One Last Tip

As I study my last flashcard for my last exam tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to end my final fall semester at Western New England University as an undergraduate, it is around that time in which I clean out my folders, notebooks, backpack, etc. Lose papers from exams, quizzes, worksheets are all over the place and I think to myself: "Do I really need this?" I found a lab exam from my Biology 101 course from the beginning of the semester. When I asked myself that question I said, "Nope!" and tossed it into the trash. However, there is an abundance of worksheets, notes, etc., that I will be keeping. What are those exactly? Every single thing given to me from my Campaign Planning and Management class.

I have this habit of the end of semesters when my brain is fried and I am emotionally drained where I have the urge to just toss everything out because of my eagerness to be done. However, there are some things that are worth keeping. I have the best example for this. So, in the spring of my junior year I took a really fun class called Promotional Design & Application. I became an expert using Microsoft Publisher while developing and creating advertisements for two fictitious products/services. I literally got to bring two ideas to life through graphic design skills! So fun! So my two products/services were a music and paint lounge called Acoustic Art. My other product was a dog biscuit line called For Pet's Sake! I got to create a logo, newspaper ads, magazine ads, billboards, etc. At the end of the semester, our professor suggested making a portfolio of all of our work, insisting that bringing it to an interview could help us stand out. However, I was in the class and had fun, but in all reality, I am a PR major and have more interest in the media relations and reputation side of marketing. So, I second guessed the decision to actually make a portfolio. I ended up doing so because who knows when it could come in handy. At that instance, I had the urge to just toss all of my work away because I never pictured myself applying or working at a creative advertising agency. It just is not my highest interest.

So, the other day I was at an interview for a digital marketing firm in Connecticut. When I was researching the company, I found they do a lot of working graphically designing content for websites for clients like public and private schools. As I was preparing my professional folder, I looked over to my desk. Lying there was my portfolio full of Acoustic Art and For Pet's Sake! advertisements. I thought to myself: It wouldn't necessarily hurt me if I brought it. So, I did. Nearing the end of the interview, I pulled out the portfolio and asked if they were interested in seeing any of my graphic design skills. They said yes and began flipping through it. As I studied their nonverbal cues, I could tell they were enjoying some of my work. It was at that moment, I thanked myself for choosing not to throw away my work. The coolest part? I actually got a phone call while writing this blog post. It was from the firm I interviewed with. They let me know that I got the internship!

Now, what I do not want you to get out of this is that I am telling you to become a hoarder. That is not what I am saying. All I am trying to get across is that you should think twice when throwing out schoolwork because you just might never know when it may help you in the long run. As for my Campaign Planning and Management class, I am for sure not throwing anything out. I have endless notes, worksheets, etc., filled with marketing concepts and tools. Who knows, fifteen years down the road I could need some information that might by lying within my orange notebook labeled "MK 422: Campaign Planning & Management."

A Farewell to Campaign Planning and Management Class

I can, without a single doubt, confidently say this was the most beneficial class of my college career at Western New England University. The tools and skills I have obtained will surely last a lifetime as I propel my career into the Integrated Marketing Communications world. I know in my heart this is what I want to do and it is very reassuring to enjoy a class that reflects what the real world is like out there, in terms of campaign planning.

As a senior in high school and a reflection of my retail background, I have always had interest on how products were sold to consumers. I was so interested on how the consumer mind works when going through decision-making. I knew that I wanted to take classes in college that would reflect the Public Relations side of things. I wanted to be in control of a brand's reputation, launch it into the public, and maintain crises. When I began my freshman year here at Western New England University, I realistically had no idea what my classes would teach me about Public Relations. At the time, all I knew was that I was a PR Concentration, but what does that mean? I remember sitting in my advisor's office spring semester of my freshman year, trying to decide what classes to take. He said I should try MK 200 Principles of Marketing to see if I'd like it. Honestly, taking that class was the best decision I had ever made for my college career.

During my MK 200 class, I found that PR/Publicity was one of the six promotional elements of the marketing mix. So, I wanted to take more classes to learn more. As my communications classes progressed, I was becoming frustrated. I was slowly realizing that these classes were not teaching my anything about PR. So, I took matter into my own hands and signed up for Buyer Behavior with Professor Costanzo. After that class, I visited his office, in which he asked me if I was taking his Promotional Strategy class, in which, at the time, I hadn't thought of taking. He strongly advised it and I did just so. Taking that class ended up being a great decision. In the Belch and Belch book, there is a whole chapter dedicated to PR/Publicity, and surely enough, I learned more about PR/Publicity in that one chapter than I had in my communications classes, which tends to be frustrating. At the end of my Junior Year, I knew I had taken enough marketing classes to be close to a minor. I looked at the marketing minor and that required classes I was not interested in. The only part of the marketing mix that I have a passion for is the promotional piece, that's it. I know I did not want to minor in marketing. It was then when I found the Integrated Marketing Communications minor, which is when I had my own "Ah-ha!" moment.

In order to complete that minor, the last required course was my recent Campaign Planning and Management course. The structure of this course was the most effective way to learn the ins and outs of promotional campaign planning. Not only did I brush up on marketing concepts that will stick with me, I was able to produce an entire promotional campaign for an actual client in Agawam, MA. I learned about thinking of your brand as a person, how to tell a story, collect the backstory, and so many more helpful tools.

I wish everyone who is majoring in Communications with a concentration in PR was aware of the value of an IMC minor. It truly is the best way to get a good grasp on the purpose of PR in integrated marketing communications. I am so happy that I have followed this path because as May soon approaches, I know I am ready to confidently begin my career.

Storytelling Should Be the Focus, Not Technology

Over the weekend I was reading AdWeek and I stumbled upon an article that directly reflects everything I have learned in my Campaign Planning and Management course. The article is titled "Marketers Should Look Beyond the Dazzle of CGI and Embrace Storytelling." Immediately, I thought of my campaign class because for the past 15 weeks Professor Spotts has been emphasizing the importance of storytelling and promoting a brand by telling a story that connects to the prospect's inner layer. This is everything I have been learning!

The world of marketing has evolved in many ways. As technologically-advanced graphic tools keep growing, advertisements have been upgraded. The article compares two advertisements. One for Tesla and one for Audi. The commercial for Audi is called "Birth" and it is argued that a story is completely lost. Although it received over 800,000 views on YouTube, unless consumers understand the science of CGI, then you cannot connect with the story. Essentially, it is one Audi giving birth to another Audi. It uses unreal technologically advanced assembly line producing the Audi's. Yeah I'll admit it is pretty cool, but what story is being told there? None. There is no way for a consumer to emotionally connect that advertisement. Jim Signorelli emphasizes the importance of storytelling in his book "Storybranding 2.0." Once both the brand's inner layer and the prospect's inner layer align and a story reflects that alignment, an emotional connection results.

The advertisement does not do anything I was taught while reading Storybranding 2.0. It could be a commercial for BMW, Mercedes, etc. You do not look at the commercial and go, "That's an Audi commercial." It does not communicate Audi's inner layer. The only way for Audi to communicate that inner layer is to tell a story, which they failed to do.

So, what does this say about the evolution of marketing? Is storytelling a dying tactic? Well, it certainly shouldn't be. We're entering an era where self-driving cars and hover boards are being produced, which affects what marketers think is effective. As more and more people are becoming technologically obsessed, their inner layers are evolving as well. I can see what Audi was trying to do there, however I just do not agree with it. I understand the "cool" part of showcasing the talent of your effects team, but they are forgetting the whole purpose of an advertisement. They need consumers to feel emotionally connected, which will drive purchase intent. I can guarantee that nine out of ten times when you ask a marketer what drives purchases, they'll answer, "Emotions." So, how are these CGI advertisements influencing emotion?

Like I said before, I'm not going to lie and say it is a bad advertisement. The effects are pretty cool, but I just don't see how they are connecting with potential consumers. It goes against everything I have learned over the past 15 weeks and I am glad that the knowledge I have obtained from class can help me analyze advertisements like Audi's "Birth."

Celebrity Influencers Aren't Cheap

As the digital era progresses and more and more children replace their toys for the new iPhone 6s, the realm of marketing is progressing as well. The overwhelming usage of smartphones, tablets, etc., allow for marketers to reach their consumers in a whole new way. In my promotional strategy class with Professor Costanzo, Chapter 6 discussed source, message, and channel factors, and more specifically, the usage of celebrities. Belch & Belch argue that marketers recognize the value of using admired spokespeople, like celebrities. The digital era produced the usage of social networking sites and thanks to Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc., fans can connect with celebrities on a whole new level these days.

