones are you interested in learning more about? Which one(s) you'd like to use for our upcoming writing projects?

#Everydropcounts

For its Super Bowl ad, Colgate asks you to turn the water off when you brush. In the 30 second ad, you won't find any Colgate products being featured. Instead, the spot discusses a larger issue—the importance of saving water. How effective do you think an ad like this is? How do you think consumers will respond to it?

Take a look at these kids' reactions to old computers. What is your earliest memory of a digital world? Was it a toy? A music player? A computer? Describe the device and how it shaped your life. 

UNSKIPPABLE

Read the Ad Age article on Geico's Unskippable commercials and share your thoughts on what makes (or doesn't make) this campaign Ad Age's 2016 Campaign of the Year.

Storytelling

Before we discuss the origins and history of storytelling, I'd like you to briefly describe your favorite story. Tell us whether it was from your childhood, or it was a recently discovered story.  Is there interactivity? Suspense? An element of magic? Did you receive it through traditional or digital media? Does it follow a chronological timeline? What about the story makes it so memorable to you?

The Elusive Creative Genius

Where do you think creativity comes from? Do you agree with Gilbert? What do you do when you need to create? Do you feel pressure and how do you overcome it?