Short Essay 2_SHI,Congshuang (1155225495)

Why the co-branding of two opposite images can be successful

 

Co-branding has been commonly used in marketing, and sometimes it faces problems such as homogenization. Reverse co-branding means the cooperation of two or more brands or IPs with completely opposite images or product uses. These brands originally had different target markets, so their cooperation can develop new markets and improve their ability to compete in the market. Reverse co-branding is popular with young consumer groups and has received good results on new media platforms.The 4I theory consists of four factors: Interesting, Interests, Interaction and Individuality. I want to analyze why this co-branding can be successful from the perspective of the 4I theory.

The co-branding of Luckin Coffee and the lonely frog(孤寡青蛙) on Qixi Festival is a typical example.As a symbol of singleness, the lonely frog is completely incompatible with the atmosphere of Qixi Festival.However, Luckin Coffee chose to co-brand with it to emphasize the concept of singles.The reverse co-branding was interesting and unique so it stood out in the Chinese Valentine's Day activities.Moreover, nowadays young people, especially single, prefer an unrestrained and free lifestyle. The co-branding of Luckin Coffee and the lonely frog exactly  caters to this attitude. Luckin Coffee released co-branded cup sets and paper bags with the symbolism such as “freedom” and “independence”, realized the emotional attitudes of single consumers. The brand integrated into the young group with sufficient emotional value and made it more famous. This approach breaks through stereotypes and surprises the public beyond their expectations, resulting in a better consumer experience.

Another typical reverse co-branding is the activity sponsored by Keep and Ele.me. Keep is a fitness software, and Ele.me is a food takeaway software.They have a completely different impressions. It is this combination of unrelated brands that is appealing enough to consumers. The co-branding of the two emphasizes the importance of food and fitness , not only to exercise but also to eat healthy.From the conflicting view of wanting to stay healthy but not wanting to give up food, the brand helps users solve the problems of unhealthy eating and improper practice.In terms of content, they uses a conversational style. In terms of locations, the brand placed the posters near transportation stations with high traffic flow, so that the audience could watch them while waiting for the bus, and the activity information could be effectively distributed. In addition, the large interesting posters also stimulated young people's desire to share, and many people chose to shoot the posters and present them in social media.The co-branding communicated with young people in the form they like and lets users feel the sincerity of the brand. And this kind of interaction meets the needs of users and improves their loyalty and goodwill.

Reverse co-branding makes reasonable use of brand differentiation, reflects the brand's unique characteristics. So it can attract segmented consumer groups and make the brand more popular. The fundamental reason for the success of reverse co-branding is that the values of the brand can be widely recognized and accepted by the target audience.To achieve lasting goals, reverse co-branding should provide products or activities that match the needs of the target consumers.Opportunities are often accompanied by challenges.Reverse co-branding is still concentrated in the food and fitness industry. How to expand the range of reverse co-branding? How to find the best connection linking the brand concept with the audience value? With the development of reverse co-branding, there are still mamy problems to be solved in the future.

Short Essay 1-Zheng Haixiang(1155220400)

Lawsuit against tech giants like Apple may change Market Structures

    Recently, a BBC news report disclosed that Apple, one of the world's most dominant and influential tech companies, has lured over 4,000 British users into iCloud service and charged them exorbitant prices.

    The consumer representative in the lawsuit against Apple noted that by not allowing competing storage services to access its products like iPhones and iPads, Apple charges high fees in a closed environment, depriving users of the right to choose and change. Once using Apple products, users are inevitably stripped of the choice of alternatives.

 

    Regardless of the severity of the lawsuit and accusations, it's undeniable that Apple has created a "cage" for users. In the market structure (Litman, 1988), this resembles a combination of monopoly and oligopoly.

 

    On a macro scale, major Big Tech firms like Google, Microsoft, and China's Huawei and Baidu have all launched cloud services similar to iCloud. Despite other platforms, the market is dominated by a few large companies, constituting an oligopoly. On a micro level, for iPhone and iPad users (the lawsuit victims), their choices are restricted by Apple alone, which can raise prices arbitrarily, forming a monopoly.

