IMC Hawks Blog

Category: Corporate Communication

  • Ready to Play With the Big Kids?

    A cup of Dannon Oikos yogurt: $2.00. David Beckham PJs: $29.95. Having your ad air during the Super Bowl: Priceless, or $3.5million. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder. This Sunday, February 5th, the 46th annual Super Bowl will take place in Indianapolis, IN with commercials that will showcase some new players in the field of big-ticket advertising.  Over 100 million people watched the big game last year, with even more viewers anticipated to watch this year.  The Super Bowl is notorious for its entertaining commercials which makes it a perfect place for up and coming companies to release their new marketing campaigns. These marketing campaigns turn a football game into an entertainment event for football fans and non-football fans alike.  There are certain big name companies that participate in the Super Bowl each year to retain their loyal customers and to intrigue potential new ones.  Companies like Coca-Cola, Lexus, Budweiser, Doritos, and M&M’s are just a few of the regulars in the Super Bowl advertisement world.  This year, however, some new names like H&M and Dannon are being tossed in the mix of million dollar commercial spots.

    This year’s Super Bowl will premiere the very first ad by the Swedish fashion label, H&M.  The purpose of this commercial is to promote the David Beckham Bodywear collection which launched today, February 2.  What better way to promote this new H&M line than to display David Beckham, himself, during the second quarter with 100 million viewers watching!  H&M’s Director of Marketing saw this as an opportunity to expose their ad campaign to catch the viewers’ attention.  Beckham’s H&M collection is going to include long johns, vests, boxers, briefs, T-shirts, and yes—even PJs!

     “We’re always looking for new ways to surprise and delight our customers, and we see this as a unique opportunity to reach millions of fans and H&M customers.”

    -Steve Lubomski, Director of Marketing for H&M North America.

    The Dannon Company also released their first-ever Super Bowl commercial for their Dannon Oikos Greek yogurt. This is not only the first Super Bowl appearance for Dannon, but the first appearance for any yogurt company. The commercial titled “The Tease” will be shown during the third quarter of the Super Bowl and stars “yogurt loving” Greek actor John Stamos’ and actress Jessica Blackmore. The two are flirtatiously battling over a spoonful of delicious Dannon Oikos yogurt before John learns that Jessica is serious about her yogurt. The humorous, creative advertisement wants to share with millions of viewers the new delicious and nutritious great tasting Greek yogurt.

    “We are committed to helping people lead a healthier lifestyle but not at the sacrifice of great taste. No matter who’s playing in the game on February 5, we are guaranteed to inform and entertain the broadest possible base of Americans about the delicious and nutritious yogurt we make.”

    – Sergio Fuster Senior Vice President of Marketing, The Dannon Company.

    These rookies are breaking out of their shell and risking millions of dollars for what could be seen as the best chance to promote their brand to a mass audience. The Super Bowl allows these companies to promote their new strategic marketing campaigns to millions of people at one time.  The potential rewards of increasing sales from new and existing audiences outweigh the monetary risk. We will be interested to see if investing in the Super Bowl will have a positive impact on their sales.

    -Brian Burch, Brooke Keller, Kelsey Bendig, Andrea Blanton

  • Every Ending Is A New Beginning

    Last week, in the prerequisite class for the IMC-Hawks, Integrated Marketing Communication I, students were assigned a project in which they had 48 hours to complete. The assignment was to create a multimedia campaign to promote UNCW. One group of students in the class proposed an idea to ask students and faculty “one question” in an attempt to capture their experience at UNCW in just a few words.

    As this class, and many of our college careers come to a close, we decided to expand on this evoking concept and provide our own final few thoughts before we all sign off for the last time.

    Looking back at my college career, I was offered a lot of advice but the one that held true no matter what the circumstance was to value your time here. These past four years have been frustrating, exhilarating, gleeful, melancholy, and turbulent but they have helped me grow and achieve things that I never thought possible. Treasure opportunities and learn from your mistakes; it’ll only make you a stronger, most resilient person in the end. – Jessica Kingman

    UNCW provided me an opportunity to see the world. Studying abroad with UNCW to Valencia, Spain opened my eyes to various ideals, ethics and values other cultures engage in which I now incorporate into my life. – Michela Noreski

    With one semester left in my college career, I’ve realized that you really shouldn’t hold back.  Do what makes you happy and don’t be scared to try new things; it’s all about the experience! – Liz LaPuasa

