Creative sparks, extracurricular interests, internet finds, life updates, and anything else that might be milling in my head. Subscribe to my Posts or by e-mail for updates. If you'd like to read about my study abroad experience in Rome, Italy, try the La Vita Bella tag!
A few words for Temple's Fox School of Business students: get to know and use the Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD). To see why I say this and to read even more advice from others, check out the following page on their website where I was recently featured!
On this page, I describe some of the things that the CSPD did for me in my undergrad career which ultimately led me to my current post-graduate position as a Junior Product Manager:
If the course syllabus, course description, and course questionnaire are any indication of what this semester is going to be like, it's going to be a long road to graduation for me.
The semester doesn't start until Tuesday, but one of my professors took the liberty of assigning us something mid-week that is due - not on the first day of class, but tonight... in addition to an assignment for the first day. I would say "the nerve of him" but it really wasn't a bad assignment except the fact that my eyes were bleeding by the time I got through the first page. If this business capstone is any indication of what's to come in the "real world," I'll lose my vision within a year. It's like I got stuck in a time portal from the late 90's... I mean, we're already in the next decade of the millennium here. Okay, I'm going to stop ranting. Take a look for yourself.
It actually entertains me a bit. So I come from a graphic design background and hate Times New Roman, sue me. Not that Calibri is all that beautiful, but at least it looks better when you make it bold, add a shadow, and underline it all at once. Okay, nothing really looks that good when bold, shadowed, and underlined, but my professor apparently seems to think so. True story.
Professor, if you happen to read this either before the start of classes or anytime this semester, I sincerely apologize and hope that you will accept my donation of time to update every single one of your Word documents that you use this semester to a format that is agreeable for both of us.
On a lighter note, I'm going out to enjoy this mysterious Spring-like weather and get myself a drink on Main Street, sheesh.
So this is freedom for my classmates. The ones graduating on time.
There certainly are a number of us who are taking an extra summer, an extra semester, and even a few - myself included - who are taking an extra year. After transferring universities, disciplines, and majors a few times, the extension and additional student debt was inevitable. I just wish I could celebrate along with all the "last-day-of-class-forever" Facebook status messages and Tweets today.
TECHNOLOGY IN MARKETING
Representing and Misrepresenting Yourself on Social Networks: A Cautionary Tale for Marketers
by Amy Pospiech 12/16/2008
This assignment is an individual research paper on the topic of social and ethical issues of technology. The issue is authenticity in social networks as it relates to public policy and marketing. Includes a summary of different perspectives or responses; conclusions and implications for marketers and public policy makers.
Social networks are now a big part of mainstream culture in America and throughout other parts of the world. Facebook, myspace, Flickr, blogs, YouTube, and all aspects of Web 2.0 are now literally used by everyone and their mothers (Elevenmoms 2008), in some cases even babies (Menscher 2008) and plants (Bray 2008) – sort of. Because of their ease of use and widespread adoption, many creative uses of the internet and Web 2.0 have developed, not only by tech-savvy individuals but by consumers, kids, artists, and marketers with a little time and energy. However, amidst all this content, it can be easy to get lost, confused, or frustrated. A user may begin to wonder, “How reliable or credible is the source of this information?” “Who is actually responsible for the creation of this content and what purpose does it serve?” “Is this content purely for entertainment or does the author have some hidden agenda?” Sometimes, a misleading video, article, website, or social networking profile may be seen as malicious, misguided, or worthless, and the author is either condemned or ignored. Other times, a creative case of misrepresentation may be praised and lauded throughout the community even after it has been “discovered.” It seems that the issue is one of authenticity. Especially now, with more marketers and businesspeople entering the Web 2.0 circle for professional rather than personal purposes, consumers are delighted to point out when someone has failed to adequately disclose their purpose. Even with proper disclosure, some users are upset by ideas like “Pay-per-Post” which damages the “integrity” of a blogger’s personal and respected opinion. For example, Chris Brogan’s “Sponsored Post-Kmart Holiday Shopping Dad Style” was enough to set the tweet-o-sphere (via Twitterers) and the blogosphere (via Bloggers) on fire, even though it clearly stated that it was a sponsored post in the title and first few lines of text, and it appeared on his Dad-O-Matic blog. Some responses were along the lines of, “My beef is that I would rather hear from a real shopper. Can’t Kmart find *someone* who’s shopped there for years who wants to tell you and me why they like Kmart?”(Fialkoff 2008) and “I think he caught flack due to the brand he chose to associate with.” (Singer 2008). So the issue here was not just whether the post was sponsored, but whether it was solicited or “real,” even though it was seemingly a favorable matchup for both parties. Chris Brogan is a well-respected social media maven. He is “a ten year veteran of using social media and technology to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals. Chris speaks, blogs, writes articles, and makes media of all kinds at [chrisbrogan.com], a blog in the top 20 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati” (Brogan 2008). It made sense for Kmart to choose such a high-profile blogger to raise awareness for their brand. But the approach may have seemed too market-y, as Chris Brogan was only leveraging his status as “dad” for the brand which, perhaps, he had not capitalized on before this sponsorship. To avoid this problem, analyst Jeremiah Owyang states that when doing sponsored posts, “Bloggers will simply have to ensure that they are delivering trusted content to their audience (transparent), and it’s relevant to their current topics (authentic). If readers are going to a tech blog, and expecting tech content, they may be surprised if the content shifts to a different medium – like consumer