Advertising Kill Bill :: Promotion Marketing Advertising

Advertising Kill Bill Explosive entertainment any way you slice it! This is how the magazine ad for the movie Kill Bill starts off. In the advertisement they have different pictures from the movie of sword fighting and also characters in the film. Also the advertisement’s background is blood red. As soon as you look at it you can tell that this movie is an intense action film. The Kill Bill magazine advertisement accomplishes its purpose very well by its eight person sword fight picture, explosive entertainment, and catchy background. The whole purpose of this ad is simply to get you to go out and buy the Kill Bill DVD. By looking at this ad and seeing six people with swords there is no doubt that this is going to be an action movie. Also there is blood red color all throughout the background and it says under the rating strong bloody violence. The author is trying to get this advertisement to reach out to all of the action fans out there. Also on the cover of the DVD you can see that is mentions Quentin Tarantino twice. They are also trying to reach out to all of the people that are fans of any Quentin Tarantino movies. There are two main ethos in this advertisement that they try and get you to believe when you look at it. The two are â€Å"explosive excitement any way you slice it† and â€Å"own the thrill before the final kill.† Under the first statement there is a picture of a huge sword fight so that makes the statement very believable. As soon as you look at this ad you can tell that this is going to be a very thrilling movie from the blood red background and again the swords. This ad makes me want to go out and buy this movie because it looks both thrilling and also entertaining. By this advertisement making me want to buy this film I would give a lot of credibility to the author who put this whole thing together. The main logo to this movie is if you are into entertaining action movies than this is definitely a movie for you. Once you look at the ad you can tell that it is an action movie from the sword fighting, to the characters faces, and the quotes on the advertisement.

The Word Nigger Essays -- Definition History Nigga Nigger Black Essays

The Word "Nigger" â€Å"My niggas. Some niggas that you don’t wanna try.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My niggas. Some niggas that’s really do or die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My niggas. Ain’t no longer living a lie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My niggas is stong. My niggas is real.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Does this artist use the word nigger in the same way that racists have and still are? The answer to this question is a simple one- no. Today’s urban society have changed, not only the definition, but also the spelling of this word, which was once used to belittle those of African-American decent. Now, the definition as proved through today’s urban youth holds many denotations- positive and negative. But has the definition really changed? Or are today’s urban society just being ignorant and socially blinded by the hardships of our ancestors as they continue to use a word that held such great racial tension when used in the 1800’s? Two answers for this one- yes and no. Yes the definition has changed, but not totally to where it’s precedent has been forgotten. In fact, urban youth are so socially powerful that they can take a word and totally flip it and use it within themselves but when one of another race uses it, they return it b ack to the old definition and the racial remarks commence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The definitions of the word nigger are as follows: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a Negro 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  loosely or incorrectly applied to members of dark-skinned race 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a vulgar offensive term of hostility and contempt as used by Negrophobes Nigger (etymology) 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Latin niger becomes Spanish and Portugese Negro used in France for â€Å"black man† especially in Africa adapted by the English 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  latin niger, for black, occurs in such river names as the Rio Negro in South America and the Niger f Central West Africa. When used by a white person to describe a black or African American person, this can be the most hateful hurtful, offensive term in the language today. This word in American speech dates back to the late 16th century, although the modern spelling doesn't appear until two centuries later. The obsolete spelling niger dates to 1574. It derives from the Latin niger meaning black. It shares this common root with negro. The first recorded use of the word nigger was in 1786 in a poem by Robert Burns yet variations on it including negar, neger, and niger are recorded two centuries before then. The offensiveness of the term has increased ov... ...ds in the air and scream. In this thesis, I’ve actually learned a few things. From looking up the word in etymology books, I concluded that the society has come to realize that we do use the word amongst ourselves but never to the extent to which it has been used centuries ago towards our ancestors. One book quotes â€Å"†¦African Americans commonly use the word in different ways among themelves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  1. DMX, Interlude, (Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, 1998) 2. â€Å"Nigger.† The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary ed. 1973 3. DMX, Interlude, (Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, 1998) 4. â€Å"Nigger.† The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary ed. 1973 5. â€Å"Nigger† Webster’s Third New International Dictionry 6. â€Å"Nigger† A Short Etymologica Dictionary of Modern English ORIGINS ed 1966 7. â€Å"Nigga† Dictionary for American Slang ed. 1995 8. Twain, Mark Hulckeberry Finn 9. Rice Jr., Earl The O.J.Simpson Trial San Diego, CA:Lucent Books Inc, 1997 10. Peterson, Nina. Personal interview. 2 June 2000 11. Punisher, Big. Watch Those! (Yeaah Baby!, 2000) 12. Rush Hour (movie) 13. Scoop, Fat Man, Brooklyn Clan (Hot 97’s mix tape) 14. â€Å"Nigger† Encyclopedia of Word and Phase Origins ed 1997

