RESEARCH METHODS - MMA 313 - 9554

INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
Research
- Systematic and refined technique of thinking
- Employing specialized tools, instruments and procedures
- Obtaining a more adequate solution to a problem
- Systematic investigation
- Establishing facts and new conclusions.
Purpose of Research
- To satisfy man’s craving for more understanding
- To improve man’s judgment
- To add man’s power
- To reduce the burden of work
- To relieve suffering and to increase satisfaction
Research Methods
- Specific ways to collect, sort and analyze information so that the
researcher can come up with a valid conclusion.
Validity
- An indication of how sound or correct is the research
- Refers to the degree to which the study accurately addresses the
concept(s) being researched.
- May be external or internal
- External: Is the study generalizable or transferable?
- Internal: Is the study done rigorously?
Scientific Method
- Also known as “Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning”
- Combination of Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
- Identification or clarification of a problem
- Developing a hypothesis (testable theory) inductively from
observations
- Charting the implications by deductions
- Practical or Theoretical Testing of the hypothesis
 - Rejecting or Refining the hypothesis in the light of the results
- Must:
- Put each guesses to a rigorous test to see if they hold up
under more controlled conditions
- Investigate our speculation on attentiveness by observing
carefully and systematically how attentive student are when
we lecture and when we hold class discussions
- Note:
- There is nothing mysterious about how scientists work in their
quest for reliable knowledge
- In reality, most of us proceed this way when we try to reach an
intelligent decision about a problem that is bothering us
- These procedures can be broken down into seven (7) distinct
steps
Research Questions: Identify a Problem
→ RRL: What has been done?
→ Framework: What is the basis of my work
→ Methodology: What is my proposed way to find a solution
→ Results: Present results
→ Analysis & Discussions: Derive answers to research questions
→ Conclusion: Derive Conclusions
How to do Research:

- Categorize - Compare
- Describe - Correlate
- Explain - Predict
- Evaluate - Control

1. Plan 2. Use the Information

a. Define Subject a. Scan First
b. Brainstorm b. Five finger test
c. What do you know? c. True or bogus
d. Similar Ideas d. Compare & contrast
 e. Keywords & phrases e. Organize information
f. Quest strategy f. Your own words
g. Gather tools g. Put in order
h. Your conclusions

2. Search for information 5. Report

a. Library catalog a. Share your information
b. Virtual Library
c. Encyclopedias
d. Contents & index
e. Magazines
f. Dictionary
g. Search the web

3. Take Notes 6. Evaluate

a. Key method
b. Photocopies
c. Note Cards
d. Venn Diagram
e. Biography
f. Cluster method
g. Data sheets
h. Fact finder

Scientific Method
”Your” Scientific Research
Key Questions for a Proposal:
- What are you going to do? (Subject of Research)
- Why are you going to do it? (Reason for Doing the Research)
- How are you going to do it? (Methodology)
- When are you going to do it? (Timetable of Work)
Additional Key Questions for this course:
- What are the possible results?
- How can the research study be disseminated?

WRITING & PUBLISHING RESEARCH

Purpose/ Research Problem → Literature Review → Methods → Results & Discussions
Article
- A scientific article must answer the following basic questions:
- What is the problem that is addressed?
- Why is it important?
- How did you study the problem?
- What are your results?
- What are the implications of the results?
- What do you recommend as further study for others?
Why do we Publish Research?
 - Publishing in peer-reviewed journals is commonly seen as an
indicator of proper scientific research.
- Can be seen as a product that must be sold to the target audience
in the form of an article
- Requirement for graduation (CMO 7, s 2010, CMO 25, 2015)
- Requirement for promotion (NBC)
- To get reward/recognition
- To be recognized
- To disseminate knowledge
“Getting your work published is about more than good science, it’s about
good communication too”
- Macmillan and Nature editors at the London Naturejobs Career Expo in
September 2014

Key people for Paper Acceptance

- Editor-In-Chief
- Editor
- Reviewers
Who can Publish?
- Researchers
When to publish?
- It is vital for a new researcher to start writing articles as soon as
possible
- Not wise to wait for a moment when you feel that you know and
understand “everything” needed for writing articles
- More sensible to start learning to write piece-by-piece, better
enabling the perception of what to do and when, and thus aiding
the avoidance of unnecessary work
Initial Tips in Writing
- Writing a paper/articles/research is learned best through gaining
writing experience
- Write down thoughts
- Write initial conclusions and suchlike,
- Can better identify gaps in his thinking
Consideration in Writing
- Significance of the future paper/article/research
- Its importance
- Novelty to the scientific community.
- Identify those who might be interested in seeing your results
(target audience)
- Your research cannot sell itself automatically
Duty of an author:
- write an article/paper so that an outsider can understand the main
points and logic.
- Your article competes against other submitted
article/paper/research proposals
- The decision on acceptance is not done based only on the article
substance, but the readability of the article also matters.

An Article as “Storytelling”
- An article must have a clear and logical structure combined with
fluent story-telling. An article must be as appealing as possible for
readers; no-one wants to read something that is laborious to
understand.
Writing in Group
- Articles are often written in small groups, which makes it possible
to include the views of several people.
- However, dynamic group work cannot afford freeloaders;
everyone involved must have something to offer.
- As a rule of thumb, it is beneficial to include your mentor as a
co-author
PUBLISHING AN ARTICLE
Where to publish? (Level of Difficulty: Least to Most)
- Book Chapter
- Conference
- Non-indexed Journal
- Indexed Journal
Target Journal
 - It is beneficial to decide on a target journal during the very early
stages of writing an article, rather than first preparing an article
and then considering where to send it.
- Analyze potential journals and choose one. Write your article with
your target journal in mind.
- By writing directly for your target journal, you will ensure the right
type of approach and speed up your writing process.
- The number of scientific journals is vast and is growing steadily,
which means that there are plenty of publishing opportunities. The
fundamental reason behind the growing number of journals is the
increasing number of researchers globally.
- Possible to publish your results in an applied journal instead of
what you initially thought as your own field.
How to select a Journal?
- Conduct an analysis of the purpose and mission of the journal
- Examine what type of articles they typically publish
- Pay special attention on the topics, the structure and the research
methods
Journal Feedback
- Turnaround time means the time from submission to receiving
feedback from reviewers. The shorter the turnaround time, the
quicker the learning process is for the author. Slow turnaround,
which typically depends on the “accepted status” of the articles
constituting a compilation dissertation.
- One can find out the turnaround time by:
- checking articles published in the journal. Some journals print
the essential dates of the articles, enabling interpreting the
turnaround.
- checking the web pages of journals.
- sending a polite e-mail to the editor-in-chief.
ARTICLE ELEMENTS
Typical Sections and Elements
- Title
- Abstract
 - Introduction
- Theory/ Literature Review
- Research Method/ Process
- Results
- Conclusions
Article Structure
- Lot of writing guides are available but the most common is the
IMRAD (Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion) structure.
- The terminology may differ somewhat, as for example in thE
IMRAD scheme the literature review is integrated into the
Introduction section, however, the list presents the literature
review separately.
Title
- Use General Titles
- Avoid abbreviations in the title as well as unnecessary “and”
words
- Avoid Long Titles
Abstract
- Most central elements of your articles
- Must describe:
- Purpose
- Idea/ topic realization
- Provide few key findings and practical implications
- Word limited, Includes keywords
- Building an abstract:
- Answer the following questions with one or two sentences for
each:
- What is the bigger, more general field your article relates to?
- What is the purpose of your article?
- What methodology did you use?
- What are the key results?
- What are the practical implications of your research? (how can
the results be utilized by e.g. practitioners, society or
company?)
Introduction
- Justifies the significance of the subject matter and connects your
work to previous research
- May include definition of the key terms, if necessary
- Must be written in a form of a logical funnel
- The purpose of the article is expressed last in the introduction by
describing the research problem
- NOTE: In most journals, introduction chapter does not include any
results
Theory/ Literature Review
- Aims to depict the state of research relevant to the article of the
intended study
- Finalize the theory only after writing up the results of your article
Literature Review Tips:
- Start writing with few good articles or few good books discussing
your topic
- Use the articles as a base and expand the literature
- Write a summary of a few pages based on these articles and
books
- Write the theory to support the storyline of your article
- “Describe what others have studied that is relevant to your topic”
Methodology
- Should answer how will the researcher meet or answer the
research questions
- Qualitative/ quantitative
- SDLC
- Data Science framework
- May include justification as appendices
Results & Discussion
- Detailed discussion of the actual analysis
- The subsection of this element should match the research
problems and methodology used
Conclusion
- Core elements of journal article
- Structure:
- Introduction
- Results
- Significance
- Limitations
- Recommendations
- Should be in-line with the previous section
- Include the practical implications of your research
- Discuss what the implications are for practitioners, companies,
etc.
- “Novice researchers tend to concentrate purely on the results and
forget about the implications.”
 UI/UX DESIGN - MMAE 15 - 9557

INTRODUCTION
Product Redesign
- Any knowledge of products that had to undergo a major “facelift”
in terms of design before it was able to attract more customers?
- Where did the designers go wrong? How right were the
customers?
Product Evolution
- Think of how some product’s design has changed over the years
- What triggered these changes?
- Were these changes inevitable?
Human Computer Interaction
- User
→ cognitive science
→utilize technology
→ according to its design
User Interface/ UI design
- process of building software interfaces as well as computing
devices’ looks or styles, presentation and interaction
- buttons of a vending machine, touchscreen of a
smartphone, keypads of an ATM
“User interface is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not that good”
User Experience
- 1990s: Donald Norman
- coined the term in relation to the aspects of a person’s
experience with a system
- focuses on the feeling of an end-user when using a product,
which is felt when the user interacts with it through its UI
- UI = skin; UX =❤
- covers the holistic perspective of the user’s journey in using a
product
- an exceptional user experience on a previous product version may
result in high demand for newer versions of the same product
 UX Design UI Design

Interaction Design Visual Design

Wireframes & Prototypes Colors
Information Architect Graphic Designer
User Research Layouts
Scenarios Typography

UX design and UI design

- collaborative processes to achieve a user- centered product
design
- should work together to provide usability and good interactivity
- aesthetically pleasing great UX
- an easy to use product may have a poor UI
UX design
- process of understanding and empathizing with the actual needs
and goals of end-users
- user experiences of end-users are evaluated to determine and
address problems or concerns to provide a better user experience
- bad UX design is noticed immediately
- good UX is sometimes unnoticed but may contribute to customer
retention and loyalty
Understanding Users
- “Know thy users”
- do not make assumptions on users’ needs
- know and understand users through user research
- User personas
- fictional character that represents a typical user from a key
user group
- created with realistic user descriptions
- personal, professional, technical information
- knowledge, goals, frustrations, expectations
related to a product or service
 - requires a good understanding of the needs of the target
users
- helps determine goals, desires, and limitations, etc. to
help UX designers provide suitable design solutions
- Empathy
- get to know users on a deeper level
- allows a person to connect to another person by putting
oneself in their position
- developed through mirroring and active listening
- mirroring: learning a user’s perspective by
recalling the user’s body language and
temperament
- active listening: listening using all senses without
judgment
- “Pleasurable products can never be really useful without
great usability, but usable products can be alright, even if
they are not pleasurable.”
- Why not both?
- minimum viable product? Or minimum lovable
product?
User Journey
- refers to the accumulated experiences of a user from buying and
using a particular product that draws various emotional responses
- driven by the psychology and behavior of the user
- context, software and hardware, physical environment
- path is created for the user when a product is used
- users cannot be forced to do an action, but the path can be set to
suit the expected actions
- remove unnecessary choices, provide options when these
are actually needed
- provide the appropriate point in the journey when the user is ready
to perform some action
- register, provide one’s location, avail of a discount, learn
about a feature
 MULTIMEDIA PUBLISHING - MMA 311 - 9552

INTRO TO PRODUCT PLANNING

What It Is and How To Do It in 7 Steps
- Creating a successful product and bringing it to the consumer
market requires thorough researching, strategic decision making
and careful planning.
Product Planning
- A strategic internal process to create a product or service. It
involves tasks and decisions that define the product and guides
decisions on distribution, pricing, and promotion.
Why is planning a product important?
- It impacts the success of a product, which is often a key
contributor to a company’s revenue. Strategic planning helps
ensure the right decisions are made for both consumers and
company finances, while also identifying potential business
opportunities.
Step 1: Identify a challenge and set a goal
- Identify a missing need or challenge, involve key stakeholders,
and agree on a goal to address it.
Step 2: Develop the product concept
- Plan the product’s features and benefits by considering related
challenges, allowing for a more comprehensive solution
Step 3: Complete market research and a competitor analysis
- Investigate the market demand and analyze competitors to
improve the product where others fall short
Step 4: Test the product
- Create a prototype and gather feedback from a focus group. Use
the results to decide whether the product is ready or needs
improvement
Step 5: Launch the product
- Release the product on a scale that fits the company’s resources.
Use the initial demand to guide further expansion.
Step 6: Develop the product life cycle
 - Plan the stages of the product’s life (introduction, growth,
maturity, decline), and continue market research to meet evolving
consumer demands.