goods… The good thing about the blogosphere is that it self corrects, the community members will let the blogger know what they do and don’t like – it happens every day” (2008). Certainly, this is a case where the blogosphere shows its self-correcting nature. In response to the negative feedback on Twitter and in the blogosphere, Chris wrote his own post, justifying his choice for doing the sponsored post. It included his relationship with the sponsoring company, Izea (formerly associated with the controversial Pay-per-Post), and his wanting to “experiment” with the paid post system. His response to the buzz about the “purity” of the blogging platform and the internet was, “My job isn’t to keep the Kumbaya chants going. It’s to equip businesses (and that’s on the blogger side *and* the big business side) with knowledge and actionable next steps” (Brogan 2008). This entry, entitled “Advertising and Trust,” received 222 comments of its own in just over three days, with the original paid post receiving over 400, as entries into Kmart’s holiday contest. So the post exposed two things: First, a sponsored post must be a perfect alignment between blogger and sponsor, or else it will come off as fake and potentially weaken the reputation of both parties involved. Second, even a misaligned sponsorship can generate some buzz about a brand or contest, and may generate some excitement from those that aren’t upset over the whole sponsorship idea, such as these bloggers: “Kmart was very smart at reaching out to Chris Brogan. Far away from scholastic definitions of marketing and social media, Chris Brogan has a heart. His followers know it. What is the value of that? I think you -and Kmart- will find out” (Hart 2008) and, “After all he is a blogger who works in the business and marketing field, giving useful advice for free and never too busy to reply to a serious email or tweet. He’s not some kind of anarchist grimly struggling against authority and many of the usual suspects in Chris Brogan’s blogosphere salivate over the chance to get paid to blog” (Cox 2008). So, while some people feel slighted by the idea of paid posts and endorsements, or even jealous that they’re not getting paid for their own opinions yet, others don’t mind them and see them as a normal part of business (“you’ve got to live”)or a positive aspect of the blogosphere when executed correctly. Owyang also mentions that “recent research shows that corporate blogs are not trusted, but we know that consumers trust their peers, so savvy brands will want to benefit from word of mouth” (Owyang 2008). Yet this case study shows that there is more to it than soliciting “peers” to advocate a brand, as these “peers” must not only spark a reader’s interest, but their trust. They must be seen as speaking from the heart, and advocating a brand because of its application to their particular area of expertise, adding value for the readers of the blog. Finally, a sponsorship must feel organic, not contrived. Another case where marketers have tried to use well-known figures to promote their brand, to a mild degree of success, is with AT&T’s new campaign, “Lost in America.” This campaign consists of a video series featuring two young starlets being taken on random adventures throughout the country. Unlike the Chris Brogan sponsorship, these characters were chosen based on their relevance to the target market of the company. According to girls’ bios on the site: Karen: Karen has a very healthy and normal obsession with social media, fruit and "The Wizard of Oz". She is heavily involved in online social communities like Facebook and Twitter and enjoys trying out new web technologies. She continues to shoot and edit short videos whenever inspiration strikes and regularly blogs on her site karenism.com about technology, film and food. iJustine: With a catalog of more than 300 videos and 3,000 photos published online, Ezarik "is the Internet". A connoisseur of all things Internet, a gadget girl and a comedienne; iJustine represents a new kind of media star. Interesting to note, iJustine was first made famous by her extremely lengthy iPhone bill, making her the perfect selection for AT&T’s campaign. There are currently 16 “episodes” posted at attlostinamerica.com; the first one is titled “Alaska Ep. 1 'The Drop-Off’” and described: “In the premiere episode of Lost In America, our participants Justine & Karen are dumped out of a van in different parts of Anchorage, Alaska.” Similar episodes follow, with the girls using only their AT&T phones to navigate their way around the country. While the sponsorship is clearly evident, the campaign received some heat from an AdAge reporter, “The series is heavy on AT&T, but light on storyline, unless you find it interesting that Justine could be booted out of the competition if she drops her phone a fifth time” (Learmonth). So, here is an example of a perfectly-matched partnership between two social media mavens and a tech company, but because it is so overtly promotional in nature and lacking real “content,” it has received little buzz and the viewer stats aren’t as impressive as, say, iJustine’s own YouTube channel. Moving from weak sponsorships and partnerships, there are some inspiring examples of unsolicited brand advocacy which have generated some attention in the Web 2.0 world. One to note is the Darth Vader character from Star Wars who tweets regularly. Clearly, it is not Darth Vader himself behind the mask. Or is it? He stays remarkably on-character and his tweets are entertaining enough, or strange enough, to command a large following. An example of a tweet which does not advocate a particular brand but jives with the current economy: “Tarkin says we have to make cut backs. Stupid union clone troopers make $70 an hour and naturally, there's like a million of them. 3:59 PM Dec 12” and one which apparently does advocate a brand: “Totally had Tarkin convinced they named Black Friday after me. He was waffling until I whipped out my Vader Master Card - http://bit.ly/UAeh 9:20 PM Nov 28.” The link takes the user to a Darth Vader Master Card promotion. (Note: Tarkin is another Star Wars character). While it doesn’t seem that Darth Vader receives any type of a compensation for his work, he has over 20,000 followers and could drive significant traffic to another site. The point is: here is someone who remains anonymous and takes on the persona of a famous character. His “followers” know it’s not really Darth Vader behind the tweets as much as they know it’s not really Santa who delivers presents on Christmas morning, but it’s the kind of thing people don’t mind seeing because it is entertaining and even a bit inspiring. And it doesn’t even matter who the guy or girl behind the tweets really is, or if they’re paid off or not. Of course, if