#i fail to understand why they like this brand sm....

[sachsoup]

which marauders era character would proclaim themselves as a soy sauce connoisseur and call kikkoman soy sauce mid

[justenjoythegossip]

Chris and his loss of followers on Insta since his return: a few thoughts

His huge drop in followers when he returned to Insta:

Some mods have kindly provided us with Chris’ metrics when it comes to his Instagram followers number. I have chosen some graphs provided by @kj-rivia, who I thank.

We can observe a huge drop of followers when he came back, which is very understandable. He left SM, just before the summer and was purposefully absent during the shitstorm created by his 2 kinda weddings to his Portuguese wife (“Go Portugal!”). His pretext was that he needed to take a break but people don’t need to make an announcement to say they are taking a break unless they want the attention. Also we had an article from People’s magazine which was pre-written to tell us captain America was taking a break from SM. So that tells us that his absence from SM was planned and used for PR purposes. Also they needed to recalibrate their strategy given that he was about to kinda “marry” a very problematic girl who looks like his niece. And indeed he came back with a very different insta account.

His return on Insta coincided with Thanksgiving (Nov 23rd) and was all about… selling dog food  for the black Friday and his interview on The View which was sponsored by the dog food brand coincided with… the Cyber Monday. All of this seemed a very tactless error that probably angered even more people. Let’s point out that actor’s strike ended on November, 9th. And he could have come back with a post about this or to promote his own work (Pain Hustlers or Scott Pilgrim…) or his own political website.

The steady and constant loss of followers…

The very rare green spots are not very significant. I suspect the green on December 2nd probably served as damaged control after his spectacular losses for his return and the green on December 25th was meant to offset the more significant losses he got as a result for their latest NY papwalk.  

But what’s interesting is that his losses of followers have been almost always steady and constant, which doesn’t seem very organic. Indeed, we could expect a drop when he posts something or if articles about them come out but the losses are very steady and constant. 

The opposite is true as well. We can all agree on the fact that it’s not very organic when Abba keeps gaining followers when she doesn’t post or when there is nothing about her in the media. (Funny, the opposite is true actually, she has managed the rare feat of losing followers each time she has posted on SM. Ouch!) But the question regarding Chris’ numbers on Insta remains. Why do they keep going down this way? People need a trigger to unfollow so a decrease shouldn’t look like the one we are witnessing. A steady and constant decline could be explained by expiring bots, though. But if his constant decline is due to expiring bots, we must ask ourselves why they are letting it happen. Did the money run out? Did Instagram change the rules so that you can’t buy as many bots as you used to? Or does his team fail to offset his losses on purpose? And it’s actually quite a safe assumption to make that his team is orchestrating it because whatever you believe of Chris and Abba (whether they are a real couple or not), no one can deny the strong PR spin when it comes to this “so not private” couple. And PR equates staging and manufacturing. Lots and lots of it. 

What purpose could his constant losses serve? 

If his team is purposefully letting his numbers drop, it’s important to ask ourselves WHO it is destined for. The media obviously don’t report it and the general public is definitely not aware of it. Even the casual fans that follow Chris won’t notice it easily if they are not paying close attention because it takes a while to notice a significant drop... Indeed, what’s indicated on his profile is 18,9 million followers, 18,8 millions followers etc… 

However, the people who look at those metrics and report on them seem to have something in common. They are people who have paid close attention, people that have seen all the clues and breadcrumbs fed to the fandom, people who are very much aware of how problematic Abba and her group of fat-shaming antisemitic Nazi friends really are. 

Is his drop in followers supposed to serve as a punishment and to appease his disappointed fans? Does this serve as some sort of “divine justice” for associating with her? It’s not so far-fetched to think their teams would do pretty much anything to keep people engaged, even the ones enraged by this shitshow. 

[blu-joons]

Your Relationship Gets Revealed ~ Johnny Seo

You looked to Johnny with a panic in your eyes as he opened up the comments section to the statement that SM had released a short while ago confirming the rumour that the two of you were together after an article had been released.

“It’s fine,” Johnny smiled empathetically across at you, “we’ve got nothing to feel bad about, regardless of what anyone has to say.”

You knew that it wasn’t going to be as simple as moving on without a care about what everyone else had to say about the two of you, especially those who supported him.

It had been a case of dodging everyone for the two of you for some time, knowing that reporters were onto you. Whilst you tried your hardest to get away from it all, eventually they caught up to you, and couldn’t wait to begin to share their findings online.

“What do the comments say?” You pushed Johnny once again, refusing to allow him to shield you from it all. “I bet they all want us to break up, don’t they?”

A soft chuckle came from Johnny as he watched over how nervous you were. He had always been the more level-headed of the two of you anyway, and even though he was nervous too, he was never as terrified as you were.

“Most of them seem happy,” he informed you, keeping his phone away from you, “but of course, there’s a few not so happy ones.”

“And what do those ones say? How bad really are they Johnny?”

His head shook as you tried to reach out and take his phone from him. He was determined to protect you, whatever it took, the last thing you deserved was to be surrounded by negativity for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

But what Johnny failed to realise was the shield he was keeping around you was only scaring you more, with your hand pushing against his arm encouraging him to speak up.

“You don’t need to worry about those ones,” he tried to assure you once again, but your head could only shake back at him. “Put it this way, I don’t want you reading those comments because they talk a load of nonsense that you don’t need to see.”

Your eyebrows raised questionably back across at him, whilst you appreciated his concern, you were more than capable of dealing with a few hateful comments written on a keyboard.

“Fine but let me find bad ones that I want you to read rather than you scrolling through.”

You smiled in relief as Johnny finally caved, scrolling meticulously through the feed until he found a couple of comments that he was happy to let you take a look at.

“You can’t keep me from all of this forever,” you reminded him as you took his phone from his hand, “it’s not that simple.”

Johnny’s head nodded as you read through the couple of comments, trying your hardest to keep yourself composed. As you did, intrigue very quickly got the better of you.

Johnny watched on with wide eyes as you decided to continue scrolling, reading through every single comment that you could until he snatched his phone out his hand.

“That’s unfair Y/N.”

“Why? Especially when all of that is written about me too?” You questioned firmly, biting down on your bottom lip to stop yourself from getting too attached.

Whilst the comments that you were able to flick through were mostly positive, one comment in particular stuck with you. You were sure it was harmless and unintentional, just a fan who was in shock and taking that out on you, but the more it played on your mind, the more you began to doubt whether the fan was telling the truth all along.

“Can I ask you something?” You quizzed Johnny.

His head nodded back at you as he closed off his phone, keeping it well out of reach of you down the side of the sofa where you wouldn’t be able to get to.

“Are you sure this is what you want? This is going to bring a lot of attention onto you.”

No response came from Johnny as his eyes stared blankly across at yours. He tried desperately, but his mind couldn’t understand where such a question had come from.

And then he remembered how quick you were to scroll, he recalled closing his phone off and reading through the comment that he’d managed to take his phone back on. The comment that questioned whether you were really worth all of the hassle that Johnny was about to go through.

“It’s alright for you to say no,” you added as he continued to remain quiet, “I would probably be a little bit doubtful too if I was in your position right now.”

With that, Johnny’s head instantly shook, with his hands falling against your arms to keep you in position and looking at him. “You. You’re the one I want, you’re worth everything that we’re about to go through and more Y/N.”

Before you could reply, Johnny’s arms flew around your frame and pulled you tightly across into his chest. Your hands collapsed against his chest to support yourself as several kisses were scattered gently over the top of your head.

“Johnny, I can’t breathe,” you laughed, nudging his chest gently for him to loosen his grip around you.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered down to you, “I just don’t want you to ever feel as if you’re not worth it or doubt my dedication to you. Whether we’re dating in private or in public, I don’t care about anything else as long as I can go through it with you still by my side.”

Getting through the next few weeks at least was going to be far from easy, although your statement was one of honesty, it was never going to be enough to keep all of Johnny’s fans on side, there was always going to be someone who disapproved of the two of you.

All he wanted to do was keep you safe, whatever happened, Johnny wanted you with him so that he could prove to you, and everyone watching how serious he was about being with you.

“The majority of fans adore you, and that’s what we need to focus on right now,” he spoke up once again, “we can’t let a few negative comments defeat us like this.”

“I’m sorry, I just saw that one comment and panicked, I don’t know what happened.”

His head shook, squeezing you a little bit tighter, “you don’t need to apologise, I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be for you to deal with this when it’s all brand new for you.”

“I can’t believe this is the sort of thing that you guys all go through on a daily basis, now I see why you guys are all so strong.”

“You learn to ignore it,” he reasoned, “and I know that with time you will too, as long as we have each other then no comments are going to get the better of us, how does that sound to you.

Instantly, your head nodded, “as long as we support each other, nothing will break us up.”

“Exactly, and I won’t ever let anything, or anyone, do that,” Johnny swiftly assured you.

“Do you think things will get easier?”

“Of course, they will. Just with time.”

---

Masterlist

[sunflowereveryday]

NCT Hollywood

TL:DR: I’m neutral about this new potential sub-unit.

I’m pretty sure a lot of Kpop fans read the news about SM x MGM to create a survival programme to debut NCT Hollywood. I know some of you guys want to burn SM because of that. On the other hand, we’re in the age of globalisation. SM creating a US-based group was going to happen regardless. Honestly, you just have to view NCT like the Avengers, they all have their own stories but when the time is right, they will join forces. Although I’m just a casual listener, seeing NCT grow as a brand is rather interesting and it was really cool to see how NCT 2020 connected the dots between 127, Dream and WayV. Don’t you think it will be interesting to see how SM will market their Japanese unit and USA unit? 127 is literally a Seoul based group whereas, Dream is living in a dreamland and, WayV are time/space travelers.

