IMC Hawks Blog

Category: Corporate Communication

  • Connecting to Potential Jobs

    When it comes to the big job hunt, there are a plethora of considerations that come to mind. Seeking out career fairs, perfecting your resume, and getting the right professional look all seem to be high on the list. However, there’s one tool we sometimes neglect when it comes to seeking out jobs in our field, whether it be Marketing, Advertising, PR, or IMC: social networking. Sites such as LinkedIn provide a huge leg up for those looking for a job in our current market. You will be able to get your resume out to multiple different audiences with the click of your mouse, while also putting your resume out to employers who you may have initially overlooked.

    Not only is LinkedIn important for initially creating new job opportunities, it is also useful in growing and cultivating new connections and relationships. Networking is extremely important in the field of IMC and every connection you get could be a potential for a new opportunity. Active use of this resource shows those you have connected with, what you are up to, how you are looking to grow professionally, and if you are currently looking for employment options. With the current economic state, we have to exploit every avenue we can to ensure that we are able to find a job upon graduating.  While it is necessary that we have a strong resume and good interviewing skills, we also have to remember that our potential job opportunity could be found through LinkedIn.

    – Lauren Phelps, Alaethea Hensley, Jessica Kingman


  • How Green Do We Go?

    When an organization “goes green,” what does this really include?  As some of the other posts on this topic have noted, it is important for an organization to establish what “going green” means for them and what it means for their patrons.  Is it enough just be a business that recycles? Do you only purchase certain products from outside sources?  How far does the organization need to go?

    “Going Green” impacts more than just the environment.  If the concept is important to the organization it can dictate so many decisions and can mean big changes.  These decisions go further than creating a new marketing campaign.  Many corporations started using the “green” movement to revamp their brand image a few years ago.  Convincing campaigns can lead a viewer to believe that more is being done than in reality.  Eventually, environmentalists will uncover their efforts.

    Walmart, for example, implemented their new packaging strategy in 2006.  The new plan decreases the amount of packaging materials used and is supposed to reduce the total amount by 5% by 2013.  Even though 5% may not sound like a lot, after considering ALL the Walmarts and companies owned by Walmart (Sam’s Club, etc) it certainly adds up.  The idea of Socially Responsible Investors (SRI’s) is weighing heavily on organizations as well.  Without investments or capital, how is an organization going to pay for production?

    As the “going green” movement proceeds, it is important for businesses to cater to the developments not just to appease customers, but to appease other business owners that will influence growth.  Establishing a plan without exaggerating the strategies can go a long way when creating a new face for an organization!

    -Katelyn Truss

     

  • The Deepwater Horizon One Year Later: A Brief IMC Analysis

    Today marks the one year anniversary of the BP, Deepwater Horizon disaster that leached millions of barrels of oil into the in the Gulf of Mexico, greatly impacting the Gulf Coast.  In the few days following the Deepwater Horizon incident BP came under tremendous scrutiny for the way they chose to address, or not really address, the media.    The former CEO, Tony Hayward, received the brunt of criticism for comments he made, including telling a photographer to get out during a photo-op on the shores of Louisiana.

    Following the PR nightmare BP created for itself, the oil company had to get to work repairing their image.  How else were they going to keep selling gas to pay for all the damage the oil leak was causing?  The marketing department sprang to action, launching a campaign that touted their commitment to cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf.  In order to do this they employed tactics and used several channels for delivering their message of being compassionate and concerned about the residents of the Gulf Coast who were affected by the oil spill. Fishermen, hospitality workers, and any others harmed by the Deepwater Horizon accident were going to be reimbursed by BP for the income they were loosing from the impact.  They created jobs in a recession for workers willing to clean up the oil.

    In order to let the public know about all of the things they were doing to combat the oil spill BP aired several television commercials, utilized Facebook, and attempted to use twitter, but were parodied.  They utilized Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and spent millions in advertising on Google and several other search engines each month.  Every time anybody searched for anything remotely connected with oil, a spill, the Deepwater Horizon, BP, the Gulf…you get the picture, BP was pulled up.

