IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Marketing

  • Foursquare U

    Back before texting and tweeting, students on college campuses relied on announcement boards and gossip floating in the student center to find the popular hang out spots or know about the latest buzz. Today, news about and around campus is instant. Most major universities have embraced social media over the past decade and are using it to reach college students in a unique way. But how can universities gain access to real-time social trends on campus? Welcome to the new and evolving world of geosocial networks.
    Geosocial or “location-based” social networks are on the rise, with the forerunner being foursquare, a mobile app launched in 2009 that allows users to “check-in” to various locations and share where they are and what they are doing with their friends. Access to real-time location data from foursquare allows marketers and businesses to know what locations are “trending” as well as the demographics of users checking-in to their establishment. With the growing momentum of foursquare, universities are hopping onto the “check-in” train and recognizing foursquare on campus.
    Why should universities be interested in foursquare? For starters, foursquare currently has 15 million users and over 1.5 billion check-ins worldwide, with a growth rate of 3400% in 2010. Chances are that your business or venue is already on foursquare and users have probably checked in and maybe even left some tips. Information that users enter when creating a venue may be incorrect, but universities that claim their venues can add appropriate information to academic buildings to ensure the best overall experience for faculty, students, and guest.
    Universities are beginning to recognize the potential value of information gathered using geosocial networks. What does 4pm look like on campus? Is the library packed? Are students working out? Applications like foursquare can also attract visitors on campus by offering “check-in” deals (ex. 10% off a shirt when you check-in to the campus bookstore), creating a self guided mobile tour of academic venues, and leaving historic information or helpful tips for different locations.

    Most importantly, foursquare is free advertising (for now). Not only that, but it can be interactive and rewarding for users, perhaps by giving away free university gear for going to the library, attending a campus event, or staying healthy at the gym. The possibilities for university marketing are endless.

    By: Hunter Wilson, Josh Vester, Ashley Oliver, Molly Jacques

  • Social Media Backlash Against Komen

    Not only do companies have to worry about negative blogs and reviews to control during an organizational crisis, but now they have to be prepared to control all sorts of social media outlets as well. Susan G. Komen had trouble with just that as they released information to the public on January 31st saying they will no longer provide Planned Parenthood with funding for mammograms for low-income women for breast cancer screening. Immediately this became a very controversial topic on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Many believe that this decision was made because of political pressure from anti-choice groups. This is exactly what Komen is denying and released a statement after many Komen supporters were posting very negative comments. This statement said that the decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood was not a political move; instead it was because they now have new funding criteria.

    Interestingly, Komen and Planned Parenthood had been in contact weeks before this came out to the public. So wouldn’t you think Komen had plenty of time to realize things could get touchy? To make matters worse, Komen started to delete the negative comments on their Facebook page. What Komen did not realize is the political power of social media and many need to learn from this. When the Associated Press reported the news that funding was going to be cut, Planned Parenthood blasted news releases on Twitter and Facebook. Once Komen realized they couldn’t change the public opinion around or even slow down the negativity on social media, they reversed their decision to cut funding.

    At a time of crisis in an organization, your message and speed of that message is very important to insure the least amount of damage. Komen was not ready for this backlash of so many people on their social media sites and once they actually responded, it was brief and too defensive. On the other hand, Planned Parenthood prepared for this for weeks before it went to the public and immediately posted to get fans and supporters involved. Some ways they got supporters involved is by asking for donations, sign an online petition, to Tweet or post about it on Facebook, and since then has added over 32,000 fans. Clearly, Komen should have taken a different approach in handling their social media sites and the communication with their avid supporters.

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

  • Valentine’s Day goes green for beer?

    Asian night clubs, beer, sword-fighting, and the color green are not what people would typically refer to as romantic or associate with Valentine’s Day. However, this year Heineken has decided to market its product unconventionally by creating a campaign based on Valentine’s Day.

    Heineken’s Serenade campaign has videos of a man and woman on a first date, running and dancing through an Asian night-club with jazz music. The man on the date is charming and wows the woman with his skills of swordsmanship, popularity and dancing. At the end of the video, the man and the woman both drink a Heineken and the phrase “open your world” pops on the screen. The video gives the impression that Valentine’s Day can be enjoyed by both sexes in far more exciting ways than the typical flowers and chocolates. Heineken rebrands itself as a more adventurous way to enjoy the holiday and for couples to open themselves up to new possibilities, while remaining appealing to both women and men alike.

