Plot Summary: Young Goodman Brown

The story begins when the young Goodman Brown is saying goodbye to his wife, Faith. She asks him to stay with her, saying that she feels scared when she is alone. Goodman Brown tells her that he must travel for one night and reminds her to say her prayers and go to bed early so she will safe. Goodman Brown walks on a road through a forest. He looks around, afraid of what might be behind each tree, thinking that there might be Indians or the devil there. He soon comes upon a man in the road who greets Goodman Brown. More Summary of Devil at My HeelsThe man is dressed in regular clothing and looks normal except for a walking stick with a serpent carved that he carried. Goodman Brown and this mysterious figure go into the dark forest, the man offers Goodman Brown the staff, he says that it might help him walk faster, but Goodman Brown refuses. He says that he came to their meeting because he promised to do, but does not wish to touch the staff and wants to return to the village. Goodman Brown tells to him that he feels ashamed to socialize with him because he and his family members is Christian and good people.The man replies that he knew Goodman Brown’s family and other members of churches, and even the governor of the state. The purpose of their journey is to join in a ritual. Goodman Brown expresses reluctance, not only once but several times. He refuses because he says that he wants to return to his house for Faith. At that moment, there is a woman come and Goodman Brown knew that she i s Goody Cloyse, who he knows to be a pious, respected woman from the village. He hides, ashamed to be seen with the man. She identifies him as the devil and reveals herself to be a witch, on her way to the devil’s evil forest ceremony.The man gives Goodman Brown his staff then the man tells him that he can use it for transport to the ceremony if he changes his mind. Then he hears the voices of the minister of the church and Deacon Gookin, they are also on their way to the ceremony. Goodman Brown swears that even though everyone else in the world has gone to the devil, for Faith’s sake he will stay true to God. And, he hears voices coming from the ceremony and thinks he recognizes Faith’s voice. He screams her name, and a pink ribbon from her cap flutters down from the sky.After he knew that Faith has turned to devil and there is no good in the world, Goodman Brown gets the staff, which brings him quickly through the forest to the ceremony. When he arrived at the ceremony, he looks around to the forest, the trees are on fire, he sees his father, his mother, the minister, Deacon Gookin, Goody Cloyse and Martha Carrier. He and Faith approach the altar and they are to be anointed in blood to seal their alliance with wickedness. He tells Faith to look up to heaven and resist the devil, but suddenly he finds himself alone in the forest. The next morning Goodman Brown returns to Salem Village.Everyone that he passes is seems evil to him. He sees the minister and he refuses to accept the blessing from the minister who blessed him. He hears Deacon Gookin praying and he calls him as a witch. He sees Goody Cloyse quizzing a young girl on Bible verses and snatches the girl away. He sees Faith at his house and refuses to greet her. It’s unclear whether the meeting in the forest was a dream or not. But, Goodman Brown is changed. Now, He can’t believe the words of the minister, doesn’t trust anyone in his village, and doesn’t fully love his wife as before. He lives in the rest of his life with gloom and fear.

Analysis of Jumanji

In the title sequence, the music forebodes something eerie is about to happen. The instruments create a sound similar to a wolf howling. The drum beats whenever the camera focuses on the game or when the game is near. The music imitates many animal sounds. French horns are like elephants. From 1:37:50-1:35:40 (digging out the past soundtrack) the drums beat, then stop, then beat again. Then the leitmotif of French horns to French horns. The drums beat faster as he gets closer.Ritualistic rum sounds from 1:19:35 (mention the meter of the drum beats – triple meter), when the drums suddenly stop when they find the game. The drum beats arouse our curiosity about what Is about to happen. It also makes us anxious, apprehensive because of the suspense that It creates. To young children, this may create fear In them, Flutes come In (leitmotif scalar to that of horns). Dissonance, Lots of It. The music gets very dissonant (tremolo? ) when he opens the game set. Drums pound. This drums pounding motif.It gets louder, crescendo, foreboding omitting ominous. Drums abruptly stop when the game Is found. Cymbals when mosquitoes come, and the French horn leitmotif keeps repeating. Violins violins and harp, consonant sounds, signifying a home feeling, feeling of comfort, The film was an adaptation of a â€Å"1981 children's book of the same name†. Thus, some of the music may have been used with kids in mind. Search analysis of James Hornier music http:†vindictiveness.

European Industrial Revolution

In this era of modernity and high technological advancement, the conveniences and efficiency that it brought can be credited to the birth of the Industrial Revolution. The first wave of this phenomenal social, economical, and cultural event came from the European coast at around the 18th century. From the moment the revolution came into its climax, it spread around outside Europe and progressively steered the world into the path of modernity.A new era has been born by the moment the Industrial Revolution took place. Like all things in this world, the revolution has its own negative and positive attributes but despite whatever hazards it may have incurred in today’s societies, this essay will look at the good news which the Industrial Revolution brought. Before its inception, European societies were under the rule of feudalism. It is in this context where lands were owned by the landlords given as a reward by the monarchy.The era of feudalism can be described as a period of soc ial and economic organization where the economy and politics of the feudal states were autonomous and the power of the feudal lords were derived from close relations with the aristocrats (Morrison 13). This period provides a fixed structure in the society where laborers will eternally serve the feudal lord in exchange for a piece of land. The people belonging to the working class do not have much opportunity to prosper or to get out of the social ladder to which they belong. The lifetime rule of the lord over his workers will not let the masses free from poverty and slavery.By the time feudalism was destroyed, urban societies started to develop. The need for individual independence gave birth to the rise of the cities where everyone can work, can gain education, and can have political and social participation within an equal status in the society (Cipolla and Woodall 121). It is in this light that the Industrial Revolution was born. The construction of factories and the start of imp lementing division of labor made the mark for efficient and mass production of goods and services. The system of factories became the instigator in developing more machines to maximize production and profit.The production in the Industrial revolution shifted from manual labor to the usage of machines and from human and animal power to steam power (Barron’s Passware 382). Contrary to the constricting and limited context of feudalism, the growing economic activities within the Industrial Revolution provided more freedom to the masses to earn their own profit by mean of the entering in the growing demands of factory labor. To earn independently entails opportunity to save salary to be able to own properties and to educated themselves, having a chance to climb up the social ladder.The job specialization that the division of labor implemented on factories paved the way for training more people in those fields providing the workers a chance for promotion. Education thrived in sync with the needs of the Industrial Revolution focusing more on scientific education to expand the knowledge in machine cultivation (Mokyr 10). Subsequently, as more rural places in Europe became urbanized due to this revolution, the standard living of the people improved and gradually shied away from poverty.Aside from the drastic changes that the Industrial Revolution inflicted to labor and the economy, the continuous progress in the development of machine and technology produced convenient means of transportation and communication which made transactions in the government, education, and businesses much easier and quicker. The innovation of machines became one of the main results of Industrial Revolution where the demands of making things faster and more efficient became the consistent objectives.The cities became the center of political and economic activities during this time and as the Industrial Revolution flourished, banks became active in giving out loans to people who wanted to venture on small-scale businesses. Seeing the economic growth that the revolution caused, people from the labor sector took risks in building up their own business made possible by these bank loans (Hudson 26). The Industrial Revolution was not pure success. It was an era where most – if not all- of the technological innovations have been made formulated and made.As European societies enter a new social context, its adjustment to current condition of the revolution became a rigorous trial and error process. This can be considered as the transitional and at the same time, an experimental period for most of the European societies where most of its processes were tested and perfected before it has been spread to the world. Most of the positive effects that have been brought by the revolution are manifested for the following decades – a progress where its effects were long-term and provide stability to its people.Comparing the conditions between Feudalism to the Industr ial Revolution, the birth of the latter became a path for the European citizens to individually gain autonomy in terms of social participation in the economy. It can be said that the living conditions of the people drastically improved compared to the limited rural lifestyle that the masses had under serfdom. The slaves were able to see an opportunity to get out of that status and improved their conditions. There maybe hazards weighing more than the advantages but the fact that the Industrial Revolution was a world phenomenon which brought the kind of progress that we have now.Based from the arguments discussed on this essay, this implies that the Industrial Revolution changed the world for the good. The aspects of equality that was provided for people to participate in labor can serve as a mark for the pursuance of equality in terms of justice, freedom, and individual rights. It opened up new roads for human liberation where each individual are not just free to participate for econ omic progress but to live a good life enjoying the rights that a citizen should receive.