Social media allows for fans to dig into the personal lives of our favorite celebrities like Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Kendall Jenner. It is not surprising that marketers quickly jumped onto the idea to market to consumers using the likability of everyone's favorite A-list celebs. From my own experiences, I cannot remember the last time I scrolled through my Instagram feed without seeing a celebrity promote a teeth whitener or a waist-trainer (I follow a lot of celebrities on Instagram, guilty!). But, how much goes into these Instagram posts that receive over an average of 500,000 likes. That means that 500,000 people viewed the ad, and that is just the people who "liked" it! That number does not include the number of people who viewed it!

I remember doing a blog post over the summer for my internship at Schneider Associates. I wrote about an article that E! News posted about how celebrities hire social media managers who stage the perfect social media posts. These posts have the lighting on them perfectly, the angle makes them look good, there is extensive make-up, etc. It is incredible!

So lets use the example represented by the picture provided above. To some, that Instagram picture Kendall Jenner posted is just a picture of her drinking coffee or tea. However, the thought that most likely went into that post is astonishing. Near the bottom left corner of the picture, Kendall is wearing the newest jewelry phenomenon known as the Lokai Bracelet. This is a perfect example of a product placement using celebrities for the message. Marketers hope that if Kendall Jenner wears a Lokai Bracelet, then I want to wear one! So, how much does it cost for Lokai to get an A-list celebrity to post about their brand on social media? Well, it definitely is not cheap. AdWeek finds that that simple Instagram post with Kendall sipping her coffee wearing a Lokai Bracelet costs a whopping $230,000. That is crazy! No wonder celebrities make most of their money off endorsement deals.

Is it really worth all of that money? In my opinion, yes. If you can afford it, why not? Social media is a huge influencer these days, especially to young girls who look up to their favorite celebrities and live vicariously through their social media posts. As the digital age progresses, I do not see that price decreasing anytime soon.

AIDS Advertising Campaign has Evolved

It's safe to say that if you do not live under a rock then you have heard the recent unveiling of Charlie Sheen's HIV diagnosis on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. My roommates and I watched the interview on our phones at the dinner table because we were so shocked by it. However, when my father put into perspective how his lifestyle choices cause people not to be so surprised. In my opinion, before Charlie Sheen's interview I had no perspective on HIV and AIDS because their campaigns weren't the most successful. They were do to reposition themselves to gain awareness. The purpose of this blog post is to focus on the repositioning of AIDS campaigns from shock and shame to humor and hope.

Nearly three decades ago Louie Moses created the tagline "Don't F*** With AIDS" for their campaign, which is was plastered all over college campuses. This caused quite the controversy because of the foul language; however, Moses just responded by saying how "AIDS" was the ugliest word in that sentence. Yes, it brought awareness to the disease, but it captured this dirty and negative outlook by the connotation of the sentence. In my opinion, I think it is a terrible tagline! Yes, it makes me scared of the disease, but how does this create awareness? How does this develop a campaign to prevent the spread of AIDS? It just further establishes the nasty stigma that comes along with AIDS.

The most recent campaigns for HIV and AIDS awareness use the tagline "It's Only Dangerous If You Know It's There." Also, they incorporate a playful cartoon image. This is something we have not seen from AIDS campaigns in the past. In the advertisetment provided above, we see the image using a humor appeal of a women running into a door that she did not know was there. They use this metaphor because HIV/AIDS spreads when people do not know it is there, which makes it dangerous. This is genius! The underlying message is to get tested, but they are not just coming out and saying that. They are using humor, which is a complete 180 from previous years.

So, why the change in tone? Why did AIDS campaigns shift from fear appeals to humor appeals? AdWeek suggests that the industry's tone has shifted. Now, hope and humor is more accepted than fear and scaring people. Moses said that they aim to remove that negative stigma especially after the recent unveiling of Charlie Sheen's diagnosis. I agree with this trend. I believe that scaring people into getting tested is not the way to go anymore. We should not be terrified to get tested with the potential of sexually transmitted infection. It is time that there is a positive light shed on HIV/AIDS and this campaign is doing just so.

Finally, is this approach working? AdWeek found that the number of users directed to the campaign website HIVAZ.org shot up by 864 percent since this campaign was launched through billboards, restroom signs, video projections, digital and social media ads, and 15 YouTube videos. This campaign is repositioning HIV/AIDS and it is working. Hopefully, we can gain awareness of this disease and prevent it from getting worse. I think they are doing it right.

Thanksgiving Means Something Different to Marketers

Since Thanksgiving occurred this past Thursday I found this blog post quite relevant. On Tuesday, I was eager to get home to my family and spend a relaxing weekend stuffing my face with turkey and mashed potatoes. I know in the corporate world, many firms closed down for the entire weekend allowing for employees to spend the holiday with friends and loved ones. So, Thursday I was sitting on my couch watching the annual Macy's Day Parade. While watching it, I could not help but think that this was a huge, huge marketing event. So, when I say Thanksgiving means something different to marketers, in a way, it does. Thanksgiving brings upon one of the best marketing opportunities through the Macy's Day Parade.

I found it quite a coincidence that as I watched the parade I thought of all the marketing and advertising involved because I found an article on AdWeek titled: "Why Advertisers Are So Eager for This Year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: NBC
sees stronger demand than ever." It seems as if the parade is the perfect way for brands to advertise since Black Friday begins the next day and what better way to market some deals than a parade that receives an average of 22.6 million viewers each year? Even Dan Lovinger, president of entertainment ad sales at NBCUniversal, said, "It's a great multigenerational viewing experience—you've got families watching in what's about as wholesome an environment as possible, and ultimately what that leads to is superior advertiser demand."

However, what I notice most about the parade, and the article touches upon this, is that families are not necessarily sitting down from 9:00 a.m. to noon watching the parade. They are coming in and out, going to and from the kitchen cooking, while watching the parade. So, how is this parade deemed as an effective marketing media outlet? Well, it is the experience. The article discusses how watching the parade is almost just as much of tradition as cooking the turkey. The Macy's Day Parade has become an American Tradition that produces consistent viewers and what do all advertisers love? Consistent ratings they can depend on, as said by AdWeek.

So, what kind of products are advertised during the American Tradition? While I watched, I saw a range of different products from retail, automotive, wireless, television shows, etc. I mentioned how the parade gets consistent viewers, but that does not even include the thousands of people who physically attend the parade in New York City. Products, ideas, and services are marketed by developing an over-the-top float that travels down Fifth Avenue. For example, I was watching the parade with my father for the most part who pointed out the Mr. Peanut float representing planters. I could see how this brought out a pleasant emotion because that is his favorite snack.

I found the Macy's Day Parade as a really cool way for brands to market themselves through an American Tradition outlet, which sort of relates to the Super Bowl. However, Super Bowl advertising is a whole other level of marketing effort. By no means am I saying that marketers are only focused on the Macy's Day Parade to market their brands, however it is a great opportunity for brands to promote themselves during a happy, fun event, which could ultimately influence a positive emotion in their product, service, or idea.

Deception in Marketing

Marketing and advertising are typically perceived as deceptive. Companies advertise what makes them better than their competitors and upscale those features hoping that consumers will dig more deeply into the product. It's understandable. It is imperative for a marketing communications agency to establish what makes the product the best. Although false advertising is illegal, there are ways to get around it and I have experienced this first hand.

As I have wrote about many times before this blog post, I have worked at Kmart for 5 years now, this being my fifth holiday season. Oh what joy! It isn't fun. The chaos, rude customers, sales not ringing up on the registers, and registers crashing do not make a 10-hour shift on Black Friday all that enjoyable. Aside from that chaos, I never thought I'd see the day where I'd learn from my experiences in regards to learning more about marketing communications. How do all of these customers know what the sales are? It all links back to Kmart's marketing efforts. I think I've previously mentioned this, but I specifically work in the Jewelry Department. This department, aside from Electronics, holds the most expensive items in the store. We have products from 10K White Gold engagement rings all the way to $12.99 sterling silver stud earrings. Anyways, I was so bombarded by all of the people and what I found most interesting is when I would get sentences like "I saw that you're selling [insert item] for [insert price], where is that?" I am firsthand experiencing results from Kmart's marketing efforts.

You must be thinking, where does deception come into this? Well, I said that Kmart's marketing efforts got people into the store, specifically the Jewelry department, but what happens after is where the deception comes into play. I take a look at the flyer they developed for Black Friday deals and looking at the pictures, our jewelry is described as great quality. Trust me, I thank Kmart for providing me with a part-time job for the past five years, but I would not exactly say that our Jewelry is of the best quality. (Sorry!) So, the customer sees these pieces of jewelry advertised looking so pretty and then they come in the store disappointed. This isn't an illegal practice of false advertising, however the advertisements are a little deceiving.

