What is synergy? How does it operate within a contemporary media environment primarily run by large conglomorates? Give one example of synergy (you can use an example from the present if you wish).
According to lecture, synergy is defined as the "working together"" of various components so that they produce an effect that neither could do alone (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts concept). This definition applies to the world of business, in which two or more businesses can work together (or merge) in hopes that it will increase brand awareness and product revenue for the both of them. This practice especially applies to media, now that large conglomerates own a majority of it. Since these conglomerates own a large share of multiple media platforms, the corporations that make up these conglomerates can sell their products (or their media) across these platforms. For example, since Disney owns both ABC and ESPN, these two networks can agree to advertise their programming on the other network. Alternatively, since ESPN also owns a publication and multiple radio stations, it can agree with ABC to allow it to advertise it’s programming or on a radio program or in a magazine ad in exchange for ABC allowing ESPN to advertise on their network. Since Disney also owns Marvel Studios, Marvel can negotiate with ABC to broadcast shows on their network in exchange for some sort of a revenue share (i.e. “Agents of Shield”, a Marvel TV show on ABC). These examples illustrate how corporations within a conglomerate can work with each other. As noted in lecture, this practice has increasingly been utilized with the rise of the Internet. Now ABC can advertise Marvel’s show “Agents of Shield” on ESPN’s website, a demonstration of just how complex synergy can become.
Synergy can be described as the combined power that a group of elements has when working together that is greater than the total power of the individual elements working separately. In the contemporary media environment, synergy operates in a cooperative and cross-promotional fashion, where companies that are part of a larger conglomerate can advertised for their parent, sibling or child-company in mutually beneficial fashion that allows for a greater audience reach. Cross-promotional advertising is a huge aspect of synergy in the media, but an additional aspect of synergy in the media is the sharing of conglomerate owned rights to creative property. Take for example the CW show, The Flash, or ABC’s Once Upon a Time. The CW is co-owned by Time Warner who also owns DC entertainment. Because of this network the CW is able to acquire the right to superheroes such as The Flash, Green Arrow, and even Superman, and produce shows centered around those characters. This provides advertising for DC in the format of television shows on the CW and any products or tie-ins benefits Time Warner, CW and DC. Similarly because of ABC’s partner ship with Disney over 50 years ago, they now can acquire the rights to produce a show with Snow White, Belle, and the characters of Frozen all together fighting for true love, providing expansive adverting in an additional platform to Disneyland and the Disney movies, drawing in a new audience to their Disney empire.
The word “synergy” is defined as the instance of the “working together” or integration of various components in a way that produced an effect or product that could not be made alone by each component. In other words, the whole is better than each of its parts. This concept can be applied to the business industry, where more than one company can “work together” or merge, allowing income and product awareness to increase dramatically. This concept can also be applied to the wide world of media, especially television. Most of the companies are now jointly owned, or are conglomerates. These conglomerate companies now own a majority of television channels, and are also incorporating a variety of media platforms, including the Internet and cell phone applications. This use of multiple media platforms allows conglomerates to sell many different products. For example, Turner Broadcasting System owns tbs, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies. All of these networks advertise different items on all three channels, and zone in on very specific and different demographics. For example, tbs focuses on a younger demographic, broadcasting shorts and long comedies, along with movies. TNT focuses on the young adult demographic, and adults, broadcasting dramatic television and movies. TCM shows old movies, appealing to the older generation. However, all channels show their materials on other platforms, and work together to advertise shows on all three networks for each channel.
Synergy is when different groups or companies come together to produce a result that neither of them can produce alone. According to Hilmes, media conglomerates used the term to describe the attempt at both vertical and horizontal integration. In order to achieve synergy, media conglomerates must have many different types of media outlets. These varying media outlet are then able to cross-promote and generate higher profits. An example of synergy in such a conglomerate is Time Warner and the conglomerates involved. A few subsidiaries of Time Warner include DC Comics, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network Studios. One can clearly see the synergy of these companies by the content they produce. The DC Comic superheroes are present in Cartoon Networks shows such as Young Justice, or Justice League. These characters are also common for Warner Bros., which distributes and produces movies such as The Dark Knight or Man of Steel. In addition to television cartoons and movies, video games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is distributed by Time Warner, are also a part of the media conglomerate synergy. In this way, each company supports the other by either providing content or by providing a means to spread the content.
