IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Advertising

  • Remember When… Cupcakes Were Just for Kids?

    Think back to your elementary school days.  Were you one of the “lucky ones” whose birthday happened to fall on a school day?  If your parents were anything like mine, this probably meant having the honor of bringing your class a huge batch of store-bought (or on the rare occasion, homemade) cupcakes.  Right now you’re probably picturing them, covered in sprinkles and icing that turned your mouth bright colors, maybe decorated with plastic Barbie or Spider-Man rings that everyone would wear for the rest of the day.  Back then cupcakes could make you king or queen for a day, at least in the eyes of your classmates.

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    Nowadays cupcakes have a different reputation.  An exceptional batch could win you $10,000 and instant fame.  Thanks to television programs that highlight the new art of cupcake baking, these mini treats are taking the country by storm, and it’s not just the kids that are buying in.

    In 2010, the show “Cupcake Wars” began airing on the Food Network.  Each episode brings together 4 top-rated cupcake bakers from across the country to compete for $10,000 and the chance to debut their cupcakes to crowds of America’s elite at events such as awards shows and charity parties.  The list of ingredients these bakers are given ranges from fruits and nuts to chili peppers and vodka and the finished products are a far cry from the yellow cake and chocolate icing of our childhood.

    The popularity of cupcakes is rapidly spreading and the evidence is popping up in cities nationwide.  Cupcake bakeries that specialize in traditional, exotic, and chic flavors are now conveniently located next to your favorite coffee shops and boutiques.  These bakeries are rebranding the phenomenon of the cupcake with unique flavors and styling that aim to please a more adult crowd.  Not only are they a pleasure for the palate, but cupcakes these days are like a new accessory.  They can be as high-end as the bakeries that produce them and the clientele that consume them.   A cupcake bakery called Georgetown Cupcakes, also famous for a television show that airs on TLC called “DC Cupcakes,” has catered to clients such as Kim Kardashian.

    ImageHowever, it’s not just the ingredients or the celebrity that make cupcakes more appealing to adults.  Now, anyone over the legal drinking age can partake in fine cupcake-inspired wine and vodka produced by Cupcake Vineyards.  Why not pair your cupcake with a glass of wine?  Bakeries and other specialty shops now host cupcake and wine tasting events where adults can mingle and the two indulgences can be enjoyed side by side.

    So is this new trend something to expect from all of our childhood favorites? Will popsicles be the next big thing?  Leave it to the media to help us decide.  Until then we might as well have our cake, and eat it too. Bon appétit!

    – Ally Walton, Lauren Habig, Erin Kiffmeyer, Hannah Eure, Gene Lee

  • Remember When… Social Media Was Not Overrun With Ads?

    Do you know how to transfer your buddy list? What is your Myspace song today? Why did you lower me in your Top 8? Where did you get your buddy icon? Remember when these were your biggest worries on social networking? Nowadays, a social networker must be fully aware of everything they post, every picture they are in, and even everything they click on.                            Image

    When social media first began, it is doubtful that anyone could have predicted where it is today. Employers search Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn before hiring new staff. School systems are implementing cyber bullying policies across the nation. Even our parents are sending us friend requests. It is hard to come by someone who doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter. Due to the popularity of social media, it is no surprise advertisers want to tap into this huge online market.

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    What began with AOL Instant Messenger, evolved into the Myspace fad, and now Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram have joined the scene. After Myspace died out, there was much debate about how long Facebook would last. With the help of advertisers, it seemed like it could potentially last forever. Unfortunately, with the rise of other social networking sites, Facebook has seen a less than desirable decline in popularity. Now Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is having to persuade advertisers to continue investing. In an interview covered by ABC News, he “[promised] better results as Facebook’s mobile app is made friendlier to advertisers.”

    What does this mean for users?  More advertising headed your way! If you’ve seen Facebook’s login page lately, you might notice that it has officially been sold. It is hard not to notice as it takes up more than three-fourths of the screen. When Myspace sold their front page, it was the first sign they were not cutting it anymore. Does this mean Facebook’s “in” time is ending soon too? Not if Zuckerberg can help it.

    You might notice the sidebar ads following more closely to your internet searches. As Facebook tries to evolve to keep up with the market, Zuckerberg stated that he would like to make Facebook a search engine that could compete with Google. It is no coincidence that the items you were looking for on Amazon a couple of days ago are popping up in the ads you see on Facebook.  Long gone are the innocent days of simply “lol”ing with your buddies on AIM.  It seems now more than ever before the public will become a constant target for advertisers.