Another example of this is when I was in charge of making announcements about Jewelry sales over the PA system. The announcements overly described different pieces of jewelry trying to get customers to come on over to the counter. A sample is something like: "Attention Kmart shoppers! Today in our jewelry department we are featuring a beautiful, shiny sterling silver heart-shaped pendant for just $19.99 originally priced at $99.99!" And so on. The cool thing is that these announcements got multiple shoppers to come look at the necklace, but when I took it out of the showcase for them to see it, they quickly passed on it. This just shows the power of marketing. I used the sense of hearing to influence the consumers to paint an image of this necklace in their heads, which made them head on over to please their curiosity. Although the item was not what they imagined, I firsthand experienced the influence of marketing through the sense of hearing. This is something that radio commercials yearn for. In which, now, I understand more thoroughly.

I never knew how much a part-time retail job would actually teach me in terms of relating my experiences to class material. Deception in marketing and advertising is something that I have heard from family and Kmart customers. Ultimately, it can affect sales, just like it did with that sterling silver necklace. If I could say one thing to Kmart's marketing agency it would be to be more real in their marketing efforts.

Should Marketers Target Online Consumers for Black Friday?

As the digital era progresses, it seems as if online communication is the norm, while face-to-face communication becomes an awkward experience. People tend to prefer a text message than a direct phone call. People would rather receive an e-mail than talk face-to-face. The digital obsession with technological advancements greatly impacts the marketing realm and as the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, quickly approaches, maybe marketers should shift their efforts to promoting online sales instead of traditional in-store commerce.

I have worked in retail for five years and although many people look forward to waking up early the morning following Thanksgiving to spend all of their money, I am different. Something about working Black Friday develops a strong hatred for the national frenzy. There's nothing like a middle-aged women arguing with me because her Lego toy is ringing up $29.99 and not $24.99, as if it's my fault the registers are not working. Anyways, at some point prior to Black Friday, shoppers decide which stores they are willing to wait outside in the freezing cold just for some deals on Christmas presents. This where the marketers come in. Television commercials, radio commercials, e-mail marketing, postcards, magazine advertisements all come into play with the hopes on influencing you to go to their store on Black Friday. But, the way in which consumers purchase products as evolved. This means that the marketing world needs to evolve as well.

Criteo, a company that works with Internet retailers to serve personalized online display advertisements to consumers that have previously visited the advertiser's website, has measured the usage of online shopping via smartphones and tablets over the past year. It was found that online sales from mass retailers on Black Friday 2014 were 275 percent higher than non-holiday periods. These numbers are astonishing and marketers should realize that consumers are becoming loyal online consumers.

Speaking for myself as a consumer, I prefer online. I feel as though this is slowly developing into the norm. Years ago retail stores would open at 5:00 a.m., while now they are opening at midnight. Many people do not enjoy waiting outside in the cold, so why not stay warm inside and get the same great deals online? This is an avenue retailers should consider marketing to consumers. As the years go on and our world becomes more and more technologically advanced, the marketing world has to keep evolving. Marketers must begin to promote online shopping because of convenience, no waiting in line, etc.

Having worked five Black Friday's I can see why consumers may prefer to shop online. The chaos can be too much. From a consumer's perspective, I'd rather shop online, and I think marketers should begin catering their advertising efforts towards online shopping.

Branding a Brand vs. Branding a Person

I have immense interest in integrated marketing communications for athletes and celebrities. Obviously, that is a dream that I will strive for my whole life. It seems nearly impossible to land that dream job. Anyways, all throughout my buyer behavior, promotional strategy, and campaign planning & management classes, I have been forced to focus on marketing for a brand. So, how can I use this information to learn how to market for a person? Do I treat the person as a brand? Do I go through the steps of the creative brief thinking of the person as a brand?

I stumbled upon an article from 2011 on BournCreative. Essentially, it is all about the differences between marketing for a business, a person, and a brand. So, does this insist they are not all the same thing? Do you market differently among them? The answer is yes. Branding for a product versus a person differs greatly. Essentially, for both, you do have to discover those inner layers to find out with the brand or person is all about, but they way it is marketed is completely different. Jennifer Bourn says, "When branding a thing, the brand is built around a single product or a program. With this approach, the visual design, the message, and the marketing all revolve around the branded item. The focus is on how the consumer interacts with it, how it benefits them, and how they feel about it." This all makes sense. Those few sentences describe what I have been learning for the past 11 weeks in my campaign planning and management course.

However, for branding a person, things are a bit different. Bourn says, "When branding a person, the brand is built around the charisma, talent, and expertise of a single person. This person is the celebrity face of the brand." This differs greatly from a product because branding a person means they have their own voice. It is easier to discover what lies in that inner layer. The voice is their voice, the marketing and the message comes from them and the visual brand uses their photo and likeness. With this approach, the brand completely revolves around the celebrity or expert, and the team or employees in place exist to support them.

I find it interesting how marketers and publicists position celebrities and athletes. For example, Taylor Swift has built an empire by positioning and marketing herself as the independent female figure of the millennials' time. Or how Justin Bieber's team has repositioned his reputation from bad boy to mature and responsible adult. I feel as though I can apply what I have learned in my marketing classes to understand how celebrities and athletes are presented to the public. There are so many similarities when comparing products and people, but how to position them differs.

Send Your Press Release to the Right People

The relationship between PR people and journalists/reporters/bloggers seems to be an ongoing feud. Reporters get fed up when they hear the beginning of any story pitch because most of the time, PR people are pitching to the wrong people. According to AdWeek: "We’re writing too many press releases and too often, sending them to the wrong people."As I would like to enter the Public Relations field of an Integrated Marketing Communications Firm following graduation, I feel as though this is a topic I should master. How do I get the reporters to write about my client?

I am lucky to have had minimal experience pitching to reporters during my summer internship at Schneider Associates, an Integrated Marketing Communications firm in Boston, MA. I remember the first pitch I did. . My client was the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business. The story I was trying to pitch was from one of the graduate professors who did a study on loyalty programs and their influence on relationship building. I read the study and it was very interesting and informational. So, my internship supervisor came up to me and said, "Natasha, today is the day you will pitch to reporters!" Immediately, my heart was racing and my voice was shaky. All I have heard is how reporters "don't like PR people." It is a stigma that PR people never send press releases or pitch stories to the right reporters. So, how am I sure I'll be contacting the right reporter? How will I convince this reporter that my client's study is worth writing about? I was freaking out.

Bill Byrne, the director of Remedy Communications, wrote an amazing article in AdWeek explaining how to overcome the most common PR mistake. He says, "Regardless of what they [the reporters] cover, the one thing I’m consistently hearing from them is that the press releases they’re receiving just aren’t worthwhile to them." How do we as PR people overcome this? First, we must realize the power of technology. The newspapers, magazines, and radio are not the first medium that people are finding out about news. They are most likely to find out through other forms of mediums like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Second, we can't just send press releases because we can. It needs to be a strategic process. Third, always remember that local news stories go to local media. Trade related stories should be sent to trade media. Fourth, ask yourself is it actually newsworthy. Nine out of ten times your client is going to think everything they do is newsworthy, but you have to sit down and actually think if it is. It's one thing to sell a newsworthy pitch to a reporter. It's another thing selling a newsworthy pitch to a reporter when you know it is not newsworthy.

At the end of they day, everyone makes mistakes. You'll get that reporter that'll say, "I don't write about commercial real estate anymore" and hangs up the phone. It'll happen. The most important thing is not to get discouraged. Ultimately, the client is paying you to produce editorial results, but they also must understand it takes time. Strategic media relations is how to get reporters to write about your pitch. Understand the pitch, find reporters who will want to write about it, and convince them it is worth writing about. Just because the story is newsworthy, that doesn't mean it needs to be sent to a blast of reporters. Find subject-specific reporters and convince them.

Communicating with the Client Isn't Easy

As of right now, my Campaign Planning and Management class is entering its toughest phase. It is the time in which our professor is sending us off into the real world to apply everything we have learned in the past two months to a real-life client. This is my first time doing so, which makes me a bit apprehensive. Over the summer I was frequently exposed to client meetings, however, I was just an intern. I had no voice or role in the meetings. As I witnessed some communications issues, they did not bother me as much because I was only an intern. Now, with my client for class, I am experiencing miscommunication that is impacting my work.

My group for the consulting phase is already facing challenges with the marketing team. When we first met with them they were confused as to why we were even meeting. I thought this was interesting because my Campaign Planning and Management class has been leading up to this phase. The marketing management team did not seem to understand our purpose. So, I took initiative to explain to them what our purpose was.

My group, consisting of two other girls, is serving as a marketing communications consulting firm. The marketing management team has a client, who is Litron. Then, essentially, they "outsourced" for their promotional campaign and that is where my group comes in. However, as I tried to explain this to them, I saw we were at a standstill. I tried to explain what was going on in even simpler terms. I said that they were in charge of 3 P's (price, product, place), while my team is in charge of 1 P (promotion). Once I said that, I saw more understanding facial expressions.

