It’s Our Final Week

What a past nine weeks! We have explored new avenues of marketing that many of us probably take for granted. Yes, I receive email messages daily from marketers, both at work and at home. I see banner ads and have noticed ads on search engines, FaceBook and how marketers reach our youth. We have discussed the ethics of all of these and many in my class have different thoughts. We have definitely explored a new world of marketing.

Even with this blog, we managed to put our thoughts down and maintain this throughout the past nine weeks. When I started this class, I never realized the power blogs have in marketing. Now, because of this class, I see them more apparent on consumer websites. Blogs by corporate presidents making a more personal connection to the consumer, as if he/she is talking personally to them. One of our assignments a few weeks ago was to find a blog, respond to the blogger and send the example in our writing assignment. I selected Marriott Corporation’s president Bill Marriott and made a few comments on selected subjects. In return, I received last week, a happy holiday message from Mr. Marriott himself, personalized to me using my first name and everything. As a Marriott rewards member, yes, it made me feel like they cared about my opinions and want to offer me the best hospitality they can.

We also discussed the topic texting. While this is a more popular form of communication among teens and those in their early 20s, it is catching on to others. While I don’t have free texting, I do receive free messages from cell phone provider and also from another group which I am not exactly sure how they got my number. Nevermind though, they only send them out every couple of months. This will be our next form of mobile marketing. I think this will become more popular than other forms but there will be an ethical line that marketers must never cross.

The last nine weeks has been a busy nine weeks, but the time has flown. We are definitely seeing a world evolve from traditional media to emerging media and I think it’s awesome that we get to be a part of this new marketing phenomenon.

Thoughts about Web Creativity

Have you ever given much thought about what goes into web designing? I think most of us take for granted when we enter the world wide web of the design aspects of the sites we like to visit.

According to our lesson last week, there are three dimension to the Cen and Wells’ Attitude Toward the Site scale: Entertainment: is it fun, exciting, imaginative? Informativeness: Is it intelligent, knowledgeable, resourceful, helpful and/useful? And Organization: Is it clean and efficient and not cumbersome, confusing or irritating? (Ramos, 2008).

Another aspect to look at is interactivity. Interactivity allows companies more opportunities build and create solid brand reputation and recognition for the consumer. According to lesson, interactivity can be effective and have a positive effect with consumer satisfaction (Ramos, 2008).

Our professor notes that site visitors can form a first impression of a site in less than one second and this will have an effect as to whether or not they will return and can have an effect on the business (Ramos, 2008). I know over the holiday season I have run across some sites that have made my eyes roll. But then again, I am not their target market.

So, when designers are spinning their magic in creating web sites, they know there is so much more that must be taken into account and it all should be woven into one nice package that will bring the customer back for more.

Reference:

Ramos, J. (2008). Lesson 8: Creative Considerations in Emerging Media. Retrieved on December 20, 2008, from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct.

Speaking of Ethics: Advergaming

It seems as if the world of advertising is now reaching the virtual world of video games. With the increasing popularity of PlayStations, Xboxes, Wiis, Nintendo DS and others, it was bound to happen.

Advergaming is a mixture of advertising and entertainment that takes the form of video games. It's been around since at least the early 1980s when Kool-Aid and Pepsi developed Atari 2600 games that featured their products and distributed the game cartridges as promotions (How Stuff Works.com (2008).




When playing these games at home, advertisers are now getting their messages to the players and more of their target market. Some players will see soft drinks advertised on billboards of driving games, brand name clothing designers have storefronts in other games.

But it doesn’t stop with video games. For those who play online poker or other games, advertising messages are there as well. While we really don’t think much about it in this form, marketers know that it can reach its target market with more positive results. For instance, wouldn’t it be advantageous for the Las Vegas Tourism Board to advertise on an online gambling site? With this tactic, they would be reaching its core target market at a fraction of the cost of television or print ads.

What are your thoughts on this new form of advertising?



Reference:
How Stuff Works (2008). How Advergaming Works. Retrieved on December 20, 2008, from http://money.howstuffworks.com/advergaming.htm.