If I were to describe the concept of synergy to another person, I would define it as the occurrence of multiple elements coming together in order to create a better functioning, larger element. In today’s entertainment world, synergy can be found virtually anywhere. In fact, most media venues that we use today exist thanks to the idea of synergy. Large media conglomerates were formed in order for the entities that belonged to each company to come together and create more profitable and abundant pieces of media. It also allows the two companies to perform certain actions like cross promoting their programs on each other’s platforms as well as sharing their resources. For example, in recent years ABC/Disney acquired MARVEL and their entities we have begun to see their content filter into other channels. Agents of Shield has premiered on ABC and with the new money being filtered in from Disney has allowed them to create even more films, use larger budgets, and plan their films for many years to come. This has helped the ABC/Disney brand get better ratings and better standing in the public eye. ABC/Disney has also helped give MARVEL the resources it needed to make better films.
Synergy is the “working together” of different parts that combine to produce something greater than the individual parts can create on their own. Synergy is very common in today’s media environment as a result of the power of large conglomerates. For example, ABC is a huge power in today’s media environment because it owns Disney. This ownership allows it to advertise for Disney, and it even has original programming drawing off of classic Disney stories in “Once Upon a Time.” Additionally, Disney owns Marvel, so ABC is also allowed to incorporate Marvel characters and stories onto their programming. They currently air “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and have “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” a spinoff of the Captain America franchise, set to debut this winter. Disney and Marvel are examples of synergy in today’s media environment because they combine to draw in an enormous amount of viewers, and therefore money, to ABC. Disney and Marvel are wildly popular among younger audiences and their shows on ABC draw in audiences in the important 18-49 year old demographic. Another component of ABC that helps the conglomerate is ESPN. ESPN is owned by ABC, which allows it to advertise all of its original programming on ESPN and vice versa.
According to lecture, synergy is defined as the "working together"" of various components so that they produce an effect that neither could do alone (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts concept). This definition applies to the world of business, in which two or more businesses can work together (or merge) in hopes that it will increase brand awareness and product revenue for the both of them. This practice especially applies to media, now that large conglomerates own a majority of it. Since these conglomerates own a large share of multiple media platforms, the corporations that make up these conglomerates can sell their products (or their media) across these platforms. For example, since Disney owns both ABC and ESPN, these two networks can agree to advertise their programming on the other network. Alternatively, since ESPN also owns a publication and multiple radio stations, it can agree with ABC to allow it to advertise it’s programming or on a radio program or in a magazine ad in exchange for ABC allowing ESPN to advertise on their network. Since Disney also owns Marvel Studios, Marvel can negotiate with ABC to broadcast shows on their network in exchange for some sort of a revenue share (i.e. “Agents of Shield”, a Marvel TV show on ABC). These examples illustrate how corporations within a conglomerate can work with each other. As noted in lecture, this practice has increasingly been utilized with the rise of the Internet. Now ABC can advertise Marvel’s show “Agents of Shield” on ESPN’s website, a demonstration of just how complex synergy can become.
ReplyDeleteSynergy can be described as the combined power that a group of elements has when working together that is greater than the total power of the individual elements working separately. In the contemporary media environment, synergy operates in a cooperative and cross-promotional fashion, where companies that are part of a larger conglomerate can advertised for their parent, sibling or child-company in mutually beneficial fashion that allows for a greater audience reach. Cross-promotional advertising is a huge aspect of synergy in the media, but an additional aspect of synergy in the media is the sharing of conglomerate owned rights to creative property. Take for example the CW show, The Flash, or ABC’s Once Upon a Time. The CW is co-owned by Time Warner who also owns DC entertainment. Because of this network the CW is able to acquire the right to superheroes such as The Flash, Green Arrow, and even Superman, and produce shows centered around those characters. This provides advertising for DC in the format of television shows on the CW and any products or tie-ins benefits Time Warner, CW and DC. Similarly because of ABC’s partner ship with Disney over 50 years ago, they now can acquire the rights to produce a show with Snow White, Belle, and the characters of Frozen all together fighting for true love, providing expansive adverting in an additional platform to Disneyland and the Disney movies, drawing in a new audience to their Disney empire.
