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  • Pink-Trash: Raising Awareness From The Ground Up

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    wilmingtonbiz.com

    It’s an effective  grassroots campaign with a unique selling proposition…but it really starts in your garage. Pink-Trash is a locally owned recycling and trash collection service with a philanthropic edge to it. Founder and president of Pink-Trash Kelly Buffalino got the initiative to start up the company after noticing the unpredictable and varying monthly trash collection rates her husband paid to a national provider for his local business.  Taking things local Pink-Trash established itself in a partnership with Inman Septic in late 2011 and began servicing the Wilmington community’s residents, contractors and commercial businesses with a cost effective, flat rate and no fee trash and recycling service. But Pink-Trash is more than just an innovative color to line the streets on trash day. Through non-traditional marketing strategies the company’s pink trash can and ribbon brand image serve to represent and promote Breast Cancer Awareness and specifically North Carolina’s Pretty in Pink Foundation (PIPF).

    pink-trash.com
    pink-trash.com

    The Pretty in Pink Foundation was founded in May of 2004 by Dr. Lisa Tolnitch, a breast cancer surgeon, with the purpose to serve women in North Carolina. They aim to help those who do not have the funds to pay for their breast cancer treatment, often women without medical insurance.  Almost 20% of women living in North Carolina do not have any health insurance, and around 14% of those women are also living below the poverty line.  Through fundraising and sponsors, the goal of the Pretty in Pink Foundation is to ensure that North Carolina women have the treatment they need for their breast cancer, regardless of their funds.  Aside from donations, Pretty in Pink Foundation has a variety of fundraisers to invite the community to get involved.  Some of these include free exercise classes for women going through chemotherapy, fashion shows, 5k races, and a golf tournament, and of course their unique partnership with a local trash company.

    People may not intentionally go searching to get involved in the PIPF’s movement to support cancer survivors and patients, but the trash cans function as an undeniable reminder that the non-profit and its cause are a relevant presence in the community. The trashcans represent a source for the Pretty in Pink Foundation to be recalled as the dominant local breast cancer  awareness support system and at the very least to gain recognition in association to breast cancer awareness.  Beyond just promoting the PIPF through aesthetic recall and recognition methods, Pink-Trash also donates 1 percent of all its proceeds to the Pretty in Pink Foundation’s cause raising a whopping $502,000 in contributions for the PIPF in the year 2014.

    pink dumpster
    pink-trash.com

    Pink-Trash’s commitment to breast cancer awareness and the PIPF harnesses a grassroots business approach. As the name implies, a grassroots marketing campaign starts at the bottom and works its way up. Starting on a local level with a small dedicated group, a grassroots movement appears to spontaneously spring into action. Involving the community in raising awareness and funds also makes an organization and its initiative more accessible, and what is more accessible than a trash service. Having a pink trashcan isn’t a symbol of status rather a quiet call to action. While Pink-Trash’s grassroots campaign is increasing in size and support, they are also strengthening the communities they reach. Friends and neighbors can feel they are part of something bigger than themselves by simply taking out the trash. Although there are many recycling options Wilmington locals can choose from, Pink-Trash set itself apart from their competition with their unique selling proposition. They convey to consumers that recycling with Pink-Trash will help benefit Pretty In Pink Foundation’s vision is to eliminate financial barriers and to provide assistance/ resources to any breast cancer patient with financial needs for both treatment and surgery.

    The Pretty in Pink Foundation and Pink-Trash have created a mutually beneficial partnership knowing one organization will lead to awareness of the other. These local takes on waste and philanthropy combine to give back and service New Hanover County and surrounding areas proving that collaboration is at the core of any strong marketing plan. Who would have thought a trash company could do so much for a cancer foundation? Imagine the possibilities of unusual partnerships, and the effect it would have on marketing!