 

    For a long time, this market model, along with Apple's perfect product ecosystem, has earned a good reputation among users. Its high-quality and personalized services have made consumers willing to pay high monthly fees. Long-term, Apple has ensured a high-quality cloud storage utopia, with powerful functions laying the groundwork for product upgrades, setting an industry standard and spurring innovation.

 

    However, with technological progress, Apple's competitors can offer equally or more abundant cloud service functions. In mainland China, for example, the Huawei Harmony ecosystem has been popular due to its low cost and rich features; Xiaomi has integrated cloud storage and the ecosystem into its smart home products, creating unique value. There are increasingly more iCloud alternatives with lower entry barriers, but Apple's existing users have no choice. Apple's inflexibility in opening software compatibility has gradually eroded user confidence, making it harder to attract new customers.

 

    According to the BBC report, the suing users hope Apple admits its monopolistic behavior and opens up software compatibility for more and cheaper choices. This has two sides. In one hand, if Apple allows more cloud service choices, it can attract more users; cooperation with other tech giants can also promote innovation and benefit consumers.

 

    Nevertheless, with more third-party developers, concerns over user privacy and security cannot be overlooked. It's also hard to guarantee Apple's consistently high product quality, which may negatively impact future customer loyalty.

    ref:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20g50ny53eo; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGJIDy-mdzo.

Short essay 2 - Tan Xiangling(1155217218)

 Solutions and Cases of Advertising Placement Optimization based on Feeds practices

Actually, In addition to SEM and SEO types of advertising mentioned in class, there is another type that is more prevalent and widespread in today’s Internet advertising practices, and that is what we call Feeds. It firstly appeared in the social media users friends' updates in Facebook 2006. And i believe it posses a special kind of protozoa as melt into the information that users naturally accept. Moreover, it is now utilized by various companies because of its high user reach rate.

How they define the user reach rate according to feeds ads? Limited by technology, the rate of click used to be the only metric for companies to measure the adverting effect. However, not for today. Click-through rate is not the only standard for accessing the effectiveness of Internet advertising. Due to improvement of functions and technology, other user behaviors have emerged and can be precisely measured, including ad creativity, ad interaction, creative clicks, website activity and offline activity. Therefore, there are many more metrics derived from these behaviors, like PV (the metric to test whether the media actually delivers the flows they promised and the quality of exposure); UV (the metric to test whether it reaches the unique users as planned); CPM, etc. Based on above situation, the advertising operators must not only know what those metrics are which is quite basic, but also know to balance and manage to achieve the whole optimization.

In that case, what’s the solution of above question and what should we pay attention to during the optimization process? KPI are often a trade-off and balance among the quantity, quality and cost. Because DSP ad placement is the result of market economy, advertisers should not expect to satisfy all three aspects in the end. Frequently, the first step of optimization is to weigh those three aspects. In the practice, DSP advertising is just only a part of online marketing. If you use all the metrics we have mentioned to assess the online marketing advertising, it can only be said that there are some things that advertisers can do, and there are some things that  advertisers would like to do, but can not do. We must confess there is a trend in the difficulty of optimizing all these metrics. I just pick one important metric as example, which is the landing rate, the easiest metrics to optimize besides CTR. Basically, landing rate is influenced by following four factors: quality of the ad audience(matching degree), creativeness form of the ad, presence of flow cheats, monitoring of the position of the page where the code is located. Then the solution must targeted on those four aspects. When flow have CTR that is too high but too low a landing rate, it alarms us to check if there is any cheating flow. Moreover, analysis on the different dimensions like platform and placement district is a effective way to improve the matching and creating process.

