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Mashable

Does Facebook Help or Hurt Your Job Search?

• Facebook is a popular social networking site for young adults heading into the workforce, but it can also serve as a powerful deterrent to prospective employers. The fine line between personal use and professional use is constantly being crossed. In order to make sure your Facebook is as private as possible, run a self-search to check on your privacy. Try to utilize other social media sites such as LinkedIn for professional based communication (De, 2012).
• http://mashable.com/2012/10/14/facebook-job-search/

Media Bistro

Pitching for Delish.com

• Delish.com has a partnership between Hearst Magazines Digital Media and MSN. The company knows that in order to succeed, you need to network. The target audience, women, is marketed to through various media platforms. I am interested in the use of graphic design and digital media to attract viewers. When I first clicked on delish.com’s link, I was amazed at how lovely the layout is. According the Media Bistro, the company relies on trusted brands and sources to help advertise the site (Long, 2011).
• http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/details.asp?aID=11151&

Social Media Today

You Should Know the Six Elements of Content Marketing

• Social media engagement has become a popular way for companies to entice their buyers. Relevance of content, reach of broadcasting, reactive comments, respectful content, researched elements and reliable information are all ways that companies build power online. These ideas match up with the strategies top corporations use to market their products. I have been lured into numerous websites because of their visually appealing content marketing (Street, 2012).
• http://socialmediatoday.com/chrisstreet/874576/6-elements-succesful-content-marketing

Writing a feature story isn’t easy!

Amy compiles a Terp Thon Color Run promotional video.
Courtesty of Amy Vaccaro

Pros and cons

The majority of my interview was conducted via phone conferences. Interviewing face-to-face allowed me to see Amy’s facial expressions. I also recorded Amy so I could reference direct quotations. My colleague interviewed me face-to-face more than over the phone, which gave her a limited time to talk.

Follow up questions

• When did you realize you had a passion for video editing?
• Did you join any clubs during college?
• How did you incorporate video editing in your internship?
• Do you plan on integrating video editing in your future career?

Challenges

Conceive: I decided to focus on Amy’s internship experience because it’s newsworthy.  Collect: I started by finding out who, what, when, where, why and how. Construct: SEO & print heads, deck, nut-graf, facts box, body and the ending. I read my Rich textbook to understand how to format the story. Correct: I tightened up your story by deleting fluff and fixing spelling and grammar. I flagged passive voices, titles and punctuation in my AP stylebook as challenges.

• Writing Tools:
  -WrTl 10: I tend to restate my focus multiple times, so I cut out necessary sentences and omitted needless words.
  -WrTl 23: I read my story out loud to my boyfriend until it sounded right.
  -WrTl 19: I varied the lengths of my paragraphs in order to add a style to my story.

Tips

Before I started writing my story, I read the style flags power points and the specs. I highlighted key instructions on my own copy and looked over the lead lab along with the Diamondback style guide. My favorite quote by Amy was, “I remember all my family members were impressed with my movie editing skills.” Below are two links that I used to write my story.

• http://thecolorrun.com/
• http://www.terpthon.org/

 

 

“Commericals are so 20th century…”

Do you realize how much kids influence our U.S. economy? There are 52 million kids below the age of 12, and 40 billion dollars is spent annually on toys. Kids influence 700 billion dollars spent a year in the United States each year. The ways that kids influence their parents to buy them products is ridiculous. There is a special technique that kids have developed. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you will know what I’m talking about. THE NAG FACTOR: When children repeatedly beg to their parents because they want something. How annoying does that sound? Well, the nag factor is actually very effective, take it from me!