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

Business law - Essay Example What type of business organization has Alpha and Beta formed? To whom, if anyone, is Alpha liable? To whom, if anyone, is Beta liable? The business type formed by the two partnerships is a limited liability company which is not fully a partnership or a corporation. Since the two partnerships did not have any form of agreement as it was a onetime business deal, then each of the members has limited partnership. This type of business organization ensures the members have limited liability and especially on their personal property (Reuting 28). The limited liability however is not applicable where one of the members commits fraud or personally guarantees to repay a debt and later on refutes this claim. In case of personal business that are not linked to the company arises, then liability will be for only the member implicated and not for the rest of the members in the Limited Liability Company (the limited liability does not apply in such a case). Both Alpha and Beta committed fraud, however the frauds committed were different and hence the difference in liability. In the case of Alpha, the fraud was committed against a company that was to provide paper for printing the book that the two partnerships were producing and hence will be liable to both Beta and the printing paper company (Gamma Printing Supplies, Inc). Beta Publications which committed fraud against Delta Literary Agency which was producing articles for its magazine will be liable only to the agency alone and not to Alpha Communications as well. This is so because the agency does is not part of their one-time deal unlike the paper printing

Research Change Models, Diagnosis Instruments, and Specific Change Assignment

Research Change Models, Diagnosis Instruments, and Specific Change Interventions - Assignment Example If the soft Ss are to be changed or transformed, immense effort in terms of training and development, leadership development and soft skill training would be required. Changes to any of the elements of hard S would have a direct impact on all the soft Ss and also on the entire organization. Thus, McKinsey’s 7-S model provides a bird’s-eye view of change implementation; however, does not provide any specific path for change implementation. Moreover, Higgins (2005) pointed that change in any aspect would place different demands and requirements on the other elements (Amos et al., 2009). This model has been extensively described in Peter and Waterman’s (2004) work. Kotter’s eight-step model (1996) is a detailed and comprehensive approach to change management, which addresses issues with leadership and commitment, and signifies the role of motivation and communication. The eight steps in sequence are: This model can be adopted as an effective change management technique as it provides all required guidelines to managers to institute change in the organization (Kotter, 1996). The best part is that this model can be applied at individual, team and organizational levels. However, it does not address people’s attitudinal issues with respect to ideation and adaptation to change. First developed by Kurt Lewin (1947), force field analysis can be used as a diagnostic instrument in assessing reactions to organizational change (Hughes, 2007). In this model, Lewin identified three processes involved in any change mechanism, which include unfreezing, moving and refreezing of organizational processes (Anderson, 2009). All processes in an organization are held in equilibrium between driving and restraining forces; any change needs to be balanced between these two forces. If not, equilibrium will be disturbed. For example, factors supporting a change include customer demand, market demand, low

Why Do You Want to be a Nurse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why Do You Want to be a Nurse - Essay Example Their concern for me and my son, as well as the passion I saw in those medical professionals, created a desire in me to be a nurse.Another story I can tell is from my work experience. One day at work, I saw a man in the parking lot sitting in his car. The way he was sitting told me something was wrong. I knocked on his window, but he didn’t answer. It turned out that the man had had a stroke, and the doctor said if it had been ten minutes longer before the man got help, he wouldn’t have made it. Ever since this man calls me up every Christmas to thank me for saving his life. I know that any day I go to work as a nurse might be the day I change someone’s life. Explain why you chose the FHCHS (Florida Hospital College for Health Sciences) Nursing program, and why you chose to attend a Christian institution. I’ve lived in Florida for many years, and I choose to attend FHCHS because of its reputation, location, flexibility, and reasonable tuition. I will be ab le to take classes toward my BS degree while I am in the program. I choose to attend a Christian school because I was born a Christian, I went to a Christian school from elementary through my second year of high school, my father is a pastor, my brother-in-law is a pastor, and I married a pastor. So, the values of FHCHS are very compatible with my own. Discuss any special interests or aptitudes you have that would make you a good nurse. I have worked as a certified nursing assistant since I was 19 years old, at the Boca Community Hospital for five years and the Delray Medical Center for three years. I have been working with medical staff for a long time, and I see how they make a difference in society every day. Describe your personal values related to caring for people. I already love working in the medical field because it’s never boring. Every day I go to work and learn something new (or have a chance to save someone’s life!

A Priori Knowledge of Matters of Fact. Do animals acquire all their Term Paper

A Priori Knowledge of Matters of Fact. Do animals acquire all their knowledge of matters of fact and real existence from sense p - Term Paper Example In this sense, Hume regards reason as an instinct both in humans and animals. My work narrows down to animal reasoning with a few studies and comparisons to human reasoning. Animal actions depend on two sorts of reasoning: based on experience and instincts. Reasoning and experience The claim about reasoning ability being essentially different in animals and humans was rejected by Descartes by arguing that animals have reason, and concluded it with certain observed behaviors in animals. He began with claims about human understanding, indicating some behavior in which animals resemble human, therefore concluding that animals must also take after humans in their reasoning (More, 1996). Hume on the other hand disagrees to this order of argument in the opposite direction where clearly states that animals learn from experiences. He cites some examples horses learn what heights they can safely leap, and dogs learn to fear the sight of a whip (EHU 9.2-3; SBN 105). More over, animals do not c learly utilize â€Å"any process of argument or reasoning† to make such inferences. Indeed, Hume says that it is â€Å"impossible† for them to do so, due to their â€Å"imperfect understandings† (EHU 9.5; SBN 106). Reasoning and instincts We have seen in first sort of animal reasoning that it almost resembles the human reasoning. However, this is quite different in the second kind of action. Hume claims that reason is itself an instinct and this is made peculiar after considering the two types of instincts: the generalized cognitive instinct of reason which is the ability to relate ideas in various ways, and the specialized cognitive instincts that comprise knowledge of particular matters of fact required for the animal’s survival (Boyle, 2003). Hume cites an example to support the latter sort of reasoning when he says â€Å"a bird which chooses the location and materials of her nest and then sits on her eggs for the appropriate amount of time† (EH U 9.6; SBN 108). Hume argues that such knowledge comes â€Å"from the original hand of nature,† and that we call such knowledge â€Å"instincts† (EHU 9.6; SBN 108). He also argues that although humans may marvel at such knowledge, â€Å"their wonder will, perhaps, cease or diminish, when they consider, that the experimental reasoning itself, which they possess in common with beasts, and on which the whole conduct of life depends, is nothing but a species of instinct or mechanical power† (EHU 9.6; SBN 108). This way, Hume sticks to his argument that the specific instincts of animals are do not differ from the ability, both in humans and animals, to reason according to experience. It would be lame to think that humans lack instincts altogether, they do also possess instincts which are mostly portrayed in their passions such as thirst, hunger, love, resentment and attachment to other humans. They however rarely utilize such instincts for survival which seems to be the matter of fact with animals that have more of these instincts. According to Massey’s (1976), it is clearly an empirical matter whether human beings or any other

Site study report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Site study report - Research Paper Example The company subcontracted to supply furniture was a Chinese firm called xxxx. We got to learn that the main reason the owner of the restaurant wanted it renovated and refurbished was so that it would look more attractive to customers. According to the owner of the restaurant, the restaurant looked dull, the floor looked old, the furniture were outdated and did not afford customers the kind of comfort that they deserved. By changing the outlook of the restaurant, it would look like it has been rebranded without having to change its name. The plan that had been developed by the construction company for the renovation of the site was a 2-D drawing made to scale. The floor plan outlined the arrangement of the restaurant in terms of furniture, and fixtures. It was quite evident that the new arrangement of the restaurant would be significantly different from the old one. Apart from the floor plan, the company had a 3-D model of what the restaurant would look like once it was completed and fully furnished. Instead of the old blue color, the restaurant would have a bright pinkish color. The floor would be finished using floor differently colored tiles in replacement of the concrete floor. According to the 3-D plan, the restaurant would have a reflected ceiling and that would host several colored lights. In the old plan, the ceiling was plain and only had one or two lights centrally located in every room of the restaurant. In place of the high energy white bulbs, the restaurant would be fitted with energy saving bulbs of different colors. The old partition that divided one of the sitting areas into two was demolished in line with the new plan. It was evident that the contractor made the final product look like it appeared on the space plan and 3d computer model. We learnt that the restaurant was to have a lively, almost natural theme and so many of the furniture would be made of natural materials such as bamboo and wood. The restaurant’s furniture were mainly of Chinese style to match the culture of the target customers. One of the things I got to ask related to the production of the plan and 3D- model. The plan had been developed by the contractor in consultation with the owner of the restaurant. While the space plan had been drawn using AutoCAD software before being printed, the 3D-model had been done using Autodesk Homestyler. It is worth noting that the use of software in modern design has many advantages as it saves the designers a lot of time and energy, allows for greater accuracy, and makes it easy to make changes to plans in case of need. I asked the supervisor to outline the process involved in satisfying a customer’s need with respect to construction and interior design. He stated that the process involved several stages that began with the customer providing a brief of his/her requirements or specifying their needs. Based on the specifications, a designer will ask the customer questions regarding how the facility will be used, how many people it should accommodate, and what the customer hopes to achieve from the work among other questions. Based on this information, a team of designers will engage in research before coming up with a creative design and technical drawings, with the customer’s budget in mind. It is at this point that different software are used to come up with the plans, models and renderings. The customer is then shown the design for approval. If the

Actively Engage in Evaluation of Own Performance Essay - 1

Actively Engage in Evaluation of Own Performance - Essay Example The reporter declares that "the overall experience, according to me, was good as I realized my mistakes and got a chance to overcome my weaknesses. It is nice to have a person who was there to guide me about the shortcomings and show me the path to improvement. The path that my teacher suggested was free writing classes at Humber. The information about your weaknesses helps you improve and eliminate them. I have experienced it when my teacher my teacher gave me feedback that my writing skills need improvements and I took immediate steps to improve my writing skills. I also actively engage in evaluation of my own performance and it helps me in the identification of personal strengths and areas of growth and development. According to the article Thematic analysis of written assignment feedback: Implications for nurse education ,†Feedback is now accepted as a key factor affecting learning and, in educational settings, the term feedback is used in the context of assessments, where its main function is to provide information about students current performance as well as constructive comments that enhances future earning†. So, it is very important to measure your performance and evaluate the areas that require improvement. Description: In this week’s group meeting we created a project named logic model for community outreach project. In the Project logic model, we discussed all the steps that are part of our final project."

