IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Communication Studies

  • The Life & Lessons of Communication Studies Seniors

    After four years I am ready to graduate and take the next big step in my life.  When I first came to UNCW I thought I wanted to major in Biology.  I learned after my first two semesters that it wasn’t a good fit for me.  That summer I took some communication classes and found my match.  Since then I haven’t looked back.

    I have been very fortunate to have such wonderful friends and professors that made my college experience amazing.  I have found so much support here that it will be very hard to leave.  But thanks to their help, I am truly ready to join the professional world. Between my course work and campus involvement I know I can balance a heavy load and I welcome the challenge.  There have been many times in my four years that a week has gone by and I realize how much I accomplished.  I have pushed myself and learned that I will meet my goals.

    A big part of my accomplishments can be credited to my classes.  I have tried to take a variety as well as advance coursework.  I want to thank the professors that have designed these courses and taught me all that I have learned.  A special thanks to Dr. Persuit who I have taken for many classes.  She has brought her experience to the classroom and showed us how we would use our skills in the real world.  A thanks to Professor Bollinger who taught us to work hard and never underestimate ourselves.  And another thanks to Professor Pezzuolo for providing a creative outlet in the classroom.  There are many other members of the UNCW team that deserve thanks.  Without them, my experience would have been very different.

    – Carissa Niederkorn

    As the semester comes down to a close, it’s hard to imagine that this is the end. For some of us, the thought of finishing high school and going on to the promised land (a.k.a college) was all that filled our young, scholarly minds. Now that we have gotten through this institution dubbed as higher education, some of us begin to feel nervous, anxious, scared, and even lost as to what to expect after this fantastic journey.  I for one forgot to think about what life might be like after college. I was so busy just trying to get here that I never even thought about what my life might be like after all of this was said and done.

    All of my experiences so far have been wonderful. Through all of the ups and downs, I can say that I will be graduating with my head held high and my future wide open. Specifically speaking, my professors have taught me so many invaluable skills that even I may not yet know to what extent these skills will help me in my future. Classes concerning speech, personal finance, integrated marketing, research methods, and more classes that talked about theories than I could handle, I can safely say that I am truly grateful for the time that I have spent here at UNCW. I am looking forward to what the next few pages of my life will bring, but I will always remember my studies, professors, the memories that I created, and the friendships that I will never let go of.

    – Deji Adeleke

    As the semester comes to a close, I can only look back at the last four years and wonder how it went by so fast.  I entered into UNCW with no direction and am now leaving as a confident, knowledgeable young professional.  I want to use this post give a little “Senior Advice” to those of you who may still have a couple of years.

    Write EVERYTHING down.  If I’ve learned this lesson I’ve learned it a thousand times.  You really do have the best of intentions on remembering that homework assignment or that group meeting but trust me on this one, if you don’t write it down (in a place that you’ll look back at), you will slip up eventually.

    Stop PROCRASTINATING! Seriously.  Stop.  Have you ever finished something a few days early and had that overwhelming feeling of accomplishment?  Okay, I can’t say that it’s happened to me very often but when I do, my life seems to be in much better order and I can focus on the other things that I’ve thrown by the wayside.  (Like laundry. Just ask my roommate.)  So use those time management skills you like to refer to during a job interview! Get it done now and be ahead of the rest.  You’ll just feel better.

    Get to KNOW your classmates.  Most likely, you will see them again so sit somewhere different in the classroom, set up a small group study session, and after you’ve finished a big project together, go celebrate!  These are the people who have been through the same stressful papers and projects as you.  Take note of what they may have to offer because you never know, they may be your boss one day.

    Get INVOLVED!  Whether it’s an academic club, sports, Greek life, or the other hundreds of activities offered on campus, this is your opportunity to branch out and network.  You never know who may stop in as a guest speaker or have a parent in your field of interest.

    Same goes with INTERNSHIPS.  Internships, internships, internships.  Enough said.

    I hope that my experiences can help guide those of you who are still living the good life.  Make the best of it!  Good luck to my fellow Seniors!  The end is bittersweet but I am confident that my education at UNCW as a Communication Studies major has prepared me for what lies ahead.

    -Tiffany Evans

    I’m a big fan of lists. I like To Do Lists, lists of funny animals, lists of the top songs of the radio. Put anything in list form and, chances are, I will read it. So, to wrap up my time on the IMC-Hawks blog and at UNCW, I present the Top 4 Things I’ve Learned At UNCW.