Since the first meeting did not go so well, I am nervous about what the rest of the semester entails. I do not want miscommunication and ineffective meetings to affect my group's creativity and work ethic. For the first two months of Campaign Planning and Management, I feel as if we have grown into marketing communications professionals and have a lot to offer to Litron's marketing plan. The reason that the lack of cohesiveness impacts our campaign is because the marketing management's work directly affects our work. Professor Spotts has done a great job emphasizing that their positioning, missions, objectives are all things we cannot change. They serve as the guidelines for our promotional campaign. But, if the first meeting suggest ineffective communication, how can it get better?

This is a situation I know I will experience many times throughout my career. It is inevitable that when I am dealing with cliens that there will be miscommunication. It definitely is not easy. It is not easy to be on the same page, but it is something that will get better with experience and application. This phase of my Campaign Planning and Management class is the beginning to my consulting career and it can only go up from here.

Why Do We Fear Sharing Our Ideas?

Today in class, we got the opportunity to present our month-long ideas in a final one-minute web video. I felt as if it was the time to showcase our little baby that we had been working on for awhile now. As we sat in class, I knew my group and I were thinking: "Is there more we could have done?" "What if we included more peripheral cues?" "Will the audience feel the emotion we attempted to evoke in them?" A million and one questions come flooding in as the time comes to present. How do we know if your idea is the best idea?

I believe people fear sharing their ideas because of rejection. Human beings are terrified of being rejected. It could be rejection from a romantic interest or rejection from a job interview. Humans do not like to hear that there is something out there that is better than us. That is where the fear comes from. I have a real life example that pertains to my PR/Marketing internship over the summer in Boston, MA. Over the course of the summer, myself and three other interns had a project. We were given one of their clients (The University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business) and then told to do a promotional campaign for them. We were also told that the last day of my internship we had to present our campaign pitch to the CEO and the other executives. Yes, I was nervous. (Now that I think about it, having my Campaign Planning and Management class before my internship would have been a lot of help!) The reason I was so nervous is because I was terrified to get rejected of our ideas by the CEO, Joan Schneider. She is a Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications guru!

The presentation day came and I could not think straight. Obviously they had to schedule the presentation at the end of the day, which made me even more nervous as the day progressed. Once the presentation concluded and my palms stopped sweating, Joan looked at us and said: "This is brilliant." Who would've thought?! This is the reason why I should not fear my creative ideas because confidence can result in the best ideas I've ever thought of. However, if I were to have been rejected, I cannot lose sight on the fact that the BIG idea comes from the generate of millions of smaller ideas. Throughout my entire career I am going to develop my best, most creative ideas, but, at the same time, I will come up with some lame ones, too.

I believe as I get older and more confident in my creative work I won't be scared to share my ideas to others. As long as I can confidently explain the vision in my head, then others will follow along with me. After developing and filming a web video for Oreos, I realized how difficult it is to get what is going on in my head into a video/commercial. The ultimate goal is for others to see the vision that I see, which is another fear in sharing my ideas.

It seems as if I chose the industry that is all about sharing ideas and being creative. If I am afraid to share my ideas, how will I succeed? Confidence is key. Professor Spotts showed my class different visuals provided by creative from ad agencies. What I took from that is that little ideas ultimately develop the big idea. It is important not be to discouraged by the failure of the smaller ideas because they only lead to the big idea, which will be the best idea.

Marketing Plan vs. Marketing Communications Plan

My sophomore year at Western New England University I took a Principles of Marketing class just to fulfill a requirement. Little did I know, marketing would become my area of interest as a grow into my career. The first thing that Professor Elam asked my class was: "What is marketing? What comes to mind when you think of marketing?" Some answers were advertising, promotions, commercials, etc. I agreed with my classmates, but marketing is so much more than I have learned. So, the first concept we learned was the 4 P's of the marketing mix. They are price, product, promotion, and place (distribution). However, as the semester in Professor Elam's class progressed, I realized I was not interested in the pricing of products or where to distribute them. What was I interested in? I wanted to learn more about how to promote the product successfully. This when I was taught the difference between the marketing plan and the marketing communications plan.

What is the marketing plan? The marketing plan consists of concrete points that we, as marketing communications consultants, cannot change. As marketing communications consultants, we must ask questions. The questions never end. Essentially, our client is the marketing team, and the marketing team's client is the brand. The marketing team outsources to us, the marketing communications consultants. It is then that we meet with the marketing team and ask questions. These questions include: How are you positioning the brand? What are you trying to accomplish? That is where we can determine which areas of the consumer pathway the product is trying to achieve, which ultimately leads to the communications objectives. However, it is important to note that when asking the marketing team such questions, that you make them say it to your face. This is a topic that Professor Spotts touched upon. If the marketing team says "it's in the documents," that is not acceptable. The marketing communications team must get the answer out of them from their own voice. This allows for the the marketing communications team to hear their plans with the emotion they want to evoke. 

What is the marketing communications plan? A lot. I don't really know how else to explain it. In my opinion, my Campaign Planning and Management class should be a year long course. The best way to describe the marketing communications plan is by the creative brief. This document covers all of the important aspects when developing a promotional campaign. There is collecting the backstory, the who, what, why, how, where, when, metrics, budget, and mandatories. Don't think that if you develop a creative brief then that is your campaign. It may seem like an easy outline to fill out, but the depth of research and analysis required to get the best understanding of the product's layers is just the beginning of a great campaign. There's a lot that goes into it.

The overall difference between the two is that the marketing plan consists of the price (how much to sell the product for), product (packaging), and place (where to distribute it). The marketing communications plan solely focuses on the promotions piece. Now, it is important to understand that just because the marketing communications plan is just one P of the marketing mix does not mean that it is less work. My Campaign Planning and Management class has made sure to inform me that a lot goes into planning a promotional campaign for a product. Ultimately, without the marketing plan there is no marketing communications plan and without the marketing communications plan there is no marketing plan. 

What is the Message Story?

More than half of my fall semester in my Campaign Planning and Development class is already over. I look back and I think to myself: Wow, I have really learned so much. An important point I have learned is the whole point of a marketing communications plan is to get the brand's message out to the right people at the right time. The most popular way to do so is through stories. The message story seems like an easy concept to understand; however, it consists of three separate questions.

The first question: What are you going to say? The answer to this question stems from the extensive research found while developing and collecting the backstory of the client's product. For example, for my team consulting project, my client is the MK 421 class whose client is Litron. In order to answer that question, I must directly ask the MK 421 class what they want to accomplish for Litron. What are their objectives? Once I know what the objectives are, I can see what is going to be said for Litron. Professor Spotts constantly stressed how important the first part of the creative brief really is. It is when I can fully understand my client's inner layer and how I can align that layer with the prospect's inner layer. If I can discover Litron's inner layer and match that with the objectives, I will have a clear understanding on what I'm going to say through the message story.

The second question: Why are you going to say it? The answer to this question falls under the justification and reasoning for what is said in the message. As my previous post discussed, so much goes into a 30-second commercial. The peripheral cues all have meaning. Every little thing has meaning. So determining why I am going to say certain things in a message for Litron falls under the conceptual summary. The conceptual summary provides reasoning behind each and every little thing involved in the communications plan. For example, in regards to Oreo, nostalgia helps explain many communications plans for their commercials in the past and today.

The third question: How are you going to say it? The answer to this question relates to the book Brand Media Strategy. There are numerous media channels (television, newspaper, magazine, etc.) that serve a different purpose in the consumer pathway. The consumer pathway is a helpful took that aids in determining what the client wants to achieve. It could be awareness, consumption, relationship building, etc. Each medium succeeds in different areas of the consumer pathway. For example, in class I determined that Oreos should focus on promoting consumption, which is enhancing the consumer experience. Then, I could see that events/guerilla marketing and shopper marketing work best in promoting consumption. This is how marketers can effectively determine how they will deliver the message story.

From the beginning of class, my classmates and I were taught the importance of telling a brand's message like a story. These three questions help implement the client's story in an effective way for consumer to connect with the brand's message.

Studying Campaign Planning Will Change the Way You View Commercials

Two months into my Campaign Planning and Management class and I can confidently say that I will never look at television commercials the same. My marketing professors have changed the way in which I look at commercials. They are not the annoying breaks in between my favorite television show at night. Now, they are thirty seconds full of complex messages being sent to the viewer, in which I attempt to understand and analyze.

Saying that a lot goes into planning a commercial is an understatement. These past two months, I have gotten a crash course on how marketing agencies develop and produce commercials. One of the most astonishing concepts to understand is that every single object, person, sound put into the commercial has a meaning. There is a reason it is there. This ultimately leads to the end goal of persuasion, which is a concept I deeply learned about in my promotional strategy class. I'll touch upon this more later. For now, I will start at the beginning of the strategy process. 

