Gen Y in the Workforce Notes

Gen Y in the Workforce Case Study Notes

Josh's Perspective

• Josh, a 23-year-old marketing associate at Rising Entertainment, feels disillusioned after 10 months on the job.

• He graduated from the University of Southern California with aspirations of making films with social commentary.

• He joined Rising Entertainment expecting excitement and opportunity but is now relegated to mundane tasks.

• He communicates with his friends Ashok and Jessica via text message, using abbreviations like "RU BRD?", "WRUD? TAB?", and "BRT".

• Josh feels that his boss, Sarah, doesn't understand new media and clings to traditional marketing strategies.

• He suggests leveraging Rising Entertainment's library to capitalize on the free-content movement, such as:

  • Making the movie theme song available for download for Guitar Hero.

  • Offering Fire Force Five movies online with teasers for the latest sequel.

• Josh's ideas were dismissed due to budget constraints and concerns about the company's website infrastructure, which had crashed in the past due to a successful online campaign.

• Josh believes that the "higher-ups" should have realized that the traditional business model is changing.

• He prepares a "good enough" version of Sarah's assignment and seeks information from a veteran IP lawyer to develop his plan.

• Josh pitches his ideas to CEO Sam Smithstone, who is receptive and invites him to present them at the upcoming meeting.

• Josh sends an urgent message to Ashok and Jessica: “AYT? SOS!”

Sarah's Perspective

• Sarah Bennett, a 37-year-old marketing chief at Rising Entertainment, is preparing for a meeting with the CEO to present the marketing plan for the next Fire Force Five film.

• She has been with the company for 10 years and sees herself as a creative rather than just a manager.

• Sarah holds an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business and an undergraduate degree in film studies from NYU's Tisch School.

• The Fire Force Five series has generated over 2.4 billion in box-office receipts and almost as much in merchandise sales.

• Sarah has been leveraging her relationships with media outlets to promote the film.

• She is anxious about the numbers Josh was supposed to generate for her presentation.

• Sarah recalls HR training that advised managers to "sugarcoat" feedback to younger employees.

• She sends Josh an email saying, “Great job! You’re the best,” despite feeling his work was sub-par.

• Sarah acknowledges that Josh’s ideas weren’t bad but lacked consideration for budget, infrastructure, and talent.

• She plans to explain to Josh how his analysis had been received and how it fit into the overall presentation after the meeting.

• Sarah is surprised to learn that Josh presented his ideas to the CEO and that the CEO liked them.

• The CEO says, “Great work cultivating the new guys, Sarah. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Josh,”

• Sarah sends Josh a message to come to her office immediately.

Rising Entertainment

• Rising Entertainment is a top-three multimedia production and distribution house with large film, television, home video, music, and licensed merchandise units.

• The company's website is described as creaky, with little traffic and functionality.

• A previous online campaign in 2005 nearly took down the studio’s entire network.

Sam Smithstone's Perspective

• Sam Smithstone is the CEO of Rising Entertainment.

• He is initially late for a dinner meeting and doesn't appreciate Josh's attempt to pitch him in the hallway.

• Sam is reminded of his daughter when talking to Josh.

• He likes Josh's fresh thinking and invites him to talk through his ideas during tomorrow’s meeting.

Key Numbers

• The Fire Force Five series has generated over 2.4 billion in box-office receipts.

Abbreviations

• RU BRD? - Are you bored?

• WRUD? TAB? - What are you doing? Take a break?

• BRT - Be right there

• XLNT! - Excellent!

• AYT? - Are you there?

• SOS! - help!

Josh's Perspective

• Josh, a 23-year-old marketing associate at Rising Entertainment, feels disillusioned after 10 months on the job.

• He graduated from the University of Southern California with aspirations of making films with social commentary.

• He joined Rising Entertainment expecting excitement and opportunity but is now relegated to mundane tasks.

• He communicates with his friends Ashok and Jessica via text message, using abbreviations like "RU BRD?", "WRUD? TAB?", and "BRT".

• Josh feels that his boss, Sarah, doesn't understand new media and clings to traditional marketing strategies.

• He suggests leveraging Rising Entertainment's library to capitalize on the free-content movement, such as:-

  • Making the movie theme song available for download for Guitar Hero.

  • Offering Fire Force Five movies online with teasers for the latest sequel.

• Josh's ideas were dismissed due to budget constraints and concerns about the company's website infrastructure, which had crashed in the past due to a successful online campaign.

• Josh believes that the "higher-ups" should have realized that the traditional business model is changing.

• He prepares a "good enough" version of Sarah's assignment and seeks information from a veteran IP lawyer to develop his plan.

• Josh pitches his ideas to CEO Sam Smithstone, who is receptive and invites him to present them at the upcoming meeting.

• Josh sends an urgent message to Ashok and Jessica: “AYT? SOS!”

Sarah's Perspective

• Sarah Bennett, a 37-year-old marketing chief at Rising Entertainment, is preparing for a meeting with the CEO to present the marketing plan for the next Fire Force Five film.

• She has been with the company for 10 years and sees herself as a creative rather than just a manager.

• Sarah holds an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business and an undergraduate degree in film studies from NYU's Tisch School.

• The Fire Force Five series has generated over 2.4 billion in box-office receipts and almost as much in merchandise sales.

• Sarah has been leveraging her relationships with media outlets to promote the film.

• She is anxious about the numbers Josh was supposed to generate for her presentation.

• Sarah recalls HR training that advised managers to "sugarcoat" feedback to younger employees.

• She sends Josh an email saying, “Great job! You’re the best,” despite feeling his work was sub-par.

• Sarah acknowledges that Josh’s ideas weren’t bad but lacked consideration for budget, infrastructure, and talent.

• She plans to explain to Josh how his analysis had been received and how it fit into the overall presentation after the meeting.

• Sarah is surprised to learn that Josh presented his ideas to the CEO and that the CEO liked them.

• The CEO says, “Great work cultivating the new guys, Sarah. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Josh,”

• Sarah sends Josh a message to come to her office immediately.

Rising Entertainment

• Rising Entertainment is a top-three multimedia production and distribution house with large film, television, home video, music, and licensed merchandise units.

• The company's website is described as creaky, with little traffic and functionality.

• A previous online campaign in 2005 nearly took down the studio’s entire network.

Sam Smithstone's Perspective

• Sam Smithstone is the CEO of Rising Entertainment.

• He is initially late for a dinner meeting and doesn't appreciate Josh's attempt to pitch him in the hallway.

• Sam is reminded of his daughter when talking to Josh.

• He likes Josh's fresh thinking and invites him to talk through his ideas during tomorrow’s meeting.

Key Numbers

• The Fire Force Five series has generated over 2.4 billion in box-office receipts.

Abbreviations

• RU BRD? - Are you bored?

• WRUD? TAB? - What are you doing? Take a break?

• BRT - Be right there

• XLNT! - Excellent!

• AYT? - Are you there?

• SOS! - help!

Summary

The Gen Y in the Workforce case study presents the perspectives of Josh, a young and ambitious marketing associate; Sarah, a seasoned marketing chief; and Sam Smithstone, the CEO of Rising Entertainment. Josh is eager to implement new media strategies but faces resistance from Sarah, who is concerned about budget and infrastructure. Sam, however, is receptive to Josh's ideas, creating tension between Josh and Sarah. The case study highlights generational differences and the challenges of adapting to new business models in a changing media landscape. It also touches on communication styles and the dynamics within a large entertainment company.