Take Ping An Puhui(平安普惠) as an example. Based on previous research, advertisers should have a plain understanding of all kind of operators and customers of the financing trade, which are divided into three types(Big Data Model Crowd, loading APP crowd and A&B cross crowd) and merge into the crowd strategy. After the preparation, we conduct the All-platform flow mapping strategy, including guaranteed-performance(stabilize) media and test media which we called media strategy. Lastly, it’s time to use the micro perspective and think about the material strategy. What kinds of copywritings and Images have maximize appealing to the three crowds. Building on the above statement, the conduction and widespread of Ping An Puhui’ business can be divided into following steps:

STEP	ACTIONS
Media test phase	Detecting how much media can be effective in mapping the broader market
Crowd test phase	Detecting the effectiveness of different crowd
Crowd optimization phase	Optimizing lacking converting crowds: shrinkage
Crowd Advancement phase	Using the big data model
New crowd testing phase	Testing other potential crowds
Core KPI optimization phase	Assuring the enrollment and improve the quality of the crowds

Short essay 2 - ZHU Can (1155217214)

Reelshort's Success and Dilemma: Oversea Short Drama with Blue Ocean Theory

The popularity of short dramas in China has been undisputed, with mature works and markets targeting various segments of users such as Generation Z, office workers or silver-haired groups. This fragmented and fast-paced content consumption model has not only achieved great commercial benefits in China, but also gained popularity in North America, and overseas short dramas have become a blue ocean.

Reelshort is one of the most popular short drama apps in the world, with more downloads than Tiktok in the U.S. Reelshort's homepage features vampires, werewolves, and a domineering president, and its localised strategy of filming in North America and broadcasting in North America has successfully captured the eyeballs of young and middle-aged white-collar women. In addition to Reelshort, Crazy Maple Studio has also launched the novel app Kiss and the game app Chapters; when an online article performs well on Kiss, it will be turned into an interactive novel game on Chapters, and then filmed as a short drama and broadcast on Reelshort after accumulating popularity. This model provides Reelshort with a rich source of IP to produce a steady stream of quality scripts for short play adaptations.

Applying the Blue Ocean Theory, the short dramas broadcast on Reelshort don't care about the depth of the plot or the fame of the actors, they are finely localised on the basis of guaranteeing the foundamental graphic effect, and they are close to the classic characters in North American culture, so as to give play to the advantages of short dramas with fast pacing and many reversals. In this way, Reelshort provides a new entertainment option for users who are used to traditional long episodes or short videos. Such an overseas mode avoids the status quo of increasingly fierce competition and serious homogenisation of works in the domestic short drama market, and turns its attention to the overseas market, adjusts the positioning of the target audience, adapts to its consumption habits, and opens up a new blue ocean market.

Eliminate	Reduce
Plot depth Actor Fame	Plot depth Actor Fame
Raise	Create
Typical characters Simple story Fast-paced	Fragmented viewing Reversal and Drama Localisation Pay-as-you-go

While the momentum of development is promising, Reelshort, as a representative of short dramas abroad, is also facing some challenges that can't be circumvented. Firstly, North America does not have mature viewing and placement scenes like mini programs in China, so it is necessary to download apps to watch dramas, and the conversion effect is greatly affected by the fact that it is not possible to realise one-click jump in the process of placing ads on Instagram and Tiktok to guide the downloads. Secondly, the North American audience has higher requirements for the quality of episodes, even for short dramas with scripts that cannot be examined in detail, the audience has requirements for the delicacy of their images, colours, lighting, etc., so the production cost is much higher compared to the domestic market. Overseas short drama market is still mostly funded by domestic platforms and produced by overseas Chinese. In the face of the mature film and television industry in North America, the attention of local capital and practitioners may still be indispensable for the sustainable growth and development of the film and television industry.

Short Essay2_HUANG Yufei(1155219821)

The Success of 'Papa's' Series in the Simulation Gaming Arena

The "Papa's" series, developed by Flipline Studios, is a collection of casual time-management games that have gained popularity for their unique blend of simulation and puzzle elements. 

