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  • The Port City Rainy Day Guide

     

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    Surprise! It’s raining in Wilmington, what else is new?

    It’s no secret that the Port City receives a significant amount of rainfall. However, now Spring has officially begun, and with it will come a greater chance of heavy downpour. Have no worries though, as there are always things to do in Wilmington despite the weather.

    Case in point, if you wish to combat the drizzly day with a fun pastime, then a trip to the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher might suffice. However, if aquariums aren’t your thing, then Jungle Rapids is a worthy mention because it houses multiple indoor activities. These activities consist of the arcade, laser tag, mini-bowling, rock climbing, and go-karts. At Jungle Rapids, there are endless possibilities and zero ways to get bored.

    For those who love some rainy-day shopping and dining, downtown is where to go. In the heart of the Port City resides popular retail centers like the Cotton Exchange and the Old Wilmington City Market. Both places boast a unique shopping atmosphere and are a sure way to keep busy amidst the rain.

    But if you happen to be a history nerd, Wilmington is quite the historical gem. Aside from the USS North Carolina Battleship, there are plenty other landmarks and museums to visit. Some of these options include the likes of Poplar Grove Plantation, Bellamy Mansion Museum, Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, Museum of the Bizarre, Wilmington Railroad Museum, and the nationally-recognized Thalian Hall of Performing Arts. Each destination provides a memorable experience for everyone and serves as the perfect way to kick the rainy-day blues.

    Whether it’s a rainy Spring day, or merely a boring one, this guide is designed to help turn things around. Although these recommendations might not stack up to the beach, they’re definitely just as fun.

    Who needs the sunshine anyway, am I right?

    -Kristen Weiderman

  • Spring Cleaning, Kondo Style

    After Wilmington suffered a rainy fall and a chilly winter, we have finally reached spring. The first official day of spring was March 20th, 2019 and we “sprung forward” on March 10th, which means more daytime! Even though we technically lost an hour of sleep, we have more daylight to do much more than we could during the end of Daylight Savings Time. Since we have more opportunities to tackle responsibilities during the daytime, one chore that may seem daunting to some, but rewarding to others is spring cleaning.

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    Spring cleaning is the act of decluttering places that you use the most often; whether it be your house, car, office, or any other areas that need some tidying up. Tidying up doesn’t mean just cleaning your dirty bathroom or your smelly car. It could also be the act of putting away those heavy coats and other winter clothes and replacing those clothes with your spring wear! People who usually start spring cleaning, give up because there are too many areas to tackle or realize that there is always next year. However, one woman has made an impact on several lives that not only have organizational issues but can share with the world that tidying up may not be so daunting after all, Marie Kondo.

    If you binged watch any Netflix series, then you’ve possibly come across the popular Netflix series, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” In the hit series, Kondo is invited to step into the lives of people who suffer from organizational issues or have a difficult letting items go that give them “joy” even though the items may be a doorstop. Kondo explains her method to her clients and reassures to them that it’s more than just throwing out the things you no longer need; it’s about choosing joy.

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    So how exactly is the method broken down? The KonMari Method™ encourages that people should tidy by category, not location. Starting with clothes, then moving to books, papers, komono (known as miscellaneous items), and, lastly, sentimental items. To complete the KonMari Method™, Kondo explains her six basic rules of tidying:

    Rule #1: Commit yourself to tidying up.

    Rule #2: Image your ideal lifestyle.

    Rule #3: Finish discarding first.

    Rule #4: Tidy by category, not by location.

    Rule #5: Follow the right order.

    Rule #6: Ask yourself if it sparks joy.

    If the item doesn’t “spark joy,” to the client, Kondo asks them to thank them for the joy that they did give them, and then let it go the item that they wish to discard.

    Although the KonMari Method can’t organize certain aspects of your life, it can undoubtedly tackle those areas of your home that you’ve been procrastinating for the past year or so. Get started on your spring cleaning, Kondo style.

    -Kristian Worthy

  • More Light, Less Dark

    Happy first day of spring to all! You might recognize this day as the start of warmer weather (right as the free parking at Wrightsville Beach ends), or the homestretch of the semester. Officially known as the Spring Equinox, the first day of Spring means more than just the absence of winter. On the equinox, the length of day and night are both equal everywhere in the world. The equinox will occur at exactly 5:58 pm EDT.

    This year, a full Moon will occur on the night of the first day of spring, which is also referred to as the Full Worm Moon. On average, this only happens three times per century! It happened most recently in the year 2000. That’s not all! This full moon will also be a supermoon. This mean it will be slightly larger in size than the other full Moons.

    So, what does the equinox mean for us?