    Will this increase in advertising on Facebook lead to a shift in which social network is the most popular? Will Instagram and Twitter combined be able to wipe out Facebook? Would it even matter because Facebook owns Instagram? Or will the dark horse network, Google +, take the internet by storm?

    G2G. Mom needs the comp. TTYL 🙂 ❤

    –Alexandra Huss, Caroline Merrill, Alyssa Morrello, Lauren Van Trigt, Daniel Williams

  • Going Green, Brings Green

    Brands can promote themselves through almost any medium nowadays. Pens, stickers, posters, billboards, you name it, you can put your brand on it. Planet Earth Promotions is a company that is designed to help brands promote themselves in an eco-friendly way. There is constantly increasing awareness about environmental protection and a greater consciousness about how important it is to protect these environmental and natural resources. Planet Earth Promotions is leading the way for this “EcoSmart” promotional item trend.

    Planet Earth Promotions’ mission statement indicates that their “goal is to help companies and corporations around the nation proactively enhance their brand through the use of environmentally conscious and educational promotional items”. They have certainly delivered in this respect. This company has been ranked #1 in promotional advertising for the past ten consecutive years. Not only are they paving the way for other companies, they have become a greatly successful brand that is little to no impact on the environment. Planet Earth Promotions has built a successful brand on a trend that is becoming increasingly important as time goes on. This brand is very strong considering they have remained at the top of the list from Arizona Magazine for the last ten years and they are here to help other brands.

    They are able to offer many alternatives for companies to help cut back on environmental damage by providing recycled goods, information about recycling and environmental days in the USA and tips to bring pollution down. With so many companies shifting focus to being the “EcoSmart” companies and LEED (Low-energy electron diffraction) certified, it is a challenge to stay on top. Planet Earth Promotions has paired up with other environment-friendly companies such as AWEA (American Wind Energy Association) and Women’s Business Enterprise to built a very powerful and successful brand and continue to pave the way for other companies looking to create environment-friendly products and solutions for all varieties of businesses.

    – Julius Roberts, Leanna Marshall, Leslie Tyler and Bryce Koonts

  • An “Augmented” Look Into the Future of Advertising

    Last week Google unveiled Project Glass, their latest developmental project set out to design and build augmented reality eyeglasses. Google upload a video to YouTube entitled “Project Glass: One day…”, which shows viewers what Project Glass could potentially look like. Project Glass would allow you to communicate with friends, schedule appointments, get directions, take pictures, and even hold video conferences all by using the augmented reality interface and voice commands. While this technology is in the earliest stages of development, Project Glass has the potential to be a realistic and marketable product in the future.

    While the announcement of Project Glass is only a week old, there is already concern about user privacy and advertisements. Google already uses search terms to customize advertisements, and are even beginning to push ads based on your location, so just how far would Project Glass go? Would advertisements pop-up in front of you if you are close enough to a store? Could marketers use where you go and what you look at throughout the day to better understand what type of consumer you are? The parody video below shows how pop-up ads with Project Glass might look if they were implemented:

    While this idea of “forced advertising” seems a bit extreme, it’s already happening with several other projects. Twitter now adds Promoted Tweets to your timeline, which are sponsored announcements from businesses that merge together with the other tweets from people you follow. Pop-up ads are common with free Android and iPhone apps, and some applications even send ads as a notification. Amazon sells discounted Kindle e-Readers with “special offer” advertisements that appear on your screen. It seems that with every new piece of technology, the first idea that is addressed is how to advertise on it. With Project Glass, the possibilities for customized advertising are much more personal. How will marketers adapt to changing technology? Will consumers be willing to sacrifice their privacy and accept interruptive advertisements in order to use Project Glass? Only the future will tell.

    -Hunter Wilson, Joshua Vester, Ashley Oliver, Molly Jacques

  • So is it not hip to be hip anymore?

    “Hipster”. By now, I’m sure everyone reading has probably heard this word thrown around to describe someone. It has a great deal of meanings now, some more relatable than others. Urbandictionary.com defines a hipster as ” a subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter”. What sounds like a common description for a large group of people has been boiled down now into an image, one which companies and a select group of consumers have been embracing recently.

    So what makes a “hipster”? Some people believe it’s the type of music you listen to, or the clothes you choose to wear. Other people think it’s the attitude about the music and clothes you have also chosen to wear. “Skinny jeans, cardigan sweater, and listening to Neutral Milk Hotel…yeah, that guy’s a hipster”. Ironic sayings on t-shirts, listening to obscure music on their vinyl records, and drinking home-brewed fair trade blend coffee. These seem to be the most common conceptions of what classifies a person as a “hipster”. With such a large trend being developed, of course fashion companies are going to developing products appealing to the trend.