Step 7: Product sunsetting

- When a product is retired, either due to declining sales or strategic
changes, it’s removed from the market.
Concept Generation
- The process of developing design ideas based on target
specifications. This step aims to create a product that meets
customer requirements through problem-solving and creativity.
How To Generate Concepts for Product Design in 5 Steps
- Concept generation is an important step in designing a product. It
involves generating ideas for several alternative product designs
and evaluating them to identify the best ones. If you're planning to
make a career in product design, understanding the concept
generation process can help you.
Step 1: Analyze the Problem
- Understand the customer’s needs, collect specifications, and
develop a Product Development Specification (PDS).
Step 2: Study the existing solutions
- Research existing solutions to similar problems. Adapting them is
often quicker and more cost-effective than developing a new
product
Step 3: Consider new solutions
- Research existing solutions to similar problems. Adapting them is
often quicker and more cost-effective than developing a new
product
Step 4: Review and rank the concepts
- Narrow down concepts based on feasibility and resources,
selecting up to five for the final review.
Step 5: Choose the best concept
- Choose the top concept, possibly combining elements of multiple
designs, then proceed to prototype development and testing.
Publishing
- The business or profession of editing, producing, and marketing
books, newspapers, magazines, printed music, and, now also,
audiobooks, software, etc.
How to get information to the audience?
1. Analog or Print-Media
2. Electronic or Digital Media
Traditional Publishing
- Large publishing houses handle editing, distribution, and
marketing. Advantages include professional teams, clout, and no
upfront costs, while disadvantages include long timelines, profit
sharing, and the need for collaboration.
Traditional Publishing Company in the 20th century (international)
Big Five publishing houses:
1. Penguin Random House
2. Macmillan
3. Hachette
4. HarperCollins
5. Simon and Schuster
Traditional Publishing Company in the 20th century (PH)
Top Publishing Companies in PH:
1. Anvil Publishing
2. Summit Media
3. Visprint
4. OMF Literature
Advantages of Traditional Publishing
1. Clout
- Publishing with a reputable company like Penguin Random House
boosts credibility and recognition.
2. Distribution
- Traditional publishers offer extensive distribution networks, making
it easier to get your book in major bookstores.
3. Professional Team
 - Authors work with top industry professionals, including agents
and editors, to refine their work
4. No Upfront Cost
- Traditional publishers cover all production costs, sparing authors
from investing in printing or platform fees.
5. Marketing & Sales
- The publisher handles most of the marketing and sales efforts,
alleviating the author's burden.
Disadvantages of Traditional Publishing
1. Time to Publish
- The first disadvantage to traditional publishing is simply the
amount of time it takes. The traditional publishing path is quite
long, starting from the journey of finding a literary agent, which
can take months or even years. This process involves writing a
pitch letter called a query letter and sending it, along with sample
pages of your manuscript, to an agent for consideration.
2. Need to Collaborate
- The second disadvantage of traditional publishing is more
subjective; some writers might see this as a pro rather than a con.
If you want to be traditionally published, you must be willing to
collaborate.
3. Division of Profits
- The third disadvantage of traditional publishing that I alluded to
earlier is that you will ultimately share the profits you make on your
book. The literary agent will take 15% of the book deal advance as
well as 15% of any royalties the book sales generate. Of course,
keep in mind that you, the author, will retain the other 85%, and the
traditional publishing route involves no upfront costs.
Self Publishing
- Authors control all creative decisions and earn higher royalties but
bear all upfront costs and may struggle with distribution.
Traditional Publishing Company in the 20th century (international)
Big Five publishing houses:
1. Penguin Random House
 2. Macmillan
3. Hachette
4. HarperCollins
5. Simon and Schuster
Advantages of Self Publishing:
1. Publish your book on your terms
- Authors have full autonomy over editing, format, design,
distribution, and promotion of their book:
- What type of editing your book deserves?
- Your book type and format?
- Your book cover and interior design?
- Where is your book distributed?
- How is your book promoted?
2. Faster publication time
- Self-published books can be ready for sale within weeks,
compared to 18-24 months in traditional publishing.
3. Higher royalty payments
- Self-published authors can earn 60-70% on eBooks and up to
50% on printed books, compared to 12-20% with traditional
publishers.
4. Build Credibility
- Successful self-publishing can attract attention from traditional
publishers.
Disadvantages of Traditional or Analogue Publishing
1. Less Visibility
- Traditional publishers offer higher visibility and validation through
established platforms.
2. Higher Costs
- Traditional publishers cover editing, design, printing, and
marketing costs, which self-published authors must handle
themselves.
3. No Support System
- Self-published authors lack access to the editorial and marketing
teams that traditional publishers provide.
 4. Harder to get print distribution
- Traditional publishers make their money by printing books and
selling them to bookstores. Bookstores often have exclusive deals
with major publishers, and it can be hard to penetrate major
bookstores as a self-published author.
Electronic Publishing
- Traditional publishers have exclusive bookstore deals, making
print distribution harder for self-published authors.
Advantages of Electronic Publishing
1. On-demand publishing
- Subscribers receive personalized documents and access past
content based on their preferences.
2. Fast information update
- Data is continuously updated, ensuring customers access the
latest version.
3. Open and Multiple Access
- E-journal creators offer multiple access points via local networks
and site licensing.
4. Just-in-time information
- Users can instantly access and download needed content online
without purchasing the entire publication.
5. Speed
- Eliminates lengthy production steps, allowing faster content
distribution.
6. Fast and easy search
- Search engines and keyword indexing simplify locating relevant
content.
7. Flexible Control
- Users can manage and customize electronic content by adding
bookmarks or notes and downloading for editing.
Characteristics of Multimedia System
1. Multimedia systems must be computer controlled.
2. Multimedia systems are integrated.
3. The information they handle must be represented digitally.
 4. The interface to the final presentation of media is usually
interactive.

Components
1. Text
2. Audio
3. Image/Graphics
4. Video
5. Animations
Impact of Multimedia on Society
A. Multimedia in Entertainment
- Multimedia transforms entertainment by enhancing storytelling
and engagement in film, television, and gaming
- Film and Television
- Gaming
B. Educational Impact
- Multimedia revolutionizes education through interactive e-learning,
apps, and virtual classrooms, improving how knowledge is shared
and absorbed.
- E-Learning
- Edutainment
C. Influence on Daily Life
- Multimedia affects daily activities, from shopping to social
interactions, shaping how we perceive and engage with the world.
- Social Media
- Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
D. Cultural and Societal Implications
- Multimedia shapes culture, influences public opinion, and alters
societal norms, playing a key role in political and social discourse.
- Cultural Representation
- Media Literacy and Ethics
MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS
a. Presentations
 b. Tutorials
c. Games
d. Simulations
e. Web Pages

Presentations
- Multimedia presentations, used in business, education, and
entertainment, aim to improve audience engagement and
information retention with elements like animations and narration.
Tutorials
- Computer-based instructions designed to teach skills or
procedures, commonly used in business training and educational
institutions
Games
- Interactive multimedia applications, often used in entertainment,
education, and business, designed to engage users while
enhancing information retention.
Simulations
- Models that replicate real-world processes or systems to
demonstrate their behavior under various conditions, commonly
used for training and analysis.
Web Pages
- Digital platforms for sharing content online, replacing traditional
print media, allowing media companies to provide easy access to
information through websites
EVALUATION OF PRINT MEDIA
Classification of Magazines:

By content: By size
- Consumer Magazine - Large
- Farm Magazine - Flat
- Business Magazine - Standard
- Professional Group - Small or pocket
Magazine By geography
 - Industrial Magazine - Local
- Trade - Regional
- General Business - National
- Health care

Advantages of Magazine Disadvantages of Magazines

- Selectivity - Costs
- Reproduction quality - Limited reach and
- Creative flexibility frequency
- Permanence - Long lead time
- Prestige - Clutter and competition
- Receptivity, involvement
- Service

Special Magazine Features Magazine Circulation Readership

- Bleed page - Circulation
- Cover positions - Primary
- Insert - Guaranteed circulation
- Gate folds - Controlled-circulation
- Island halves - Readership and total
audience
- Pass-along readership
- Total audience (readers per
copy X circulation)

Audience Information & Research

- Circulation Verification Service
- Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC)
- Business Publication Audit
- SRDS Media Solutions
- Syndicated Audience Studies
 - Simmons Market Research Bureau
- Mediamark Research Inc. (MRI)
Factors determining Magazine Ad Rates
- Circulation of the magazine
- Color
- Size of the ad
- Position in the magazine
- Special mechanical or production
- Number and frequency of insertion
>>NOTE: Magazine cannot survive without advertising
Newspaper Classifications

Publication Frequency Size

- Daily - Standard
- Weekly - Tabloid
Type Audience Type
- National - Ethnic, religious
- Special-Audience - Business, Financial
- Supplements - College

Newspaper Advertising

Display Ads Public Notices

- Local (mostly retail) - Legal notices- public
- National or General reports
Classified ads - Notices by people,
- Small items arranged by organizations
topic Printed Inserts
- Rates based in size, - Prepared separately by
duration advertisers
- Classified display-
combination

Advantages of Newspaper Disadvantages of Newspaper

 - Extensive Penetration - Production quality may be
- Flexibility low
- Geographic Selectivity - Short life span
- Reading Involvement, - Lack of selectivity
Acceptance - Sutter
- Service Offered - Potential for poor ad
placement
- Maybe overlapping
circulation

Selection Segmentation
Sports Section
- Heavy (Down-scale) male readership
Society Section
- Heavy (Mid-scale) female readership
Financial Section
- Appeals to the business reader
Comic Section
- Heavy child/ adolescent readership
NOTE: Ads can be run in various sections of the most newspapers
2 Ways to Buy Newspaper Space

Agate Lines Column Inch

- Measuring 1/4” deep by 1 - Column inch is 1 inch deep
standard column wide by 1 colu it mn wide
- A standard column is usually - There are 14 agate lines per
2” wide column inch

Rate Terminology Unique Newspaper Features

- General Rates - Mass Audience
- Local rates - Cross-section of population
 - Flat rates - Local geographic coverage
- Open rates - Wide range of content,
- Preferred positions subjects
- Run-of- Paper (ROP) - Timely coverage, daily
- Color rates issues
- Combination Rates - Readership concentrated in
time

The future of Newspapers

- Competition from other media
- Circulation management
- Cross-media buys with other newspaper and magazines
- Attracting and retaining readers
 3D ANIMATION - MMA 312 - 9553

Drawing per Second (DPS) vs Frames per Second (FPS)

At 24 FPS:
- On One’s (1’s) = 24 DPS (Drawings per second)
- One Two’s (2’s) = 12 DPS (Drawings per second)
- On Three’s (3’s) = 8 DPS (Drawings per second)
>> The principles of animation help create realistic and believable
movement in drawings or any media by learning and imitating real-world
mechanics or physics
Mechanics
- Basically how an object moves.
- Animators should always observe how objects move in nature or
in any setting.
Storytelling
- Animators should always consider storytelling in their animation.
Although we need realism hence mechanics, animators are free to
exaggerate or adjust movements to extremes.
- Depending on the type of animation, adjust/exaggerate real world
movements to create visually compelling narratives.
- You can practice this by rotoscoping.