So, what is the first thing to think about once you've pulled together the backstory of your product? You must figure out where the product lies in the color matrix. This is a matrix that divides products into categories based on perceived risk/involvement and informational/transformational value. For this post I will use Allstate Insurance as an example. I take Allstate Insurance and look at the color product matrix. It is definitely a white product because the consumer is highly involved when choosing an insurance company and it is an informational product. So, the next step is to identify the certain characteristics of a white product. For white products, consumers think about the brand, feel a certain way towards it, and then purchases it. This eventually relates to the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. This model analyzes how consumers are persuaded to purchase a product and what is their motivation or ability. Since, Allstate Insurance is a white product and consumers are highly involved and engaged, the consumer uses a central route of persuasion, but peripheral cues are important in television commercials.

Allstate Insurance's commercials do an amazing job at using peripheral cues. Insurance is deemed as protection and security although it is not tangible. You pay insurance for something you wish never happens and may never actually happen. Through their commercials and peripheral cues, Allstate Insurance makes these accidents tangible. Their spokesperson, Mr. Mayhem, personifies the accident. He is the brand's I AM statement. So, he is a peripheral cue. Another peripheral cue is the dark humor. Allstate's commercials tend to shed light on very serious matters (car accidents). They do this to keep the consumer's attention, but at the same time, they are conveying important information because, let's not forget, insurance is a high informational product. 

The reason I say that I will never view commercials the same is because I do not think many people realize how many things are going on to persuade you to think, feel, or act on a certain product. I can attest that before studying marketing communications, I turned the channels during commercial breaks. Now, I enjoy figuring out what the agency is trying to do in the commercial. What kind of product is it? What cues are they using to get me to feel a certain way? This is very intruiging to me and that is why I love studying what I do. However, my roommates get a little upset when I don't change the channel during commercials.

Social Media is the Channel, Not the Strategy

I previously learned a huge mistake that marketing agencies tend to make. It has to do with the usage of Social Media for a clients' marketing strategy. In the digital age we all live in, it seems that a company that does not have social media accounts, does not exist. Can a brand actually be successful if it does not have a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram? Well, it certainly helps. However, it is one thing to possess a social media account and it is another thing to use it effectively to differentiate yourself from competitors. So, the main takeaway from this blog post is: Social media is the channel, not the strategy.

Over the summer, I had the amazing opportunity to be a Social Media/PR intern for an integrated marketing communications agency, Schneider Associates, in Boston, MA. For three months, I learned the ins and outs on how to effectively communicate the client's message through social media to the consumer. I dealt with diverse clients from a mosquito trap, Dynatrap, all the way to the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA).

In order to understand how social media should work I am going to use Dynatrap. On my first day, I was told to create a social media publishing calendar. This is a monthly plan of tweets, Facebook posts, LinkedIn posts, etc. I first thought to myself, how do I create social media content for a client I know nothing about? I have to understand their voice. I must understand how the client wants to be portrayed to the public and put that message into the content. So, what marketers may do wrong is just creating social channels, but the content is dry and boring. The content of the social media channels is the outer layer, but it communicates the clients' inner layer.

They way in which marketers fail with their social media channels is the way in which they implement them. Going back to Dynatrap, let's say that they come into Schneider Associates and they sit down in our conference room with our CEO and executives. If Schneider were to say that their strategy is social media, that is a mistake. You do not just name social media as your strategy because it is much more than that. You have to develop effective content for it to work. So, what is the strategy, then? The strategy is the content. That was my job over the summer. The reason I understand that social media is just the channel because I was in charge of developing and editing the content for many different types of products. For example, the content for Dynatrap was upbeat and fun while the content for the MSCPA was more informational, concrete content. If Schneider would only focus on creating social media channels for Dynatrap and MSCPA, then there would be nothing to differentiate them even though they are two completely different products! So, that is why the content is the strategy.

I am lucky to have had the opportunity to deeply understand how social media is deemed effective. I hope that marketers realize that the digital marketing age is only going to grow larger and larger, so understanding that the content is the strategy will only produce more effective integrated marketing communications campaigns.

WOM and the Diffusion of Innovations

The book "Brand Media Strategy" aims to discuss how integrated marketing communications plans incorporate various media channels, like TV, radio, newspaper, etc. Recently in my Campaign Planning and Management class we discussed sparking consumer brand conversations through media, and more specifically, the power of Word-Of-Mouth (WOM). As Chapter 6 progresses, I begun seeing terms like "early adopters." This instantly triggered a whole concept I previously learned in my Promotional Strategy class with Professor Costanzo.

There is a term in marketing called the diffusion of innovations theory that categorizes different consumers based off their desire to purchase new products. There are innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Each of these categories attempts to label the consumer on their purchasing habits. The first group are the innovators. These group of consumers are the very first to purchase a new product and make up only 2.5% of consumers. These consumers are not afraid of trying new products that suit their lifestyle and will also pay a premium for that benefit. Relating back to WOM discussed in "Brand Media Strategy," these group of consumers influence WOM because they have the first opinion on a product at the beginning of its life cycle.

The next group of consumers, and one the book touches upon, are the early adopters. More consumers make up this category at 13.5%. Unlike the innovators who tend to purchase on impulse, these consumers purchase early in the product life cycle, but it is after some thought. The influence of this group of consumers is incredible because these group of consumers decide whether the product is "socially acceptable." So, in terms of WOM, this group is the most influential. The groups of consumers who follow look to the early adopters to see if the purchase is worth it.

The next group are the early majority. This group on consumers relate to the early adopters in the sense of they purchase the product early in its life cycle and it is after careful thought. They differ because the early majority is influenced by the early adopters' decision on whether the product is deemed "socially acceptable." It is interesting to note that 34% of consumers make up the early majority. On the opposite side of the early majority are the late majority and laggards. Neither of these groups have influence on WOM because they look to the innovators, early adopters, and early majority to sway them into a purchase.

"Brand Media Strategy" discusses the influence of the diffusion of innovations because WOM has such a huge influence on the success of a product, especially in the digital generation we live in. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram consumers can easily see what others are saying about new products. The laggards and late majority look at what the innovators, early adopters, and early majority are saying about new products via social networking sites. The important thing to stress here is that WOM has a significant influence on the success of a brand and understanding the diffusion of innovations can help marketers analyze just how consumers are interpreting WOM.

Your Brand is a Person

An important concept that Jim Signorelli constantly stresses in "Storybranding 2.0" is the idea of thinking of your brand as a person. As I previously elaborated on in my recent blog posts, the brand has layers in which it possesses its values and how they communicate those values. Thinking of the brand as a person is the perfect way to understand the brand's layers.

The human body is the best representation of the brand's inner and outer layers. The skin and skeleton of the human body is the support system and protects the inside. The skull protects the brain, the ribs protect the lungs and so on. What is on the outside of the human body is what is communicated to the public. It showcases itself to represent what is inside. In a sense, this is the brand's outer layer. Take Nike for example. Nike possesses qualities like courage, determination, endurance, strength, etc. But, how does Nike communicate those values? That is the outer layer's job. Nike showcases those values by producing products like running shoes, athletic clothing, etc.

The inner layer of the brand is the human body's inner organs, which are protected by the skeleton. The values and beliefs of the brand are the heart, lungs, brain, etc. It is the core and the soul of the brand. The inner layer is where Signorelli presents the concept of archetypes. By definition, archetypes are "an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all." Examples of archetypes are entertainer, conqueror, rebel, emperor, and many more. These archetypes help see the brand as a person with values, rather than a "thing."

From my own experiences, I have an emotional connection with the brand known as Tiffany. The reason I have an emotional connection with Tiffany is because we share the same values. Our inner layers align, which is the ultimate goal. Tiffany's archetype is the emperor, which means it champions values like leadership, strength, influence, dominance, respect and so on. Those qualities are some that I possess are that are very important to me. Tiffany does an amazing job by using their outer layer to represent what is inside. They present the brand as clean, beautiful, and classy. The Tiffany jewelry I possess has a deep emotional connection because it makes me feel those values that I have inside. So, as Signorelli would say, I have reached a Level IV connection with Tiffany.

Signorelli's whole point of using archetypal analysis is to show that brand's are way more complex than what they appear to be on the surface. If marketers can remember to put the brand first before understanding the consumer, then I believe a Level IV connection is easier to obtain. Hopefully, all brands can emotionally connect like I do with Tiffany.

Understanding the Brand's Inner and Outer Layer

The book "Storybranding 2.0" by Jim Signorelli offers personal insight on the new meaning of the word "story" as it pertains to marketing. The word "story" offers several different meanings depending on the person you are dealing with. To an English literature major, the word "story" is interpreted completely different compared to a marketer. To deeply understand storybranding in marketing, Signorelli offers a visual concept called a brand's "inner and outer layer."

The first step in understanding this model is to analyze what each layer represents in regards to the brand. The first layer to analyze is the inner layer. Signorelli says, "Another way to think of your brand's inner layer is to think of it as your brand's soul." What he means here is that this is the core of the brand. It contains the beliefs and values that the brand encapsulates. Signorelli relates the inner layer to the brand's unique value proposition (UVP), which should not be mistaken as a brand's unique selling proposition (USP). He suggests that the UVP could work as an advertising theme line, since it states the true beliefs and values of the brand's identity. He uses examples like "Be All That You Can Be" or "Think Different."

