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Good Afternoon Everyone!

As a transfer student at UNCW, it took me a while to get comfortable with the university atmosphere. I was just a small town kid doing anything possible to leave a two-stoplight town and experience life at the beach. Honestly, I had no idea what major I wanted to pursue, if I’d be able to find a job, and I wasn’t confident in my ability to perform at a university level. Through searching for jobs, catching up on courses I lacked, and connecting with current students, I stumbled upon the Communication Studies Department. For the first time in my college career I was excited about the subject I was studying and the classes I attended.

When you think of senior year only the positive images come to mind; reminiscing on college memories, finding ‘real’ jobs, and, of course, sappy social media posts. Sadly, the truth is that the real world is bit vicious when compared to the previous images. However, no one prepared me for the next stage of my life as Dr. Persuit has. There is something about her gentle reminder “you’re smart, figure it out” that made me understand failure isn’t really an option. Through all the failed attempts and lessons learned, the Communication Studies Department has instilled confidence in my ability to succeed in the ‘real world’ that once seemed so vicious. I wish all of you the best in your future professions, graduate school programs, or whatever life holds in store, and I hope everyone has benefited from the COM program as much as I have!

Colby Cummings

Only a few more days left of classes, a few final presentations, and only two final tests stand in my way. On May 9th, I will graduate from UNCW with a degree in Communication Studies and as a student-athlete. A lot changes in four years. I remember walking into the suites on move-in day just as clearly as I remember turning in Dr. Olsen’s RP2 project. The journey seemed to drag on with no end in sight freshman and sophomore year, but once you hit junior and senior year you know you are onto the final lap. Luckily for me, I was able to recover from a poor freshman year and a not so perfect sophomore year, but I hope every underclassman reading this can understand the importance of each and every assignment.

Yes, I will be graduating in 17 days. Am I ready? No, when you have make the type of friends that I have made, with other students that kept showing up in the same courses that I was taking semester after semester, you aren’t ready to say goodbye when it is time to leave. The time is coming to say goodbye, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my four years at UNCW and I wouldn’t have wanted my college career to go in any other way.

You will always remember the important things that you experienced and accomplished in your four years as a Communication Studies Student, especially if you ever have to write a final senior blog post. My one piece of advice is to enjoy every experience, learn from every mistake, take advantage of the opportunities presented to you, and grow both intellectually and in character. So as I prepare to start my next chapter in my journey, I will not forget where I came from, the people I will be friends with forever, nor the incredible professors that helped me get to this race’s finish line.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of my life these past four years. I couldn’t have done it without you.

–Chase Seymour

135 course hours later and I have finally finished my double Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Film Studies. People keep asking me how I feel about graduating and the truth is it doesn’t feel real yet. I can’t quite imagine not grabbing lunch in Hawk’s Nest or walking up the steps to Leutze Hall, but in less then a month the day will be here.

It was never a question of whether or not I wanted to attend UNCW. I’ll never forget the day I got my big envelope in the mail. I was ecstatic that my dreams were perfectly falling into place. I began my journey at UNCW in Cornerstone Hall. Unlike many of my peers I started my time at UNCW knowing exactly what I wanted to major in. I’ve always been drawn to the entertainment industry and Communication Studies, Film Studies, and being an active member of the Association For Campus Entertainment was the path I was going to take to get there.

I tried to fill my time in college with as much as possible. I chose to study abroad in Florence, Italy during the summer between my sophomore and junior year, and it is without a doubt one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I learned so much from the Italian culture and enjoyed the opportunity to see more of the world. I can thank study abroad for my new addiction to traveling and my desire to see as much of the world as possible. During the summer between my junior and senior year my desire to travel sparked up again and I embarked on a cross-country road trip to Los Angeles, California to pursue my dream job of working at a record label through a video editing internship.

My Communication Studies degree has helped me in more ways than I could have anticipated. I’ve learned valuable skills in oral and written communication that will help no matter what career path I end up in. I have also gained the necessary skills I need to succeed in an entry-level career in integrated marketing communication and advertising.

It’s hard to say goodbye to my past four years at UNCW. I will miss the people I have met and the amazing culture I have been apart of. I know I am graduating, but I will never leave behind my Seahawk pride. My plans after graduation are indefinite. I hope to move to a big city after graduating, and am actively applying to jobs in the entertainment industry, so if you know a guy who knows a guy tell them to give me a call.

-Mallory Brayman

Happy Friday! To brighten up everyone’s week, we compiled a list of our top five worst local ads out there.

5.

This Georgia car credit ad is bad example of trying to keep up with youthful trends.

4.

This advertisement for a local mall in Missouri tries to incorporate a catchy jingle into their poorly produced ad.

3.

These mechanics seem to know how to use Jib-Jab for their commercials.

2.

This commercial from Durham, North Carolina plays a little bit too strongly on southern stereotypes.

1.

This commercial is actually so horrible that it’s amazing. Hats off to you, Chuck.

Which one do you think these ads are the worst? Do you have any other local ads that leave you cringing?