    What unusual marketing strategies are your favorite?  How effective do you think trashcans are as a promotion method for the Pretty in Pink Foundation?

    http://www.wect.com/story/16202490/think-pink-trash-collection-service-gives-back-to-breast-cancer-research

    https://www.prettyinpinkfoundation.org/index.aspx

    • Aki Suzuki, Alexis Trimnal, Carey Poniewaz, Carey Shetterley, and June Wilkinson

  • Making a Difference Off the Field

    October holds several different meanings for the members in our society. It represents the beginning of the fall season and the theatrical holiday Halloween. To a smaller group, it is about National Bullying Prevention Month, which was recognized by the United States since 2006. October also stands for a nationally recognized, very important cause that affects thousands of individuals every year: “Now, therefore, I, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2012 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” As individuals in our society are guided by various narratives and learn from different experiences, Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back and former Carolina Panther DeAngelo Williams finds a special importance in the month as he unfortunately lost his mother to breast cancer in May of 2014.

    In the book “Communication Theories for Everyday Life”, Walter Fisher, a contemporary theorist, speaks of how people are strongly influenced through storytelling: “Fisher believed that human beings are by nature tellers of stories… that the world was best understood as a series of stories that compete for our attention and adherence,” (Baldwin, Perry, & Moffitt). Individuals process and evaluate the persuasiveness of competing stories using narrative rationality, but the stories must also be popular or understood by the masses to have a full effect. About 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer during her life and about 40,290 women in the United States are expected to die in 2015 from breast cancer. However, our society didn’t quite stress the importance on the issue until recently and the actions that DeAngelo Williams has taken along with the NFL community have helped increase awareness immensely. Breast cancer is a part of his family’s story like many others, but he has used his stage as an NFL player to help take the initiative and his passion about raising awareness increases participation from other members of the NFL community and American society.

    The color pink is now extremely prominent on the football field during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a sport so heavily reliant on the bravado and testosterone of its players are now seen wearing pink gloves, shoes, and towels with a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon. Williams is the pioneer of this tradition and it is amazing to see where it has gone. It initially started in the summer of 2009 when Williams asked Riley Fields, Panthers director of community relations, if he thought the NFL might consider letting players wear pink cleats in addition to other pink apparel the league already planned to allow. Not only do players, coaches, and game officials wear pink, but many of their game-worn items are auctioned off with direct proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

    The role that breast cancer played in Williams’ life left him compelled to help try to fight a disease that will continue to plague the lives of so many others. The support he has received in his efforts have allowed for the widespread increasing awareness of breast cancer in the month of October. Even the video game “Madden NFL 16” has incorporated the ‘pink treatment’, as Williams’ character in the game reflects his decision to dye some of his dreadlocks pink last September in honor of his mother. In a recent effort to increase awareness, Williams uploaded a two-part video to Instagram with him as the focal point of a commercial to help spread awareness with the caption: “This new TV commercial is dedicated to my mom, my 4 aunts, and women everywhere affected by Breast Cancer. I love you. #WeAreInThisTOGETHER.” It can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5vahCK0pyg.

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

  • The happiest place to intern

    As Communication Studies majors, the department’s core skills have been cemented into our minds since COM 105. The department’s core skills give its majors direction as they navigate through their classes. When it comes to internships, every core skill is important but praxis allows you to apply knowledge outside the classroom. Knowing theories and knowing how to apply them is essential to being successful in an internship.

    Walt Disney World — the largest on-site employee establishment in the world — offers internship opportunities for almost any major. The eight-month internship is not like many others — Disney provides numerous benefits for their interns, including free park admissions, guest passes, discount-coupon books, and insider information which has not yet been released to the general public. Interns may also enroll in college classes while living in Orlando, and receive credit based on their major. Classes offered include engineering courses, leadership courses, marketing courses, and courses in the culinary arts. Students are also able to take a Disney Heritage course and learn about the history of Walt Disney World and the foundation the empire was built upon.

    Melanie Bower, a current senior and Communication Studies major at UNCW, completed the eight-month Disney Internship from May 2014 to January 2015. During her time in Orlando, Melanie also took classes on leadership and marketing, and is hoping to pursue a career back in Florida related to IMC or digital marketing. How is this internship suitable for COM majors?