Technology Trends and Issues :: essays research papers fc

Defining Technological Literacy Given the current state of technology, a researcher should have little difficulty in finding relevant definitions that embody a spirited understanding of underlying technical and societal interactions that craft a view of the technically literate person. As an exercise, extracting the common elements from various experts’ definitions of technological literacy should result in a generalized perspective that would provide a foundation supporting further literacy definitions for aspects of technology such as computers or genetics. However, this is easier than it sounds. As Gagel (1997) confirms, â€Å"defining technological literacy has proven to be an unexpectedly complex and difficult task†. The difficulty in defining technological literacy is exposed by a number of factors. One factor relates to understanding perspective and determining whether the term is best defined by putting the emphasis on â€Å"technology† or â€Å"literacy† or whether the subject is best approached laterally. Indeed, Gagel describes the technological literacy from a technology perspective as opposed to defining literacy and then establishing parameters supporting technological literacy. Perhaps this approach contributed to the author’s difficulty in defining the term. As technology is so diverse and crosses many boundaries, perhaps the definition of technological literacy should do likewise, and not be restricted to either a â€Å"technology† or â€Å"literacy† perspective. Another factor contributing to the difficulty in defining technological literacy involves the improperly weighting of computer influence on the term’s definition. In a speech given by former President, Bill Clinton, this misunderstanding is propagated further. He states, â€Å"Today, technological literacy – computer skills and the ability to use computers and other technology to improve learning, productivity and performance – is a new basic that our students must master. â€Å" (Clinton, n.d.) Clearly, this mindset is remiss and precludes the contribution of myriad other technologies affecting our daily lives. According to Harrison, â€Å"Computer literacy is but a subset of technological literacy, but if this mindset is not encouraged, then the richness of technological literacy will not be passed on to next generations. As technologists, we have the daunting task of reversing this rapidly flowing river.† (Harrison, 2000) So, the question is how to define â€Å"technological literacy† without being trapped in too narrow a perspective and without utilizing a specific technology to add meaning to the term. It is important that society controls technology for it to serve us purposefully in our daily lives and lifestyle in general. For us to control technology, an understanding and knowledge is required to allow us to make informative decisions on how it will affect our lives.

Adrift In A Moral Sea: Should We Help The Needy?

In his article, Hardin presents a compelling argument why we should not help the needy: we cannot afford it. And by all means, I agree with Mr. Hardin. The bottom line is it is not in our interests to help the needy. It may be that sympathetic people’s hearts are bleeding with the fact that 790 million of the world’s population is chronically undernourished and starving when all over the world it is standard procedure for stores to routinely dispose food that they were not able to sell for the day. We see them in pictures or news clips: the poor in Africa burning under the sun, the hungry children in Asia going through the piles of garbage looking for food. We feel sorry for them, but we are happy we are not them, that by some contingent force we ended up being born in a wealthy country. We may want to send them food and clothing and other parcels with wishes of peace and love, but if we really want to help them, then I think we should give them what they really need. Most of the â€Å"needy† come from developing and in-transition countries, whose histories are characterized by civil wars, revolutions and struggles for freedom from colonizers, then struggles for freedom from tyrants; and whose financial records show glaring foreign debt. The World Bank recorded that for every dollar that the developing world receives in grants, it pays $13 for debt servicing. In the Jubilee Year of 2000, Pope John Paul II called for the cancellation of all foreign debts so that the poorer nations can focus on rebuilding and strengthening their economies and governments and providing services to their people rather than being harassed to pay their foreign debt that they acquired because of the colonization trend (and almost all developed countries had colonies), and of the two World Wars which they were mere casualties of. It seems to me then that if we really are serious about helping the poor, then we should not be giving them food or grants – we should be repaying them for ravaging their natural resources and enslaving their ancestors, for subjecting their nations to the highest form of discrimination and robbing them of their rights, and for destroying their lands and lives with our selfish wars. And the payments should be adjusted as per inflation and with interest. Of course, no one will agree to that. If we did not let the Jubilee Year weaken our resolve, why now? If we cannot even admit our mistake at Vietnam and apologize, why should we humble ourselves before the poor of the world, even if they are the majority? Let