    One year after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, BP’s marketing focus has changed.  Yes, they want you to know about their efforts in the Gulf, however they have shifted their efforts to focusing on BP’s efforts to foster sustainability and utilize renewable resources.  Despite the fact that BP’s marketing message has changed they still are employing a synergistic method to get it out there.  This synergistic technique is synonymous with IMC.

    -Eliza Wadson

  • A Big Thanks to Dr. Persuit

    As a class, we would like to say thank you to Dr. Persuit, our amazing professor for Corporate Communication. In two major service learning projects, she has taught us the importance of a strong corporate identity. Each of us believes that the knowledge learned in Corporate Comm. will benefit us after graduation. Here are our personal thoughts:

    I have had Dr. Persuit for several classes. Corporate Communication, like all of her classes, has secured my feelings about the field of Communication Studies. I have found what I wish to do after graduation due to the knowledge learned in Dr. Persuit’s class.

    – Lacey Inman

    Dr. Persuit finds a way to make each of her classes interesting and unique.  She expects a lot from her students because she believes that we are capable of achieving greatness.  I appreciate all of the skills I learned in Corporate Communication as well as the other three classes I took with Dr. Persuit over the past few years.

    -Sarah McIntosh

    I absolutely love Dr.Persuit. Corporate Communication is my 4th class with her during my time at UNCW and if I could fit it into my schedule before graduation I would be taking even more with her! She has such a passion for life and a dedication to her students. She is such a great example of a working mom who has it all going on! Thank you for everything Dr.Persuit, my future career will always put what you taught me to good use.

    –Emily Hunter

    I extremely enjoy taking classes with Dr. Persuit!  I have had several classes with her here at UNCW and I’m looking forward to her Advanced IMC class next semester as my last class with her before I graduate.  I have learned many things from Dr. Persuit that will help me in my chosen career field in the future.  She really gets us involved and strives us to think about how we would handle all aspects of communication after graduation.  Thank you for all that you do and have done Dr. Persuit!

    -Danielle Dorantich

    I have had the unique opportunity to work with Dr. Persuit outside of the classroom. As one of Phi Mu’s advisers, we have spent a lot of time together working on ways to better our organization. I am so glad that I have not only gotten the opportunity to work with Dr. Persuit with my sorority, but to also have her as a professor. It is nice to actually learn things in class that will come in handy in the real world. This corporate communication class has further validated my belief that I want to work in this career field. Thank you for everything Dr. Persuit!

    –Fran Greene

    Throughout my few years UNCW I have been blessed with amazing professors and Dr. Persuit is one of the very best.  She has shown me how to apply the concepts of our discipline and now Corporate Communication into the real world that we all will enter into after graduation. Her positive attitude to the hardest tasks makes me want to strive to do even better.  I hope to take at least one class with her next semester before I graduate. Thank you for everything Dr. Persuit you have been an inspiring professor!  You will be one of the professors in which I will never forget and want to thank for being so inspiring throughout this semester and the semester to come.

    Kelly Wiley

    Dr. Persuit is an amazing professor, from helping me immensely work through my DIS and now  class in Corporate comm, I have learned that she is a professor that every student in the communication studies department needs to have at some point. Her positive outlook on everything is inspiring to all of her students. She makes it a point to make sure that the students are learning and succeeding. Her guidance through my undergraduate career has help guide me onto the correct path into my future. I appreciate all the time and effort she has put into our class and her time with me. Thank you Dr. P for everything, you are an amazing professor!