Advertising Catching Up With Us Socially

The one thing that I have become is addicted to is FaceBook. I admit it. When I turn on my laptop at work, I get my cup of coffee, check my email, both work and personal, and then I go to my FaceBook page to “catch up.” I learn when my friends will be coming into town, I see new photos posted and I receive my “gifts” from my friends. What I have noticed however, is how many different ads show up on pages.
Like search engines, social network utilities are free to use and must rely on some sort of funding to keep them going. No one is doing this out of the goodness of their heart. And, like search engines, they are somewhat distinguishable on pages by being located down the right hand side of the page, separated by a bar line.

But one thing I have also noticed that if a FaceBook user has any notifications, at 20 percent of them is spam. Luckily, Facebook does have a mechanism in place for users to report spam and yes, I have had to use it and yes, it does work.

In an article on iMedia Connection.com, it was noted by Amy Gibby, president of eCRUSH.com, “how there has been a recent changing of the guard online with social networks-- from a "push" medium to a "pull" medium. She mentioned how eCrush.com is using people's "attention" to engage users with advertisers. She says, ‘Teens realize that they are going to have to participate in advertisements or pay for the eCrush.com premium services.’ So basically, users are trading their "attention" to ads in exchange for the use of preferred services.”

Social networks have been taking the online advertising industry by storm. In fact, it has been estimated that in 2006, marketers will spend $280 million on advertising and marketing on social network sites in the United States alone (iMedia Connection.com). With the increasingly popularity of social networks, marketers are finding out this is becoming a new avenue of emerging media to yet advertise their products and services.


Reference:
iMedia Connection.com (2008). Advertising and social networks MySpace, LinkedIn and Beyond. Retrieved on December 20, 2008, from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.imediaconnection.com/images/content/061023_main_graphic_REV.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/11844.asp&usg=__AbUdK1MULGJKxgJJpnLguhj4kN4=&h=262&w=473&sz=42&hl=en&start=30&sig2=KMPQsQol1W5m1tM8t1dodA&um=1&tbnid=94myj8lJHrmT9M:&tbnh=71&tbnw=129&ei=hh9NSciUL8ibtwe2s8SiDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dadvertising%2Bon%2Bsocial%2Bnetworks%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DSNYI,SNYI:2005-34,SNYI:en%26sa%3DN
iMedia Connection (2006). Advertising on Social Networks. Retrieved on December 20, 2008, from http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/10585.asp.

Advertising on Search Engines

This is our last week in IMC 619 and we have explored so much in emerging media. From marketing to youths online, to blasting text messages over cell phones to marketing via email, this class provided so much insight in where we are and what’s to come.

A topic that is being discussed this week is ethics. While I believe ethics falls within our own beliefs, there are sometimes that marketers need to watch the line and be careful not to cross it.

The issue we discussed is paid ads on search engines. According to our professor’s lesson this week, the FTC asked these engines to make these paid links more conspicuous when a visitors searches for a subject (Ramos, 2008). Many times when a visitor uses a search engine they are doing their own consumer research. They want to see reports on certain brands of certain products. Whichever brand has paid the highest bid will have their name top the list of search results. However, because it is a paid ad, they are usually placed in shaded area, such as on Google which places paid ads in pink shaded areas at the top of the page or alongside the right hand page in blue. If the reader pays close attention, the description reads like an ad and not merely information that is provided on an unbiased search result.

Are ads like these ethical? I think so. Engines such as Google and Yahoo are complying with the FTC request by distinguishing them a bit differently. Maybe it’s me, but I tend to read search results a bit more closely to make sure it is the information that I am wanting. Search engines provide us with a free service and they need to earn income to support their service, just as television needs to sell advertising to support their broadcasts.

It will be interesting to see if search engines go further and allow banner ads like regular websites for their advertising.

Ramos, J. (2008). Lesson 9: Walking the Line: Ethics in New Media IMC. Retrieved on December 17, 2008, from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct.

Advertising and the Holiday Season

It’s amazing the power of the web. With this holiday season, I bet it’s safe that most of us have visited a retailer’s site for gift information or to purchase a gift. I know I have. This week’s lesson was on web design and what I learned is that websites are designed for target audience. Why I am now just figuring this out is beyond me - I should have known. But, what I like in a website my teenaged stepkids would probably find boring and uninterested. I visited a few retail websites targeted for teens and was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of information contained on the homepage. I thought my Adult ADD was going to kick in!