12 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION

Squash & Stretch: Indicates an object's flexibility. Used in character
animation and facial expressions to convey weight and movement.
Anticipation: Prepares the audience for an action, creating a sense of
expectation. For example, a dancer's backward motion before a leap.
Staging: Clearly presents an idea or action to the audience. Effective use
of camera angles and background design ensures focus on the character
and story.
Straight Ahead: Drawings created in sequence for spontaneity; suitable
for wild actions
Pose to Pose Animation: Planned drawings that control size and timing,
ideal for strong acting
Follow Through: Parts of a character continue moving after the main body
stops.
Overlapping Action: Clothing or hair continues in the original direction
while the character changes direction.
Slow-Out & Slow-In: Refers to the spacing of in-between drawings. More
drawings near poses create smoother, lifelike actions; fewer drawings
speed up the action
Arcs: Most actions follow an arc or circular path, creating a natural flow.
Essential for expressive movements.
Secondary Actions: Actions that result from the main action, adding
interest and depth to character animation.
Timing: The speed of an action conveys meaning and emotion. More
drawings between poses slow down the action, while fewer make it faster.
Exaggeration: Enhances appeal through caricature-like features and
movements. Should be balanced to avoid excessive theatricality
Solid Drawing: Principles of form, weight, and volume apply to animation.
Creates the illusion of three-dimensional movement.
Appeal: Animated characters should be charming and engaging. Simple,
clear designs are more appealing than complicated or awkward ones.

HISTORY OF ANIMATION:
What is Animation?
- Animation brings illustrations or objects to life through motion
pictures, manipulating photos and drawings to create the illusion
of movement and tell a story. Early examples include Grecian
pottery depicting movement.
History of Animation
- In 1878, Eadweard Muybridge’s series of photographs of a
galloping horse created the first illusion of motion.
- Thomas Edison later developed a system for motion pictures,
leading to the earliest American motion films from 1889.
- Animation's history predates film; J. Stuart Blackton’s The
Enchanted Drawing (1900) was an early animated sequence using
live-action and stop-motion.
 - Émile Cohl's Fantasmagorie (1908) was one of the first cartoons.
- Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) pioneered techniques
like keyframing, laying groundwork for future animation.
- Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie (1928) was the first fully scored
animated film, popularizing sound in animation.
6 Examples of Early Animation Devices
Magic Lantern
- Developed in 1603, it projected illustrations using a light source
and glass slides, creating the first "moving pictures”
Thaumatrope
- A 19th-century optical toy with a picture disk; spinning it
combined images into one through persistence of vision.
Phenakistoscope
- Debuted around 1833, it used spinning cardboard disks and
mirrors to create movement illusions, viewable by one person at a
time.
Zoetrope
- A cylindrical successor to the phenakistoscope, showing
sequential images for multiple viewers with vertical slits preventing
blur.
Kineograph
- Latin for “moving picture.” Also known as a flipbook, debuted in
1868, featuring drawings on pages that create movement when
flipped
Praxinoscope
- Introduced in 1877, it replaced slits with angled mirrors for clearer
animations than the zoetrope.
First Animated Film
- Émile Reynaud’s Pauvre Pierrot (1892) is often credited as the first
animated film, using a longer roll for longer viewing time and
hand-painted images.
- J. Stuart Blackton’s Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) is
also recognized as an early film, using stop-motion.
 - Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was the
first animated feature film, utilizing cel animation for efficiency.
History of Computer Animation
- John Whitney Sr. created a custom computer device for
animation, contributing to the opening title sequence of Alfred
Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), one of the first live-action films to use
computer animation. The 1960s saw a rise in digital graphics,
leading to groundbreaking projects like Ed Catmull’s Hand/Face
(1972), and evolving into the CGI techniques prevalent in today’s
media
EXPLORING ANIMATION JOB PROFILES/ TITLES
Key Roles in Animation
Animator:
- Creates movement and action of characters.
- Works with storyboards and designs to bring characters to life.
Storyboard Artist:
- Visualizes the script through sketches and illustrations.
- Develops the narrative and sequence of scenes.
Character Designer:
- Designs the appearance and personality of characters.
- Works closely with animators to ensure consistent character
representation.
Background Artist:
- Creates the environments and settings for animation.
- Ensures backgrounds complement the animation style and mood.
Technical Roles
3D Modeler:
- Creates 3D models of characters, props, and environments.
- Works with texture, shading, and lighting.
Lighting Artist:
- Designs and implements lighting for scenes.
- Enhances the visual mood and ensures the scene’s clarity.
Rigging Artist:
- Builds the skeleton and control systems for 3D models.
 - Ensures models can be animated smoothly.
Compositor:
- Combines visual elements from various sources.
- Works on final touches to create a cohesive visual output.

Production Roles
Production Coordinator:
- Manages schedules, budgets, and communication.
- Ensures smooth workflow and adherence to deadlines.
Line Producer:
- Oversees day-to-day operations of the production.
- Coordinates between departments and resolves issues.
Director:
- Oversees the entire creative process.
- Makes final decisions on the storyline, animation style, and
direction.
Skills and Qualifications
Technical Skills:
- Proficiency in animation software (e.g., Adobe Animate, Blender).
- Understanding of 2D/3D animation principles.
Creative Skills:
- Strong storytelling and visual design abilities.
- Ability to think critically and solve problems creatively.
Soft Skills:
- Effective communication and teamwork.
- Time management and attention to detail.
Career Pathways and Education
Educational Requirements:
- Degrees in Animation, Fine Arts, Computer Graphics, Multimedia
Arts or other related fields.
- Specialized courses or certifications in animation software.
Career Pathways:
- Entry-level positions and internships.
- Progression to senior roles and specialization areas.
Industry Trends and Future Outlook
Technological Advancements:
- Emerging tools and techniques in animation.
- The impact of VR/AR on animation.
Job Market Trends:
- Growing demand for animated content in various media.
- Opportunities for freelance and remote work.
Introduction to the Graph Editor
- The Graph Editor in animation allows fine-tuning and polishing of
keyframe interpolation after the general timing has been set using
the Timeline or Dope Sheet.
- It is similar in functionality to working in the 3D Viewport, providing
precision over animation curves (f-curves).

Basic Navigation & Controls

Navigation: Editing: Region Managing

Channels

Middle-click+ Left-click: Left-click and H: Hides

drag: Select f-curve drag in selected
Move the view control points. scrubbing area: keyframes'
around Moves the time channels.
cursor

Ctrl+middle-click Ctrl+right-click: N: Toggles the Shift+H: Hides

+drag: Add new Sidebar (Graph all channels
Scale the view points Editor's except the
horizontally or arbitrarily on Sidebar is selected ones
vertically an f-curve. similar to 3D
Viewport's
Sidebar).
 Scroll wheel: Box select: Left-click on a Alt+Eye icon:
Zoom in/out. Left-click and channel: Select Manually
drag or press a channel from hide/unhide a
B. the left region channel
of the Graph
Editor.

Shift+scroll: A: Eye icon:

Move the graph Select all Manually
vertically points hide/unhide a
channel

Ctrl+scroll: Alt+A:
Move the graph Deselect all
horizontally points.
Editing Motion Curves
- Control points in the Graph Editor are similar to Bézier curves in
the 3D viewports
- Handle types can be modified with the V key. Interpolation Modes
(t key):
- Constant: Holds the value until the next keyframe
- Linear: Creates a straight line between keyframes
- Bézier: Smooth transition between keyframes

Easing & Dynamic Effects:

- Easing presets provide quick control over the interpolation:
- Ease In/Out: Gradual acceleration or deceleration
- Bounce, Back, Elastic: Mimic real-world dynamic effects
like overshooting or bouncing
Extrapolation Modes
- Constant Extrapolation: Keeps the last value indefinitely.
- Linear Extrapolation: Extends the curve’s direction before/after
keyframes.
- Make Cyclic: Repeats the keyframes in a cycle (useful for looping
animations).
 - Clear Cyclic: Removes the cycle modifier
Advanced Editing Techniques
- Selecting all control points on a single frame using K or choosing
"Select ➪ Columns on Selected Keys."
- Modifying exact values using the Sidebar (press N) under the
F-Curve tab
Using Constraints
- Constraints simplify animation by linking objects' movements.
- Add Constraints via the Object Constraints tab or the Object
menu.
- An example of using Empties (non-rendering helper objects) as
control objects for animating cameras or other items in the scene
Adjusting the Influence of a Constraint
- Influence Slider: Allows partial or full influence of a constraint,
ranging from 0 to 1.
- Animating Influence: Insert keyframes to animate changes in
influence over time (Properties Editor: Right-click > Insert
Keyframe).
- Example: For telekinetic effects (e.g., a ball flying to a character's
hand), animate the influence of the "Copy Location" constraint.
Using Vertex Groups in Constraints
- Vertex Group Field: Available when the target object is a mesh.
- Vertex Group Effect: Constrains an object to specific vertices of a
parent mesh.
- Example: Constraining a Suzanne head to a single vertex on a
circle mesh
Copying Movements with Constraints
- Copy Location, Rotation, Scale: Offer refined control, allowing for
movement, rotation, and scale to be copied individually or
together.
- Multiple Constraints: Add and arrange multiple constraints in a
stack for flexibility.
- Example: Using an Empty object as the control and adjusting the
offset to maintain relative positioning
Limiting Movement
- Limit Location/Rotation/Scale: Set minimum and maximum limits
for movement along X, Y, and Z axes.
- Limit Distance: Constrains the distance an object can move
relative to a target (e.g., inside/outside a sphere).
- Floor Constraint: Defines boundaries like floors, walls, or ceilings.
The "Use Rotation" option accounts for rotated surfaces
Keyframing with Constraints
- Visual Keyframes: When using limiting constraints, visual
keyframes (e.g., Visual Location) ensure accurate placement within
set limits
Tracking the Motion of Another Object
- Tracking Constraints: Direct an object to point at or move towards
a target.
- Track To: Forces an object to point directly at the target.
- Locked Track: Restricts movement to one axis (e.g., only
left and right)
- Stretch To: Points an object toward the target and scales it
relative to the distance, useful for cartoony or organic
effects
RIGGING - THE ART OF BUILDING AN ANIMATABLE PUPPET
Rigging
- Rigging transforms a 3D mesh into an animatable puppet by
providing an underlying structure, enabling detailed movements
like facial expressions or limb bending without breaking the
mesh’s seamlessness.
Shape Keys
- Shape keys are used to animate specific deformations of a mesh.
- Process:
1. Model a new shape using the original vertices.
2. Save the new arrangement as a shape key for later use.
- Shape keys allow for smooth transitions between shapes using
the "Value" slider and can be exaggerated by adjusting the "Min"
and "Max" range
Example:
- Using Blender's Suzanne (monkey mesh), steps include adding a
shape key, deforming the mesh (e.g., bulging eyes), and using the
slider to control the transition between shapes.
- This flexibility allows for mixing different shape keys, like bulging
eyes with a screaming mouth, and animating them with ease
Hooks
- Hooks offer more dynamic control by linking mesh vertices to an
external object (like an Empty).
- Use Cases: Best suited for organic deformations (e.g., muscle
bulges or cartoony stretches). Hooks can be combined with shape
keys for more complex and asymmetrical deformations,
enhancing character expressiveness
Where to Use Each Tool:
- Shape Keys excel in detailed, predefined deformations such as
facial animations, lip-syncing, and cartoon-like exaggerations.
- Hooks are ideal for larger, more organic movements, like
animating a tail or muscle bulges. Combining hooks with shape
keys gives animators finer control over complex movements and
asymmetries
> Rigging with shape keys and hooks provides a versatile toolset for
animators, offering both precision and flexibility in creating expressive,
dynamic animations. This combination ensures a seamless workflow for
controlling complex character movements and deformations
Armature
- Armatures in Blender function as the internal skeleton for 3D
models, providing structure and allowing natural movement and
poses. This concept is adapted from stop-motion animation's
metal skeleton (armature) for physical models
Bones in Armature
- An armature consists of "bones," with a wide head (root) and a
narrow tail (tip). The head typically serves as the pivot point for
bone movement. In Blender, bones work similarly to joints in other
3D animation software
 - Bone Creation: You can create bones using several methods such
as extrusion (from head/tail), duplication, and subdivision, each
offering varying degrees of control over the bone structure and
relationships.
Editing & Naming Bones
- In Edit Mode, bones can be modified, and new bones can be
added via extrusion, duplicating, or subdivision.
- Naming Bones: A crucial part of organizing rigs. Naming
conventions (e.g., using suffixes like .L and .R for left and right
limbs) are highly recommended for better management, especially
when dealing with symmetrical models.
- Batch Renaming is a useful feature for renaming multiple bones at
once, improving workflow efficiency
Symmetrical Rigs & X-Axis Mirror
- By enabling the X-Axis Mirror feature, any transformations made
to bones on one side of the axis will automatically be mirrored on
the other side. This helps maintain symmetry in character rigs,
saving time and effort.
Parenting & Relationships Between Bones
- Bones can be parented to create hierarchies. There are two main
options for parenting bones:
- Connected: The bones are linked directly, forming a
continuous chain.
- Keep Offset: The bones remain in place but maintain a
parent-child relationship.
- In Pose Mode, parent-child relationships are reflected when
moving bones; child bones will follow the transformations applied
to their parent bones
Bone Properties
- Bone Layers: Blender offers bone layers to organize complex rigs.
Bones can be assigned to different layers, making it easier to
manage and view specific parts of a rig during animation.
- Deform and Control Bones: Bones can either deform a mesh
(deformer bones) or control the behavior of other bones (control
 bones). Control bones are typically placed in different layers to
keep them organized
Armature Display Options
- Bones can be displayed in various ways (Octahedral, Stick,
B-Bone, Envelope, Wire) depending on the task at hand (e.g.,
building the rig or animating). Each display type provides a
different visualization of the bone's structure and influence
Practical Tips for Rigging in Blender
- Name your bones immediately upon creation to prevent confusion
and speed up the workflow later on.
- Utilize X-Axis Mirror when working with symmetrical models to
avoid manually creating symmetrical bones.
- Use Bone Layers to keep complex rigs manageable.
- Regularly switch between Edit Mode (for building and modifying
structures) and Pose Mode (for testing bone movements) to
ensure everything behaves as expected