    We can expect more daylight hours, with dawns that begin earlier and sunsets that start later. Essentially, more time in the light and less time in the dark. The arrival of spring also improves the mood of those who suffer from seasonal depression. This is just one of the many positive health effects natural light can have on your life. Because the day is longer, you might just find yourself being more productive as well. They don’t call it “spring cleaning” for nothing! Dairy Queen is also offering a free vanilla soft serve ice cream cone to celebrate the start of spring!

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    If you get a chance tonight, grab a cone and check out the start-of-spring supermoon at 9:43 pm EDT. Spring Break might be over, but there is still plenty to be achieved this semester!

    To learn more about the full moon on the spring equinox, click here!

    – Brooke

  • Get Out, Get Moving

     

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    I’m going to start this post off with a little secret about me; I have yet to start on my New Year’s Resolutions. You know what? I bet you do too. If you’re on a roll and going strong, then that is awesome, I envy your self-discipline, you go Glen Co-Co! Now, I’m going to let you in on another secret about me; I’m a firm believer in all of the cliché phrases we know and love, or make fun of. One cliché I’ve been thinking about as we quickly approach the spring season is “it’s better late than never.” With that being said, I’m here to tell you how we can begin our New Year’s Resolutions in March.

    I’ve known it has been time to start exercising for some time now, but I finally got myself in gear this past weekend when the weather was perfect outside. I called my boyfriend, who has been trying to get me to be active with him for months, and I told him I wanted to play tennis. Within minutes we found ourselves at everyone’s favorite store, known as Target, spending about twenty-five dollars on a racket and tennis balls. About an hour later I found myself exhausted from just a few matches. My arm muscles were sore, I was sweating, and parched, but for some reason I didn’t feel miserable like some workouts seem to be. I’m not telling you this because I’m well on my way to be the next Serena Williams, but to open your eyes to an exhilarating activity. I haven’t played tennis in years, and now I’m excited, refreshed, and hooked.2014 Brisbane International - Day 7

    My resolution way back when was to make more health-conscious decisions, bettering my wellbeing. Referring to my previous statement, it’s better late than never! Tennis, golf, recreational basketball, yoga, hiking, gardening, photography, whatever else floats your boat, they’re all good for the soul, so I encourage you to check out all of the wonderful parks and recreational areas Wilmington has to offer this spring. 

    -Laiken McManigal

  • Spring Break Travel, Iceland, and Authentic Advertising

    Spring Break Travel, Iceland, and Authentic Advertising

    March begins the season of spring break for college students and faculty. It’s a necessary period to disconnect, reflect, and have some fun in the midst of midterms and difficult coursework, jobs, or internships.

    But just because we might be escaping our day-to-day lives for a week doesn’t mean we escape the myriad ways that advertising and integrated marketing communication impacts us and our decisions. One huge way IMC impacts us: how do we decide where to go?

    Travel agents, tourism bureaus, hotels, airlines, and other stakeholders create vibrant campaigns. Few have had to deal with a crisis as large as a volcanic eruption.

    Inspired by Iceland

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    Eyjafjallajökull erupting. Via adventures.is

    In 2010, Eyjafjallajökull (an Icelandic volcano) erupted and caused historic disruptions, including ash fall that shut down flights across Europe for almost a week.

    Tourism to Iceland fell by 30%. Inspired by Iceland was a campaign that involved the whole country. The president of the country at the time, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, stopped the entire country in its tracks (schools, workplaces and more) to ask for citizens to submit positive stories–which they did.

    The campaign chronicled its success in this video:

    The huge catalogue of positive Iceland experiences included celebrity testimonials. Webcams provided live footage of some of the most tourist-attracting natural wonders. The results of the campaign included more than £137 million in extra tourism revenue and more than 22 million stories shared.

    That last part is pretty amazing, because Iceland’s population is fewer than 350,000 people.

    The Brooklyn Brothers, the campaign’s creators, shared a case study on their website with more details.

    What Other Travel Experiences Can Take from Inspired By Iceland

    The award-winning campaign was effective because the agency running it knew its target audience: socially conscious millennials wary of traditional advertising ploys. The Brooklyn Brothers successfully gathered authenticity and storytelling.

    What would be more likely to get you to travel to a destination: a generic, high-production-value slideshow of landscapes with a peppy but robotic disembodied narrator telling you to Visit XYZ? Or a series of pictures of black sand beaches and a story from Olaf, a real Icelander, telling you about his afternoon on Iceland’s south coast? What is more authentic–a curated video or a live webcam broadcast?

    If you picked the second answer for any of those, you’re part of the target audience for Inspired by Iceland.