us think of the food program and the foreign assistance to other nations as our way of making it up to them. That is the best that we can do, since handing over our wealth is out of the question. The thing is, even with the food program, there is hardly any improvement in the hunger problem, and even with the grants the poverty levels and the population issues remain. In The State of Food Insecurity in the World, it is acknowledged that there have been significant improvement in agriculture technology and by all means, there is more food than ten years ago. But the problem of hunger persists because there are adequate infrastructures and mechanisms – roads, shipping systems – to deliver the food to people. There is a vicious cycle of hunger, poverty and overpopulation, but do we solve their problem? According to the Population Reference Bureau, the less developed world has on average a population growth rate of 1.5 compared to the .1 of the more developed world. Apparently, high mortality rates, the lack of food and adequate resources are not stopping them from producing offspring. In Darwin’s survival of the fittest, they seem to be doing just fine. I may be accused of being simplistic in my argument, but the needy have governments, and more than that, they have their own minds. They should know by now that there is not enough food where they are, there are very few opportunities, and so if they wanted to help themselves maybe they should focus more on looking for food and work than having babies. If their governments cannot take care of them, should ours do? Presently, we are facing our own social security issues; why would we want to trouble our government with providing for other people when there is an impending danger that we might not be having enough for the future? And why even dwell on the hunger in Africa when in our country there are hungry, homeless people? As Hardin pointed out, there is not enough space in the lifeboat. Either they make their own lifeboat, or they learn to swim to an island, what is important is that they should do something rather than just accept their fate of drowning just because the metaphor says so. It is a battle of survival, of preserving interests. If helping the needy will not cost anything and even placate our moral sensitivities, then we will help them. But as it turns out, we cannot afford to feed the millions of hungry people. Everything that we give them we take from our future stock, from that which we hope to give to ourselves in our old age, to our children and to our grandchildren. And when faced with giving to strangers or looking after our own families, nobody is the Good Samaritan. WORKS CITED: 2005 Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme Global Development Finance, World Bank, 1999 The State of Food Insecurity in the World. Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006.

Philippine Independent Cinema Essay

Independent films, more commonly known as indie films, are films not made by mainstream production houses or movie studios. They are independent of the influences, authority, and control of the mainstream industry (Makuha, 2010). The emergence of new and highly-advanced cameras in the market and the advancement of technology have spawned the growth of indie films. This allowed anyone to create his or her own film in accordance to his or her own style without the influences of mainstream movies, which indeed have good effects on the film industry, especially in the Philippines. These films became more noticed and more important and they have saved the slowly dying film industry (Makuha, 2010). Read more:Â  Essay About Philippine Independent Cinema In the brief history of film, advances in technology have from time to time challenged and changed industry models. These advances have wrought their most significant changes on independent sectors of the movie business. In the glory days of the studio system, a parallel or serious rival to that system coming from the independent industry would be unthinkable; the cost and challenge of production and post-production was prohibitive, difficulties of promotion insurmountable. The Internet and many new digital distribution technologies are now starting to remove barriers for the makers and distributors of independent films (Landers, 2006). The development of the 16mm camera and advances in sound technology made it possible, though still difficult, for individuals or small groups of filmmakers to make their vision clear – something rarely possible in the days of the Edison monopoly on technology, or the prohibitive cost of 35mm cameras and professional lighting setups. The challenges of film making were still large in number, but the development of an independent sector of the industry forced the majors to take notice, though the development of subsidiaries specifically tasked to take note of and distribute promising independent films failed to materialize. Independent film had a confined audience, generally limited to subcultures of underground or experimental film. (Such audiences were often primarily composed of fellow filmmakers – though it bears noting that in many cases, these self-selecting individuals were not those who would turn out to view a majority of the studio efforts.) (Tioseco, 2005) Within the last several decades, advances in digital cinema have furthered a similar and all the more powerful renaissance. High-resolution digital video offers an image quality that rivals that of film stock, while video camcorders, and relatively affordable professional-quality editing software capable of being run on inexpensive PCs have made the production and post-production process possible, reasonable and accessible for a substantial number of individuals. With the resulting increase in the number and quality of such films being made, a resulting cultural scene emerged alongside, but not quite outside, the mainstream (Landers, 2006).