The reason behind the importance of a brand's inner layer is because we all must collect the backstory of the brand. Marketers must understand the deeper meaning of the brand, what they believe in, what value do consumers obtain, what are the benefits, etc. In this process, it is difficult to find meaning of the brand. Signorelli says that management teams work diligently to develop tools of logic and analytics, but forget about the emphasis of hedonic value. An important part of a brand's identity is the "emotional, nonlinear, softer stuff of a brand's meaning." It can be a challenge to figure just what that stuff is. Although it is challenging, it is important for brands to have their single value that is the most true, which means that the consumers and employees will emotionally connect with that value.

So, then what is the outer layer? Signorelli calls it the confidence builder. It's purpose is to support the inner layer. Think of it as a body. The outer layer is the skeleton and the skin, which protects and supports our inner organs. The inner organs consists of the beliefs and values of the brand. It is referred to as the confidence builder because it represents the brand to the prospects (consumers). Essentially, the outer layer "walks the walk," which represents the inner values and beliefs. However, Signorelli states that in today's marketplace, brand confidence is becoming harder to achieve.

When Signorelli describes the brand's outer layer, he relates it to the plot of the storytelling. It explains the how. The purpose of the outer layer is to showcase how the inner layer's values and beliefs manifest themselves through product features and benefits. An interesting point to Signorelli's arguments is the common theme found among new clients' "elevator pitch." He says that when they ask what makes their brand significant, most answer: "We' re the biggest network of health clubs in the U.S." or "our casinos have the loosest slots." That is an example of the outer layer, but brand's tend to forget to express its inner layer, its soul. What this explains is the importance of using your outer layer to explain what is in the inside. Brand's should not just concretely state how their brand is the best, but they must incorporate the value the consumer will obtain from the brand. When the two layers work together simultaneously and effectively, the brand is on its way to a remarkable marketing campaign.

We Get Paid for Ideas

After four strenuous years filled with all-nighters, term papers and cumulative finals, there will be a time that we all have to step into the real world and into the workplace. It will be a surreal moment, as we are placed at the bottom of the totem pole just itching to worth our way to the top. I see myself sitting in at my desk and I think to myself: What am I getting paid for?

Today, I was reminded that I will be getting paid for my ideas. Ultimately, I will be noticed for the ideas I come up with that please my client. Well, that is scary to think about, but I will be ready. Yes, developing creative ideas is what I'll be paid for, but what happens beforehand is just as, if not more, important. It is the research. Over the past week, I have learned the extensive work that goes into researching a client's product, service or idea. It takes time, but it must be done in order to develop a great campaign for a client. What is the most important part of the researching process? You must always do a situation analysis. This will consist of asking yourself questions like who consumes the product? Why do they consume product? What is the consumer decision journey? Where did the product come from? What is the product's market share? What are the product's competitors?

There is an endless list of questions to be answered when researching the client's product, service or idea. One important concept I took from my Campaign Planning and Management class on Tuesday was that we never have experience. Unless you have been dealing with a client for 10+ years, we never have experience. New clients means that you have not had experience with that specific product. So, this, essentially, means that the drawing board is blank and must be filled with information from researching and doing a situation analysis.

Over the summer, I interned at an Integrated Marketing Communications firm in Boston, MA called Schneider Associates. It was surreal. I learned the true meaning of integrating six different promotional tools all in one to create a successful campaign. The reason I thought about my internship was because, as the intern, I had to do a lot of research about different products and companies when the executives were going to pitch to a new client. For example, it was mid-July when the Vice President came up to me and asked to me to find out everything there is to know about the Boston Teacher's Union. Immediately, I thought of a situation analysis. I had to find out who works there, who uses it, who are their competitors, etc. What I took from this experience relates to what Professor Spotts was teaching the class on Tuesday. It is so important to understand everything about the new client. It is also imperative to understand the voice of the client and how they want to be perceived by the media.

Ultimately, I will get paid for my ideas, but before the ideas, the research is the base of everything. I can't develop creative ideas without researching the client. The concepts of ideas and research go hand in hand in the marketing world and without them, a successful campaign is not in the horizons.

The Oreo: Milk's Favorite Cookie

After school, I remember plopping in front of my television with the best relationship in the food industry: Oreos and an ice cold glass of milk. It was impossible for me to have just one Oreo. If I have one, then I can count on eating at least five or six more. What is it about Oreos that makes them so successful? Is it the beautiful chocolate cracker paired with cream stuffing? Or is the emotional nostalgia feeling I get when I think about eating an Oreo?

Last week during class, my professor did an amazing job at keying in how a consumer's senses and emotions play a role in branding. I was blindfolded and told to hold a random product. I instantly knew what the product was. It was the traditional chocolate and cream sandwich cookie, an Oreo. I was not the only person in the class because when we were told to hold the product, more than one person said, "Oh! I know what this is!" How does Oreo do such a great job that consumers can depict their brand name just by the sense of touch? In my opinion, it relates back to emotion. It relates to how we feel about the product, the emotional connection we've had with it in the past that makes us recognize it without even seeing it.

Our next assignment was to fill out a survey depicting the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of an Oreo. I said chocolate, milk, delicious, snack, etc. I understood what the professor was trying to showcase at this moment. Nabisco is Oreo's parent owner and their brand manager has a goal of what he/she wants a consumer to first think of when hearing the word Oreo. In class, we were filling out a survey that the brand manager would use for research. I learned a lot about research, specifically in terms of Simmons data. This is a database in which I have the access of researching who consumes Oreos, what age, what ethnicity, what gender, etc.

Back the emotional appeal of Oreos... I believe that Oreos capture a great sense of nostalgia. Nostalgia is a concept in my marketing tool box that talks about consumers connecting with a memory in the past, preferably a happy memory. For example, if you ever hear a song that brings you back to a happy place and time, you're feeling a sense of nostalgia. I think that Oreos encapsulate nostalgia because I ate Oreos the most frequently when I was a kid. It brings back this happy emotion of being a kid again and having no worries in the world. It was a time of peace and fun, which is exactly what Nabisco's brand manager hope their consumers feel.

Oreos are the leading brand in ready-to-eat cookies, ahead of Chips Ahoy and Little Debbie, because of their success in marketing to consumers. Whether it be the nostalgia effect or the delicious taste, Oreo has been leading the score board for many years and I don't think that plan on stopping anytime soon.

The Marketing Tool Box

As a senior college student awaiting graduation and, essentially, the jump start to the rest of my life, I can't help but wonder if the knowledge I have obtained in the past four years will stick with me. How am I certain that once I'm at my workplace developing PR/Social Media/Marketing Campaigns for clients that I'll remember all the concepts in my marketing tool box? Application is key, not memorizing. So, this post aims to add a few concepts to that tool box, hoping that in one, two, five years from now, I remember what I spent my four years in college learning about.

The first concept I would like add to my tool box is word-of-mouth (WOM). This is a broad term that consists of a complex and dynamic understanding. In the earlier years of WOM, it consisted of a friend talking to a friend about a great movie they saw over the weekend, but now, in the digital era, there is a whole new transformation of the WOM and it is called E-WOM (electron word-of-mouth). Face-to-face communication seems like a concept in the past due to the vast upbringing of social networking sites, mobile phones, tablets, etc. Consumers are not just talking to each other face-to-face, they are putting reviews online (good or bad) and consumers are reading and listening. An even more specific concept to add to my marketing tool box is the difference between personal WOM and impersonal WOM. I think the difference between these two concepts is important for marketers to realize. If a consumer participates in personal WOM, then they are at school or work talking to someone directly about a new product, restaurant, etc. This personal WOM generates an incredible amount of high credibility, which is something that consumers love. They want their information to be reliable and trustworthy. On the opposite side of the spectrum lies impersonal WOM. This is the E-WOM previously spoken about. Consumers are going online to websites like Yelp! to research certain products, services, or ideas. The downside to this is the low credibility. There is no face-to-face reliability and trustworthiness.

Another concept I think is important to add to the tool box is the mere exposure effect, specifically the impact familiarity has on a consumer. We spoke in class about this term in regards of outdoor advertising, but it applies to all areas on integrated marketing communications. The mere exposure effect basically states that consumers are more likely to favor a brand they have previously been exposed to, which leads to familiarity. People like things they are familiar to. People do not like uncertainty and we try our best to reduce uncertainty. So, products that consumers have seen before are more have a higher purchase intent.

