New technology can be a threat for many companies. An example we’ve seen in class would be Blackberry’s financial problems because they couldn’t compete with the innovation of competitors. One industry threatened by new technology is media, such as the Television and Newsprint companies struggling with online video streaming and news being easily accessible and free. Faced with threatening competitors with state-of-the-art technology, media companies are feeling the pressure.

But not everyone! In her article, Mia Pearson writes of companies learning how to fit in to their changed industries. This is an excellent example of companies recognizing and overcoming threats, which we’ve learned is an important role of management. Pearson explains that several establishments have succeeded in combining ‘old’ and ‘new’ forms of media and are attempting to make them more interactive for their audience. One example is Coca Cola, who allowed viewers of a TV commercial to be live on the add by using a hashtag on twitter.

New technology is threatening many companies, but with the right creativity, the menacing threat can turn into an empowering opportunity.

Coca-Cola combines Twitter and Television to interact with their advertising audience.

An advertising strategy many companies turn to is the use of current events to advertise merchandise, allowing consumers to feel a connection with the company and product. This method can be beneficial, but there is risk involved. Companies have to be extremely careful with which current events they refer to, as some references can be seen as unethical.

In her article, Susan Krashinsky reports incidents where companies have gone too far with their references. One recent marketing strategy gone wrong was companies posting on social media that they were ‘remembering’ the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, such as the phone company AT&T, however the posts seemed more like they were using the twelfth anniversary of the tragedy to promote their products.

The article recounts other incidents where companies have made unethical references to current events, such as the riots in Egypt and the potential attacks on Syria.

The use of connections to the media can be a valuable marketing strategy, but companies must be careful with how far they take these references. Misusing this strategy can lead to unhappy consumers and bad company publicity. Personally, I find that the use of the memory of the 9/11 tragedy makes companies seem naive and disrespectful, even if they intended the comment to be genuine and caring.