IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: UNCW

  • Looking Forward to Advanced IMC

    It’s that time of year again!

    It is officially 2011 and spring semester classes across the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s campus have begun. Last semester we caught a glimpse of Dr. Persuit’s Corporate Communication class and what they had to say. This semester, the blog is back up and running with the class that originated it all, Advanced Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), but with new students and new insights.

    For all of our new subscribers and readers, you may ask, what exactly is Integrated Marketing Communication? Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) recognizes the importance of strategic planning to reach all businesses, customers, employees, as well as communities. Public relations and advertising are critical categories of IMC, along with promotions, event planning and marketing communications. IMC, so to speak, integrates all of these promotional tools and resources so that they can work hand-in-hand with one another.

    In this class, the projects and teamwork we will encounter will make us more knowledgable in the specified field and expand our resume and skill set.  This semester, we will be discussing topics anywhere from the Superbowl to careers in IMC.  We look forward to your comments and appreciate the feedback! ENJOY!

  • What I Learned in Corporate Communication

    I cannot believe the semester is coming to an end. As I reflect on the Corporate Communication course, there are several things that I have learned. Thinking back to our first day of class and the definition of corporate communication we formulated, we selected several terms; brand, consistent, reputation, identity, narrative, integration, persuasion, symbolic, building/maintaining. These terms only started the process of discovering what corporate communication is about. From class discussions, our mid-term project and our readings there are more that I would add; discipline, alignment, values, vision, mission, responsibility, customer service, diversity and the list could go on!

    One concept that struck me the most from our readings was the Hedgehog concept. The story is about a fox and a hedgehog. The fox is cunning and always trying to get at the hedgehog in various ways. The hedgehog follows his daily routine and whenever the fox tries to pounce, he consistently rolls into a ball with his spikes protruding. The point of the story is the hedgehog has a simple plan and he wins every time. The underlying message of the hedgehog concept is to align your strengths with your passions and what drives you economically. As I reflect on the key terms from our definition of corporate communication and the Hedgehog concept, they are not solely meant for a corporation as a whole, but for each individual that breathes the life into a corporation as well.                                               -Jocelyn Beam-Walson

    Corporate Communication has certainly taught me a great deal over the course of this semester.  I have expanded my knowledge on all of the things Jocelyn touched on above, but I think the most important concept I am walking away from the class with comes from a book we read called Good to Great, by Jim Collins.  In the book, Collins talks about getting the right people “on the bus”.  This essentially means that if you want to succeed, you need to surround yourself with people that also want to succeed and who are driven and motivated to do so.  Although I’ve been doing group projects for most of my college career, this thought never occurred to me.  Obviously I never intentionally agreed to work with bad group members, it just seemed to happen.  After reading about the importance of getting the right people on the bus and the bad ones off, no matter what.  From now on I will always remember this concept and make sure that I get on the right bus with the right people!                                                                                                                                                         -Eliza Wadson

    Corporate Communication has given me a surprising amount of information and provided me with helpful experiences as well. I found the content of Good to Great very insightful. I was surprised by the attributes that forge the path to greatness. Rather than there being a miraculous transition or advances in technology, greatness is obtained through a collection of factors that synergistically interact, specifically having the right solidarity between indomitable perseverance, winning people, and valuing actual results over flashy appearances. The information gathered from this textbook helped me to view successful companies in a different light. This course also gave me some good experience with group work. I have had some unpleasant experiences with groups in the past; however, this semester I have been part of a group that displays efficiency, a desire to get things done, and putting forth equal effort in completing objectives. Corporate Communication has taught me new facts and ideas and I feel these will be useful in my future career aspirations.                              -Sean O’Connell

    This class was set up unlike any other class I have taken at UNCW.  It was structured to mimic a real work environment by allowing us as students to formulate class discussions.  Each class, we took topics from the reading and generated them into issues that were relevant to us.  When we presented our midterm papers, we arranged the class like a boardroom and fostered a conversation on our findings, rather than standing up in front of the class and lecturing.  Another helpful tool that we used in this class was the blog.  Having something that we are responsible for that reaches a large audience is empowering as students.  It also made us a part of the current transition in corporate communication towards social networking. This skill will prove useful to us in our future careers.  Overall, this class gave me a new perspective on corporate communication and what it means to work in the industry.  It made me excited to enter the work force and start putting these skills I have learned to action.                                                                                                                  -Sarah McIntosh