The last concept I want to add to my marketing concept tool box is perceived risk. This is the risk consumers think about before purchasing a product. Obviously, the more risk, the higher the involvement the consumer has in their research and purchase. For example, gum from the checkout lane has no perceived risk, while a new car has very high perceived risk. The important thing to realize about perceived risk is that there are different kinds. There are financial risks, social risks and psychological risks. A product could be expensive, so the consumer could feel like their is a risk in losing a lot of money. A product could change the way the consumer wants to be perceived by others. Or a product could be detrimental to the consumer's own values and morals. Whether it be any of those three kinds of risks, marketers must realize that consumers go through a great deal of weighing in the negatives of a purchase and it is their job to minimize the risks and promote the positives.

I'm adding these three terms into my marketing tool box because I believe they play an important role in integrated marketing communications implementation. They all serve the purpose of spreading awareness, knowing what consumers like, and knowing what consumers are afraid of losing during their consumer decision journey.

Outdoor Advertising: Is it really worth it?

The concept of outdoor advertising is an interesting concept to me in the sense that the consumer is only exposed to the brand for, at most, 15-20 seconds. I sit here and try to recall some brand names I've been exposed to on highways and main roads and I cannot think of one. So, is it really worth the money marketers put into outdoor advertising? Are billboards and outdoor signage effective?

If there is one thing that we know about all humans is that they like being familiar to things. We like to be surrounded and exposed to things we are familiar to. This is when the mere exposure effect, a concept I learned from Professor Costanzo, comes into play. The mere exposure effect is a "psychological tendency that causes individuals to prefer an option that they have been exposed to before to an option they have never encountered." So basically, a consumer is more likely to favor a product they have been exposed to. But, how does this relate back to outdoor advertising? In terms of billboards, it seems that marketers want to target consumers who routinely drive on that specific highway. If those consumers are repeatedly exposed to the billboard, there is hope for brand recall. I feel as though marketers must be conscious of who their target market is when enduring in outdoor advertising. I do not think that a consumer who passes a billboard one time is likely to recall the brand name.

I have the perfect example of a lack in brand recall from a one time brand exposure from a billboard. My boyfriend and I were on our way to the Big E this past Friday. I decided to test his brand recall from a one time exposure of a brand on a billboard on the highway. I pointed out the billboard and said, "Oh, that's a cool advertisement!" This made him look at it and ten minutes later I would ask what the brand was of that outdoor ad. I asked and he had no idea. He couldn't recall the name of the brand, but he could recall the product. So, this example shows that outdoor advertising can be ineffective for one time exposures.

That example showcases how the mere exposure effect aims to do the opposite of one time exposure. The mere exposure effects strives to reach familiarity in the consumer. But, what happens when the consumer is exposed too much? Yes, I'm saying that to consumer needs to be exposed more than once for brand recall, but there's a potential problem that can occur when they are exposed to much. The problem is called the wear out effect. The wear out effect occurs when the consumers is so exposed to the brand that they tend to look past it after they're too familiar.

Outdoor advertising is a tricky thing. Consumers must be exposed more than once, but they cannot be exposed too much. So, is outdoor advertising really worth it? I think that it all depends on the company. For small companies, placement is important, but they probably cannot afford such placement. For bigger companies, I think if they can afford, why not? Outdoor advertising has its pros and cons, so I think it is up to the marketers to decide whether it is really worth it.

Make the Most Out of Your Unhappy Customer

For anyone that is working/worked in retail, you can directly relate to this post. We've all seen them, dealt with them, heard them and even cried from them (that's another story). Especially when the holiday season comes around, it seems like the nasty, bitter customers come swarming in for the best deals. How can marketers make the most out of their unhappy consumers? There's a fear that the unhappy consumer is posting a mean Facebook post as they're walking out of the store, so how can that be prevented? You have to make the most out of your unhappy customer.

I've worked at Kmart for five years now and I can rest assure that I have dealt with the best of the best customers to the worst of the worst. I've seen how a company can suffer from the worst of the worst customers. For example, on the wonderful and exciting day of Black Friday, a women wanted to put many pieces of jewelry on layaway. She was happy because she was saving hundreds of dollars on our Black Friday deals when there was a piece of jewelry she thought would be on sale and it wasn't. Long story short, the lady got upset, wanted to speak with a manager and get the deal. Now, this customer has no idea that for loss prevention causes, you can't just sell a $499.99 ring for $49.99 because that is what the customer wants. That just can't happen. So, she stopped all of her purchases and left the store. This is a case in which an unhappy customer caused a decrease in revenue for that day.

Once a customer is unhappy and starts to get nasty it seems like there is no going back. But, there is a way in which companies can turn their unhappy consumers into their most loyal. All the company has to do is cooperate and make them happy again. This is a concept we touched up in Professor Costanzo's Promotional Strategy class. If you can please the customer and show them great customer service, then that can turn the whole situation into a positive Facebook post about your company's great customer service. The unsatisfied customer becomes your biggest ally in spreading positive WOM about your brand.

I've seen how an unhappy customer can hurt revenue, like the lady on Black Friday, but I've also seen how managing those customers can benefit the company. For example, one day during the summer I was working at the jewelry counter when this nasty, mean looking older man that had alcohol breath came in to make a payment on a layaway. When I say this guy was rude, that is an understatement. So, immediately I knew I had to adjust and manage this guy to make him happy. I realize that he was over six weeks late in paying off his layaway (you only have two weeks to do so). When I noticed that his layaway had been returned to stock, I gulped fearing the reaction I'd get from him. Instead of telling him what had happened, I contacted my manager and we dealt with the situation. We told him that his layaway had been returned to stock, however he can put them on layaway again with a reduced percentage off. This pleased him greatly, even to the point that he came back every month and made new layaways. This really showcased that if you manage an unhappy customer the right way, they can become a loyal customer.

Many companies may fear the bitter customer, but what they may not realize is that it is a time for opportunity. They have the opportunity to influence and persuade that customer into thinking that the company or brand does whatever it takes for its customer's satisfaction. They can spread positive WOM, tell others to visit your store and keep coming back because of your company's great customer service. So, the take away from this: Don't be scared of your unhappy customers. Make them your most loyal ally.

Social Media, WOM, Negative Publicity and the 2015 Primetime Emmys

This past Sunday was the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards, in which all actors, actresses, directors and producers put on their custom designer gowns and tuxedos in hopes of receiving the coveted Emmy Award. Andy Samberg, cast member of Saturday Night Live, hosted and he was reported to have the best opening musical number the award show has seen in decades. But, Samberg made plenty unsatisfied and, with the help of Twitter and Facebook, these negative emotions of the 67th Primetime Emmy's was spreading like wildfire.

Time Magazine coined the term "the spoiler awards" because Samberg revealed the endings to the series finales of shows like Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, and Two and a Half Men. Twitter and Facebook were not happy, and with its power, it let everyone know how poorly the award show was (See below). With that being said, this year's Emmys drew the smallest audience on record. To put it into numbers, the audience was brought down nearly 4 million less than last year, which is about 20%! So, how does this relate back to marketing? Well, it showcases the power of social media. I'm not saying that social media caused the lack in ratings, but they do have a correlation. Twitter was negatively sharing information and there was also a decrease in ratings. It definitely could be a potential reasoning.

Social media directly relates to word-of-mouth (WOM). In the Emmys case, negative WOM could have potentially destroyed their ratings. So, your company/brand is experiencing negative WOM. How does the brand/company manage that? How can it be spun into positive WOM? Professor Costanzo covered a chapter on Public Relations and Publicity. Specifically, we spoke about how companies can manage negative publicity. They can either own up to it, deny it, avoid it, etc. Halfway through the show is when Twitter seemed to blow up and start bashing the Emmys. So, what did they do? What could the Emmys do to save their reputation as a great award show and not the "spoiler awards?"

The team of the Primetime Emmys caught wind of the rage going on the Twittersphere, so they adapted, changed Samberg's monologue, and owned up to their mistake. This showcases a concept I learned in Professor Costanzo's class, specifically when managing negative publicity. Samberg's new monologue shed some light on his "spoiler" monologue, hoping to please angered viewers. A key concept about Public Relations and Publicity is that you never really know how consumers will react to your ideas. In the case of the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, things went south within the first ten minutes, but they tried to salvage what they could. In my opinion, what they did was the best they could do. If they had avoided it, I think viewers would have been more enraged.

Fear Appeals in Super Bowl XLIX

This year's Super Bowl, featuring the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, drew an audience of 114.4 million viewers, which made it the most watched broadcast in U.S. TV history, according to CNN. Besides football, food and beer, the Super Bowl is like Christmas Day for well-known brands like Doritos, Nike and Budweiser. With an average of $4 million for a 30-second commercial spot, its an advertiser's dream in terms of reach. So, what is the commercial that stuck with me the most nine months later? Nationwide Insurance.

