analysis 2 Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle an unlikely star walked on to the Britains got Talent stage to laughter. The 48 year old Susan did not look like the star you would fall in love with. Once she opened her mouth and began singing the laughter stopped and the cheering began. By the end of her first performance her physical flaws had melted away in the eyes of the audience and judges.

Susan became an instant internet sensation. Getting millions of plays on YouTube. Throughout the competition her popularity grew immensely. She continued to be an internet sensation and wowed the audience with each song. In the end she came in second place in the competition but that is not the end for her.

Overly critical and almost hated American Idol judge Simon Cowell wants to bring her from Scotland to the US to make her mark. She may not have won the prestigious first place standing but she will has not gone uncompensated. She made a large chunk of money for appearing on the show and has other deals in the works.

It is said that Susan Boyle will make the journey to the US, and immerse herself in multi million dollar record deal, movie of her life, book deals, endorsements and TV appearances. She is a true rags to riches inspiration. The internet is packed with downloadable performances, fan sites and every tabloid story you could think of. She has even captured the attention of Oprah.

Susan is an inspiration to all. She shows that regardless of appearance you can try and achieve your dream.

3 Contemporary Icons

I would like to discuss my choices for three contemporary icons. Those icons are American Idol, Dancing with the stars and the Geico Gecko. American Idol is a superstar hopeful show where millions attempt their skills at becoming the next singing superstar. They travel through round after round stretching their abilities and moving on or failing and being sent home. If they make it far enough they perform and America votes on their favorite. Dancing with the Stars is similiar in its set up and competition but it is based on dancing ability not singing. A celebrity is paired with a professional dancer and they practice and perform for the judges. Ultimately America chooses their favorite for this show as well. The Geico Gecko is adorable. He started small but now he is everywhere. You cant think of Geico insurance without thinking of the Gecko too. He is the icon spokesman for Geico insurance.
I chose these three for similiar but different reasons. The similiar reason being that they have all three taken America by storm. The are widely known by young, old, wealthy and poor. Although everyone is not into watching the shows or having that particular insurance, if you mention them they will have heard of them and know something about them. They are what is "In" today.
These icons mean a variety of things to me personally. American Idol means hope for me. The hope that someone undiscovered just wasting away singing in the shower has a real shot at that one in a million chance. It may sound a little corny but it makes me think that things are possible no matter how unattainable they seem. Dancing with the Stars means that an old dog can learn new tricks. It takes people out of their celebrity element and puts them into a whole other world. Some do not change and do not adapt, but most will come out of it looking like professional dancers. The Geico Gecko to me is just brilliant marketing. He is an icon that has captured American interest. Most find him funny and cute and really draw attention to their company. Being a marketing major to me it is genius and a little bit of luck. He really plays up to the current economic standing too. He speaks of low price insurance and all the benefits that you can still have even on a budget. In todays economy that is very important and I think one of the things that has made him grow in popularity.

1-4 Twilight Book Series

The twilight series is sweeping the nation. It has captured the attention of every woman in my family including myself. The Twilight book series has gained mass praise for its combination of suspense and romance. The series was written by Stephanie Meyer and is about a normal girl falling in love with a vampire.
The series consists of four books presently and each one a bigger page turner than the one before. The four books are Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Each one continues where the other left off adding new drama, suspense and uncontrollable romance.
Twilight is about a young girl named “Bella” who moves to Fork, Washington and falls madly in love with Edward Cullen, who is a vampire. His family does not drink the blood of humans but a competing vampire “James” does and goes after “Bella”. I won’t tell you what happens; you will have to read yourself. New Moon is the second book in the series and has different events. When her love Edward leaves to protect her she becomes very depressed. Within that time she meets and befriends a werewolf and he protects her from another person out to get her. Eclipse is a culmination of the first two books. Events and fights that have occurred in the first two will dictate the action found in this third book. I can’t tell you much without giving away the excitement of the books. The final work to date in the series is Breaking Dawn. This will make reading the very long first three books very much worth it. It is definitely the culmination of all of the books and hopefully will not be the end.
So many have grabbed these books and have had trouble putting them down. They have captured the attention of popular culture quickly being made into a movie. I myself am a strong believer of books before movies but I have heard that this is one movie that lives up to the books.

Popular Culture

Popular culture is pretty much whatever is hot at the moment. Whatever is considered cool and a social norm for a large amount of people. To me it means new ways to connect with people, new games to play with my kids and new ways of entertainment.

Understanding popular culture is important to me in business currently and in the future because it is the main thing that my career rotates around. I am a Marketing major and if you dont understand the best ways to communicate to your given target or what they are and are not into then you will never be able to create a successful marketing plan.

I would consider facebook a popular culture artifact. It started with Myspace and some similiar sites and has now migrated to facebook. A way for people to stay in touch, voice their opinions, sell products or services and it is considered cool to be there. It has people of all ages and is considered the "socially cool" thing to do.