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    “The Disney College Program teaches the vital skills we study in depth as COM majors – we even utilized the core skills learned in COM 105 in my marketing course at Disney. Every class involved group-work, and we learned how to effectively act, dress, and contribute in a business setting when working for such a big-scale company. Students in any major could gain experience and valuable knowledge from this internship, but having a Communication Studies background gave me an upper hand because I was already aware of how to effectively and efficiently tackle the tasks at hand. Communication also came in handy when working in the actual park. Hollywood Studios during the summertime is hectic, and knowing important tips to communicate effectively to large groups of stressed people gave me a leg up. Public speaking is also paramount in the job I worked.”

     The idea of applying knowledge outside the classroom, or “praxis,” is key in this kind of internship. Interning with such a big company is far different than many local internships students find around Wilmington. COM studies students who decide to head to Walt Disney World must be prepared for a “small fish in a big pond” experience, and use their knowledge of group work, core skills, and conflict management to be noticed and successful within the company. Melanie suggests the longer internship (8 months rather than one semester), if one truly wants to understand the ebb and flow of a monumental enterprise and the way business is carried out throughout the seasons. If you, a COM Studies student, or any other student in a different major is considering the College Program, it is important to understand that the work is daunting and the hours are long; classes are not easy and the weather is sometimes unbearable. But the networking you do, the contacts you make, the lives you touch, and the magical moments you have every day will make this internship well worth it.

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    What kind of internship opportunities have you been apart of or look forward to?

    – Nick, Melanie, Mary & Patrick

  • Intern Spotlight: HR in Communication Studies

    HR-ImageThe way Human Resources ties IMC into their organization is rather unique. In Human Resources, the objective is not to sell the organization’s brand, but instead to help each individual in an organization focus on their personal branding. Individuals can continuously improve their communication skills and concurrently be efficient in their work together.

    Julia George is a senior at UNCW, graduating in December with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. During the months of May-August 2015, she completed a Human Resources internship through the Communication Studies Department.

    Interviewer: What were the steps you took when applying for an internship through the Communication Studies Department?

    Julia: During the Summer 2015 semester, I applied through the Communication Studies Internship Program for a position in Human Resources. This was incidental to my career, given my past and present course load made it clear my future was in this field. A Communication Studies internship entails researching a desired position and agency, interviewing with the targeted agency and supervisor, and approving this internship through Dr. Bulger- the faculty member in charge. My internship through the Communication Studies Department enabled me to complete a three-credit course, completing the correct amount of hours at the desired agency.

    Interviewer: What were your duties as an intern?

    Julia: The internship gave me glimpses into the everyday tasks of the Human Resources. During my time at UNCW’s Human Resources Department, I practiced co-facilitating retreats, managing social media, and marketing aspects of HR. After I completed my internship with the Human Resources Department, I was offered a part-time job. The experience I gained through the internship program and courses at UNCW, I am now able to practice those skills as a part-time employee at Human Resources.

    Julia came across the Human Resources internship during a Communication Studies course, taught by Dr. Brunson. The Intercultural Dialogue course required students to complete an out-of-class facilitation. Molly Nece, the Professional Development Coordinator in HR at UNCW spoke to Julia’s class about facilitation. Julia used her interpersonal skills and networking capabilities to learn about and purse the HR internship, through Molly Nece.


    535934_410333185791421_6763646625442744694_nJulia’s daily tasks as a staff member in Human Resources include: development of job aids for facilitations, assistance with retreats, attendance of all meetings, research and collection of data, and marketing HR through social media channels. She manages the social media channels for the Employee Training and Professional Development program called Dare to Learn Academy. This task correlates to the Professional Development Program and markets the five important factors for strengthening one’s personal brand – serving, leading, innovating, being resourceful, and growing. This program focuses on helping the faculty and administration across campus tap into their strengths and weaknesses, through group practices and self-evaluations, for a better understanding of how to interact in the office. The five factors of Dare to Learn Academy are marketed through Facebook and the Dare to Learn catalogue.