But websites have two objectives – communications and e-commerce. With communications, brand building, creating customer loyalty are only two of these objectives. Others include generating awareness and how to obtain the products or services (Ramos, 2008). E-commerce is booming. Research indicates that by the end of 2008, online retail will reach nearly $230 billion and account for 10 percent of U.S. retail sales (Ramos, 2008).

However, a website should be one that the target audience is comfortable with, find it easy to use and function properly. The first time a visitor will make his/her first impression within the first second and this will also decide if they will become repeat visitors and will influence purchasing decisions (Ramos, 2008). Also, a 65 percent of U.S. Internet users said they would not make purchases from a website designed poorly and 46 percent of those also said that the design look was an important component when evaluating for credibility.

So, while the websites I looked at may not have appealed to me, it was definitely appealing to its target market.

Ramos, J. (2008). Lesson 8: Creative Considerations in Emerging Media. Retrieved on December 14, 2008, from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct.

Web Designs Can Make for a Success Relationship

This week in our 619 class we are looking at web design elements that make for a successful site. I have to go on the fact that simplicity says a lot about a design. A complicated site can break a relationship with a customer and will never give a relationship to form with a prospective customer.

Our lesson gives the Chen and Well Attitude Toward the Site scales for evaluating corporate websites. The scale has three dimensions that should be considered for a well-designed site: Entertaining, Informational and Organized.

After doing some online Christmas shopping this week, I have come across some sites that are just way too much. While shopping for two teenagers, one boy and one girl, I have visited the sites of the stores they like – American Eagle, Hollister, Aeropostale, etc. All of these divide their products between girls and boys, but then they offer their specials, web exclusives and more and can be too much.

While I do not fall into their target market, all of these sites could be made a bit more organized so everyone can see what they have to offer without being hit with everything all at once.

Ramos, J. (2008). Creative Considerations in Emerging Media. Retrieved on December 9, 2008, from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct.

Example of Virile Marketing

While we are looking at social networking sites this week and how the youth use them, I have seen something that started out as an idea and will actually come to fruition this weekend. Back in September, I, along with a few other friends RSVP’d to an invitation on FaceBook about attending White Night. White Night started out as an idea to pay tribute to WVU’s quarterback Pat White and all he has done for WVU’s football program over the past four years – two BCS bowl wins, a Gator Bowl win, and more. The promoters for this idea want everyone who plans to attend the South Florida game this Saturday night in Morgantown to wear white or wave a white towel.

Anyway, now, it seems the idea is catching on. About a month ago, it was mentioned here in our local paper’s sports section and again just this morning. The marketing department at WVU’s Department of Athletics has paying attention to the idea and plan to advertise it heavily days before the game. And, now it official - fans are encouraged to wear white and now the team will switch from its conventional dark home uniforms to wear white also.

This is just one example as to how social networking can team up with virile marketing can get a simple idea of one person’s to become popular and influence 65,000 of your closest friends to get in board and do it. Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=49262200896

And here are a couple of links from the newspapers’ sports sections: http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/WVU/200812010797; http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08334/931709-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml;

After reading some of our readings outside of our lesson this week, I see many similarities between my stepkids and my husband. In one article, For Toddlers, A World Laden with Advertising, it describes the relationship my husband has with his teenaged kids. According the article, the Western International Media divided parents into different categories and I would say he fall into the “Conflicted” as he is the divorced father whose purchasing behavior is brought on by guilt (Masters, 2006). The article also notes that a survey of 750 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 found that kids may ask an average of nine times before the parent gives in. I have to admit, I have seen this done in my household. It may not happen in one hour, but spread out throughout the day until finally, he gives in.

Marketing to teens has been truly interesting to observe over the week. Texting is the new communication for teens and most of what I have observed, and use the internet as a way to retrieve information, entertainment and more.

As I mentioned in my last entry, my stepdaughter is more versed in the digital media than her brother. She uses text messaging on her cell phone, she has a MySpace page (protected), and goes online outside of homework daily.

