IMC Hawks Blog

Category: IMC

  • Raise Your Brand to New Heights

      Gina Smith, like many students before her, set out on the collegiate path to a university degree 4 years ago. Whether she knew it or not, by the end of her journey she had created her very own brand. Many things contributed to Gina’s own brand, such as the Communication Studies classes she took, her internship in a PR office, or, more specifically, the student organizations or clubs in which she was involved during her college years. The real question out there is how did these organizations help to form Gina into the final product of alumni?

      The missions of many student organizations include several goals, each pertaining to the success of promoting their own brand through members like Gina. The tough part is how to obtain then keep those handy brand-promoting members, and further, how to promote their organization’s goals? We have the answer. IMC, of course!

      Tomorrow, a group of students from our Advanced IMC class will be addressing the themes of recruitment and retention of members, how social organizations can properly use media in order to reach both their members and the public, and finally, how to plan events for each organization in an hour-long information session called Raise Your Brand .

      We have invited representatives from each of UNCW’s student organizations in order to participate in this interactive information session in order to bring more awareness and action to each of their organizations. The final goal is to equip each organization’s representative with the knowledge and tools to be bigger and better on campus and in the community.

    ~Heather Cornman

  • For The Kids by The Students

    What kind of student-run fundraiser involves more than 15,000 students, goes on for more than 32 years, involves celebrity involvement, and raises over $69 million for its cause? Penn State University’s THON, of course. The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, raising an incredible amount of money for pediatric cancer patients every year. Not only do students show their dedication to the cause by working year-round to raise awareness, but they also have one of the most incredible student-run IMC plans I’ve ever seen.

    The THON Press page is as comprehensive as any professionally run fundraiser, with students assigned to state, local, and national media. There is a student-run THON Tumblr Blog, THON Facebook Profile, THON Twitter Account, and THON Facebook Fanpage, all to keep the public aware of THON related news year-round. Penn State students live tweet from the event and update their statuses regularly with the “FTK” (“For the Kids”) hash tag to keep their friends and family members informed. One notable THON supporter is none other than socialite Khloe Kardashian, who regularly blogs about the THON efforts and sends her support to the Penn State students.

    It’s obvious that the Penn State students are passionate about their cause and are channeling this passion into one of the most impressive student-run IMC campaigns out there.  Any student organization in the world could benefit from checking out the THON efforts and channeling them into their own student event.

    – Anna Kate Babnik, Carissa Niederkorn, Deji Adeleke, Tiffany Evans, & Katie Eagle

     

  • March Madness: The True Underdog Story

    Every NCAA Tournament kick starts spring and there is truly nothing like the opening days of tournament basketball. People have put all their time and effort into studying brackets for their office or friendly pool. As the tournament starts we all question whether a 16 seed will finally upset a number 1 seed. Yet again, this year it did not happen. No matter what happens there are always upsets, and this tournament was no different. After the upsets occur the “Cinderella Story” comparisons start to fly around. Marketers and advertisers beg to ask who will wear the glass slipper this year.

    For some reason our country loves the underdog story. We love to see Rocky make a courageous comeback and win the fight in the last round after getting beat the entire time. The NCAA Tournament has its fair share of underdog stories this year with Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, and Butler. Butler is the most ironic of the “Cinderella Stories” because they reached the NCAA Final last year and came narrowly close to beating National Champion Duke. So why do we love to see Butler as the underdog? Reporters continue to ask Butler Head Basketball Coach Brad Stevens about the Cinderella story and he simply responds with “the Cinderella story worked well for us last year so I love to hear it.” The problem is that we are much too quick to forget about Cinderella teams. Marketers and advertisers use these schools and teams to market their underdog story and then after the tournament we quickly forget about them. We don’t hear a word about the universities or their basketball teams until they become the underdog story then marketers pump money to inflate their story. The Butler Bulldogs were not talked about much this regular season yet they find themselves in the Sweet Sixteen again. No matter how successful they were last season Butler will continue to be branded as a Cinderella team because they are a small school that lacks a deep, rich basketball tradition. Teams like Kansas and North Carolina will never be mentioned as an underdog or a Cinderella no matter how much better the opposing team is. These branding techniques seem to always be used during March Madness.