I remember sitting down with great food and great friends, while watching our favorite NFL team dominate the Seahawks. We were all in the greatest of moods, cheering on the amazing Tom Brady, when it was time for a commercial break. Usually, I notice that people turn away from commercials. It is a time where people go to the bathroom, grab another beer or snack on some more food. However, the Super Bowl calls for an attention towards the classic commercials from Doritos and Budweiser. Not to mention, Professor Costanzo made it an assignment to study the commercials.

So, we're all in good spirits until the infamous Nationwide commercial comes on and I say the word "infamous" for a reason. Briefly, the commercial featured a deceased young boy who described his death and the cause. He told the audience how he died from something that Nationwide Insurance could prevent. This is the epitome of a fear appeal, which is a term frequently used in the marketing realm. I've seen fear appeals used for advertisements against smoking cigarettes, meth and other drugs. I have never seen a fear appeal used for Nationwide. Their first commercial that aired during the beginning of the Super Bowl used a humor appeal! So, they completely switched the game. Like I previously said, it is safe to say that the most of the 114.4 million people who watched the Super Bowl were most likely in a happy and fun environment. Once this commercial aired, the room I was in went completely silent. It had our full attention. Afterwards, we couldn't stop talking about it.

There are plenty of articles, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts shaming Nationwide for their depressing commercial, but look what it did. Look at the exposure it received from the biggest television viewing audience of the entire year. Look at me! Nine months later and I'm still talking about Nationwide Insurance. This is the perfect implementation of a fear appeal. The commercial directly influenced behavior and changed attitude. It was genius in my opinion.

Yes, it did a lot of good; It grabbed attention and created WOM all across the country. However, it wasn't necessarily positive WOM. Many people were sickened by the eerie and depressing commercial. I can see how this commercial could've damaged Nationwide's reputation, since they decided to air it on one of the most entertaining and happy broadcasts of the year.

As a result of all this, should fear appeals be limited to products, services and ideas that can handle such fear (e.g., cigarettes, drugs, etc.) or can fear appeals work for any products, like Nationwide Insurance? In my opinion, I think insurance is a strange idea to use fear appeals, but I think it worked. It got people talking about the brand. So, if the marketers can do it right, then fear appeals can be used for any product, service or idea.

In-store Signage, Cash Wraps and POP Displays

In the eyes of the consumer, we walk through our local retail store with signs hanging down from the ceilings, displays surrounding us, just hoping to catch our attention and tell us the "next great deal." But, is it really the "next great deal" or are we being persuaded into thinking it is?

There is an empirical generalization developed by Yoram Wind and Byron Sharp that states, "In-store digital signage featuring 'newsworthy' information (e.g., news items, seasonal offers, promotions) has a markedly favorable impact on sales. The effect is stronger for hedonic (food and entertainment) products." I have worked in retail for almost five years now and I completely agree with this generalization, but I also have questions to consider.

When thinking about in-store digital displays, I immediately think of Professor Costanzo talking about point-of-purchase (POP) displays and their effectiveness. Why do marketers use them? Well, they demand attention by capturing customer's attention when they are in the mood to purchase, they're inexpensive, they highlight key features with catchy designs, and they draw attention to sales and specials. This is all true, but I do have a real life example of POP displays. I have worked at Kmart for the last five years, specifically in the fine jewelry department. Over the summer, I was instructed to place these displays of cosmetics and perfumes on the jewelry counter (located near the checkouts, which I'll speak of later). At first I thought, why put them here if it just prevents customers from seeing the jewelry correctly? But, I noticed how quickly these products were being sold. For example, we got these NFL sponsored sunglasses in. I put the display together and put them right on the counter near the checkouts and within a week, they were all sold. It really showcased the power of POP displays.

The next concept I linked to in-store signage is the term cash wrap, another idea that Professor Costanzo stressed about. A cash wrap is, essentially, the checkout lane. It is here that customers find inexpensive, low-involvement products (e.g., gum, chapstick). These relate back to in-store signage because I was placing low-involvement, inexpensive products on the jewelry counter right near the checkouts. So, when customers were getting ready to leave and saw the sunglasses, for example, they grabbed a pair and bought them. The sign was designed to catch the customer's attention right before checking out.

An important implication from the generalization is the emphasis on hedonic products. This means the products produces a type of value for the product versus utilitarian products. Utilitarian products serve the purpose of completing a task, like toothpaste. So, the generalization is saying that products who produce value are perceived as more effective in catching the consumer's attention. If a customer sees a POP display for back-to-school deals on clothes versus a POP display for microwaves, they are more likely to generate favorable attitudes towards the clothes because they have more value.

After working in retail and studying marketing tactics (POP displays and signage), I have become more aware of these things and, necessarily, don't "fall" for the marketing persuasion that in-store signage displays. But, for a consumer without any prior marketing knowledge, these in-store signages have proven to generate and impact sales.

The Reality of IMC Implementation

I sit in a class from 50 minutes a day, three times a week, jotting notes down from a lecture that is, essentially, how the "perfect" IMC implementation should go. I am taught the ins and outs of what goes into planning the "perfect" IMC campaign. I have all of the tools and knowledge stored in my brain, but I seem to forget that marketing never goes as smoothly as I think it would.

I have this preconceived notion that the marketing world is this place that works in a cohesive manner and produces the best of the best campaigns. However, I've recently learned that this marketing "utopia" doesn't exist. The reality of IMC implementation is that there are barriers occurring and IMC organizations are struggling. What are some of these barriers? They all fall under a term known as the managerial cognition. The first problem found in this managerial cognition is the organizational structure. Basically,  the IMC organization isn't function as a cohesive unit and silos began to develop, eventually causing a lack of communication. Next is the organizational culture. Here, there is a collision of cultures between the headquarters and other branches of the organizations. Another barrier is information technology. Although it is reported that information technology can remove some implementation barriers, it can greatly impact the free and timely flow of IMC-relevant information. I only mentioned a few, but if the organization as a whole isn't communicating effectively, then how is a IMC campaign going to successfully get their message across to consumers?

There's also many mental models that affect how an IMC organization operates. Different people think differently, which could cause just another barrier in the communication between the organization. Some people may think through an efficiency model, which means they are quantitative people who conduct their work without creativity. Then, there are people who think like the effectiveness model. They tend to have a more strategic coordination and aim for optimal effectiveness. People could think in a quality model manner. These people are more focused on the creativity of their work. Lastly, someone may think like the impact model. These people focus on feelings and actions. Since all of these people think differently and set different goals for themselves, it makes sense as to why barriers exist in IMC implementation. Certain people want to produce creative work, while others may want to create effective work. I believe the campaign that can understand and work through those barriers, are the ones that succeed into big brand names.

It is interesting to understand that even though I see an effective advertisement on any media outlet, that there was most likely many issues that led up to it. So, the next time I see an outstanding Nike "Just Do It" advertisement or a Taco Bell "Live Mas" advertisement, I will know to think that there were barriers affecting the implementation of those campaigns.

Do Marketers Want Active Loyalists or Passive Loyalists?

Whether consumers are either emotionally attached to a brand or are just too plain lazy to switch to another brand, the term loyal is something that marketers strive for. However, what is it that they actually want? Do they want active loyalists or passive loyalists?

A perfect outcome in the realm of launching a brand, creating brand identity and equity, marketers want a loyal band of followers that will stick with their brand. I was in CVS the other day with my Father getting allergy symptom relief. We walked over and the brand Claritin was sitting next to the CVS brand. The only difference between the two? The CVS brand was about $5 cheaper. Surprisingly, my Father chose the Claritin. Perfect example of an active loyalist. My Father has used Claritin for years and has an emotional connection towards it, so he'll keep buying the Claritin instead of the cheaper version.

Obviously marketers dream of their brands gaining followers who love the product, but the term loyal does not always mean that is the case. A passive loyalist uses the product just because it's easy and switching brands is too difficult. My boyfriend's cell phone carrier is Sprint, which leads to frequent lost calls and text messages that don't send. He could easily switch carriers, but it is a hassle. So, he stays with Sprint.

Yes, it is true that active loyalists are expected to speak about the brand through word-of-mouth to friends, family or co-workers. They try to influence the purchase of the brand they're loyal too, but if they try to influence others, does that mean they are easily influenced? If they are easily influenced then maybe there could be a time that the active loyalist is persuaded to pursue another brand. Vice versa, the passive loyalist is lazy in terms that they'll never switch brands. So, back to the original question I asked at the beginning; Do marketers prefer active or loyalists?

Introduction

Hello, everyone!

My name is Natasha Gavilanez and I am a senior Communications major (with a concentration in Public Relations) and a minor in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) here at Western New England University!

Within the last year, I have had the amazing opportunity to obtain two PR/Marketing spring and summer internships that taught me the ins and outs of integrated marketing communications tools, media relations, social media and event marketing. I am eager to learn even more about consulting and campaigning for clients through my campaign planning and management class.

As senior year progresses, I plan on taking advantage of the useful tools surrounding me to prepare for the exciting year to come!