Common Pitfalls:
- Forgetting to name bones can lead to a disorganized rig, which is
harder to work with later.
- Not utilizing X-Axis Mirror on symmetrical rigs may double the
workload for certain tasks
>> Mastering armatures in Blender is essential for creating realistic
animations. The use of bones, parenting, symmetry tools, and bone
properties ensures smooth and controlled deformations, mimicking
real-world skeletal structures in digital environments
Bendy Bones Terminology
- "In" vs. "Out": Think of In as Head and Out as Tail of the bone.
- Curve In X: Controls bending at the head of the bone
along the X-axis.
- Curve Out X: Controls bending at the tail along the X-axis.
- Important: This terminology applies to all bendy bone controls
(In/Out X, Y
Basic Bendy Bone Setup
 1. Create Armature: (File ➪ New ➪ General ➪ Add ➪ Armature).
2. Switch to Pose Mode: Ctrl+Tab into Pose mode.
3. Adjust Segments: Increase to around 15 in the Bendy Bones
panel.
4. Experiment: Play with the Curve, Roll, Scale, and Ease
parameters.
Key Bendy Bone Controls
- Curve Controls: X and Y axes only (no Z). Adjusts the arc of the
bone.
- Roll: Rotates the bone along the Z-axis (local). Inherit End Roll for
chains.
- Scale: Controls head/tail scaling along X and Y.
- Ease: Moves the bend result up/down the bone length.
- Handle Controls: Manage bone handles like Bézier curve control
points
Uses Cases for Bendy Bones
- Cartoony Rigs: Ideal for "rubber-hose" style characters (arms,
legs).
- Forearm Twists: Easier to rig with Roll parameters.
- Animal Tails/Muscles: Few bones can create flexible, realistic
movement.
- Facial Rigs: Simplifies rigging for eyes/mouth compared to
bone+shape keys
Skinning & Vertex Groups
- Vertex Groups: Assign vertices to bones with weights (influence
levels). A vertex can belong to multiple groups.
- Vertex Weights: 1.0 = full influence, 0 = no influence.
- Bone Naming: Vertex group names must match bone names (e.g.,
pelvis)
Automatic Skinning Options
- With Envelope Weights: Fast but can be messy (especially with
complex models).
- With Automatic Weights: Best for most rigs. Uses bone heat for
better weight assignment
Tweaking Weights in Weight Paint Mode
- Visualization: Weights are color-coded (red = full, blue = no
influence).
- X-Mirror: Mirrors weight painting to the opposite side, saving time.
- Weight Paint: Easily select bones and test weight influence in
real-time.
Intro to Rigging
- Rigging is a critical yet intensive process that combines technical
knowledge with creativity. Understanding the full rigging process
becomes easier when you create a rig of your own. A stick-figure
character is often used for practice, as it allows animators to focus
on body language, which is a key component of character
animation. A rigged and unrigged version of a stickman can be
downloaded for practice, and this guide walks you through the
process of building your own rig
Rigging: The process of creating a skeleton (armature) for a 3D model that
animators can manipulate
T-Pose: A common starting pose for rigging, where the character's arms
are extended to the sides, resembling a "T."
A-pose: A variation of the T-pose, with arms angled down slightly from the
horizontal.
Armature: The skeleton structure that deforms the mesh of the 3D model.
Bones: Components of the armature that are used to move different parts
of the model.
Parenting: A hierarchy where one bone controls others, often used to
group body parts
Building Stickman’s Centerline
1. Add the Armature: Start by adding a bone (armature) to Stickman’s
waist (Add → Armature), and enable "In Front" for visibility.
2. Positioning and Naming Bones: Create a spine by subdividing the
bone and positioning the head, torso, and hip bones. Name them
logically, like body.1, body.2, and hip.
3. Spine Curvature: Adjust the joint of body.2 to match the spine's
natural curve.
 4. Extrude the Head Bone: Extend the top bone to form the
character's head and extrude the bottom for the hips.
> This will give you the essential spine structure of Stickman.
Adding Stickman’s Appendages:
1. Arms: Start by duplicating the shoulder bone and extruding it for
the arm. Name the bones arm_upper.L and arm_lower.L.
2. Legs: Duplicate and position the hip bone at the top of the leg,
subdivide it into leg_upper.L and leg_lower.L, and add a slight
bend for knee flexibility.
3. Symmetry: Use the Symmetrize operator to mirror the bones along
the X-axis, saving time by automatically creating the right side
(arm_upper.R and leg_upper.R).
Adding Control & Constraints
Root Bone: Create a root bone to unify the upper and lower body,
ensuring the entire skeleton moves as one.
Head Target: For more control, add a head target bone, allowing for easier
animations like making Stickman look at a specific point.
Inverse Kinematics (IK): Add IK constraints to the legs to make movements
like walking easier to animate. By moving the foot's IK bone, Blender
calculates how the rest of the leg should bend.
- Forward Kinematics (FK): A more manual method where you
animate by rotating each bone in the chain.
- IK: Moves the tip of a chain (like a foot) and lets Blender figure out
how the rest of the bones follow.
Finalizing & Testing the Rig
Once the armature is in place:
1. Add Deformation Controls: Disable deforming properties for bones
like the root, head target, and IK bones, so they don’t influence
the mesh.
2. Pole Targets: Add a pole target for better control of leg bending,
particularly at the knees.
3. Test the Rig: Move the root and IK bones to ensure the rig
responds correctly. Make adjustments as necessary to prevent
any awkward flips or movements
> Rigging can be a challenging but rewarding process. By following these
steps, you'll create a basic yet functional rig for Stickman that allows for a
wide range of movements and animations. Whether you're using IK for
precise movements or FK for natural arcs, understanding and mastering
rigging is key to successful 3D animation
Making the Rig More User Friendly
1. Change Bone Display Type:
- Switch bone display from Octahedral to Stick (in Viewport
Display under Object Data Properties). This reduces
clutter in the 3D Viewport, allowing clearer visibility of the
mesh while animating.
2. Bone Groups:
- Organize bones using groups for better workflow. In Pose
Mode, select bones and navigate to Pose ➪ Bone Groups
➪ Assign to New Group. Group bones based on limbs or
body parts like left arm, right leg, head, etc.
- Assign custom colors to bone groups for quick visual
identification. Enable Group Colors in Viewport Display,
then assign a theme in Bone Groups under Armature
Properties.
- These colors also reflect in the Graph Editor and Dope
Sheet, enhancing organization in animation editors.
3. Bone Layers:
- Use bone layers to show or hide certain bones for cleaner
views. For example, hide the leg's upper and lower bones
if IK controls are sufficient. Select bones, press M to open
the Change Bone Layers pop-up, and assign layers to
toggle their visibility efficiently.
Animating Object Deformations in Blender
Setting Up the Animation Workspace
- Switch to the Animation workspace (Animation tab or Ctrl+Page
Up) to prepare for animating with your rigged character in Pose
mode.
 - Enable the Rotate manipulator in the Gizmos rollout and set the
Transform Orientation to Normal for efficient bone rotation
Utilizing the Dope Sheet
- The Dope Sheet (Shift+F12) provides a broad view of keyframes
for multiple bones and objects, allowing for easy timing
adjustments across your animation.
- It helps in planning and organizing animations, resembling
traditional animation methods
Selecting Keyframes
- Select keyframes by clicking on them; use Shift+click for multiple
selections, box-selecting, or the A key to select all.
- Use Select ➪ Columns on Selected Keys (K) or Select ➪ Column
on Current Frame (Ctrl+K) for more efficient column selection
Transforming Keyframes
- Move (G): Drag selected keyframes to reposition them.
- Extend (E): Increase time between keyframes without affecting
adjacent ones.
- Slide (Shift+T): Adjust timing proportionally between selected
keyframes.
- Scale (S): Adjust the spacing of keyframes relative to the time
cursor
Keyframe Snapping
- By default, the Dope Sheet snaps to the nearest frame. Disable
this in the snap menu for more precise placement.
- Snap keys to the current frame, nearest frame, nearest second, or
nearest marker using the Snap Keys feature
Working with Markers
- Markers help in annotating important timing points in your
animation. Add a marker at the timeline cursor position (Marker ➪
Add Marker or M).
- Rename markers for clarity (Marker ➪ Rename Marker or Ctrl+M)
and move them using the G key within the marker region
Best Practices
 - Aim for organized columns of keyframes to maintain clear timing.
As the animation develops, timing may become less uniform,
which is acceptable as you refine the animation
Keyframe Indicators in the Dope Sheet
- When working in the Dope Sheet, it’s essential to recognize the
various shapes and colors of keyframes as they provide valuable
insights into the type of interpolation and handle settings being
used. Here’s a summary of keyframe indicators:
- Diamond: Free handle type.
- Solid Circle: Auto-clamped handles, preventing the curve
from exceeding keyframe values.
- Empty Circle: Automatic handles, similar to 3D Viewport
curves.
- Square: Vector handles indicating linear interpolation.
- Rhombus: Aligned handles for smooth f-curves.
- Arrow Overlays: Indicate maximum (upward arrow) or
minimum (downward arrow) values on f-curves when
"Show Curve Extremes" is enabled
States of Interpolation Between Keyframes
- No Bar: Indicates different keyframe values, showing a change.
- Solid Gray Bar: Represents a hold, with no change between
identical keyframes.
- Thin Green Bar: Fixed interpolation, overriding keyframe handle
settings
Custom Keyframe Types
- You can enhance the organization of your keyframes using custom
types:
- Breakdown: Cyan color, indicates keyframes between
extremes.
- Moving Hold: Orange, indicates closely spaced keyframes
with minimal change.
- Extreme: Pink, denotes primary poses at action limits.
- Jitter: Green, indicates subtle movements for realism
 - These customizations serve as notes for animators, aiding in
understanding the intent behind keyframes
Animating with Armatures
- When using armatures, follow this structured approach:
1. Plan the Animation: Act out the action and sketch
thumbnails.
2. Set Starting Pose: Use Pose mode to establish the initial
pose and insert keyframes.
3. Adjust Interpolation: Change to Constant interpolation for
clear focus on poses.
4. Create Subsequent Poses: Use the Dope Sheet to
manage poses and timing.
5. Refine Animation: Switch back to Bézier interpolation for
smooth movements.
6. Use Nonlinear Animation: Build a library of Actions to
streamline the animation process
Understanding Quaternions
- Quaternions prevent gimbal lock but can be non-intuitive. If
rotation adjustments seem complex, consider adding more
keyframes or switching to a simpler rotation mode (e.g., XYZ
Euler) when appropriate