    There is a special story for two of the three Cinderella teams previously named. If Richmond and VCU both win it will be the first time in NCAA Tournament history that two teams from the same city or town will have played each other. Let’s hope that both win so we can celebrate two great teams from Richmond making it to the Elite Eight. More importantly, we can cheer for our fellow Colonial Athletic Association partners the VCU Rams. I’m sure CBS and advertisers will hype up the battle of the underdogs and ask whether the glass slipper fits Richmond or VCU. At this point we might be getting ahead of ourselves, but we can all dream. Hey, it worked for Cinderella.

  • Basketball FREAK?!

    March Madness is a time of great success along with upsetting, shocking defeats.  The tournament lasts a month long that will determine the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship team.  So why did it take millions of viewers missing parts of games for decades before the networks realized we ALL want to watch ALL the games?  Well, 2011 is the year!! 

     One network, CBS, and three Turner cable channels, TBS, TNT and truTv will each individually broadcast different Division I Men’s Basketball matches from start to finish so that collectively they will show all the games. Not only are you able to watch one game, you are able to view the continuous scores of all the other games on the other networks from the top of your tv screen so you don’t miss a beat! Viewers now have the ability to flip between channels to the most exciting matches. This brings more coverage to the networks while broadening the audience of viewers.  Not everyone watches basketball, but during March Madness, many more do because of the upbeat competition of the tournament.  These four channels allow all the viewers to keep track of their bracket and join in on the fun!

    So far all channels collectively have done an excellent job of keeping fans up to date with coverage and news on the tournament before and after each game. A team of commentators led by Greg Gumbel have kept the conversation going for every match up. The partnership that CBS and Turner has created where the feel and look of each station’s broadcast, including the same graphics and commentators, has convincingly made viewers feel like they are watching the same tournament. As opposed to the tournament being broken down among four different stations with their individual interpretation of how it should look. This ideal broadcast is what March Madness fans have been craving for years.

    CBS has owned the rights to March Madness since 1982 and since all that time CBS controlled what games were shown. So in a bold move for making the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament available for all basketball freaks and bracket-fillers, CBS signed a 14 year deal with Time Warner’s Turner cable company for $10.8 billion to own the rights to the tournament. In doing so CBS and Turner have become each a customer-centric organization. They saw what the fans wanted and delivered. “It’s a better programming option for the viewer at home and the basketball fan,” said CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus. “More work on his or her part to find the game, but they get to decide what game they want to watch. In the past, I think we did a very good job of moving around, but it was our [CBS] decision.” Since CBS and Turner have become customer focused they see the importance for the NCAA tournament to be controlled by the viewers, and to allow the Madness of March to be experienced by the fans. 

    The next set of tournament games are this Thursday and Friday, March 24th and 25th, which showcase the remaining Sweet Sixteen. Check www.ncaa.com for a live bracket of the remaining teams and teams whose road to victory has ended.

    -Lauren DeHart & JC Salter

  • Spring Break for Adults?

    Spring break has become an iconic holiday celebrated around the world. In the US, Florida has developed into the prime destination for spring-breakers with its enticing warm weather and endless beaches.  Originally Fort Lauderdale took the lead in the number one spot for college kids beginning as early as the end of World War II. It began to gain further recognition with the 1960 film Where the Boys Are, in which college girls met boys while on spring break there, and so the tradition took off! Over the years, the American spring break tradition has spread to other parts of Florida and the country; however the holiday has remained constant in marketing to students, until now.

    The holiday is a time for students to get away from school, but could it also be a time for adults to get away from the everyday hustle and bustle of “9 to 5’s”? US Airways Magazine seems to think so! The infamous spring break has delved into the confines of the “real world.” While spring break remains successful at maintaining its unique brand, a new outlook on the vacation week has been introduced as seen on the cover of US Airways Magazine, Let’s Go.  The article, Spring Break for Adults, lures adults in with promises of rest, relaxation, and most of all, no students! The cover highlights High Point, North Carolina as “the small town with a big presence,” which can lead one to question just how far spring break marketers are willing to go to beguile adults into joining the fad.

