IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: consumers

  • Campus Dining: Fueling Your Education

    Students can be hard to please, but that doesn’t stop schools from trying. Universities cater to their students needs in many ways from providing tutoring services and career building seminars, to fulfilling the most basic and necessary task of feeding their students.

    Campus Dining
    facebook.com/uncwcampusdining

    UNCW Campus Dining has a large customer base that has a high turnover. With each new generation of Seahawks and the constant evolution of food trends in society, Campus Dining must stay updated on their consumer needs. An effective IMC plan begins and ends with research. Each semester Campus Dining sends out surveys asking students and faculty what changes they would like to see. Questions include asking for locations where students and faculty feel dining options are lacking and also what variety of food options they would like to see offered.

    Campus Dining stays relevant through a nearly constant evolution of dining locations. Anyone who has had a meal plan for more than a couple semesters has probably seen Dub’s remodeled multiple times. With redecorations, menu changes, dietary need additions, we don’t have time to get bored before it is new again. Currently Dubs has an emphasis on local and healthy options.

    Campus Dining brand also embraces sustainability efforts. You may have heard about the fish tank in Wag. This aquaponics system (a small ecosystem that raises plants and fish in a mutually beneficial environment) is just one of the most recent updates. This semester the cafeteria provides more fresh fruit and veggies (due to survey requests) and wag sushi on Fridays. These are just some examples of Campus Dining improvements.

    Aside from keeping up with the foods that students request, UNCW goes one step farther to keep their students happy by offering a variety of promotions. This semester, along with the updated meal plans, UNCW has a “VIP” option for students in Non-Traditional housing who purchase meal plans. By getting a meal plan between May 18th and August 24th, eligible students were enrolled in a rewards program that allows them free surprises every month.  Some of these specials include free coffee at Port City Java, a free bagel, a free sandwich at The Landing, a free Chick-fil-a sandwich, and other exciting surprises. This IMC strategy is an incentive for students who are not required to purchase a meal plan to do so, and a way for UNCW Campus Dining to retain more customers.

    All these initiatives show Campus Dining’s commitment to generating consumer enthusiasm and engagement to keep their brand relevant against off-campus dining competition. In addition to their guaranteed return on investment from students living on campus who are required to get meal plans, Campus Dining’s IMC plan draws in extra revenue by encouraging everyone to make them their choice for nutritional value.

    Want to learn more about campus dining? Follow them here:

    Twitter: @UNCWDining

    Instagram: @uncw_dining

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/uncwcampusdining

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

  • Persuasion Through Customization: Moto X

    “If you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts, feel my feelings, and speak my words. -Cicero

    Spoken nearly 2000 years ago, this statement still rings true today. Philosophizing rhetoric and the art of persuasion, Cicero understood the importance of connecting with an audience at the mental and emotional level.

    The above quote points out three of his main claims. To persuade an audience one must “think their thoughts”.  People are more likely to be persuaded when the rhetorician communicates in a way that embraces the individual’s own point of view. Focusing solely on changing point of view results in discomfort and suspicion. Rhetoricians must also “feel their feelings”. To do so, one must ask themselves what the deep-seated feelings are that drive the listeners. Asking this question and reflecting on the answers is an essential part in the pathway to connecting. Finally, according to Cicero, to persuade an audience, one must “speak their words”.  People need to understand what you have to say in order to care about it.  If they don’t care, they won’t do the ultimate goal – act.

    In the age of advertising, these classical concepts are still prevalent as we transcend into the postmodern era. In postmodernity the “self” becomes the ultimate selling point. Marketers strive to persuade their audience that their product does more than whatever its mechanical purpose – the pitching point becomes that their product is an extension of oneself. As a result, individualization and customization are reigning themes. Furthermore, because individuals are immersing themselves as an object, consumers become an actual participant in customization. Products are increasingly less of a finished object, allowing consumers to provide direct input – ultimately and simultaneously becoming a producer as well.

    Therefore, it is no coincidence products today are increasingly individualized. An example of this is the new Motorola Moto X phone. Check out it’s commercial, Customize below.

