THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSPECTIVE

                                                               A brighter future...   (source: Wnrn.org)

It didn’t really cross my mind what impact Thursday afternoon’s all-star breakout session would have on my path. In what was a lightning-quick two hour session, Frank Armstrong injected our class with key insight about our prospective futures. Divided up amongst graduates, we were able to hear their story; their journeys through the IMC program. It was invaluable.

We managed to pick the all-stars’ brains, dissecting their individual experiences. I was excited to see how they waded through the work to eventually find success in the real world. For me the sessions presented a sort of “life roadmap” – here is where you are, here is where you can end up if you play your cards right.

For the sake of advertising and IMC, it was interesting to examine how graduates integrated with the advertising/marketing world and how elements from the program were essential. The knowledge imparted on behalf of the grads definitely set me up in terms of knowing what pitfalls to avoid over the course of the next three years.

On my end, the sessions affirmed my faith in the program; that I had made the right choice in rebooting my early adult life. I can look back to the day I accepted my offer of admission with even greater confidence, knowing I wouldn’t change a thing…

                                                                     SLC's IMC at OCMC

ADVER-GAMING

                                             Battlefield 3 shipped with a cross-promo poster for Mass Effect 3

It didn’t dawn on me ‘til the car ride home that I LOVES ME SOME GAMES.

This thought process was instigated by the distinct possibility that I was going to playing the new Battlefield installment upon arriving at my house. It LITRALLY was the best part of my day. Speaking of which, I ended up teaming up with a good cross-section of section 1 IMC students in taking on the SA’s video game challenge: play Call of Duty and draw a crowd.

                                                              Typical Battlefield 3 Awesomeness.

                                                          Call of Duty: Black Ops advertisement

Every time we play Call of Duty, without exception, we garner wanted attention from students casually strolling about the SA.  As one of the best-selling games of all time, it’s no surprise Call of Duty gathers a crowd. People hover behind us, not unlike the rabid sports fan, giving us live commentary on the match. When we’re at the helm, it’s not uncommon to hear, “Oohhhhhhh!” from one of the on-lookers – eyes eagerly peeled to the screen. 

As everyone loves games, it only makes sense that it would be a future advertising avenue. In Kathy’s class we learned about “adver-gaming” wherein companies use games to advertise products. This extends from traditional video games like Cool Spot where the main character is an anthropomorphic red dot from the 7-UP logo; to more alternate-reality games, like the games used to uncover parts of The Dark Knight Rises and Halo.

                                                                Gamification outlined.

Adver-gaming, in my opinion, falls into the rising trend of “Gamification”. The concept revolves around rewarding people for conducting tasks in a leveling system. Basically the mechanics of a game applied to the real world. Where would find a future application, is in the workplace where corporations would reward loyal workers with incentives. It is clear this concept will take on eventually as it already is being implemented in the advertising world. 

As people’s experiences with media become interactive, so tool will their expectations of advertising. It makes sense to take something from the gaming world, which functions as a popular form of escape and implement it as a tool of business. Adver-gaming is the future.