NCT Hollywood, I think it’s probably connected to their Youtube post, when they were scouting for new trainees. This new show is still in discussion and I doubt it’s going to take place within this year. By the time NCT Hollywood debut, some of the current member’s contracts would probably have expired or some of members would have already enlisted. SM mentioned at start of 2020, SM will debut another boy group by end of 2020, don’t worry about Shotaro and Sungchan. Let’s be honest, NCT Hollywood doesn’t mean NCT or SM will spoon feed them success. They would still need to fight for their success. Similarly when WayV debuted, was WayV spoon fed their success from 127 and Dream? No. They still had to appear on shows, host concerts and fanmeetings to get to where they are at. Sure SM can improve their management with WayV but 1) COVID is still around and 2) I personally don’t think putting them on a Korean TV show would be suitable since they are not K-pop group and the general Korean public are most likely not interested in a Chinese group. Furthermore, the fact that a Korean drama got cancelled due to using Chinese props. Do you think the general public in Korea will be open minded enough to watch a TV show with a Chinese group guest on it? Also, let’s not forget that Kick Back sold 200k+ albums (and trended on various digital platforms) with almost zero promotions during COVID - Not many groups can achieve such sales before COVID.

As a fan from 2nd gen, I do want to highlight the hypocrisy I see within the K-pop fandom. Whenever SM announce a new group, there will always be disagreements and repeating the same narrative ‘SM doesn’t need a new group, they need to focus on xx’ When Red Velvet debuted, fans said SM needs to focus on f(x), when NCT debuted, fans said SM needs to focus on EXO and when Aepsa debuted, fans said SM better not forget Red Velvet. The same narrative is being repeated years after years. Now NCT Hollywood was announced, they haven’t even finalised the line up or finish any form of training, some of you act as if they’re going to drop a debut single next month. Some of you say that SM needs to focus on their current groups, however when WayV debuted, did anyone hate that idea? No, instead we just wanted to see Kun, Lucas and Ten leave SM’s trainee basement. When SM obviously hinted NCT Japan line, did anyone hate that idea? No, we just want to see Shotaro and Sungchan debut in a fix unit. So why is it with NCT Hollywood, you all want SM to only focus on NCT’s current sub-unit and stop their expansion now? WayV debuted 3 years after NCT 127 and Dream, NCT 127 just began touring and Dream went on radio and TV shows here and there, 127 and Dream’s popularity was starting to pick up around 2018-2019 however, we still wanted to see SM debut WayV. And with the current Japan line, I’m sure many of you are still anticipating this sub-unit. So I do think it’s unfair to gun down NCT Hollywood, a sub-unit that’s in works and have yet to debut.

I’m not trying to defend SM’s business decisions or tactics but wanting to suggest another perspective. Because at the end of day, we don’t work for SM, I don’t think it’s fair to always blame everything on SM’s management team. However, please do take this post with a grain of salt. I just staying neutral since 1) I don’t work for SM, 2) how SM runs their business is not something for me to be concerned about and 3) I don’t blame SM for wanting to explore to different markets. You can’t always stay within your comfort zone, from time to to time, you have to challenge yourself.

Lee Soo Man World Domination Fantasy & Politics

I know people are always laughing at Lee Soo Man’s world domination views. But I don’t get what’s there to laugh about. Yes USA is big but I doubt he wants to dominate the entire music industry in USA. He just wants to create a realm where he can generate profit from. If you want to earn more money, you have to source it from other countries. Whilst I understand SM is a small cooperation compared to other global companies but what’s wrong with a small company trying to make it big? I don’t think it’s wrong for Lee Soo Man for wanting to expand their market and push themselves into different regions and territories. As a business, you have to take risk in order to grow. If NCT Hollywood fails, then tough luck. Better luck next time.

In addition, I always wanted to point this out. Why do people always laugh at SM trying to break into the US market? If you see US’s market as an unbreakable and untouchable market, don’t you think this is somehow succumbing to the notion of ‘white supremacy?’ Western companies constantly profit from Asian countries but when Asian countries wants to enter the Western market, it’s automatically viewed as a ‘flop’ or ‘embarrassing.’ I don’t see anyone stopping Sephora from opening stores across China. I don’t see anyone laughing when Pixie Lott made her Japanese debut (Dancing on my own ft GD&TOP). And I don’t see anyone judging Little Mix for collaborating with a J-pop group (Flower). So why is it especially funny that SM wants to debut a USA group? Alternatively, if it’s not succumbing to ‘white supremacy’, don’t you think it’s reiterating idea of ‘white fragility’? To be honest, no one is Asia loses their mind when a Western brands enters the Asian market. - On the contrary, this could be due to the normalisation of Western countries self-inserting themselves into Asia, aka colonisation...- But when an Asian brand approaches the Western market, some of you guys tend to lose your mind and try to protect and reserve the Western market. Are you scared that SM will take over the USA music industry, leaving people jobless? Are you trying to reserve the USA market for white owned companies? Globalisation isn’t about opening McDonald and KFC stores around the world, learning English and making people conform to Western standards and lifestyle. It’s having the world connected despite the geographical distance.

I understand that K-pop fans who listen to K-pop is for its East-Asian aesthetics. On the other hand, there are many people out there who aren’t interested in East-Asian culture and don’t listen to K-pop. For example, when SM debuted WayV, it was to create Chinese pop music for the Chinese market since not everyone in China listens to K-pop. Same goes for NCT Hollywood, it’s SM’s strategy to create pop music for the mass USA market than target a niche audience. I personally do think pop culture in general can easily be adapted and localised. So don’t think of it as LSM destroying K-pop, it’s not like he’s disbanding all his groups for this one USA group. But hey, if everything goes well, this could be an opportunity for some of you to work for SM and fulfill that fantasy of working with Kpop idols. In all honesty, this could be a good social experiment of trying to bridge the cultural differences between the West and the East. 

The only thing that bugs me is the survival show, I personally don’t like watching shows where I see a group of aspiring youths completing for one position.

Not gonna lie, I do find the word ‘Hollywood’ extremely cringe worthy.

[gisellelx]

How (if at all) do you think the fact that Carlisle turned Edward, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett without their consent plays out in his relationship with all of them? I’m especially curious about how it played out with Esme, because although she loved him, he did effectively void the last active decision she made as a human and forced her to live with lingering trauma for eternity , and there wasn’t a third party involved begging him to do it like for some of the others

Man, Twilight Renaissance anons are the bestest BESTEST. Because the last questions in my queue are basically all the things I’m grappling with with this magnum opus fic I’ve been working on off and on since 2010. YES. THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS FAMILY.

It weighs more on him than it does on them, with the possible exception of Rosalie. And Esme in particular--it’s one reason why I’ve never written him as having treated her son (who in my HC is named John David). I have to assume he didn’t really know what he was getting himself into. I think if he’d known that...well, actually I think he still would’ve changed her because of their backstory. And then he just would’ve felt like dirt. 

So...Carlisle is a Puritan, right? This sort of slips through in the books because SM doesn’t seem to understand much about mainline Christianity. But a witch hunting (out of vogue) Anglican priest in the 1640s is almost undoubtedly a nonseparating Puritan. So no matter what he says about “I was beginning to disagree with my father’s particular brand of faith” he’s got a deep relationship with the concept of original sin. This is basically where he’s coming from as a vampire--being a vampire is the very embodiment of original sin, and he’s basically subscribed to the very, very Calvinist idea that his job on earth is to work his way out of this sin he was re-born into. And he’s not going to be sure that he’s actually achieved that goal until he dies, so since he’s more or less immortal....yeeeaaah. 

His family has brought him everything he ever wanted in his life. The peace he feels and the joy they give him is absolutely unparalleled and when he prays (which I think happens infrequently) he prays prayers of thankfulness for them. But they are all representations of the ways in which his temperance failed, and representations of some of the most terrible things he’s done. And he is somewhat unrepentant about this. Think back to New Moon and “I’ve never regretted changing Edward.” So then you get this other beautiful layer of conservative Christian guilt over the fact that he did something bad and he feels so good about it. 

And that’s even before we open the pandora’s box which is the guilt he feels over what turning Esme did to his relationship with Edward. 

So...yeah. In the words of the Book of Common Prayer, he confesses that he is in bondage to sin and cannot free himself. He loves the result. He loathes what he did. And these things crash against each other, constantly, in his psyche. He’s always trying to “fix” it, and that sometimes results in him doing things which are absolutely dumb like letting Edward demand the entire family move in New Moon. 

[purplesurveys]

1142

survey by tickticktmr

Do you have a digital camera? What color is it? No, haven’t held one in years. The last digital camera we had was a bit of a magenta shade; it actually belonged to my sister but I borrowed it occasionally.

Did you like the movie Juno? It was ok, though to be honest I’ve mostly forgotten what it’s about. I remember fairly liking it but it’s not the type of movie or genre I’d rewatch.

Name something you think is way over-rated: Big Macs, which I’ve never found tasty.

Do you remember your first friend? Yes, it was a girl named Kaye that I sat with in preschool. She didn’t stay too long in my school, so I haven’t been able to reconnect.

Would you rather live with your mom, dad, a friend or on your own? On my own.

Name something your pet(s) like: Walks.

Do you listen to country music? No, I don’t.

What does the color white remind you of? Peace, serenity, doves, minimalist homes.

What show/movie/song makes you cry every time? Show: From Brooklyn Nine-Nine - either the episode where Rosa Diaz comes out as bisexual or the episode where Terry gets racially profiled.

Movie: La vita e bella.

Song: There isn’t one song that makes me cry 100% of the time, but I suppose Why We Ever by Hayley Williams had this effect on me for a time.

What was your last fight about? I spilled a drop of our dinner’s soup on the dinner table last Thursday and my mom did a sufficient job making me feel incompetent and a dumbass about it, so I was hurt by it and didn’t speak a word for the rest of the evening. Not really a fight, but y’know.

Do you text a lot? I used to not but anymore. I usually get prepaid for LTE now, not to have credits for texts.

Have you ever been screamed at by a teacher? Many times. A number of them didn’t like me for whatever reason...

Do you smile or scowl more? I definitely try to smile more, but idk for sure if that’s what I do more frequently.

