IMC Hawks Blog

Category: IMC

  • Who is the Award Really Going To?


    This year millions of people have and will tune in to watch various awards shows that honor and celebrate some of the biggest celebrities in the world. But why? Awards shows are nothing but a bunch of rich people talking about a bunch of very rich people while wearing clothes that cost more than the average viewer’s annual income. The reason these events are so interesting, aside from placing the whose who of entertainment in the same building, is that it offers us a chance to see the face behind the brand. We get to “catch” the actor out of character and see what the musician is like away from the studio. It’s the only time a year that most people get to see Will Smith interact with his family or see Pink step away from her emotionally charged music and have a relaxing night with her peers.

    If we wanted to see Brad Pitt act, we could run to the local Redbox and rent MoneyBall and if we wanted to hear Katy Perry sing we could get online and download her latest album (legally of course) but these shows are about so much more than that, these shows are about taking those brands that entertain us throughout the year and recognizing the face behind that brand.

    There can be that personal connection behind those who have many different faces in different roles of television shows, movies and more.  Even though the winners stand up behind the microphone and deliver a pre-rehearsed speech about how it was not possible without certain people, we still see them in their own skin.  There are no accents or lines, just them.  It’s almost a purity in that we can have those actors and actresses take off their many masks and be themselves for an evening.  That’s what seems to drive the excitement aside from them winning awards in the respective categories.

     

    – Julius Roberts, Leanna Marshall, Bryce Koonts, Leslie Tyler

  • Year of Adele

    The Annual Grammy Awards are one of the biggest nights in the music industry where artists are recognized for their exceptional achievements. Last week the Grammy awards ceremony celebrated its 54th anniversary at the Las Angeles Convention Center with host, LL Cool J. With live performances by Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, and Adele, America was eager for this year’s Grammy Awards. The 54th Grammys brought in 39.9 million viewers which was the second highest rating since the 1984 Grammys. America, along with the artists, held their breath with anticipation to hear the winners for the 78 awards.

    It’s hard to go even a day without hearing the name “Adele” in the music industry. She hit the music scene in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2010 that she seemed to gain fame overnight with her single “Rolling in the Deep.” The young British singer has encountered many obstacles in the past year, from canceling her tour to undergoing vocal surgery in late 2011.  “Adele underwent vocal cord microsurgery by Dr. Steven Zeitels to stop recurrent vocal cord hemorrhage (bleeding) from a benign polyp,” said a source at the hospital where her surgery took place.   She gave her first post-surgery performance at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards last week, and solidified that she’s still got it. Her worldwide fame reached new levels this year with an amazing 6 Grammy nominations; Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year, Best Short Form Music Video, and Best Pop Solo Performance. She won every category in which she was nominated and left the awards ceremony with her arms full of Grammys.

    At 23, Adele has more confidence than most females her age. She focuses on her passion for music instead of trying to look like the “ideal” celebrity.  She is happy with how she looks and is not pressured to be skinny like her competitors.  Despite criticisms of her weight rolling in from the media, Adele prides herself with being a role model for the average woman. Her fame and success prove that talent can overcome looks in today’s society.  “I’ve never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and I’m very proud of that.” –Adele

     

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

  • Let’s get Weird!

    So here we are in the middle of award shows. We just had the Grammys and now we are preparing for the Oscars. We know that some of the things we are going to see at these events are the designer gowns, crazy hairstyles, and death-defying shoes. We all know who most of the winners are going to be at these events: it will be the new and hip people on the scene, or possibly a singer/actor who has made a comeback in the industry. But what about the unsung heroes that are always there? Who are those people that are really good at what they do, but never seem to make it? One of the biggest unsung heroes is “Weird Al” Yankovic. He has been on the music scene since 1976 and has been making comedy music like “Bob”, “Born this way”, and “Amish Paradise”, just to name a few.

    He has been nominated for comedy awards 14 times, but only twice has he ever won. Even with only two wins, he just keeps on writing and performing his amazing parodies. This is what people should look for when choosing a brand. You want to research and look for a brand that has been around and survived throughout the years; brands that are secure and responsible. You can go out and try the newest brands, but because of their newness, they might not last. Then you have those brands that are trying to revamp themselves because they are on their last leg. Just like “Weird Al,” we all love those brands that have given us the best products and services for years and that we know we can rely on. This is something to keep in mind when you are looking at all the brands that will show up this year at the award shows.

    ~ Dorothy Conley, Laura Simmons, Christina Stevenson, Mollie Berthold

  • Getting Embedded With Awards Season

    When thinking of awards season, it is easy to get caught up in the sound of long-winded acceptance speeches or drenched by the happy tears of successful artists and advertisers. These 2012 award winners are not the only people making the most of their grand performances however, in fact if you listen hard enough you may hear the sound of Voices Heard Media celebrating their biggest business influx of the year. Voices Heard media is a leader in social communication that provides embeddable applications to websites that wish to drive additional traffic and establish online communities on their sites.

    Voices Heard Media’s biggest hit this time of the year is an application that allows customers to embed customizable and interactive polls in almost any web page. This is perfect for websites vying to capture the attention of Internet browsers who are dying to vote on the “worst acceptance speech” or “most likely to cry” in the 2012 awards season. No matter which social media page you embed them in, these interactive polls have been proven to not only exponentially increase the number of hits a site gets but also entice 50% of users to return again.