    4.) There’s a reason that you’re required to take the core classes in COM Studies. When you’re sitting in COM 200 or Communication Theory, you might be tempted to zone out or phone it in. Resist! Facebook will still be there after an hour and a half, I promise! Our professors have debated and discussed and voted on why these courses are required for majors and its because they tie into every single class we take as COM Studies students. So take listen up, take good notes, and, most importantly, see how the theories and concepts that you’re learning fit into your other courses. It can actually be (not to sound nerdy) fun!

    3.) Take Your Time Figuring Out Your Path Whether you need to take your time figuring out if you want to pursue PR or TV Production, or if you want to be a COM major or a Creative Writing major (or both!): Take Your Time! So often in our lives we’re rushed to make decisions and it can feel like everyone’s pressuring you to just make up your mind. Here’s the thing, those people won’t be the ones in your classes or taking your exams or, eventually, looking for jobs in that area. I have a friend who’s switched from Marine Bio to Biology to Nursing to Biology (again) and she’s one of the happiest, most well-adjusted people I know. This is YOUR life and it’s okay to slow down, take a breath, and take your time figuring out your next step!

    2.) You have the rest of your life! As graduation was looming in front of me and I had no job in sight, I started, to put it lightly, freaking out. After spending numerous nights losing sleep over it and having it act as a dark cloud over my last few weeks at UNCW, I finally had a revelation. For the past 21 years and a handful of months, I’ve been trained to think in terms of “summer vacation”, as in “What will I do to occupy my time for the next 3 months?” And, after thinking about it, I realized that after I leave UNCW, I’ll have the next 80 years or so to fill with amazing adventures and life-changing decisions. So, when your time comes to leave this wonderful place, take a deep breath and know that it’s ok to do something completely unique to you for a few weeks, months, or years before finding your next step.

    1.) Your Professors Are People Too! When I was in elementary school, I always had this idea that my teachers lived at school. If I opened the closet, I would find that it was actually a door to a nice apartment set-up where my second grade teacher resided. As a matured, my ideas of my teachers did too. If you take nothing else from this list, please realize this: The people standing in front of you in your classes are people with thoughts and dreams and goals. And, because they’re wonderful, a lot of these dreams and goals are focused on the success of their students (that’s us!) So whether it’s taking the time to tell a professor that you really liked how they taught a particular theory in class or even just asking how they’re doing that week, do it! I can not thank the professors I’ve encountered enough, both in the COM department and outside, for the guidance they’ve provided during my four years. So, do me a favor, and say something nice to one of your professors before the year is out!

    – Anna Kate Babnik

  • Don’t Abuse the Green

    Going Green. Go Green. Green Initiative. Green. Everything seems to be green these days. If a product isn’t “going green,” then that company might lose a certain respect from their market. But do the consumers even know why something might be called “green?”

    A company could easily call themselves green, but it could apply to so many different things. It could apply to their products, the amount of resources that they recycle, or even the lack of resources that they utilize in order to better the environment, and so on. Before a company does this though, they’re going to need to take a look at their customers from an integrated marketing perspective. Do their customers have a need for a product going green? How knowledgeable is their customer base on what it means to go green? Not only that, but what does going green mean to the company itself?

    When one really thinks about it, going green goes back to social capital and generalized reciprocity. Generalized reciprocity is as simple as picking up some trash that you see floating in the street before it goes into your neighbor’s lawn, or watching your friend’s belongings while they may use the restroom in an airport. Basically, the effects of the return might not be seen for a long time, and sometimes may be seen in a short amount of time. What drives customers to purchase green products may be because they feel they can do their part in trying to preserve the environment in which they live in. It’s that feeling of empowerment; the feeling of being able to make a difference.

    When it comes to making a difference, Google never seems to miss the opportunity. Google steps up to deliver a green movement that most people might not predict from the tech savvy company. To tackle their overgrown field at their headquarters in Mountain View, California, Google brought in 200 goats from California Grazing. The goats stayed for over a week eating away at the grass in an attempt to reduce the emissions brought on from mowers, reduce noise pollution, restore various plant species, and even fertilize while grazing. Not only does Google take an interesting perspective of going green, but their efforts certainly do coincide with general reciprocity.

    As we continue to use the limited resources that this planet has, it’s going to be interesting to see how different companies and organizations change their habits to sync with the minds of environmentally conscious consumers. However, they just may want to consider their reasoning before they abuse the idea.

    -Deji Adeleke, Carissa Niederkorn, Anna Kate Babnik, Tiffany Evans, & Katie Eagle

  • COM Studies Day is finally here!

    Today may be April Fools Day but this is no joke, it is finally here, Communication Studies Day at UNCW. Our Advanced Integrated Marketing Communication class will be covering the event minute by minute right here on our IMC-Hawks blog. The event starts at 10 a.m. where a panel presentation will be held in Leutze Hall featuring 5 alumni of UNCW informing students, faculty and guests of the different graduate programs and professional positions they have pursued post graduation, which will be followed by questions from the audience.