    –Arielle Williams

    I graduate in two weeks and I must say that this has been the most difficult, yet fulfilling semester I’ve ever had. I feel that I’ve learned more applicable information in this one semester than I’ve learned in the past four years of my college career. I also believe that Dr. Persuit is the reason for this learning and growth. She is a constant inspiration and gives me hope in my future endeavors, as well as in the Communication Studies program at UNCW.  She believes in her students and pushes them to be great. I’m disheartened to say that this is the only semester I’ve had, or ever will have, with her as a professor, but I hope that her knowledge and wit stays with me as I commence on this journey called life. Thank you, Dr. Persuit, for your dedication to students and learning. You have helped make my last semester one to remember.

    -Breanna Alexander

    I have had the pleasure of having Dr. Persuit as a professor for 5 courses now. I continue to choose courses that she offers because she genuinely cares about her student’s education. Not only is she incredibly intelligent in her field of study, but she is also very in tune with current events and modern uses of social media and networking sites. She has taught us the importance of creating a well rounded online presence to become more competitive in the workforce and to learn from others. Dr. Persuit is constantly encouraging us to apply the concepts we learn to real world scenarios so we can see the relevance of communication studies in our everyday lives. UNCW is very lucky to have Dr. Persuit as a faculty member and we are all fortunate to have had her as a professor. I know that she will continue to enlighten many more Seahawks for years to come.

    – Gracie Anderson

    So many students take courses with Dr. Persuit semester after semester due to her unique outlook and engaging teaching style. Lessons are always relevant and she makes a point to get to know every student on a personal level. I feel very lucky that Dr. Persuit has taught numerous classes that are of interest to me. All knowledge and insight I have gained from being a part of her classes has already proven useful and I can only imagine how much I will be reminded of these courses when I am in the workforce. I cannot thank you enough for these past few semesters, Dr. Persuit!

    -Haley Williams

    Corporate Communication was an interesting and insightful class. The content of Good-to-Great was very surprising to me. Dr. Persuit showed excitement and enthusiasm when teaching. I feel the knowledge and groupwork experiences I had will be very beneficial. I enjoyed this course very much and the information I gathered should be very useful in career aspirations for me.

    -Sean O’Connell

  • Corporate Communication: An Overview

    Coming into this semester I had no idea what to expect from this class.  I figured that we would just discuss companies and how they communicate, but it has been so much more than that.  The book,  Good to Great, expanded on what actions a company should take if they want to be successful and move past just being good.  It also provided me with a great depth of knowledge to help me become successful when I graduate college and start my career.  The amount of communication that companies must constantly maintain is impressive and how well they accomplish these tasks ultimately determines how successful they will become.

    This course has been a great learning experience, helping me realize that having a major in Communication Studies can really get you a job in just about any field.  Communication is involved in every company, whether they realize it or not.  Corporate Communication is one subject that is overlooked and the importance of it is often bypassed by many people.  Throughout this class we have discussed many companies, programs, TV Shows, movies, etc. that practice corporate communication on a daily basis.   Each class session has enhanced our knowledge and opened our minds to a wide variety of communication techniques that we can all apply in future careers.  Discussing the topics of crisis management, corporate image, reputation, stakeholders, and by focusing in on actual companies has helped my classmates and I see all of the aspects of communication used in such an essential way.

    I hope that everyone learned as much as I did throughout this semester and will be able to look back upon this information when they are in their future careers.

    -Megan Regele

  • What I Learned in Corporate Communication

    I cannot believe the semester is coming to an end. As I reflect on the Corporate Communication course, there are several things that I have learned. Thinking back to our first day of class and the definition of corporate communication we formulated, we selected several terms; brand, consistent, reputation, identity, narrative, integration, persuasion, symbolic, building/maintaining. These terms only started the process of discovering what corporate communication is about. From class discussions, our mid-term project and our readings there are more that I would add; discipline, alignment, values, vision, mission, responsibility, customer service, diversity and the list could go on!