    Everyone says that college changes their life forever – UNCW has definitely changed mine. As I am about to graduate, I realize how much I am not ready to leave this place. The best advice I can give to future Seahawks is a lesson learned from the one and only Tom Petty: “You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You’ll never remember class time, but you’ll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don’t have. Drink ’til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does…” – Jordan Hill

    What does UNCW mean to me? It means opportunity. The opportunity to start fresh, the opportunity to expand my knowledge, the opportunity to be a part of a tight-knit community, the opportunity to meet new people, and most importantly, UNCW has been the opportunity for me to grow as a person. I could not have chosen a more perfect school to spend my college years. I’ll be graduating next December—and when I do, I guarantee you it’ll be with no regrets. – Stephanie Bakolia

    I say, UNDER-PROMISE AND OVER-DELIVER and MEAN WHAT YOU SAY AND SAY WHAT YOU MEAN – Jared Sales

    The UNCW COM Studies Dept. has afforded me the opportunity to become an employee at one of the most prestigious publishing companies in the world. – David Glaubach

    My advice for the next IMC Hawks is: “Keep up with your work on a daily basis and be in full communication with your group members. If you all learn how to use your strengths, every assignment will become easier.” – Sally Shupe

    As a senior who is graduating a year early, I cannot believe how much I have learned from UNCW and particularly from my amazing professors in the COM department in such a short amount of time. If I take away anything from this experience, it is that you must find a way to feel passionately about the work you do, no matter how trivial it may seem at the time because every assignment will help you develop further as a student and an educated citizen. – Claire Dillard

    My advice for the next IMC class is to READ the books assigned! Not only are they very interesting and teach so much about integrated marketing, but they are a great to source for future interviews! Everyone in the business knows Shirky! – Ashley Nelson

    There are so many things I could say but I am sure my classmates have covered most of them. My advice to you is simple…don’t forget why it is you are here and how important what you are learning is because we are the future. – Alaethea Hensley

    My advice to the incoming IMC-Hawks is to remember the importance of every lesson you are encountering through this course, and every course you take at UNCW. Don’t just do it for the grade, see the importance in each problem, each assignment and each project. You will get out of the course what you put into it!-Lauren Phelps

    UNCW to me is a place where I am able to fully reach my potential and grow as an individual, both creatively and intellectually. As a transfer student, I couldn’t be any happier with my decision. I think it is safe to say that the Communication Studies Department has given me tools to succeed in the working world. – Claire Outlaw

    Thank you to my IMC 2 class for asking me to join them on their last post of the semester. Although this sounds like graduation advice, it’s more like life advice. I try and follow it as much as I can. — Henry James, the American-born writer (he wrote The Turn of the Screw and The Portrait of a Lady, among others, which you may remember from a literature course you might have taken at UNCW), wrote an article called “The Art of Fiction” that was published originally in 1884.  In this piece, James responds to a pamphlet about writing fiction from another writer, with whom James seems to disagree. I’m not a literary critic so I’m going to leave it at that. Anyway, one of the pieces of advice James gives to new writers of fiction has always resonated with me as a student, a scholar, a teacher, and a citizen: “Try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost!” I offer to you, my IMC-Hawks, that being this kind of person – the kind on whom nothing is lost – is one of the best pieces of advice I can give you as you complete your B.A. in Communication Studies. To me, James is saying more than “pay attention;” he’s reminding us that a lot goes on that we ignore, either willfully or unintentionally, when we should be at our most conscious. I see it in my classes, when students are caught up in everything other than what we’re discussing that day; I see it in my son, who can get lost in a game of Angry Birds (my parenting award is on its way!); and I see it in my own behavior, when I have two monitors and an iPad and a cell phone and all are tuned to something different. To be the kind of person on whom nothing is lost, we sometimes have to stop paying attention to those distractions and focus on what’s in front of us. Conveniently, an education in communication studies teaches us to be the kind of person on whom nothing is lost. Rhetorical theory teaches us how to interpret oral and written communication. Paying attention to interpersonal communication helps you in your most intimate relationships. I try to demonstrate how understanding of IMC doesn’t just make you a better practitioner, it makes you a more conscious consumer and a more engaged citizen.  Being the kind of person on whom nothing is lost rejects the passive and embraces the active. Take an active role in your education, your occupation, your family life, your civic life. Don’t just sit back and let it happen to you. Good luck and I’ll miss you all!   – Dr. Persuit

    We hope you have enjoyed our edition of the IMC-Hawks blog this past semester. Although this is our final blog post as a group, be sure to check-in in January for a new generation of IMC-Hawks! Until then — Stay classy, Seahawk Nation.

