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.