    Interviewer: What have you learned as an employee vs. an intern?

    Julia: When you are an intern, you are at a transitional phase from applying what you’ve learned at UNCW to a professional workplace. You start with smaller tasks, which help you learn how important every detail is in projects. It is okay if you make a mistake, your supervisors understand you are in a learning process. As an employee, you are trained for the position; deadlines are more serious and making mistakes are not an option. Having the practice from an internship prepares you for this mindset and decreases the stress of whether you are completing a project correctly or incorrectly.

    10479958_10153111690567474_8095338665732746440_nThe interview with Julia clearly shows the benefits and advantages from completing an internship during a college career. Not only is there personal growth and development, there is a clear correlation to success in future career endeavors. The opportunity to develop one’s personal brand and create network connections with professionals in the desired field, is invaluable.

    To find more information about internships visit: Career Center

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

  • Story Telling or Story Selling?

    Screen Shot 2015-10-02 at 1.04.13 PMTake a moment to think about your home. What comes to mind? Think far beyond the floors, ceilings, and furniture. Whether it is a dorm room, an apartment, the structure forcing you to have a mortgage loan over the next thirty years, or simply the place you grew up with a white picket fence, each one harnesses specific memories and has its own unique story to share. The thoughts of an apartment could evoke memories of college life, living with roommates, throwing parties instead of studying for finals, and that insanely uncomfortable futon in the living room. On the other hand, a childhood home could conjure feelings of comfort and security when thinking about playing football with dad or mom’s fresh-baked apple pie.

    As an intern for a local real estate agent, Patrick Gahagan, who is a UNCW Communication Studies alum, I am learning narrative is at the core of selling homes. Each prospective buyer has his or her own story, which encompasses the place they currently live, the place they grew up, and thus influences their ideal home. One of the biggest challenges a real estate agent faces is gaining a solid understanding of each client’s needs for a new home and finding the perfect place for them. Are they yearning for a cozy place that reminds them of their childhood home? Would an apartment that reminds them of their college days when life was far less stressful be best? Or does the buyer want to keep his or her past homes out of mind and find something new? Buyers must be able to see themselves in a home before they can begin to consider taking out a loan that could keep them in debt for 30 years. Therefore, the real estate agent must craft a story to sell homes.

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    Given real estate agents work for commission, it is critical to master the art of story selling. Professional photos with the perfect lighting, and statistics regarding value and square footage, combine with the home tour to compose a narrative for each home on the market. In real estate, photos, stats, and the home’s structure are all rhetorical tools. A real estate agent’s job is to combine these rhetorical elements using the appropriate language to create a powerful story that will attract prospective buyers. The way in which a real estate agent uses rhetoric to frame a home essentially makes or breaks the sell. Sounds like marketing, doesn’t it? If the real estate agent composed an impactful narrative for the home, the buyers will likely proceed to make an offer and the agent is on their way to getting paid.

    In the world of real estate, stories are not simply told, but sold.

    By: Meleah, Amanda, Kendall, Luke, and Dan

  • Communication Studies At Work

    College students are told time and time again just how important it is to have an internship while in college. UNCW student Aki Suzuki, a senior Communication Studies major, offered to speak with us about her Marketing internship at Live Oak Bank, a Small Business Association lender  here in Wilmington, NC.

    liveoakbankInterviewer: What are your daily tasks?

    Aki: Videography: Helping set up shoots with lighting and camera equipment, taking photos, organizing footage, editing photos and videos, and creating simple title graphics.

    Interviewer: What do you want to gain from this experience?

    Aki: I hope to gain professional videography skills and the ability to thrive and adapt to an adult work environment. Finally I hope to gain the knowledge to competently function as part of an organization/ corporations marketing team to enhance a brand and use my creative resources to continue advancing it.

    Interviewer:  What coursework is relevant to your internship?