Answer the question for criminal justice class Term Paper

Answer the question for criminal justice class - Term Paper Example Children were adjudicated quickly just for very minor offences. Examples of the offences included cursing an adult as well as a slap fight in a gym class. These offences did not warrant the children to be sent behind the bars. This juvenile center was more of business oriented while the juvenile center should be a non-profit organization (Ecenbarger 13). The children were also presented before the judge without a legal counsel. This indicates that the judge violated the right to a legal counsel hence another aspect of constitutional violation. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the rights of every citizen both young and old are protected. There should be laws and directives highlighting the exact offences which warrant a youth to be sent behind bars. These should be formulated by the government. Failure to comply with these directives hence violating the rights of these youths, harsh terms need to be effected on the responsible people. This will keep the evil judges and other people with violations’ intentions from executing their plans. Parents need to take the responsibility of protecting their children from being violated in all means possible especially through academic systems. This is by bringing to book the guys violating the rights of the

Latin America ( Physical system ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Latin America ( Physical system ) - Essay Example 269). Recently, the president of Ecuador (Correa) has been in defense of the oil extractions plans in the Amazon (Laht.com, 2014). According to the president, the plans to carry out the oil extraction will have minimal impact to the people and the environment. The government of Ecuador plans to extract oil from Yasuni National Park located in the amazon forest. This forest contains a high level of biodiversity and acts as an ecosystem to thousands of organisms. Altering the ecosystem in favor of the economy will lead to deforestation and climate change. Cutting down of the trees in order to obtain oil will mean reduced carbon absorption. Moreover, this region offers habitat to a different organism, and it is a source of water for human beings. Once the operations begin, the mentioned advantages will be affected negatively. The extraction of oil has several effects on the country. On the positive side, it is going to improve the country’s economy by increasing GDP and providing employment. On the negative side, this event will destroy the habitat and will contribute a lot to global warming due to the emission of industrial waste into the environment. This move by the president sparked several concerns of displeasure. Environmental organizations were concerned on how this move to destroy acres of land in search for oil. However, this move by the president will have numerous political effects in the country. For instance, there have been rising concerns about the president’s leadership, whether he is fit to rule the country (Smith, 2014). People wonder if he has their interest at heart. The president managed to garner political support through the parliament to facilitate his pursuit. The bill was passed in support of the new project. Non-governmental institutions are infuriated by this act. As a result, they embarked on a campaign to oppose the bill. The country is set to experience a political divide. On one hand, some advocate for oil

How Did the Indsutrial Development Unite or Divide the North and the South Essay Example for Free

How Did the Indsutrial Development Unite or Divide the North and the South Essay During the Civil War, the advances of the Industrial Revolution introduced great changes in the industrial and technological development. Both the North and the South created many advances in railroad and water transportation. The Union, however, was far more advanced technologically than the Confederate states . Consequently, the North made greater and more effective use of progress in weapons, communication, transportation and medicine than South . Although the industrial development made the nation very widely known, both the south and the north were divided because their differences. The Civil War was the first modern war that helped strengthen the technology and industrial system. But their industry and technology distinguished the two sides, which represented different economic conditions. The North had developed a strong economy that was becoming day-by-day more industrialized. By the nineteenth century, large factories and organizations sprang up throughout the north. Also, the population of the country was increasing and immigrants from all over Europe came along. The North was becoming a huge success but the South was falling behind. The North was rising in a higher success rate than the South. The Union flourished more factories and more transportation. Canals were being handmade, there was an increase of labor force and there it was becoming more adequate to transport product through trains . Inventions were also becoming to life. For example, the Telegraph was becoming a extremely useful. Invented by Samuel F. B. Morse, the Telegraph was inexpensive to make and was ideal for long distance communication. The north had more advantages in growing the economy because it had twice as big as the population from the south. It had much greater man power and it had a better work force. Many factories from the north built war material to supply to the Union. However, slavery was decreasing around the 1860’s and factories were pouring in by the immigrants from Europe. In fact, seven out of every eight immigrants that traveled to the U. S. settled in the North rather than the South. The economy in the North was also increasing therefore immigrants settled there to establish their own business. Northerners were far more likely to have careers in business, medicine, or education . Also, children were slightly more prone to attend school than Southern children. As for the South, the warm climate and the fertile soil made it ideal for farmers to grow significant amounts of crops. There were more abundant natural resources in the south and because agriculture was so profitable few Southerners saw a need for industrial development . There were no large cities aside from a few known places. Most of the known cities existed near shipping ports to send agricultural produce to Northern destinations. However, the South had difficulty with transportation and most products were sent by water. Only a few train tracks were located in the South. In the other hand, Southern children tended to spend less time in school and most Southern families based their teachings in gravitating toward military careers as well as agriculture . The first half of the nineteenth century was a time of expansion and improvement of transportation systems. States in the North and the Midwest chartered and built overland roads and turnpikes. The Turnpike Era† (1790-1820) consisted of Americans relying on roads for internal transportation. Canals, such as the Erie Canal, tied New York City to the Great Lakes. Steamboats and railroads improved the movement of goods and people, forging ties that served both sides well during the Civil War. The first federal charter corporation that created the dream of the transcontinental railroad was the Union Pacific Railroad Company and the Central Pacific Company . Both of these companies gathered many immigrants, at low pay, to work massive hours to construct the railroad. However, better transportation fostered an upgrade on trade within the country and dispersed new civilization to the west. The industrial revolution created many social problems. Poverty became a growing concern, especially the fact that factory wages were scarcely adequate for family survival . Most residents experienced hunger and destitution. Among the poor, child labor was very common. Most parents forced their children to look for jobs instead of going to school for survival. Southerners often cited these factors as crimes whenever the North challenged its institution of slavery. The Industrial Revolution brought Southern landowners an invention that they adopted and embraced: The Cotton Gin. Invented by Eli Whitney, the cotton gin made slavery profitable and made cotton the nations number one export . The South also adopted the steam engine, mainly to aid the cotton gin and to use on steamships to transport cotton. Ironically, the success of the cotton gin, by fostering slavery, helped to separate the two sides of the country and bring about the Civil War. The pace of immigration also stimulated economic growth while increasing differences between North nd South. Immigrants, mostly from Europe at this time, were supplied with low-cost labor. Most immigrants lived in the North where jobs were constantly available but had no respect to the workers. The use of standard, interchangeable parts, especially the manufacturing of guns, clocks, and sewing machines , allowed the nation to advance technologically by using unskilled workers. During the Civil War, with Southern representatives of Congress gone and the Republican Party controlling the house of Congress and the presidency, â€Å"the government set about to aid business and technology†. In 1862, the Department of Agriculture was founded. It provided a national center to coordinate agricultural development and promote scientific farming. â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. † This quotation was from Abraham Lincoln in 1858. Abraham Lincoln did not want the North and South to separate but for the Industry to grow bigger . In the first part of the quotation, â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand†, portrays that the United States needs to be UNITED not divided. A house needs to stand tall and not let anything else break it down. It is true that the â€Å"government cannot endue permanently half-slave and half-free† because this needs to be a united country not a haft this haft that country. Lincoln convinced others that the United States could not be this way. It had to bet glued together again and it had to abolish anything that was not right. However, throughout time, The Divided States of America was soon becoming the United States of America. After Lincoln’s death, three amendments were ratified that help America put back to place. The 13th amendment concluded that slavery was officially abolished . The 14th amendment granted â€Å"all persons born or naturalized in the United States, â€Å"to be citizens which included former slaves that were freed . The 15th amendment granted African Americans the right to vote . These three amendment helped bit by bit to repair the United States. Even though today there is still a difference in the North and South, our nation will always be together. The United States grew tremendously during the Industrial Revolution. Inventions were made, transportation was spread out, new jobs were increasing and more knowledge was diffusing. Throughout time, our population was growing and our nation got to spread out to the west to expand our land and culture. Even though our presidents may have made mistakes, we get to learn what we have done wrong and use that in our future. Our nation may have been divided for awhile but we can always retain it back. Back where it always was, united.