Copying Mirrored Poses

- Utilize Blender’s capabilities to copy and paste poses efficiently:
- Copy Pose (Ctrl+C): Stores the pose in memory.
- Paste Pose (Ctrl+V): Applies the stored pose.
- Paste Pose Flipped (Shift+Ctrl+V): Mirrors the pose, ideal
for walk cycles
Working with Actions
- Actions in Blender allow for nonlinear animation, enabling the
creation of a library of motions. To create and manage actions:
1. Switch to the Action Editor in the Dope Sheet.
2. Create a new action and name it appropriately.
 3. Build a library with various actions like walk cycles, idle
animations, and expressions.
- This organized approach to keyframes and animations enhances
productivity and creativity, allowing for more complex and
nuanced character movements
 BUSINESS VENTURES - MMA 314 - 9555

BUSINESS VENTURES IN MULTIMEDIA

Multimedia and Its Importance
- Integration of text, audio, images, video, and interactive elements.
- Growing demand for engaging digital content across various
platforms
Types of Multimedia Ventures
Digital Content Creation: Blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts.
Graphic Design Services: Logos, marketing materials, social media
content.
Video Production and Editing: Promotional videos, educational content,
event coverage.
Interactive Media: Educational apps, games, websites.
Photography and Videography: Portraits, events, stock content.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): Educational tools,
entertainment experiences.
Brand Identity Development
- distinctive brand identity (e.g. animated logo of Google that
changes daily keeping the brand fresh and engaging)
Marketing and Advertising
- MMA enable the creation of compelling advertisements (Nike’s
Just Do it – motivational narratives that inspire viewers
User Experience (UX) Design
- usability and pleasure derived from interacting with digital
platforms
Corporate Communication
- effective internal and external communication. Animated
infographics and videos can simplify complex data
Product Visualization
- 3D modeling and virtual reality offer a detailed preview of products
Training and Education
- Interactive tutorials and simulations enhance learning outcomes
providing hands-on experience in a controlled environment
Customer Engagement
- Use of interactive kiosks, mobile apps or social media campaigns
leads to increased brand loyalty.
10 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
1. Curiosity – ability to remain curious allows continuously seeking
new opportunities
2. Willingness to Experiment – must run tests to determine if its
worthwhile to pursue (customers are willing to pay, meets
customer’s needs)
3. Adaptability – being flexible to ensure that business keeps moving
forward no matter what unexpected changes occur
4. Decisiveness – has to make decisions and stand by them,
confident to make challenging decision
5. Self-Awareness- aware of strengths and weaknesses
6. Risk Tolerance - taking steps to minimize risk to reap the rewards
of their efforts
7. Comfort with failure - prepare for and be comfortable with failure
8. Persistence – seeing failures as an opportunity to learn and grow,
willingness to learn from mistakes, ask questions and persist until
goal is reached
9. Innovative Thinking – novel and useful, new product or services,
improve existing products to need the changing needs of the
market
10. Long-term Focus – it's easy to start a business, but hard to grow a
sustainable and substantial one, focusing on the process from
beginning to end to ensure long-term success.
Innovation in Multimedia Ventures
Interactive Media and Immersive Experiences
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): These
technologies engage audiences by immersing them in new
environments or enhancing real-world experiences with digital
elements.
 - 360-Degree Videos: Offering panoramic views, these videos
create immersive experiences, particularly in journalism, travel,
and entertainment.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Content Creation: AI tools generate music, video scripts, and
assist in editing and animations.
- Personalization: AI analyzes user behavior to deliver tailored
content recommendations, enhancing engagement.
Blockchain and NFTs
- Digital Ownership: Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) change how digital
art and media are owned and traded, enabling artists to monetize
their work while ensuring authenticity.
- Smart Contracts: Blockchain streamlines transactions and rights
management, simplifying intellectual property and royalty
processes.
Transmedia Storytelling
- Cross-Platform Narratives: This method tells stories across
multiple media platforms, enriching audience engagement.
Live Streaming and Real-Time Interaction
- Interactive Broadcasts: Platforms like Twitch and YouTube Live
foster real-time interaction between creators and audiences,
enhancing community engagement.
- Virtual Events: Companies are creating sophisticated online
environments for conferences and live experiences.
Enhanced User Interfaces
- Voice and Gesture Control: Advances in technology make
multimedia interactions more intuitive and hands-free.
- Haptic Feedback: Tactile responses through devices enhance
immersion in digital experiences.
Data-Driven Insights
- Analytics: Advanced tools provide insights into audience behavior,
aiding creators and marketers in decision-making.
- Predictive Modeling: Historical data predicts trends and
preferences, informing effective content strategies.
Social Media Integration
- Content Sharing: Social media platforms are key for sharing and
discovering multimedia content.
- Community Building: Engaging on social media fosters community
and loyalty, evolving to support richer media experiences.
Sustainable Practices
- Eco-Friendly Production: There’s a push for sustainable content
production and distribution practices.
- Digital Carbon Footprint: Efforts aim to reduce the carbon footprint
of streaming and digital media consumption.
Challenges in startup ventures within the multimedia industry
Rapid Technological Changes
- The multimedia industry evolves rapidly, requiring startups to stay
updated and adapt quickly, often using significant resources.
High Competition
- With many established and new players, startups must
differentiate their products and gain market traction.
Funding and Financial Constraints
- With many established and new players, startups must
differentiate their products and gain market traction.
Intellectual Property Issues
- Navigating copyright, trademarks, and patents complicates
protecting intellectual property for startups.
User Acquisition and Retention
- Building and maintaining a user base in a competitive market
requires effective marketing and ongoing engagement.
Monetization Models
- Developing sustainable business models is crucial, whether
through direct sales, subscriptions, or advertising.
Content Creation and Licensing
- Creating or licensing high-quality content is expensive and
time-consuming, necessitating a balance between quality and
cost.
Scalability
 - Startups must ensure their technology and infrastructure can scale
with user growth without compromising performance.

Market Research and Audience Understanding

- Thorough market research is essential for accurately identifying
and understanding target audiences.
Regulatory Compliance
- Startups must navigate various regulations related to data privacy,
content rights, and broadcasting standards, which can be
challenging.
Talent Acquisition and Retention
- Attracting and retaining skilled talent is difficult for startups with
limited resources in a competitive industry.
Brand Building and Trust
- Establishing a strong brand and user trust is critical; startups need
to invest in branding and reputation management
TECHNOPRENEURSHIP
Introduction
- In the world of globalization, technology has created a huge
impact and influence in the society where people have become
dependent. It is certainty that through technology people are
interested in developing simple products for innovation. There are
several innovations and inventions that made the world of
technology and entrepreneurship more exciting and interesting
because of its collaborative outcome to establish a competitive
advantage in the business industry to become economically
stable within a local and global perspective.
Technology
- Technology, it is a body of knowledge devoted to creating tools,
processing actions and the extracting of materials.
- It is an application of science used to solve problems.
- People utilize technology at work, for communication,
transportation, learning, manufacturing and businesses.
Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship is the practice of embarking on a new business
venture or existing businesses by combining different resources in
order to develop new opportunities
- Global businesses have been using technology to improve their
products, to innovate products and to develop new products that
will be introduced and recognized in the business world.
- Technology and Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in making the
business gain competitive advantage, improve the economic
growth of the country and accelerate innovation.
Technopreneurship
- An Entrepreneur is simply the merging of Technology and
Entrepreneur skills. Technopreneurship is a new breed of
entrepreneurship that involves the collaboration of people who are
intelligent, determined, creative, technology savvy and passionate
in dealing with risk and functions as a team.
- Technology + Entrepreneurship = Technopreneurship
Entrepreneur
- A person that possesses various skills in terms of marketing,
communication and strategically has the potential demand for the
goods and services whether as a sole proprietor, with partners
and within a corporation.
- There are different types of entrepreneurs such as innovative,
imitating, Fabian and drone
Innovative Entrepreneur
- An innovative entrepreneur is a person that has such a great
passion in discovering and developing new products, new ideas
and new processes. They are the one who are willing to take risks
in every new innovation because they enjoy challenges.
Imitating Entrepreneur
- Imitating entrepreneur is a person who immediately copy the
existing products made by the innovative entrepreneur because
there is no such new inventions or new innovations. As for an
instance, the continuous development of mobile phones because
 of the massive demands in the market. Imitating entrepreneurs
can come up with the same features and specifications where
they just imitate the technology, process and methods pioneered
by the others.

Fabian Entrepreneur
- A Fabian entrepreneur is a type of person that is skeptical about
the changes that will be made in the organization. They are not
decided to develop new innovations unless they are satisfied with
the result or the outcome of the released products in the market.
They are not risk-takers as they wanted to anticipate success in
the market first before indulging into the next project as they are
not willing to have financial loss due to its failure.
Drone Entrepreneur
- Drone entrepreneur are reluctant to change as they are happy with
the result of their business even if they have financial losses. They
are not eager to make any changes in their organization.
Technopreneur
- A person who perceives an opportunity by introducing new
products and services, creating new forms of organization and by
utilizing new raw materials.
- Undertakes risks that has the possibility of earning a profit.
- Starts out with nothing but an ‘idea’ defying existing products,
practices and systems in which he can think of a new solution
through the use of technology and innovate it eventually.
Five traits of a Technopreneur
1. Strong Communication Skills that Close Deals
- Technopreneur should possess strong communication skills that
close deals as they will diverse people to their business ideas
and products. Communication plays an important role in
determining success by convincing sponsors, different
organizations and prospective clients to help a technopreneur to
pursue his idea and product.
2. Product Management Knowledge
 - It is significant that a technopreneur has a deep understanding
of his idea or product in order to present it to the target
customers in a detailed and precise manner. It is a big deal that
he knows the overall product so that it will be easier to explain
and encourage the clients or sponsors.

