I believe one of the skills I learned from working on this project is prototyping. I had already understood the concept of prototyping and the role it plays in new product development, but I did not know how to do it myself. Also, I never grasped the understanding that prototyping is simply a representation of the product – its dimensions, weight, style, color, etc. I always thought that prototyping meant that a complete product had to be created – one with moveable parts, electrical wiring, functioning gears and motors, etc. I remember being overwhelmed with this aspect of the project because clearly a group of students with a limited budget cannot build an electronic device out of scraps. But the key understanding to prototyping came to me when our group asked you about our prototype and you claimed that “we are not prototyping a lamp.” Obviously, everyone already knows what a lamp looks like so a simple representation of a lamp would help the audience understand that the lamp is apart of the whole product – a room in a box. That way when we started building our prototype, our team did not go for this perfect one tenth scale model because it was not the actual individual pieces that mattered. It was the collection of pieces gathered into a box that was a representation of our product.

Another topic that the project helped me learn is the idea of gaining insights to develop products and services that are new, creative, and unique that consumers would never have thought of on their own. It is basically the idea that consumers do not actually know what they want or need. This was an interesting topic to explore for me because I had always thought that the products and services available to the public came from consumers voicing their opinions and concerns. However, as this course has demonstrated, hundreds of products and services come from evaluating insights – consumers’ behavior, psychographics, and emotions – to bring to life a product or service that scratches an itch. For example, in class you talked about how the iPhone has a feature where you can scroll through your voicemail messages and select which ones to listen to instead of the traditional way of listening to all the messages in order. No consumer knew that this was something they wanted. But Apple did extensive research to discover that this is a need or a want that consumers would like to have available. For our project, our team had to conduct email surveys and distribute photo journals so that we could get in the mind of our segment (older single dads). Through this process, we discovered that the bedroom is used for mostly functional purposes and has plain, simple colors and decorations. These were the key insights that our team used to develop a room in a box (The Simple Space). But this is a product that our segment would never be able to describe to marketers because they did not even know that it was useful. These older single dads were content with their current rooms and did not realize that something out there could revolutionize the look and feel of their room.

One of the key emotions I felt throughout this project was frustration. The reason I felt frustrated was because I did not see how each separate piece of the project (the updates) contributed to the whole of the project. Also, each individual part felt like it was a rehash of the one before it, so we were being redundant. However, by the end of the project when we were finally putting it all together, everything seemed to fall into place, and I realized how each step of the way contributed to the whole process. So in the end I would say my emotions were ones of satisfaction, success, and relief. As for my teammates, they were all very good at contributing and working with a collaborative mindset. It was frustrating when certain group members would not show up at group meetings, but they seemed to pull their weight in other areas to make up for it. I would also say that I thoroughly enjoyed our last meeting when we were building the prototype and running through the presentation because we all really got to know each other better. We were all together for six hours so the conversations expanded beyond the usual superficial banter. And I really appreciated the support from the professor. You always encouraged us and made us feel like we were on the right track (even when I felt we were way off). My only recommendation I would say is be consistent with the information regarding the project and encourage the whole way through. That way students do not feel like they are blindly navigating their way through this project. It is the support that got us through the whole ordeal.

The blog post I am critiquing comes from trendwatching.com titled “Eco-Bounty.” The post explores how the rise in environmentalism and green technology has transformed the way consumers purchase their various items and goods. “Eco-Bounty” argues that consumers have turned to waste-reduction, sustainability, and environment friendly purchasing behavior because the rise in pollution is destroying the planet. The blog not only argues that the change in consumer behavior is on the rise throughout the world, but that it is becoming profitable and trendy to go green. But I wonder just how much “bounty” there is in consumers buying less and being more economical. Can the green movement stimulate the economy? Or will the global economy shrink as a whole as a result of less consumption? These are the questions the world will have to find out as we collectively move to a more sustainable world.

