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  • Branders on Sanders

    With the presidential election only a little over a year away, American eyes have been turning more and more towards the political sphere. This time around we’ve seen some interesting characters pop up. Clinton, Trump, Christie, and another younger Bush are among a few of the names that are being represented in the media. One candidate, however, has worked his way up from the bottom in with what is the definition of a grassroots campaign. Bernie Sanders is an Independent from Vermont who identifies himself as a democratic socialist. Though he is an Independent, he is primarily associated with the Democratic party and mainly takes part in debates with the Democratic party. So what differentiates this man from the rest of the candidates? The biggest thing is his aggressive branding of his campaign, which has both pros and cons for the eager Senator.

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    As far as pros go, Sanders appeals to a very specific audience and his campaign managers have been using that. Sanders is considered a radical due to his far left views on the economy, education, and other hot button current issues. Sanders, however, is someone who sticks to his views despite there being a general trend toward the moderate area of the spectrum from both political parties. There’s videos of him going back as far as his early days of running for Senator that show him making the same points he does now. As such, Sanders is careful to craft his campaign to appeal to those who identify with his platform: millenials. Young people tend to lean towards a more liberal view and are most inclined to agree with Sanders’ platform. As such, we see a great deal of Bernie on social media platforms such as Facebook Twitter and Reddit. Bernie engages his audience a great deal through these platforms, and it is thanks to these platforms that his popularity has really surged. Essentially, he is to the current presidential race what a viral video is to the Internet. This is where he thrives and his biggest strength is his ability to gather and pump up a crowd, both physically and digitally. He still trails in the polls to Clinton, but as he continues his campaign he continues to reinforce his messages with his opinions more issues like immigration reform, gun control, and police brutality.

    Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a rally demanding presidential action to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Sanders will run to Hillary Clinton's left, trying to elevate economic issues.

    At the same time, however, Bernie’s message is very static. Bernie has a very specific set of ideas he believes in that he will stick to no matter what the backlash is. This can be counted among his the cons of his brand because when we look at communication through the lens of design we see that there is a necessity for flexibility and openness. Sanders is known for his fiery debate style and his stubbornness on the issues. While this is certainly good for his credibility, he takes a hit to the kind of people he can appeal to. His inflexibility causes him to be trapped in his audience, and while millenials are certainly a very large and very important group to appeal to, he will have a rough time in the polls unless he can branch out. Another con is the very nature of his radicalness. The truth of the matter is that Americans tend to lean toward a more moderate candidate for president unless there is some sort of major draw otherwise. Furthermore, with Obama facing major criticism over his terms, many Americans may not be willing to go even further left on the political spectrum.

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    Bernie is one of the most unique candidates in this upcoming year’s race. He appeals to a group of people who are fed up with the way that the government is run and the money is distributed in the country. He knows his audience and uses the most appropriate means possible to connect with them and excite them. However, he has trouble reaching out to those who aren’t already in his target audience. Sanders stands to either become a major competitor for the Democratic nomination or fall from the spotlight within these next few months, depending on how he goes about garnering more support. If you’d like to know more about his position, check out his Twitter and Facebook page or if you’re a Reddit user, his dedicated subreddit.

    -Griffin Weidele, Austin Moody, Luci Keefer, Allen Wooten, Scott Uraro

  • Trick-or-Treatster

    Halloween can sometimes be repetitive. Costumes and decorations change but the act of trick-or-treating has stayed the same. However, one company is trying to change how people collect candy on Halloween. This company decided to not only change the process of buying costumes and decorations, but to be innovators of the holiday.Screen Shot 2015-10-29 at 10.41.54 PM

    Target created an interactive youtube video that allows viewers to virtually tour a haunted house decorated by products available at their stores. The six-part video series, dubted “The House on Hollow Hill,” targets Halloween enthusiast or those looking to throw a Halloween party. Kristi Argyilan, senior VP-media, guest engagement and measurement, says these particular people are very busy, so Target allows the viewers to buy the products in the videos. They offer a 10 percent discount to anyone who watches all of the videos — a real treat for Halloween lovers. Target is not only changing how to shop for Halloween but how to trick-or-treat. They did this by creating a website and cohesive smartphone application that allows trick-or-treaters to locate the best houses to visit. The mobile site, titled “Treatster,” relies on crowdsourcing to “upvote” registered houses. UserGuide

    Using the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Target is introducing an innovation hoping to connect groups of people to reach a common goal. They do this through the channel of a virtual reality series and a mobile platform for consumers. Target is using these mediums as a communication channel to capture eventual repeat customers by offer a unique experience that consumers will remember and an incentive to buy their products. This is a new avenue of marketing they are exploring in hopes that it will catch on and create a culture for their brand.ABV-Treatster-Header

    Do you think Target will have success changing this aspect of Halloween? Why?