3. Deep Technical Understanding

- As a technopreneur, it is important to be tech-oriented as you will
deal with the technical aspects of your idea or product. A
technopreneur should know how to be technology savvy to be
able to compete with others, be competitive and understand the
dynamics of your market.
4. Take Big Risks
- Dealing with competition will basically improve the way
technopreneurs think outside of their box. They have to take risks
as not all ideas or products are meant to be successful in the
business world. Even famous technopreneurs have to deal with
risks for their product or services to be recognized locally and
globally. They need to know how to gamble in the competitive
environment to gain branding.
5. Persistence
- Not all entrepreneurs can be a technopreneur but all
technopreneurs are entrepreneurs that is why they have to acquire
persistent to achieve their goals. Staying positive in all aspects of
life is possible if there will be challenges and odds along the way,
hard road is next to success.
Differences between Entrepreneur and Technopreneur

Entrepreneur Technopreneur

- Likes to compete - Likes to compete

- Self-starter/pioneer - Likes to innovate
- Able to do many things at - Part of a team
once - Able to do many thing at
- Creative/ has goals and once but chooses to delegate
 dreams - Innovative/Greater Vision
- Likes to work for himself - Likes to be one to control
- Motivated to achieve and innovation
attain financial success - Motivated by a strong vision
- Focuses on the chances of and the passion to innovate
success rather than the - Take failure in stride and
possibility of failure know that if corrected it will
lead to success.
Entrepreneurial Process vs. Technopreneurial Process:
- an entrepreneur has to follow several steps to be successful in his
business plan and ensure that these phases will be applied
according to its process.
The Entrepreneurial Process
Opportunity Analysis
- This phase refers to establishing demand and competitive analysis
of the market. An entrepreneur should have a clear vision by
making a thorough study of the market potentials to create
strategies and desirable objectives for the growth of an
organization
Business Planning
- The entrepreneur should have a written business plan composed
of the organization’s future goals, how to achieve those goals and
the timeframe within which these goals are to be achieved.
Business planning usually includes marketing strategy, financial
and operational viewpoint.
Gathering Resources
- Entrepreneurial resources include sources of financing such like
lines of credit and investment capital, technology, networks of
contacts and publicity. A business ought to have four types of
resources that include physical resources, intellectual, human and
financial resources.
Implementation
 - Implementation is a process of execution about what has been
planned and utilizing the numerous resources for the success of
the business
Scaling and Harvesting
- Scaling is a process where the organization will encounter
challenges. The organization will experience painful points for
rapid growth for stability and continuity of the business
operations. On the other hand, Harvesting is a process where the
organization will reap what they sow in dealing with the challenges
they had encountered throughout the process of the business.

The Technopreneurial Process

Idea Generation
- This is the process of creating and developing and communicating
abstract, concrete or visual ideas. It includes goals, strategies,
concepts, designs, style, plans and actions to come up with
possible solutions for actual problems and opportunities.

Idea Screening
- Idea screening is a process that evaluates and contrasts new
prospective ideas for your business. It is where assessment will be
instigated to make sure that your ideas are related to the business.
The idea screening criteria are used to determine compatibility
and whether the idea will earn profit or could return on investment.
Concept Testing
- Concept testing is the process of testing new or hypothetical
products or services before they are launched [Management
Study Guide]. It is probably the possibility of generating the best
product.
Business Analysis
- Business Analysis is a process of identifying what the business
needs and determining solutions to business problems that will
improve the process, management and the financial status quo to
deliver value to the stakeholders.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Every business should be monitored and evaluated according to
the performance in the market. Monitoring and Evaluation is
important for the business to diagnose problems and improve
what is needed to stay in the competition. Through evaluation the
organization will identify the performance rating of the business.
Commercialization
- Commercialization is the process of introducing new products and
services to the market. With commercialization, an organization
entails production, distribution, marketing, sales, customer
support to achieve the commercial success of the new product or
service. The use of advertisement, social media campaigns, video
production is part of commercialization so that the vision and
value of the product or services will be reached out to the society.
Test Marketing
- Test marketing is a process of experimenting and assessing your
product to check its viability to customers, compromising actual
stores and real-life buying solutions. It is to test the consumer
reaction towards the new product or services in the market.
Prototyping
- Prototyping is the overall design of the product where it shows its
functionalities, specifications and interface that is based on the
business analysis.
IDENTIFYING MARKET NEEDS & OPPORTUNITIES
Market Research
- Analyze trends, target audiences, and existing competition.
Niche Selection
- Focus on specific areas such as educational content, local
business needs, or a particular interest.
You must have Innovative and Reliable Product
- Without an innovative and reliable product, all the best logo
designs and unique selling propositions are for naught.
- Company must continue to innovate and not sacrifice reliability to
stand out in the marketplace.
>> From information to empathy, what is the most important to your
success as a professional?
>> Education, Experience, Product Knowledge, Job Title, Territory, Attire/
Dress, Company’s Reputation, Product, Price, Delivery Lead Times,
Service Guarantees, Management Strength, Testimonials? (All of the
above)
- People buy you.
- Your ability to build lasting business relationships that allow you to
close more deals, retain clients, increase your income, and
advance your career.
- Depends on your skills for getting other people to like you and
trust you.
- When you accept and adopt the People Buy You philosophy, your
confidence will go up and you will perform at a higher level.
New Business Requirements
- An idea is an important beginning for a new business
- For an opportunity to become a business requires four things:
- A benefit you are requiring for the customer
- A business Model
- Team that execute it
- Resources
Ideation (Where do I get product Ideas?)
1. Experience
2. Environment
3. Culture
Ideate Your Product Idea
- EMPATHIZE: Who is the target customer?
- DEFINE: What are their problem(s)?
- IDEATE: Brainstorm for a solution (product) to solve your
customer’s problem(s)
- How will you prototype your product?
- How will you test your product?
Business Model
- Describes how an idea will create value.
Business Model Canvas
- Proposed by Alex Osterwalder
- A tool that can be used to describe and design a business model.
Parts of the Business Model Canvas
Customer Segments
- Classify and group customers based on common attributes, like
needs and behaviors.
- Who are the important customers?
- Who will benefit from the business proposal?
Value Proposition
- Identify specific products or services that will cater to the needs of
the specific customer segments.
- Value propositions can be original or improved versions of existing
market offers.
- What product or service will bring in customers (probably
from other companies)?
- What are specific products for each customer segment?
Channels
- Interface that allows the customer and the company to
communicate.
- Allow customers to avail product, service and value proposition;
evaluate and rate transactions and value propositions; and learn
about the company.
- How can customers cost-effectively be reached by the
company and reach the company?
- What are the best channels to be used and how can these
be maintained?
Customer Relationship
- Personal or automated relationship with each customer segment
that allows bringing in new customers, retaining existing
customers, and improving income generation.
- What relationships should be established based on
expectations of customers and the company?
 - What relationships are existing, and needs to be
established & integrated?
Revenue Stream
- Transaction and recurring revenues that the company gets from
the different customer segments.
- Customer segments should be willing to pay for specific value not
just the product or service.
- What value (included in the product or service) will the
customers be willing to pay?
- How should customers pay?
- Is there enough revenue streams to generate an
acceptable revenue?
- Which are fixed and dynamic revenues?
Key Resources
- Physical, financial, intellectual and human requirements to
produce value propositions (from products and services),
communicate with customers, maintain relationships, and earn
revenues.
- What resources are needed to produce value
propositions, manage communication channels &
relationships, and keep revenue streams working?
Key Activities
- Actions needed to produce value propositions (from products and
services), communicate with customers, maintain relationships,
and earn revenues.
- What activities are needed to produce value propositions,
manage communication channels & relationships, and
keep revenue streams working?
Key Partners
- Non-competitor or competitor, and old or new companies that the
company can work with to reduce negative risks, increase positive
risks, or acquire resources & services from.
- Which key partners are the suppliers of key resources?
- Which key partners are involved in doing key activities?
 - Which key partners are competitors and non-
competitors?
Cost Structure
- Cost Structure identifies the costs needed to create value
propositions; manage customer relationships, channels, revenue
streams, key resources & key activities; and work with key
partners.
- What are expensive and cheap resources and activities?
- How can costs of resources and activities be lessened?
Lean Canvas
Problem
- List the top 1-3 problems you want to solve
Solution
- Describe your proposed solution to solve the problems

Key Metrics
- Key numbers that tell you how your business is doing (minimum
success criteria)
Unique Value Proposition
- Single, clear, compelling message that states why you are
different and worth paying attention to.
- Example: You can find a job in less than 60 days
- End result + Specific period of time + address objection
Unfair Advantage
- Something that cannot easily be bought or copied (patents, dream
team, insider information)
Channels
- How will you reach your customers?
Customer Segments
- Describe your target customers and how many there are in the
Philippines
- Example: young male doctors who are not affiliated with any
hospital
Cost Structure
 - Fixed costs & Variable costs
Revenue Streams
- Identify how you will make money
- Example: Transaction Based, Subscription Fees, Advertisement
Fee, Rental Fees
Idea Validation
Define Goals
- What do you want to learn?
- Should you validate your market, problem, or product?
Develop Hypothesis
- What are the most critical assumptions related to your idea?
- What is the minimum success criteria?
Experiment
- Which methods are most useful for testing your assumption?
- How do you plan to execute the tests?

Validate
- Is the assumption valid?
- Proceed or Pivot?
Javelin Validation Board
- Designed by Trevor Owens.
- Used to validate business ideas from concepts to validated data.
Steps in Using Validation Board
1. Identify Customer Segment
- Give each member of the team 5 minutes to identify a
customer segment, write these in sticky notes and paste
in the left-side field labeled “Who is your Customer?”.
- As a group choose the most important and move it in
column 1 beside the label “Customer”.
2. Identify Customer Problem
- Give each member of the team 5 minutes to identify a
problem of the selected customer, write these in sticky
notes and paste in the left- side field labeled “What is the
problem?”.
 - As a group choose the most important and move it in
column 1 beside the label “Problem”.
3. Skip the Solution Row
- This row will only be filled out from the second to last
iteration.
4. Identify Assumptions
- Give each member of the team 5 minutes to identify an
assumption to make the selected problem true, write
these in sticky notes and paste in the left-side field
labeled “List the assumptions that must be held true for
your hypothesis to be true.”
- As a group choose the riskiest and move it in column 1
beside the label “Riskiest Assumptions”.
5. Select an Experiment Phase
- As a group select from Research, Pitch, Concierge or
Prototype.
- Experiment Phases
- Research: Interview or observe behavior of prospective
customers.
- Pitch: Collect any proof of commitment from prospective
customers to avail product or service. Proof can be in the
form of a letter, calling card, money, etc.
- Concierge: Manual simulation of product or service to
prospect customers.
- Prototype: Prospect customers use a Minimum Viable
Product (MVP) to experience a prototype of the actual
product.
6. As a group, determine the success criteria and write in a sticky
note, then paste in column one beside the label “Success
Criteria”.
7. “Get out of the building” and conduct the experiment.
8. Analyze Result of Experiment
 - Write the result (fraction) and decision (Pivot or Persevere)
in a sticky note and paste it in column 1 beside the label
“Result and Decision”.
- Write a lesson learned in a sticky note and paste in
column 1 beside the label “Learning”.
9. Pivot or Persevere
- Do at least one persevere or pivot on the succeeding
columns. From the second column fill out the columns
aligned to the label “Solution”.
- Pivot or Persevere
- Pivot: Repeating the column process to improve the
hypothesis in the hope that result will be acceptable.
- Persevere: The minimum result needed is achieved or
exceeded but you want to improve the result or you want
to test the next riskiest assumption.
>> Note: Repeat steps 1 to 9 for all important customer segments or for all
important problems of the important customer segments.
>> It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. – Scott Belsky,
Behance Co-founder
 DIGITAL MARKETING - MMAF 19 - 9556

THE EVOLUTION AND ENVIRONMENT OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Marketing
- “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating,
communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have
value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”
(American Marketing Association (AMA)
Digital Marketing
- “The use of digital or social channels to promote a brand or reach
consumers” (AMA)
Brand
- Name, term, design, symbol,” or other aspect that identifies one
organization’s product or service and distinguishes it from that of
another.
The Evolution of Digital Marketing
WEB 1.0
- Developed in the 1990s
- Websites, even in their basic form, were used for marketing
- Banner ads also gained popularity
WEB 2.0
- 2000-2009 era of the Web
- Social media and interaction rose in popularity due to
user-generated content (UGC).
- Through social media, consumers’ voices were heard through
Facebook, MySpace, forums, and blogs.
- Development of mobile phone applications and technology
introduced mobile marketing as a new platform.
WEB 3.0
- 2010-2019 era of the Web
- “Semantic web”
- Advertising was based on a consumer’s online behavior and
activity.
WEB 4.0
 - Current state of the Web; “Symbiotic web”
- Involves “intelligent interactions” between people and machines.
→ Mobile Marketing → Smart-Environment Marketing
Email Website & Social Mobile Smart-
Marketing Search Engine Media Marketing Environment
Marketing Marketing Marketing
→ → → →