    Aki: As I am interning in the marketing department and helping create promotional materials for Live Oak, the IMC related classes are relevant to my experience. Integrated Marketing theories, as well as course projects and discussions have prepared me to understand how the bank approaches attracting borrowers to each of its verticals. The videography department is responsible for video and photography related products. Videography centered courses like COM 380 have also been instrumental to my understanding of cameras, the elements of lighting and also editing techniques.

    Internships are an excellent way for students to engage in applied learning but also a way to get their brand out into the real world. Aki has learned the importance of a consistent brand identity, especially when looking for jobs and internships. Aki demonstrated this during our interview.

    akisuzuki_000Interviewer: What can you offer to Live Oak Bank?

    Aki: I can offer Live Oak Bank a willing and open mind. Although I do not possess any outstanding skills, as a young and determined student I am engaged in learning and committed to contributing in any way that I can. My youth allows me to maintain a fresh perspective and enthusiastic attitude for any opportunities they allow me.

    Interviewer: How does your brand as a Communication Studies major compare with other interns at Live Oak?

    Aki: I find that I fit well into my niche in the marketing department because Communication Studies deals overwhelmingly with how to effectively incorporate messages being sent  through various channels which is precisely what any company’s marketing department hopes to cover.  I do find myself at a slight disadvantage when it comes to understanding the financial ins and outs of the bank; but like any communication studies major I am well versed in being an assertive researcher and curious verbal investigator to understand anything I do not immediately understand.

    Aside from some unnecessary modesty, Aki has aligned the stories she communicates about herself, the way she sees herself and reality so closely that there are minimal discrepancies. If you have the opportunity to work with Aki, you would find this statement proves true. Branding is not just for businesses anymore. Every communication you put out into the world will contribute to your personal brand and when your band is as consistent as Aki’s it becomes a holophrasm, expressing your brand in a single nucleus. Aki has achieved such a level of brand coherence that her name now acts as a holophrasm.

    What strategies do you use when defining your personal brand?

    What are some examples you can share about personal brand coherence?

    – Alexis Trimnal, Carey Shetterley, June Wilkinson, and Carey Poniewaz

    -Interviewee: Aki Suzuki

  • Story-telling: No Longer Just for Kids

    The demand for internship experience on a resume is rising, and with it, the competition for internships among college students. However, the benefit of an internship is not that it will land you a job offer after graduation, but the professional experience gained and effectively communicated. A narrative communication structure allows the interviewees to establish an emotional connection with the prospective employers by outlining problems they faced, goals they set for themselves, and solutions they eventually came to.

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    Your narrative is affected by accepting a paid or unpaid internship. A study published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed that 52.1% of applicants who had previous internship experiences received a job offer compared to the 38.6% who didn’t have previous internship experienced. This is due to the experience and professional skills developed during a person’s time as an intern and his or her ability to communicate those skills. Whether the internship is paid or unpaid, what you put into it is what you get out of it. However, if you’re looking for a job offer after graduation with the company you intern with, paid internships are the way to go. After interning for for-profit companies, 64.5% of applicants with paid internships were offered jobs at the company while only 38.5% of applicants with unpaid internships were extended the same offer. If you have your heart set on working for your dream company, this is definitely something to consider. Would your time be better spent working as an unpaid intern for said company or choosing to intern elsewhere and apply later?

    The narratives we create for ourselves when communicating professional experience are make job applicants competitive. A student could have interned at several companies over his or her college car. Thankfully, there are resources available to help students find potential employers to communicate their narratives to. The UNCW Career Center is the powerhouse behind resources like SeaWork and the Certified Internship Program (CIP). SeaWork allows anyone with a UNCW login to access job and internship postings from all around the United States. The CIP gives students an alternative to unpaid internships by offering class credit for the work a student does. The Career Center also offers resources like mock interviews and resumé workshops to help you feel confident in the professional world. Be sure to follow @dubcareercenter on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest for the latest information!
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    -Luci Keefer, Griffin Weidele, Austin Moody, Allen Wooten, Scott Uraro