    By using their engagement engine to jump-start this years awards season, Voices Heard Media has managed to lure traffic from social media sites to their customers sites. Just like a blogger might use the Academy Awards to drive traffic to their blog, Voices Heard Media uses it to drive traffic to their customers websites and eventually back to their own site, preferably to the $99 purchasing page.

  • InstaBRAND

    As we all know, Facebook and Twitter have been a vital source to promoting brands around the world.  In our ever-growing technological society, consumers want more. They get bored with what has been around and search for new innovative ways to relate to the things or people they love.

    Instagram is a growing social media site that is primarily accessed through a smart phone.  It is the same concept as Twitter, but your “Twitter feed” consists only of pictures to show what you are doing.  You can “like” and comment on the users you follow, edit your images and upload to both your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

    Brands like Michael Kors and Victoria’s Secret use Instagram to give their customers a visual of what they are doing behind the scenes at fashion shows or in the office.  It provides the consumers with a face behind the brand name and sense of feeling involved with what is being created throughout the company without the 140 character limit.  It allows brands and their consumers to have instant interaction through the commenting feature as well as posting pictures as responses.  Not only can consumers learn about their favorite brands, but they can learn about how their brands are being worn or used.

    Even though Instagram has not expanded to lengths of other social media sites, it is growing rapidly among consumers and will soon grab the attention of more businesses around the world.   Companies can now have their customers help in promoting new products to their followers.  Customers are endorsing their favorite brands which can be looked at as free advertising, for the people, by the people.  Consumers like to be able to identify with a brand through images as opposed to 140 characters.  As the saying goes, “Images speak louder than words.”

    – Julius Roberts, Leanna Marshall, Leslie Tyler and Bryce Koonts

  • Challenge: Build Your #brand In 140 Characters

    Social media is a growing evolutionary electronic forum around the world.  Some argue that Twitter and other social media sites are becoming the journalism of the 21st century. There are numerous social media outlets which allow their users to instantly connect with thousands of online communities and share a limitless amount of information.  From celebrity Tweets to Facebook events, wall posts to Pinterest pins, people are staying connected in a variety of forms on the Internet.  Twitter, founded in 2006, has become one of the leading social media outlets allowing users to stay up to date with current events. From international businesses to famous celebrities, Twitter allows its users to feel connected to whomever they choose to follow.  Celebrities like @Kim_Kardashian, @Heidi_Klum, @Ryan_Seacrest, and @Snooki all use Twitter to enhance their #brand and attract followers.

    The use of social media sites is becoming one of the most dependable and fastest ways to sell and promote products. In just a few clicks marketers can have access to any target audience they desire. Twitter is an efficient way to connect people to ideas and enhance their #brand awareness. It also allows marketers to engage their audience in a manner where the consumers actually want to receive information. Twitter can also be used as a research method to learn what their target audiences are tweeting about and incorporate those ideas into their marketing strategies. Twitter can be used to build and enhance a personal #brand by making connections with their target audience and answering their questions and comments directly.

    With each tweet, celebrities are promoting and advertising themselves in 140 characters or less. Some celebrities control their own accounts while others are maintained by their PR agent. Using Twitter for publicity increases their popularity while establishing their #brand.  It also allows celebrities to establish more of a personal connection to their fans. Sometimes celebrities will re-tweet and reply to comments, questions or concerns that their fans send.  This gives them an understanding of what their fans like and dislike about their #brand. Twitter provides these celebrities an opportunity to prove that they are just like everyone else.

    @Kelsey_Bendig, @Brian_Burch, @Andrea_Blanton, @Brooke_Keller

  • Foursquare U

    Back before texting and tweeting, students on college campuses relied on announcement boards and gossip floating in the student center to find the popular hang out spots or know about the latest buzz. Today, news about and around campus is instant. Most major universities have embraced social media over the past decade and are using it to reach college students in a unique way. But how can universities gain access to real-time social trends on campus? Welcome to the new and evolving world of geosocial networks.
    Geosocial or “location-based” social networks are on the rise, with the forerunner being foursquare, a mobile app launched in 2009 that allows users to “check-in” to various locations and share where they are and what they are doing with their friends. Access to real-time location data from foursquare allows marketers and businesses to know what locations are “trending” as well as the demographics of users checking-in to their establishment. With the growing momentum of foursquare, universities are hopping onto the “check-in” train and recognizing foursquare on campus.
    Why should universities be interested in foursquare? For starters, foursquare currently has 15 million users and over 1.5 billion check-ins worldwide, with a growth rate of 3400% in 2010. Chances are that your business or venue is already on foursquare and users have probably checked in and maybe even left some tips. Information that users enter when creating a venue may be incorrect, but universities that claim their venues can add appropriate information to academic buildings to ensure the best overall experience for faculty, students, and guest.
    Universities are beginning to recognize the potential value of information gathered using geosocial networks. What does 4pm look like on campus? Is the library packed? Are students working out? Applications like foursquare can also attract visitors on campus by offering “check-in” deals (ex. 10% off a shirt when you check-in to the campus bookstore), creating a self guided mobile tour of academic venues, and leaving historic information or helpful tips for different locations.

    Most importantly, foursquare is free advertising (for now). Not only that, but it can be interactive and rewarding for users, perhaps by giving away free university gear for going to the library, attending a campus event, or staying healthy at the gym. The possibilities for university marketing are endless.

    By: Hunter Wilson, Josh Vester, Ashley Oliver, Molly Jacques