Brand Placement in the Indian Film Industry

Brand Placement in the Indian Film Industry Churning out nearly 1,000 films a year, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world. Now, aided by technological advancements, the industry is set to take a further leap across production, exhibition and marketing. In such a scenario, product placement in mainstream films deserves a renewed focus because as a marketing communication tool, it is fast emerging as the medium with maximum potential to capture and covert audiences to potential consumers. This is especially relevant in a world where traditional media vehicles are increasingly failing to reach the consumers for various reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brand/product placement is a promotional tactic used by marketers in which a real commercial product is used in fictional media, and the presence of the product is the result of an economic exchange, it is an advertising technique in which the companies pay a fee or provide service in exchange for a prominent display of their product. Product placement occurs in plays, films, television series, music videos, video-games and books. The objective of such brand communication is to expose the audience to a brand, whereby the effect can be maximized in terms of increased awareness and higher recall, so that the customer will buy the brand which has maximum recall; and to satisfy the customer to optimum level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This research paper looks at the rationality of brand placement, the possible congruity that can be built in the story, as indicators of success of effective brand placement in films and if so, as variables in bringing desired change in consumers attitude. The paper highlights the basic reasons for placing products and brands in Mainstream Hindi films and the effectiveness of these placements as a tool for enhancing the recall value of brands in long run brands in the films. This paper also gives insight as to how audiences react to product placement, do they think it as an effective alternative media, if it has any impact on them and if they find it ethical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research incorporated case studies of four mainstream Hindi films, selected on basis of their box office fate and the amount of brand placement. These films are then anaysed in terms of effectiveness of the variety of placements in bringing the desired recall and recognition values. The four films selected include Om Shanti Om, Goal, Chak De! India, and Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The research concludes with suggestions regarding areas for future research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Product placement has come as a blessing in disguise for both, the brand and the filmmaker. Through it, the brand managers get the clutter breaking opportunity to look beyond the 30 sec TV commercial and the filmmaker gets to earn huge revenues by just showing the brand being used by protagonist or let it exist in the background. The deal is just perfect for both of them. But the most important person in the deal is the consumer who is vigilant and smart enough to notice whats served to him and has reservations against in your face placements. Surely he does not want more intrusion in his life. Hence, product placement has arrived and here to stay. But a word of caution is to be always kept in mind, by both the brand and the filmmaker- if as communication purveyors they are looking for better and innovative means of reaching the consumer, the consumer himself is already bombarded with marketing tactics from all over and in the three hours of movie, he would want to forget about all these intrusions, including advertising. Thus overdose of brand placement will only drive away the consumers from the cinema halls, resulting in a flop film and a failed marketing endeavor. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND The Concept of Product Placement Product Placement in Movies Types of Product Placement Brand Placement is Different from Celebrity Endorsement The Opportunity of Brand placement, Consumer Information processing and Issue of Brand Congruity WHAT IS PRODUCT PLACEMENT? A product placement is the inclusion of a product, package, signage, a brand name or the name of the firm in a movie or in a television programme for increasing memorability of the brand and instant recognition at the point of purchase. Placements can be in form of verbal mentions in dialogue, actual use by character, visual displays such as corporate logo on a vehicle or billboard, brands used as set decorations, or even snatches of actual radio or television commercials. The objective of this communication strategy is to expose audience to a brand, whereby the effect can be maximized in terms of increased brand awareness and higher recall, so that the customer will buy the brand which has the highest recall; and to satisfy the customer to optimal level. Because of proliferation of advertisements and the consequent difficulty in getting commercial messages to reach and influence potential customers, product placement appears as an interesting alternative to traditional marketing communication tools. Basically, there are three ways product placement can occur: It simply happens. Its arranged, and a certain amount of the product serves as compensation. Its arranged, and there is financial compensation. Sometimes product placement just happens. A set dresser, producer, director, or even an actor might come across something he thinks will enhance the project. Usually this has to do with boosting the level of credibility or realism of the story being told. Example can be use of Tata Indigo car in movie Aaja Nachle. The car has been used to as mode of transport for the lead actress both when she arrives from abroad and when she goes back. Interestingly the vehicle is widely used as commercial luxury vehicle in many Indian towns. So use of this car added a touch of realism in the movie. However, when contacted, the representatives of the car company denied being approached about the use of their product. Arranged product placement deals fall into two categories: Trade-off of integration or placement for a supply of product Financial compensation for placement or integration The most common type of deal is a simple exchange of the product for the placement. Example, lets say the production team wants lead actor to display a quirky affinity for a particular type of beverage. This will come across rather strongly over the course of the program which means the chosen product could get a lot of air time. It turns out that someone on the crew knows someone who works for that beverage. The production people approach the beverage company folks with a proposal and a deal is made; in exchange for the airtime, the cast and crew are provided with an ample supply of the beverage at work. Example: the movie Krish where the lead actor drinks a lot of Bournvita. Sometimes, a gift of the product isnt an appropriate form of compensation, so money powers the deal. Imagine that the marketing team at Tag Heuer has heard about this project and feels that, given the star power of the actor playing lead, this project would be a great vehicle for showcasing its product. Someone from Tag Heuer approaches the set dresser with a financially lucrative proposal. Eventually, they come to an agreement and the wristwatch casually appears in several scenes. Before product placement really saw a surge in the mid 1990s, it was pretty much a do it yourself effort. Now there are specific corporate positions and entire agencies that can handle the job. Some larger corporations will dedicate personnel to scout out opportunities for product integration or placement within films, television shows and even games and music. Good example would be Madisons specialized division for in-film branding, MATES. PRODUCT PLACEMENT IN MOVIES Every frame in a movie has an opportunity for branding. With that intent, a number of marketers are now using movies to project the core values of their brands. In-film advertising, in its most effective form, is about a brand being a part of cinemas content. Many global brands are now turning to this medium for the sheer impact that a movie can make on its audiences. Product placement in movies has gained momentum all over the world. The practice of using branded products in Hollywood movies started as casual process since 1940s. The earliest example would be 1945 movie Mildred Pierce with film star Joan Crawford drinking Jack Daniels bourbon whiskey. The current Hollywood movies feature a plethora of products ranging from telecommunications (Motorola, Nokia), automobile (Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Jeep, Lada and Mercedes) to other products like FMCG goods, Tobacco etc. Good examples are James Bond movies. Indian mainstream Hindi films, popularly known as Bollywood the world over, caught up with the trend in 1970s with Rajkapoor using Rajdoot in his movie Bobby. Popularity of movies as medium for product placement grew because of the increasing difficulty of using television as an effective medium to target audiences. The film medium provides an excellent message reach and message life and an effective method of popularizing and immortalizing brands. One of the key drivers for movies becoming a popular medium for product placement has been the increasing difficulty of using television as an effective medium to target audiences. The advent of cable and satellite television has meant that audiences have become more fragmented and tend to demonstrate a greater level of ad avoidance. By contrast, the film medium provides an excellent message reach and message life and an effective method of popularizing and immortalizing brands. The movie-goers vicariously experience the brand as they make a connection between the film, the actor, the product and its consumption, and argue that product placement acts as a perceptual clue which directs behavior to purchase a product to satisfy a need or reinforce a social status. Movie product placement is viewed as a cheaper and more effective alternative to traditional marketing communications, despite its inflexibility, but as a result of the establishment of specialist placement agencies, and thro ugh increased brand exposure through cable, satellite, video and DVD, a typical movie with international distribution can reach over one hundred million consumers from box office to TV. There seem to be three reasons why marketers consider product placement in movies as interesting communication strategy. First watching a movie is high attention and involving activity. The particular exposure context associated with movies in theatres (lights off, minimal noise and distraction possibilities, large screen, difficulty in moving around, no zapping) is bound to lead to a high level of consumer attention as opposed to, say, listening to television. In addition, movie goers expend some significant effort (choosing a movie, driving to the theatre, finding a parking space, staying in line, finding a seat) and money (transportation, parking, tickets) in order to go to a movie and therefore quite involved during the show. Second, successful movie attract large audiences. A blockbuster movie like Om Shanti Om for instance has been seen by millions of people, and this does not include video purchases and rentals, and eventual television broadcast. Therefore from a strict cost per viewer point of view, a product placement in a movie is a real bargain. Finally product placement represents a natural, non aggressive, non persuasive way of promoting brand or a firm. Hence it may lead to less counter arguing and internal zapping from consumers. Such success stories firmly establish the importance of product placement. The use of feature films as a strategy for introducing new products has grown increasingly sophisticated. Savvy marketers now build elaborate marketing communication plans cross-promoting films and brands. For example, Audi used 2004s Babul, a film by Ravi Chopra, as an integrated element for introducing a new model, the Audi A6. It was judged the most successful promotion of 2004. Subhash Ghai was one of the early filmmakers to do product placement on a real large scale. Bollywood insiders say Ghai recovered production cost from Coke and other products even before the release of films like Yaadein and Taal. In future 40% of a films revenue will accrue from streams like TV, online rights, product placements and digital downloads. Video-on-demand, IPTV and DTH are already fetching handsome returns. Then, of course, there is the overseas market, which is expanding fast. In 2007 alone, at least a dozen Hindi Mainstream films have crossed a US $ 1 million mark in the UK an US. As successful marketing efforts incorporating motion pictures continue to mount, the casual use of brands as props will diminish. While current practice does not require filmmakers to identify brands placed in films, viewers can reasonably assume that prominently featured brands have offered some compensation or other consideration in exchange for the appearance. TYPES OF PRDUCT PLACEMENT In films, product placement can be divided into three broad categories: Implicit Mode: in this the star appears in a situation and is seen openly stating that he is using the product/brand. For example, in the movie Chalte Chalte, Shahrukh Khan is seen asking his worker to fill Castrol in his truck. Imperative Mode: In this the star would ask his friend/co-worker/peer to use the product. For example, in the movie Koi Mil Gaya, Hritik Roshan is seen recommending Bournvita to Priety Zinta and her mother in the film. Co-present Mode: in this, the star appears in some kind of setting with the product or he or she could be seen consuming or using the product. In the movie Diljale, love is the ulterior theme, and Sonali Bendre, the lead actress is shown expressing her love through Archies cards, thus revolving around the social expression feel of the Card makers. BRAND PLACEMENT IS DIFFERENT FROM CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT The celebrities endorse product and brands with commercial reasons, which normally come in the breaks in television programmes or in cinema halls. The phenomenon of zipping and change in television usage behavior due to surfing during the commercial breaks has reduced effectiveness of television commercials. Similarly commercials of cinema hall are found to be of low involvement as audience takes them as blocks between the reasons of visiting the cinema hall and the time available to them for entertainment. So the brand communication and the entertainment product are viewed differently from the audience of both media. Brand placement provides an opportunity where the involved audience gets exposure to the brands and products during the natural process of narration of movie or television commercial. THE OPPORTUNITY OF BRAND PLACEMENT, CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING AND ISSUE OF BRAND CONGRUITY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of late there have been attempts by Indian producers and brand managers to come together and place the brand in a situation where the audience is captive and more prone to show high level of retention. Many consumers and researchers are of the view that this method is excessive commercialization of media and intrusion in life of viewer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The viewer does not necessarily go there to see the brands; rather he is going to the cinema hall to escape from the realities of life. Brand managers are using different type of placements to make the brand look obvious at the point of emergence. They are also integrating the brand presence with the plot of the cinema, so that the audience does not feel the brand to be out of context. The brand should also be reflective of the class of user of character in the film. If the plot connection is missing and the brand is not reflective of the characters class of usage, then probably the whole brand placement exercise will be futile. The success of Indian movies is not based on sound fundamentals which is evident from the number of feature films flopping every year. So if the vehicle in which the brand is placed does not have the required viewership, then the tariff charged to bring brand at some point of the story will also go in drain .