Blog

These are the five panelists that will be having a discussion at 2 PM next Friday at COM Studies Day. Our first panelist of the afternoon is Nolan Ether. Nolan is the Director of Marketing at Audio Advice. Nolan said the advice he would have given himself as an undergraduate would be “to be more active in the extra-curricular career development opportunities. Once college is over, you spend your days reminiscing about it.” Nolan, hopefully your advice will stick with some undergraduates now.

Our next panelist is Kathleen King. Kathleen is the Director of Operations & Guest Services at The Children’s Museum of Wilmington. What Kathleen liked about Com studies is that even if you no idea what you want to do, with all the opportunities the department offers, you can really do anything. Kathleen is speaking the truth, there are so many different classes you can take within the major, so make sure you check out all of your options if you are unsure what you want to do after graduation.

Our third panelist is Kelsey Raskob. Kelsey is the owner of Kelsey Raskob Marketing and Designs. When Kelsey was at UNCW, she focused on Public Relations and Advertising. She took Advanced Advertising as well as IMC I and II with Dr. Persuit as well as Public Relations I and II with professor Chin. Kelsey transferred from three different schools but said she didn’t seem to fit with their programs as well as the Com department here.

The next panelist is Koyah Rivera. Koyah is an Adjunct Professor of English at NC A&T University, as well as a Ph.D. Candidate in Leadership Studies at NC A&T University, Koyah loves that even after almost 20 years she can still email or call her COM professors and still receives the guidance, support, and advice she received as a student at UNCW. That is very comforting that the professors in the department are caring for any of their former students.

The last panelist in the afternoon is Kirk Robertson. Kirk is a Sales Associate at Carolina Gunrunners as well as the Music Director and Worship Coordinator at Soul Church. When Kirk was at UNCW, he mostly focused on the performance side of Com Studies taking classes with Dr. Scott and Professor Trimble. What Kirk misses most about UNCW are the professors. In his experience, they take the time and effort to influence students.

Well, that is all of the panelists that we have for the afternoon, please enjoy this cute animal gif and remember to #beCOMinspired.

Today we are going to give a little background on the panelists that are speaking at 10 AM. Our first panelist is Kaitlyn Christian. She is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Master of Public Administration Candidate at UNCW in the Department of Public and International Affairs. Kaitlyn said “I did not intend on becoming a COM major. I was taking COM 105 to fulfill a requirement for a minor, but in the process, I realized that the COM department is where I need to be.” It is the most unexpected classes that bring you the most joy, it is great that Kaitlyn was inspired by COM 105 to switch into the major. #beCOMeinspired

Our next panelist for the morning discussion is Bradley Cotton. He is a Portfolio Manager at Ultimate Property Management and a Realtor/Broker at Keller Williams Realty. Bradley focused on television production and on-camera performance in his days here at UNCW. The thing he misses most about being a COM student is he “misses the challenge of being under the gun to perform, memorizing lines, and essentially producing a televised product.” Bradley, we are glad that you are able to be with us on our wonderful panel this year.

Our third panelist is Andrew Knoble. He is the Creative Director at N2 Publishing. We asked Andrew what he would do if he could go back to Communication Studies program. He said he “would take advantages of the extra opportunities for growth and involvement within the program.” So remember that fellow COM students, next time an opportunity comes up, take it because you may be missing out on the experience of a lifetime.

Our fourth panelist is Jill Capadanno. She is the Fundraising Coordinator at Forward Financing. Jill transferred to UNCW as a junior and was very sad that she could not take more of the classes that the COM department had to offer. TV was her passion at the time and she took a heavier course load on the media classes that the department offers. In the end, Negotiation and Capstone ended up being her most memorable classes. Well, Jill, it took you a little longer to get to UNCW but we are sure glad you came.

And last but not least, our final panelist is Brandon Noel. Brandon is an Entrepreneur. In his experience with the COM department, he said that “you won’t really know, or appreciate how good your education was until after it’s done. I remember being in my corporate job and assigned communication projects that entailed junior year course level work, and I was far ahead of some of my peers.” Learn from Brandon, appreciate your education that all the great teachers in the department are giving you.

Well, that is all the panelists for the morning session. I hope everyone partakes in COM Studies day that is taking place next Friday so don’t forget! Now here is a picture of some puppies.

Number 1. Dress for Success– If you know that you are going to be networking you should always dress professional. A good idea would be to check ahead of time to see if the event is business casual or business professional and dress accordingly.

Number 2. Have Your Elevator Pitch Ready to Recite– It is important that you practice it before you go out and start giving it to every person you meet because it may need some fine tuning. Once you memorize it, you need to make sure that you practice to your friends, family, or even dog (or if you are one of those people who prefers cats) so it doesn’t have the same inflection of someone reading it out loud.

Number 3. Be Confident– Employers are looking for confident young men and women to hire and that could very well be you. Maybe you have talked to some people at the event and it does not seem to be going well for you. Don’t let that get you down because it only takes one person to like you and ask you to come in for an interview. Now don’t get overconfident and think that every single person in the room wants to hire you, because that most likely isn’t the case. The worst thing that can happen is that they don’t hire you, so keep trying.

