Looking for something new and exciting in your life? The Fuzzy Peach is a self-serve frozen yogurt bar that allows their customers to be as creative as they’d like. Located in Racine Commons, and in three other sections of Wilmington, The Fuzzy Peach offers eight different flavors of frozen yogurt each day. Also available are rows full of toppings including fresh fruit and candy to make each yogurt creation unique. The Fuzzy Peach is a healthy alternative to dessert, but still satisfies the sweet tooth that we all have. Customers pay by the ounce, so they’re in control. Add on ten toppings, or maybe just one, but in the end the customers will have exactly what they’ve been wanting. Rocco Quaranto, Wells Struble and Jason Nista graduated from the Cameron School of Business from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2008. The trio met their freshman year in the dorms and ran track together. They graduated and continued on to peruse employment in the corporate field, but it didn’t take long before they were bored with their jobs and wanted something new and fresh. The young entrepreneurs came back to Wilmington, NC two years after graduation and decided to start their own business named The Fuzzy Peach. They got the idea of a frozen yogurt dessert bar from California and thought it would be a business that would be successful in the Wilmington market. Needless to say they found a niche and have struck gold in the Wilmington area. Did these young entrepreneurs place their yogurt shop in Wilmington by chance, or was it a strategic planned marketing move? Their knowledge of the Wilmington area and their locations for their stores leads us to believe it was a strategic move on their part. Their placement of the first Fuzzy Peach store is conveniently located close to UNCW, and their probable target audience is college students. Through word of mouth and advertising, this location became a popular spot for college students in Wilmington craving frozen yogurt. Once that location became a hit, they opened up their second location in downtown Wilmington. This location offers free frozen yogurt to a different company downtown and their employees on certain Fridays advertised by the store. This second store’s target audience is businesses and professionals working in the downtown Wilmington area. However, they are also still open late for young students wandering downtown. Their Monkey Junction location is their third, and attracts people from the surrounding areas much like their newest location in Porter’s Neck. A Fuzzy Peach yogurt store will be coming soon to Carolina Beach, which will further expand their target market. Each location offers specials, such as T-Shirt Tuesday where customers wearing a Fuzzy Peach shirt into the store will receive 10% off their frozen yogurt purchase. The future seems very bright for the three entrepreneurs who have brought a frozen yogurt empire to the Wilmington area. 
-Kelsey Bendig, Brooke Keller, Andrea Blanton, Brian Burch
Category: UNCW
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Surfing Your Way to Success
Entrepreneurs, as well as many other companies, rely on Integrated Marketing Communication to get the word of their business out to the public with multiple methods. A fellow UNCW Senior in the Communication Studies department, James Connolley, has been an entrepreneur using IMC to promote his business, JC Surf Camp. James has been teaching people of all ages how to surf for 8 years and has been an entrepreneur, owning JC Surf Camp for 6 years. His decision to start his own surf camp business started with a conversation with his high school bible study leader. James has a love for surfing, kids, and Jesus and decided the best way to combine all the things he loves into his surf camp. He likes to share his message through his surf camp by the quality and professionalism in his every day work.
When the surf camp started in 2006, the only way James was communicating with his publics was by posting fliers in the storefront of a local surf shop. His business quickly started to grow and in 2007, James decided he wanted to market his business to a broader audience. He paid someone to build his own website and just recently added new content and features. James uses many other ways to communicate to his public by using mass emails, direct mailing, brochures, website, and social media. The best marketing overall with JC Surf Camp is word of mouth advertising and partnerships with other local camps in Wilmington. More recently, James was able to advertise his business through the local news station WECT.
Link to WECT Live bit on JC Surf Camp
The JC Surf Camp team considers surfing one of the greatest blessings in life and goes to great lengths to ensure others see it the same way. Each instructor at JC Surf Camp has gone through an extensive SurfInstruct Training Program before becoming a surf instructor. This program was developed to ensure every instructor knows ocean safety, surf safety, CPR and First Aid certified, and knowledge of different teaching methods for all levels, such as, kids, teens, groups, or private lessons. Another way James and his team ensure safety is by providing UV protected rash guards and soft-top surfboards. Safety is very important to all the JC Surf Camp instructors to make sure they are providing a safe learning environment. James stated it perfectly when he said if people feel safe, they are able to have fun. This is one of the messages James tries to communicate to retain and maintain customers.
Many times entrepreneurs start from the ground up and have to take what they have and make the most of it. Since James is in the communication studies department at UNCW, he has been able to take the knowledge learned in communication classes and IMC classes and implement that in his business. James, as a student and entrepreneur, thinks of entrepreneurship as an adventure and has far exceeded what many entrepreneurs his age are capable of.
By: Laura Simmons, Dorothy Conley, Christina Stevenson, Mollie Berthold
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Why did you vote for THEM?
The strength of political party’s brand largely depends on knowledgeable voting consumers who understand what the brand has to offer. However, no matter what a person thinks about a particular party, everyone tends to come to an agreement that the strength of a brand can quickly collapse. If the party is viewed as divided or sending incompatible messages, their voter’s perception of the cohesiveness breaks down and credibility is lost. Although, if the party is perceived as being more “exciting” and innovative the voters are more likely to pardon their misdoings. According to Gareth Smith and Alan French, “as all political brands try to appear trustworthy and honest, transgressions pose a clear threat to political brand relationships.” They also stress that the overall brand must satisfy their needs when it comes to “the competitive nature of the political market, the credibility, attractiveness and personality of its leaders, and the party’s perceived salience and credibility in fulfilling its promises.”
A politician’s campaign for the Presidency is no different than a company marketing a product or service to a target audience. Just like in marketing, it’s important for politicians to conduct research and gain knowledge about what their target audience perceives to be important and credible. During the 2008 election, Brad VanAuken, author of Brand Aid, developed, conducted and analyzed a survey given to 100 people from 29 states on political branding strategies. He hoped to gain insight into the personality traits often associated with strong and powerful political brands. Through his research, he established two lists; the most desirable and the least desirable qualities for potential Presidential candidates. Two of the most desired qualities for a potential President include trustworthiness and intelligence. On the other hand, two of the least desired qualities include using fear to motivate and supporting companies over people. Political candidates should integrate these characteristics into their brand to appeal to their target audience.
With the upcoming elections, politicians can take this study into consideration when developing a campaign to promote their personal brand. It’s important to remember that consumers can make or break a political candidates’ chances of becoming our next President. Candidates should do whatever they can to connect to their audience. People feel more of a connection with a political brand if there is access to online interactions. Obama successfully created an online community to establish social networks to recruit and fund-raise among the local community. The Internet has become a means of relationships with its voters and will be of importance for the future political brands.“Political brands clearly face a challenging future with the only certainty being that old strategies such as the occasional re-branding and change of leader will be insufficient to address the core concerns that consumers have of them. As the world becomes more interrelated, nation states are increasingly unable to deliver on their promises to electors; electors who are increasingly aware of the brand’s attempt to influence them and less prepared to accept their right to do so.” –Gareth Smith and Alan French
-Kelsey Bendig, Andrea Blanton, Brooke Keller, Brian Burch
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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
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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
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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
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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
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