    This presentation will last till 11 a.m and will be followed with a 30 minute networking session for the panelists. Starting at 12:15 the Communication Studies Society is hosting a fashion show where the students will be strutting their stuff in business professional and business casual attire. This is a part of the event that can’t be missed, fashion tips are always a necessity. Following the fashion show will be an afternoon panelist presentation featuring 5 more alumni of UNCW from 2-3, with a follow up 30 minute networking session. This day is a perfect chance for faculty to see where their previous students have been since graduation and for undergraduates to know what to expect once they leave the doors of Leutze Hall. To follow up the day us Communication Studies students, faculty and guests get to have some fun while continuing to converse and network with Alumni and each other at Fox and the Hound from 4-6 for the reception and social gathering. April 1st is going to be a day of fun, networking and informative learning of what exactly it means to be a Communication Studies major and part of the Communication Studies family. Stay tuned all day for up to date blogging by Dr. Persuits Advanced IMC class….
    Com Studies Day Live Blog

    -Lindsey Baggett, Drew Mayer, Micaela Fouhy, Will Cosden, Brianna Golden

  • March Madness Scoring Big with Advertisers and Viewers

    The pressure is always on during March Madness and not just for the teams.  This year marks the start of a new strategy that is scoring big with advertisers and basketball viewers across the nation.  Last April, a 14-year $10.8 billion deal partnered CBS with Turner broadcast System.  This new deal means the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship games will be divided between CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV making all games available without an extended cable package.

    This change in game airing has not only allowed CBS to take corrective action to fix fans’ complaints about not being able to pick the games they want to watch but also allows advertisers to maximize their reach and get more for their money.  With a +15% rating growth and an average of 8.4 million viewers for the first week alone, records were set with the highest first week viewer average in 17 years and +18% growth in viewers for Sunday’s third-round coverage.  This +18% growth on Sunday meant an additional 1.6 million viewers in comparison to 2010.

    Specifically, the areas of largest growth have been males ages 18-34 with a +40% viewer growth.  This is big news for advertisers focusing on this public.  With bigger audiences comes a bigger advertising vehicle. With this type of seemingly exponential increase, the five R’s of receptivity, relevance, response, recognition, and relationship come to mind. Since males were targeted as the areas of the largest growth, companies can now utilize TNT, truTV, TBS, and even CBS and relevance to gear their advertising efforts towards males between the ages of 18-34.

    Someone taking full advantage of this opportunity is Buick. The famous automaker is trying to rebuild its brand image and appeal to younger buyers. What better time to do so than during the NCAA tournament amongst males between the ages of 18-34? Buick utilizes the idea of recognition by recognizing their audience as avid college basketball fans and bringing in a key player from last year’s runner up, the Butler Bulldogs, to help endorse their new brand image. Avery Jukes will appear in one of several TV spots of telling stories of overcoming the odds and hammering through tough obstacles. This is a true appeal to the emotion of the viewers because fans of college basketball appreciate a good Cinderella story, as the Butler Bulldogs were categorized during the NCAA tournament of 2010.

    Avery Jukes, who played basketball in last year’s championship game for Butler University, is the founder of Jukes Foundation for Kids, a non-profit entity dedicated to providing food, clothing and educational resources to youth in the United States and Uganda. (GM)

    It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how advertisers employ the Five R’s throughout the tournament. Will they use the emotional appeals of a good comeback story? Or will they gear themselves towards a more winning attitude of champions never lose? We’ll just have to see what the Madness of March brings…

    -Carissa Niederkorn, Deji Adeleke, Tiffany Evans, Katie Eagle & Anna Kate Babnik

  • Costumes, Candy, Consumption

    Most Holidays in the U.S. revolve around consumption.  Christmas decorations are out before Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day candy is in stores before Christmas, and we seem to be developing more and more reasons to shop.  For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Sale, President’s Day Sale, New Year’s Day Sale, and of course Black Friday.  Think about Halloween.  What began as a day to celebrate the dead has now been commercialized as a day to dress up as a princess or a firefighter and get lots of candy.

    Halloween has become more than a children’s holiday in the U.S.  It has become increasingly popular for teenagers and adults to dress up for costume parties as well as the occasional trick-or-treating adventure.  Neighborhoods now encounter issues with, “How old is too old to trick-or-treat?”  Shops and advertisements have created the idea that everyone can be something other than themselves for one day out of the year.  On Halloween, we are allowed to be crazy, go outside our comfort zones, buy an outfit that we’ll never wear again and not feel bad about it. Although Halloween is an old holiday, it continues to evolve due to the branding and commercialism done by candy companies and costume retailers.