    IMC-Hawks:  Oliver Evans, Jared Sales, Michela Noreski, Lauren Phelps, Jordan Hill, Alaethea Hensley, David Glaubach, Liz LaPuasa, Stephanie Bakolia, Sally Shupe, Claire Dillard, Ashley Nelson, Claire Outlaw, Jessica Kingman

  • A New Kind of Endorsement

    TGIF! Since it’s Friday, we wanted  to stray away from the scary world of molesters and gunmen to take a look at one of the newest corporate communication strategies that many e-commerce companies are using to contact their publics: “celebrity curators”.

    Different from the everyday endorsement, celebrity curators are a fusion of celebs, social media, and personalization. Ever seen or heard of ShoeDazzle, the Kim Kardashian-sponsored online store for $39.95 shoes and handbags?  This is one of the most popular examples of how companies are using celebrity curators. You take a quick quiz to determine your style, then shows you a custom selection of shoes and bags picked just for you! ShoeDazzle features this famous Kardashian as a celebrity stylist.  This strategy makes the customer feel like they’re not only buying a cool and hip product that a glamourous celebrity would wear, but it also creates a more personal shopping experience for them. Celebrity curators are seen as one of the main success drivers for these types of online companies, and it’s only going to be a matter of time before the rest of the e-commerce world catches on to this trend!

    -Claire Dillard & Liz LaPuasa

  • Another Day, Another “Gunman”

    It was not our plan to write another blog post about university safety communication however, for the second day in a row, one of North Carolina’s universities was faced with a crisis as a reported gunman was spotted on campus. Much like how the University of North Carolina Wilmington alerted their students, East Carolina University also utilized all tools necessary in order to notify their students. Officials issued a complete lockdown and notified students via e-mail, phone calls, text messaging and social media sites. However, the role social media played in UNCW’s crisis is far different from what happened at ECU.

    Reports of a gunman walking through campus started circulating around 10 am this morning and there was surveillance of a man with a cowboy hat carrying what looked like a large riffle walking on a 5th Street, a road that runs through the campus. As students were locked up in class, tweets began to flood in reporting the incident and some even saying that they saw the gunman and that there were hostages. However, after three hours of searching the Greenville Police tracked down the suspect and found that the “rifle” was in fact an umbrella. Greenville police Sgt. Carlton Williams stated that rumors circulating on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter caused authorities to “chase ghosts” and follow leads that were false.

    Although yesterday’s post focused on how social media has allowed us to share and cooperate in moments of crisis, there is also a negative side to the impact it has on the crisis communication. Officials utilize the tweets and posts on social media sites in order to gain information and as you can see from today, often have to take those tweets at face value. There’s always that “better safe than sorry” feeling, especially in the wake of the Virgina Tech massacre, but to what extent should authorities follow-up on information provided through social media?

    -Alaethea Hensley, Jessica Kingman, & Lauren Phelps

  • Talk of the town? More like talk of the nation: When Local News Goes National

    As we all know, the phrase “gunman on campus,” is nothing to take lightly.  Since the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, colleges across the country have made it a priority to ensure the safety of their campus.

    UNC Wilmington students were alerted late last night of a gunman on campus, fleeing from the nearby Hardees. The University continued to update students through email, phone calls and text messages in order to ensure all students were aware of the situation and safe.
    It seems as though UNCW took all the proper precautions; what they didn’t take into consideration was how the students were going to react to it. Within a matter of no time, students with Facebook and Twitter accounts were posting: “everyone on campus be safe!” or writing terms of endearment on loved one’s walls. According to Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, the ability of people to share, cooperate, and act together is being improved dramatically by our social tools.With access to these social networking sites, students were able to publicly announce that there was a gunman on campus, which instigated a major concern.  News of the gunman on UNCW’s campus even reached popular media outlets, such as the New York Times and CBS.

    Using these social networking sites has united people all over the country.  Looking again at Shirky’s book, he exclaims, “a story can go from local to global in a heartbeat.” Without today’s social media sites, many news outlets would not have heard about the gunman. From an IMC perspective, we must look at how powerful these sites are and use them with much caution.