    Like many fads from the past, "hipsters" are just an evolution from the previous popular trends.

    Urban Outfitters and American Apparel are both companies that cater to a more “hip” lifestyle. Carrying a large variety of plaids, cardigan sweaters, and tight jeans, both companies have been considered a “hipster haven”. Both companies know this, have accepted it and are now running away with it. Urban Outfitters now sells 35mm cameras and Holga copies, because there is a common interest in those who some would call a “hipster” and their interest in photography. Also on their site, you can make your own screen prints, and even build your own fixed gear bicycle, both things targeting directly to those who are attempting to follow the “hipster” trend.

    Walmart attempts to capitalize on the fixed-gear craze by offering a low-priced bike called "The Fixie".

    Companies today are smart. They realize that the trend of “hipsters” including their fashion sense and their interests have been on the rise, and are adjusting to the demand in order to deliver what sells best. They also are targeting this demographic through their advertisements via email and internet ads featuring models who roughly resemble “hipster fashion”. The trend does not seem to be dying out any time soon, as more and more people are starting to embrace it for themselves, so we can expect to see more and more companies reaching out to these consumers in an attempt to show how “hip” they can be in order to sway them into buying from them. What it simply boils down to is another label for another trend that is ripe for the capitalization on, and it seems like many companies are doing just that.

     

    -Joshua Vester, Hunter Wilson, Ashley Oliver, Molly Jacques

  • Learn about Communication Studies at COM Studies Day

    When Communication Studies majors share their idea with others they are often met with a variety of  questions. These questions often range from “what is Communication Studies” to “what on earth are you going to do with that?!,” and can leave the student wondering just why exactly did they pick this major in the first place. Fortunately the UNCW Communication Studies department is hosting its annual Communication Studies Day this Friday and will answer many of these questions.

    The Communication Studies Day  will have panel presentations of UNCW graduates from the major discussing their careers and experiences since college. Students will be able to hear from individuals who are currently doing things with their Communication Studies degree that they are considering doing after graduating, such as marketing, graduate school, broadcasting, and public relations. Many of the panelists graduated recently and will be able to relate to the students attending the presentations as they only recently were in the same point of approaching graduation and having to decide what they wanted to do and how to go about it. There will also be networking sessions for students to speak with faculty, friends and alumni. Another aspect of Communication Studies Day is the Dress for Success fashion show, in which attendants will get to see outfits of business casual and business professional attire. Attire is an important component of a professional image and many students are unsure about how they are expected to dress for a successful career.

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    Communication Studies Day is not just an event that is simply put on by faculty and that students can show up to if they want to. The event is being  coordinated and marketed by UNCW Communication Studies students. Dr. Persuit’s IMC II class will be tweeting, posting photos, and sharing information about the event as it is occurring on this blog. Individuals can learn more about the event by following #DressForSuccess2012 and #COMStudiesDay on twitter.

    ~Molly Jacques, Josh Vester, Ashley Oliver and Hunter Wilson

  • What’s Your Unique Brand Style?

    UNCW’s Communication Studies Day includes an informative Dress for Success Fashion show for college students of all ages and levels. The fashion show will also include skits demonstrating the importance of an elevator speech, professional attire, portfolios, and how necessary it is to be prepared for interviews. This year the theme, “Will You Make the Cut?” is based upon the Food Network show “Chopped.”

    One idea about IMC manifested in this fashion show is that company image and brand management is very vital for growth and success. Individuals, as well as companies, have always had their own image and have to manage their own brand. It is sometimes hard for college students to transition from a student image that they have had for the past 13 years to a business professional image. The great part about the fashion show is that it shows students how to transition from their current image and brand to something more professional.

    Whether people realize it or not, we are branding ourselves every day through the types of clothes we choose to wear in professional or unprofessional settings. Your unique brand style can be a description of who you are in a job interview setting. It is very important to make interpersonal connections with job interviewers through your developed style and authenticity that will make you stand out from others. Branding yourself when looking for a job is very similar to branding a product. Basically, you are selling yourself as a product to your potential employer with the goal of standing out amongst the rest. Are you casual business, formal business, chick, trendy, preppy, classic, or a hybrid of several?

    By: Laura Simmons, Mollie Berthold, Dorothy Conley, Christina Stevenson