some individual was contracted to make a Twitter account and try to generate “buzz,” the stream might not be as popular, seeming phony and scripted. Yet, if that individual were James Earl Jones, well then you might have a quality social media implementation. The point is not to try to “fool” users, but to use spoofs that are highly-entertaining or obvious. In previous years of Web 2.0, some marketers and public relations staff misused technology, such as forums and review sites to post positive feedback on their own products, generating bad PR and backlash from the community. This was a violation of user’s trust and pitted them against the evil “marketers” who violated their social spaces. In current years of Web 2.0, public relations staff has become overly protective of their brand and brand image, and now the marketers don’t trust the users, either. There is a concern over copyright infringement and of course, fear that someone else may destroy a brand’s image through parodies and spoofs via sites such as YouTube and blogging platforms. It comes as no surprise, then, that when unsponsored “Mad Men” characters from AMC’s fading TV series set in the 1960’s started signing up for online profiles and gaining a large following, the parent company AMC reacted. The “characters” Don Draper, Roger Sterling, Joan Holloway, and Pete Campbell were supposed employees of Sterling Cooper Advertising from 1962 and, consistent with the television drama, their Tumblr.com and later Twitter.com presence maintained their characters’ voices. They offered advice to other users and even a subtext to the television series. However, when AMC discovered what was happening, they took a fearful approach. Twitter was contacted and the offending accounts suspended. This attempt at controlling the “fan fiction” may have caused even more damage than good; the company’s negative response was the call to action for a website, WeAreSterlingCooper.com, with the manifesto, “Fan fiction. Brand hijacking. Copyright misuse. Sheer devotion. Call it what you will, but we call it the blurred line between content creators and content consumers, and it's not going away. We're your biggest fans, your die-hard proponents, and when your show gets cancelled we'll be among the first to pass around the petition. Talk to us. Befriend us. Engage us. But please, don't treat us like criminals” (Caddell 2008). Many blog articles and Twitter streams were created as a result of this. “As lawyers often do, their threats had created far more controversy and negative publicity than the fans could have possibly threatened” (2008). The website offers links to many of them, as well as a downloadable 11-page .pdf documenting the series of events, called “Becoming A Mad Man,” written by one of the Mad Men named Bud Melman, real name Bud Caddell . His account was not one of the 9 shut down by AMC because his presence was invented solely online and not in the series itself. Caddell acted as a facilitator in the post-suspension phase, gathering all the Twitter users and concerned members of the community together to create unity and determine their purpose. He writes: When I asked why each person had chosen to start twittering as a fictional character from a television show, the answers were varied but shared a consistent theme: love. Our strange new behaviors and identities were the result of an advanced relationship to the world of AMCʼs Mad Men. It was our appreciation of the subject matter, the writing, the acting, and the product as a whole that spurred our expression. We were contributing freely, and no conversation about compensation was had. We were operating under the typical fan community “gifteconomy.” But regardless of why we got started, we all saw this as an opportunity to prove a model, that fans and brands should work together and create together (and we all still hoped AMC would respond to us). We were all very much invested in the success of our characters as a new form of engagement and as a way to create more meaning and relevance with fans. So, with all of this Web 2.0 jumble of good-and-evil content, how do marketers ensure the consistency of their brand image and message, while promoting active user communities? It seems that the trick is a mixture of “listening in” along with “guerrilla” tactics that make use of current user communities. If consumers are creating positive fan fiction and it does not harm your own company’s reputation, message, etc., then let it live. Promote it. Encourage the authors. Feature them in a press release. Do an interview with them. Link to their sites / content. E-mail them. Friend them. Whatever the case, if they already love your brand enough to spend significant time developing content about it, it’s almost guaranteed that they’d appreciate the recognition. If the number of self-help blogs and articles written recently is any indication, and the number of replies many of them receive (Chris Brogan’s included), this is certainly the case. So a starving creative would most likely be thrilled by a contact from a real company that they have a pre-existing passion for. Marketers, pay attention! On the other hand, if negative content is created, a marketer should do more of the listening before reacting like AMC’s representatives. Figure out what’s wrong. Solicit opinions. Ask how the product / service can be improved. By asking to shut down a popular user profile or by threatening to remove objectionable content, a company representative will fuel the hatred that was brewing when the content was being created. Do not upset the influential users of the Web 2.0 world, as they will surely make it known to others and find a way around the obstacles being superficially created for them. They can always set up a copycat website, create a new profile, etc. This is the gift and the curse of the ever-changing, constantly updated, collaborative Web 2.0 revolution. In soliciting feedback rather than attempting to remove some misrepresented facts or opinions, a marketer / PR representative can act in a proactive, rather than a reactive or protectionist manner. This will cast the company or brand in a much better light. The author may even change their opinion, or reveal that they don’t even mind the brand all that much anyway, as was the famous case where Starbucks attempted to sue comic-book illustrator Kieron Dwyer for making a spoof of their logo. Dwyer’s green-and-white siren carries a cell phone and coffee cup, and is tagged with the text “consumer whore.” However, he didn’t really mind the brand all that much – just the waste that came to his neighborhood once Starbucks moved in. It was only after the lawsuit that he stopped drinking their frap’s every morning. He writes, “as much as I was mocking Starbucks and their rampant