Stealth, viral, and brand marketing are ways that advertisers target children, and boy does it work! Kids are always on their cell phones, which have Internet access. With Internet access, kids are so much more exposed to advertisements. The advertisers take full advantage of the internet, which increases revenues significantly. Kids are always on the go, and very busy. They multi-task with technology like it’s totally natural. This makes the kids way more vulnerable to the advertisements. Not all advertisements have to be completely obvious. Subliminal messages prove just as effective, if not more! Many parents don’t like how their children are being taken advantage of. During the 1970′s, the Federal Trade Commission said that children are being deceived by advertisements. They wanted to ban advertisements on television, directed towards kids for good. However, in 1980, congress banned the FTC improvement act. The Reagan administration deregulated kids commercials, which made them increase! Since deregulation, advertisements on television, directed towards kids, are going up 35% each year. Movies and television shows were also becoming more directed towards children. The main goal of advertisers became to insinuate their brands in products for children. An example of this would be SpongeBob Squarepants Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

An ideology that has been instilled in the heads of many children is that if you don’t have a certain products, you’re a nobody. The value of happiness cannot be found in brands, but many advertisers are trying to make kids believe this. We live in more of an upscale culture now, and kids are being asked to grow up way too fast. Just take a look at the first photograph on my blog and you will know what I mean. New consumer science is something that is being conducted now. Many people think of it as stalking, and I don’t blame them. There is an advertising company out there called GIA. GIA stands for girls intelligence agency. This company uses girls to gather research. When I saw the part of the documentary pertaining to this company, I was shocked. Take a look at their website, and you will get why! Scientists are also conducting blink tests on young children and babies to see which advertisements prove to be most effective.

Does Sex Sell?

Elle Magazine is a fashion runway magazine. It’s known for being the world’s largest fashion magazine. The pages are filled with mostly advertisements of well-known brands promoting their clothing lines. Some of the pages pertain to beauty advice and entertainment, but the bulk of the magazine focuses on designer clothing. I love reading these types of magazines, or should I say, looking at these types of magazines! Fashion is usually part of an American girl’s culture. Girls are taught to always look pretty, and to  present themselves in a proper way. So, why is it that Elle Magazine has advertisements such as the ones below? They are very degrading to women.

What is this advertisement saying about our culture? Do we dress women up for men to stare at? Well, in a way we do. Women sometimes dress sexually to impress men. However, women shouldn’t always dress nicely just to appear as sexual objects. Just take a look at this Gucci advertisement. The women look as if they are having sex in this photograph, as the two men watch them. The African American woman is straddling over something, as a man looks down onto her as if she is lower than him. One may say, “Well, the man below is looking up at the woman!” Now, lets just think about that statement. Yes, the man is looking up at the woman, up her skirt!

Just take a look at the advertisement on the right. Diesel is using an African American woman to sell their jeans. This is a totally fine concept, however, there are a few things wrong with this picture. If you were to zoom into the advertisement and read the fine print, it has a very inappropriate line. The line reads, “Diesel’s Island Queen doesn’t do anything useful either.” Below that it reads, “Land of the stupid, home of the brave.” Do I even need to tell you how this is a myth about our culture? How horrible is it that the creators of this advertisement had the nerve to call this woman not useful. Is this advertisement racist? I think it is. In a lot of magazines, African American women are portrayed as tribal, with a primitive look. This isn’t representative of all African American women. A lot of African American women don’t even register this tribal image as part of their roots. Oh, and did you happen to notice that this woman has no shirt on? I thought I would just point that out. This whole advertisement is very degrading.

This advertisement was also found in Elle Magazine. It is also a very sexual advertisement, by Marc Jacobs. By taking a first glance at this advertisement, one can already tell that the woman is straddling the horse. She is also holding the perfume near her crotch, which is subliminal messaging. The sexual innuendos found in this advertisement are unnecessary. What values are we trying to instill into the brains of consumers? Do you need to be this thin, straddling a horse, while making a sexual expression, to look pretty? Typically, perfume advertisements are more sensual in their nature. Perfume is worn on the body and meant to attract others to you, or just to make you smell good. It is understandable that perfume advertisements make use of sex in some way, but this advertisement is taking it too far.