  • Communication Studies: The Major with the Mostest

    The Communication Studies department uses corporate communication to create a message and transmit that message to its publics through various mediums.  The Communication Studies department encompasses many different fields such as broadcasting, speech writing, public relations and research. The department sends out messages about why it is a worthwhile major and what the benefits are of having a degree in it. It is a very broad and far-reaching major, making opportunities for later employment very probable. It offers students a chance to express themselves and find their niche. This major teaches students about certain communication mediums and how to utilize them to spread its influence.

    As we mentioned above, the Communication Studies department has several different mediums it uses to send out messages.  First of all, the department has its own section of the UNCW website where you can find information about the major, contact information for professors, and the mission statement. The department also sends out emails to all registered members of the major to discuss on-campus events and important occurrences within the department. Some of these events include Make the Most of Your Major, which helps students to better understand the classes that are being offered within the department. The department also has Com Studies Day, in which several events are held to teach students about life in the real world and how to best use the knowledge imparted to them. One example is the Dress For Success Fashion Show, which teaches students about proper business attire for an interview or a presentation. There is also a club for majors called Communication Studies Society, which helps members become more involved in the community and in campus life. Additionally, there is the Lambda Pi Eta Honors Society, which takes in academically advanced students and helps stimulate interest in the field of communication. Another event offered through the major is Rock for the Cure, a fundraiser that is held each year to raise money for breast cancer research and support. Each of these events signifies how an organization can reach out to the masses.

    The Communication Studies department uses all these events and mediums to communicate their message to the public. These mediums include emails, posters, banners and online advertisements. Even this blog helps to spread the word about the department. The objective is to help students get more involved and achieve a more fulfilling college experience. The Communication Studies department uses corporate communication to raise awareness and send out their message about the major.

    Sarah McIntosh, Eliza Wadson, Jocelyn Walson, Sean O’Connell

  • Let’s find the connection

    What is the connection between Corporate Communication and Communication Studies?  Finding this connection may be more difficult than first perceived.  What we do know is that both of these subjects have broad definitions which can be interpreted and defined in a variety of ways.  Communication studies at UNCW is one of the largest undergraduate programs on campus.  The department focuses on eight core skills that are vital to the success of each person within the department. These eight skills include: confidence, intellectual curiosity, responsibility, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, civility, and praxis.  Within communication studies, students have the opportunity to focus on a number of different concentrations.  The central aspect that each concentration revolves around is the statement of clarifying who we are and what we are about.  This idea creates a strong link between the communication studies major and personal development as a whole.

    Communication Studies @ UNCW

    All this being said, how does this relate in the slightest bit to Corporate Communication? Our team defined Corporate communication as the communicative interaction of building and maintaining a reputation and consistent brand while fostering relationships internally and externally within each level of an organization.  The eight core skills of our department go hand in hand with this definition.  Here are the definitions of them……Core Skills

    After reminding ourselves of the definitions of these skills, it is easier to see how they are necessary for work in a Corporate Communication profession. We can see  that without confidence and praxis, we will be unable to take responsibility for the decisions made when dealing with a company’s reputation and brand; and without the combination of intellectual curiosity and critical thinking, the organization will remain at a stand still. Beyond this we are able to easily say that corporate communication involves various positions within a company. This requires collaboration and civility with and among each individual. Lastly, problem solving is a conjunction of all of these things. Problems that are brought to a company regarding their corporate communication can be successfully solved only by utilizing the other seven skills.

    That is how we view Corporate Communication in terms of our Communication Studies department and skills. It is an extreme understatement to say that we will simply use our skills in our future professions. They will be the cornerstones upon which we operate day to day and all that we do will in some way relate back to one of those skills.

    Haley Williams
    Arielle Williams
    Lora Hampton
    Danielle Dorantich

  • Feel the Teal

    Whether you attend UNCW, are a native of Wilmington, or you just know of the university, it is no secret that our school is near the beach.  Judging by some of the nicknames for UNCW: UNC Beach, UN Sea W, UNC by the Sea, it is clear that our geographical location plays a role in our school’s brand narrative.  This is exemplified through our mascot, Sammy the Seahawk, as well as our school colors.