A few years ago, while I worked at the WV Dept. of Education, all staff attended a three day professional development event on 21st Century Learning. There we learned how the brains of today’s kids are actually networked to learn differently than ours are. We also learned that members of our generation are known as Digital Immigrants as we have had to migrate towards and learn of this new world of communication and technology. We also learned that today’s youth are known as Digital Natives in that this new age is all they have ever known.

So, with today’s new marketing, it only seems to target today’s youth with the medium that they utilize the most just as we were targeted on Saturday morning’s on television.

Reference:

NPR (2006) Foro Toddler, a World Laden with Advertising. Retrieved on December 4, 2008, from www.npr.or/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5569423.

Marketing to today's youth

Today's youth brings about a whole new world of marketing. They have grown up always using a remote control to their televisions, they have listened to their music with cds and most use a computer for more than just homework. According to our week 7 lesson, 96 percent of children between the ages of 8 and 18 have been online at least once and spend an average of more than one hours each day using a computer on top of their schoolwork, with 48 minutes of that bein online. Amazingly, 54 percent of all young people use computers for recreation, compared to 85 percent who listen to music and 81 percent who watch television (Ramos, 2008).

With these statistics, I am looking forward to this week's lesson as I have two stepchildren, 14 and 17. From my observations, the 14 year old girl is much more active with computers with a MySpace page, iTunes for her iPod, not to mention her texting on her cell phone. These are all characteristics of a typical girl her age. In fact, last night, I took her to pick up a friend for a sleepover and the entire trip, neither one of them spoke as they were texting in the car, while listening to their iPods.

A report by the MacArthur Foundation reports that youth find the digital world creates new opportunities for them to explore interests, develop technical skills, and experiment with new forms of self-expression, which have captured their teens' attention because they provide avenues for extending social avenues, self-directed learning and independence (Ito, M., et al, 2008).

So as we start this week's lessons, I will be sure to relate my stepchildren's habits to the lesson and look forward to reporting what I learn.

Reference:

IMC 619 Week 7 (2008). The Young and the REST, but not LESS: Targeting Youth and Multicultural Audicencs wtih Emerging Media. West Virginia University.

Digital Youth Research (2008). Final Report on Our Findings. Retrieved on November 29, 2008, from http://digitalyouth.ischool.berkeley.edu/.

No time for Popcorn with Short Films

So, after watching my first short film commercial, I am still not really sure what to think about them. I mean I found it entertaining, but still I am having thoughts on the use of them. The one I watched was titled, Last Night. It was a Ritz Carlton/American Express short film and told of a groom on the night before his wedding. You can view it here: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Films/Films.htm

Ritz Carlton is targeting a younger audience with the disposable income to stay with the hotel chain. There was only one time when a brand name was shown and was for American Express. Unless you had seen the Ritz Carlton website or the title of the short film on YouTube, you would not have known that it was the Ritz Carlton hotel.

So, my question is, where do these fit in the IMC mix? I mean, paying for a 10 minute commercial would quite expensive. Through some virile marketing where people go out in search of the short film would then prove to be a marketing success. With this campaign, it was one of three that Ritz Carlton produced. Emails were probably sent to loyalty club member s and since it was in partnership with American Express, cardholders probably heard about them also.

I think these are innovative ways to market their services and products but I believe they need to market these films to spread the word about them.

Short Films Show Cinematic Sides of Business

This week in IMC 619, we are discussing short films as a form of new media. I have to admit that that I hadn’t heard much of this subject, but I found it intriguing.

It’s amazing how the Internet has played such an integral role in new media. But then again, the Internet is a new medium with what seems to have limitless possibilities.

With short films, there are six elements to a successful campaign – hero, wants, action, conflict, climax and resolution (Ramos, 2008). Short films also must have a distinct focus, have a sense of freshness, simplicity, show conflict, and appear to be a film.

In 2001, BMW broke out in the short film business with an Internet-based short film titled, The Hire. With more than 100 million views it was and still is considered one of the most original and creative ideas. With its success, judges at the Cannes Film Festival created a new award for innovative advertising, the Titanium Lion (Ramos, 2008). To view the BMW short film, The Hire, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i2m7W1CR3w

It seems just when we have seen and heard it all, here comes another form of advertising. It will be interesting to see what new form of advertising will be the latest and greatest in ten years.