Obama or Bush? Idk, maybe Obama? Considering we were colonized by the US at one point and imperialism remains to linger in my country, I generally don’t take kindly to any US president, though.

Batman or Superman? I don’t like comic books.

Are you excited about Blink 182 getting back together? I don’t follow the band so I’m not sure how recent or relevant this news is, but  generally speaking I don’t remember ever being stoked for a Blink-182 comeback in particular.

Would you rather be a teacher, a stripper or a hairdresser? I’d go with teacher, and preferably of history, so that I at least can have an hour or so to talk about my passion with other people lol.

The last person you spoke to: how many times have they made you cry? Just once.

What's your favorite kind of gum? The classic bubblegum flavor is fine with me.

Have you ever failed a class in school? Just exams, but never altogether an entire class that required me to retake.

Are you even in school? No, not anymore.

Are you taller then your best friend? No haha, I’m slightly tinier than both of them.

Are you scared of spiders? I’d be scared probably of the larger kinds, but all we get here are the super small spiders so this isn’t an issue for me for the most part.

You can't eat anything ever again except for jello or apples: which one? Probably apples. I cannot stand the texture of jelly/Jell-O, and I guess I can move past my dislike of fruits for this situation since apple is kinda decent anyway.

Have you ever cheated on anyone? No, never man.

If you answered yes to the last question, do they know about it?

Do you paint your nails often? I never do and I never have them done either.

Mascara or lipgloss? Er lipgloss I guess, since I literally don’t care how my eyelashes look.

Who’s the last person you called? I think it had been Denise, a co-worker. 

Describe the last person who sent you a text: It was just the delivery guy who brought Ysa’s gift to my place, so I don’t know enough about him to be able to give a sufficient description.

Do you ever watch TV shows or movies on YouTube? No, because for the most part they would be high- or low-pitched, in a tiny screen, sped up, zoomed in, or altogether fake. I also don’t understand why buying movies individually on YouTube is still a thing when Netflix exists for literally cheaper.

Myspace or facebook? Uh Facebook, I guess.

How old were you when you lost your first tooth? I was around 5 or 6, I think.

Have you ever embarassed yourself in front of someone you like? Yeah. But when I started dating them, fucking up in front of them became less embarrassing, of course.

Describe your hair right now: Wet and slightly dripping since I just stepped out of the shower.

Do you like it when it rains? Yes, it’s my favorite weather.

Does anyone miss you right now? I hope my friends do...but I can’t say for sure.

How many funerals have you been to? None. Just wakes.

Where's your favorite place to hang out? Depends on the vibe I’m feeling for the day and the company I’ve got.

Have you ever laughed so hard you peed in your pants? Oh gee, never.

Do you like video games? What's your favorite one? I was raised around video games and so much of my childhood was watching my kuya, dad, and a number of my uncles completing games, so I definitely hold a big appreciation and fondness for them. I never inherited any skills of my own though lmao, so I mostly watch walkthroughs; and the only video games I’ve ever met considerable progress on are Nintendo games marketed for all audiences HAHAHA.

Have you ever worn something your parents wouldn't approve of? Yeah I’ve gotten chided by my mom a handful of times, telling me to cover up with a jacket or something. But her reasoning was always men, so I’m usually able to defend myself and say that that’s not my problem and that’s something fucking men have to deal with themselves. We both know I’m right so she ends up begrudgingly letting me go out with whatever outfit I choose on that given day.

Where are your sibling(s)? They are in their respective bedrooms.

When's the last time a friend got dumped/dumped someone? September. That friend was Gabie and the dumpee was me hahahah, does that count?

Do you celebrate Valentine's day? If I have a significant other, yeah. I like keeping our activities lowkey though because from all my past experiences, malls and restaurants tend to get fully booked on February 14 and it ends up being more of a (very crowded) hassle than a celebration.

Do you celebrate Christmas? Yep.

Does it snow where you live? Never.

Have you ever wanted a pet unicorn? I never did, actually.

Would you like to work to earn money, or simply have money given to you? The latter is obviously the ideal situation, but I recognize the importance of hard work too and constantly working on my skills.

If you could be on any game show, what one would it be? Jeopardy or Family Feud.

Do you know anyone whose famous? Yes, at least locally.

Do you read those gossip magazines? I used to, lol those were my guilty pleasures back then. I still keep up with celebrity updates, but I’ve moved to social media now. I also filter which publications I consume and avoid the tabloid-y ones like Daily Mail.

Summer or winter? I’d go with winter so that I can actually experience it for once.

What do you hear right now? I’m watching an archived Facebook livestream of a senior citizen who had held a virtual piano concert to raise funds to afford his maintenance medicine. The media ate it up like crazy and it’s since gone viral, so I was able to I read about him earlier tonight. He reminds me so much of my late grandpa so I quickly searched for the finished concert on Facebook and now I have it on :)

When's the last time you saw a cousin? Around two weeks ago.

Where were you the last time you left your house? I can’t remember exactly. I think I went to Feliz...OH OK I remember now - I originally went to the nearby SM to handle an LBC delivery for work, and to stay at Starbucks for a few hours also to work. After that I went to their vape stall to buy new pods but they didn’t have any for the vape brand I use, so I went to Feliz as well to try my chances there. They ended up having a few flavors but not what I usually get, so I decided to try a new one - grape lol.

Describe the room you are in: Dark, filled with the lovely sounds of piano music, and the faint smell coming from my scented candle. Overall, light and peaceful.

What shoes did you wear today? I wore my Onitsukas when I walked Cooper this morning.

[shaymiens]

so sg is entering the twitch scene, really interesting.. maybe i’m misunderstanding smthn but from what i’ve seen it sounds like more of a one-off thing than a constant streaming schedule? tbh i’m not Super Sure why it’s happening especially since sg has its own history of doing live streams on youtube and also i’m not sure what twitch would do for them or their content specifically. could be a partnership brand deal situation maybe

i just don’t really perceive in-person tabletop games as super-streamable as it’s not really something the viewers can directly interact with/control, and when the players are in a group setting it’s difficult for them to pay attention to chat. idk they probably have stuff figured out and it should probably still be fun

though if i’m being really honest, i have my reservations about the sort of decisions sg is making simply bc i know that the og sg crew (boze included) didn’t have the best time under sm/osh, and now that they’re off doing stuff on their own individual channels but mainly twitch........ like i understand that the internet is ~free for all~ but.... a smo/sh games channel inhabited mostly by people who were never really as invested in games as the ogs, inserting themselves into the sphere that the ogs were once pushed to by the channel that failed them.......... all for purposes seemingly unrelated to fan interaction and intimacy, things best supported in the twitch format.......... it all just feels.............................. strange

[blueberryraindrops]

Blueberry’s Ultimate T-Rated TUA Masterlist

KEY

Fics are organised alphabetically (articles e.g. ‘the’ will not count)

Download links are EPUB files only

authors can feel free to send me a msg if they want their fics’ download link taken down

Regular updates can be expected as long as I remain in the fandom

Last Update: 14/10/2020

Other Masterlists: All Fics; G-Rated; M-Rated; E-Rated

FANFICTION

☁︎ another cog in the murder machine by Ford_Ye_Fiji { T }

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Five finally gets the breakdown he deserves

☁︎ Blood like Lemonade by Ford_Ye_Fiji { T }

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Hunting high and low to seek revenge, Brand new moral code, got made reluctant renegade. Leaving empty souls when he avenged, Evil spirits flowed he drank the blood like lemonade.

Five's sordid past comes to light in, quite possibly, the most unpleasant way

☁︎ Details [Series] by VeteranKlaus { T }

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The last time Klaus saw his siblings was at Allison and Patrick's wedding. A lot had changed since then; including the not-so-accidental, irreversible loss of his sight.

There's no time to tell them that, though. Not with the return of their long-presumed-dead brother and the impending apocalypse. Plus, it doesn't matter. He's got Ben as a good seeing-eye ghost.

☁︎ do androids dream of electric sheep? by the_crownless_queen { T }

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Number Four is crying, and Grace was made to care for those children.

In which Grace was created to protect the children of the Academy. Even, as it turns out, from their father.

☁︎ don't waste your time (or time will waste you) by rosewitchx { T }

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He was an old man. He is sixteen. Ben dies next week. How does he know that? “I think I broke it,” Five stutters, and for the first time in her short life Vanya sees absolute terror in his eyes.

Or, Five travels back again. Something goes wrong.

☁︎ Fighting (Pre)Determinism by chibi_tantei { T / WIP }

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They go back in time, determined to rewrite their own family history. Only problem is, only one of them looks the proper age to get near their younger selves.

Or, six months after Five stormed out, determined to time travel, he returns home. His siblings are happy to have him back, but he's acting differently...

(Or, Five goes undercover as himself. Twice the siblings should make saving the world easier, right? Yet somehow, he's only now realizing how many issues his family has to fix.)

☁︎ Five and Dave's Life Changing (Life Saving) Field Trip by neuronary { T }

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The little boy, who Dave could now see was not as little as he’d first thought, shoved a tin mug at him. “Drink this.”

Dave drank. It tasted sickly sweet and slightly citrus-y. “Who are you?”

“Five.” The boy’s scowl deepened at Dave’s confusion. “Klaus’ brother.”

Or, Five saves Dave's life to stop Klaus from moping. From Dave's perspective, a very grouchy, sleep-deprived twelve-year-old kidnaps him and he finds it much more entertaining than he should.

☁︎ haven't you heard of meditation? by rosesareredvioletsareblue { T }

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"Klaus, you have a piece of glass sticking out of your neck!"

Klaus felt for the glass, wincing as he found it.

"Oh yeah. Fun." It took all of Five's willpower not to throttle him.

☁︎ Hidden Variables Theory, The by siriuspiggyback { T }

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Something has disturbed the space-time continuum, and it's up to Five to figure out what it is.

With a bit of luck, and a lot of alcohol, he might even manage to do it before he snaps and murders his siblings.