Coca-Cola and Its Global Marketing Strategies

Coca-Cola is a company that is known worldwide for its product. It is a drink that spans all ages, colors, races, and countries. The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The world’s headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia, with many other locations around the country. The Company and its subsidiaries employ nearly 31,000 people around the world.Syrups, concentrates and beverages bases for Coca-Cola, the company’s flagship brand, and over 230 other Company soft-drink brands are manufactured and sold by the Coca-Cola Company and its subsidiaries in nearly 200 countries around the world (Virginia, 1). The company has been around for over 100 years, and has used this time to perfect its marketing strategy. The success of the company was built on many people with the great business knowledge and know-how to take a simple drink, and make it into a symbol that represents h umanity.This paper will focus on not only the globalization of Coke, and Coke as a company, but also what advertising and media strategies have been used to help in the discourse of its globalization. Coca-Cola is an internationally recognized drink, popular in many countries throughout the world. The company that produces the soft drink has an interesting way of distributing it around the world, which many people may not realize. You don’t get exactly the same Coke in India that you do in the US, because bottling of the drink is franchised.What occurs is the following: the company produces a concentrate with the patented formula for Coca-Cola. This remains the same wherever you purchase the product. This concentrate is then sold to companies who have purchased franchises to bottle Coca-Cola in their area. Each bottling company adds water and whatever sweeteners are used for that specific type of coke. Slight variations may occur if the bottlers don’t conform to standa rds of production. For instance using less of the concentrate than is recommended, or changing the type of sweetener used.Though the formula for Coca-Cola concentrate doesn’t change, there can be slight differences in sweetness since bottling agencies may change the amount of sweeteners used to fit the local population’s palate, and some versions of the cola are said to be sweeter or sharper in other countries. The United States has seen, especially in countries close to Mexico, a rise in the amount of Mexican Coca-Cola imported into the US and sold at a number of Mexican and Latin or South American grocery stores. Cola aficionados say there are differences between south of the border and American produced versions of the drink.They cite the fact that most Mexican bottlers add cane sugar instead of corn syrup to the formula for Coca-Cola and many people prefer the Mexican version, though at first the taste can be a little unusual. Since the cost of importing sugar cane to the United States is expensive, bottlers import the drink from countries where it’s abundant or use substitutes like corn syrup which is subsidized by the government as well (Hays, 47). Thus the main difference is the way in which the formula for Coca-Cola has ingredients added to it from one country to another.The type of water used also may create a major difference in both taste and safety. Some countries, particularly emerging countries with high levels of pollution have been under investigation for producing Coca-Cola with alarmingly high levels of pesticides. In 2003, for instance, a government independent investigatory agency in India found that water filtration was not ridding the water of substances like DDT and Marathon (Allen, 182). Several soft drinks in India, including Pepsi, were found to have toxic and unsafe levels of these chemicals.This led to a decline in sales in Coca-Cola that lasted for several years, and an outright ban on selling Coke in certain p arts of India for a short while. Technically water filtration should eliminate most of these chemicals, but the presence of higher amounts of the chemicals in certain areas may mean filtration methods aren’t adequate to the task. Coca-Cola has defended their product and claims they test all their soft drinks, wherever produced, to make sure they meet safety standards (Coca-Cola, 1).They also stand by the formula for Coca-Cola though they do recognized small differences in taste when it is bottled outside of the US. Although the taste differences are often involuntary, in many cases the taste differences between countries and regions have helped locals adopt the Coca-Cola flavors. As a result, Coca-Cola can capitalize on its growth and spread its product base even further. In order to appeal to countries that did not adopt the standardized Coca-Cola Flavors, the company decided to expand its product lines in order to appeal to foreign countries that did not have the same taste characteristics as the United States.In order to do this it developed new flavors of water, teas, juices, sports drinks and energy drinks to appeal to a larger number of people. In some cases they acquired existing companies that already had a loyal customer base and even developed some of its own products by tweaking existing recipes or creating new drinks all together. For example, in Asia soy drinks are much popular than carbonated beverages. To combat this Coca-Cola also offers its own soy beverage in the regions where as in the United States it’s very rare to see soy drinks produced by Coca-Cola (McKay, 22).This adaptation strategy has allowed greater flexibility to consumer’s tastes and growth in the company’s market share of the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Coca-Cola places its product globally depending on several conditions. The first level that needs to be examined is the macro level including Coca-Cola’s choice of continents, countries and geographic regions. Population and the proximity of natural resources to that population are the first things that Coca-Cola considers when entering