    -Stephanie Bakolia, Claire Outlaw, David Glaubach

  • “The Most Interesting Blog In The World”

    One organization that does an exceptional job building their brand and message through effective corporate communication is DOS EQUIS. Dos Equis has been brewed since 1900 and was developed by master brewer Wilhelm Haase who emigrated from his native, Germany, to Mexico and fused brewing traditions from both places to make a unique, blended beer. This brand has grown in popularity ever since, but has recently skyrocketed thanks to some effective marketing and advertising ploys.  The “most interesting man in the world” campaign made its debut in 2006 and was designed by the marketing firm Euro RSCG for the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery. The ads feature Jonathan Goldsmith as “the most interesting man” and are narrated by Frontlines Will Lyman.
    Rather than an embodiment of the brand, “The Most Interesting Man” is a voluntary brand spokesperson: he and Dos Equis share a point of view on life that it should be lived “interestingly”. According to the company, U.S. sales increased each year between 2006-2010 and tripled in Canada in 2008. Although exact figures were not provided, sales of Dos Equis have increased by 22% at a time when sale of other imported beer fell 4% in the U.S. This campaign changed their identity from a mere beer brewing company to a revolutionary product; thanks to the endorsement from one of the most accomplished men on the planet. Not only is the endorsement a golden ticket for the company, but their advertisements have also proven to be successful. The ads are surrounded with catchy quotes, including: “He is the life of parties he has never attended” and “Sharks Have a week dedicated to him” as ways to connect with common themes that the audience will recognize. Goldsmith recently said in an interview that he realized how successful the campaign had been when a man came up to him in a restaurant, telling him that he had asked his young son what he wanted to be when he grew up, and the boy replied, “I want to be The Most Interesting Man In The World”.
    “Stay thirsty my friends”.   – Jared Sales, Sally Shupe, Oliver Evans

    IMC's very own JARED SALES

  • Gone, but never forgotten: Joe Paterno

    Fact: Joe Paterno is and will always be a legend in the sport of college football.

    Fact: Joe Paterno is the winningest coach in top-level college football.

    Fact: After 46 years as head coach, Joe Paterno is no longer the leader of the Nittany Lions.

    Previous to this week, Joe Paterno was considered the most respected man in college football. He is small in physical stature, greying, wears outdated glasses, and has a soothing-yet rough voice; basically, he fits the description of a typical grandfather. To his fans, the thousands upon thousands of Nittany Lions across the nation, he is their grandfather. His abrupt and unexpected departure from his long-held post as leader of Penn State Football has left his fans in a state of hysteria.

    Students at the university are outraged over the board of trustees’ decision to fire Paterno. These students fully support their beloved coach, regardless of this situation, but why? How can anyone support a person who was aware of such wrongdoing and allowed it to go unreported? Penn State students are different. On Wednesday night, students hit the streets voicing their love for “Joe Pa”, knocking down sign posts, yelling at police, shattering car windows, and turning over trash cans and newspaper boxes. Students even overturned a television news van in an attempt to illustrate their infuriation with the media, which they largely blame for the boot of the beloved coach.

    Under Paterno’s leadership, and motto of “success with honor,” a program was able to defy records and challenge teams across the nation. Although ‘Joe Pa’ was an amazing coach on the field, it takes more than Saturday games and weekly practices to make a good coach. Because Paterno neglected to consider the other duties of being a leader, a man was allowed to repeatedly desecrate innocent young children. In a 15-year period, 8 boys were sexually abused by one man, Jerry Sandusky. This one man has been charged with 40 counts of child abuse, 21 of which are felonies; however, because of him a powerhouse program has been forced to start all over.

    Paterno had announced Wednesday morning that he would step down as coach at the end of the season. But amid the outrage, Penn’s State’s Board of Trustees held an executive session late Wednesday night and fired him and the schools President Graham Spanier, triggering the protests and media frenzy.

    The Penn State story has been a lesson in what not to do in terms of crisis management from a public relations perspective. In a world filled with social media and news happening 24/7, companies, and in this case a university, cannot afford to mishandle a major crisis. It requires preparation and nurturing. One cannot just announce the events in such a manner that Penn State did.  They waited too long to address the allegations after the story had gone live-online, and began being broadcast on news outlets. Not only this, the university cancelled Paterno’s weekly-football press conference, which then caused chaos among the media. If anything good can come out of this, it will be that horrific instances such as this, and men such as Jerry Sandusky, never happen again.

    – Jordan Hill, Michela Noreski, Ashley Nelson