IMC Hawks Blog

Category: Social Media

  • American Idol Contestants Delete Social Media Accounts

    Without any sort of explanation, American Idol has banned their 24 finalists from using social media (Mashable).  Finalists are no longer able to have their own personal Twitter, Facebook, or Myspace accounts.  Instead, they have consolidated their sites into one AI9Contestants username across all social networking.

    Recently, each of the 24 finalists sent out a message to their followers saying “Thanks so much for following me!  All my updates from now on will be on our Official AI9 Twitter page, please follow me there @AI9Contestants.”  The same sort of message was sent out across the other social networking sites.

    Speculation from The Wall Street Journal and USA Today say AI motives were to create more equality with the voting process.  Finalists’ use of social media sites may reveal early favorites, expose secretes and or influence America’s voting.

    Social media outlets could be used by finalists to increase popularity with fans and thus increase their votes to win the competition which may not be fair.  However, this shift may actually hinder contestants from developing a connection with their fan base which AI’s popularity relies on .It seems this change by American Idol is focusing on the fairness of the competition without embracing the positive influence social media has on the business side of the industry.

    Even though Idol’s efforts are designed to maintain the equality and secrecy of the show’s outcome, they cannot stop society’s use of social media to discuss the contestants and opinions of the show.

    -Taylor Diehl

  • The World of Twitter Welcomes Conan

    Not even a former evening talk show host can resist the glowing temptation of twitter.  After a recent controversy surrounding talk show hosts Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno, which resulted in the expulsion of O’Brien from appearing on the air, he decided to retain viewers elsewhere. On February 24, 2010, @ConanOBrien posted his first tweet stating: “Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to commercial. Somebody help me.” Within a half hour of his first tweet, he had up to 15,000 followers.

     Upon deciding what to do with his new source of popularity, O’Brien announced that he would be following one new person every week. He would essentially be retweeting and commenting on the chosen followers’ posts. His first choice was 19 year bride-to-be, Sarah Killen, who he was drawn to because of her love for peanut butter and gummy dinosaurs. After being followed by O’Brien for one week, Killen’s life was flipped upside down. She gained 20,000 followers and is having her dream wedding planned for free, not to mention her all expenses paid honeymoon.  And how will the couple repay him? By asking him to be best man in the wedding, of course!

    As Conan continues to utilize social media as a tool to withhold his popularity and maintain support, he is also continuing to use social capital by building community strength. Sarah is just one individual who has received the benefits of marketing herself via twitter, however, thanks to O’Brien, she is using her new fame to help raise money for breast cancer awareness. So, until Conan is allowed back on the air, the only information he needs his followers to understand is this: “I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account.”

    Stephanie Saulsbury

  • Google AdWords

    Our favorite search engine Google has put on a competition for AdWords.  Most likely when you go to search something on the Internet you are going to go to the search engine Google, right? The fast and simple webpage seems to be most accurate and effective for what we are looking for. Imagine how many people search using Google, and imagine how much response you would get if your ad for your business were to show up on Google?

    To sum this up simply, Google AdWords is putting on a global competition for anyone to create their own ads to stick up on Google. Each team chooses a business to focus on and to create an ad for. Each team must have permission from the business in which they choose. For our case, we have recently been involved in a renaming project within our Professional Education branch for Communication Studies at UNCW. Using the information we gather from our pre-competition strategy paper and from our company we create AdWords that we believe encompass the purpose of the company and we place those into Google AdWords. Whoever receives the most response from their business AdWords wins the competition.

    Many things are important to do this job effectively. We had to learn much of the brand personality that our company is trying to portray to their public. Our challenge will be choosing words that work as a summary for the business, but also choosing appealing words that people will choose to search on Google. Our professor is challenging us to not only simulate real job projects, but placing us into situations where our group is team that relies on each other to “get the job done”. We are gaining true knowledge in what it is like to be within the IMC job market.

    Alissa Lockwood

  • IMC… Why does is matter?

    Now that our class has been blogging about various aspects of IMC and social media for several weeks, we would like to take a step back and tell you a little bit about who we are and why we are here. Our class, like we’ve mentioned before, is Advanced Integrated Marketing Communications at UNCW. The idea of IMC is to integrate all marketing, public relations, advertising, promotional, community relations, event planning and more within an organization. The purpose of combining the different aspects of an organization’s efforts is to formulate a single strategic message that is delivered to each public, specifically focusing on the customer.

    Our class has also spent a considerable amount of time discussing the concept of social capital. As explained in Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone, social capital is a good produced by communities that are socially and civically engaged. It is a good that he argues has been declining in recent years, blaming a variety of distractions that keep people from truly engaging each other. Putnam believes, “The touchstone of social capital is the principle of generalized reciprocity.” Basically, social capital depends on the level of trust among members of a community and the number of good deeds done without the expectation of anything in return, except the basic understanding that it will come back to them.

    So, how does this blog relate to IMC and social capital? The purpose of this blog is to discuss the different aspects of IMC that we see every day through advertising, social media, promotions and more. The blog is run by a class of 15 juniors and seniors with certain guidelines set forth by our amazing professor, Dr. Jeanne Persuit. We have to communicate daily to meet these guidelines, and we have to trust each other to follow through and not let the others down.

    There you have it – a blog that is both furthering the study and exploration of IMC while also fostering social capital.

    -Nicole Doherty

  • Tired of Bowling Alone?