consumerism, there was also self-awareness and some irony to it because I was mocking myself and everybody else who was making their way like lemmings off a cliff to Starbuck’s every day” (Dwyer ). Sure, the logo was offensive, but a polite notice or initiation of a conversation with Dwyer would have sufficed to have its circulation halted. At that point, if Dwyer was unresponsive, a lawsuit may have been necessary, but not before. From a public relations perspective, the approach of Starbucks was uncalled for. After all, isn’t Web 2.0 all about engaging your customers with conversation? Armando Alves, author of the blog A Source of Inspiration, writes about the “brandjacking” phenomenon and how companies can prevent or control it. “Brand Hijacking happens when consumers appropriate the brand for themselves and add meaning to it… brands should act as facilitators, opening communication channels and providing tools and materials (if you’re really hip, wrap it around a Creative Commons license) to consumers” (2008). He highlights the Mad Men story described earlier and goes on to list some best practices for companies to prevent a user from completely abusing the system, including: 1. Register your brand/product name early. 2. Define procedures for brand hijacking as one of your social media best practices. A simple social media policy will do. 3. Get your voice. Is it a push model, or do you actually engage with the users? Delegated or internal? Formal or Informal? 4. Provide aggregation mechanisms. 5. Track your brand buzz. 6. Have a consistent alias/nickname in different services. These suggestions will help prevent such practices as cybersquatting, where a user registers a domain name similar to your own brand, with negative intentions – either for money or recognition. Even so, brandjacking may occur in obscure ways, so companies must always monitor social sites to discover relevant discussions and user profiles, whether intended for creative entertainment or not. One realistic example of brandjacking which occurred this summer was an “employee” of Exxon Mobil’s via a Twitter page. Janet’s completely unverified posts went along the lines of: "we are not an earth hating organization, and we’re working on hard to improve how we drill for oil, these are difficult times. we used revenues as reinvestment into R&D. In 2007 we invested $21bil in refining capacity to reduce the future cost of petroleum. Did You Know? ExxonMobil reduced its Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 5 million metric tons from 2006 to 2007! ExxonMobil’s primary concern is to safely provide reliable and affordable supplies of energy to people around the world" Within three days “Janet” was discovered to be a fake. Here is the response of Alan Jeffers, a real an Exxon employee: “There are only people that are authorized and not-authorized, even people with the best intentions, may not know what the appropriate position is or the facts, we think that there’s a problem, as we don’t want to be misleading people and there’s a lot of errors what the person is posting even if it was something that had the best of intentions could be misleading. It’s our perception that social networking is based on honesty, transparency and trust, it’s important that they become forthcoming about who they represent” (Owyang 2008). While this brandjacking only lasted for three days before it was discovered, if it had gone on for longer it could have caused some real damage to the company, since she had most of the Twitter community’s belief and support behind her. When she was discovered, she even refused to take down her account and give in, claiming she was in fact “an employee of ExxonMobil, who has decided to put forward her pride in her own company” (Diaz). But since verifiable Exxon executives denounced any relations to her, the feed has since been removed. This case highlights a slightly scarier view of social media: that users blindly trust certain content, such as this Twitter page, because it offers them opinions that they want to hear. Perhaps this “Janet” was just a means to reassure a failing economic landscape that someone is there to help, or perhaps “Janet” is a huge nutcase who actually just thinks of her lying self as an Exxon brand advocate. But comparing that to the Chris Brogan case and the other “brand advocacy” cases where sponsorship was involved, and the situation becomes even more interesting. A fully-disclosed sponsorship agreement from two credible sources received a lot of negative heat, even though both brands were well-liked and respected in general. An undisclosed, unverified brand advocate for a generally un-liked brand (i.e. Exxon Valdez) receives more “hmm, stinks for Exxon” reactions than “how dare she/they!” And if she were an actual employee, doesn’t that necessitate her payment for this undertaking? So it can’t be about the paid / unpaid thing. This whole “social media networking” seems to be a bit finicky. People weren’t sure whether the Mad Men were sanctioned by AMC, but they didn’t care as the accounts were not representative of real people, but characters playing a role in a fictional drama set in the 1960’s. They were entertaining. Darth Vader uses a similar setup where he plays a role, regardless of whether he’s backed by the Star Wars creators or not. Fellow Twitterers don’t expect him to be a real person and follow him simply for amusement. No one really criticized “Janet” for her blatant misrepresentations, but instead wishes that Exxon would get involved in conversations with consumers in the future. No one can even criticize iJustine partnering with AT&T, because she was essentially made famous with the iPhone, so her approach is totally on-brand and in character, albeit a bit tired and dull. But Chris Brogan, Pay-per-Post, used car salesmen, and salesmen in general appear “unauthentic,” receiving plenty of criticism and negative attitudes. Sure, they get some sales sometimes. Overall, the best idea for a marketer: don’t stick your brand where it doesn’t belong, and where it already exists, find the most enthusiastic supporters and listen before acting. Figure out what’s working. Find the right community, find people who already love your brand, and foster that community to promote the brand equity that is already growing there. Don’t get too “market-y” or “sell-y” with users, or it will deteriorate the authenticity of that blog, forum, partnership, brand, etc. That doesn’t mean every “fan fiction” or derivative work must be removed: on the contrary, if something is authentically enthusiastic, onbrand, or otherwise engaging in a positive way, it should be cultivated and nurtured like a little plant who tweets. Something as “false” as a talking plant can still be “authentic” if done correctly.