    Another aspect of Heineken’s Valentine’s Day campaign is the Facebook app which creates a personalized video for users to ask a friend out on a date through a song. This service promotes Heineken as a matchmaker of sorts. While the videos satisfy the users’ needs of asking out their romantic interests, they also give Heineken greater exposure. As Facebook users see the videos on their friends’ profiles, they will notice that Heineken created the video. The more that people see the advertisements, the more likely they will think of Heineken the next time they purchase beer.

    Heineken has certainly taken an unconventional approach to marketing itself during the Valentine’s Day season. Unlike other companies sticking to the traditional concepts of love and romance, Heineken has chosen to use the holiday as a chance to market itself as an adventurous matchmaker. If the campaign proves to be a success, it is possible that we will see many more companies choosing to taking this unique approach to marketing their products in future Valentine’s Day seasons.

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

  • Have a Sexy Valentine’s Day, Gorgeous!

    A week from today, one of the most commercialized and superficial holidays will occur: Valentine’s Day. For those of you who are one half of a couple, Valentine’s Day is all about making your significant other happy, whether it involves showering him/her with gifts, making dinner reservations, or planning exuberant and normally unnecessarily expensive dates.

    The beginning of February marks the time when store fronts become clad with hearts, cupid cutouts, and pink and red streamers.  Around this same time, we begin to see an increasing number of men lurking around lingerie stores, especially Victoria’s Secret – and for good reason.  Victoria’s Secret has a dramatic increase in sales during the season of romance. With their sexy print ads in magazines, their silky almost-obscene commercials, and their free “Lacie Pantie” giveaway, what man in their right mind would avoid giving their girlfriend/wife the gift of sexiness?

    In their 2012 Valentine’s Day campaign, Victoria’s Secret Angels clad in pink and red barely-there bras and panties have advertised to their customers that with the gift of anything from their line of lingerie, their Valentine’s Day celebrations will be fabulous. In their sneak peek to their photo shoot, the Angels prance around in their under garments, smiling, laughing, and selling the ideas of sex and playfulness. In interviews, the girls claim that any man could win their hearts on Valentine’s Day by picking out something from the Victoria’s Secret shelves. One even says that if a man chooses something that he likes, it will give plenty of hints to his significant other.

    Not only does this campaign appeal to male shoppers, but it also appeals to women. The Victoria’s Secret Angels encourage their customers to feel sexy, and by offering specials, free panties, and coupons during this season, women will certainly be able to feel like Angels.

    So whether you are shopping for a significant other or are planning on spoiling yourself with brand new sexy lingerie, Victoria’s Secret will certainly be the place to shop this romantic season.  And don’t forget to have a sexy Valentine’s Day, Gorgeous!

    Love always, Christina Stevenson, Mollie Berthold, Dorothy Conley, & Laura Simmons

  • All The Single Ladies

    Valentine’s Day is a holiday dreaded by a great deal of people, both male and female, for various reasons. There is pressure on both genders to perform, declare emotions, and out-do previous years or expectations. Those who fail at this task of grandstanding may in fact find themselves without a date for next year. Okay, so there’s a ton of pressure on people in relationships, but what about those of us who are single? While some take pride in their solitude, others wish they had someone to be their valentine, and a few twitch at the mere thought of being in a relationship.

    According to an article in the New York Times, being single is a prevalent occurrence these days with 59.9 million single women in America. This staggering rate may surprise some, but companies like Dove chocolate see these table-for-one ladies as a prime marketing demographic. They hope to strike a chord with this growing independent group by catering their advertising to the women who are without companions. That is why this year Dove has made a campaign to remind women Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance.

    Dove is banking on the stereotype that single women will turn to chocolate this year on Valentine’s Day. Instead of the standard “Call me” or “I’m yours” found on the candy hearts we used to share with our playground crush, Dove has created a host of witty comments and placed them on the inside of their chocolate wrappers. Some of the best include, “You’re gorgeous,” “Sometimes I buy flowers for myself,” “My flaws are fabulous” and even the ever so uplifting, “Love yourself in a moment.” The new commercial features women sharing their Dove chocolates with everyone from their barista to their neighbor, and most importantly, themselves. Is this a message of independence for the strong woman? Or rather, a cheap ploy based upon the assumption that women alone on Valentine’s Day will inevitably console themselves with chocolate? Either way it’s hard to dislike chocolate, especially when it’s making single girls smile and promising not to judge if we have more than one.