Marketing on the Go

This week, our new media class studied and discussed mobile marketing and its quick rise in popularity. It seems that everyone these days have has a cell phone with email, Internet and texting capabilities and which is opening a new medium. Now, marketers can reach us anywhere at anytime. When we're on vacation, at work and even when we wake up in the morning.

Is it invading our privacy? Well, most of the time we are giving these marketers permission to contact us when we opt-in and give them our email addresses and from time to time, our cell phone numbers.

An example I provided in our class was receiving dinner specials from Olive Garden during the holiday period of Black Friday to the Decembe 23. Imagine, shopping in the evening and you receive a text message of a special of 10 percent off your total bill from Olive Garden, good for dining in and or carry out, the message also gives you the phone number and address of your closest restaurant. All you have to do is place your order and and show them the text message to receive your discount. Dinner is ready and the family is happy.

Clearly, mobile marketing is up and coming and we are only touching the tip of the iceberg.

Mining for Data Can Lead to Gold!

Have you ever wondered how direct marketers know so much about you? How they know that are in the market for a particular product or service at a particular time? Data mining can be a gold mine for a direct marketer. But it can also be considered an invasion of privacy.

With data mining, a person viewing a website has a number assigned or a cookie placed, in his/her hard drive so a company can track the sites he/she is visits. This gives marketers information about that person, the sites they visit and what they are spending their money on. With this information, marketers can learn if they are in the target market for their product or service. They can personalize their message just for you. And in the end, a consumer/business relationship can begin and flourish.

However, not everyone sees it as rosy as above. Some believe it is an invasion of privacy. Some believe that if consumers are being tracked online, then they would not act themselves.

An implication that marketers need to consider is the relationship with the customer. Afterall, building a relationship is more beneficial than a one shot purchase. The relationship builds loyalty, but if a customer learns his viewing habits are being tracked, that relationship can be severed. The ball is in the consumer's court and the marketer needs to realize that.

What are your thoughts on data mining?

Youths and their contribution to our economy

Many in the professional world believe that internet advertising targets children too much while others say that targeting children via the web is today's version of Saturday morning advertising. Some critics want restrictions placed on marketers when marketing food and beverages, believing online marketing is contributing to today's childhood obesity epidemic.

Classmates of mine all had to visit different websites that targeted children, such as Barbie, Ringling Brothers, Disney and more. Opinions crossed the spectrum for different sites but one this is for sure, marketers are targeting children and in a big way.

The buying power of today’s youth is stronger than ever. According to a report by Harris Interactive, kids have tremendous buying power and that 15 percent of their spending is done online (iMedia Connection, 2007). With youths spending this amount online, advertisers need to go where they are.

With more and more kids going online, this new medium has a great influence on their buying behavior. In an article printed in the New York Post, it states that 50 percent of teens said their electronics purchases were influenced by Internet advertising, compared with about 42 percent for broadcast and cable TV (NY Post.com, 2008). With a majority of their buying is done online, To me, this tells me one thing - the internet is a powerful tool for marketers.

iMedia Connection (2007). Study Shows Buying Power of Youth. Retrieved on November 12, 2008, from http://www.imediaconnection.com/news/1985.asp.

NY Post (2008). REACH KIDS BEFORE THE SCHOOL BELL RINGS. Retrieved on November 12, 2008, from http://www.nypost.com/seven/07262007/business/reach_kids_before_the_school_bell_rings_business_holly_m__sanders.htm.

Cnet News (2008). Protecting kids from online food ads. Retrieved on November 12, 2008, from http://news.cnet.com/Protecting-kids-from-online-food-ads/2100-1025_3-6184479.html.

A Blog About Blogging

This week in our IMC 619 class the main topic of conversation was blogging. We were each asked to find a company's unofficial blog, describe it, and explain how marketers could use such information for their products or services.

The blog I selected was Coca Cola Conversations authored by a gentleman who has served as Coke's historian for nearly 30 years. Others chose blogs regarding Disney, Blackberry, WalMart and even Notre Dame.