Works Cited
Alves, Armando. “Social Media and Brand Hijacking.” September 3, 2008. Accessed December 12, 2008. AT&T. “Lost in America.” Bray, Rebecca, Rob Faludi, Kate Hartman, and Kati London. “Botanicalls >> Kits.” Botanicalls.com. Accessed December 14, 2008. Brogan, Chris. “About.” chrisbrogan.com. Accessed December 12, 2008. Brogan, Chris. “Advertising and Trust.” chrisbrogan.com blog. December 13, 2008. Accessed December 16, 2008. Brogan, Chris. “Sponsored Post-Kmart Holiday Shopping Dad Style.” Dad-O-Matic blog. December 2, 2008. Accessed December 14, 2008. Cox, Darren Daz. “Should Chris Brogan get paid?” The Fine Art and Design blog of Darren Daz Cox. December 14, 2008. Diaz, Sam. “Internet brand-jacking: What can be learned from Exxon Mobil?” August 7, 2008. Accessed December 12, 2008. Dwyer, Kieron. “Kieron Dwyer.” Artist bio at stretcher.org. Accessed December 14, 2008. “Elevenmoms.” Walmart.com. Accessed December 16, 2008. Fialkoff, Josh. “Why Kmart is Wrong to use Chris Brogan.” Josh Fialkoff: Online Marketing, Wordpress & GTD blog. December 13th, 2008. Accessed December 16, 2008. Hart, Ana. “Why Kmart is Wrong to use Chris Brogan.” Comment on Josh Fialkoff: Online Marketing, Wordpress & GTD blog. December 13, 2008. Accessed December 16, 2008. Learmonth, Michael. “AT&T's iJustine Web Series Doesn't Exactly Go Viral.” AdAge. November 24, 2008. Accessed December 7, 2008. Menscher, Corey. “Kickbee.” December 13, 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008. and Messina, Chris. “Twitter hashtags for emergency coordination and disaster relief.” October 22, 2007. Accessed December 16, 2008. Owyang, Jeremiah. “Understanding Izea’s Sponsored Blogging Service.” Web Strategy by Jeremiah blog. December 14th, 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008. “How “Janet” Fooled the Twittersphere (and me) She’s the Voice of Exxon Mobil.” Web Strategy by Jeremiah blog. August 1, 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008. Singer, Adam. “Chris Brogan's Sponsored/Paid Blog Post for Kmart.” Comment on The New Advertising blog. December 14, 2008. Vader, Darth. Profile on Twitter. Works Referenced Anand, Geeta; Basu, Abhijit; Beckett, Paul; Sircar, Subhadip. “Dozens of People Killed in Mumbai Attacks.”November 27, 2008. Alexander, Bryan; Levine, Alan; “Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emerging of a New Genre.” Educause Review; Nov/Dec2008, Vol. 43 Issue 6, p40-56, 11p. EBSCOhost. C, Omar. “Map of Mumbai attacks.” November 26, 2008. Accessed December 15, 2008. “Cartoonist Kieron Dwyer Sued By Starbucks.” Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. New York, NY November 30, 2000. Godin, Seth. “How to tell a great story.” April 2006. Appendix A: Images 11 moms Walmart campaign Kieron Dwyer’s Starbucks spoof Darth Vader’s idea of a joke Mad Men Season 2 – likely to Tweet? “Brandjacked” Exxon Mobil
And finally, Izea, the evil "pay-per-post" founders (just kidding...er): "Sponsored Tweets : 10k Users" on July 30; To encourage people to signup I am going to give $1k to the 10,000th person to signup.
In my technology in marketing class this semester, we've been discussing social media and how companies can use this new platform to build their brands and relationships with consumers. My group did a breast cancer awareness plan for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure football game/fundraiser back in October, and a social media plan for the Kodak brand last week.
Our big idea for Kodak was to revitalize the brand by building on the "spontaneous" factor of a Kodak Moment. Our viral marketing would center around a "Make this Your Moment" contest encouraging uploads to the online photo-sharing service. Video clips of faceless characters in humorous situations would be propagated around the web to drive traffic to the contest site.
