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2014 Hour of Code: Do Ends Justify Disney Product Placement Means?
theodp writes "The purpose of product placement/product integration/branded entertainment," explains Disney in a job posting, "is to give a brand exposure outside of their traditional media buy." So, one imagines the folks in Disney Marketing must be thrilled that Disney Frozen princesses Anna and Elsa will be featured in the 'signature tutorial' for CSEdWeek's 2014 Hour of Code, which aims to introduce CS to 100 million schoolkids — including a sizable captive audience — in the weeks before Christmas. "Thanks to Disney Interactive," announced Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi, "Code.org's signature tutorial for the 2014 Hour of Code features Disney Infinity versions of Disney's 'Frozen' heroines Anna and Elsa!." Partovi adds, "The girl-power theme of the tutorial is a continuation of our efforts to expand diversity in computer science and broaden female participation in the field, starting with younger students." In the tutorial, reports the LA Times, "students will learn to write code to help Anna and Elsa draw snowflakes and snowmen, and perform magical 'ice craft.' Disney is also donating $100,000 to support Code.org's efforts to bring computer science education to after-school programs nationwide."
Oh yeah, gripe about product placement all over SlashDice.com...
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
It's reprehensible that they leverage this incredibly popular brand to teach girls to code when they could be using it to sell Happy Meals and next year's landfill fodder. Shame, shame!
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
"The purpose of product placement/product integration/branded entertainment," explains Disney in a job posting, "is to give a brand exposure outside of their traditional media buy."
Let me translate that in to normal English:
"The purpose of product placement ads is to shove advertising down people's throats until they choke to death on it so we can rifle through the corpse's pockets for loose change." Or, more realistically, "Our normal advertising is so annoying and offensive (because all advertising is, these days) that we have to find other ways to force it on to people because if advertising doesn't actually work, we'll all lose our jobs had have to actually work for a living."
Fuck Disney.
I'm doing accounting and I've got a similar question but it's about how much their markup is.
But my calculator just keeps saying "E".
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
students will learn to write code to help Anna and Elsa draw snowflakes and snowmen, and perform magical 'ice craft.'
Do you want to draw a snowman? ...
No-not with paper and pen,
Take this keyboard and type in these words,
like all these nerds,
and you will see that then
SYNTAX ERROR
Or how about some 'ice craft'.
We can make things appear on this screen...
Hmm, I guess that's cool.
Elsa: I have colored pencils, paper, and some stencils.
Anna: That sounds like a much better way to draw a snowman, let's do that instead. And, I have some cloth, sticks, and lights to make us actual, physical wands to play with!
Elsa: That's awesome!
Anna: I'm so glad I have you as a sister.
Elsa: You're the best.
The End.
Disney sues people for putting a picture of Mickey Mouse on the wall of a day care. LEGO, on the other hand, puts out a movie decrying certain media companies' fanwork ban policy.
Not if the Disney princesses have all graduated from the Barbie school of management.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
Have you ever talked to a little girl? Saying that having to Frozen characters involved might interest more little girls is not sexism, it's the most common of sense.
People like you say you want more women in coding but don't want to do anything real to make it happen, at the level it needs to happen - early education.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Where was the outrage over last years Plants and Zombies/ Angry Birds themed hour of code?
Is it the branding bothering people, or that girls are being focused on this time around?
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
"The girl-power theme of the tutorial is a continuation of our efforts to expand diversity in computer science and broaden female participation in the field, starting with younger students."
How patronizing.
No the book had one minor error. The title was mistakenly printed as:
"I can be a computer engineer"
when it was meant to be:
"I can be an MBA"
Once that fix is made everything makes perfect sense: come up with a high level "idea", find some sucker to do it for you, leave a trail of desctuction and then take all credit for the success.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
But my calculator just keeps saying "E".
14 seems quite low for the expected markup.
SJW n. One who posts facts.