– Nick Bolick, Olivia Sadler & Patrick Wagner

For this week’s theme of local advertising, we wanted to focus on the Fly ILM campaign. One key rule in advertising is to “know your audience.” These Wilmington Airport commercials definitely target locals who travel by car to the Raleigh-Durham Airport instead of flying directly from Wilmington.

Check out both advertisements below.

It’s no secret that the trip down I-40 is contender for Most Boring Drive. Have you ever driven down I-40 and felt like it would never end? I’m sure most people who have traveled the straight, flat road can relate to the boredom that the voiceover in the second commercial conveys. This campaign is particularly effective, because it hits home for most people who live in Wilmington and would like to avoid the monotony of I-40. It evokes the feelings associated with the topic, and sends a clear message to those who feel that way.

What do you think of their “Why Drive When You Can Fly?” campaign? Does it make you want to skip the drive, and Fly ILM?

-Mallory Brayman, Kelli Hall, Morgan McCleaf

People love shopping local. They enjoy spending their money in places that they know will benefit the community and build the local economy. Many small businesses use various forms of local advertising to entice people to spend their money locally. Small businesses can be very successful using local advertising, so bigger, corporate companies want to be able to tap into that successful demographic as well.  The question that must be answered is: how do corporate companies make themselves seem small and part of the community? By using local advertising, of course.

Let’s start off by defining local advertising. It is defined as “advertising that is done on a local basis to a local merchant or business, opposed to regional or national advertising”.

Using this method of advertising, companies may change their advertising tactics to make them seem more local and homegrown. For example, Lowe’s Food is currently attempting a to rebrand themselves to make them seem more local and community oriented. They have over 100 stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The company itself isn’t huge, but it’s not a small town grocery store either. They are currently in the process of rebranding themselves to focus more on being connected to the community and sourcing their products from small, local farms. Even though they are a fairly decent sized company, they are trying to appeal to the “local feel” people get when they shop at other local stores.

One of their newest local advertising tactics are the “Community Table” events that they host. These events include cooking classes from local chefs, as well as wine and cheese tastings. These events vary based on location and are modified to appeal to the demographic in each specific location. They draw in consumers by giving them a chance to connect with other members of their community and to learn something new in the process. This is just one local advertising tactic that Lowe’s Foods is implementing in order to make themselves seem more local.

Can a corporate companies be successful in using local advertising to attract its target market?

-Anna Joy Zima, Hannah Rodgers, Katilyn Russell

Good afternoon and welcome back to the blog! Whether you’ve lived in Wilmington 3 months or 4 years, there is a ninety-nine percent chance that you have come in contact with some sort of advertising from local businesses. With multitudes of college students, these advertisers must gain the attention of these newcomers to the community earlier than their competitors. Coupons, mailing lists, and magazines embedded with promotions are prominent ways of capturing new customers for local businesses. However, smaller and newer companies are starting a new trend, a cheaper trend, which is using social media to interact with potential customers.

This method of advertising has been crucial in recent years in expanding rising businesses awareness. In South End Surf Shop’s case, social media has a moderate effect on local residents, but, in the summer months, social media becomes a modern-day word-of-mouth to the flood of tourists visiting Wilmington’s amazing beaches. Social media is unique in that people affiliated with a company (i.e. like, follow, or share a business’ content) are providing free labor to that business; when an individual shares, likes, or follows a brand, there is a curious, global audience waiting and refreshing their timelines to find their next purchase or destination.

The Social Network Theory (SNT) is directly aligned with South End Surf Shop’s method of advertising. South End specializes in surfing equipment and accessories. The SNT suggests that South End Surf Shop’s network of surfers and skaters is beneficial for these networks during South End’s social media campaigns. A network of surfers are likely to know other surfers or consumers that are unaware of South End Surf Shop’s content; therefore, when avid South End Surf Shop customers share the company’s content, there is a continuous process of sharing to other network’s of people, that is potentially endless for the brand’s reach.

 http://www.southendsurf.com/

But, what is so unique about this surf shop as compared to the other 2 surf shops in the area? Both Sweet Water Surf Shop and SurfCity Surf Shop have social media platforms, and similar advertising techniques. According to Forbes, there are several benefits that social media marketing can bring to a business. However, they key is to make something unique within at least one of your platforms. This is what South End accomplishes. Due to their unique location at the south end of Wrightsville Beach, where no other commercial stores stand besides the infamous Oceanic restaurant, South End Surf Shop takes advantage of having a daily video surf and weather report that is displayed on their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The owner has not missed a single day in posting this daily report, and this is what is unique. None of the other surf shops do this, and so they gain a competitive advantage over the other shops because now the current and future consumers can affiliate themselves with this unique aspect, creating more brand recognition and loyalty for South End Surf Shop.

Social media marketing is the new and upcoming way that small and large businesses need to take advantage of. Take the time to think about a company you affiliate yourself with. Do they use social media effectively or poorly? Give us your thoughts and point us into the direction of some good examples of solid social media advertising. Have a good week!

-Colby Cummings, Connor Gold, Chase Seymour