Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 1

IBM 493 Midterm

Rohan Mittal

Cal Poly Pomona

Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 2

1. Please explain the Four Cs as they refer to entertainment marketing.

The Four Cs of entertainment marketing are content, conduit, consumption, and

convergence. The content is the actual product being sold and it can be a book, movie, television

show, podcast, etc. Conduit is the mechanism which delivers the product to the consumer. So

movies like Wonder Woman are delivered through movie theaters while TV shows like Game of

Thrones are delivered through either streaming HBO online or getting HBO through a cable

subscription. Consumption is how the consumer uses the product. So many films are sold

through DVDs, Blu-Rays, and Digital Downloads. Convergence is how media and technologies

come together.

Source: Lieberman, A., & Esgate, P. (2014). The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing:

Bringing the Moguls, The Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial

Times/Prentice Hall.

2. Please explain the importance of distribution in the entertainment industry.

Distribution is one of the most important, if not the most important, aspect of the

entertainment industry. Many people believe that production is the most important aspect

because that is the good being sold. Without distribution, however, it does not matter how well

made the product is because if it is not distributed properly the audience will not be able to

consume it. There are many independent filmmakers out there who make great films, but nobody

sees them because they are not distributed properly. An individual cannot distribute films to

theaters on their own because it requires millions of dollars. That is where distribution

companies come in. These include Warner Bros., Disney, Fox, Universal, Lionsgate, Paramount,

and much more. More recently streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon are getting into
Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 3

the distribution business as well by distributing films such as The Big Sick, an Amazon film that

was very well received by both audiences and critics alike and is even getting Oscar buzz. This is

all possible because of distribution companies.

Source: Lieberman, A., & Esgate, P. (2014). The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing:

Bringing the Moguls, The Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial

Times/Prentice Hall.

3. Please explain the concept of digital disruption as detailed in chapter 6 of the

Entertainment recommended textbook.

Digital disruption refers to the emergence of new technology that affects the existing

business practices within an industry. One example of this is Amazon. Brick and mortar stores

such as Borders are gone. It is now infinitely more convenient and easier to order a book off

Amazon or better yet, buy the book and instantly read it on a Kindle. This digital disruption also

applies to music and film as streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify become more and

more popular. People do not go to the movies anymore because they know that they can watch a

film on Netflix or another streaming service a few months later. Record stores have closed down

because it is easier to buy music on iTunes or even subscribe to Spotify and be able to listen to

any song ever. Even more recently a service called MoviePass has emerged which allows people

to pay a monthly fee of $10 and with that, they can watch any movie a day in theaters. The new

digital age has made it easier for the consumers to consume entertainment but has made it harder

for the traditional distributors, particularly brick and mortar stores, to distribute this

entertainment.
Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 4

Source: Lieberman, A., & Esgate, P. (2014). The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing:

Bringing the Moguls, The Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial

Times/Prentice Hall.

4. Please go online and review Variety and write a narrative about one of the articles

that you reviewed.

Variety is reporting that Marvel has pulled the Punisher panel from New York Comic

Con due to the recent Las Vegas shooting. Both Netflix and Marvel released a statement saying

that it "wouldn't be appropriate for Marvels The Punisher to participate in New York Comic

Con." The show was rumored to debut on October 7, to that neither Marvel nor Netflix

commented. It seems as this is the correct course of action to take by Marvel as there are many

similarities between the character of the Punisher and the Las Vegas shooter. The Punisher is all

about a man who collects lots of guns and kills people with them. To have this panel a week after

the deadliest shooting in the country's history would have come off as irresponsible and out of

touch with current events.

Source: Holloway, D. (2017, October 05). Marvels Punisher Pulled From New York Comic-

Con Following Las Vegas Shooting. Retrieved October 07, 2017, from

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/marvels-punisher-1202581153/

5. Please explain what makes a network work.

A network is transmitted through something called terrestrial television. This means that

the signal is broadcasted through a microwave radio relay which also requires some type of tuner

to act as a receiver. Networks then purchase space on local channels in order to broadcast their

content in numerous different areas. While the government requires that networks be available to

everyone, this does not mean that everyone will watch network television. As a result, the
Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 5

networks must produce content that they hope people will enjoy enough to keep them watching,

especially through the commercial breaks that corporations purchase ad time on. The commercial

breaks are where networks get the bulk of their money as corporations pay for those ad spots.