The advertisement on the right is from Versace. It really stood out to me because of its sexual messages. The woman is looking straightforward into the reader’s eyes, and she doesn’t look too happy to me! One of the men is placing his arm around her. I thought that this might suggest they are having a relationship. What I found strange was that another shirtless man was staring down at her butt. It’s almost as if she is an object for these two men to use. In the second picture she appears helpless, clinging onto one of the men. We still see the second man staring at her with a powerful look. Overall, this advertisement degrades women.

The last advertisement I found was from Nine West. This is a company that sells handbags, shoes, clothing, and jewelry. By looking at this advertisement, I noticed a lot of different things. First, the woman looks very feminine. One can tell this by the way that she is dressed. Her hat, shoes, purse, and bathing suit are all very lady like. The way in which she is holding her hand is prissy. What I mean by this is that she looks like she would never go in the water. To me, the advertisement is saying, “Women can’t do things like swim. Leave it to tan muscular men. Women should just stand there and look pretty.”

Magazines in this day of age really do promote sex. Of course advertisers know that sex sells, so why not use it as a strategy to gain buyers? I feel like there can be a middle ground when it comes to using sexual themes in advertising. Not all advertisements need to take it as far as these five did.

“Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled.”

Dear Burger King Corporate,
I am aware that your company is a very successful burger chain known for product tie in. There are many advertisements that your company has made that are not offensive or degrading. However, the advertisement campaign pertaining to the new super seven-inch sandwich is way too sexual in its nature. Just by taking a look at the advertisement, one can see that the young woman is supposed to look like she is performing a sexual act. How is this advertisement appropriate for a major fast food restaurant to display to the public? If you ask me, the advertisement is a total turn off.  I also would like to ask the following question, “How is the act of oral sex supposed to be appetizing?” The words next to the logo are also very sexualized. Are you implying that the sandwich tastes better than a penis? Please excuse me for my vulgar language, but I feel that it is truly necessary to use, in order to get my point across. After all, your advertisement itself is very vulgar.

How about the millions of children that consume Burger King? Are you trying to teach them that sex at a young age is okay? You must remember that your target market is not only adults, but children too. If one wanted to take it this far, he or she could say that your advertisement promotes teen pregnancy. Mark Duffer, an advertising copywriter, said “I’ve seen a lot of sexual innuendo ads and this is about the worst, especially for something as mainstream as Burger King. I was a little repulsed by it. It’s really misogynistic to women and it’s also unappetizing.”

The advertisement itself is very degrading to women. The woman has heavy makeup on and looks clueless. She looks like an object getting ready to perform a sexual act. The woman appears lifeless and shocked. Why would this advertisement influence a woman to buy this sandwich? Wouldn’t she just be turned off immediately? Even if the advertisement was geared towards men, I still think it’s a total turnoff. The whole idea of meshing sex and food is so strange to me. There was once a commercial that was produced saying that men don’t deserve to eat chick food. Why is it necessary to be sexist in a sandwich commercial? Not all women eat tofu and quiche. The use of this stereotype also makes women look bad.

Burger King has always had very engaging advertisements. However, sex seems to be a re occurring theme. Even when Burger King used the strategy of product tying, with the use of SpongeBob, they made sure to add sexy women in the commercial. I understand that sex sells, but the way that you used sex in this new advertisement is unacceptable. It is completely inappropriate, and shouldn’t be aired on television. My main point is that you are making your company look trashy. Burger King is already a fast food restaurant, so shouldn’t you aim for more of an upscale look?

Please consider what I am saying, it will only help your company’s image. Like I have stated before, the idea that your advertisement is portraying a sexual act is very offensive.

Sincerely,

Carly Ann Uhlman

A Fair Event

Last Saturday, I attended the Towson Town Spring Festival. This festival is the largest outdoor festival in Maryland, and one of the largest on the east coast! This two-day event holds more than 450 vendors, and they sure are interesting. The vendors are unique, because a lot of their products are handmade. Entertainment is always available, with over 50 acts that are performed. The festival really brings a sense of community to the surrounding area. It is dedicated to men and women who serve our country.