    Authenticity in marketing is now more important than ever, Business.com writes. That’s counterintuitive for some brands, which strive to carefully curate a perfect facade. Consumers’ desire for authenticity also makes it difficult for brands that lack a clear contribution to “the greater good”–without that corporate social responsibility, authenticity just means admitting that a brand wants a profit.

    The travel and tourism industry has always been about selling experiences, not goods. The next time you start googling destinations, consider what experiences you’re being sold–and whether they’re true-to-life or inauthentic ones.

    –Nikki Kroushl

  • What Do You Know About March Madness?

    What Do You Know About March Madness?

    The madness has begun, and it could not have happened at a better time! While on Spring Break this year, students can watch the postseason conference basketball games on their free time. Instead of watching them while in class, studying, or doing homework. March Madness has become a phenomenon that attracts many people to college basketball. However, there are still some who have no idea about the phenomenon and after reading this blog they will have some insight on it.

    First let’s begin by covering what March Madness is exactly. March Madness is a Division 1 men’s college basketball tournament where 68 schools are selected to play in the single elimination tournament. There are seven rounds and at the end one team is crowned the National Champion. Although March Madness technically refers to the NCAA tournament many people refer to the postseason conference tournaments as the beginning of March Madness, since they occur in March and are a pivotal time for schools hoping to receive an invitation into the NCAA tournament.

    You may wonder where did the term March Madness come from? According to the NCAA the term was first used to refer to basketball in 1939, by Henry V. Porter, an Illinois high school referee. The year 1939, is also coincidentally the year of the first NCAA tournament, but the term was not used for the tournament until 1982. During coverage of the 1982 tournament CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used the term and the term has stuck with the tournament ever since.

    Source: Brent Musburger

    Some readers may remember a couple of years ago when UNCW was in the tournament. But did you ever know why? There are 32 Division 1 conferences and one school from each conference wins an automatic invitation once they win their postseason conference tournament. A couple of years ago UNCW won the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) postseason conference tournament. For those who do not win their postseason tournament they can still earn an invitation from the selection committee. The selection committee decides based off the level of competition the school plays and notable wins and losses they have.

    Source: UNCW CAA

    The key part of the tournament is the bracket. Once the teams are selected, they are then placed in a bracket. Schools in smaller conferences are normally placed at lower seeds due to the level of competition they play throughout the regular season. Teams who were projected to be placed number 1 in the bracket could lose their spot if they lose in the postseason tournament. Recently, Gonzaga lost to Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament so it will be interesting to see where Gonzaga will be placed. According to USA Today Gonzaga’s lost could change the seeding for not only themselves but other schools as well. The seeding will be announced on March 17, 2019.

    Source: 2019 Bracket

    Now that you know about the postseason tournaments, seeding, and bracket you are now ready for March Madness!

  • March Madness or Marketing Madness?

    March Madness or Marketing Madness?

    It’s that time again! Where some might think of March and think spring time or St. Patrick’s Day, sports fans think March Madness. Marketers and sponsors, however, think “big bucks”.  During the 2017 season, each game received a total of an estimated 5.6 million viewers! According to Statista, March Madness is the most expensive basketball event for television advertisers. In 2017, television advertisers spent about $1,285m on March Madness, falling just less than $300m behind the average amount spent on the NFL’s Superbowl at $1,547m! This is a big chunk of cash, but March Madness advertisers and sponsors know exactly what they are doing, especially when regarding an increase in brand power through social media engagement.

    NCAA’s Corporate Sponsors in 2018

    Some of March Madness’s biggest corporate sponsors include Capital One (listed by NCAA as one of their corporate champions), Unilever, and Reece’s, all of which received a huge increase in social media engagement during the basketball event during the 2018 season. Social media engagement, in this case, includes likes, shares, mentions, comments, and follows across both Facebook and Twitter platforms. Sponsoring a large-scale sporting event = GENIUS MOVE!

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    Source: Forbes 

    NCAA’s Top Restaurant Sponsors in 2018

    Hats off to Wendy’s for leading their category with a whopping 30,749 social media engagements from March 11th-March 19th! The social affinity index “measures how much more likely people who are already engaging with the NCAA tournament on social media will mention a certain brand”. Wendy’s social affinity index more than doubled all others in the restaurant category! According to Forbes, users were 450 times more likely to mention Wendy’s than the average social media user in the month of March. Oh, the power basketball holds! Here is a peak at how March Madness’s top restaurant sponsors benefitted from their screen time in 2018:

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    Source: Forbes

    Who knows what’s to come during this 2019 March Madness season?! What we do know is that NCAA sponsors are buckling up and getting ready to see an increase in brand power. The best part about being a normal sport’s consumer like you and me? THE GAME!