    Believe it or not, the color teal was not picked just because we think it’s pretty (although it’s a plus), neither were the gold and navy blue that help to round out the vibrant color palate.  UNCW’s school colors were chosen to represent the surrounding area that helps define our institution’s brand.  The color teal was chosen to represent the Atlantic Ocean, the dark blue represents the deep ocean, and the gold symbolizes the sand.

    This association with the beach has created a community of teal throughout the university.  Everywhere you turn on campus you are inundated with the color teal.  Teal has become synonymous with UNCW and its brand.  We even turned the color into an adjective with a 2009 campaign for the athletic department that asked, “Are you tealin’ it?”  One popular t-shirt worn by students says, “Feel my Teal”.  We have Teal Tuesdays where students wear the color to show school spirit.  This creates a feeling of unity on campus and gives students a way to express their love for UNCW.


    While the university’s close proximity to the beach has some influence on creating its brand narrative, there is more to the school than just that.  For those of us who attend UNCW, we know that going to class does not mean sunbathing, surfing, and collecting seashells.  UNCW has a strong focus on academics and that is it’s main priority.  We are well known for our excellent marine biology program as well as our professional school of business.  We also aim to be environmentally friendly and do our part to support the community.  There are many things that make UNCW the school that it is.  Our proximity to the ocean and our love of the color teal are just a few of those things that bring us together as a university.

    Eliza Wadson, Jocelyn Walson, Sarah McIntosh, Sean O’Connell

  • UNCW Student Organizations’ Communication Efforts on Campus

    There are over 300 student organizations on UNCW’s Campus. A huge challenge these organizations face is getting the word out about their group. Luckily the Campus Activities and Involvement Center (CAIC) is there to assist their marketing efforts. For promotional items each group is provided with fifty buttons, five posters, fifty balloons, and fifty flyers per semester. CAIC also offers unlimited amounts of chalk for groups to write on the campus’ sidewalks and also unlimited cans of spray paint for groups to paint the two spirit rocks on campus.

    Another effective form of advertising provided by CAIC is the University’s banner poles. There are fifteen of these banner poles located outdoors and five located indoors. Organizations may submit twin sized sheets that they have painted and CAIC will hang them throughout campus. These promotional items allow organizations to share their message with the student body free of cost. In addition the office also offers involvement specialists to assist organizations around the clock.

    Alongside all of these promotional opportunities that CAIC offers there are also a variety of media outlets on campus that organizations can use to promote events. Teal TV is a broadcast news show hosted by UNCW students. The Seahawk is a campus wide newspaper written by UNCW students. Roomers is a newspaper written by Housing and Residence Life that is distributed throughout on-campus living facilities. There is also a monthly newsletter created just for student organizations. All of these are excellent sources for organizations to communicate with the rest of campus.

    By utilizing all of these resources provided by UNCW, student organizations can strategically market and advertise their groups.

    For more information about Campus Activities and Involvement Center, click here

    -Meghan French and Gracie Anderson

  • Back to Undecided

    As Shannon said in her previous blog, I must also admit as well that I am not graduating in May. But, I am technically a senior and will graduate in December along with some of my fellow IMC-Hawks! My decision to graduate in December is based on saving money. Having 24 AP credits from high school has definitely been worth it, as I was only “undecided” for a semester!

    After taking a mass communication class and learning briefly about IMC, I immediately looked into graduate school programs. I absolutely fell in love with Emerson College’s program in Boston. I wanted to go to Emerson for undergrad, but there was no way I wanted to spend that much money, so when I found they had an IMC graduate program, it was like it was meant to be. I immediately requested materials (yes, as a sophomore) and plan to apply when the time is right. IMC has been a very influential subject in my academic career, and I cannot wait to apply it outside of the classroom and help others understand what IMC is about.

    Thus, though I am moving past the undergraduate level, I am going back to my “undecided” roots. After I graduate, I don’t really know what path I want to take. I plan to continue with IMC in some way, shape or form, whether it’s incorporating it in my job, or continuing my education through a graduate program. Hopefully next semester I’ll move away from “undecided” to something a little more focused! I think continuing education is important and keeps your mind sharp as you proceed past the “undergraduate” stages of your life.

    Rachel Kaylor