new territories.If the region does not have a large enough population to purchase enough of their beverages they will focus more on regions that do. Also, if it is not efficient or cost effective to produce drinks within the country or region the company either looks elsewhere to bottle its beverages, imports its products or moves refrains from focusing on this region all together. In countries that do not have abundant resources such as sugar cane and corn syrup, it increases the cost to produce the beverage because supplies must be imported (.The Coca-Cola Company will also consider the proximity of bottling plants to the region its promoting its products to. Either the company will purchase or build a plant to cut down on costs or contract with local bottlers to sell its product to. In some cases Coca-Cola may have even establish it self in neighboring countries because it may already inhabit locations with similar cultures and preferences. Within these regions that Coca-Cola decides to inhabit, it also must choose an area that their products have the best chance of reaching the consumer.The Coca-Cola Company sells its products to bottling and canning operations, distributors, fountain wholesalers and some fountain retailers. These then distributes them to retail outlets, milk bar and corner stores, restaurants, petrol stations and newsagents. The Coca-Cola Company uses the intensive distribution strategy. The business's products are sold in almost every outlet including small shops, restaurants gas stations, schools, sports venues and vending machines. Depending on the level of popularity and extensiveness, Coca-Cola will choose areas that will have the best opportunity to sell.With these sales comes increased customer awareness and brand loyalty. The final thing that Coca-Cola must do is recognize local laws and regulations. Coca-Cola adopts a standardized practice for areas that are similar which makes it easier for Coca-Cola to distribute and sell its products (Allen, 82). In some foreign countries however, many of the taste preferences are determined by local laws, ancient religions or the countries culture. When these characteristics differ from the standard Coca-Cola model, the company adapts its products are marketing strategies to adhere to regulations and cultural norms.Coca-Cola decides if it’s then cost effective and possible to enter the market without significant barriers or alterations to its brands flavors. If the barriers are too large, the company is likely to pursue other locations. The company's beverages are generally for all consumers. However, there are some brands, which target specific consumers. For example, Coca-Cola's diet soft drinks are targeted at consumers who are older in age, between the years of 25 and 39. PowerAde sports water targets those who a re fit, healthy and participate in athletics.The Winnie the Pooh sipper cap Juice Drink targets children between the ages 5-12. This type of market approach refers to market segmentation. The Coca-Cola Company when advertising has a primary target market of those who are 13-24, and a secondary market of 10-39 (Coca-Cola, 3). In order for these beverages to reach the target markets, Coca-Cola needs to use a medium that will best reach these consumers. If advertisements are not reaching the right age group or in the tight places, sales will drop and the brand image will be damaged.For example, when advertising Diet Coke, Coca-Cola primarily advertises with in-print ads, billboards, fast food restaurants and the radio. They understand that this age group is likely to have children and spend a lot of their time driving, feeding their children and spending time at home (GSCE, 1). By using these methods they increase the chance of being exposed and having their products used. In order to reach the young adults and teens they use the internet, television and popular events such as concerts and sporting events to advertise their products.Coca Cola has researched and found that the majority of time teens spend is online or spent watching their favorite television programs. Unlike the older generations, younger generations are more likely to be electronic savvy and read less of in print advertisements. Internationally, Coca-Cola has adopted a global strategy that includes sponsoring professional sports leagues, music artists or groups and the Olympics. For example the company advertises with the NBA, World Cup Tournaments, the NCAA and popular music groups such as Maroon 5 (McKay, 13).Coca-Cola pays several million dollars in order to have the exclusive rights to advertise or partner with these events. Although it an expensive way to advertise, its benefits extend far past the cost of advertising. Millions of viewers worldwide tune into or watch these events and the bra nd exposure is enormous. Viewers are exposed to the brand and the Coca-Cola brand becomes synonymous with that popular athlete, league or artist. By paying these popular athletes and stars to endorse their products, they influence millions to buy or try the Coca-Cola brand.From there it’s up to Coca-Cola to keep the consumers to continue to use its products. In conjunction with their advertising strategy, Coca-Cola also uses specific promotions and strategies in order to gain sales. Internationally, many of these methods are similar to those found in the United States. Whether it’s to gain a first time customer, getting them to switch from other brands or keep them loyal to Coca-Cola, the company uses strategic self-selection. They purchase shelves in big departmental stores and display their products on shelves in an attractive style.Most times Coca-Cola pays more to have their products on shelves that are easier to reach and are more likely to be seen than the shelve s that other companies use. Coca-Cola is one of the leading companies to take advantage of end caps and special racks that they give to outlets to promote specific products. Often time’s salesman of the coca cola company