    Branding is one of the most important aspects of a holiday. Since Halloween traditionally is not really seen as a national holiday and more recognized as an event, branding becomes that much more important. Halloween gives organizations the opportunity to build relationships with their customers and could even allow for new entry points.

    For example, Apple actually has an application that is known as the Halloween Costume Generator. This unique app gives the user over 200 costume ideas and asks a few simple questions to try and cater to their costume needs. Because of Halloween and Apple’s name, it may have attracted a slew of new customers based off of this app alone. It gives Apple the chance to take a tradition and looks to attract newer customers that are drawn to Halloween. Halloween could also act as bridging capital for companies as they look to connect with customers that typically don’t use apps or may not even own an iPhone or an iPad. By introducing a famous “holiday” into the fold, Apple now has potentially attracted a whole new customer base that is customarily dominated by adolescents, tweens, and teenagers.

    It’s going to be interesting to see how companies respond to the many different holidays that are celebrated throughout the year as the times go by and the technology improves. Keep your eyes open, because you may never know what trend, organization, or seemingly distant customer community will attract you by partnering up with your favorite holiday.

    -Tiffany Evans, Deji Adeleke, Anna Kate Babnik, Carissa Niederkorn, & Katie Eagle

  • Who’s Your Audience

    One of the first and most prominent lessons we learn as new-born-communication studies students is to intimately know our audience. We have it engrained in our heads that in order to receive the desired feedback and reactions, we must know who is going to be engaging their minds and opinions into our message.

    So how could the Oscars be a supreme example of Communication Studies Lesson #1 gone bad?

    With a new generation filing into the spotlight (Generation Y-ages 18-34) it is obvious that one may wish to gear the entertainment spectacle towards these younger minds. But did the renowned and prestigious award show take it too far in the form of auto-tuned youtube videos, flashy gowns, and less than sophisticated jokes?
    According to the Wall Street Journal,  “A smaller audience tuned in for the Academy Awards Sunday night on ABC, reversing two years of growth for one of television’s biggest events.” Organizers of the Oscars Ceremony set out to reach a more youthful audience by bringing in James Franco, 32, and Anne Hathaway, 28 to host the event, which ultimately fell short of enjoyable.

    It was reviewed as an overall “futile attempt” in reaching the younger crowd, as most of them only tuned in to the red carpet fashion pre-award show. The Oscars, which was originally viewed as a classy, elegant award show to showcase the greatest in the Film Industry, had a median age above or around 50 years old.

    As the overall ratings and viewings sank, so did the interest of younger audiences, proving their attempts to reach these crowds was unsuccessful. Wall Street reports, “ratings among people ages 18 to 34 declined about 4.5% compared to a year ago.”

    Could advice from a Communication Studies Student may have aided in the construction of this years Oscars hosts? May we hope that next year, our lessons be put into practice, and a better suited host(s) be implemented to keep the Oscars alive.

    -Maxann Keller
    Thursday: March 3, 2011

    Pictures courtesy of Google Image Search: Oscars 2011 Hosts

     

  • “I want to be an event planner!”

    Contrary to popular belief, event planning isn’t all white dresses and fancy cakes.  In the realm of IMC, events are everywhere. From trade shows to music festivals, it takes knowledge of budgeting, marketing, advertising, organizational planning, and more to carry out a successful event. Our education in Communication Studies gives us a head start on other event planning hopefuls by providing opportunities through the classroom, internships, and extracurricular activities.

    Dress for Success Fashion Show Logo
    2010 "Dress for Success" Fashion Show Logo

    At UNCW, students have the opportunity to assist in the planning of fashion shows, academic conferences and meetings, concerts, multiple charity functions, and fundraisers. These opportunities give us valuable insight into all the necessary components of event planning. We come to understand that it takes hard work and long hours, excellent writing and public speaking skills…the list goes on and on! At the end of the day, an IMC student evaluates the outcome of his or her efforts not by how happy Bridezilla was, but by how it changed the behaviors of the client. For example, the success of a charity event might be measured by an increase in donations, not by how much people enjoyed the show.

    UNCW Communication Studies Society raised over $5,000 for breast cancer research in October 2010!

    When searching through the thousands of job listings, there are a variety of titles to consider: conference coordinator, special event coordinator, and meeting manager to name a few. Dependent upon the more specific interests of the applicant, these titles can start you on your way to a career in event planning!

    -Tiffany Evans, Deji Adeleke, Anna Kate Babnik, Katie Eagle, Carissa Niederkorn