I have to admit that at the beginning of this class I truly wondered what the big deal was about blogging. I read where this phenomonen was growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, our professor's lesson states that there are more than 77 MILLION blogs in existence and approximately 120,000 new blogs created daily (Ramos, 2008)!!

Blogs are now becoming more of an integral part of an IMC campaign. They provide a direct communications with current and possibly new customers. Marketers can read and learn consumers' likes, dislikes, problems and suggestions of their products and services, take them to heart and see it through the consumers' eyes.

While blogging is still not considered part of the mainstream marketing campaign, I can see it growing and expanding in the future.

Reference:

Lesson 3 (2008) Creating Buzz: Viral Marketing, Crowdsourcing & Blogs. Retrieved on November 6, 2008 from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

It's Election Night!

This is an exciting night for our country. No matter who you support, this is the day we, as Americans, get to exercise our right and privilege to vote. What a change not only in our country, but in the way our results are getting to us. Looking at MSNBC's website, we can get the widget of our country's map that will detail how the election is going. Four years ago, widgets were something you studied in Econ 101!! Blogs are furiously being written to stay current. Emails are flying. Citizens can contribute their stories of election day to their favorite news site.

The new and emerging media is certainly being showcased on an evening such as this. But we all noticed it in the past few months. Emails announcing who their running mates were. Campaigns now rely on the new media to reach the masses faster and more efficient. Social networks got in on the action by urging its members to vote. On Facebook, members could "donate their status" to remind their friends of election day and show their support for their favorite candidate.

Marketers are rewarding us for our votes as well. On my Facebook page, I learned I could go to Ben and Jerry's and receive a free ice cream cone. I could visit Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and receive a red, white and blue star shaped doughnut and to finish out my free election meal, I could go to Starbucks for a hot cup of coffee. But it was Ben and Jerry's who advertised this special on Facebook. If there are any MySpace users, I wonder if marketers used this social network as well.

Clearly, with new media emerging, election campaigns is using these new mediums to get their messages out to the masses.

Clearly, this night is showing how far we have come with new and emerging media.

New Media and the Presidential Race

With the General Election only four days away, I thought it would be interesting think about how this year's Presidential campaign has changed from year's past.

I remember back in August before Democratic nominee Barack Obamma selected his vice presidential running mate that supposed leaks were text messaged to his list announcing his selection. The announcement came before going public, but it turned out it wasn't true. Once the selection was made, that is how he made it then with the public announcement.

Who would have thought just four short years ago that Presidential candidates could and would use such a new media to get the word out!

Along the same lines, I viewed something today that I thought was pretty humorous. It was the late night talk show circuit discussing the candidates' use of product placement. Here is the link - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25067201/vp/27471699#27471699 - It's pretty funny. Also, notice that we must view an ad before being able to watch the video.

Email to Get Their Word Out

Because I am a subscriber to Publishing Executive magazine at work, I receive emails from them from time to time. In the past seven days, I have received two emails advertising their professional development services.

The first one I received was an invitation to register for its virtual Conference and Expo, scheduled for November 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The topic is on interactive messaging including text messaging and cell phones and how they are impacting the volume and use of email. Basically, this virtual expo is promoting the use of email as a marketing communication tool. What I find interesting is that they could have snail-mailed me the post card, but seeing the topic is on email use as marketing communications, they are practicing what they plan to preach. And they are saving money as no postage is required and reaching their audience much faster.

Looking at my calendar, I am free and so is the event. I just may join in to see and learn more!

The second email I received was promoting a webinar on how to use your website to increase donations to your organization. As last week’s discussions revealed, websites were the favorite among marketing communication tools and this webinar will tell me how to get the most out of my greatest business asset - my website. While this session has a cost of $65, it seems interesting enough, but I am not available. Guess what! It’s archived for 90 days. While I won’t be able to participate in the live Q&A session, my registration will allow me to view after the event.

These two simple emails were delivered to me in sufficient time for each event. Publishing Executive does make attending their events simple. They are alerting me to events that are relevant to me and my association. I think they are taking a step in the right direction in marketing communications.

New Marketing Communications Opens a New Toolbox!