positions their freezers and their products in eye-catching positions. Normally they keep their freezers near the entrance of the stores or in high traveled areas.The company recently introduced a revolutionary electronic vending machine that has hundreds of Coke flavors on hand that even can be mixed from one single machine. The machine is called the â€Å"Freestyle† and offers a totally new and innovative approach to the standard vending machines (Coca-Cola, 1). The company also does sponsorships with different college and school's cafes and sponsors their sports events and other extra curriculum activities for increasing market share among younger demographics. The majority of the Coca-Cola Company's products are sold in retail stores, convenient st ores, petrol stations etc.Although the pricing methods/strategies are set by those the company sells to, it does suggest specific guidelines and have some restrictions on pricing and trade. For example gas stations and convenient stores usually sell Coca-Cola products at a fixed price, where restaurants have more freedom on what they can charge. In a majority of places competition-based pricing is used. Coca-Cola products are usually priced below, above or equal to its competitors' prices. For example, during Easter (2010) sale periods the average price for a 2 liter Coca-Cola was 1. 7 and a 2 liter Pepsi bottle sold for 1. 83 on average (Virginia, 3). In order to generate more sales and clear additional product, Coca-Cola also adopts a discount price strategy. Coca-Cola products are often marked down during sale periods and special occasions. For example Coca-Cola often will send out coupons for an amount to be taken off the cost of a specific product or allow the markdown below MA P pricing to make room for new sales or products. One of the most obvious pricing strategies Coca-Cola uses is psychological pricing.Often times there advertised prices end in seven or five, which is below other competitors such as Pepsi. The Coca-Cola Company also gives trade incentives to its retailers to generate more revenue. For example, the company will send free samples and product to have events which allow consumers to try a product for nothing. As a result of this by this these retailers and middle man push their product in the market following â€Å"Seen as sold†. Lastly, the Coca Cola Company changes their product prices according to the season. For example, summer is supposed to be a good season for beverage industry in Pakistan (Hays, 96).So in winter they reduce their prices to maintain their sales and profit In essence, the examples above reveal that global marketing is not necessarily an all or nothing proposition. The Coca-Cola Company has the freedom to cho ose from many possibilities on the spectrum from total standardization through to complete customization. Clearly there are circumstances where they can gain competitive advantage through increased standardization of products and marketing, especially with respect to keeping costs down and building brand power.On the other hand, in conditions where national market differences are more marked, this strategy would harm the company and its reputation. By making standardization decisions using target market conditions as its starting point, the company insures that in the long-term customers are being offered what they want. Although Coca-Cola can seemingly gain a great deal from a standardized agenda, its decision to combine global and local resources is ultimately more long-standing in a market where national customer differences are influential.Coupled with strategic pricing and being a low cost leader, the Coca-Cola Company has enjoyed over a hundred years of success which continues to grow every day. The company uses its branding power and size to promote its products even further, which influences even more consumers to try the brand or switch from previous used brands. Regardless, Coca-Cola has been extremely successful in their international marketing mix and continues to dominate global beverage sales.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 24

Dear Diary, It's the night before the night of our first party – or rather gala. But I don't feel very gala. I miss Stefan too much. I've been brooding about Matt, too. How he walked away, so angry at me, not even looking back. He didn't understand how I could†¦care for†¦Damon, and yet still love Stefan so much that it felt as if my heart was breaking. Elena put down the pen and stared at her diary dully. The heartbreak manifested itself in actual physical pains in her chest that would have frightened her if she hadn't been sure of what it really was. She missed Stefan so desperately that she could hardly eat, could barely sleep. He was like a part of her mind that was constantly on fire, like a phantom limb that would never go away. Not even writing in her diary would help tonight. All she could write about were painfully tantalizing memories of the good times she and Stefan had shared together. How good it had been when she could just turn her head and know that she would see him – what a privilege that had been! And now it was gone, and in its place was racking confusion, guilt, and anxiety. What was happening to him, right now, when she no longer had the privilege of turning her head and seeing him? Were they†¦hurting him? Oh, God, if only†¦ If only I had made him lock all the windows to his room at the boardinghouse†¦ If only I had been more suspicious of Damon†¦ If only I had guessed he had something on his mind that last night†¦ If only†¦if only†¦ It became a pounding refrain in time to her heart. She found herself breathing in sobs, her eyes tightly shut, clutching the rhythm to her and clenching her fists. If I keep feeling this way – if I let it crush me enough – I'll become an infinitesimal point in space. I'll be crushed into nothingness – and even that will be better than needing him so much. Elena lifted up her head†¦and stared down at her head, resting on her diary. She