The influence of lyrics on the emotions transferred by a song

Emotions and music are intertwined. Current scientists do not doubt that. Still, after looking into research done on this topic, it turned out that it is not clear what causes the emotion: the lyrics or the melody of a song. Therefore, we took a deeper look into this difference for our research course at Tilburg University.

A withing group experiment was set up to look into the difference in emotions perceived by a song without, and the same song with lyrics. Participants were asked to indicate on a 7. Likert scale to what extent they thought the emotion matched the melody, and next the entire song. Results showed that, as long as the emotion was indentifiable, and the song fairly unknown to the audience, participants did differ in the degree to which they thought the emotion to be applicable to the song. In other words, when they heard the lyrics, they thought an emotion was more or was less applicable to the song. Therefore, it can be concluded that a song's lyrics transfer emotions that are not always competible with the emotions of a song's melody.

Four reasons why playing computergames could turn you into an aggressor

I know, it suprised me just as much as it scared the hell out of me. Strange, because here we are, thinking that computer games are as much part of today's life as, let's say, mobile phones. However, Malamuth, Linz & Yao (2005) argue that certain features of the internet that contribute to aggression.

First of all, they argue that because video games are highly active, the players 'become' the aggressive characters, since they are required to take on the identity of a violent player. Next, it is stated that the video game player is directly reinforced for aggressing by the effects of the videogame (verpal praise, receiving points and visual/auditorial effects). Thirdly,  the frequency of violence shown is almost continous, and the scenes of gory death evoke excitement. Finally, video games are becoming more realistic.

Because of these four elements, playing violent video games is expected to be more harmful than violent TV programs and films. Now, what I really want to know is: do you think these scientists are right? Or are these just a bunch of traditional folks who do not have a clue about new media?

A sneak preview on the ClubAid presentation

Another week, another user interface design blog.
Last Thursday we have finalized the evaluation part of ClubAid. It has taken a great deal of work and effort to come up with the application we have so far. However, looking back on the entire project, I am more than happy with the final result.

Today is presentation day. On the one hand, I am a bit nervous for the respons that we will get. On the other hand, I am sure that our madness video is both funny and informative. It must have been hell to edit it, so hereby I would like to give Remco Diks the credits he deserves!

Our poster-presentation will probably attract enough attention as well. That is, I hope it will, because Sandra Augustin has done a brilliant job designing it (together with Rik of course). I would like to invite the lot of you to come and visit our stand and poster in the Dante building at Tilburg University. We will be there from 14.00 pm until 16.15 pm. Of course you are more than welcome to ask questions about the application or the project.

Marie Nilsenova on code-switching in advertising

We made a webvideo! Yes we did! And with 'we' I really mean Irene Krommendijk, Linda Zonderop, Chiel van Helden, Ruben van der Steen, and yours truly. Subject to our video was our BIT lecturer Marie Nilsenova, to whom we own special thanks.

Code-switching is a definition most people are not familiar with. However, with just a short explanation everyone will understand its meaning. When looking up code-switching on Wikipedia, it provides you with the following definition. "In linguistics, code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals - people who speak more than one language - sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other."

 Faruk Semerci wrote her masterhesis on the effects of code-switching in Turkish/Dutch advertisements. During the process of writing the thesis, Marie Nilsenova coached her. Marie has also gained expertise in the field of code-switching via her own research. Want to know more about code-switching and its effects? Check out the video! Oh, and don't forget to turn up the volume, because it might be a bit low on sound.

ClubAid: building beautiful solutions

I am sure most of you know the problem. You're having a lot of fun in a bar, but you want to get a drink. In many cases, this results in queueing up in front of the bar and screaming your order in the bartender's ear. Annoying, and not the kind of experience you are looking for when you are out having fun.

The user interface design course at Tilburg University provided us with the opportunity to change this. Fellow projectmember Rens Dietz came up with the idea to develop an application that makes ordering drinks in a bar a lot easier (and more fun!). What started of with some random ideas that came together on a first projectmeeting, has now become a pretty cool , semi-working application for smartphones. Although I am not sure whether my projectmates and I will ever be granted the opportunity to fully develop it, I wanted to share our work with you.