    Know of any good houses to trick-or-treat? Tag them!

    – Nick, Melanie, Mary & Patrick

  • Burger King’s Spooky Whopper

     Name three common fast-food restaurants in five seconds…. Go! Hopefully you came up with something along the lines of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King. Since their creation, the trio have been constantly fighting for brand loyalty. In an effort to attract new consumers, each found ways of making their product unique. Recently, Burger King released the Halloween Whopper, a normal Whopper with a black, A.1 flavored bun.

    If you haveScreen shot 2015-10-28 at 9.54.51 PM Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or really any social media outlet, you probably experienced Burger King’s presence on social media. Before the launch of the Halloween Whopper, Burger King teased their consumers with a promo video featuring thunder, lightning, and a lunar eclipse with a black bun burger placed front and center – stating “Something Wicked is Coming” on Twitter.


    As the Halloween Whopper was announced publicly, Burger King released this press release: “Burger King Restaurants Unveil the A.1 Halloween Whopper Sandwich with A.1 Flavor Baked into the Black Bun.” stating this whopper was inspired by Japan’s specialized burger. They followed up by saying “    We tailored the flavor of the black bun to the American palate with A.1. sauce, a flavor this country loves, and we’re delivering it in a way that’s never been done before by baking it into the bun. It may look Japanese but it tastes like America.” The hashtags of #HalloweenWhopper and #SomethingWickedIsComing filled Twitter and other mainstream social media outlets because of the non-traditional appearance.

    Screen shot 2015-10-29 at 11.01.47 AMPeople who were daring enough to try it- are daring enough to share the results with the Internet. Twitter comments are consistent in complaining of a green stool (which admittedly sounds very unpleasant). This green situation might make you wonder, “What people are willing to try without pausing to consider what’s going into their bodies?” Burger King hasn’t publicly released the ingredients or replied to the negative comments. Burger King seems to be choosing silence as their strategy in this crisis, but Charmin has taken a clever chance to chime in. Comments such as “whatever the color of your buns, we’ll keep them clean”, posting a link to the Buzzfeed article on the green poo crisis. Negative or positive press, Burger King is taking over social media, 29,000 tweets in a single week. 

    America’s detachment from our food has reached crisis level proportions. We don’t know what the ingredients in our food are, where they come from, who grows and or genetically modifies them. And it’s not without its consequences; as a nation, we are morbidly obese and chronically unhealthy. This way of living is becoming very expensive. Health care for weight-related issues puts a huge strain on the health-care system. 

    Burgers turning our poo green is a light-hearted example, but shines light on the heart of the issue. We honestly have no idea what’s in our food, or how it affects our health, and we really don’t seem to care. This example reaches the point that a halloween themed hamburger is turning poop green and people think it’s hilarious. The food we eat literally affects all the cells of our body. This concept of detachment is what Marx calls commodity fetishism. When a culture forgets, ignores, or is otherwise separated from the source of a commodity (in this instance where food comes from), the culture becomes wasteful and overuses, almost always at the disadvantage of those who create the given commodity, and in this case ourselves as well.

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    We implore anyone reading this to once a week, once a month even, get together with friends and family and cook a meal from scratch. Be grateful for every ingredient.

    Have you tried the #HalloweenWhopper yet? Let us know your thoughts on this controversial burger.

    -Jonathan Callahan, Erin Fouhy, Julia George, Joseph Hines, and Sarah Suggs

  • Halloween or ‘Howl’oween?

    As Halloween approaches, children and adults have been preparing for the holiday by buying costumes, decorations, and candies. Halloween is known as a night for children to walk around dressed up and get candy. However, recently the holiday has expanded to include all family members, even the pets

    This year, PetSmart has taken to Halloween just as much as other retailers, such as Walmart and Party City, usually do. The pet retailer advertises everything from pet costumes and collars to Halloween themed treats and toys. They also offer Halloween events such as in-store trick-or-treating, pet photo contests, and even Halloween “pet camp” for those that don’t want to leave their pets at home that night.

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    https://www.petsmart.com/

    The home page for PetSmart’s website features everything a pet owner could need for their pet to be a part of the Halloween festivities. While the majority of their advertising is for their own products, the site also advertises at home do-it-yourself recipes and costume ideas. This form of advertising says to consumers that the retailer truly cares about the pets and wants them to be just as much a part of the holidays, therefore making pet owners trust their brand more.

