IMC Hawks Blog

Category: Wilmington NC

  • Feel the Teal

    Whether you attend UNCW, are a native of Wilmington, or you just know of the university, it is no secret that our school is near the beach.  Judging by some of the nicknames for UNCW: UNC Beach, UN Sea W, UNC by the Sea, it is clear that our geographical location plays a role in our school’s brand narrative.  This is exemplified through our mascot, Sammy the Seahawk, as well as our school colors.

    Believe it or not, the color teal was not picked just because we think it’s pretty (although it’s a plus), neither were the gold and navy blue that help to round out the vibrant color palate.  UNCW’s school colors were chosen to represent the surrounding area that helps define our institution’s brand.  The color teal was chosen to represent the Atlantic Ocean, the dark blue represents the deep ocean, and the gold symbolizes the sand.

    This association with the beach has created a community of teal throughout the university.  Everywhere you turn on campus you are inundated with the color teal.  Teal has become synonymous with UNCW and its brand.  We even turned the color into an adjective with a 2009 campaign for the athletic department that asked, “Are you tealin’ it?”  One popular t-shirt worn by students says, “Feel my Teal”.  We have Teal Tuesdays where students wear the color to show school spirit.  This creates a feeling of unity on campus and gives students a way to express their love for UNCW.


    While the university’s close proximity to the beach has some influence on creating its brand narrative, there is more to the school than just that.  For those of us who attend UNCW, we know that going to class does not mean sunbathing, surfing, and collecting seashells.  UNCW has a strong focus on academics and that is it’s main priority.  We are well known for our excellent marine biology program as well as our professional school of business.  We also aim to be environmentally friendly and do our part to support the community.  There are many things that make UNCW the school that it is.  Our proximity to the ocean and our love of the color teal are just a few of those things that bring us together as a university.

    Eliza Wadson, Jocelyn Walson, Sarah McIntosh, Sean O’Connell

  • UNCW on Forbes Top 20

    As a university, UNCW must make a conscious effort to promote itself through advertising in order to continue to appeal to and reach perspective students. They also must network with other businesses and other universities to help expand and further their opportunities as a university. For instance, UNCW partners with many local and regional businesses during “Connect 2010” which is put on by the Communications department. The event allows students to meet perspective employers and for employers to connect with the freshest talent in the job market. Similarly, the Cameron School of Business hosts “Business Week” to promote the business school and help connect their students and other businesses. Also, international corporate communication is evident through UNCW’s partnership with foreign universities in order to place and entice students to travel and study abroad. With these types of corporate communication, UNCW is able to market and advertise the university.

    When corporate communication is successful, the university’s image is enhanced. For example, UNCW just received its highest regional ranking to date. It has been listed among the top 5 public master’s institutions in the South for the upcoming 2011 year. Out of 118 public and private universities in the south, UNCW ranks 13th for undergraduate and master’s level programs. UNCW is ranked at number 5 in the region, which puts it among the 68 colleges and universities nationally that U.S. News identified as making the most promising and innovative changes. It is estimated that in 2014 the student body at UNCW will have an average SAT score of 1170 and an estimated average high school GPA of 3.8. These studies can be found at U.S. News & World Report rankings can be viewed online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

    Similarly, because of UNCW’s successful corporate communication practices, top names such as Forbes Magazine ranked UNCW among the top 20 “Best Buy” universities in the nation. This ranking places UNCW in the magazine’s top 20 among all colleges and universities in the U.S. for providing a high quality education at the lowest cost to students. Corporate communication not only helps gets the message out about all aspects of the university to local communities, but it also plays a big role in why UNCW is recognized by such impressive organizations, namely Forbes and U.S. News.

    Breanna Alexander
    Lauren Dehart
    Lauren Smith
    Kelly Wiley

  • UNCW Student Organizations’ Communication Efforts on Campus

    There are over 300 student organizations on UNCW’s Campus. A huge challenge these organizations face is getting the word out about their group. Luckily the Campus Activities and Involvement Center (CAIC) is there to assist their marketing efforts. For promotional items each group is provided with fifty buttons, five posters, fifty balloons, and fifty flyers per semester. CAIC also offers unlimited amounts of chalk for groups to write on the campus’ sidewalks and also unlimited cans of spray paint for groups to paint the two spirit rocks on campus.

    Another effective form of advertising provided by CAIC is the University’s banner poles. There are fifteen of these banner poles located outdoors and five located indoors. Organizations may submit twin sized sheets that they have painted and CAIC will hang them throughout campus. These promotional items allow organizations to share their message with the student body free of cost. In addition the office also offers involvement specialists to assist organizations around the clock.