Number 4. Have a Resume Ready– Now this one doesn’t apply every time you are networking, but if you know that you are going to be networking beforehand, it is always good to have a few resumes ready nearby to hand out if need be. Another good thing to have is a Linked In account. That way you can have you past work experiences with you at all times in case you don’t have a resume ready to hand to an employer you meet at an event.

Number 5. Be Classy– These are a few things to keep in mind when you are actually at the event. First of all, if there is a bar, no more than one drink. Assuming that you are of age, this is not Red Dogs at 1 am, this is an event where you are trying to make connections that can get you employed, not the beach bars. Next thing you need to remember is to hold all drinks in your left hand. It does not matter what your dominant hand is, you shake hands with your right hand and no one wants to touch a cold, wet hand. Last thing is don’t be rude. You will be talking to a lot of people and you don’t want to give them the impression that you are rude. Well really you should never be rude, but especially at an event like this. Give them a positive memory of you and you will have a job in no time.

Who is ready for COM STUDIES DAY?!!!?! Well if you are, here are a few tips to navigate the event. First and foremost, it is on Friday, March 24^th. There are ten panelists that will have a discussion about their careers in the field at 10 AM. But don’t you worry, because if you miss it or have class during that time, they are having another discussion at 2 PM. After each discussion, there will be a 1 hour networking session that you will be able to walk around and talk to the panelists and maybe some other students that are looking to go into the same field that you are. Also during the day, there is a COM Studies Day Fashion Show that highlights appropriate attire to wear to either interviews or even jobs once you get one. The fashion show will have all different types of outfits ranging from business casual to business professional. During the fashion show, there will be a skit that was recorded by some COM studies majors that highlights the importance of networking and interviewing for jobs.

Now you are probably thinking that this is fantastic and all, but what are some other reasons that I should go to COM Studies Day? Well, it is great to go to because if you are unsure of what you would like to do when you graduate, the panelists that come to talk are from all different aspects of the major. Listening to what their job is like could help you figure out what you would like to do. It could also make you realize that you like some other concentration that you have never been involved in. This is also an event for everyone, you do not have to be an upperclassmen and you don’t even have to be in the major to attend. So stop by Leutze Hall next Friday and be ready to beCOMe inspired!

If you go to any popular spring break destination city such as Miami, FL, Panama City Beach, FL, or even Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, you will probably encounter some sort of company trying to get you to purchase their products.

Companies for years have spent money and time targeting college students. In an article by The New York Times titled: “Marketers Follow the Flock to Spring Break,” it states: Marketing to students on spring break used to be simple: a company would set up a stand on the beach, hand out product samples and let the message spread itself. But now, spring break has become a stage for increasingly expensive and sophisticated advertising campaigns.” This is because companies are now moving to a more interactive advertising campaigns  to get students to hear about and use their products.

These campaigns include throwing parties, sponsors of popular events, and ensuring that their products are on every social media platform during spring break. Through the years, companies have learned that by associating good memories with their product, people are more likely to use their products.

For example, in the article, it mentioned how brands like Axe are now hosting parties where they are giving out popular products such as: hair shampoo, deodorant, and perfume. This allows college students to create a positive and inviting memory of their product so when they have a choice between Axe and something else, they are more apt to choose Axe.
Brands have targeted college students during spring break because of their popular demographic, and they will continue to because of how much retribution comes from making students aware of each and every one of their products.

images provided by: studentuniverse , frat music  , and wikipedia 

—  Stephanie Spencer

Spring break is a time for relaxing, unwinding, and de-stressing after an increasingly hard second semester. College students all over flock to exotic locations like Miami, Daytona Beach, and Las Vegas, to spend their days drinking by the pool. With almost 1.5 billion college students checking in to destination resorts annually, it is no surprise that their arrival brings another type of presence: advertisers. Advertising to spring breakers is not new marketing, but a campaign that has flourished and adapted to the ever-changing young people.

Big companies like Coca-Cola and Axe will spend around $75 million dollars on advertising for spring break. Koozies, shot glasses, hats, Frisbee, and sunglasses are among many of the free giveaway items companies stamp with their logo then send off with the next young consumer. Free stuff has always been a sure way to leave a positive impression in a person’s mind. With the advance of technology came the advance of spring break advertising. With 92 percent of young people getting online every day, and 77% of those people using Snapchat every day, social media platforms have taken over with advertisements for spring break. Marketing for spring break requires out of the box thinking and creativity. It is aimed to implant a brand in that young college student’s mind, and then carry across to other consumers. While spring break advertising to college students is smart, companies may be missing out on a big opportunity by directing it all to that audience. In the last few years’ women ages 48-65 have been looking to escape the dreary winters for a sunny location of their own. Older women have been taking extended vacations in March, avoiding college destinations, and settling down in Europe for a week or two. Most women looking to take vacations at this time of year spend about $2,600, which is far more than the average broke college student. This new trend of vacationing has only grown in the past few years, which should encourage advertisers to expand their reach to all vacationers of this season. College students are younger and have greater influence through social media, but middle aged adults have deeper pockets. In every area of advertising the field has grown and adapted to changing conditions, it stays on top of trends to reach the outer circles of consumers. Adults taking their own spring break is a new area for advertisers to explore and take advantage of. After all, a 48-year-old woman is a lot more likely to leave behind a tip instead of a broken lamp.

-Eva Mewborn