Catherine's final post

Although I am happy that the holidays are here, I am really sad to say goodbye to this class. I loved all the visits and look forward to them so much. There seems to be so much more to see and learn, I feel like I've only seen the tip of the iceberg. I am a little more confused about what I want to do after this course because the Communications industry seems so interconnected. The roles are not extremely diverse and there are merits to every sector within the industry. I did learn that the job role depends mostly on the company and that the most important thing is the company culture and the way it functions. That inspires me to do more research on each company that I apply for rather than just applying superficially for the brand name.

Other than the visits, I really enjoy the class discussions because of the way my thoughts are challenged. The case studies are extremely interesting and provides many learning points. Speaking of case studies, I really enjoyed the last class on the Dove Case Study. I felt so strongly about the issues discussed. At the same time, I also feel a bit helpless and hypocritical for buying into this madness. The female self esteem issue is a big problem in our society and even though Dove has self-benefiting reasons for coming up with the pro-real beauty ads, I do support it and hope that the rest of the industry can follow suit. Change probably won't come any time soon but a girl can dream! 

Harper's Bazaar

When I was younger, I really wanted to work for a beauty magazine. That changed as the digital scene grew and I saw little potential in that business. I am very surprised by Harper's Bazaar's statistics and claim that the magazine business isn't dead. It is simply shifting its business and focus. I loved the new shop concept and and all its potential. Although that may not make me want to be in the magazine business again, it was definitely an eye opener. 

I always loved the women's beauty magazine Allure. I am more into beauty and skincare than I am into fashion. I used to buy it a lot more in the past but now that I find good research and reviews online, I rarely buy the magazine. The issues that I do get are annual ones that showcase the Allure Best Of Beauty buys etc. I love the expert (editors and dermatologists) reviews of products and ranking of what they deem best. The list is seems more extensive than what I can find online and saves me the trouble of searching for them myself. The magazine also publishes the research and data that back what they say. I think Allure can afford to partner up with beauty bloggers and youtube gurus that are taking the beauty industry by storm. They can promote the magazine or products they feature. Allure could also partner up with shops like Sephora and have a section dedicated to Allure curated products.