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Films are selected as context of research for various reasons as explained below.   Compared to television, movie viewing has higher involvement. While watching a television programme, the viewer can do multifarious work at home setting, which may affect the attention degree span of the audience and hence, reduce the overall effectiveness of the medium for enhancing brand retention. In opposition to this argument, is the movie going behavior where the viewer makes a voluntary choice for viewing (exposure) a specific film (product) at a cost (time, financial, opportunity cost) for the purpose of wholesome entertainment. So he is more receptive to brand communication provided to him in the movie hall while watching the movie of his choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been observed from research that brand recall for commercials shown during the television programmes with higher level of TRPs are very poor due to the channel switching behavior. High level of media clutter, similarity of programming across channels, channel switching behavior are the factors responsible to generate sufficient level of research interest in researchers at the practice of brand placement in movies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brand placements are used to increase the level of brand knowledge among consumers as in every advertising medium. The uniqueness of the medium is found in the process of exposure and congruity of brand in the story. There is no competitive exposure in the same medium at the same time, unlike television of newspapers. This is significant as it may increase the level of brand knowledge. Brand knowledge is conceptualized as brand node in memory to which a variety of associations are linked. So it is important to identify the properties of the brand node and brand association.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The factors important for product placement include the level of abstraction and qualitative nature of the brand memory effect and the congruity among brand associations affects the favorability, strength and uniqueness of the brand associations. The factors being: Brand awareness: It is the strength of brand node or trace in the memory as reflected by consumers ability to identify the brand under different conditions. Brand image: It is the set of perceptions, held in the consumers memory, as reflected by brand associations. Are the other informational nodes linked to the brand node in memory and contain the meaning of the brand for the consumers? Brand Attitudes: they are the overall evaluation of the brand by the consumers. They often form the basis of consumers choice. Other variables affecting Brand placement are- Favorability of Brand Associations: Associations differ according to how favorably they are evaluated. The success of a marketing program largely depends on the ability of the marketing program in creating the trust among consumers that the attributes and associations benefits are there in the brand talked about in communications. The Strength of Brand Association: It depends on how the information enters consumers memory (encoding) and how it is retained as part of brand image (storage). Strength is a function of both the amount or quality of processing information received at encoding (how much the person thinks about the information) and the nature or quality of the information at the encoding end (the manner in which the person thinks about the information). Congruence of a Brand: the congruence of the brand with the story of the film and presentation in the film is another measure. Congruence is defined as the extent to which the brand association shares the content and meaning with other brand associations. This explains how easily one existing brand association can be recalled and how additional associations can be linked to the brand node in memory. Brand Leverage: Compares the characteristics of the secondary associations with those of primary brand associations. The secondary associations are derived out of the usage of the brand by the character in the film. Example in the film Taal, the hero uses the bottle of Coke as a symbol of exchange of love and this contextual placement increases the strength of association of the brand. Earlier researches have shown the importance of a strong link between the brand and the film. The stronger the link, the greater is the impact between the brands image and the attitude towards the brand sponsor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase in product placements and institutionalization of the industry indicate that advertisers are using the technique to sway consumers brand attitudes. The type of placements should look natural to the narration, as consumption symbols are often used to enrich the plot, theme and characters of popular culture texts. Some consumers may feel that the use of brand names in popular culture simply reflects the increased commercial content of a culture or the producers efforts to enhance the realism of their film. However, in case where the brand takes a major role in the story of the film as in the movie Friends, or where its presence in the movie might look suspect as in the movie Yaadein, the audience may realize that it was placed there to affect their judgments and they may counter argue them just as they do to the traditional advertising messages. Advertising gurus claim that in-film advertising is a very shaky business and most marketers have a tendency and temptation to go overboard with the result that the film would end up becoming a long advertising commercial. Others say that since marketers always tried to stretch their advertising rupee in order to obtain the maximum bang for their buck with the result that brand suffered. However, most advertising professionals vouch for the fact that films, by virtue of being quite engaging, are one of the cost-effective and effective mediums for advertising. If a consumer watches a particular scene and the advertisement is well embedded into that, it will remain, they say. This can be referred to the fact that the girls beating the boys fighting sequence in Chak De has been referred to as the McDonalds fight scene merely because it takes place in one of the outlets. Again, there is no mention of McDonalds in the entire film as it has been seamlessly embedded. Film content of any kind can be used to build brands. The last one year has been rather active in terms of in-film placements and branding through films. However, the placement of brands such as Ultra Tech poses a big challenge especially considering that there is no obvious benefit in sticking to stereo-types and force-fitting the Brand in films theme or storyline, he said Literature survey in the Indian context was more disheartening despite the fact that brand placement is used more and more in Indian films these days. There are hardly any evidences of work carried out on brand placement in Indian Movies.   The Indian Hindi film industry id the largest in the world in terms of number of movie produced. Yet the success rate of the movies in Indian film industry is very less. If a proper research on brand placement can be done, it can guide the producers, brand managers and academicians to develop and effective brand placement strategy in which the risk of the film making and failure will come down substantially in the Indian market. The producers can charge a price for the brand placement and cover a production cost; the brand managers will find a platform to communicate with the audience about their brands in more effective manner than conventional television advertising. PROMINNENT EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT PLACEMENTS IN SOME MAINSTREAM FILMS (In Recent Times) SOME FAILURES TOO SUCCESSES Bollywood has finally discovered branding. In 2007, according to industry estimates, brand cameos earned around Rs 200 crore, and as a result, even small-and medium-budget movies as well as animated films are hoping to cash in on this new and lucrative revenue stream. Indeed, media analysts and industry watchers expect that figure to climb to Rs 800 crore by 2010. Some of the select successful instances of brand placement in recent times are cited below: Rang De Basanti: Rakyesh Omprakash Mehras Rang De Basanti was probably the most successful Bollywood branding in 2006 with its limited edition RDB Coca-Cola bottle, and cameos of Airtel, LG, Berger and Provogue in the film. Coke, in a first of its kind attempt, launched Coca-Cola bottles branded with the RDB title and Amirs picture and produced a movie trailer that was a montage of shots from the film and Cokes Piyo Sar Uthake campaign. Just the right kind of media partners, the films marketing ensured good and effective publicity and both the brands and the movie generated a lot of mileage from each other. Krrish: Rakesh Roshans Krrish, now a case study of Indian Institute of Management, Indore, prominently featured Singapore Tourism Board, Sony, John Players, Bournvita, Tide, Hero Honda, Boro Plus, Lifebuoy, HP Power, Acron Rangeela, Hansaplast and Lays chips, followed by merchandising of Krrish masks, lunch boxes, water bottles. Its merchandising sold like hot cakes among children. Krrish made 12 crores out of product placement. Don: Farhan Akhtars Don promoted Tag Heuer watches, Motorola, Garnier, Citibank and, of course, Oakley sunglasses as well as Louis Philippe outfits. The placement ensured that the viewer noticed dons phone, his laptop, his watch, hia sunglasses and the brand names were the focus of the camera work. But it was still done in a subtle way and did not come across as being imposed on viewer. Dhoom 2: Sanjay Gandavis Dhoom 2 promoted Coke, Pennzoil, Pepe, Sony, Disney channel, Sugar Free, McDonalds, Speed, and Suzuki Zeus. The movie was quite an opportunity for Coke, for both the brand ambassadors of Coke were starring in the movie together for the first time. The cool couple drinking the always coolest drink, perfect for Coke! The cola company had a special campaign for Dhoom 2 where Hrithik Roshan encouraged youngsters to take a swig and go dhoom. Main Hoon Naa: Farah Khans first movie Main Hoon Naa featured the following brands- Reebok, Cafà © coffee day, Frito Lays, Levis, LML. MHN was an example of optimum utilization of branding in a film. The story of the film revolved around youth hence it gave us the scope of using lifestyle and youth centric brands. The brands that were involved were the ones keeping the modern day college goers in mind, for which using brands is just a way of life. The brands were woven into the screenplay in a manner where it looked like a modern day college going youth was using the product natural yet conspicuous. Baghban: One of the clear cases of effective placement in recent times was BR films family drama Baghban. The movie creatively integrated five brands in it. The brands included were ICICI Bank, Tata Tea, Archies, Ford and Tide. Baghban truly depicted the craft of product placement. And these are not mere stating of the brands featured. These placements result in stupendous impact in consumers as delineated by the sales figures of the featured brands, before and after product placement. After Bournvita featured in Krrish, it reported a increase in sales by 15% and intention to use brand by 9%*. Domios registered greater footfall in its outlets after its placement in Phir Hera Pheri. Garnier recorded a product recall of 46% after it got featured in the movie Chup Chup Ke. Lays got an additional endorsement from Priyanka Chopra after she was shown munching on the snack in Krrish, thus re-establishing Lays as cool snack.   After Reebok featured in key scenes in Viruddh, the brand boasted of having got verbal endorsement of Amitabh Bacchan, and extensive reach through multiple showcasing of the film on multiple vehicles. Tanishq recorded a average minimum revenue of 1.45 crore from its Paheli collection. And as if that was not all, they recorded a increase in purchase intent by 13% and favorability of the brand by 10%!!! That says a lot about the success of brand placements. FAILURES There is always the other side of the coin! Academicians from Universities say that currently, embedded advertising still needs to grow in India. It is like a deranged marriage, the brand most often does not fit into the film the way in which it should. The reason is that most filmmakers still do not think of it as a revenue stream, they say. So apart from the huge successes, there were some bad failures as well. Few of them are: Ta Ra Rum Pum: After you see drivers and cars layered by brands of their sponsors, Ta Ra Rum Pum a film on racing cars would seem like the perfect avenue to showcase such similar branding. After all seeing these brands is what weve come to expect, but corporate honchos didnt seem happy just with being there. So they mustve insisted on special close-ups and zooms for their brands. As a result we get a good dose of Castrol, Goodyear and Chevrolet periodically through this film. Salaam E Ishq: Salaam E Ishq was another product-friendly movie. With such an extensive star cast and lavish set designs the director mustve felt the need for corporations to cover up costs. Of the many placements there was one that stood there screaming for attention. John Abraham and Vidya Balan play a couple in love so on the day of their anniversary John decides to gift his lady love with a diamond set. For those curious about the brand, it was Ira Jewellery and the makers give more than a glimmer to those who wonder. To make things worse, the camera decides to zoom more on the brand than the jewels. Victoria 203:   If youre one of the few people that watched the remake of Victoria 203, youd probably be gripped by the urge to buy diamonds, more specifically Gitanjali Diamonds. Thats because Gitanjali has been constantly mentioned throughout the first half an hour. The makers go to the extent of giving the viewers an unwanted history lesson about the Choksi family that owns the company and their legacy. VirruddhFamily Comes First: In terms of product placements, Viruddh went to the extent of shoving their branded products down audiences throats. What made this blatant promotion unbearable was that Virruddh was made as a serious film about a grieving family and their dead son. Obvious instances were where Sanjay Dutt posed with a can of Elf Oil in his garage and John Abraham praised how great the services of Western Union