    After watching this how do you feel? This is a pretty cool phone, right? You can make it however you want! Notice how this commercial mentions nothing about tech specs, mobile web speed, or how the phone will be used in your every day life. Its persuasion strategy focuses on “you” – “your ride”, “your pet”, “your body” and now “your phone” – the idea that you can be in charge of customizing your phone, just as you do everything else, as an expression of your self. You are the producer. No longer are the only options either black and white. Your options are whatever you think brands yourself best.

    This commercial is the essence of Cicero’s idea of persuasion combined with post-modernism ideals. By knowing what its postmodern consumers think and feel about individualization, Motorola has created a product that speaks to every thing you as a consumer expects and wants – customization. Not only do you become a buyer of the Moto X, but a producer of it. Their persuasion hook is that you can directly produce their product as a means of your own expression.

    Has this commercial persuaded you? What other brands and products use customization and self-expression as a persuasion tool?

    –Savannah Valade, Caroline Robinson

  • The Power of A Few Words

    In society today, there is an abundance of good slogans relating to the worlds of politics and advertising that adorn and surround our everyday life. Although many of these slogans often seem to be utterly vacuous, as they leave us with nothing, slogans still remain a very powerful example of the power of words and how their influence in motivating people and consumers. Advertising incorporates a series of crucial elements such as images, characters and music in order to further make their slogans even more memorable than the next brand or product.
    These often-superfluous gimmicks play a much larger role than one may expect. In fact, in the increasingly complex and ever-changing world we live in, simplicity counts in the form of communication.
    According to www.SloganPower.com, a powerful and efficient slogan should be able to:
    • Convey the essence of your organization or brand
    • Build your corporate or brand image
    • Establish your unique position in the marketplace
    • Attract and retain customers
    • Boost staff morale
    • Liven up your corporate literature
    • Enhance your competitive advantage

    Here are some examples of the most famous and successful slogans in our society:

    I’m lovin’ it – McDonalds
    What Would You Do For A Klondike Bar? – Klondike
    Yes We Can! – Obama Campaign 2008
    Just do it. – Nike
    Das Auto – Volkswagen
    All the news that’s fit to print. – The New York Times
    Let Your Fingers Do The Walking. – Yellow Pages
    Have it your way. – Burger King
    M’m! M’m! Good! – Campbell Soup
    The Citi Never Sleeps – Citi Bank
    Got Milk? – Milk Campaign
    Have a break. Have a Kit-Kat. – Kit Kat

    All of these examples are very successful slogans that most of us recognize instantaneously. Some of them may even instill sentiment into our hearts for one reason or another. But out of these examples, some stick out more than others. A good example is Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” because it is a very inspirational and successful campaign. The company has turned this slogan into a phenomenon and uses it to brand their products, including everything from t-shirts, to watches, to bracelets, to shorts and shoes, etc. The key is to motivate people to get up and get active, or essentially to go out there and literally “just do it.” These three words are very powerful.

    Today, even our schools have slogans help keep students motivated and give them a sense of community with the school. UNCW recently changed their slogan to “Together We Fly.” A slogan like this not only brands the school well, but it gives the faculty, staff, and students a sense of togetherness. The school then exemplifies a certain image about our university and how well we connect with each other. Bringing a positive image to our school is a huge part of our overall strategic branding. Effective branding will create a greater desire for prospective students to apply here and also help our image overall as an accredited university. Universities all over the world use their slogans to entice prospective applicants to become a part of their alma mater. Everyone in North Carolina knows exactly what school is being discussed when they hear “Tar Heels”.   The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has established a dominating and elite brand reputation for their school since the 1700’s. When a slogan has motivation combined with pride, it can take the brand to a whole new level of accomplishment.

    Companies and institutions use slogans for a variety of reasons.  There are so many products available today, and consumers are not going to remember each product along with the entire marketing theme associated with such products.  Slogans are easy and catchy ways to grasp the general message that a company is trying to convey.  Just a few words can be extremely powerful in the effort to gain the attention of consumers.

    –Sasha De Vecchi, Lindsay Gallagher, Jay Reilly, Cary Welborn