gasped. Once more her first reaction was to imagine death. And then, slowly, because she was stupefied by so many tears, she realized that she'd done it again. She was out of her body. This time she wasn't even aware of a conscious decision about where to go. She was flying, so fast that she couldn't tell which way she was going. It was as if she were being pulled, as if she were the tail of a comet that was rapidly shooting downward. At one point she realized with familiar horror that she was passing through things, and then she was veering as if she were the end of the whip in a game of Crack the Whip and then she was catapulted into Stefan's cell. She was still sobbing as she landed in the cell, unsure of whether she had solid form or gravity, and uncaring for the moment. The only thing she had time to see was Stefan, very thin but smiling in his sleep and then she was dumped onto him, into him, and still crying as she bounced, as lightly as a feather, and Stefan woke. â€Å"Oh, can't you let me sleep for a few minutes in peace?† Stefan snapped, and added a couple of Italian words that Elena had never had reason to hear before. Elena had an immediate fit of the Bonnies, sobbing so hard that she couldn't listen to – couldn't even hear – any comfort that was on offer. They were doing horrible things to him, and they were using her image, Elena's, to do them. It was all too awful. They were conditioning Stefan to hate her. She hated herself. Everyone in the whole world hated her – â€Å"Elena! Elena, don't cry, love!† Dully, Elena lifted herself up, getting a brief anatomical view of Stefan's chest before she was sobbing again, trying to wipe her nose on Stefan's prison uniform, which looked as if it could only be improved by anything she might do to it. She couldn't, of course; just as she couldn't feel the arm that was trying to encircle her gently. She hadn't brought her body with her. But she had, somehow, brought her tears, and a cold, cable-wire-tough voice inside herself said, Don't waste them, idiot! Use those tears. If you're going to sob, sob over his face or his hands. And, by the way, everyone hates you. Even Matt hates you, and Matt likes everybody, the tiny cruel, productive voice went on and Elena gave way to a fresh gale of sobbing, absently noting the effect of each teardrop. Each drop turned the white skin under it pink and the color spread in ripples outward, as if Stefan were a pool, and she was resting on him, water on water. Except that her tears were falling so fast that it looked like a rainstorm on Wickery Pond. And that only made her think about the time that Matt had fallen into the pond, trying to rescue a little girl who had fallen through the ice, and how Matt hated her now. â€Å"Don't, oh don't; don't, lovely love,† Stefan begged, so sincerely that anyone would have believed he meant it. But how could he? Elena knew what she must look like, face swollen and blotched by tears: no â€Å"lovely love† here! And he'd have to be mad to want her to stop crying: the teardrops were giving him new life wherever they touched his skin – and perhaps the storm inside him had done best, because his telepathic voice was strong and sure. Elena, forgive me – oh, God, just give me one moment with her! Just a single moment! I can bear anything then, even the true death. Just one moment to touch her! And perhaps God did look down for a moment in pity. Elena's lips were hovering over, quivering over, Stefan's, as if she could somehow steal a kiss like this as she used to when he was still asleep. But for just an instant it seemed to Elena that she felt warm flesh below hers and the flick of Stefan's lashes against her eyelids as his eyes flew open in surprise. Instantly they both froze, eyes wide open, neither of them foolish enough to move in the slightest. But Elena couldn't help herself, as the flush of warmth from Stefan's lips sent a flush of warmth through her entire body. She melted into the kiss, and, while keeping her body carefully in the same position, felt her gaze go unfocused and her eyelids close. As her lashes swept against something with substance, the moment swept quietly to an end. Elena had two choices: she could shriek and rail telepathically at Il Signore for only giving them what Stefan had asked for, or she could gather her courage and smile and maybe comfort Stefan. Her better nature won out and when Stefan opened his eyes, she was leaning over him, pretending to be resting on her elbows and his chest, and smiling at him as she tried to straighten out her hair. Relieved, Stefan smiled back at her. It was as if he could bear anything, as long as she was unhurt. â€Å"Now, Damon would have been practical,† she teased him. â€Å"He would have kept me crying, because in the end, his health would be the most important thing. And he'd have prayed for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused and finally began laughing, which made Stefan smile. â€Å"I have no idea,† Elena said finally. â€Å"I don't think Damon prays.† â€Å"Probably not,† Stefan said. â€Å"When we were young – and human – the town priest walked with a cane that he seemed to enjoy using on young delinquent boys more than as a source of support.† Elena thought of the delicate child chained to the huge and heavy boulder of secrets. Was religion one of the things locked away, put behind doors closed one after another in secret there, like a chambered nautilus until almost everything he cared about was inside? She didn't ask that of Stefan. Instead, she said, lowering her â€Å"voice† to the tiniest telepathic whisper, the barest disturbance of neurons in Stefan's receptive brain: What other practical things can you think of that Damon might have thought of? Things relating to a jailbreak? â€Å"Well†¦for a jailbreak? The first thing I can think of is for you to know your way around the city. I was brought here blindfolded but since they don't have the power to take the curse off vampires and make them human, I still had all my senses. I'd say it's a city about the size of New York and Los Angeles combined.