IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Planning

  • Pumpkin $pice

    Although today is the official first day of fall, pumpkin flavored lattes and #sweaterweather advertisements have filled our newsfeeds for weeks.  Preparation for America’s “favorite season” is a prime example of strategic planning when it comes to IMC.  Companies, such as Starbucks, take no mercy on branding fall for a profit.  Take a look at the Starbucks home page:

    Screen Shot 2015-09-21 at 1.45.54 PM

    “Celebrate the flavor of fall” with pumpkin spiced teas and pump bottles of artificial pumpkin flavor.  Starbucks goes above and beyond by defining fall and reminding us it is time to put a dent in the pumpkin population and enjoy this fantastic, fall sensation.  Keep scrolling and you will find the “Fall Drinkware” section of their website, offering a variety of different orange coffee mugs for about 20 bucks a piece.

    Screen Shot 2015-09-21 at 1.45.42 PM

    A little much?  Well, according to Fortune Magazine, Starbucks reported a 10% increase in the fiscal fourth-quarter sales in 2014.  Evidently pumpkin spice does come at a price.  The company is reportedly brewing up more ideas and plan to add to the recipe by creating a “fall flavored” line of sodas, smoothies, and yogurts.  Limiting the availability of these fall treats help build upon the chic image Starbucks maintains to its publics.  Though some may gasp at the thought of paying over 5 dollars for one of these sought after lattes, to many, fall just wouldn’t “be in the air” without them.

    S. Alyssa Groom wrote in her article, Integrated Marketing Communication Anticipating the “Age of Engage”, that it is now impossible to create a marketing plan to follow at the beginning of the year.  Starbucks’ creation of this fall line is a prime example of Groom’s theory.  The company has broken the marketing year into segments and focuses on specific aspects of what is popular and “hip” during that market period.  Groom also mentions that “marketing can no longer stand alone” and the importance of customer engagement.  Through social media pages dedicated to this fall line and the creation of hashtags, Starbucks makes purchasing one of their fall items interactive.  Allowing for customers to post pictures, tag the company, generate new hashtags and register for giveaways.  These strategies get the customer excited about going out and buying Starbucks products.  Customers now “buy into” the Starbucks brand, going beyond a simple cup of coffee.

    -Luke, Dan, Amanda, Meleah and Kendall

  • 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