After interviewing both bartenders and bar visitors we gathered enough insights to decide that the application could really work. That's when the development part started. With a lot of enthusiasm we started brainstorming about functions we could integrate and sketching lay-outs of the interface. This resulted in a low-fi prototype, which was really nothing more than a lot of sketches that we showed to our users.

And now we have developed a high-fi prototype. Although with 'we' I really  mean Rik Terpelle. Once it is completely finished I might just post it to my blog as well. Also, we are in the progress of developing a video.I'll make sure I share that with you guys later. Until then, fingers crossed for the final user testings!

Use a syntax!

SPSS is a computer program developed to help (social) scientists in performing statistical analysis.
Most students genuinely hate using the program. After all, it is a rather complicated and time consuming program. In this blog, I willl try and help the lot of you by suggesting the use of syntax!

So far, my fellow students have gone through a great deal of pain in their efforts of using the SPSS drop-down menus. Especially when doing long analyses, using these menus can be tedious and cause problems in your data-file. Using syntax helps you record what you did (which commands you ran).In addition to that, when you make a mistake halfway through your analyses, there is no need to start all over again! Just scroll through the syntax to find the mistake, adjust it, and run the (part of the) syntax again. Problem solved!

For a good explanation into the basic functions of syntax, have a look at the video.

So far,universities hardly ever support the use of syntax. SPSS teachers are not always familiar with the use of it. Therefore, in the next few lines I will provide you with some suggestions on how to start using syntax.

Start by opening your SPSS dataset (.sav file). Next, use the menu drop-down to adjust your dataset as you would normally do. However, instead of clicking the 'OK' button when you have finished entering the transformations, click 'Paste'. SPSS pastes the command you gave into a blank syntax file. Now, run the transformation by selecting it and pressing 'Control R' on your keyboard. SPSS will now run the transformation as normal, but you have a record of what you did. The syntax output could for example look like this:

RECODE edu_work (1=1) (2=2) (3=3) (4=1) (5=2) (6=3) (9=9) INTO Educatin.
EXECUTE.

When you notice you have misspelled Education, adjust the spelling of the variable, select the command and press 'Control R' again. SPSS does not get any easier than that! Next, you want to recode a different variable the same way. Just select the command in the syntax file, enter, press 'Control C' and change the input and/or output variable. If you continue experimenting with this method, you will soon enough find that you can type the commands from  your head and that it indeed saves time and effort! Do not forget to end every command with a dot (.) and regularly save your syntax-file & dataset.

A few basic command lines:

• GET FILE="C:\Documents and Settings\Etc\file_x.sav". ----- Connect your syntax-file to your dataset.

• SAVE OUTFILE="C:\Documents and Settings\Etc\file_x1.sav". ----- Save your dataset.

• FRE [variable_x]. ----- Provides you with a frequency table.

• CROSS [variable_x] BY [variable_y].

• EXE. ----- Execute your command with 'Control R'.

 For more commands or extended information on the use of syntax files, check the Command Syntax Reference from the help-function within your SPSS program.

The 'dad' revolution

Last Tuesday I was in the train, reading the free newspaper Metro.
Even though I must admit that I am not a morning person, that particular morning, I laughed.
Not just your average giggle, it was a loud laugh. I like to think that it did not just embarrass myself, but also everyone around me. The topic of  this laugh of mine was an article (in Dutch) in the newspaper. Because it's in Dutch I looked up the original article, which is in English.

visualphotos.com

It stated that dads feel unaddressed by advertisements on groceries, personal care and children. Honestly, I cannot see why my dad would be interested in such products. Then again, as I continued reading, I found that a recent study from Yahoo reported that no less than 51% percent of men feel that they are personally responsible for grocery shopping. Even though the study was conducted among American men, whom were aged between 18 ad 64 years, I was shocked. In addition to that, it also appeared that dads regularly wash, cook and clean. Makes me wonder why my boyfriend is so conservative.....