☁︎ haven't you heard of meditation? by rosesareredvioletsareblue { T }

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"Klaus, you have a piece of glass sticking out of your neck!"

Klaus felt for the glass, wincing as he found it.

"Oh yeah. Fun." It took all of Five's willpower not to throttle him.

☁︎ Hidden Variables Theory, The by siriuspiggyback { T }

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Something has disturbed the space-time continuum, and it's up to Five to figure out what it is.

With a bit of luck, and a lot of alcohol, he might even manage to do it before he snaps and murders his siblings.

☁︎ i'm gonna be here til i'm nothing (but bones in the ground) by iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid { T }

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Someone definitely just punched him in the chest, right? That’s the reason for that feeling? Or that last batch of pills had something seriously off-label mixed into them. Because there’s no way. There’s no fucking way.

He squeezes his eyes shut until dots burst behind his eyelids, but when he opens them, the hallucination doesn’t go away.

“… Five?”

☁︎ if the sky comes falling down by synchronicities { T }

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The equations are still wrong.

In 2002, Number Seven wonders why her siblings are acting odd.

(Or, the post-finale “Vanya doesn’t remember the time travel” fic)

☁︎ If You're Different And You Know It (you're not alone) by M3zzaTh3M3z { T }

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Five was different. He’d always known. Different from most people, what with his freakish birth, powers and unconventional upbringing, all that old news. And different from his siblings. He was smarter. His powers were stronger. And he’d never picked a name. All that was old news too. But there was something else that separated him from the rest, something he didn’t know how to put a finger on, how to categorize, analyse, understand. Five didn’t like not understanding. It was probably Klaus that made him first notice something was off.

☁︎ Is the sadness everlasting? (love, I think it is) by ArmedWithMyComputer { T }

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A look into what Klaus' newly discovered ability could mean for the siblings.

Diego could feel his whole body trembling as he faced the ghosts, only able to take shallow breaths as he struggled to process the true horror of what he was seeing.

And then they started howling.

The sound pierced though his stupor and forced him to his knees instantly. It was like nothing Diego had ever experienced before, and he was consumed with the intensity and overwhelmed by a deep chilling fear. It felt as though his mind had been taken over and all he could hear was the shrieks of grief, more intense than any emotion he had ever felt.

☁︎ It Does(n't) Matter by MYSTERYstew { T }

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It’s a familiar feeling, being lifted up by Luther and tossed around like he weighs nothing (to Luther he certainly does), it was a favorite move of Luther’s as a child. Nostalgia is not what Five feels, he’s too busy flailing as Luther throws him over the railing.

or, Five fails a jump

☁︎ Just One Minute by willowhisperer { T }

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Five holds up his end of the deal, soaked in blood. The Handler decides to toy with him a little while longer.

Maybe it's revenge, maybe she's riding the high of her shiny new position as head of the Commission.

Really, she just wants to win, once and for all.

☁︎ Lessons 'verse [Series] by Soulykins { T }

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Five was maybe four years old when he figured out that he was pretty much ride or die for his siblings. He was also four when he figured out that in the Umbrella Academy, you could never let Reginald Hargreeves figure out what you loved lest he use it against you. There was safety in aloof indifference, more than could be found anywhere else under their roof.

Five times Five Hargreeves protected his siblings the best ways he could, and the one time he failed.

☁︎ Lethe by shoelaces { T / WIP }

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Le·the | A river in Hades whose waters cause drinkers to forget their past.

Or: Five loses his memories instead of Vanya, and it falls to his siblings to raise a superpowered teenager in the 1960s, all whilst preserving their own new lives and preventing yet another apocalypse.

☁︎ Like an abyss by fridayyy { T }

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For the second time, Five has to (gets to?) grow up.

☁︎ Like Oxygen by sevansa { T }

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Klaus's powers may be a bit more extensive than just seeing the dead, he's not sure what to do about that.

OR

The one where Klaus's power is not ghosts, but souls and that makes a hell of a difference.

☁︎ Mellow Rays of a Departing Sun [Series] by Emotionally_Detached (Yeah_Toast) { T }

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He makes it. He time travels and makes it through another apocalypse. He makes it, but his siblings don't.

His siblings don't make it, except he's in his own childhood and they're still here, alive and thirteen and he can fix things.

He will fix things

☁︎ most dangerous place in the world, the [Series] by Princess_Sarcastia { T }

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"Grace is the third model in a series created by and for Sir Reginald.  She has access to the knowledge obtained by her predecessors in their time assisting Sir Reginald in his many endeavors.

All three of them were primarily designed as protectors.  Do no harm, just as Mr. Asimov said!

But Grace is slightly different."

[priority one: protect the children]

☁︎ New Life, A by BirdInTheCave { T }

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Allison had convinced Ray to come back to 2019 with her and her family and after a month of being cooped up in the house with the other Hargreeves plus their own unconventional guests, Ray suggests they spend some time alone. He's still struggling to fully comprehend the new world he's stepped into but he's determined that with Allison at his side he can get used to anything. Allison can't find a reason to say no. She should have said no.

Luckily for her, Five will always be there for his family, now that he's back.

☁︎ Not with me by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden) { T }

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They never asked if any of that blood was his. Five is bleeding, and he is also giving up.

AU to 2X07, with hurt Five because after all that boy has been through...

☁︎ Number Five | And The Things that Make Him Tick [Series] by Kraeyola { T }

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It's only been two weeks for him.

AKA: Five succumbs to two weeks worth of badly cared for (physical and emotional) injuries, and ends up extremely feverish.

☁︎ On My Terms by CivilBores { T }

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“I did what you asked,” he tells her. “Now, the briefcase.”

Her eyebrows raise in mock-surprise, red lips curling up her face in a sadistic smile.

“You didn’t think that was all, did you?” she asks.

AU: The Handler gives Five a slightly different deal.

☁︎ Partners, Parents, or None of the Above by DarkFairytale { T }

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Kenny's mom assuming that Diego and Klaus were A) a couple and B) Number Five’s parents was both bemusing and amusing at the time. But that was because it was the only time it had ever happened. Now though? Now they just can't understand why these misunderstandings keep happening.

☁︎ rude awakening by Soulykins { T / WIP }

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When Five wakes up, he just knows someone is in the room with him. Of course, even he didn't except to come face to face with the Handler who he'd thought to be very very dead. And he especially didn't expect her to break into his room and watch him sleep while waiting for him to wake up.

It's very fortunate that Diego and Klaus show up to wake him up and take offense to some random lady in the same room as their very uncomfortable, very thirteen-year-old brother.

☁︎ Screaming in the Face of Communication by papayaromantic { T }

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It's not that he doesn't want to pay attention to Five, just that he seriously can't hear what the boy is saying past the wailing of the torn apart woman in front of him.

☁︎ shaking like I shook before by Anonymous { T }

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Five tries to deal with it alone, until he learns that he doesn’t have to.

☁︎ skirts and sweaters by slightlyworriedhuman { T }

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"I don't want to be a ‘cute little schoolboy’ anymore, alright?” Five snapped. For some reason, the thought of himself as a schoolboy was enough to make his skin prickle. Was it the implication that he was younger than the rest of them, less mature despite his life?

...Yeah, it was definitely that. Absolutely.Five wants a change in wardrobe. His siblings are more than happy to help.

☁︎ small changes by calypso42 { T }

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“I need to ask you something.” He set down the large stack of books he was carrying beside him. Klaus glanced at a few of the titles - Consciousness in the Brain - Memory & the Role of the Hippocampus - Soul vs. Matter: A Comprehensive Look at the Origins of Sentience - and grimaced.

“Are you… having an existential crisis, or something? Because I am possibly the worst person you could go to for that.”

...

When Five goes to Klaus to ask him something about his powers, Klaus doesn’t think much of it. At least, until he realizes that what he thought was simple curiosity was actually deeper than that, leading to a revelation about Five himself.

☁︎ take shelter by aloneintherain { T }

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AU where the apocalypse doesn’t follow the Hargreeves to the 1960s. Without the threat of nuclear annihilation hanging over their heads, the siblings can take the time to be a family again.

Until they find out that the Handler has been blackmailing Five.

☁︎ this is a bad town (for such a pretty face) by luciimariiellii { T }

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Five’s gone. (How the Hargreeves cope, and how they reunite.)

☁︎ to unexplain the unforgivable by darkviverna { T }

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Ability to see the dead and having a temporal assassin for a brother don’t mix well.

☁︎ Too Much Too Little by 1spideyson { T }

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Five says nothing on the ride back, just gently presses the tips of thin fingers to his eyes and temples like his head is a new instrument he’s learning to play. Like he’s searching for the right notes.

Diego tries not to cast too many worried glances the boy’s way, but when Five crawls into Diego’s bed, shaking and grey, he can’t stop himself from speaking up.

A look at Five and Diego's relationship through a h/c lens.

☁︎ Too Old To Be So Young by KaseyBeth { T }

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Five winced loudly, pushing his head off the floor to see bright red smeared across his chest and stomach; crimson soaked into his shorts, running down his leg. His head fell back against the ground dizzyingly, and he groaned as someone touched the wound, biting his bottom lip as he tried to stay conscious. The end of life, of everything, was in three days; they didn’t have time for this, he didn’t have time for this. A bullet wound, a stupid bullet wound and all that stupid concern and worry, was just going to slow them down. There wasn’t time for mistakes, or hiccups, or rest and recovery. It was the end of the fucking world.

☁︎ traumaversary by WeWalkADifferentPath { T }

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It follows him like an unscratched itch. Under his skin, over his body, around his energy, like a mosquito that won’t leave him the fuck alone.

April 1st. April 1st. April 1st.

(A character study of Five, with some inevitable family feels, in honour of March 24th).

☁︎ Unexpected Future, An by aseies { T / WIP }

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“I’m sure you’re looking forward to finding a way back to your own time as soon as possible,” Nedzu said. “I want you to know that U.A. will do everything in its power to help you achieve that goal. Time travel is a complicated equation to solve, but I’m sure if we put our heads together we’ll come up with something!”