THE DIGITAL MARKETING MACRO-ENVIRONMENT

Political
- Trade policies, both local and foreign, may affect digital marketing.
- Digital marketers focused on international markets must bear
import and export costs and shipping into consideration.
- Some governments may also create policies that affect whether a
digital marketer can conduct business in certain countries.
Economic
- Digital marketing can boost economic development through social
media.
- The economic status of certain countries can also affect which
countries/regions should be targeted in the digital market strategy.
- Factoring the disposable income (if any) of consumers is also
relevant because digital marketing helps to fulfill everyday needs
as well as wants.
- High unemployment may result in an organization’s need to
assess what consumers most value as demand and supply
fluctuate.
Social
- Differences in social attitudes toward digital marketing across
regions must also be considered.
- Consumers decide what they consider to be socially acceptable,
and digital marketers must cater to their target market’s
understanding.
- Note cultural considerations across different countries/regions.
Technical
- Existing, emerging, and futuristic technologies allow personalized
and convenient experiences for consumers.
- Digital marketing will play an increasing role in the rise of smart
home technologies.
Environmental
- Digital marketing can reduce paper waste, but can also increase
reliance on non- renewable energy to power them.
- Brands providing online services must also consider digital
waste/e-waste as some technologies grow obsolete.
- Organizations may consider cloud recycling, which involves
recycling equipment used in cloud data centers.
Legal
- Digital marketers are still subject to advertising rules and
regulations set by government bodies.
- Digital marketers must also respect intellectual property laws of
the legal jurisdictions in which they operate.
- Laws and regulations concerning privacy and cybersecurity must
also be considered.
THE DIGITAL MARKETING MICRO-ENVIRONMENT
Organizations
- The organization itself must be well-suited to engage in digital
marketing.
- Hiring marketing employees and leadership who are well-versed in
digital marketing can have a profound impact on the success of
the organization.
Suppliers
- Individuals or organizations that offer inputs, goods, or services
that the organization needs.
- Managing supplier relationships, expectations, and negotiation
enables an organization to be valuable to consumers.
Intermediaries
 - Individuals, organizations, online services, and platforms that
assist in the marketing of products and services of one or more
organizations
- “middlemen”
- Ex. Online retailers, search engines, social media platforms,
portals, mobile app stores, online lists, aggregators, networks,
coupon sites, etc.
Competitors
- Brands or organizations must find ways to sustain a competitive
advantage
- Regularly checking the digital platforms that competitors are using
and learning from their digital marketing activity may present ways
for creating a competitive advantage.
Publics
- Include individuals or groups who have a stake in or influence on
the ability of an organization to attain its goal and purpose.
- Ex. Consumer groups, government publics, media organizations,
etc.
Customers
- Organizations must not only provide value consistently but also
deliver excellent customer experiences.
- Managing relationships with customers is crucial in digital
marketing.
TYPES OF DIGITAL MARKETING
Types of Digital Marketing
Email Marketing
- Involves sending carefully crafted emails to pertinent audiences.
- Promotions, new products, newsletters, or messages intended to
keep a regular connection with customers.
Website Marketing
- Can serve as channels for direct online marketing as well as a
basis from which consumers may assess the company and its
brand.
 - Even if no direct sales are being conducted on a website, it is
important to have a web presence.
- Some websites use AI as chatbots for responding to and resolving
customer complaints or providing recommended actions to
consumers based on their activity on these websites.

Search Engines Optimization (SEO)

- Involves improving a website to optimize its use by search
engines. (Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.)
- Search engines often prefer websites that have relevant content
and that are secure and accessible.
- Good SEO helps pages rank highly on search engine results
pages (SERPs).

Search Engine Management (SEM)

- Organizations usually pay for SEM by bidding on keywords or
keyphrases (terms consumers use to search within search
engines).
Social Media Marketing
- May include various activities such as advertising, promotion,
sharing, branding, and otherwise connecting with consumers
through social media.
- Involves careful consideration of the particularities associated with
each social media platform.
Community Marketing
- The main goal is to create, maintain, and cultivate a community
with the target market, establishing trust and loyalty.
- May take place on other platforms aside from social media such
as blogs, webcasts, and forums.
Mobile Marketing
- Every organization needs a strategy for mobile marketing because
many consumers conduct and perform a lot of their online
activities through smartphones.
- Operation and promotion of mobile applications
 - In-app advertising
Smart Environment Marketing
- In a smart environment, smart devices and technology provide
convenient digital services valuable to consumers.
- “Internet of Things”
>> Artificial intelligence (AI) enables a computer to mimic intelligent human
behavior. Machine learning (ML) is a subset of AI that allows computers to
learn.
CREATING VALUE THROUGH DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES
Value
- “That which a consumer receives for what the consumer pays or
provides.”
- A combination of quality, service, and price for which consumers
pay.
Digital Marketing As Value For:
Consumers
- Source of information about a brand, product, and/or service.
- Value should continue even after the initial purchase.
Organizations
- A way to promote a brand and market to consumers digitally.
- Another way to reach consumers who otherwise would not be
reached.
Society at Large
- May provide broader consumer choice and variety.
- Provide economic benefits and facilitate social interaction.
- Allow opportunities to engage in socially responsible activities.
DIGITAL SEGMENTATION, TARGETING, AND POSITIONING
Target Market
- Includes single or multiple identifiable groups toward which an
organization will aim its marketing.
- Careful and thorough research is needed for marketing to resonate
with its audience.
Digital Segmentation
 - Process of dividing the total digital target market into smaller
groups
- Different markets have different needs
Digital Positioning
- Establishing expectations or understanding on what the brand is
and what it can offer to consumers

Digital Marketing Strategy

Corporate Strategy
- Lays out the high-level actions of an organization that enable it to
keep up or move ahead its competitors based on a guiding policy
and to meet corporate goals
- Serves as a foundation for defining digital marketing strategies or
creating a digital marketing plan
(Digital) Marketing Strategy
- Involves determining the market, a marketing mix, and a plan to
build a sustainable competitive advantage to meet marketing
goals
- Digital marketing strategies must undergo this process on a purely
digital field
Digital Marketing Tactics
- Specific digital marketing activities that are meant to assist in
achieving the higher-level overall strategy
RC Cola Campaign
- Section 47 of RA No. 10963, also known as the TRAIN Law,
imposed excise taxes on sweetened beverages and increasing the
cost of sodas.
- Competitors’ ad campaigns were focused on taste (Pepsi) and
music (Coca-Cola), so RC Cola focused on a different strategy.
Digital Marketing Strategy vs Tactic
Strategy
- Revamp RC Cola’s ad campaign by shifting their target towards
Gen Z consumers
Tactic
 - Develop video advertising that incorporates weird and absurd
humor.
The Strategic Digital Marketing PRocess
The Digital Marketing Plan
- A document that outlines key digital marketing strategies based
on the organization’s environment, tactics, objectives, and other
key considerations.
- In the digital marketing planning process, three stages are outlined
as the foci of the digital marketing plan.
Stage 1: Organizational and Marketing Overview
- Overview of the organization and its marketing efforts
- Documents the overall organizational mission and vision
- Digital marketing strategy and objectives should flow from the
overall marketing strategy and objectives
Stage 2: Situation Analysis and Digital Marketing Objectives, Strategies,
and Tactics
- The goal is to understand the internal and external environments in
which digital marketing is expected to take place.
- Identify specific and measurable digital marketing objectives that
will be used to guide the rest of the plan.
- Identify the digital value position
- A proposal about why a consumer within an organization’s
target market should purchase its offering
- Crafted from the digital marketing objectives
- Identify the digital STP
- Strategies and tactics include privacy, security, legal, and ethical
considerations
Stage 3: Digital Marketing Analytics and Implementation Plan
- Identify key analytics that will be used to measure and track digital
marketing
- The budget and nonfinancial resources that will be allocated to
digital marketing should be determined and documented
- The implementation of the strategic digital marketing plan must
also be determined and documented in this stage
 DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES
The 4 P’s of Marketing
I. Product Strategies
- Ensure that the products and services of an organization must
provide value to consumers.
- Different product strategies may be necessary during the different
stages of the product life cycle (PLC).
- Digital marketing product strategies should also help to enhance
the brand name through digital channels.
- Are we demonstrating through digital means the value our
products and services provide consumers?
- Are we providing value through digital services?
>> To ensure the longevity of their brand/s, software companies opt to
support their products or services by releasing software updates, patches,
or newer versions of their applications.
II. Pricing Strategies
- Clarity on pricing is important as digital consumers may often
compare prices using search engines and other digital tools.
- Digital marketing pricing strategies may include
subscription-based, flat-fee, bundle, and freemium.
- What pricing strategy should we use: subscription based,
flat-fee, bundled, freemium, or others?
1. Subscription-based Pricing Strategy
- Digital consumers pay a flat fee each subscription period
(whether monthly or yearly).
2. Flat-fee Pricing Strategy
- Similar to subscription-based pricing, but consumers pay
an agreed-upon, unvarying fee for whatever level of
service they use during a service or contract period.
3. Bundled Pricing Strategy
- Consumers are offered a lower price if they bundle
products or services together.
4. Freemium Pricing Strategy
 - Organizations offer a basic service at no charge and
consumers pay for added services or a premium service
level.
III. Place Strategies
- Digital Marketing Channel
- The medium chosen by an organization where marketing
will take place.
- Includes organizations that are involved in assisting a
product or service to be available to consumers.
- What is the digital marketing channel?
- Should we pursue an omni-channel strategy?
- Should we pursue a disintermediation strategy?
1. Omni-channel Strategy
- Involves offering an organization’s products or services
across various channels, including different online (digital)
channels and in physical retail outlets.
- Most organizations follow an omni-channel strategy, while
some new or small organizations are digital-only.
2. Disintermediation Strategy
- Involves removing or not including channel members, also
known as intermediaries.
3. Digital Channel Strategy
- Encourages interaction with the organization and its
products and services solely through a variety of digital
channels.
IV. Promotion Strategies
- Address the ways in which organizations communicate their
products, services, and brands to consumers.
- The organization must adopt an integrated marketing
communication (IMC) strategy, which ensures that all contacts
received by customers for a product, service, or the organization
itself are consistent over time.
 - Part of an IMC strategy is the selection of optimal digital platform
strategies, where an organization must select digital platforms that
are the most relevant and appropriate for its target market/s.
- A well-defined content strategy that is consistent across platforms
and provides value to consumers is also essential. Evergreen
content, which remains “continually relevant” over time, is often
created with SEO in mind.
- Which digital platforms will be relevant to promoting to the
organization’s target market?
- Should we create evergreen digital marketing content that
remains relevant over time?
- Should promotional content appear like native ads?
- How can we spur digital word-of-mouth marketing?
- Are we compiling a valuable set of digital assets to help
with digital promotion?
1. Native Advertising
- Paid advertising whose content “matches the form, feel,
function, and quality of the content of the media on which
it appears.”
2. Word-of-Mouth (WOM) Advertising
- Consumers spreading helpful information about their
relationship with an organization or its products and
services.
The 7 A’s of Digital Marketing
I. Add Strategies
- The product or service offered by an organization must add value,
and digital marketing should be able to promote that value or be a
source of value itself.
- For example, disintermediation may allow consumers to obtain a
service at a lower cost and the organization to obtain a greater
profit.
- Does our digital marketing convey to consumers the value
of our product or service?
- Is our digital marketing adding further value?
 - Does our product or service add value to society?
II. Allure Strategies
- Involves strategies and tactics to increase consumer interest, such
as creative and informative content, attractive design, enticing
messages, and relevant information.
- Related allure strategies may also include storytelling, which
involves talking about what the brand is about as opposed to
simply presenting advertisements.
- Do our strategies increase consumer interest by means of
creative and informative content, attractive design,
enticing messages, storytelling, and relevant information?