ReplyDeleteThe word “synergy” is defined as the instance of the “working together” or integration of various components in a way that produced an effect or product that could not be made alone by each component. In other words, the whole is better than each of its parts. This concept can be applied to the business industry, where more than one company can “work together” or merge, allowing income and product awareness to increase dramatically. This concept can also be applied to the wide world of media, especially television. Most of the companies are now jointly owned, or are conglomerates. These conglomerate companies now own a majority of television channels, and are also incorporating a variety of media platforms, including the Internet and cell phone applications. This use of multiple media platforms allows conglomerates to sell many different products. For example, Turner Broadcasting System owns tbs, TNT, and Turner Classic Movies. All of these networks advertise different items on all three channels, and zone in on very specific and different demographics. For example, tbs focuses on a younger demographic, broadcasting shorts and long comedies, along with movies. TNT focuses on the young adult demographic, and adults, broadcasting dramatic television and movies. TCM shows old movies, appealing to the older generation. However, all channels show their materials on other platforms, and work together to advertise shows on all three networks for each channel.
ReplyDeleteSynergy is when different groups or companies come together to produce a result that neither of them can produce alone. According to Hilmes, media conglomerates used the term to describe the attempt at both vertical and horizontal integration. In order to achieve synergy, media conglomerates must have many different types of media outlets. These varying media outlet are then able to cross-promote and generate higher profits. An example of synergy in such a conglomerate is Time Warner and the conglomerates involved. A few subsidiaries of Time Warner include DC Comics, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network Studios. One can clearly see the synergy of these companies by the content they produce. The DC Comic superheroes are present in Cartoon Networks shows such as Young Justice, or Justice League. These characters are also common for Warner Bros., which distributes and produces movies such as The Dark Knight or Man of Steel. In addition to television cartoons and movies, video games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is distributed by Time Warner, are also a part of the media conglomerate synergy. In this way, each company supports the other by either providing content or by providing a means to spread the content.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to describe the concept of synergy to another person, I would define it as the occurrence of multiple elements coming together in order to create a better functioning, larger element. In today’s entertainment world, synergy can be found virtually anywhere. In fact, most media venues that we use today exist thanks to the idea of synergy. Large media conglomerates were formed in order for the entities that belonged to each company to come together and create more profitable and abundant pieces of media. It also allows the two companies to perform certain actions like cross promoting their programs on each other’s platforms as well as sharing their resources. For example, in recent years ABC/Disney acquired MARVEL and their entities we have begun to see their content filter into other channels. Agents of Shield has premiered on ABC and with the new money being filtered in from Disney has allowed them to create even more films, use larger budgets, and plan their films for many years to come. This has helped the ABC/Disney brand get better ratings and better standing in the public eye. ABC/Disney has also helped give MARVEL the resources it needed to make better films.
ReplyDeleteSynergy is the “working together” of different parts that combine to produce something greater than the individual parts can create on their own. Synergy is very common in today’s media environment as a result of the power of large conglomerates. For example, ABC is a huge power in today’s media environment because it owns Disney. This ownership allows it to advertise for Disney, and it even has original programming drawing off of classic Disney stories in “Once Upon a Time.” Additionally, Disney owns Marvel, so ABC is also allowed to incorporate Marvel characters and stories onto their programming. They currently air “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and have “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” a spinoff of the Captain America franchise, set to debut this winter. Disney and Marvel are examples of synergy in today’s media environment because they combine to draw in an enormous amount of viewers, and therefore money, to ABC. Disney and Marvel are wildly popular among younger audiences and their shows on ABC draw in audiences in the important 18-49 year old demographic. Another component of ABC that helps the conglomerate is ESPN. ESPN is owned by ABC, which allows it to advertise all of its original programming on ESPN and vice versa.
ReplyDelete