Here's the PowerPoint we presented to the class (some weird buggy things happened while uploading online, though):
Social Media Plan for Kodak by Jared Fink, Justin Goh, Sean McCulley, & Amy Pospiech Our Goal Today • Discuss the Kodak brand and discuss how it is currently perceived in the minds of consumers • Re-introduce the “Kodak Moment” • Discuss challenges and opportunities in leveraging this brand equity • Reveal the proposed Kodak Moments Social Media Campaign Background: The idea of a “Kodak moment” dates back to 1888, when George Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of consumers. Our social media plan will revitalize this idea of an unexpected moment captured by an amateur photographer on film, using a buzz marketing campaign urging users to “Make this Your Kodak Moment.” What is Kodak now? • Kodak is known for its ease-of-use. With its Kodak EasyShare camera and PerfectTouch photo processing, it is aimed at the novice or busy individual. Even the essence of a “Kodak moment” is captured by this quick, even spontaneous theme. Brand Model: Old A Kodak Moment is… • An event for which you or someone wished someone nearby had a camera to take a picture. “When we went to the zoo Amanda fell into the gorilla cage. It was such a Kodak moment!” by kalley treay Jul 3, 2007 • A rare, one time, moment that is captured by a picture, or should have been captured by a picture. “Aww!.. They look soo happy sitting there by the lake! That's definetly a kodak moment!” by LiL' LAdY Nov 3, 2006 • Said when something funny happens Creative Consulting Current Web Presence: Snapshot • “Leading online digital photo developing service” • Secure and easy way to view, store and share photos with friends and family • Free editing and creative tools and specialty photo products • Similar to all other online tools Current Web Presence: A Thousand Words Blog • “What’s a picture worth?” • Off-brand, too general • Recent posts include topics as varied as pumpkin carving (incl. hardware tips), a flower photography class, and the end of a NASCAR sponsorship • Should be kept internal Current Web Presence: PluggedIn Blog • “A blog about Kodak products and customers” • Niche market (tech-y consumer) with a general description – needs better targeting • According to Technorati, the blog is ranked 150,646 and has an authority of 43 (in other words, 43 other sites have linked to it) Snapshot: Current Web Presence • Podcasts Twitter Facebook Youtube Flickr Delicious Professional Perceptual Map Cluttered Streamlined Amateur Moments Kodak Moments’ Target Audience • Those who remember the magic of the unexpected, spontaneous Kodak moment • Those old enough to appreciate the idea that life is fleeting, and have little time to preserve their moments through competitor’s cluttered, complicated websites • Those who appreciate a tactile experience like flipping through a photo album Brand Model: New Proposed Web 2.0 Presence Contest Details: “Make this Your Kodak • In order to create a buzz throughout our target market we are promoting a contest using short video clips • These clips will be distributed throughout the web on social networking sites • The winner of the contest will win a vacation tour of Italy were they can make of hilarious as well as special Kodak Moments Make this Your moment Online Ad Placement Mobile Marketing Make this Your moment Conclusion • Through the use of various social media channels, we will reinvent the Kodak brand image with Kodak Moments. • KodakMoments.com will touch the hearts and souls of the target market when they relive passionate still shots in a warming virtual atmosphere. • KodakMoments.com will simplify the online photo experience. Thank you
Ironically, Kodak had another agency come up with a similar idea about a month ago: Make Me Super. This site was created by an ad agency called EVB, owned by Omnicom Group. In reality, their idea is remarkably similar to the "Elf Yourself" OfficeMax campaign, and a lot like the earlier yearbookyourself site which inspired this series of Facebook photos (and our own project):
However, the Make Me Super project seems to lack that defining brand mark. That thing which makes Kodak, Kodak. Where have all the moments gone?
You can hear the entire presentation via a class capture of our group for as long as Temple keeps it up. Hope this isn't any type of privacy violation, haha. As far as I know, this is publicly available content. Anyway, enjoy.
Messing around with Flickr a lot lately. I'm starting a group project in my Technology in Marketing class where we analyze how a brand of our choice can improve its use of social media (and all the Web 2.0 technologies). Our group chose Kodak. Remember those Kodak moments??
Anyway, I found so many cool things to do with my own photos while doing "research" online. A lot of them use Flickr's RSS stream. Check it out:
Moo.com,
QOOP.com,
imagekind. And, finally, my own portfolio, now integrating my Flickr stream right in the webpage (whenever I upload a new photo to Flickr it will upload there as well).
I'm looking into getting a domain name so it's easier to find my homepage. Maybe amyinkonline.com ... what do you think? The ones I've seen are only about $25 / year.
On another note, I'm entering the photo contest for International Programs at our school. I have to print out the 3 photos that I choose, but I haven't decided which ones to enter yet! The deadline is this Friday and I just ran out of ink on my printer. Eeek.
UPDATE August 17, 2009: I meant to post the pictured that I entered into the contest above. Two won honorable mention and were displayed in the glass case outside of the International Programs office for the rest of the year!
If you guess correctly which two won in comments I'll give you a prize :-)
Just though I'd shout out one of my favorite sites, WordReference.com because I use it so often and have found it to be one of the best sites for learning another language (specifically, Italian). It's not like "free translations" which gives you a botched-up, literal version of what you're trying to say. While you can't really search entire strings of text, this site allows you to type in one word at a time and see it used in different phrases and even in forum discussions, which I have found to be very active and helpful, and super friendly! There are both Italian and English speakers in the forum, who are glad to answer any questions or help with translation issues. You can learn a lot about popular expressions, slang, and even some pop culture. For example, do a search regarding the phrase "TVB" or "ti voglio bene" to learn whether it means "I like you" "I love you" "I want you" or "I wish well for you."
There's also a helpful "conjugator" which allows you to type in any verb in the infinitive (or if you're not sure about the infinitive, type in a verb and it will tell you the infinitive and what tense it's in!) and get more than enough tenses to satisfy any writing need. And best of all, this is a completely free site! The only thing you would need to do is register (also free) if you want to ask a question on the forum, but browsing the forum is completely open to the public.
Finally, there's a cool browser plug-in so that you can have WordReference.com in your search bar! It couldn't be any easier to install and use:
Like I said, this site is a great word-by-word educational tool. It's not a shortcut for slackers but it will help greatly with the lifelong process of learning a new language:
Note: I have NOT been paid to write this (I wish). I just figured it was time I gave a shout-out to one of my all-time favorite websites which probably deserves a lot more recognition than it gets. Thanks WordReference!