I am having a hard time believing it, but imagine it were true. The implication would be that every single fast moving consumer goods marketeer has to rethink his marketing strategy. I can't wait for the first toilet paper ad that targets men. I think.

Branded content: The Axe Case

Over the last 20 years the field of marketing and advertising has changed dramatically. From "plain and simple" mass communication we now find ourselves in the complex, but new and exciting world of social networks and co-creation. A "new way" of brand promotion that has interested me for quite some time now is branded content. In this blog I would like to share with you some, in my opinion successful, branded content campaigns by Axe. First of all you are probably asking yourself what branded content is. Although there is no clear definition of branded content, in my opinion Joel Warady has given quit a fair explanation of the concept.

The first campaign I would like to share with you is the Axe fallen angels campaign. At the end of the year 2010, Axe introduced the Excite TV commercial. This month Axe has launched an extended crossplatform campaign, following up on the success of this TV spot. 3 fallen angel have settled in a villa, looking for the perfect guy. Interested men can follow the girls via two camera's in the house. However, the more time they spend on the site, the more camera's they can unlock, allowing them to follow the girls around the house. Also, unlock time can be saved by sharing content via social network sites. In addition to that, the fallen angels all have their own profile on Facebook, Hyves, Twitter, and a number of other social networks. Guys can even earn points to Skype with the girls.

Today, it is no longer uncommon for companies to use social networks for brand promotion. Although most of these are not as extended as Axe Fallen Angels is, that is not the most remarkable aspect of the campaign. Axe uses real-time video in this campaign, providing 24/7 access to the fallen angels. Axe deserves credits for being brave enough to allow these girls to be real-time presenters of the brand.

This is however not the first time for the brand to experiment with the concept of branded content. An earlier  campaign in the United States used web series for the purpose of both entertainment and advertising. Visitors can watch Trey & Julius trek across the globe to see what gets the girls: Axe’s Pit Pit Chest ritual or other manly rituals in exotic cultures." With videos being watched over 2 million times Axe has found a way to promote a brand in a fun and entertaining way, and exactly that is what other advertisers regularly struggle with.

Social Networks; What happens online stays online?

Privacy
We all love social networks. We love letting our friends know where we are and what we are doing. However, we all worry about our privacy too. A recent poll from USA Today showed that nearly 7 out of 10 Facebook users worry about their safety on the social network.


Most people have changed their settings to protect the visibility of their social network profile. In addition to that, we are regularly warned by friends who pay attention to change a setting, in order to protect our privacy. This indicates that most social network users have the desire to protect their profile and personal information against unwanted visitors. Still at the same time, we play Facebook games and download applications on our smartphones, most of which demand acces to our personal information. And when one of our friends decides to tag a picture, hardly anyone would remove this tag for privacy reasons. Even though we know that this picture becomes accessible to everyone, including the company we (desire to) work for.

The question that we may ask ourselves is whether or there is an explanation for our contrasting social network behaviour. My explanation would be that social network users are afraid to miss out or to be found "socially awkward". This explanation is more or less consistent with the findings of a report on privacy and disclosure on Facebook. The authors of this study found that people "who reported having higher need for popularity and less awareness of the consequences of information sharing were more likely to disclose information about themselves on Facebook." In other words, the more we fear to be found socially awkward (and the less we know about privacy), the more personal information we spread about ourselves.

Solving privacy issues
People are constantly "socially forced" to spread information about themselves. Both by their friends and by the owners of social network sites. As a consequence, there are quit some people out there that live in fear. Fear of their boss finding that one picture made at a crazy 19th birthday party. In Germany, however, this problem has been partially solved (article is in Dutch). Employers are no longer allowed to check job applicants' social network profiles. Even though the road ahead might seem endless, we can only hope that this one step will eventually lead to the law becoming the solution to all privacy issues.

...or am I just wishful thinking?

Welcome

Welcome to my blog.
In the next few weeks I will be posting a number of blogs with relevance to the area of business communication, digital media and marketing.

For now, I would like to ask you all to be patient. A great deal of interesting information awaits you!

Regards,
Gonnie Philippa