Chris Lederer & Megan Brownlow, ‘’A World of Differences’: Special Report: Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2016-2020’. Price Waterhouse Cooper

This week’s reading looks at entertainment and media companies and how the will fit in the diverse areas of growth and shifts in cultural and societal norms. It looks at how age and youth can affect the potential expansion of certain platforms, technologies, and companies, as well as the shift other platforms would have to take in order to continue functioning in the changing marketplace. It also looks at the entertainment and media companies use of and creation of content, and how the content is consumed. All of this looking through the lens of geography, and how countries, especially countries with a developing GDP, are dealing with entertainment and media companies in terms of business and spending, consumerism, and a local content production industry.

One of the aspects of the reading I found most informative was an aspect of the reading that dealt with business models and how previously working models are becoming outdated and obsolete. These old, traditional models are having to transform and rebuild in order to maintain relevance in the market, becoming hybrid companies, dealing with a large multitude of differing and variable content and technology being demanded by a more active, more discerning consumer. One of the areas, which I hadn’t even realised, was the very large shift in direction for marketing and advertising. Where once the marketing agency dealt with the “big picture ideas”, ideas that would appeal to a large, inclusive demographic, are now having to deal with the likes of Google and Facebook, and their methods of directed advertising thanks to algorithms processing and learning our wants and needs from the way we communicate with technology and how and what media we individually enjoy. These new methods could seriously undermine marketing and advertising companies that cannot keep up with shifting cultural ideals and societal attitudes.