Source: Lieberman, A., & Esgate, P. (2014). The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing:

Bringing the Moguls, The Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial

Times/Prentice Hall.

6. Please explain the view that consumers from different demographic market

segments will be motivated by a different set of factors.

Many companies believe that demographics impact preferences. This belief would be correct. A

major factor impacting people's behavior and preferences is their upbringing, so it stands to

reason that the products people buy and the entertainment they choose is also heavily influenced

by that factor. These demographics would include age, gender, ethnicity, and much more. Take

gender as an example, from birth males and females are given different clothing to wear,

different toys to play with, and different expectations placed upon them. So, if a young boy is

raised with superhero action figures and comic books he is more likely to consume superhero

movies and television when he is a young adult. However, that feeling may go away by the time

he is older as he may associate superheroes as childish.

Source: Lieberman, A., & Esgate, P. (2014). The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing:

Bringing the Moguls, The Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial

Times/Prentice Hall.

7. Please explain model 4.1 in the reader from the Consumer Tourism section detailing

a typology of motivators in tourism.

Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 6

Model 4.1 is about adventure tourism. Adventure tourism has recently been growing as

an interest for people. The model also states that there is no single definition for what adventure

tourism is but there are certain attributes that are often associated with adventure tourism. The

list of characteristics all have one thing in common: excitement that gets the blood pumping.

Whether the characteristic is danger, risk, exploration, or anything else from the list everything

circles back to the excitement that gets the blood pumping. The danger enhances the fear which

in turn gets the heart racing and the blood pumping, therefore increasing the excitement.

Excitement is the heart of adventure.

Source: Swarbrooke, J., & Horner, S. (2007). Consumer Behaviour in Tourism. Amsterdam:

Butterworth-Heinemann.

8. Please explain the importance of ethnographic research in both the entertainment

and hospitality industry.

Ethnographic research is studying people within their own environments and seeing how

they interact on a daily basis. This is important for the entertainment industry as the environment

people live in will significantly impact what they will and will not enjoy in their entertainment.

For example, the Middle-East is not a sex-positive area and as a result, the people there would

not be interested in films that depict lots of sexual acts or nudity. Ethnographic research is

important for the hospitality industry as it is important to understand norms and customs within

certain environments. For example, if a hotel or resort opens up in a foreign country it is

important for the hotel to research how people speak, what are the customs, and what are the

taboos in order to properly function in the country or area that they are in.

Source: Swarbrooke, J., & Horner, S. (2007). Consumer Behaviour in Tourism. Amsterdam:

Butterworth-Heinemann.
Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 7

Lieberman, A., & Esgate, P. (2014). The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing: Bringing

the Moguls, The Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial

Times/Prentice Hall.

9. Please review the Event Planning template located via bb and please explain why

this template is useful for planning an event.

The reason the event planning template is so important is that it provides a guideline onto

how to plan an event and what to think about. The document is also short and allows planners to

quickly determine what they need to think about and even gives them a great place to write down

their ideas. The planner is a great organization tool. With just a couple of pages of document,

planners can write down almost all the crucial information they need. Furthermore, the document

is great for managers as it includes not only what they need to account for but also tracks who

they put in charge of taking care of each aspect. For example, the catering. A manager can see

the crucial information they need for the catering and can even write down who is in charge of

that so if they need to ask any question or check for an update they can quickly refer to the image

and see who the person in charge is. Overall, this template is the ultimate organization tool for

managers and event planners.

Source: Provided by professor.

10. What is the most important concept you have learned this term?

The most important concept I have learned in the class so far is the importance of

research and how to conduct that research properly. I have learned that conducting extensive

research prior to launching into something is extremely crucial. I've also learned how much

research should be done. It is not enough to simply research the demographics of a target

audience but it is also important to research the ethnography of the area and the industry as a
Running head: IBM 493: MIDTERM 8

whole. The event planning document actually gives me a guide on what to research anytime I

have to plan an event. This quarter has taught me that regardless of if I am in the hospitality

industry or the entertainment industry, research is crucial for success.

Source: Lieberman, A., & Esgate, P. (2014). The Definitive Guide to Entertainment Marketing:

Bringing the Moguls, The Media, and the Magic to the World. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Financial

Times/Prentice Hall.