Brand Placement in the Indian Film Industry Brand Placement in the Indian Film Industry Churning out nearly 1,000 films a year, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world. Now, aided by technological advancements, the industry is set to take a further leap across production, exhibition and marketing. In such a scenario, product placement in mainstream films deserves a renewed focus because as a marketing communication tool, it is fast emerging as the medium with maximum potential to capture and covert audiences to potential consumers. This is especially relevant in a world where traditional media vehicles are increasingly failing to reach the consumers for various reasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brand/product placement is a promotional tactic used by marketers in which a real commercial product is used in fictional media, and the presence of the product is the result of an economic exchange, it is an advertising technique in which the companies pay a fee or provide service in exchange for a prominent display of their product. Product placement occurs in plays, films, television series, music videos, video-games and books. The objective of such brand communication is to expose the audience to a brand, whereby the effect can be maximized in terms of increased awareness and higher recall, so that the customer will buy the brand which has maximum recall; and to satisfy the customer to optimum level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This research paper looks at the rationality of brand placement, the possible congruity that can be built in the story, as indicators of success of effective brand placement in films and if so, as variables in bringing desired change in consumers attitude. The paper highlights the basic reasons for placing products and brands in Mainstream Hindi films and the effectiveness of these placements as a tool for enhancing the recall value of brands in long run brands in the films. This paper also gives insight as to how audiences react to product placement, do they think it as an effective alternative media, if it has any impact on them and if they find it ethical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research incorporated case studies of four mainstream Hindi films, selected on basis of their box office fate and the amount of brand placement. These films are then anaysed in terms of effectiveness of the variety of placements in bringing the desired recall and recognition values. The four films selected include Om Shanti Om, Goal, Chak De! India, and Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The research concludes with suggestions regarding areas for future research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Product placement has come as a blessing in disguise for both, the brand and the filmmaker. Through it, the brand managers get the clutter breaking opportunity to look beyond the 30 sec TV commercial and the filmmaker gets to earn huge revenues by just showing the brand being used by protagonist or let it exist in the background. The deal is just perfect for both of them. But the most important person in the deal is the consumer who is vigilant and smart enough to notice whats served to him and has reservations against in your face placements. Surely he does not want more intrusion in his life. Hence, product placement has arrived and here to stay. But a word of caution is to be always kept in mind, by both the brand and the filmmaker- if as communication purveyors they are looking for better and innovative means of reaching the consumer, the consumer himself is already bombarded with marketing tactics from all over and in the three hours of movie, he would want to forget about all these intrusions, including advertising. Thus overdose of brand placement will only drive away the consumers from the cinema halls, resulting in a flop film and a failed marketing endeavor. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND The Concept of Product Placement Product Placement in Movies Types of Product Placement Brand Placement is Different from Celebrity Endorsement The Opportunity of Brand placement, Consumer Information processing and Issue of Brand Congruity WHAT IS PRODUCT PLACEMENT? A product placement is the inclusion of a product, package, signage, a brand name or the name of the firm in a movie or in a television programme for increasing memorability of the brand and instant recognition at the point of purchase. Placements can be in form of verbal mentions in dialogue, actual use by character, visual displays such as corporate logo on a vehicle or billboard, brands used as set decorations, or even snatches of actual radio or television commercials. The objective of this communication strategy is to expose audience to a brand, whereby the effect can be maximized in terms of increased brand awareness and higher recall, so that the customer will buy the brand which has the highest recall; and to satisfy the customer to optimal level. Because of proliferation of advertisements and the consequent difficulty in getting commercial messages to reach and influence potential customers, product placement appears as an interesting alternative to traditional marketing communication tools. Basically, there are three ways product placement can occur: It simply happens. Its arranged, and a certain amount of the product serves as compensation. Its arranged, and there is financial compensation. Sometimes product placement just happens. A set dresser, producer, director, or even an actor might come across something he thinks will enhance the project. Usually this has to do with boosting the level of credibility or realism of the story being told. Example can be use of Tata Indigo car in movie Aaja Nachle. The car has been used to as mode of transport for the lead actress both when she arrives from abroad and when she goes back. Interestingly the vehicle is widely used as commercial luxury vehicle in many Indian towns. So use of this car added a touch of realism in the movie. However, when contacted, the representatives of the car company denied being approached about the use of their product. Arranged product placement deals fall into two categories: Trade-off of integration or placement for a supply of product Financial compensation for placement or integration The most common type of deal is a simple exchange of the product for the placement. Example, lets say the production team wants lead actor to display a quirky affinity for a particular type of beverage. This will come across rather strongly over the course of the program which means the chosen product could get a lot of air time. It turns out that someone on the crew knows someone who works for that beverage. The production people approach the beverage company folks with a proposal and a deal is made; in exchange for the airtime, the cast and crew are provided with an ample supply of the beverage at work. Example: the movie Krish where the lead actor drinks a lot of Bournvita. Sometimes, a gift of the product isnt an appropriate form of compensation, so money powers the deal. Imagine that the marketing team at Tag Heuer has heard about this project and feels that, given the star power of the actor playing lead, this project would be a great vehicle for showcasing its product. Someone from Tag Heuer approaches the set dresser with a financially lucrative proposal. Eventually, they come to an agreement and the wristwatch casually appears in several scenes. Before product placement really saw a surge in the mid 1990s, it was pretty much a do it yourself effort. Now there are specific corporate positions and entire agencies that can handle the job. Some larger corporations will dedicate personnel to scout out opportunities for product integration or placement within films, television shows and even games and music. Good example would be Madisons specialized division for in-film branding, MATES. PRODUCT PLACEMENT IN MOVIES Every frame in a movie has an opportunity for branding. With that intent, a number of marketers are now using movies to project the core values of their brands. In-film advertising, in its most effective form, is about a brand being a part of cinemas content. Many global brands are now turning to this medium for the sheer impact that a movie can make on its audiences. Product placement in movies has gained momentum all over the world. The practice of using branded products in Hollywood movies started as casual process since 1940s. The earliest example would be 1945 movie Mildred Pierce with film star Joan Crawford drinking Jack Daniels bourbon whiskey. The current Hollywood movies feature a plethora of products ranging from telecommunications (Motorola, Nokia), automobile (Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Jeep, Lada and Mercedes) to other products like FMCG goods, Tobacco etc. Good examples are James Bond movies. Indian mainstream Hindi films, popularly known as Bollywood the world over, caught up with the trend in 1970s with Rajkapoor using Rajdoot in his movie Bobby. Popularity of movies as medium for product placement grew because of the increasing difficulty of using television as an effective medium to target audiences. The film medium provides an excellent message reach and message life and an effective method of popularizing and immortalizing brands. One of the key drivers for movies becoming a popular medium for product placement has been the increasing difficulty of using television as an effective medium to target audiences. The advent of cable and satellite television has meant that audiences have become more fragmented and tend to demonstrate a greater level of ad avoidance. By contrast, the film medium provides an excellent message reach and message life and an effective method of popularizing and immortalizing brands. The movie-goers vicariously experience the brand as they make a connection between the film, the actor, the product and its consumption, and argue that product placement acts as a perceptual clue which directs behavior to purchase a product to satisfy a need or reinforce a social status. Movie product placement is viewed as a cheaper and more effective alternative to traditional marketing communications, despite its inflexibility, but as a result of the establishment of specialist placement agencies, and thro ugh increased brand exposure through cable, satellite, video and DVD, a typical movie with international distribution can reach over one hundred million consumers from box office to TV. There seem to be three reasons why marketers consider product placement in movies as interesting communication strategy. First watching a movie is high attention and involving activity. The particular exposure context associated with movies in theatres (lights off, minimal noise and distraction possibilities, large screen, difficulty in moving around, no zapping) is bound to lead to a high level of consumer attention as opposed to, say, listening to television. In addition, movie goers expend some significant effort (choosing a movie, driving to the theatre, finding a parking space, staying in line, finding a seat) and money (transportation, parking, tickets) in order to go to a movie and therefore quite involved during the show. Second, successful movie attract large audiences. A blockbuster movie like Om Shanti Om for instance has been seen by millions of people, and this does not include video purchases and rentals, and eventual television broadcast. Therefore from a strict cost per viewer point of view, a product placement in a movie is a real bargain. Finally product placement represents a natural, non aggressive, non persuasive way of promoting brand or a firm. Hence it may lead to less counter arguing and internal zapping from consumers. Such success stories firmly establish the importance of product placement. The use of feature films as a strategy for introducing new products has grown increasingly sophisticated. Savvy marketers now build elaborate marketing communication plans cross-promoting films and brands. For example, Audi used 2004s Babul, a film by Ravi Chopra, as an integrated element for introducing a new model, the Audi A6. It was judged the most successful promotion of 2004. Subhash Ghai was one of the early filmmakers to do product placement on a real large scale. Bollywood insiders say Ghai recovered production cost from Coke and other products even before the release of films like Yaadein and Taal. In future 40% of a films revenue will accrue from streams like TV, online rights, product placements and digital downloads. Video-on-demand, IPTV and DTH are already fetching handsome returns. Then, of course, there is the overseas market, which is expanding fast. In 2007 alone, at least a dozen Hindi Mainstream films have crossed a US $ 1 million mark in the UK an US. As successful marketing efforts incorporating motion pictures continue to mount, the casual use of brands as props will diminish. While current practice does not require filmmakers to identify brands placed in films, viewers can reasonably assume that prominently featured brands have offered some compensation or other consideration in exchange for the appearance. TYPES OF PRDUCT PLACEMENT In films, product placement can be divided into three broad categories: Implicit Mode: in this the star appears in a situation and is seen openly stating that he is using the product/brand. For example, in the movie Chalte Chalte, Shahrukh Khan is seen asking his worker to fill Castrol in his truck. Imperative Mode: In this the star would ask his friend/co-worker/peer to use the product. For example, in the movie Koi Mil Gaya, Hritik Roshan is seen recommending Bournvita to Priety Zinta and her mother in the film. Co-present Mode: in this, the star appears in some kind of setting with the product or he or she could be seen consuming or using the product. In the movie Diljale, love is the ulterior theme, and Sonali Bendre, the lead actress is shown expressing her love through Archies cards, thus revolving around the social expression feel of the Card makers. BRAND PLACEMENT IS DIFFERENT FROM CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT The celebrities endorse product and brands with commercial reasons, which normally come in the breaks in television programmes or in cinema halls. The phenomenon of zipping and change in television usage behavior due to surfing during the commercial breaks has reduced effectiveness of television commercials. Similarly commercials of cinema hall are found to be of low involvement as audience takes them as blocks between the reasons of visiting the cinema hall and the time available to them for entertainment. So the brand communication and the entertainment product are viewed differently from the audience of both media. Brand placement provides an opportunity where the involved audience gets exposure to the brands and products during the natural process of narration of movie or television commercial. THE OPPORTUNITY OF BRAND PLACEMENT, CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING AND ISSUE OF BRAND CONGRUITY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of late there have been attempts by Indian producers and brand managers to come together and place the brand in a situation where the audience is captive and more prone to show high level of retention. Many consumers and researchers are of the view that this method is excessive commercialization of media and intrusion in life of viewer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The viewer does not necessarily go there to see the brands; rather he is going to the cinema hall to escape from the realities of life. Brand managers are using different type of placements to make the brand look obvious at the point of emergence. They are also integrating the brand presence with the plot of the cinema, so that the audience does not feel the brand to be out of context. The brand should also be reflective of the class of user of character in the film. If the plot connection is missing and the brand is not reflective of the characters class of usage, then probably the whole brand placement exercise will be futile. The success of Indian movies is not based on sound fundamentals which is evident from the number of feature films flopping every year. So if the vehicle in which the brand is placed does not have the required viewership, then the tariff charged to bring brand at some point of the story will also go in drain .