    Alongside all of these promotional opportunities that CAIC offers there are also a variety of media outlets on campus that organizations can use to promote events. Teal TV is a broadcast news show hosted by UNCW students. The Seahawk is a campus wide newspaper written by UNCW students. Roomers is a newspaper written by Housing and Residence Life that is distributed throughout on-campus living facilities. There is also a monthly newsletter created just for student organizations. All of these are excellent sources for organizations to communicate with the rest of campus.

    By utilizing all of these resources provided by UNCW, student organizations can strategically market and advertise their groups.

    For more information about Campus Activities and Involvement Center, click here

    -Meghan French and Gracie Anderson

  • Corporate Communication for Pomegranate Books

    Corporate Communication.  The term sounds easy enough to understand, right? So, what is it exactly?  We compiled the following working definition:  “Corporate communication is the Building and maintaining of a corporation’s brand and reputation by consistently and persuasively communicating its narrative and identity through the integration of symbols.”  (It’s not perfect, but it’s someplace for us to start.)

    You may be thinking to yourself, “Great, this blog has provided us with yet another definition of corporate communication.”  Rather than beating a dead horse with a definition stick, we decided to focus more on the importance of the individual components of corporate communication and how they all work together to build and maintain a corporation’s brand and reputation.

    Corporate communication isn’t just a stand-alone subject.  It is composed of many facets: the brand, its reputation, its identity, its narrative, and how symbols play into the creation and maintenance of all of these.  To help gain a better understanding of corporate communication in the real world, we decided to look to a company here in Wilmington that displays many of the aspects of corporate communication.  The company we chose is a local, independent bookstore known as Pomegranate Books.

    We analyzed the methods that Pomegranate Books uses to build its brand and create relationships with its customers.  Let’s first look at the brand Pomegranate has created for itself as an independent bookstore that accommodates local writers and literary groups.  Their identity is rooted in the fact that they are smaller than the chain bookstores, while boasting to be the largest independent bookstore in Wilmington.   Their size allows them to better communicate with and cater to their local clientele.  They do this through good old-fashioned word of mouth, as well as social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs.  On their facebook page, they consistently ask their followers what they are reading at the moment. This promotes a dialogue with their customers, which helps reinforce their narrative.  By combining social media, word of mouth, and press releases, they keep their reputation and identity consistent.

    Pomegranate Book’s reputation is that of a “small, but well-curated” bookstore that caters to the community.  They communicate their reputation through their products and practices. Their narrative is based on their heavy involvement in the community.  The shop’s friendly staff supports businesses, charities, book clubs and events such as featuring local authors and holding book signings.  This helps to reinforce their local identity and reputation.

    Pomegranate Books uses the logo of none other than a pomegranate to symbolize their company.  Much like the fruit of its namesake, Pomegranate Books has many seeds at its center. Through Pomegranate Book’s corporate communication, these seeds can sprout into helpful contributions to the community and create a positive environment.  Our group feels that this quaint little bookstore offers a true example of corporate communication at work.

    -Sean, Eliza, Jocelyn, Sarah

  • Stuck in the Middle

    Here it is almost May and stores are packed with graduation gifts and decorations.  All the talk around school is about grad school, jobs, and graduation parties.  As much as I want to be a part of this, I am not.  Not because of grades, but because of credit hours.  You see, I will graduate in July.  I’m getting my four year degree in two and a half years.  This is a huge accomplishment for me.  However, I feel like I am at a disadvantage.  When I’m all done the only things I get from UNCW is a diploma, a goodbye, and an invitation to come walk at the December commencement ceremony.  This isn’t fair.  I worked just as hard as the May and December graduates.  Everyone who finishes in the summer deserves some recognition!

    After writing this I feel like I sound bitter, but I’m not!  I have received a great education.  UNCW, specifically the Communication Department, has given me the skills I need to excel in life.  I’m thankful for the opportunities I have taken advantage of such as studying abroad in Italy and Greece, planning the 10th Anniversary Party for Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, and last but not least, learning how to do all of the public relations and marketing for the George on the River Walk!

    When I leave Wilmington and UNCW I will be sad that a chapter of my life is ending, but I will be excited to see what the future has in store for me.

    Thank you to UNCW and the Communication Department for all you’ve done!

    Danielle Murray

  • What is Communication Studies??

    “What is Communication Studies?” is the question I asked my best friend, Lindsey, when I first moved to UNCW as a transfer, mathematics major in the fall of 2007.  Like some other unaware individuals, I assumed the discipline dealt with mere public speaking and presentations.  Lindsey, a graduating senior in the COM Dept, didn’t verbalize her interpretation of COM Studies; instead she showed me the beginnings of her COM 490 portfolio.  As she flipped through her artifacts that highlighted her successes in the department, she was so excited to tell me just what COM Studies was to her and what her department did.  With her enthusiasm and zeal in demonstrating her COM history, I began to question my craze for my then major of math.