Five raised a skeptical eyebrow. “And you’re just going to do that out of the goodness of your heart? I’m not even old enough for high school yet.”

“Well, we’re all heroes for a reason, no? What good are we if we can’t help a single child in need?” Nedzu pointed out with a pleasantly neutral smile as he sipped his tea.

OR: Instead of time traveling into the apocalypse, thirteen-year-old Five Hargreeves teleports in the middle of the USJ fight.

He gets a couple of new dads out of it.

☁︎ walls kept tumbling down, the by Ingu { T }

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It started small.

There was a nagging ache in his chest, phantom pain from where the bullets had pierced his flesh, in the overwritten timeline that never will be.

(the one where rewinding time doesn't miraculously resolve mortal gunshot wounds)

☁︎ We All Deserve Second Chances (but don't repeat your mistakes) by justarandomword, wolvesandnovas { T }

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Time-travelling gave Ben a second chance at life. He's not about to let Reginald Hargreeves ruin that for him and Klaus.

(a.k.a. Reginald takes Klaus' dog tags and the aftermath.)

☁︎ we didn't choose this life, we're just (kind of) living it [Series] by noodlerdoodler { T / Partially WIP }

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Five couldn’t move, standing by and watching complacently, as his younger brother grabbed him roughly by the front of his sweater. It was like he was watching a play he wasn't apart of, yet that was definitely his small body being tossed over the balcony. No doubt, Luther thought that he would just jump out of the way. He'd always jumped out of the way, sometimes without even meaning to, but now visions of a world on fire flashed through his head as his body plummeted towards the ground. Seemingly, he was tumbling through the air in slow motion and absentmindedly, Five wondered if this was his life flashing before his eyes. All he saw was the desolate world he’d left behind weeks ago.

When Five hit the ground, it was with a sickening cracking noise.

“Oh my god, Luther, what have you done?”

☁︎ with two arms by karcheri { T }

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What it comes down to, really, is that Five had been too eager for results. Once it became clear to him that there was a connection between his powers and his energy level the obvious course of action, as he saw it, was to test this information. The hypothesis was this: higher energy levels = stronger powers and the easiest way to get more energy is to eat more. Pretty simple stuff. Too simple.

or Five times that Five starves himself and one time that he gets called out on it.

☁︎ you from yesterday by questors (sieges) { T }

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The difference between who his siblings once were and who they are now.

[dojae-huh]

Doyoung in China is in top3 if we are talking about NCT127... Before him is only Tae and Jae. In addition it's him, Tae, Jae, Mark, Ten, Haechan who are considered to be "the core" of NCT.. Don't forget about his fanbase in Japan (he stole their hearts when he started speak more and more in Japanese) and also in Thailand. He is popular, and will have bigger and bigger fanbase. Before he was known to be GM's brother, right now is rather GM known to be "this" Doyoung's brother. Idols loves him too

Anon, could you elaborate on the core? Where is it discussed? On forums? Why do you have such impression? 

Chinese Doyoung’s bar bought a lot of albums.

I understand the anons’ concerns. Popularity is a fickle thing. Do dropped out of the top 100 brand a couple of times in 2019. He is not pushed as hard as Tae or Mark too, it’s a fact. 

Even so, we should acknowledge two things: 1) Doyoung is the one to go on TV shows and be the face of the group for the general public. This hasn’t change. 2) He is let to go on KoMS despite NeoCity being in full swing and post his covers. He is the representative of NCT’s image of top-group with best vocals, a fail is not a good thing, the managers believed in him. He has more side singing projects than Taeil. He gets duets, stage collabs like Queen cover performance. He is given the mic during mass singing on different shows and charity projects. 

The members have different charms and personalities. Groups are designed this way intentionally. To interest as many people as possible. The fans that Yuta attracts or Jungwoo won’t be as attracted to some other members. Some prefer Taeil’s voice, others - Haechan’s. What I’m saying, Doyoung will become the bias of those fans that like people like him. When I heard him say “I’m the smartest (in the group)”, I knew he is the one. I’m weak before smart people, haha. MVs are just MVs. There are hours upon hours of Doyoung showing off on vlives and programmes. He got a special treatment in NCTLife with the bunny ears. I might not like it too much, but Korean and many other fans definetely do. 

Doyoung is a king of self-promotion. He knows what to do to “get my screentime” (last Weekly Idol). He has a disadvantage abroad because his English is not good enough and yet he succeds on Flinch and is pulled forward by a host to dance salsa (?) in front.   

SM wants to get money from everyone. See how they promote Johnny now (not that they didn’t try in the past, he was sent on tv and had EnNaNa). Yuta gets many centre dancing parts now (after he finally started dancing for real, with effort). Taeil and Jungwoo’s chemistry is explored, I’m sure they will comeback as a duo of MCs. Haechan got to MC a radio show (the members congratulated him, saying his dream came true). SM is not evil, but it’s a business, not a hobby club. Emotions cloud our judgment and skew our perception. There are 9 members in the group, everyone can’t be the number one at once.  

[medea10]

My Review of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

[unb100]

Since I’m feeling quite apathetic right now let’s talk business aka unpack why superm’s marketing strategy was set to fail from the very beginning

Main reason is their concept. The avengers of kpop / superheroes or whatever you wanna call it implies two things.

First is that they literally gonna be cosplaying superheroes, driving fast cars, flying helicopters, there will be explosions etc. It’s an obvious attempt to cater to american audiences who’s been into this trend for a while. Fair enough, I guess there’s not much more to it, other than, my personal opinion is that it’s not very original. More on the limiting side really. The execution, no matter how much money was put into it, is still cringy. Also, there’s the issue with the fact that sm already has a group with literal superpowers that would fit the concept much better, so no matter how you look at it, superm just seems like a recycled version of EXO with a strong NCT influence (especially when Jongin and Baekhyun keep their superpowers in superm). But that aside.

The second and more important thing that this concept implies is their main positioning strategy. Positioning means defining yourself as a brand - what are your strong points, what are your characteristics, what makes you different from other brands. Superm’s whole brand image revolves around how they are super, they are the best, they are better than anyone else, they are the ultimate team. Now, the problem is that these titles are entirely self-given and have no reflection in reality, both as of before debut and as of now after they debuted. Titles mean nothing if they aren’t acknowledged by others and there is no way for others to acknowledge/judge the group when it hasn’t even debuted yet. You can’t promise the consumers (because kpop fans are still consumers, especially in the company’s eyes) something that you are not sure of, much less something that turned out to be untrue. 

There’s a big disonance in how sm wants to cut superm members off from their original groups and strongly push the image of superm being something entirely new and revolutionary, but they also use these groups’ cumulative sales and social followings to create an image for superm. Image that is not even representative of the whole group, seeing as how 90% of sales and followings superm brags about come from EXO alone. 

It’s clear that sm thought that some of the success of each group will translate to a superm success in an additive way. Which..... honestly I can’t understand how you could make such an assumption when the most basic market research will tell you that this is not how things work. People are not sm stans, especially not the people they expected to carry the majority of superm’s sales. How sm didn’t predict the backlash, I have no idea, maybe they just arrogant like that, but it’s obvious they didn’t expect it. 

Even if you consider the fact that their main goal isn’t pushing superm, but creating the buzz in america for the future new groups and/or NCT, you just don’t invest such big money without expecting some of it to be returned, especially since that profit also translates to creating the image of supergroup that sells a lot. (This is why sm kept lowering the price of albums from 16$ to 14$, made a 10$ discount if you buy all 8 versions, made individual covers with guaranteed included photocards of the same person that is on the cover, gave the a pre-order period of over one month, and made bundles of 50$ concert ticket + album for free that will count for overall sales that they dropped after all the people who were going to buy albums anyway already bought them). Which takes us back to how they promised their fans something based on expectations that they now aren’t able to fulfill. The group already debuted and it’s crickets about number of pre-orders and sales. You know that if there was anything to brag about, they’d be doing it left and right, but as it is now, they’re probably still counting the bundles so it appears as a higher number. 

So to summarise, sm promised the fans something that they had no guarantee of coming true and, lo and behold, it didn’t come true. They basically set all superm members to be humiliated. They completely ignored their audience’s demand and supplied something they thought would do well on god knows what basis. They continue to treat their main consumers (loyal fans of the original groups) like something disposable and unimportant, despite clearly counting on them to contribute to the sales and streaming. They also make the members take the blame for their lies and miscommunication, which might appear like it’s helping the image of the company, but as I’ve already said, people aren’t fans of sm, they are fans of their groups, so if they see that their faves are being dishonest, unloyal or using them, they will turn against them, which ultimately means turning against sm. We made a full circle, sm loses anyway, and all thanks to lack of proper strategy adapted to current situation on the market and fans’ demand, really bad PR and being so blatantly manipulative. 

[ssfoc]

"I would think TPTB leave nothing to chance" well rob stringer agreed to give harry that massive debut off a "good feeling" which is why they overbudgeted him in the first place, so i think they left everything to the conman sly words of azoffs, who give harry complete control. i think after the failure of tg harry just stopped existing to them because they knew they couldn't afford him. compared to april 2017 he's dead to them. the music industry is dying and they need cheap stars. i think++

++giving him a distribution deal was part of that. he was the most popular off their highest grossing artist and was shown to be highly marketable. they didn’t do any tests. they trusted him. that anything he put out 1d stans would woeship. thanks to the convincing of azoffs they gave him complete autonomy along with irving’s power. but even that failed. people aren’t buying music and the industry has less money to spare. they value cheap artists with good streams. harry made them waste money. Jeff IS an inexperienced kid, and they let him negotiate high-stake deals just because he was Irving’s son. Irving’s favoritism towards Harry as his son’s big break would absolutely convince Columbia to give him control if he wanted it. If Columbia had their way Harry would be their Shawn Mendes. But Harry’s in unflattering suits flailing around stunting with irrelevants and never going to big events. You think Sony wouldn’t be exploiting him if they had any control over him?__________________________

Anon, I will talk about strategy as we see it.