The official word isn't out about how many people attended last night's football game to benefit the Susan G. Komen Philadelphia affiliate, but I was there! So was alumnus Bill Cosby for the coin toss, and more supporters clad in pink for the "Pink Out" than I have seen at most Temple games. And the best part is, we won with a fourth-quarter comeback, making the final score 14-10. Read the official game notes in "Comeback Is The Cure For Owls In 14-10 Win Over Ohio."
I guess I'm a little biased, in that I did a group project about how to promote the game using social media, but I'm really glad to see everything turn out well, and for such a good cause. I'll let you know when I find out the official stats, and maybe I can even post the marketing plan our group did.
I'm already halfway through the first summer session (thank goodness I only decided to take one course and not four this summer)! We had our midterm today for Intro to Risk Management and Insurance. I think I did pretty well, considering I had pink eye and missed two out of four days last week. It really set me back but thankfully the midterm was all about concepts. My friend Ryan called me the "Concept Queen" once. I get concepts. Anyway we'll see what happens with this semester... by the way, last semester ended up with all A's. Maybe I should have done less studying abroad, haha.
In honor of our last week of class and finals and all that jazz, I thought it might be nice to share some information about my professors with you. Unbiased, professional information, taken from Temple's website. The real reviews will come later, wuahaha.
Aldo Patania | International Business
Former senior economic specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Rome and senior country manager for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. MBA Director at the Rome Campus of the University of Malta. MA, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies.
Greg Smith | Anthropology/Sociology
Founding editor of the series Societa Mediterranea. Involved in a variety of Italian consulting projects. DPhil, Oxford University.
Mario Teleri | Printmaking
Widely exhibited printmaker who has produced documentaries on the history and technique of printmaking for Italian television, and conducts seminars and lectures at the Italian National Institute for Graphics and other institutes throughout Europe.
Registilla Aloisi Masella | Italian Language
Diploma, School for Interpreters and Translators of Rome.
We are now entering our second week of classes, so I figured it would be a good time to post some pictures of our quasi-campus, which I had a hard time finding last week because it looks like THIS:
Continue on, continue on...
nothing to see here.
Our scuola.
How I get to Scuola.
First impressions...
Super-easy to take the bus to school, once you figure out where you're going. Not a bad walk, either. Metro is also easy enough, with only 2 lines. I explained to my Philadelphia-native-friend, "Metro line A is like the Broad Street - North line, Metro line B is like the Market - Frankford line, and Termini is like City Hall." Why don't they explain it to us like that at Orientation???
Classes are going to be a lot harder than expected, especially seeing as only half of them (two) are counting towards my graduation requirements, and the other two are electives.
A bit of culture shock also setting in today, but I will write about these adventures later.
Readings for Advertising, as usual / Checklist for Advertising group due Friday - Ohhh, double dipper! Finished the last quiz before break with another 97 :-) Also finished our project, which took 11 hours one day in the Tech Center - AH! But now all that is left is our presentation, this Monday, which will be a cakewalk compared to the rest of this semester.
Speech homework - prepare Speech of Persuasion - Oh man, I love when I don't go through and update for a while. Not only did I finish the speech of Persuasion, I also did the Proposition of Fact speech before break, and the Policy speech tonight, Tonsillitis and all. Which makes me semi-officially done with speech class for the semester!
CIS project - dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun DUN! As in, DONE with that portion, now I have to finish my blog entries by next week and then we have a final, including take-home essays.
Get curtains for my room and downstairs - I think I can officially take this off the "To Do" list now because I have blinds now and already found a subleaser who will be taking over my house in a few weeks anyway. Definitely not worried about curtains at this point.
Make appointment with dermatologist - Yeah, not going to happen. Skin, heal. It's like I'm talking to a dog.
A sore throat that I thought was a result of dry heat in the winter turned out to be tonsilitis. Yuck. Apparently I'm not supposed to go to class for the next two days, but that poses a small problem-o because I have two presentations in the next two days. I suppose I will just do what I usually do and tough it out. I guess my body really does know when I need a little R&R, but it couldn't have come at a worse time: right before finals. These next few weeks are going to be so much fun.
Sometimes you just need to let them know you're out there. In our 7UP campaign for advertising class this semester, one of our main objectives is awareness. We are targeting male consumers and using a variety of sports-themed appeals to generate awareness and interest in this market for our "all-natural" 7UP.
How ironic that the same concept can be used in dating. Think about it.
Awareness
Interest
Desire
Action
AIDA: A well-established conceptual framework in the marketing world. Now apply to real life. Ready:
Girl hears motorcycle being revved up - yet again - across the street at neighbor's house, at night, under her window. Grows some balls and finally yells out the window, "Hey, when can I get a ride?" Immediate Awareness. Guy approaches window. Interest verified. See how simple life is? Those marketers have it all figured out. Desire and Action still TBD.
I was at UPenn all day Friday for a conference run by their AMA chapter, called "MUSE" (Marketing Undergraduate Students Establishment). The theme of the conference was "No Rules Marketing" but the flyer made it look like "No Marketing" because "Rules" was crossed out. For effect? We had a chuckle:
Anyway, the keynote speaker was fabulous, very high-profile with a depth of knowledge about emerging media, which she shared with all of us. Read her bio here. I also went to some interesting speaker sessions, and then participated in a case competition.
