Popular culture is all the little things that make up the daily life of the common person. The popular culture groups are formed around many things such as ages, races, religions, jobs, cities, health groups or communities that have common interests or habits (Browne, 2005). There are several popular cultures that are able to exist in a given popular culture and the additional cultures are considered subcultures (Browne, 2005). Some popular cultures exist around the latest crazes in music, sports, or electronics that certain groups choose to focus upon. It is important to me to be aware of many different popular cultures because I have a 13 year old step son, a 12 year old sister, and many nieces and nephews that are being influenced and becoming part of different popular cultures. Having a basic understanding of different popular cultures is important not only for my personal interests but also for casual conversations that I engage in with people I interact with on daily basis. It is also important to me because there are many technologies that different popular cultures uses that are integrated into the business world to make operations more efficient.
Having an understanding of popular cultures is important in the business environment because when marketing a business one needs to ensure that it is known how to attract the crowd that the product is best suited for or to reach all levels of the market with different types of advertisement. Currently, I am working in a call center and my colleagues all come from different backgrounds and lead very different lives, yet with all the popular cultures to choose from I am bound to have something in common with each colleague which enables me to carry on a casual conversation. Also, I am working towards obtaining my CPA and that will involve a variety of clientele along with many different cultures. Having the ability to interact and build rapport successfully with anyone who needs the assistance of a CPA is important to keeping a business and furthermore being familiar with all the popular software that business’s use is vital to gaining trust and confidence from clients.
I would choose the logo of TapouT to represent the popular culture of cage fighting because it reaches across the Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Bellator Fighting Championship, and any association that sponsors mixed martial arts (MMA) matches. The word “tapout” in the MMA sport refers to a fighter who was has been dominated by another fighter and is forced to “tapout” and admit defeat. I choose the TapouT logo because it is known worldwide throughout any sub culture of MMA and many restaurants and recently movie theaters promote the UFC fights to bring in business. Some places will give away TapouT gear during the pay preview event. The TapouT logo was created by a team of three guys (Mask, Sky Scraper, & Punkass) who started and promoted a line of clothing and gear for the MMA sport by getting current fighters and discovering up and coming fighters to wear their clothing and gear. The TapouT symbol is a great symbol of the entertainment business.
Works Cited
Browne, R. B. (Ed.). (2005). Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. Madison, Wisconsin.
TAPOUT, LLC. (2010). Image of Tapout Logo. Retrieved June 23, 2010, from Tapout: http://www.tapout.com/index.cfm?fa=news.desktops
I am a fan of the sport of MMA. I have been into boxing for years and I think the sport has progressed over the years both technically and from a marketing stand point. A big factor in this is labels like Tap-Out. Now if they could only find a way to convince the guys that they are not as tough as the guys on TV when they put on the t-shirts the sport might blow up even more.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when I saw you used Tapout as your example. I recently watched a fight that was sponsored by Tapout. Although I do not like watching the fights, I would know the name Tapout if someone was talking about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well and thought-out post. I agree with your idea of the popularity of Tapout, it truly has become an icon in what pop culture is all about in today's day and age.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I don't understand the popularity of the T-Shirts.
I love your idea of how popular Tapout is. I love watching this and I have to admit I am a huge fan.
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