    One concept that struck me the most from our readings was the Hedgehog concept. The story is about a fox and a hedgehog. The fox is cunning and always trying to get at the hedgehog in various ways. The hedgehog follows his daily routine and whenever the fox tries to pounce, he consistently rolls into a ball with his spikes protruding. The point of the story is the hedgehog has a simple plan and he wins every time. The underlying message of the hedgehog concept is to align your strengths with your passions and what drives you economically. As I reflect on the key terms from our definition of corporate communication and the Hedgehog concept, they are not solely meant for a corporation as a whole, but for each individual that breathes the life into a corporation as well.                                               -Jocelyn Beam-Walson

    Corporate Communication has certainly taught me a great deal over the course of this semester.  I have expanded my knowledge on all of the things Jocelyn touched on above, but I think the most important concept I am walking away from the class with comes from a book we read called Good to Great, by Jim Collins.  In the book, Collins talks about getting the right people “on the bus”.  This essentially means that if you want to succeed, you need to surround yourself with people that also want to succeed and who are driven and motivated to do so.  Although I’ve been doing group projects for most of my college career, this thought never occurred to me.  Obviously I never intentionally agreed to work with bad group members, it just seemed to happen.  After reading about the importance of getting the right people on the bus and the bad ones off, no matter what.  From now on I will always remember this concept and make sure that I get on the right bus with the right people!                                                                                                                                                         -Eliza Wadson

    Corporate Communication has given me a surprising amount of information and provided me with helpful experiences as well. I found the content of Good to Great very insightful. I was surprised by the attributes that forge the path to greatness. Rather than there being a miraculous transition or advances in technology, greatness is obtained through a collection of factors that synergistically interact, specifically having the right solidarity between indomitable perseverance, winning people, and valuing actual results over flashy appearances. The information gathered from this textbook helped me to view successful companies in a different light. This course also gave me some good experience with group work. I have had some unpleasant experiences with groups in the past; however, this semester I have been part of a group that displays efficiency, a desire to get things done, and putting forth equal effort in completing objectives. Corporate Communication has taught me new facts and ideas and I feel these will be useful in my future career aspirations.                              -Sean O’Connell

    This class was set up unlike any other class I have taken at UNCW.  It was structured to mimic a real work environment by allowing us as students to formulate class discussions.  Each class, we took topics from the reading and generated them into issues that were relevant to us.  When we presented our midterm papers, we arranged the class like a boardroom and fostered a conversation on our findings, rather than standing up in front of the class and lecturing.  Another helpful tool that we used in this class was the blog.  Having something that we are responsible for that reaches a large audience is empowering as students.  It also made us a part of the current transition in corporate communication towards social networking. This skill will prove useful to us in our future careers.  Overall, this class gave me a new perspective on corporate communication and what it means to work in the industry.  It made me excited to enter the work force and start putting these skills I have learned to action.                                                                                                                  -Sarah McIntosh

  • Corporate Communication: Then and Now

    Corporate Communication began in the early 1900’s during the time the United States was mass producing and consuming products.  Today, we have a market that is based more on supply and demand, not solely in bulk amounts.  Communication practitioners have had to alter the way their discipline is managed.  As far back as the start of the 1900’s, practitioners in the field of public relations, marketing and publicists were employed by corporations.  A lot of these jobs entailed playing the “gullible” card in order for the corporation to manipulate the public.

    In the 1930’s “writers, publicists and advertising agents were needed on a more continuous basis” rather than temporary jobs.  Shortly thereafter, marketing and public relations became two distinct professions.  For decades, these two were looked at differently.  During the 1980’s, they began to be looked at together again under the same umbrella due to so many similarities

    The world of corporate communication has changed over the course of the past century, and will continue to change.  With the field of technology advancing by the hour, this will drastically change the role of marketing and public relations practitioners.  The growing popularity of smart phones, twitter, blogs, etc. will continue to rise and connect people and the field of communication must also continue to keep the pace with these advances.

    Breanna Alexander

    Lauren Dehart

    Lauren Smith

    Kelly Wiley