I had been really excited to go to this conference, not only because of the speaker session descriptions, but because I had a chance to see what Wharton kids are doing and compare notes. The Jon. M. Huntsman Hall resembles our Tech Center with breakout rooms, etc., and I enjoyed walking around the campus. I would love to see more networking opportunities between Philadelphia area schools and AMA collegiate chapters in general. There were even some students from Maryland and Virginia in attendance.
Overall, a very good experience. Any education missed from the 3 classes I skipped was definitely compensated for with the perspective gained. It is now permanently drilled into my brain that mass-media is dead, haha. Would have liked to see a bit more of an international perspective, though. I think that is something Temple does well. Maybe at the next one.
Things from my "To Do" list on the right side of the screen that I've actually done in the past week.
"Accounting chapter 5 this week" - Not only that, but it would seem that we have just finished chapter 7, and have a midterm this Thursday!
"Pay / dispute my first parking ticket of the semester" - Not only that, but I have gotten another one for parking so impossibly close to the curb that it makes it difficult for one to "turn onto the highway" as the officer so kindly noted. Sure, 15th street is quite the intersection...
"Get magenta ink for HP Photosmart printer" - Strategically found a spot to pick it up at a CompUSA in Mt Laurel after my internship dinner meeting in the eponymous town last week. Online ordering for in-store pickup, sweet!
"Drop off book for return at post office in the SAC" - And even got the confirmation of my reimbursement from Amazon, unfortunately not for the original costs to ship it here.
"Speech homework" - Although this elusive topic will stay posted along with "Random Italian homework," I did manage to present a kick-ass informative speech last week, and had to sit through 3 more hours of them tonight.
"Readings for Advertising - next quiz Friday on chapters 4-8" - Ah yes, and I got a 92, because it was weighted, or else it would have been an 86. Not half bad considering I was enjoying some sweet Mojitos that Thursday night with Greek Steve and Dems.
"Schedule a lunch with my mentee Meghan" - A compromise, actually, in that we had brunch / coffee. It was nice to finally meet her but I don't know when we'll be able to meet again. Speaking of mentors, I haven't been keeping in touch with mine although I am going to see Erin on Friday for her going away party before she runs off to Hong Kong! Crazy girl.
"Return blank VHS to Rite Aid" - Along with the blank DVD-RWs that I didn't need to dub my speech tape after all. Yes, I dubbed it and all by myself! But no I will not post it until the embarrassment of hearing myself speak wears off.
And furthermore...
I completed my Visa application for Rome! What a hassle. I had to get a new passport photo taken, get my actual passport, an Express mail envelope which no-they-don't-sell-at-the-campus-post-office so I had to go all the way to the (truly ghetto, slightly unnerving) north Philly post office branch and the darn thing cost like 16 bucks! Luckily I knew where the post office was because of the time I escorted Anna there on foot, and luckily I have my car because I would NEVER want to do that again. I think the two parking tickets this semester were worth it just for that, haha.
Oh yeah and, the weekend...
Michael came up for [his] 3-day Columbus Day weekend. We went to my homecoming game (we won!), South Street, the Gym Class Heroes concert, a club party at the YMCA, the art museum, and Pat's & Geno's. I feel like a real Philly kid :-)
Adrenaline kept me going all day, but I woke up feeling unwarrantably refreshed.
I actually took the time to put together a cute outfit and do my makeup before walking to my 8:40 advertising class this morning. There, I got back an assignment from last week with a grade of 19/20, so that really started my morning off right. Plus I participated in class, which I haven't been doing much for some reason. I think it has to do with me not wanting to look like a smart ass in a non-honors section. Just laying low.
After advertising, I got some coffee and went to CIS lecture, which is usually pretty interesting. After that I went home and made myself a grilled chicken wrap. I am becoming quite the kitchen aficionado!
In our Italian lab we watched a music video on YouTube by an artist named Vasco Rossi called Senza Parole. When we watch these videos our instructor doesn't tell us what the words mean, so I just looked it up and this one means "Without Words," ironically. I guess the point of the video is that sometimes you just understand things and there are no words to describe it, or no need to try. At the end of the video there are a lot of couples kissing so I think it has to do with love. For lecture we went over sentence structures - even though the homework this weekend was to write a long e-mail to a friend using... oh yeah, sentences! Anyway it was pretty inutitive, and then I was done for the day!
I went to the Tech to try to do a video dubbing but Chris, who was explaining things to me the other day, wasn't there and the guy that was trying to help me had no more clue than I did about how to set everything up. In fact it was a struggle just to rewind my VHS. So now I am not even sure if my speech footage is going to be on the tape because I shouldn't have had to rewind it more than a few seconds. I guess I will have to find out later where there are VCRs on campus.
Worked up an appetite from all that waiting. Went home and cooked a pasta salad. I kinda like to do things without recipes but it turned out not bad. Actually I ate too much of it and got a stomach ache, then laid on the couch while watching the end of a show on the Food Network and passed out for a bit. When I woke up I had a lot of cleaning up to do and... the ants were after some spilled balsamic vinaigrette. Yuck! I wish they would just go away already.
Did some research for Speech class about the environment and corporate accountability. Then made guacamole. Unfortunately the avocado was a little over-ripe so it wasn't as good as it could have been.
Oh yeah, and I did a load of whites. Now I need more laundry detergent.
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Greg Smith | Anthropology/Sociology
Founding editor of the series Societa Mediterranea. Involved in a variety of Italian consulting projects. DPhil, Oxford University..JPG)
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