    Several weeks later I was out running errands with Lindsey when we realized we lost track of time, and she needed to be in class in ten minutes.  Somehow Linds convinced me to go to class with her, and now looking back I have no idea how she did because who really does this??  Running into Randall Library Auditorium, I found myself halfway embarrassed, but trying to go with the flow sitting in on Tammy Bulger’s Interpersonal Communication class.  She opened with a quiz and then began to lecture about romantic relationships and the dynamism that occurs within various contexts and associations.  I can remember thinking to myself, “People really study this junk?!”  After the fifty minutes ended, I was fascinated by Tammy’s lecture and envious of Lindsey’s ability to call herself a COM major.  I know you’re wondering why I am telling you all of this, but this particular day changed my college career and life forever.  Lindsey influenced me to pursue communication further the next semester by enrolling in COM 105, the introductory course to the major, and COM 220, Interpersonal Communication, with none other than Tammy Bulger.

    Tammy’s glory doesn’t stop with the above reference.  As a converted Pre-COM major, Tammy was my advisor and knew I was interested in Public Relations.  As we all know, you cannot enroll in PR at UNCW until after meeting the prereqs to be a full COM major.  She suggested taking a new course to the department, Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC).  Without having a clue what that was, I agreed because she said it related to PR.  So in the fall of 2008 I remember sitting in on the first day of then Mrs. Persuit’s IMC class, still wondering what in the world I got myself into.   The whole semester involved her persuasion of my class to realize IMC wasn’t a foreign or absurd idea, but it truly connected to all of us and our society ubiquitously.  By the end of the semester, her hard work paid off because I became an advocate for the sub-discipline.

    After completing Intro to IMC, Dr. Persuit asked me to participate in a DIS with her to explore the IMC world further.  Over the course of next year, I researched, planned, promoted and executed an event titled the IMC Workout in the fall of 2009 provided to student organizations who wanted to learn more about marketing strategies to enhance their organization in various areas.  In addition to the event, Dr. Persuit asked me to present a project from my intro class in the fall of 2008 at the Carolina’s Communication Association Conference.  Toward the end of last semester, I was also asked to present my IMC Workout experience at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium.  All of these memorable experiences expanded my appreciation for the field and ignited a passion for IMC.

    Looking back on my time at UNCW in the Department of Communication Studies, I ask myself again, “What is Communication Studies?”  I don’t have my portfolio to show you on this blog, however Tammy might croak as we did do an electronic version in 490, but I can tell you this:  Communication Studies is more than an academic discipline and public speaking; it is all around us, all the time; it is ever-changing research with newfound and old discoveries waiting to be explored; it is the means to the rest of the world’s intricacies; it is a love of mine that no math problem ever gave.

    My experience at UNCW is priceless and something I will treasure for a long time.  Because of the opportunities given to me in the department, I am certain that this field is one that I want to stay in forever.  I have been inspired by so many of our professors that I want to seek higher education and return to academia.  I am proud to say that my aspirations are on their way of coming true.  I will be graduating on May 8th as a Seahawk, and I will be leaving for Milwaukee, WI, in August to be a Golden Eagle at Marquette University to pursue a master’s degree in Communication.  I am even more proud to soon call myself an alumni of the Department of Communication Studies at UNCW, and hopefully one day I will answer other undergraduates wondering, “What is Communication Studies?”

    -Allyson Corbin

  • Impossible is Nothing

    I’ll always remember how I felt when I was about to graduate from highschool – excited, elated. I knew I was only a summer away from moving to the beach where I would be at UNC Wilmington for the next four years.

    Once I was here Wilmington soon became my community, UNCW became my home, and the people became my family. But I never expected the past four years to go by so fast. So now, with only weeks until graduation, and as I look back over my experiences, and forward to what comes next, I don’t know how I feel. There is a crazy mix of emotions. I’m excited  for the next step in my life, but sad to close the door on this chapter. I’m confident in my abilities and skills, but terrified of no longer having a safety net to catch me if I fall.

    It didn’t take me long to fall in love with UNCW, and especially the Wilmington community. The idea of staying in Wilmington after graduation was always something that I dreamed about. At the same time, I was always warned to not get my hopes up about that because there just aren’t that many jobs in the communication field in this town. But, there is something to be said about working hard, not giving up and never settling for anything other than what you really want. I am happy to say that I will be staying in Wilmington after graduation with a job in public relations.

    -Nicole Doherty