    By: Alexis Kapczynski, Kacy Cox, Josh Bowman, and Sara Kaloudis

  • What’s the Real Show?

    During a regulation NFL game there is a 15 minute break between the 2nd and 3rd quarters. This halftime break was originally instituted so the participants of the game could catch their breath and re-energize. During the Super Bowl, halftime lasts for a minimum of 30 minutes. Not only is that plenty of time for a player to catch his breath, that could allow him an opportunity to take a nap and check some emails. The mid-game break is actually long enough that coaches usually alter practices leading up to the big game in order to prepare their players for dealing with the extended down time. Despite this, there has never been a serious motion to shorten the length of the break. On the contrary, every few years halftime will run a little long to better accommodate the length of more extravagant halftime shows.

    This presents an interesting phenomenon. The Super Bowl, the game that decides who the best team is in the highest level of the most popular sport in America, is consistently interrupted for at least 15 minutes more than is necessary so an assortment of washed up and unknown artists can perform for a crowd that has paid at least double the average monthly income for a ticket to the game. It is widely known that companies spend millions of dollars for a chance to slip a commercial in between the biggest football game of the year, but this event has become so large that the game itself is being postponed in order to make room for the event that surrounds it. That’s the kind of marketing that is normally reserved for religious holidays and national celebrations.

    So what makes the Super Bowl half-time show so special? It is the second most anticipated part of the event, besides of course, who wins the championship.  The hype of who is performing is always a boost for the performers publicity, but what if Madonna blows it like the Black Eyed Peas did last year?  What will that do to her brand as being Madonna, the Queen of pop? There is a lot at stake when involving yourself in the biggest event of the year.  Let’s just hope there are no wardrobe malfunctions or fumbled lyrics this year.

    Read more about the halftime show here!

  • 30 Seconds to Impress.

    Super Bowl XLVI, hosted in Indianapolis, Indiana. February 5th, 2012.

    As the big game is just days away, people are gearing up for Sunday and preparing themselves for the largest televised game in all of sports. With an estimated 90-100 million people forecasted to watch, Sunday isn’t a big day just for the Giants and the Patriots; Sunday is the day where the nation’s most popular companies spend up to 10% of their yearly advertising budgets.

    Projecting an increase in viewership, it is to be expected that an increase in the price of advertising on the nation’s biggest stage, with this year’s price tag for 30 seconds of screen time reaching $3.5 million dollars, an increase from last year’s $3.1 million. Keep in mind that $3.5 million dollars will get you ONE 30-second advertisement, where it will be competing for viewership in an estimated 47 total minutes of commercial time. It’s no surprise that companies like Anheuser-Busch and PepsiCo are willing to shell out nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to run upwards of 10 ads, with some lasting over the 60-second mark.

    It has also been reported that Swedish company H&M will be airing their first ever Super Bowl advertisement, starring the LA Galaxy and former EPL Soccer star David Beckham. While this isn’t the first time that a global company has advertised during the big game, it is certainly a sign that retailers globally are starting to incorporate the Super Bowl into its scheduling of product launches, as H&M is set to reveal their new line during the ad that will be in stores soon after. It is obvious that while football is an American sport, there is no better way of getting attention during the most watched event of the year.

    But when it comes down to it, is it really worth it? Many experts agree that, yes it is. It has been reported that nearly 50% of the audience tunes into watch just the commercials alone. The main draw of these commercials isn’t necessarily for people to go out right after and buy the product, but just to stir up some buzz around the company. Being known is always the first step to great sales. However, selling the products helps a lot too. Think about Snickers buying a $3 million dollar ad, and then think about how many candy bars they would have to sell in order to pay for that ad. Don’t worry. Randle D. Raggio, a professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia already did it. You’d have to sell 6,329,406 bars. If 100+ million people see your ad during the commercials though, you probably have a pretty good shot, I’d say.