Company 

Flipline Studios, the developer behind the "Papa's" series, is known for creating engaging and interactive games that appeal to a wide audience. The company's strategy has been to maintain a consistent formula across the series while introducing new themes and mechanics in each installment. This approach has allowed Flipline Studios to build a loyal fan base and establish a strong brand identity in the casual gaming market. The games are typically web-based, making them accessible to a global audience without the need for high-end hardware.

Flipline Studios differentiates itself by focusing on a consistent franchise with a recognizable theme, which has helped it stand out in a crowded market. Faced with continuous challenges, it has sustained its competitive edge in the casual gaming sector by adhering to a formula of innovation within consistency. Each "Papa's" game introduces new themes like pizza or burgers, while retaining familiar time-management mechanics. This balance attracts both returning fans and new players. By localizing content and maintaining a consistent brand identity, Flipline Studios has expanded its reach and solidified its position in the market. Continuous updates and the introduction of new games keep the series fresh, ensuring ongoing player engagement and brand loyalty.

The character settings and storylines in the "Papa's" series are also popular among players. The customers in the game all have unique personalities and taste preferences, making every cooking process full of unknowns and surprises. The game incorporates elements of humor and satire, making the entire game process even more enjoyable and relaxed.

At the same time, Flipline Studios places great importance on interaction and feedback from players. They often communicate with players through social media and game forums, understand their needs and opinions, and continuously optimize game content based on these feedback. This player-centric development philosophy enables the "Papa's" series to maintain its attractiveness and competitiveness.

Competitors 

The "Papa's" series operates in a competitive market filled with other casual gaming options. Competitors include well-established game developers like King, known for games such as Candy Crush Saga, and Supercell, with titles like Clash of Clans. These companies offer similar time-management and simulation games that target the same demographic. 

In the Chinese market, the "Papa's" series competes with local food-themed games that cater to the tastes and preferences of Chinese players. For instance, "全民餐厅" (i love pasta) is known for its detailed graphics and numerous play options, offering a deep dive into restaurant management with Chinese characteristics. Additionally, "楼下的早餐店" combines the charm of Chinese street food with the restaurant management genre, featuring dishes like small steamed buns and grilled cold noodles. These games showcase the diversity and innovation within the Chinese gaming market, providing local alternatives to the "Papa's" series and highlighting the importance of cultural relevance in game design.

However, it has been a popular choice among Chinese players as well. In the face of competition in the Chinese market, the "Papa's" series wins the hearts of Chinese players by offering a stress-relieving gaming experience rather than pressurizing players with rapid operations and constant advertisement viewing for upgrades, which is a common issue in many local games. Its unique competitive edge lies in its universal appeal and the absence of language barriers, allowing it to stand out among games that may feel more culturally specific or linguistically exclusive.

Customers 

The target audience for the "Papa's" series is broad, encompassing casual gamers who enjoy time-management and simulation games.The series appeals to both children and adults, offering a fun and engaging experience that can be enjoyed in short bursts or over longer periods. These players are typically looking for games that are easy to pick up and play, with a low barrier to entry. They enjoy the game for various reasons, but share a common enjoyment of the simulation management and cooking processes. For example, some players may like to try out various cooking combinations in the game to satisfy their curiosity and creativity, while others may focus more on the game's rhythm and sense of achievement, enjoying completing a large number of orders in a short period of time and earning high scores and good reviews.

The "Papa's" series has proven to be a successful venture in the simulation management and cooking game market. Its unique blend of gameplay, cultural insights, and player engagement has allowed it to carve out a dedicated fan base. It serves as a testament to the power of a well-crafted game that not only entertains but also educates and connects players across the globe.

Recall the childhood days when we eagerly opened 4399 to play Papa's Burgeria. A decade later, Papa remains, a steadfast figure in the gaming world, still waiting for us to join him as his diligent workers in the virtual culinary world. Time may pass, but the charm of Papa's series endures, inviting us back to the familiar counter to create and serve with a smile.