III. Advance Strategies

- Aim to advance customers towards purchasing a product or
service by addressing potential failures of advancement such as
poor UX, high perceived prices, etc.
- Digital marketers must carefully research why consumers are not
converting and then implement conversion strategies that will help
advance the buying process.
- Do we use digital strategies to advance consumers toward
purchase, such as a clear menu, good search option,
easy-to-understand categories, a clear call-to-action, a
live chat feature, and/or help services?
IV. Adapt/ Adjust Strategies
- Digital marketers must be ready to adapt or adjust their digital
marketing strategies and tactics according to how well a
campaign is performing or the environment in which the marketing
is taking place.
- Understanding consumers’ behavior and adapting to provide
relevant digital marketing and optimal experiences may often
increase results.
- How well is our digital marketing campaign performing?
- Does it reflect current consumer trends?
 - Is the campaign meeting the required digital marketing
analytics?
- If the campaign is falling short, what adjustments should
be made?
- Are we adjusting our strategies and tactics as needed?
V. Associate Strategies
- May involve enhancing the connection a consumer makes
between the brand and product features or attributes.
- Digital marketing can help to visualize that connection in various
ways, such as strategic use and display of logos, graphics, colors,
symbols, and influencers.
- Does our use of logos, graphics, colors, symbols, and so
on promote brand association?
- Do our digital marketing messages help consumers
associate with the brand and/or help us create strategic
relationships?
VI. Abide Strategies
- Digital marketers must abide by legal regulations relating to
advertising, privacy, and security.
- Ethical strategies should be employed to ensure that digital
marketing meets ethical standards.
- Do our digital marketing strategies and tactics meet legal
requirements for advertising?
- Are we complying with privacy and security requirements
or regulations?
- Do our digital marketing strategies and tactics meet
ethical standards?
VII. Analyze Strategies
- Various analytics are available to measure and monitor the
success of a digital marketing plan.
- The organization should specify which key performance indicators
and marketing analytics it intends to use and then routinely
monitor how well it meets those evaluation measures.
- What should we measure?
 - How well is the organization meeting its established key
performance indicators and marketing analytics
measures?
- Are we acting on the analytics we are reporting on?
- Are changes needed?
The Competitor Analysis
- Analyzes what other organizations in the same digital market are
doing and what their position is in such market.
- The competitor analysis should answer the following questions:
1. Who are the organization’s major competitors? (This may
include current and potential growth in the market.)
2. What key digital strategies and tactics do they adopt?
3. How might the organization counteract, respond to, or deal with
these?
- A competitor analysis can help an organization think about how to
employ competitive strategies designed to counteract
competitors’ strategies or to gain a competitive advantage over
them.
- Digital marketers must also employ a competitive vigilance
strategy, which involves keeping an eye on existing competitors
and any others that may appear unexpectedly.
THE STRATEGIES DIGITAL MARKETING PLAN
Scientific Method
- Purpose
- Research
- Hypothesis
- Experiment
- Analysis
- Conclusion
Digital Marketing Plan
- Documents and details the proposed strategies and tactics the
organization must undergo to ensure the successful promotion of
the product, service, or organization itself.
 - Crafting a strategic digital marketing plan is a time-consuming
process which should be started early, revisited often, and revised
as needed.
Cover Page
- Documents the organization’s name followed by the title
“Strategic Digital Marketing Plan.”
- If visuals are used, they should reflect the plan as a whole, rather
than an example of digital marketing that may be conducted.
Executive Summary
- A short summarizing statement of the strategic digital marketing
plan, usually three to five paragraphs, which places the plan in
context and includes the key points covered.
Section 1: Organizational Mission, Vision, and Objectives
- The goal of this section of the strategic plan is to ensure that
readers know the organization’s overall mission, vision, and
objectives.
- It is often helpful to follow the overall organizational mission and
vision with a statement that it is the intent for the planned digital
marketing to flow from such mission and vision.
Section 2: Overall Marketing Strategies and Objectives
1. Marketing Strategies
- Usually found in the overall marketing strategies of an
organization, which includes any traditional marketing
strategies.
2. Marketing Objectives
- Measurable goals that the organization’s marketing
activity is intended to produce.
- May include, among others, specific amount of sales
growth, increased brand awareness, increased customer
retention, and market growth.
Section 3: Digital Marketing Situation Analysis (Digital SWOT)
- Describes the internal and external environments in which digital
marketing is being pursued.
 - Strengths and weaknesses are internally focused factors;
opportunities and threats are externally focused factors.

Digital Strengths (Internal) Digital Weakness (Internal)

- Great digital marketing talent - Comparatively lower digital
- Exceptional digital value competitive ability
- Poor digital marketing
proposition
leadership
- High digital brand image and
- High digital marketing costs
digital trust with poor return
- Comparatively high level of
digital resources

Digital Opportunities (External) Digital Threats (External)

- Industry and market potential - Changing digital marketing
in digital space privacy rules
- New technologies resulting in - Obsolescence of digital
digital marketing marketing technologies
opportunities - Competitor digital marketing
- Digital relationships and excellence
partnerships
Section 4: Digital Marketing Objectives, Digital STP, and Digital Value
Proposition
1. Digital Marketing Objectives
- All digital marketing objectives should be directly linked to
overall marketing objectives and support these. At the
same time, each digital marketing objective should be tied
to specific value for the consumer or customer and
accompanied by metrics.
- For example, organizations may intend to increase digital
conversion rates, gain specific digital customer insights,
enhance retention rates, or increase digital brand image.
2. Digital STP
a. Digital Segmentation Analysis
- Audience segmentation divides a group into
specific segments (audiences), based on such
 factors as demographics or how the consumers
interact with specific digital marketing.
- Involves four general segmentation principles:
demographic segmentation, geographic
segmentation, psychographic segmentation, and
behavioral segmentation

Digital Digital Digital Digital

Demographic Geographic Psychographic Behavioral

> Age of > Location of > Social class > Sophistication and
social media app user of search ad knowledge of
user > State in viewer website user
> Education which website > Personality of > Attitude of social
of website customer social media media user
visitor resides user > Search history of
> Income of > Location > Lifestyle of search engine user
search ad from where smart- product > Purchase history of
viewer consumer is user website user
> Gender of clicking > Behaviors of
app user search ad smart- home user

b. Digital Targeting Market

- Only after segmenting should digital marketers
begin the exercise of targeting.
- Organizations offering similar products, such as
smart speakers, may target the same or different
consumers. Organizations offering different
product features, brand image, or other factors
may result in different target markets.
- It is not necessary that an organization’s similar
products focus on the same markets.
- Digital marketers may want to build a digital buyer
persona, which is a “fictional character created as
a proxy for a target audience.”
 - This outline of what the organization knows about
its target consumers becomes a guiding factor for
digital marketing activities.
c. Digital Positioning
- Positioning the brand vis-à-vis the competition is
always crucial, and digital marketing can be used
to clearly communicate what the brand offers.
- Section 4 of the strategic digital marketing plan
should specifically state the organization’s digital
positioning goals.
3. Digital Value Proposition
- A unique, convincing proposal about why a consumer within an
organization’s target market should purchase its offering(s).
- Allows a consumer to recognize value in the offering and may
assist in their decision to purchase.
- Overpromising or unclear value propositions often lead to failed
purchases, enhanced costs, and dissatisfaction. For example, if a
consumer clicks on a paid search ad and is not convinced by the
value proposition seen on the associated website, the result may
be an incomplete purchase.

Section 5: Digital Marketing Strategies and Tactics

- States the key digital marketing strategies and tactics an
organization intends to pursue.
- Specific digital marketing campaigns, activities, and initiatives are
also included.
- The basic 4P’s, 7A’s, and competitor analysis strategies and
tactics discussed earlier provide the basic foundation for the
strategies and tactics described in Section 5.
1. Website, SEO, and SEM Strategies and Tactics
- May include discussion of the consumer’s experience on
the website, including the effectiveness of various website
features.
 - SEO strategies and tactics and SEM strategies and
tactics, such as keywords and campaigns, respectively,
should be outlined in this section.
2. Email Marketing Strategies and Tactics
- Any email lists and any email marketing platforms that
may be used should be listed.
3. Social Media and Community Marketing Strategies and Tactics
- Include any platforms that will be adopted and the specific
marketing that will be done (Facebook Ads, Snapchat
Campaign, and so on).
4. Mobile Marketing Strategies and Tactics
- This section should discuss how a mobile-first strategy
will be adopted and should also outline what mobile apps
might be used.
- Organizations targeting mobile device users must adopt a
mobile-first strategy, which involves thinking about mobile
marketing from the start, rather than as a later add-on to
traditional devices.
5. Digital Brand, Trust, and Reputation-Management Strategies and
Tactics
a. Digital Brand
- Encompasses the various qualities that provide an
organization, product, service, or person their
uniqueness, as perceived by a consumer based
on digital marketing activities.
- This section of the strategic digital marketing plan
should briefly discuss how the digital brand will be
built or enhanced.
b. Digital Trust
- A firm belief or confidence in an organization
when a consumer is engaging in a digital
transaction.
 - Trust is a key component of digital marketing, and
building it will likely see an increase in conversion,
retention, and loyalty from consumers.
c. Digital Reputation
- The image a consumer has of a brand in the
online context.
- Managing digital reputation across all digital
channels is important because digital consumers
research and review a brand prior to engaging in a
conversion action.
- The final part of Section 5 should detail the strategies and tactics
the organization will use to build digital trust and digital reputation.
- Ex. “How will a brand’s image be enhanced or protected?,” “How
will a brand’s image be enhanced or protected?,” etc.
Section 6: Digital Marketing Privacy, Security, Legal, and Ethical
Considerations
1. Digital Marketing Privacy and Security Considerations
- The digital marketing plan should state any relevant
privacy and security considerations and how the
organization intends to address these.
- The claims the organization makes about privacy in digital
marketing, including online privacy policies, must be
accurate and truthful (ex. describing how it will protect
consumers’ “sensitive” and confidential data).

2. Digital Marketing Legal and Ethical Considerations

- Marketers must be aware of and comply with legal
requirements relating to digital marketing.
- Digital campaigns that exaggerate the truth, are not
transparent, or are offensive may be considered unethical
depending on the specific activity and standards the
organization adopts.
Section 7: Digital Marketing Analytics, Evaluation, and Measurement
 - Specifies which marketing analytics, evaluation methods, and
measurements will take place, including specific key performance
indicators (KPIs).
- Choosing which type/s of digital marketing analytics to use may
depend on the type of digital marketing being conducted.
- Although organizations may be able to obtain large amounts of
data, they typically have only limited resources to analyze relevant
data. It is important to select those that best inform the
organization’s digital marketing strategy.
- Determining where artificial intelligence (AI) can play a role in
analyzing data in a digital marketing analytics strategy is
important.

Type of Digital Marketing Example of Digital Marketing Analytics

Email marketing Open rate; what time email opened

Search engine marketing Click-through rate; search queries
Website marketing Bounce rate; conversion rate
Social media marketing Social media engagement; campaign
performance
Mobile marketing Mobile-app ratings; install rate
Smart-environment marketing Behavioral data
Section 8: Digital Marketing Implementation Control Plan and Budget
- Should describe what the organization “will do and by when.”
- It should also identify a contingency plan, or a backup plan to
adapt and adjust the implementation plan, in case aspects of the
initial plan do not work out.
- A detailed financial analysis or income statement is not required; it
is enough to research and estimate the cost of only the major
digital marketing initiatives outlined in the plan.
- Be sure to consider the human capital, or collective resources
such as digital marketing skills, knowledge, or experience
possessed by individuals and groups, that will be required.

Digital Marketing Activity Search ads campaign

 Timeline 3-month campaign (2nd quarter, year 1)

Action Required Plan campaign:

Select search engine(s); develop keyword
strategy, ad groups, and ad content. Assign
resources, both financial and human capital.

Controls Monitor campaign:

Select and monitor analytics. Adapt based
on campaign results.

Estimated Budget $10,000 per month for search engine,$2,500

per month, human capital costs.

Contingency Plan Social media advertising campaign

References & Appendix

- Include any outside references used to create the plan, following a
required or established referencing format.
- An Appendix may be included, which contain specific campaign
samples such as digital marketing ad copy, social media copy,
email marketing samples, and other material that is too long to
include in the plan itself.