I have only the numbers that Sony published wrt actual units sold, as well as streaming numbers from Spotify, Shazam, YouTube etc.

By those measures, Harry’s numbers fell after the first fiscal quarter (March to June 2017). TG and Kiwi did not provide much bump in moving the album. These songs were not pushed on radio and did not chart well. The decision to promote radio play comes primarily from the label— although in the case of a distribution deal, it depends on the contract.

Other forms of promo after the album launched included the BBC special, the Apple special (BTA and Abbey Road sessions), television appearances including the Late Late Show in LA and London, VSFS, iHeart music festival, the Arias, Nova Red Room, Musicares, TXF Italy and UK. To me, with the Azoffs’ and Harry’s business connections, these seem to be set up by FSM rather than the label.

Harry has had one of the highest grossing solo tours this year. His tour was not yet finished at the time of this compilation, but one can see that the gross revenue for HSLOT is easily among the top performers.

https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/business/8466369/midyear-touring-report-top-venues-highest-grossing-tours

Therefore, despite the album’s performance tapering off quickly, and despite not having the streaming numbers, Harry has an enthusiastic fanbase willing to pay to see him. His numbers have been very impressive.

There is a general feeling that we would like more SM interaction from Harry, because his previous SM was absolute GOLD. Harry live is magnetic, charming, charismatic, unstoppable. There is a real personality, rather than the professionally-managed robot-Harry on SM now. On the other hand, we want him to have his privacy too, which now seems to be protected like Fort Knox, so that the smallest interaction seems planned and calculated. For example, his lyric tweets used to be quirky and heartfelt, a genuinely intriguing glimpse of his response to music. His last lyric tweet was for King Princess. While many applauded the LGBT support, others took that tweet as promotion for a new Sony imprint. This is why fans are understandably suspicious of “leaks” and “hacks,” especially when they seem to serve a narrative that his team and label are promoting.

There is a median that might be preferable— but that’s up to him and his team. One Direction has always lived in that delicate zone between corporate branding and authenticity; the glimpses of authenticity are what earned loyalty from the fans.

The difficulty in solo work, for all the boys, is in continuing to relay that authentic self to fans, even though huge corporations add the fiscal pressure. Niall has negotiated this most successfully, because his 1D image was the least conflicted and he had the least conflicted fans. Harry’s image has been the most conflicted. His team has tried to appeal to all sides, but this strategy has seriously corrupted the trust in authenticity.

[goprandall]

DC MASTERPOST >3

It’s no secret the DC universe is something of a DCpointment. There’s no cohesion in sotrylines, films are released at odd and illogical times and I decided to rewatch and give proper reviews.

MAN OF STEEL 2013 7/10

This film is something of an outlier on the DCEU, because it is not terrible.

The strengths of this film are defiantly the first act, I feel it was a clear and concise way to create backstory without the stereotypes of following him through childhood into adulthood, they did a great job of creating krypton and establishing an antagonist with a clear motive. I liked the jump straight into adult with flashbacks when confronted with items from his past, it allowed us to understand his past without saturating his journey all at once. Arguably the first arc of this film is completed here with Clark/kal discovering who he is and why he is here. The second arc of General Zod trying to bring back his people is still very well done, providing us more relevant backstory and shows logical actions from both sides of the fight nearing the end of the film. The biggest weakness of the film in my opinion is that it is 20 minutes too long. When superman destroys Zods ship killing the artificial children of krypton, I feel this arc was complete, although the after fight solely fought between SM and Zod does show us the struggle superman goes through becoming the last kryptonite in exaistance, this does not outweigh the pointless mass destruction this causes, on top of a already destroyed city. In my cut this would be disregarded.

Final thoughts of the film; my favourite part was the shot of ‘ALERT’ that slowly turns to ‘Toner empty’, a good transition and piece of direction. I’m giving this film 7/10, in my classification would make it a good Netflix film, one I’d be happy to watch but not pay money to solely see. It was a hard choice to not make it a 6 however, I rank wonder women as a 7, and this is more than equally as good, the only things preventing me from giving it a higher rank is it’s rewatchability. Personally I rarely would due to its lack of joy and humour, and overall darkness, not just in plot but also in cinematography and colour grading.

BATMAN V SUPERMAN 2016 6/10

Batman v superman had all the the ingredients to be the summer blockbuster, but as predicted it followed every DC film and tanked.

Their are some aspects of this film that are genuinely good, giving it a 6, one of those things is the first act of the film where we are introduced to Batman, although I didn’t personally feel the need for another origin story, the way this scene is directed especially with the earl sequence is fantastic, adding depth and differing from older versions of the same story. The other good thing about this film is the Batman fight scene, it is so well articulated and choreographed, i struggle to see how it fits within the wider film which is strangely badly directed, edited and in-cohesive.

Continuing from this idea, I feel the dream sequences are one of the leading problems for the in-cohesion of the film, the issue with these sequences is, if they are not well done it stops the audience trusting more daring scenes, ultimately taking you out of the story. Next, I feel another reason this doesn’t live up to its hype is, again, DCs continuous frenzy of oversaturating it’s film with characters. Here I argue Wonder women is not needed in the end fight, the fight could just have easily gone on sitbout her, or, if they had released wonder women before this film so we felt more engrossed in the character it wouldn’t been fine. However her and all the other justice league promo clips, should not have been in the film in the context they were as they’re a corporate shoehorn, promoting further projects. The other character I feel is unneeded is ‘Doomsday’, he’s quickly thrown in at the end of the film, and honesty an antigunist shown to us at the end of the film will never give the depth and fear of a hero fight, as a villain shown throughout the movie.

To me, Batman V Superman is a movie. Not a film, crafted and worked on to create a narrative for the audience, but a summer movie to get the kids out the house. The idea of having two meta humans as important as Batman and superman battling each other should boggle the mind, as the first avengers did for me or civil war for a closer comparison. But the difference with the MCU spectaculars is, they earned their right to blow people’s minds, DC is playing catch up and trying to get praise and awe without the hard work.

SUICIDE SQUAD 2016 3/10

Wow. This review has been hard to create and will most likely feature ideas from other reviews via podcasts and YouTube due to the fact this movie boggled my head in the sheer awfullness that ensued.

As always, I begin with the strengths of the film. In this instance it’s slight. I loved the aesthetics of the branding for the film, the colours, the neon animations, I loved it all. The mini descriptions in the film were funny and added to the VeRy little personalities of the characters. It is important to point out this clearly wasn’t present in the first edits of the film, but due to good feedback of later trailers that were released they were added, which is why this element of humour is the only of its kind that lands in the film.

Next I normally look into the storyline and the character arcs of the film, arguably my second favourite aspect to look for in a film. In suicide squad there is none, and there aren’t any. That sounds harsh, but the reality is there is no cohesive storyline, it follows no one character individually and the film darts back and fourth between every character, no matter the timeframe. Dean Dobbs (from adventures with dean and Bertie’s podcast) best describes this as ‘like playing a video game where someone is skipping every cutscene’ and this is absolutly true, especially when looking at the relationship of the joker and Harley Quinn. This film is so badly edited, As jack Howard describes, this film contains no scenes, it is obvious the whole film was rehashed and re-edited after the release of BVS (which crashed at the box office) and the final trailer was released, which was very different from the first few as it showed humour and action, and it is evident they cut out almost everything apart from these things. I would best describe it as many GoPrandall videos I have scrapped as I tend to forget to film opening sequencers and filler clips to show the progression of the story told apart from the action, and this is exactly how I felt about the editing of this film, they did the best with what they got but it wasn’t enough.

Although there was a lack of character arcs, this film had an ABUNDANT amount of characters to fill its shoes. This film crams as many famous faces in as many characters

As it can, because for some reason DC refuses to create stand alone films due to the catch up to the MCU that’s going on. We’ll start with the joker, or more exactly the 10 minuets of joker we got. Many scenes with the joker were so heavily edited, and deleted, it is hard to judge Jared Letos performance, because he didn’t have chance to give one. But, as a side note the hand on the mouth laugh is one of the WORST cinema moments I’ve experienced only closely beaten by ‘were bad guys it’s what we do’. Yuck. But we’ll finally look at the ‘suicide squad’, although looking at them it’s hard to identify why they are in this squad. We’ll start with reason no one on the team seems to have a reason to be there, aprt from deadshot, who had his daughters arc to think about. All the others just seem to around and don’t want to die and get out of prison. VERY good motives DC, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Next we can look at the abilities of this so called ‘meta human’ squad and how under utilised they really are, which could show why this film failed so badly. Firstly deadshot- ‘never misses a bullet- amazing at trick shots.’ Who in the film performs close quarter headshots, the same as the Seal team next to him, and in the film performs 1 trick shot. 1. That was in establishing scene right at the beginning, but he isn’t the only victim, we can look at Boomerang, my favourite character by far, with one the coolest abilities, who throws a total of:5 boomerangs and catches: 2. Let’s be honest Harely is there as the jokers Love Interest and to keep him in the film. We can also look at el deablo, the man that can shoot fire but refuses until he’s bullied for a whole minute. The worlds worst archaeologist who starts the entire battle, after BREAKING AN ANTIQUE immediatly after finding it (bravo) who if wasn’t attempted to be weaponised, would’ve skipped this whole mess. Slipknot, a man who could climb any wall or anything, who immediatly dies after climbing a wall, but don’t worry because they don’t even want you to worry about this due to the fact they don’t even intro him before he magically appears on the squad, hoping the audience will react ‘oh he’s going to be important!!! What a mystery man!!’. This is almost as bad as Katana, who adds nothing the story apart from a short intro and when she cries to her dead husband, at which point I began to cut my toenails, something I gave more of a shit about.