    Have you ever felt like you were bowling alone? Don’t worry, this isn’t a how-to article on making friends in a bowling league…it’s a brief look at Robert Putnam’s book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Putnam, a professor of public policy at Harvard University, claims Americans are experiencing a decline in reciprocity. Through mounds and mounds of empirical evidence (yes, charts and graphs!), Putnam identifies what he believes are reasons for the decline and offers his opinion on how we can improve our social capital in the future.

    First off, it is relatively hard to understand this book if you don’t know what social capital is. Now, I know when you all read this, you’re going to have an “aha” moment and realize you actually encounter social capital everyday. The term has gone through numerous phases and definition, but Putnam defines social capital as “connections among individuals—social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them” (Pg. 19). Putnam’s main argument in the book is that America has experienced a decline in reciprocity.

    I would definitely recommend this book to others, because I do think Putnam presents an interesting argument that is stimulating. I believe Putnam’s work needs to be updated and re-evaluated for the current age, considering this book was released in 2000.  Many could, and do argue that we are simply engaged in social capital in new ways, which is actually a question Putnam poses in his work.

    Social capital plays an interesting role in the study of IMC. We can maximize positive social capital through IMC, and yes, there is negative social capital. With the recent focus on social networking in the marketing world, a whole new bowling alley has opened up for social capital. We have shifted from a mass media public to a more specialized media, and IMC plays a large role in identifying target audiences, and building social capital through these networks. Perhaps we must refer back to the question, are we engaged in social capital in new ways? Putnam emphasizes that the Internet has contributed to the decline in social capital, but many feel their social networks have grown because of these platforms.

    We have referenced Putnam many times in our blog, and I encourage you to read back on the previous subjects discussed. His overall argument is generally convincing and resonates with many people. It is certainly a thought provoking read and makes you think about your own personal social capital and reciprocity.

    Some of our other blog posts that discuss social capital:

    Integrating Social Capital, The Court, and Beyond

    Is “Doing For” a Form of Social Capital After All?

    – Rachel Kaylor

  • Jay-Z Joins the NJ Nets on the Court of Social Media

    The New Jersey Nets have had a questionable relationship with Twitter, recalling a scenario not too long ago when their teammate, Terrence Williams, tweeted out how he regretted being drafted to the Nets. With this in the past, it appears the Nets are attempting to rekindle their relationship with the social media giant. They are now attempting to use its features a little more…constructively.

    The Nets are deemed by many sports fans as “historically bad” at basketball with a record of 5-51. Thus, they are attempting to liven up their fan base and keep the support on the court. In an article on February 23, 2010, the Nets unleashed their newest marketing effort to try and increase their wobbly attendance. They have announced a contest for fans to win tickets to Jay-Z’s concert on March 6th.  In order to be a “fan” and enter the contest, an individual must become a fan of the team on Facebook or must follow them on Twitter.

    Once a fan on Facebook, fill out a form before March 1st to be entered into the drawing. As a follower on Twitter, tweet the message “Hey @NetsBasketball I want to win two tickets to the Jay-Z concert at the Izod Center on March 6th. More info: http://bit.ly/jayznets.”

    It is clear the Nets are attempting to build a stronger social network to not only increase attendance but also foster an identity for the future. They are attempting to connect better with their fan base and build a lasting brand. With part owner Jay-Z on their side, this strategy might actually work. Let’s just hope Terrence Williams does not tweet out that he’d rather have Lady Gaga tickets…

    Rachel Kaylor

  • Athletes Better Watch Out

    We’ve all heard the advice, “Be careful with what you post on ________.” Just fill in the blank with your favorite social media. That is certainly the advice given to collegiate athletes about their Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts. Before the social media craze hit, many colleges and universities had no idea what social networking was until there was some incident being broadcasted by the news about some damaging pictures or comments that were posted on the internet. This according to a recent article on ESPN: The Life.

    How could schools counter this? What could administrators do to prevent such online scandals? Kevin Long had the answer. Long, founder of MVP Sports Media Training, came up with the website UDiligence.com. This site is the only automated service that helps collegiate athletic departments protect against damaging exposure. For a fee ($1,250 a year for 50 athletes or less and $5000 a year for 500-750 athletes), schools are provided with a monitoring system for student athletes’ Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace accounts. Schools type in keywords into the program that they would not like to see on their athletes’ social networking sites. If these buzz words are used, then administrators will be alerted via e-mail. Then, a detailed account of the instance is added to a spreadsheet log.

    This service is definitely a great program for universities to use. Instead of hearing of damaging instances through the news or on blogs, they are able to prevent and handle such issues before they make it to the press. Long believes his service is both a tool of protection and education. According to Long, “UDiligence.com is about protecting brand, image and reputation. And it’s about education and responsible social networking.”

    Ryan Corazzo, author of the article, notes that colleges aren’t the only users buying into Long’s services. NFL teams are also looking into the monitoring system. With UDiligence.com teams have the ability to gather information about potential draft picks. For years now, concerns of character issues have been raised after teams draft certain troublesome players. Problem players like Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones and Deltha O’Neal could have been better assesed if teams possessed a service like Long’s.

    Whether you are an athlete or not, maintaining your social networks is important. Your friends and followers aren’t the only people looking in on your posts or pictures. Potential employers and graduate schools google your name to get a glimpse of who you are. So take the advice, watch what you put up online.

    – Jesse Bazemore