Social Media Fails

In chapter ten of Brand Media Strategy, Antony Young talks about how social media is a branding tool. Young provides tips on how to create a successful social media campaign. Here are the tips that he gives: People want to hear from real people, great content is king of the social media world too, seed and amplify the content, use social media websites a a branding destination; utilize insights of the community and technology to make a more relevant and involved experience, focus less of measurement and more on what the brand is attempting to achieve. While Young provides some great tips on how to run a successful social media campaign, it made me think about unsuccessful social media campaigns. After doing some research, I have compiled my top five favorite social media fails. You just can't believe how such big companies make such bad decisions!

Kenneth Cole was completely insensitive while using tragic events i  Egypt to promote their new collection.

While AT&T meant for this to be a tribute to 9/11, many people saw it as a marketing ploy.

In the midst of the horrifying events from the Boston Marathon, do not make light of the situation. 

When you are a PR Executive of a company, you should expect this tweet to get you fired before your plane even lands in Africa. 

Don't use a natural disaster that many people suffered from to increase the number of purchases made on your website, American Apparel.

The One and Only, Derek Jeter

While reading Brand Media Strategy by Anthony Young,  I always connect the information that he is talking about with advertisements that I see in my everyday life. Chapter six is titled, Sparking Consumer Brand Conversations Through Media. This made me think of a certain commercial that made me spark a conversation with all of my five roommates, my dad, and my sister within one day. This commercial was Gatorade's "Made in New York ft. Derek Jeter". This campaign in my opinion, is the best Gatorade campaign that I have ever seen.

Derek Jeter is a true American hero when it comes to sports. When Jeter announced his retirement last March, Gatorade jumped on the opportunity to create a campaign with him. It doesn't matter if you are a Yankee fan, or even understand sports in any way, everyone knows Derek Jeter. With his retirement coming up, this was the perfect time for Gatorade to release this advertisement. People are very emotional and passionate about saying farewell to the Captain, which I think is why this commercial has been so successful. Here is the commercial incase you haven't seen it yet:

If this commercial featured any other baseball player, there is no way that it would have generated 4,992,576 views within the first three days of it being on YouTube. Gatorade excelled at choosing the most cultural elite athlete in history (in my opinion). As you can see from the priceless reactions of all of the people he interacts with in this commercial, he is someone that many people look up to. With Gatorade being linked to sports, I am sure that Derek Jeter will have an influence on people choosing Gatorade instead of other competitors. 

Scare Tactics in the Media

In preparation for our upcoming Senior capstone project on creating a public service announcement for opiate and heroin addiction, we have heard from several professional guest speakers to help expand our knowledge. Lore Detenber is the drug and alcohol counselor at Western New England University. Lore talked to us about the popularity of scare tactics being used in the media to help prevent drug and alcohol abuse.

Even though there is a lot of controversy about scare tactics and fear appeals actually work, I personally do think that they work. I think that there is no way to sugar coat the real effects an outcomes of abusing drugs and alcohol. For as long as I can remember, I have seen several different public service announcements on staying above the influence. Many of these commercials stay in my memory and I think that is because they are so graphic and really make you stop and think about drug and alcohol abuse.

In my opinion, the most effective use of scare tactics in the media is in a campaign from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their campaign is a series of commercials that are Tips From Former Smokers. These commercials are true stories of former smokers and what their lives are like today. The stories range from a mother who's child is suffering with birth defects from her mother smoking while she was pregnant, to a following a woman named Terrie while she gets ready for the day. You can see the video of Terrie's story below:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an estimate that this campaign has caused about 100,000 people to quit smoking. You can find out more information about this study here in an article from the Huffington Post. 

Internet Superstars Can Sell Your Products!

These days, people constantly have their smart phone practically glued to their hands! Any where they go, they are constantly connected to people. With the easy accessibility to several different social media platforms, it is becoming one of the main communication channels connecting companies and end users. In my Campaign Planning and Management course, we are reading The New Rules of Marketing & PR, by David Meerman Scott. In some of his chapters, Scott discusses connecting to your targeted audience through social media. Scott shares an example of social media being the driving force in the success of gourmet tea company, Adagio Teas. In this day and age, it is difficult to find companies who don't have at least one social media page. Some companies are taking social media to the next level, by using internet superstars to help spread awareness of their products.

Specifically, the YouTube Partner Program has opened many advertising doors for several companies to reach their target audience through YouTube. The YouTube Partner Program essentially is when a "YouTuber" gains a certain following on their page, they partner with YouTube and receive several benefits. After becoming a partner, they can make money through advertisements, paid subscriptions, and merchandise. In fact, there are several people who have become millionaires through YouTube. This gives companies the opportunity to put one of their advertisements before the video is played on YouTube. Also, with these partners having such a large group of loyal subscribers to their channel, it is a great opportunity for companies to pay the partner to talk about their brand in one of their videos.

(Here is a picture of itsbl0ndie using Sigma Beauty brushes in her video that currently has over 150,000 views!)

Personally, I am a huge fan of beauty videos on YouTube. Everything from makeup tutorials, to product reviews interests me. One of my favorite YouTubers goes by the username of "itsbl0ndie." Her real name is Casey Holmes and she is a partner with YouTube. Casey's channel is about everything having to do with beauty. Two companies specifically have sponsored her videos and created a lot of brand awareness for their companies through YouTube. These two companies are Nume and Sigma Beauty. Nume is a line of hair care products and Sigma Beauty is a line of makeup brushes. Casey is paid to do several reviews on these products and include these products in her makeup tutorials. Nume and Sigma give user the incentive to buy their product by having Casey mention an exclusive promotion code for a discount on their respective websites. I think that this is a really cool way for companies to reach their end users. From watching Casey's videos, I have become a customer of both Nume and Sigma Beauty. 

Welcome To My Blog!

Welcome to my blog, everyone! My name is Brenna Skelly and I have just started my senior year at Western New England University studying Marketing Communication/Advertising. Ever since I took my first Marketing class as a junior in high school I have been interesting in pursuing a career in this field. As I have learned more about marketing, it has taught me that marketing is everywhere. It is a field that will never stop growing and changing, which is one of the main reasons why I want to work in this industry. Through coursework, internships, and everyday experiences my interest in marketing has grown.

During my sophomore year of college, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Sophomore Connections Career and Shadow Program. Through this program, I had the privilege of shadowing the Marketing and Communications Manager for Wiggin and Dana Law firm in New Haven, Connecticut. This experience helped learn from and make connections with several successful leaders in the marketing and communications industry. In the summer of 2013, I was an intern in the promotions department of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment in Hartford, Connecticut. As an intern, I helped promote their radio stations, plan events, and interact with listeners. This experience taught me how to successfully work with a variety of different personalities, as well as strengthened my ability to work in cross-functional teams. This past summer I was a marketing intern at Newell Rubbermaid in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. I worked for hilmor which is in the tools segment of Newell Rubbermaid. I am continuing my internship experience with hilmor during this semester.

My most recent intern experience with hilmor has sparked my interest in advertising and media. I am seeking to learn more about agencies through a future internship. 

As I complete my final year at Western New England and continue my marketing internship, I look forward to all that I have yet to learn and accomplish. This blog will help me log all of my experiences, opinions, and marketing lessons that I will learn along the way!