IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Holiday season

  • Tis the Season

    In ancient Greece, rhetoric was a crucial skill. Today, it is still used in our everyday life: in the office, in the classroom, and in the home. As the holidays approach, big brands are beginning to rev up their inner rhetorician, persuading consumers to buy their products and to buy into the holiday season. Main stream brands have mastered the art of rhetoric, changing it from a way of speech to a way of images.

    Within the past week the “top shelf” department stores in New York City opened their window displays featuring holiday themes, winter traditions, and of course, several of their top products. The stores claim that their holiday window displays are merely “gifts to the city” by sharing their excitement for the holiday season with passer-bys. I beg to differ. Yes, it is a brilliant idea to provide beautiful window displays to spread seasonal cheer. However, it is also a fantastic use of modern day rhetoric, persuading consumers to purchase the products that share the spotlight with the seasonal window displays are the perfect gift for this holiday season.

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    Tiffany & Co. window display

    Senior direct of visual presentation at Bergdorf Goodman says that “every store has their own style.” Stores like Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Macy’s, Tiffany & Co., and Saks Fifth Avenue to name a few each have their own theme for their window displays. The stores each have a different focus on a holiday tradition while incorporating some of their top products of the season. The displays fashion innovative light displays, eye catching colors, and even live models in some windows. Through this transactional strategy of rhetoric, the stores are able to create a connection between their objects in their window displays and the consumer audience. Without the use of words, the stores are persuading consumers to purchase their products by creating the image of the perfect Christmas morning, holiday dinner party, or snowy sleigh ride.

    Big brand names have taken rhetoric, which has thousands of years of history, and created it into something to work with today’s world. Do you think this new form of nonverbal rhetoric is effective?

    -Tilson Hackley

  • Holiday Shopping at Risk from Government Shutdown

    The current shutdown marks the first time in 17 years that the government has come to a halt, as both political parties remain at a standstill. With no sort of compromise in sight, a chain reaction with numerous consequences could follow. Currently, one of the main concerns is the increase in number of furloughed government workers who are grouped into two categories: essential and nonessential jobs. However, if the shutdown continues, retailers of public businesses may also take a hit creating potential conflict during the holiday season.

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    As the upcoming holiday season quickly approaches, retailers are actively predicting whether or not the federal government shutdown will impact sales. According to The National Retail Federation, sales are expected to increase 3.9 percent for November and December. However, these calculations were based on past holiday sales that had no interference of a government shutdown. Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, retailers may have to alter their marketing strategies to maintain their predicted sales for the holidays.

    As the government shutdown enters its second week, no substantial progress has been made to give retailers an accurate sense as to what will come in the next few months. Some sources believe that the shutdown could not be more perfectly timed because, “…the back-to-school rush has quieted, and despite the best efforts of some retailers, the holiday shopping season is still many weeks away from being in full swing.” On the other hand, “…some marketers may find that because consumers are spending less money, their holiday marketing may need to be tweaked at the last minute this year.”  These two outlooks lead us to wonder if a rippling effect will take place. NBC News has created possible scenarios that would occur if the shutdown lasted for over a month. One possible scenario on November 17th, according to The National Retail Federation, would indicate the “make-or-break” of the holiday shopping season. Consumer confidence in retailers will diminish as the shutdown continues, which will create devastating effects for retail stores and the overall economy.

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    With Halloween quickly approaching, it will be interesting to see how the government shutdown could impact sales in terms of consumer behavior. Do you think that the shutdown will have an effect on holiday spending? How will retailers respond if the shutdown looms on in terms of marketing strategies?

    – Aaron Love, Kara Zimmerman, Rachel Clay, Rebecca Hobbs