One of the problems I see with the economy shifting to an environmentally conscious business world is that growth will not be apart of the process. Since the Industrial Revolution, this country has prided itself on moving forward and making the greatest profit possible through massive increases and growth. That has been the way of the whole 20th century. Companies always complain that if there isn’t growth in a quarter earnings, then that means they are doing poorly. For example, the North American box office has been on fire since the start of the year producing record numbers and contributing to the healthy revitalization of the movie industry. Yet industry leaders always compare the results of this year to other record years (like 2004) and claim that overall attendance is down. What I don’t understand is why people can’t simply be satisfied with the current situation. If the box office returns are up and the studios are reaping a profit, why is that considered poor performance? The reason is because people are never satisfied. Growth is the only solution they see to satiate their avaricious appetites. And because this is true of human nature, I believe the article may be wrong in claiming that going green will bring healthy profits. However, because the green movement is about sustainability and recycling, perhaps the resources, time, and money saved by being environmentally conscious will lead to greater profits. Essentially, the green movement will cut costs while keeping revenues the same leading to an increase in net income. There isn’t a single CEO in the world who doesn’t like a bigger bottom line. For example, in my Principles of Marketing class I took in the fall, an executive from Sam’s Club came and spoke about new efforts to stay competitive and maintain healthy profits. One of the examples he shared was how Sam’s Club changed the shape of the standard gallon of milk jug to a square jug in order to save space on the trucks transporting the goods. He claimed that they were able to fit twice as many square jugs of milk on each truck than before leading to 700,000 miles of travel time saved by the fleet of trucks. Savings like these lead to lower costs that lead to lower prices which means a better customer experience.

One of the other arguments the post makes that I found interesting is that consumers enjoy the “eco-status” of going green. What this means is that consumers’ status changes when they begin to purchase eco-friendly items and goods. I’m skeptical of this assertion because it seems that there are still millions of Americans who don’t care about the green movement and believe their status would be tarnished if they moved to sustainability. This may be only observable in the south where the freedom to be destructive and irresponsible is valued more than the health of the planet. But as it is, amongst my peers, friends, family, and acquaintances, the green movement does not bring the “eco-status” the post argues is the trend popping up in the economy.

I. Introduction

-Thesis: The multitude of variables that affect the success of a film (film criticism, star power, budgets, and award recognition) may not be the right ingredients for the box office smash every studio wants their film to become; instead, the formula lies in producing a film that creates a customer experience both unique to each movie-goer and unifying in a communal sense, as well as new yet still familiar.


II. Body

- Film Criticism
A. The role of film criticism on the movie business and how it affects the financial success of a film. (discuss In Defense of Film Critics article)
B. Although film criticism plays a role in the film industry, many films are impervious to bad reviews because viewers don’t always rely on reviews. (discuss Under the Influence article and Box Office Success article)
C. Site examples of various types of films and weigh the pros and cons of film criticism and how it influences the viewer experience.

- Star Power
A. In the old days, star power drove millions of viewers to the multiplexes. Today, it may not always be beneficial for films to headline leading men and women because the costs aren’t always justified. (discuss Hollywood Stars Blamed for Blockbuster Losses article and The Myth of Star Power article)
B. Discuss if star power improves or weakens box office success and viewer experience.

- Budgets
A. Big budget films aren’t always the biggest earners and don’t guarantee the best viewer experience. (discuss EW article)
B. Discuss how tent-pole and event films have edged out other films causing big budget movies to eat into each other’s profits allowing for smaller films to carve out a niche.
C. However, studios stick to big budgets as a sort of “insurance policy” so as not to lose money. (discuss Box Office Success article)

- Award Recognition
A. Analyze how award recognition may promise a good viewer experience but the box office sometimes underperforms
B. Discuss the latest Oscar season and its influence on the success of nominated films and winners.

- The Real Box Office Winners
A. Discuss the communal and unique experiences movies offer as well as the mix of the familiar and the new
B. Site several examples of movies that don’t fit the paradigm but are successful films and provide the best viewer experience
C. Site example from Walter Murch’s book In the Blink of an Eye
D. Discuss key insights and argue with personal opinions

I. Conclusion

- Although the influences of film criticism, budgets, star power, and award recognition may boost box office numbers, viewers are the ultimate judge of the quality of the films produced by Hollywood. The best viewer experiences lie in the unique individual experience as well as the communal experience while being familiar yet fresh and new.




Let me know if there is anything I can do to strengthen my paper. I think that it has a clear focus but it is difficult to pin-point specific reasons that contribute to the optimal viewer experience.