But, it is obvious I’m a teenage marvel fanboy just shitting on DC,and I hate when people complain without offering another viewpoint, therefore, to fix this, I would dedicate this film to the viewpoint of deadshot, giving him the character arc of changing with the goal of seeing his daughter- eliminate the extra characters- slipknot/katana and either dedicate more time to the joker and harley sub plot or eliminate entirely, NOT BOTH. With this, better editing around these eliminated plot points could make a more coherent story with more empathetic story arcs. I have a full idea for a plot but this is too long as it is.

WONDER WOMEN 2017 7/10

Wonder women is a refreshing instalment into the DCEU, showing they seem to e learning, but are still falling behind on some of the most basic hurdles.

Firstly, as always we’ll start off with the strengths of his film, firstly it is vividly important to recognise that this is the first major Superhero film to be directed, and sustain a heavy female cast. It does so fantastically and leaves me more excited for the next instalment now knowing female directors and stars now have evidence for an accomplished superhero movie, which arguably has outdone the past 2 major films. With this we see a brilliantly refreshing opening act with a subtle and bright, vibrant origin story.

However, this film slowly returns to madness throughout the film when major plot holes appear, and the film making quality slowly deteriorates. Firstly, the iggest plot hole that has been so easily overlooked is the WW1 aspect. Given a World War Two film, having the Germans be the sole enemy is obvious and logical, however WW1 is not as simple as this and the use of Germans as the enemies is vaguely lazy. Also, as DC loves to do, it adds in extra characters and neglects to give them logical and coherent backstory and arcs. We only need to look at the ‘best marksman in the war’ who doesn’t fire a single shot, and continues not too all the way to the end of the film, showing no growth. The final plot hole is what draws it into the wider EU. The entirety of this film is showing Diana that the human race is bad and should be left alone, although when she defeats arias, this is meant to break this curse and peace seems to be restored. But, in BVS she claims to have stopped helping mankind because of their evils, neglecting Stalin, WW2 and the Vietnam war to name a few, but making a reappearance for- lex Luther. Wow.

Although in almost most of its entirety this was a pleasant watch, my personal issue stopped this at the third act when the final fight begins. To me the film returns to DCs favourite colour scheme of dark and clouded, and uses quite frankly some of the worst CGI I’ve seen recently, making me wonder why they didn’t at least try to incorporate real elements, such as Marvel, but this is still the best DC film after man of steel and I’m excited to see more female led and directed films come to screen.

JUSTICE LEAUGE 2016 5/10

This will be the shortest of the DC reviews, this is the film I’ve seen least of the lot and I feel I’ll need at least another viewing to get a full understanding. To premise this I fully understand Zack Snyder had personal issues leading him to leave and Joss take over, and this is in no way mocking him.

But I’ll dive in, maybe the fact I’m struggling to write this review tells me a lot about the movie. Wonder women was one of the only saving graces of this move, she was well understood and I feel her likeness as a character was well transferred from WW to JL. Contrary to this, I’m struggling to write about cyborg and flash, we were given next to no backstorys, although the flash’s was hinted at at least twice that I recall and what we were given were quite chaotic. Batman was a major letdown for me, coming down from BVS where he was a certified badass taking on superman, he turns into a wimp and hides for a majority of the film, quite evidently showing Ben affleck Clearly does not want to be there. I feel the overall plot of the film was almost underatsnvle, but had the taken the time to set up this storyline in previous films it would’ve been much better, this movie lacked the right to have all these characters on screen together. The characters had adequate screen time each, but contrary to its biggest rival ‘the avengers’ this really wasn’t that special, most of the characters had the same abilities, barring the flash, and the way the avengers films have shown all the characters working together simultaneously in cinematic mastery, you can see hints of Joss attempting this, but with a bad set up it’s an impossible task.

I conclude, not going into the issue with the CGi because I don’t have that much time.

[ctdigital]

Why does your startup require Digital Marketing?

According to a study, 90 percent of Indian start-ups fail during the first five years of their existence. To build your startup and make it stable, you need more than just a super-unique idea, a terrific team, and capital. You need clients, revenue, and profit, which digital marketing may help you achieve. The same old standard marketing methods don't always work. You must select and mix the appropriate marketing channels in order to develop an unbeatable approach. The best strategy for your startup is determined by your niche, audience, and a variety of other criteria.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is the use of internet distribution channels to promote products and services. SMS, MMS, instant messaging, websites, emails, banner advertisements, digital billboards, and a variety of other methods are used for this purpose and most of them are cost-effective and time-saving.

Every day, millions of marketing communications are sent out to clients, and it's a tough nut to crack if you want to be noticed amid the throng. It's considerably more difficult in the case of a startup! Here’s why a startup must consider investing in digital marketing:

1. Generate a buzz for your business beforehand:

The internet increasingly appears to be considered by agencies and companies as more than just another checkbox for any ad campaign. It is now being used as the medium through which a campaign is launched to generate buzz before it reaches TV and print.

Buzz is effective! Small and start-up enterprises can benefit from it as well. A viral campaign's planning stage will build a viral theme to generate buzz. Any viral campaign has three main components that may be used by businesses of any size. They are:

i. The creative material: The creative material that embodies the message you want to disseminate in a digital format (image, video, text, etc). The key is to create content that people will want to share in their social circles.

ii. Seeding: Placing the agent online in locations where the content has the best chance of spreading. This can be done with the help of direct material downloads or links on third-party web sites to raise awareness before the users arrive at the campaign's target site.

iii. Tracking: Measuring the campaign's reach to ensure accountability and demonstrate success. It is critical that you understand what is and is not working. The only way to find out is to keep track of your seeding results.

2. Get noticed on the Internet:

The Internet has evolved from a tiny network into a global marketplace and storehouse for every type of information and knowledge. It allows customers to search for exactly what they want without having to make countless phone calls, drive to malls, or pore over mail-order catalogues. Hundreds of results compete for a customer’s attention on the screen after a short keyword search.

A startup should make the most of it by taking a mix of things to ensure that the business is near the top of the search results: product specialization, SEO of online content, and connection to related topics and sites.

3. Create a Corporate Image:

It is critical for every business to establish a distinct image in the marketplace. This is referred to as Corporate Image, and it distinguishes the company from its competitors while also portraying it to the broader public. It shows the company's values, ideals, and productivity. This image is in charge of enhancing product sales and establishing brand equity. Corporate image creation is a difficult and time-consuming procedure that is carried out by perception management experts.

Advertising and branding budgets should be examined on a regular basis to save money and stay current with technology. This also aids in the redesigning of the corporate image in response to the rapidly changing consumer needs. As a result, the image of each individual corporate product contributes to the overall image of the organization.

4. Boost your ROI:

Since startups have a limited budget, investing in digital marketing is always a good idea. Online ads are generally found to be more cost-effective than space in a print publication, and further helps you reach larger audience. Rates are frequently available on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, giving you more flexibility and allowing you to stretch your budget further. The added advantage is that you’re ensured that your marketing dollars are spent on the people that matter to your business.

5. Use content as a successful selling strategy:

It is critical for a startup to capture the consumer's full attention. This can be accomplished best by using several digital platforms and a website that gives information about the products and services being offered. Once the audience's attention has been captured, it should be kept until the end of the message.

Customers should be encouraged to take action, and their participation should be requested. They can be asked to sign up for newsletters or complete a survey by going to the company's website. Next, the consumer must be persuaded to purchase the product or service. All of the company's features should be listed, with the most important ones at the top. They should be logically taught how the product or service would meet their demands or address their pain points.

6. Put digital ‘call to action’ to good use:

If buyers have second thoughts, all of your efforts will be for naught. The information should be carefully prepared so that people are persuaded to buy the product all the way through. The idea is to tell the customer exactly what to do after he/she finishes reading the content, such as ‘Grab the great opportunity now' or ‘contact us now,' and so on. Include no links or brief descriptions of other items or services. This will cause the reader's attention to shift, and he may have a second thought. In a nutshell, the goal is to influence the customers’ thoughts till they make a purchase, which is just a click away.

7. Build an appealing brand identity:

As one popular proverb goes, "a picture speaks a thousand words,” using visuals like info graphics or animations to increase marketing is your greatest bet. Place a picture of a representative and products on the company's website to see for yourself what it can do. This not only brings customers closer, but also establishes credibility. To convey the message effectively, expert assistance can be sought when choosing colors for website typeface, website background, logo, and other elements.

8. Avail the benefits of Mobile Marketing:

Ever since it became a lawful advertising medium, the marketing sector saw the potential of mobile marketing and took full advantage of it. Apart from SMS, mobile marketing also includes multimedia messaging, push notifications through downloaded apps, in-app or in-game marketing, mobile websites, and QR codes. This has resulted in a new way of approaching potential clients. This type of marketing is a sure hit, given the massive increase in the number of mobile phone users.

9. Facilitate the success tracking process:

Waiting till the campaign is over to determine what worked and what didn't is not an option for a small firm. A startup may track the success of their marketing strategies using digital marketing. Several simple analytics tools and software are available to assist you effectively analyze ROI in real-time and identify areas for development.

10. Use Digital tricks to sell your product or service:

The entire point of marketing is to use the consumer's psychology to persuade them. Efforts should be made in any campaign to make it so persuasive that the customer's decision is completely in the company's favor. There are a few methods for accomplishing this.

For example, terms like 'limited time offer,' 'offer expiring soon,' and 'offer until stocks last' would compel the user to click. The buyer gets the sense that the offer will expire shortly because the products are limited edition, and that he should buy them as quickly as possible. Another smart way to improve sales is to make the take modest steps toward the goal while they are unaware of it. When a customer asks information, for example, provide them the material for free and have them fill up a form with their contact information.

Conclusion:

If you have a clarity of what you want to achieve with digital marketing, it can surely prove to be a useful tool to expand your business. Customers are already seeking what they want, now it’s up to you to make sure they find you. The only way to do this is to ensure that your business is located where they already are.

For a startup, uniqueness is the most important factor. Not only should the products and services be unique, but so should be the marketing approach as this will have a long-term impact. Customers will become free walking advertisements after their trust has been earned.