    The article however quickly recovers from its puzzling choice in cover story, and goes on to list 12 most appealing locations for adults.  While offering quirky encouragement that college students will be out of sight, the article focuses on marketing luxury and mature fun. They even go so far as to include Fort Lauderdale as number 10 stating, “That’s right: Fort Lauderdale. This former spring-break favorite is all grown up and home to a W hotel. The chic oceanfront property hosts the city’s premier hot spot: the stylish, popular patio at the Whiskey Blue lounge.”

    Although the choice in scenic beaches and crystal clear water may draw the same attention from college students, the article offers alternative hot spots within those ideal vacation destinations. Number eleven, Riviera Maya explains, “Don’t worry: This isn’t Cancun. Serene Rosewood Mayakoba is 40 miles south of the frenzy, tucked between the ocean and the jungle.”  Through marketing, spring break has diverged into two completely different brands, both coexisting in IMC harmony.

    Check out other chosen destinations here!

    -Katie Eagle, Carissa Niederkorn, Deji Adeleke, Tiffany Evans, Anna Kate Babnik

  • The Mickey Mouse (Rehab) Club

    Miley Cyrus. Demi Lovato. Lindsay Lohan. What do these names have in common? They were all, at some point or another, cream of the tween crop for the Disney Corporation. But with Cyrus pole-dancing at concerts, Lovato going to rehab, and Lohan jumping between rehab and jail on a regular basis, the images of these celebrities hardly seem synonymous with a pair of Mickey Mouse ears.

    One of the key factors of IMC is the communication of one clear message to consumers through a variety of media channels. So, when Disney is trying to convince parents that they’re providing worthy role models for their daughters, but the tabloids are constantly covering the personal drama of the Disney stars, who do parents believe? At an initial glance, some might suggest that Disney should distance itself from the constant media mishaps of these tweens and move on to the “next big thing”. But when your company owns the rights to a teen star worth over $48 million (Cyrus’s estimated annual earnings according to the 2010 Forbes’ Celebrity 100), do you really want to let go of all that merchandising power?

    In the world of entertainment, making sure that one clear message is presented can be a tricky issue because the selling power often rests on the shoulders of a human being with free will instead of the reputation of a product. Especially with a company like Disney, who deals with celebrities that are often in the midst of teenage turmoil, controlling the talent is no easy task. But, as long as there are parents buying their little girls Hannah Montana wigs and Camp Rock backpacks, Disney’s marketing advantage seems to be doing just fine.

    Anna Kate Babnik, Tiffany Evans, Carissa Niederkorn, Deji Adeleke, & Katie Eagle

  • The Most Glamorous Night on Television

    The Academy Awards of 2011 were full of heartbreak, happiness, and the “F- word”.  The award ceremony is one of the most prestigious of the year. Oscars are passed out to actors and actresses, animators, directors, sound engineers, costume designers, and many other people from the film industry.

    The “Oscar” brand is respected in the acting and movie world.  . The décor in the Kodak Theater is extravagant and shines with gold. The background of the stage is glimmering with gold and richness. You can tell that the award ceremony is important because of the giant gold Oscar statues perched at the edges of the stage. Not only are the statues and decorations gold, but the Oscar trophy is gold. Gold is a color of royalty. The people winning these awards are royalty to their competition. After winning an Oscar, the recipient is always known and introduced as “Academy Award Winner”. Anne Hathaway and James Franco even joke about his mother possibly having to call him “Academy Award Winner James Franco”. These winners are the best of the best.

    The Academy voted on the winners of each category and there were twenty four awards received.  The Academy is professionals of the motion picture arts and sciences. There are 6,000 motion picture professionals that choose the winners of each category. Invitations are required to be on the academy. The Oscars is a black tie affair. People wear tuxedos and ball gowns. The brand of the Oscars is much more significant than the brand of something such as the MTV Movie Awards. This award ceremony is more casual than the Academy Awards. People dress nicely but the attire is less formal. Nominees have even worn sneakers with their suits.  The category winners are chosen by the movie viewers, by us.

    Oscar is double branded as both The Oscars and The Academy Awards.  There are multiple theories as to where the title of the Oscar award came from, but we do know this: Oscar is gold. Oscar is prestige. Oscar is class.

    -Allison Day, Jessica Berinson, Megan Canny, Melissa Gagliardi, Scott Burgess