    The communication design that PetSmart implements makes pet owners believe they need these Halloween items just as much as any other pet necessity. The company is making consumers buy into their narrative and purchase costumes for their pets. PetSmart holds a brand image that presents itself as a company for everything pet related. The company is seen as a go-to for food, toys, training, grooming, and in some stores, even veterinary services. By offering pet supplies and events for the holidays, even Halloween, PetSmart solidifies its image as still being the one-stop-shop for pet owners.
    One of the main aims of Integrated Marketing Communication is to affect behavior and not just attitudes. PetSmart has turned a once silly idea of dressing your family pet up for Halloween into a business opportunity to make a larger profit. The creation of not just products, but events too, draws customers in so that they feel they have a reason to buy character costumes for their pets and Halloween themed toys. For most pet owners, their animals are members of the family, and should be included in family fun. PetSmart allows that to happen with their holiday apparel and pet-oriented events.

    The pet Halloween industry has grown significantly to the point that CNN even offers the top 5 dog costumes of 2015 in their recent online article about Halloween Fast Facts, which can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/us/halloween-fast-facts/  The top five costumes were as followed: pumpkin, hot dog, Batman, devil, and a bumblebee. Of those five, PetSmart offered every single one, some with multiple options, even for different sexes of dogs. Is it a coincidence that PetSmart sells the top five costumes? Probably not.

  • Scaring Up An Audience

    Halloween is a lucrative season. In 2013 the holiday generated around $7 billion in revenue. Most of this get split up between costumes, candy, and festivities, including haunted attractions. Haunted houses bring in over $300 million every year, and it’s no surprise that such a profitable market would invest in integrated marketing communication efforts.In order for haunted houses to stay competitive every year they have to push themselves to darker and scarier extremes, Blackout: Hell at the Armory is a prime example. “I personally found this to be one of Blackouts best shows…It is a relentless bombardment of images, notions, experiences, sounds, lights and sensations that is designed precisely to have a lasting effect on your psyche. Not a haunted house, but a haunting one (HorrorBuzz.com).” With a customer base that desensitizes themselves more every season, marketing efforts needs to be enticing without giving away the big scare.

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    Haunted Houses represent a niche segment of consumer goods yet are successful in generating a respectable amount of hype for being such a  specialized product. Haunted houses must keep up with products that are relevant year round, even when their product only appeals for less than two months to audiences whom acknowledge the Pagan tradition. Experienced haunted house brands and experts who have thrived in the industry have confirmed strategies that work to showcase haunted houses, taking advantage of the entertainment, and community gathering aspect of the industry. We have compiled a list of those tips that stood out as most effective.

    Tips for marketing a haunted house:

    1. Free stuff! People love free stuff and it is a fast way to grab the public’s attention because their is no risk involved. Stickers, buttons, t-shirts with the haunted house advertised on them are just a few ideas!
    2. Local advertising through as many mediums as possible, whether that be radio ads or local television promotions. This encourages the community to unite to support a local business rather than traveling hours to pay for one that has no ties to the community.
    3. Paper advertising can also be an effective way to promote your haunted house. Come up with a logo, a print ad or brochure to market yourself and hand it out everywhere you go. Become a walking advertisement for your haunted house.
    4. Save a tree and start a blog. Social media is an effective way to reach a large audience.Take charge of these opportunities! Make a youtube channel, a Twitter which constantly teases the attractions highlights, and facebook facebook facebook. Facebook in particular has proved especially useful for promoting haunted houses through creating event pages and inviting friends which leads to a domino effect of community hype.
    5. Attention to year round marketing! The attraction may be once a year but that doesn’t mean the marketing gets to go into hibernation along with the house itself. Make sure to keep your audience’s attention year round by asking for them to subscribe to emails or social media updates that  build anticipation for the upcoming haunted house. This can also be done by updating the website and social media with monthly clues for new themes or mini contests that reward participants with discounted entry!

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    What are your Halloween plans? Feel free to check out the Museum of the Bizarre located in the heart of Downtown Wilmington. It is open all year round and offers a similar atmosphere to a Ripley’s Believe It or Not according to tripadvisor.com. Pick any spooky night in October to see the store transform into the Museum of Nightmares. Filled with special effects and actors, you will be sure to get your money’s worth for 20 dollars to visit this local attraction! Visit their Facebook page: Museum of Bizarre to find out more information!

    By Aki Suzuki, Carrie Poniewaz, Carey Shetterley, Lexie Trimnal, June Wilkinson

  • Spooky Scary… Roller Coasters?

    If you grew up in the Carolinas, chances are at some point you’ve been to Carowinds, our adrenaline filled pride and joy. For those of you who are unaquainted, Carowinds is an amusement park situated right on the border of the twin Carolinas off of Interstate 77. The park is in service starting March of each year. It closes in November, but not before it’s biggest event of the year: SCarowinds.