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Films are selected as context of research for various reasons as explained below.   Compared to television, movie viewing has higher involvement. While watching a television programme, the viewer can do multifarious work at home setting, which may affect the attention degree span of the audience and hence, reduce the overall effectiveness of the medium for enhancing brand retention. In opposition to this argument, is the movie going behavior where the viewer makes a voluntary choice for viewing (exposure) a specific film (product) at a cost (time, financial, opportunity cost) for the purpose of wholesome entertainment. So he is more receptive to brand communication provided to him in the movie hall while watching the movie of his choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been observed from research that brand recall for commercials shown during the television programmes with higher level of TRPs are very poor due to the channel switching behavior. High level of media clutter, similarity of programming across channels, channel switching behavior are the factors responsible to generate sufficient level of research interest in researchers at the practice of brand placement in movies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brand placements are used to increase the level of brand knowledge among consumers as in every advertising medium. The uniqueness of the medium is found in the process of exposure and congruity of brand in the story. There is no competitive exposure in the same medium at the same time, unlike television of newspapers. This is significant as it may increase the level of brand knowledge. Brand knowledge is conceptualized as brand node in memory to which a variety of associations are linked. So it is important to identify the properties of the brand node and brand association.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The factors important for product placement include the level of abstraction and qualitative nature of the brand memory effect and the congruity among brand associations affects the favorability, strength and uniqueness of the brand associations. The factors being: Brand awareness: It is the strength of brand node or trace in the memory as reflected by consumers ability to identify the brand under different conditions. Brand image: It is the set of perceptions, held in the consumers memory, as reflected by brand associations. Are the other informational nodes linked to the brand node in memory and contain the meaning of the brand for the consumers? Brand Attitudes: they are the overall evaluation of the brand by the consumers. They often form the basis of consumers choice. Other variables affecting Brand placement are- Favorability of Brand Associations: Associations differ according to how favorably they are evaluated. The success of a marketing program largely depends on the ability of the marketing program in creating the trust among consumers that the attributes and associations benefits are there in the brand talked about in communications. The Strength of Brand Association: It depends on how the information enters consumers memory (encoding) and how it is retained as part of brand image (storage). Strength is a function of both the amount or quality of processing information received at encoding (how much the person thinks about the information) and the nature or quality of the information at the encoding end (the manner in which the person thinks about the information). Congruence of a Brand: the congruence of the brand with the story of the film and presentation in the film is another measure. Congruence is defined as the extent to which the brand association shares the content and meaning with other brand associations. This explains how easily one existing brand association can be recalled and how additional associations can be linked to the brand node in memory. Brand Leverage: Compares the characteristics of the secondary associations with those of primary brand associations. The secondary associations are derived out of the usage of the brand by the character in the film. Example in the film Taal, the hero uses the bottle of Coke as a symbol of exchange of love and this contextual placement increases the strength of association of the brand. Earlier researches have shown the importance of a strong link between the brand and the film. The stronger the link, the greater is the impact between the brands image and the attitude towards the brand sponsor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase in product placements and institutionalization of the industry indicate that advertisers are using the technique to sway consumers brand attitudes. The type of placements should look natural to the narration, as consumption symbols are often used to enrich the plot, theme and characters of popular culture texts. Some consumers may feel that the use of brand names in popular culture simply reflects the increased commercial content of a culture or the producers efforts to enhance the realism of their film. However, in case where the brand takes a major role in the story of the film as in the movie Friends, or where its presence in the movie might look suspect as in the movie Yaadein, the audience may realize that it was placed there to affect their judgments and they may counter argue them just as they do to the traditional advertising messages. Advertising gurus claim that in-film advertising is a very shaky business and most marketers have a tendency and temptation to go overboard with the result that the film would end up becoming a long advertising commercial. Others say that since marketers always tried to stretch their advertising rupee in order to obtain the maximum bang for their buck with the result that brand suffered. However, most advertising professionals vouch for the fact that films, by virtue of being quite engaging, are one of the cost-effective and effective mediums for advertising. If a consumer watches a particular scene and the advertisement is well embedded into that, it will remain, they say. This can be referred to the fact that the girls beating the boys fighting sequence in Chak De has been referred to as the McDonalds fight scene merely because it takes place in one of the outlets. Again, there is no mention of McDonalds in the entire film as it has been seamlessly embedded. Film content of any kind can be used to build brands. The last one year has been rather active in terms of in-film placements and branding through films. However, the placement of brands such as Ultra Tech poses a big challenge especially considering that there is no obvious benefit in sticking to stereo-types and force-fitting the Brand in films theme or storyline, he said Literature survey in the Indian context was more disheartening despite the fact that brand placement is used more and more in Indian films these days. There are hardly any evidences of work carried out on brand placement in Indian Movies.   The Indian Hindi film industry id the largest in the world in terms of number of movie produced. Yet the success rate of the movies in Indian film industry is very less. If a proper research on brand placement can be done, it can guide the producers, brand managers and academicians to develop and effective brand placement strategy in which the risk of the film making and failure will come down substantially in the Indian market. The producers can charge a price for the brand placement and cover a production cost; the brand managers will find a platform to communicate with the audience about their brands in more effective manner than conventional television advertising. PROMINNENT EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT PLACEMENTS IN SOME MAINSTREAM FILMS (In Recent Times) SOME FAILURES TOO SUCCESSES Bollywood has finally discovered branding. In 2007, according to industry estimates, brand cameos earned around Rs 200 crore, and as a result, even small-and medium-budget movies as well as animated films are hoping to cash in on this new and lucrative revenue stream. Indeed, media analysts and industry watchers expect that figure to climb to Rs 800 crore by 2010. Some of the select successful instances of brand placement in recent times are cited below: Rang De Basanti: Rakyesh Omprakash Mehras Rang De Basanti was probably the most successful Bollywood branding in 2006 with its limited edition RDB Coca-Cola bottle, and cameos of Airtel, LG, Berger and Provogue in the film. Coke, in a first of its kind attempt, launched Coca-Cola bottles branded with the RDB title and Amirs picture and produced a movie trailer that was a montage of shots from the film and Cokes Piyo Sar Uthake campaign. Just the right kind of media partners, the films marketing ensured good and effective publicity and both the brands and the movie generated a lot of mileage from each other. Krrish: Rakesh Roshans Krrish, now a case study of Indian Institute of Management, Indore, prominently featured Singapore Tourism Board, Sony, John Players, Bournvita, Tide, Hero Honda, Boro Plus, Lifebuoy, HP Power, Acron Rangeela, Hansaplast and Lays chips, followed by merchandising of Krrish masks, lunch boxes, water bottles. Its merchandising sold like hot cakes among children. Krrish made 12 crores out of product placement. Don: Farhan Akhtars Don promoted Tag Heuer watches, Motorola, Garnier, Citibank and, of course, Oakley sunglasses as well as Louis Philippe outfits. The placement ensured that the viewer noticed dons phone, his laptop, his watch, hia sunglasses and the brand names were the focus of the camera work. But it was still done in a subtle way and did not come across as being imposed on viewer. Dhoom 2: Sanjay Gandavis Dhoom 2 promoted Coke, Pennzoil, Pepe, Sony, Disney channel, Sugar Free, McDonalds, Speed, and Suzuki Zeus. The movie was quite an opportunity for Coke, for both the brand ambassadors of Coke were starring in the movie together for the first time. The cool couple drinking the always coolest drink, perfect for Coke! The cola company had a special campaign for Dhoom 2 where Hrithik Roshan encouraged youngsters to take a swig and go dhoom. Main Hoon Naa: Farah Khans first movie Main Hoon Naa featured the following brands- Reebok, Cafà © coffee day, Frito Lays, Levis, LML. MHN was an example of optimum utilization of branding in a film. The story of the film revolved around youth hence it gave us the scope of using lifestyle and youth centric brands. The brands that were involved were the ones keeping the modern day college goers in mind, for which using brands is just a way of life. The brands were woven into the screenplay in a manner where it looked like a modern day college going youth was using the product natural yet conspicuous. Baghban: One of the clear cases of effective placement in recent times was BR films family drama Baghban. The movie creatively integrated five brands in it. The brands included were ICICI Bank, Tata Tea, Archies, Ford and Tide. Baghban truly depicted the craft of product placement. And these are not mere stating of the brands featured. These placements result in stupendous impact in consumers as delineated by the sales figures of the featured brands, before and after product placement. After Bournvita featured in Krrish, it reported a increase in sales by 15% and intention to use brand by 9%*. Domios registered greater footfall in its outlets after its placement in Phir Hera Pheri. Garnier recorded a product recall of 46% after it got featured in the movie Chup Chup Ke. Lays got an additional endorsement from Priyanka Chopra after she was shown munching on the snack in Krrish, thus re-establishing Lays as cool snack.   After Reebok featured in key scenes in Viruddh, the brand boasted of having got verbal endorsement of Amitabh Bacchan, and extensive reach through multiple showcasing of the film on multiple vehicles. Tanishq recorded a average minimum revenue of 1.45 crore from its Paheli collection. And as if that was not all, they recorded a increase in purchase intent by 13% and favorability of the brand by 10%!!! That says a lot about the success of brand placements. FAILURES There is always the other side of the coin! Academicians from Universities say that currently, embedded advertising still needs to grow in India. It is like a deranged marriage, the brand most often does not fit into the film the way in which it should. The reason is that most filmmakers still do not think of it as a revenue stream, they say. So apart from the huge successes, there were some bad failures as well. Few of them are: Ta Ra Rum Pum: After you see drivers and cars layered by brands of their sponsors, Ta Ra Rum Pum a film on racing cars would seem like the perfect avenue to showcase such similar branding. After all seeing these brands is what weve come to expect, but corporate honchos didnt seem happy just with being there. So they mustve insisted on special close-ups and zooms for their brands. As a result we get a good dose of Castrol, Goodyear and Chevrolet periodically through this film. Salaam E Ishq: Salaam E Ishq was another product-friendly movie. With such an extensive star cast and lavish set designs the director mustve felt the need for corporations to cover up costs. Of the many placements there was one that stood there screaming for attention. John Abraham and Vidya Balan play a couple in love so on the day of their anniversary John decides to gift his lady love with a diamond set. For those curious about the brand, it was Ira Jewellery and the makers give more than a glimmer to those who wonder. To make things worse, the camera decides to zoom more on the brand than the jewels. Victoria 203:   If youre one of the few people that watched the remake of Victoria 203, youd probably be gripped by the urge to buy diamonds, more specifically Gitanjali Diamonds. Thats because Gitanjali has been constantly mentioned throughout the first half an hour. The makers go to the extent of giving the viewers an unwanted history lesson about the Choksi family that owns the company and their legacy. VirruddhFamily Comes First: In terms of product placements, Viruddh went to the extent of shoving their branded products down audiences throats. What made this blatant promotion unbearable was that Virruddh was made as a serious film about a grieving family and their dead son. Obvious instances were where Sanjay Dutt posed with a can of Elf Oil in his garage and John Abraham praised how great the services of Western Union