It seems as though marketing communications has taken a digital turn over the past two decades. With the growing popularity and use of the internet and World Wide Web, it seems these are the places consumers go first to receive their first bit of information about a brand’s produce or service. I know I do.

In an article from the Harvard Business Review, author John Deighton pointed out that the term interactive points to two features of communication – the ability to address an individual and the ability to gather and remember the response of that individual. With these two features a third comes into play as the ability to address the individual that takes into account his or her own unique response. (J. Deighton, 2000).

In a recent discussion in IMC 619, we were posed the question of what we thought was the most effective type of new media. Websites was the mentioned the most as the most effective form of the new media. Some of the students claimed it was because that is where we now go to learn more. It’s quick, immediate (well, for the most part) and we can learn more about it than just an ad in a magazine, newspaper or television ad. It’s there at our convenience whenever we want it. And I agree! When purchasing a home theater system, my husband and I did our research. With the different websites, we were able to look at options we wanted with the price we could afford.

Secondly, websites are the foundations for other types of marketing communication tools – podcasts, RSS feeds, etc. We must have websites to make these others work.
That same Harvard Business Review article noted that there is a reasonable chance that interactive media, which includes websites, can transform the way we build brand awareness and communicate to the consumers (J. Deighton, 2000). What I find amazing about this is that this was written 12 years ago. What foresight!

Word of mouth advertising has taken on a new sound, if you will. Social networking sits such as Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, etc. have grown over the past few years. In a recent study by Neilson/NetRating, it was revealed that sites such as these experienced a 47 percent increase in traffic in 2005-2006. MySpace alone noticed a 367 percent increase in the number of visitors (Marketing Leadership Council, January 2008).

The Marketing Leadership Council noted that advertising on social networking sites is expected to increase from $900 million to $2.5 billion from 2007 to 2011. This is all going on while we make new friends and keep up with our old friends.

While I selected blogging as a least effective form of new marketing communication tools, there were a few who disagreed with me and presented valid arguments – afterall, that’s what these discussions are supposed to do – present other and new ideas. Blogs provide more personal insight into a product or service, and provide a new level in customer relations. While blogs are still considered new, they seem to be a new form of communication that is taking off. Through this discussion, I learned more about blogging and can now look at it differently.

Reference:
Deighton, J. (2000) The Future of Interactive Marketing. Harvard Business Review. P. 151-152.

Marketing Leadership Council (2008). Leveraging Social Networking Sites in Marketing Communications. Retrieved on October 25, 2008, from http://74.125.45.104/search?q=cache:gYRxDkaHWlkJ:www.ittoolbox.com/advertising/pdf/Leveraging-Social-Media-Networking-Sites-in-Marketing-Communications.pdf+social+networking+as+a+marketing+communication+tool&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us.

Jen's Life and What Not

It's funny what a three month stint of unemployment can bring out in a person. That's what happened to me during the summer of 07. I had worked under a grant and my position was cut. Well, after working since the age of 16, I thought, "You know what? I can take a month off."

So...what to do. Apply to graduate school and find work. I earned my certification to be a substitute teacher and did some teaching. I actually enjoyed it. I was accepted into the IMC Program at WVU. After three months (to the day!) I was hired by the Black Diamond Girl Scout Council as their communications specialist. I really enjoyed that position, but when you have two teenaged mouths and a 95 pound black labrador retreiver to feed, I needed something more.

After two months with the Girl Scouts, I moved on to my current position with a trade association. With this job, I oversee the day to day operations, budgets, their public relations, promotion projects, communications, lobbying and more. It's me and my secretary so I wear a lot of hats. While this is not my dream job, it will do for now as I am always looking.

That's it about my professional life. Now for my personal life. I was born and raised in Charleston, W.Va., graduated from WVU in advertising. I am the youngest of three daughters (God, help my parents!) and I have three nieces and a nephew. I am happily married to John. We will celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary on December 7th. Yes, Pearl Harbor Day...the Day that will go down in INFAMY! He has two children from a previous marriage and I am lucky that the kids and I get along so well. They are both in high school so all good luck fairy dust can be blown my way :). As mentioned earlier, I have a black lab named Josie. I have to say, she is the smartest dog I have ever come across: Here is her pic at the beach this year.

That's it about me.