IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Word of mouth marketing

  • Hot, Fast, Cheap, and Local

    Otherwise known as a flaming success, the Flaming Amy’s brand has made quite the name for itself in Wilmington. The Amy’s family enterprise offers two diverse dining experiences under one brand. The Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn is housed in an actual barn shaped building offering an eclectic and funky vibe with its sticker covered windows and doors and mismatched frames  lining the walls. But if Tex-Mex isn’t your thing, no worries! You can head on over to the Burrito Barn’s sister and enjoy a taste of non-traditional Mongolian stir fry at Flaming Amy’s Bowl.

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    The Bowl and Barn share more than just their laid back and liberal atmospheres. Since they opened their doors in 2000 the two restaurants have garnered fans and local awards, with the Burrito Barn even making it as one of 64 contenders in FiveThirtyEight’s “Search for America’s Best Burrito.” Self-proclaimed as “hot, fast, cheap and easy,” the family behind the Amy’s enterprise has successfully marketed their brand to the local community.The Wilmington community in turn has responded by becoming an active part of their IMC strategy. Locals are quick to send any visitors or newcomers in town in the direction of either Flaming Amy’s restaurant,  implementing word of mouth marketing to  increase the already well known brand.

    Diners enjoy lunch at Flaming Amy's Bowl in Wilmington, NC on Sunday, July 13, 2014. Copyright 2014 Jason Barnette Flaming Amy's Bowl is locally-owned by Amy and Jay Muxworthy. It is an Asian stir fry restaurant with an emphasis on friendly staff, great cooks, and a comfortable atmosphere.

    And in the word of the Flaming Amy brand itself:

    “Always remember and never forget… EAT AT FLAMING AMY’S!”

    Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) is a type of marketing that is the most ethical and one of the most valuable ways a company can market. WOMM allows customers to have a voice which in turn will give the company an opportunity to listen to customer’s needs and realize that a happy customer is their greatest endorsement. Conversation creation is a marketing tactic that companies use to gain people’s attention, this can be done through interesting or fun advertisements, catchphrases or emails.  Flaming Amy’s utilizes conversation creation through their FAB and Eat at Flaming Amy’s stickers. These stickers can be seen throughout the Wilmington community; on cars, laptops, notebooks and other items you would put a sticker. Conversation creation marketing targets a small group of people which will then influence a large group of people. This type of marketing is an inexpensive way that can produce big results.

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    The Flaming Amy’s Brand has successfully created a loyal audience and customer base with it’s marketing communication efforts. We have all seen the stickers all over town, and it’s always exciting.

    By Aki Suzuki, Carrie Poniewaz, Carey Shetterley, Lexie Trimnal, June Wilkinson

  • Behind the Scenes in Wilmington, NC

    For the past 30 years while the film industry was taking root in Wilmington, NC a brand was also growing. Wilmington became “Wilmywood.” With a well established tie to the film industry where does this brand identity go now that major productions like “Under The Dome” are heading farther south to Atlanta? Is Wilmington still “Hollywood East?” The NC Department of Revenue reported 10,500 film industry jobs in 2011. The UNCW Film Studies webpage promotes the department as a vital link to a “thriving film production center.” Students are often excited to see UNCW featured in these movies and shows, with hits like ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘One Tree Hill’ shooting scenes on campus. UNCW student Jackie L. says, “I took the opportunity to be an extra in Nicholas Sparks film at Dockside Bar & Restaurant because this was an easy way for me to break into the industry and help gain some exposure.” Incoming students, and industry professionals aren’t the only ones drawn to this exposure. Wilmington tourists are promised not only sandy beaches but film location walking tours from The North Carolina Travel and Tourism Board. It’s undeniable that Wilmington’s film industry has been at the forefront of establishing the city’s brand equity, attracting loyalty and awareness through the implications of its name branding “Hollywood East.” Will “Hollywood East”  still be an accurate picture of the Wilmington brand?

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    When North Carolina cut film industry tax incentives in half in 2014, production companies moved productions but the studio they used is still here. EUE/Screen Gems Studio is the local film industry power player having provided an operational base for over 400 film and television productions since 1985, and the 50 acre soundstage is still in business. With the film industry starting to move out of Wilmington while a major studio complex remains this puts Wilmington and its brand in an interesting situation. Is it ethical to keep advertising Wilmington as “Hollywood East?” Or should Wilmington and the UNCW community take this opportunity to revisit their dominant selling point and establish a new standard for connecting the film industry with their brands?

    EUE-Screen-Gems-in-NC

    The democratic ethical approach put emphasis on the habit of justice which calls for factual accuracy, and the habit of search which supports openness to new ideas. According to this, the city cannot market itself as Hollywood East, and let potential students and new residents believe that they will spot Robert Downey Jr. on the street or will sit down across from Jennifer Aniston Front Street Brewery. The reality is that the movie industry is largely moving out. We can still talk about the film that has happened in Wilmington and market that for all its worth, but we should be factual about the changes occurring.Wilmington and UNCW should open up to new branding possibilities and creating a new way to market themselves without needing to rely on “Hollywood East.”

    We know that the film incentives have brought controversy among Wilmington citizens. What are your opinions on Wilmington’s next step should be?
    -Aki Suzuki, Lexie Trimnal, Carey Shetterley, June Wilkinson, Carey Poniewaz

  • Potato — Po-ta-to : Sweet Potato vs. Yam

    North Carolina is known for celebrating many odd and obscure things. For instance, our great state has festivals glorifying everything from pickles to blueberries, from crabs to mules, and in this case: both sweet potatoes and yams. Are you following along – sweet potatoes and yams are two separate entities!

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    In the United States, yams are really just another name for a sweet potato. However, a true yam is usually imported to America from the Caribbean. When cooked, yams are a soft, sweet, orange concoction. I know what you’re thinking – this sounds just like a sweet potato! The US Department of Agriculture requires that the label “yam” always be accompanied by “sweet potato” to avoid the confusion because they are generally used interchangeably.

    North Carolina is known for specializing in this crop of ‘related-vegetables’. The sweet potato is a native crop in North Carolina and is primarily grown in the coastal plain area of the state.  We are also recognized for our crops in tobacco, cotton, blueberries, and peanuts.

    But, why should we celebrate a vegetable? The answer is, why not! October 22nd and 23rd, in Tabor City, N.C., the NC Yam Festival celebrates its agricultural heritage by saluting the yam. From 1947 until 1961, the little border town of Tabor City played host to one of North Carolina’s largest festivals.  Since 1947 the Carolina Yam Festival has been attracting as many as 15,000 visitors each year, to this tiny community of less and 2,000. The following weekend, in Snow Hill, N.C., Greene County will be celebrating the vegetable at the 4th annual N.C. Sweet Potato Festival.

    Each event is sure to be a good time, with the Sweet Potato festival having entertainment such as Jason Michael Carroll at this years’ event.  But, if you look at it like these North Carolina growers do, more is always better – so check out both festivals!

    If you are not craving a sweet potato/yam after all of this, hopefully this will at least ease your mind: the main difference in these two vegetables is that their individual festivals are held on different weekends in October and are about 2.5 hours away from each other! These festivals combined don’t need any marketing, they rely on word of mouth to promote these fantastic events for people of all ages to have a yam good time!

    – Michela Noreski, Jordan Hill, Ashley Nelson