Role of Financial Systems in a Modern Economy

Role of Financial Systems in a Modern Economy According to Ray Dalio the economy is like a machine. A machine is made up of several different components that when all working together run smoothly, the several different components that keep an economy running smoothly is known as the financial system. The financial system is made up of the central bank, markets, and financial institutions, and when all working in harmony in turn creates a smooth economy. The central bank prints money and controls interest rates, the financial institutions are a place where savers take their money to earn more and borrowers go to borrow money to purchase a home or invest in a business, and the markets are in place so that businesses can get investors to grow their business and investors can earn more on their investments. When all the parts of a financial system works harmoniously the citizens of a country benefit tremendously. Since a good financial system means a good economy it means that interest rates will be lower and with lower interest rates it means that borrowers will borrow more and invest more in business ventures which in turn creates more jobs. The more jobs there are for the citizens of a country the more they spend which means more money gets pushed back into the economy, and creates a booming economy. In a perfect world the financial system would always work perfectly and the economy would always boom, but unfortunately we know from p ast events in the United States that is not the case. The great depression and the recession in 2008 are both examples of how a faulty financial system can cause the economy to crash. The main cause of the great depression and the recession in 2008 was said to be the government. In the case of the great depression the Federal Reserve contributed to the crisis because the economy was booming when interest rates were low and people were applying for loans, the government decided to suddenly the raise of interest rates which caused a sudden halt in the boom. Whereas, with the recession in 2008 banks were allowing uncreditworthy individuals to apply for mortgages loans that they were unable to pay back. Similarly, both presidents at the time respond to the financial crisis the same way with a federal budget and instead of cutting spending both presidents went on to spend more money. After the increase in federal spending unemployment remained high during both crisis. During Roosevelts presidency unemployment was at twenty one percent and during Obamas term unemployment was eight percent and increased over two percent over time. During the great depression and the rece ssion both presidents were spending a lot of money and it did not help unemployment rates instead unemployment still remained high. When an economy is falling, the government turns to the wealthy for more money and taxes this is what happened during the great depression. This put many Americans in the fiftieth percentile tax bracket meaning the wealthy had to pay more than half of their income. President Obama is trying to tax differently, instead of taxing the wealthy President Obama is raising taxes on items like cigarettes, liquor, plane tickets, and soft drinks. The recession is said to be the next worse period since the great depression. During both crisis the housing market was booming with low interest rates and the banks were lending money to people who were unable to pay back loans, the unemployment rate was high, and taxes were being raised. It was almost as if the past was repeating itself, the 2008 recession was going in the direction of the great depression. In order to prevent financial crisis such as the great depression and the recession of 2008 the financial system is highly regulated. As history in the United States shows when the financial system is left largely alone, the financial system has experienced periods of instability that have led to economic recessions. (Jafri, 2015) There are now several different measures put in place in order to monitor and regulate the financial system such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Reserve System. The Security and Exchange Commission regulates the financial markets to help build the trust of investors in the markets again and â€Å"was created to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation†. (http://www.sec.gov) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, FDIC, was created to help restore the trust of the depositors in the banks, it insures deposits made at financial institutions and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency helps to regulate federally chartered banks. Finally, the Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States and is also known as the â€Å"Fed†. It is ran by the Board of Governors, which consist of seven member who are appointed by the president of the United States. The Federal Reserve acts as a lender of last resort and makes short- term loans that provide banks with funds. â€Å"During the economic crisis that began in 2007, the financial system was disrupted, and large sec tions of the U.S. economy were cut off from the flow of funds they need to thrive.† (Hubbard, O’Brien, 2012, pg. 1) The financial crisis resulted in a decline in productions of goods and services throughout the economy. What does the financial system do? Economist believe there are three Key elements provided by banks to a financial system; risk sharing, liquidity, and information. Risk sharing is a service the financial system provides that allows savers to spread and transfer risk. Whereas, with liquidity it allows savers and borrowers to exchange assets for money. Lastly, information is important because in it is a collection and communication of the information and expectations borrowers need to know about return on assets. All these measures are taken by the government so that the citizen of the United States have more faith in the financial system. The key to a great economy is a great financial system. History has shown, with events like the Great Depression and the Recession in 2008, that there are hiccups that happen from time to time but federal regulation helps to restore faith back in the financial system so that citizens of the United States will continue to save, borrow, invest, and spend which are all key components to a booming economy functioning smoothly. References The Investors Advocate: How the SEC Protects Investors, Maintains Market Integrity, and Facilitates Capital Formation. (2013, June 10). Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml Dalio, R. (2013, September 22). How The Economic Machine Works by Ray Dalio. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHe0bXAIuk0 Richard, R. (2013, November 22). The Great Recession of 2007à ¢Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â€š ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬Å"09 A detailed essay on an important event in the history of the Federal Reserve. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://www.federalreservehistory.org/Events/DetailView/58 Folsom, B. (2010, May 20). Comparing the Great Depression to the Great Recession. Retrieved June 30, 2015, from http://fee.org/freeman/detail/comparing-the-great-depression-to-the-great-recession Hubbard, R., Brien, A. (2012). Money, banking, and the financial system (Second ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall. Dr. Jafri Chapter notes