† â€Å"Big city,† Elena noted, taking notes in her head. â€Å"But fortunately the only bits that would interest us are in the southwestern section. The city's supposed to be ruled by the Guardians – but they're from the Other Side and the demons and vampires here long ago realized that people were more afraid of them than the Guardians. It's set up now with about twelve to fifteen feudal castles or estates, and each of those estates has control of a considerable amount of land outside the city. They grow their own unique products and sell them in deals made here. For instance, it's the vampires who cultivate Clarion Loess Black Magic.† â€Å"I see,† said Elena, who had no idea what he was talking about, except the Black Magic wine. â€Å"But all we really need to know is how to get to the Shi no Shi – your prison.† â€Å"That's true. Well, the easiest way would be to find the kitsune sector. The Shi no Shi is a cluster of buildings, with the largest one – the one without a top, although it's curved, and you may not be able to tell from the ground – â€Å" â€Å"The one that looks like a coliseum?† Elena interrupted eagerly. â€Å"I get a sort of bird's-eye view of the city whenever I come here.† â€Å"Well, the thing that looks like a coliseum is a coliseum.† Stefan smiled. He really smiled; he's feeling well enough to smile, now, Elena rejoiced, but silently. â€Å"So to get you in and out, we just head from below the coliseum to the gate back to our world,† Elena said. â€Å"But to get you free there are – some things we need to collect – and those are probably going to be in different parts of the city.† She tried to remember if she had ever described the twin fox key to Stefan or not. It was probably better not to do it if she hadn't already done it. â€Å"Then I'd hire a native guide,† Stefan said immediately. â€Å"I don't really know anything about the city, except what the guards tell me – and I'm not sure if I would trust them. But the little people – the ordinary ones – will probably know the things you want to know.† â€Å"That's a good idea,† Elena said. She drew invisible designs with a transparent finger on his chest. â€Å"I think Damon really plans to do everything he can to help us.† â€Å"I honor him for coming,† Stefan said, as if he were thinking things out. â€Å"He's keeping his promise, isn't he?† Elena nodded. Deep, deep in her consciousness floated the thoughts: His word to me that he would take care of you. His word to you that he would take care of me. Damon always keeps his word. â€Å"Stefan,† she said, again in the innermost recesses of his mind, where she could share information – she hoped – in secret, â€Å"you should have seen him, really. When I did Wings of Redemption and every bad thing that had hardened him or made him cruel came undone. And when I did Wings of Purification and all the stone covering his soul came away in chunks†¦. I don't think you could imagine how he was. He was so perfect – and so new. And later when he cried†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena could feel inside Stefan three layers of emotion succeed one another almost instantaneously. Disbelief that Damon could cry, despite all that Elena had been telling him. Then, belief and astonishment as he absorbed her pictures and her memories. And finally, the need to console her as she stared at a Damon forever trapped in penitence. A Damon that would never exist again. â€Å"He saved you,† whispered Elena, â€Å"but he wouldn't save himself. He wouldn't even bargain with Shinichi and Misao. He just let them take all his memories of that time.† â€Å"Maybe it hurt too much.† â€Å"Yes,† said Elena, deliberately lowering her barriers so that Stefan could feel the hurt that the new and perfect creature she'd created had felt upon learning that he had committed acts of cruelty and treachery that – well, that would make the strongest soul flinch. â€Å"Stefan? I think he must feel very lonely.† â€Å"Yes, angel. I think you're right.† This time Elena thought a good deal longer before venturing, â€Å"Stefan? I'm not sure he understands what it's like to be loved.† And while he thought out his response, she was on tenterhooks. Then he said very softly, very slowly again, â€Å"Yes, angel. I think you're right.† Oh, she did love him. He always understood. And he was always most brave and gallant and trusting just when she needed him to be. â€Å"Stefan? Can I stay again tonight?† â€Å"Is it nighttime, lovely love? You can stay – unless They come to take me somewhere.† All at once Stefan was very solemn, holding her gaze. â€Å"But if They come – you'll promise me to leave then, won't you?† Elena looked straight into his green eyes and said, â€Å"If that's what you want, I'll promise.† â€Å"Elena? Do you†¦do you keep your promises or not?† Suddenly, he sounded very sleepy, but the right kind of sleepy, not worn out, but someone who has been refreshed and is being lulled into a perfect slumber. â€Å"I keep them close to me,† Elena whispered. But I keep you closer, she thought. If someone came to hurt him, they would find out what a bodiless opponent could do. For instance, what if she just reached inside their bodies and managed to make contact for an instant? Long enough to squeeze a heart between her pretty white fingers? That would be something. â€Å"I love you, Elena. I'm so glad†¦we kissed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's not the last time! You'll see! I swear it!† She dropped new healing tears down on him. Stefan just smiled gently. And then he was asleep. In the morning Elena woke up in her grand bedroom in Lady Ulma's house, alone. But she had another memory, like a pressed rose, to put away in its own special place inside her. And somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew that these memories might be all she had of Stefan someday. She could imagine that these sweet-scented, fragile mementoes would be something to hold on to and cherish – if Stefan never came home.