Channel Technologies is one such digital marketing service provider that identifies your pain points and offers most promising services that align with your needs and budget.

Contact us today for a Free Digital Marketing Consultation!

[seolincoln826]

A Biased View of Lincoln Seo

Misconceptions About Seo Lincoln

The significant channels of Web marketing are: Website Either a personal website or a business web site and even a personal blog site organized on a shared platform (like Word, Press or Tumblr). For numerous campaigns, a site is the beginning factor and also the destination i. e. you run a digital marketing project to promote a website (starting point) with the purpose of obtaining more site visitors (destination).

There is a great deal of complication about these terms that's why I created separate posts clarifying the difference: In a nutshell: SEO involves optimization methods for the function of accomplishing greater positions in Online search engine. It has two significant components: and. Paid Search Advertising And Marketing (PSA) has to do with getting site visitors by putting advertisements on search engines.

Must See Seo Lincoln Tips

Search advertising and marketing has to do with promo methods associated to. Social Media Site Advertising and marketing is an additional part of Web marketing and also one that is obtaining a great deal of attention in the last number of years. Countless customers spend a significant quantity of their on-line time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, You, Tube, Linked, In, and various other SM systems.

Web content Advertising and marketing In the past when we spoke about SEO we basically suggested web link structure yet this pattern has actually changed given that 2011 as well as material advertising and marketing has ended up being the brand-new Search Engine Optimization. This just indicates that great web content has come to be once again the foundation of SEO as well as it is through content that you will certainly construct a better Internet visibility as well as not via cheap link structure methods.

Will Seo Lincoln Ever Die?

In spite of the influence of social media sites, e-mail is still one of the most effective way to transform visitors or visitors right into customers. In regards to advertising, email advertising is the process of gathering e-mail addresses from individuals thinking about your services or products for the function of sending them newsletters or offers.

In truth, it is approximated that 60% of the traffic involving a web site is from mobile (this applies for my websites as well, examine your Google analytics reports and also you will be surprised). Mobile marketing has to do with producing content or ads that is readable and appropriate for a mobile phone.

Winning Philosophy For Seo Lincoln

When we talk concerning electronic advertising, in essence, we mean Web marketing plus SMS, Internet, TELEVISION, and also electronic advertising and marketing. It is clear that firms are starting to appreciate the relevance of social media as an advertising and marketing device and there is also a clear count on web content and mobile advertising.

To provide you one more instance, allow's state you wish to run a mobile project where you send SMS texts to your consumers offering forthcoming promotions from your company. Once more, modern technology was made use of to create as well as send the message, but it was no demand for a live net link for your individuals to receive it.

How to Choose the Right Seo Lincoln

You might additionally claim that anything that has a digital structure can be thought about digital advertising. And also as of currently, you have a lot of methods to pick from: Gamings Material Advertising Video Advertising Mobile Marketing (SMS text projects) TV Advertisements Below's an additional idea: digital marketing may additionally refer to offline advertisements on electronic gadgets.

The primary feature of internet marketing is that it needs a live net link to work, so, for example, if you run a PPC project for your service, you are doing a type of internet marketing. An additional instance is if you run pop-ups on your web site to promote and provide or solution.

How Seo Lincoln Works

Online, Does the Distinction Issue? The truth is, it doesn't. The interpretation is a mere formality. What matters is that you understand the ramifications of every one when constructing your total advertising strategy. This leads me to my next point: strategize. Despite the way you select to do advertising and marketing, you need to have a strategy of action.

Digital marketing. Online marketing. On the internet marketing. These terms are used interchangeably, however do they mean the very same thing? We're here to inform you that, in the digital marketing vs. Online marketing argument, these 2 terms are slightly various. As well as we'll inform you just how! Maintain reading to find out the distinction between Online marketing and electronic marketing, as well as if you want constantly discovering more about digital marketing, don't fail to remember to enroll in Profits Weekly! Digital advertising and marketing vs.

Free Seo Lincoln Advice

Online marketing Web marketing, likewise referred to as online marketing, is a subset of digital advertising and marketing that includes approaches you use to market on your own online. To qualify as a Web marketing technique, it must require the Web to function and also get in touch with leads. Net advertising and marketing concentrates on developing an existence online.

[perfectirishgifts]

How Trusted Data Is Helping Retailers Navigate The “New Normal” Holiday Shopping Season

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/how-trusted-data-is-helping-retailers-navigate-the-new-normal-holiday-shopping-season/

How Trusted Data Is Helping Retailers Navigate The “New Normal” Holiday Shopping Season

Couple shopping online at Christmas

With the U.S seeing a spike in coronavirus cases timed alongside the holiday season, it’s obvious that holiday shopping this year will not look like it “normally” does. Consumers are rapidly turning away from brick-and-mortar retailers and choosing to do more of their buying online. This poses countless challenges for retailers — everything from what to do with brick-and-mortar locations and how to handle online orders at a massive scale to how to best engage with their customers when they never see them face-to-face.

Greg Van den Heuvel, executive vice president and general manager at Precisely, believes the answer to the customer experience and engagement problem lies in data, specifically data integrity.

I recently chatted with Greg about what retailers can get out of their data and why data integrity is so important in this new world. Greg shared how retailers can utilize data to the best of their ability while walking the fine line of consumer privacy.

Gary Drenik: How can CX leaders evolve or shift their strategies to meet ever-changing consumer expectations, especially during Covid-19 when behavior is unpredictable and uncertain?

Greg Van den Heuvel: Recent research we commissioned with Corinium found that nearly all organizations have updated their CX strategies in response to Covid-19. The pandemic has accelerated the digital shift dramatically, from years to a matter of months. We are finding that data integrity and integrated multichannel CX platforms lead prioritization efforts and organizations that want to stay ahead of the curve are investing in these tools as well as chatbots, interactive personalized videos, email and SMS communications, right at this moment in preparation for the “new normal” and continuously changing consumer behavior.

Drenik: How can retailers use data to engage customers, without seeming overbearing?

Van den Heuvel: It’s about using data to meet consumers at their moment of want and need. That means finding ways to engage them in their preferred channels of choice, engaging them in unique, compelling and exciting ways and using trusted data to personalize the engagement.

When customers are moving between channels, don’t make them reintroduce themselves each time. The experience has to be frictionless and must take into account the previous engagement they’ve had with your organization. Those that fail to embrace the ‘new normal’ and deliver seamless digital experiences will fall further behind their competition.

We’ll see data-driven investments play a greater role in helping to personalize the customer experience in the years to come. In fact, forty six percent of leaders are considering investments in integrated, multichannel CX platforms, according to recent research from Precisely and Corinium.

Drenik: Recent research from Prosper Insights & Analytics suggests that over half of millennials surveyed did not like when personal data was used for targeted marketing. Is that cause for concern? Are millennials skeptical of targeted marketing?

Prosper – Personal Data

Van den Heuvel: It all comes down to knowing what the customer wants, and what we do know is that customers see value in personalized engagement. To get a better sense of their audience, retailers must understand how to bring together external data sources, such as demographics, location and market data, with internally held customer data, such as transaction histories and loyalty status. Once these sources have been identified—and the data has been checked for accuracy—retailers can begin creating a detailed understanding of their customers, ideally on the way to establishing a trusted single view. They also must understand what channels of engagement resonate most with that particular consumer.

A single customer view is a way to bring everything that is known about a customer into one manageable place, unifying it into a “golden record,” or single source of verified information. That record can then inform manual and automated decisions, such as those around intelligence-based marketing, planning and expansion strategies, and cross-channel campaigns. An enriched view of customers helps pave the way for an improved customer experience.

Recent research from Precisely and the CMO Council finds that over three quarters of respondents surveyed indicated that they would share their data with a brand in order to receive some sort of benefit out of it: like better or faster service, more personalized experiences or offers, or to be able to self-serve.

 It’s all about using the data at hand to provide value for the customer – when the engagement is lackluster, irrelevant or overbearing, that’s when the consumer gets frustrated or disconnected. Retailers must achieve a delicate balance of providing value while protecting data at hand. This is data integrity in action.

Drenik: Boomers are more likely than Gen X and millennials to desire protection against the use of personal data, according to recent research from Prosper Insights & Analytics. Why do you think this is the case, or why do you think millennials are the group least likely to desire stronger legislation against its use?

Prosper – Privacy Legislation

Van den Heuvel: I think it boils down to millennials being the most digital savvy of the groups surveyed. They have a stronger understanding of the digital environment and are more comfortable, in some cases, being able to verify and understand HOW their data may be used. Boomers, whilst savvy in many things digital, have the most to lose should they have their personal data compromised.

Drenik: Covid-19 has brought to the forefront many questions around data privacy. How can brands adhere to privacy measures in a time when sensitive data is everywhere?

Van den Heuvel: First and foremost, it is important we follow and adhere to privacy laws, like GDPR, and use the information in responsible ways, only after permission is received. We have seen during the pandemic that “location data” can provide great insight about who we are and when used with permission, it can protect us and others during a difficult and unpredictable time. In 2021, we’ll see location intelligence playing a greater role in helping predict economic recovery and where retail activity will return (and where it won’t). Location intelligence and data will continue to play an important role in making more insightful decisions before, during and after the pandemic.

Drenik: Thank you Greg, the migration to digital channels marks a permanent shift in customer preferences. It’s up to retailers and consumer experience leaders to meet customers where they are, and to design that journey in a way that allows consumers to use their preferred channel of engagement while walking the fine line of consumer privacy and adhering to new measures and legislation that are created.

To stay ahead of the post-pandemic consumer, Prosper’s US Signals series of datasets include leading indicators and advanced predictive analytics covering forward looking consumer spending plans, behaviors and economic outlook:

US Signals – Macro Economic and Consumer Purchase Intentions

US Signals – Retail Economy and Consumer Spending Forecast

To read my previous Forbes articles on changing consumer behavior, predictive analytics, machine learning, data privacy and more, please click here.

From Leadership Strategy in Perfectirishgifts