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    SCarowinds is Carowinds’s annual Halloween event that was first introduced in 2000. The park is redecorated and showcased as a spooky Halloween adventure. Major traffic areas are repurposed as “scare zones” and several new mazes and attractions are opened with creepy undertones and scares waiting around every corner. Carowinds hires people every year as designated performers to both man spooky attractions and wander around the park scaring guests. SCarowinds is more than just a pretty remodel though. Every year, SCarowinds makes up some of the highest ticket sales and attendance numbers for the park, so much so that they are able to split sales between the daytime park and the SCarowinds event and charge admission for both. For a consumer, this can get expensive very quickly, especially when factoring in parking.

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    So what is the draw of SCarowinds then? Why does it draw in so many people, even moreso than the regular daytime park? A big part of this is audience engagement. According to S. Alyssa Groom an organization can maintain its relevance , “by first recognizing how this moment of engagement and interactivity changes everything.” SCarowinds is an interactive event consistent with Halloween’s brand. As ghoul’s and goblins roam the park, the screams of fear are also screams of approval.

    Carowinds is a big draw during the summer, when everyone is off of school and work. However, during the later months, specifically after August, attendance numbers start to drop dramatically due to the removal of a large portion of their target market due to school. However Carowinds still has to make money, so shutting down the park for that time is not possible. Instead, Carowinds stops operating during the week, since their visitor counts would be so low, and moves to a more efficient method of opening for weekends with their SCarowinds facelift. Carowinds cashes in on this with their annual event by building on the hype and mystery of Halloween.

    Scarowinds 2015

    “Second, the pervasiveness of “engagement” as a way of life elevates the centrality of communication to human experience.” By allowing people to be involved rather than just be spectators SCrowinds has become so pervasive it is accepted as a Halloween tradition by many. In its 15th year SCrowinds continues to be an interesting example of a brand shifting their image to better fit the seasonal craze. In a way, it’s similar to pumpkin spice and peppermint in that it plays off of our preconceived notions of holidays. When explaining how SCarowinds became so successful, it really boils down to two concepts: targeted marketing and a unified message.

    “And third, marketing can no longer do it alone.” Carowinds focuses on penetrating the seasonal market during September and October and takes advantage of the craze around Halloween, using it to boost their numbers. Halloween is an incredibly popular holiday among younger children and older students, so Carowinds focusing on engaging the kids which in turn brings parents along. Carowinds unifies its advertising to show the SCarowinds event almost exclusively because then they can market both the park and the event at the same time.Furthermore, kids offer the unique advantage of instant viral marketing. By establishing themselves firmly in kid’s idea of Halloween, Carowinds gets the advantage of becoming the “cool” thing to do around school. While this isn’t a direct effort by Carowinds, it contributes greatly to their brand image and the sales of tickets.The parks ability to effectively communicate its ideas internally and externally allows for successful IMC throughout the event.

    Carowinds’ also engages their audience through their social media accounts. Their Facebook, Twitter, and blog attracts millions of people from the Carolina’s and surrounding areas to this frightful event. These social media outlets allow attendees to share their experiences and give newcomers an idea of what awaits, taking word of mouth marketing viral.

    So really, SCarowinds is just a big audience-centered advertisement for Carowinds. Carowinds knows that fads are powerful when it comes to advertising and caters to exactly what their audience wants to see in the best season to be spooky. By utilizing the engagement approach and cashing in on the seasonal craze, Carowinds firmly cements themselves as a part of Carolinian Halloween tradition.

  • Authentic in Oktober

    With the turn of every fall season comes the anticipation of annual festivals, where locals can share in company, good food, and seasonal drinks. Arguably one of the most anticipated festivals every year is Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest was first held in Munich, Germany in the early 1800’s to celebrate the marriage of Louis I of Bavaria and Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The royal family invited all the citizens of Munich to join in the festivities that have since been called Oktoberfest. Now every year there are hundreds of Oktoberfests nationwide, with one of the more popular ones in Cincinnati, Ohio

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    Because Oktoberfest is so popularized in modern society, it is hard to figure out whether it still holds true to its German heritage, as it claims to. The meaning and purpose of the festival has been hidden behind all of  the craft beer and turkey legs and, ultimately, commodified. However, as explained in Andrew Potter’s The Authenticity Hoax, there is a distinction between something being “genuinely authentic” and “fake authentic.” Potter says that to be genuinely authentic, one must recognize itself as a replica (or in our case, a festival based on another festival) whereas the fake authentic becomes something new, in its own right, without any resemblance to the old.

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    Oktoberfests are examples of the genuine authentic in our culture. The festivals do not claim themselves as the true Oktoberfest, but a replica of the festival and celebration held in Munich every year.

    Knowing what you now know about the original Oktoberfest, would you argue Zincinnati’s Oktoberfest, and other festivalss like this, is genuine authentic or not?

    – Nick, Melanie, Mary & Patrick