I was immediately bombarded with many companies trying to sell me their products. Everywhere that I looked, crowds of people were surrounding tables looking at what businesses had to offer. I’m not going to lie; the food there was tempting! I ate beforehand, but I got fresh squeezed lemonade and it was delicious! Right after I left the lemonade stand, a man was walking around with a shirt promoting his karate business. He was handing out business cards, while trying to speak to people about classes and his experience as an instructor. I wasn’t interested in his karate business, but he sure was persuasive. One of the businesses that I really was drawn to was named Diament Designs. I couldn’t think of a smarter way to promote my business, in a public affair, than at the Towson Town Spring Festival. This business implemented the public relation practice known as advertising. I was handed a business card that was designed in such a beautiful way. The business also used technology, and created a website that has an inventory of all of their jewelry available.

When you approach a table that has jewelry, you know that a bunch of people are going to be picking up pieces and trying them on. It was crucial that the workers watched carefully as each person picked up a piece. There were two people working at the table when I was there. A lady, that was dressed fashionably, helped me out. She was very friendly, and gave me many suggestions, without becoming too overwhelming or obnoxious. One thing I wished that she had told me was the prices of each of the pieces that I picked up at the time. Of course, she didn’t want to tell me right away, because then I may immediately put the piece down. On her behalf, this was smart of her to do. There was also a mirror on the table, and each time a prospective buyer would try something on and look in the mirror, she would compliment them! It was almost like, “Are you really being sincere, or just nice?”

Overall, I think that the lady was successful in getting me to buy something. I ended up buying a pretty necklace! She offered to let me try on her necklace that she was wearing too! The necklace that she had on was similar to mine, so she picked up on my style easily. She also let me take a look at all of her earrings that were in a box. By dumping them out onto the table, I was able to get a closer look at each earring. When it was time for me to purchase the necklace, the lady let me know that I made a good decision. She told me that I made a good choice, and that it would match a lot. Her friendliness was engaging and made me want to be at her booth, even though there were crowds of people walking past me, pushing and shoving. If I had to give any suggestions, I would suggest that the owner create a Facebook page. She would benefit so much if she had a Facebook page. Clients would be able to share the page with friends, and comment on jewelry leaving suggestions and or comments. I know of one other business that really started to boom once they implemented the idea of using Facebook as an advertising idea. The company is a boutique that has prom dresses. I can’t begin to explain how many people would add the business daily, once it launched its page. The company even started a model contest, in order to build up its customers.

(Here is a link to the demographics of the Towson Town Spring Festival. I found it very interesting)

SkecHERS

How many times have you seen Facebook advertisements, television commercials, magazines, billboards, or the use of celebrities by the footwear company Skechers? I have been exposed to Skechers since I was a little kid. The big thing used to be kids footwear when I was younger, and now the emphasis has drastically changed to fit our highly sexualized society. This company has chosen to implement a huge advertisement campaign, in order to draw women into their products. Skechers is using a multimedia advertisement campaign, in hopes of increasingly their sales.

Facebook has significantly opened the eyes of many consumers to Skecher’s products. Their Facebook page provides further insight into their product line, while promoting a healthy lifestyle. There is a Shoe Finder link that allows individuals to take a personalized quiz in order to see which shoe best fits them. How creative is that? Once an individual takes the quiz, they have an option of uploading their results to Facebook (their page) or Twitter. Of course they can even choose to buy the shoe too! By using this interactive quiz, Skechers can increase sales. Social media really has impacted the way that advertising campaigns work in this day of age. Just think of how many people are on Facebook daily. It’s a perfect way to target niche markets too! Skechers also uses many celebrities to promote their shoes. Kim Kardashian is a huge sex symbol in the media now. Her body, and overall looks exude exactly what most women want. Skechers was clever enough to hire her! She even has her own line of sneakers from Skechers. Before the 2011 Super Bowl, Skecher’s Facebook page promoted her new commercial, drawing many fans of hers in. The page showed sneak peaks to her commercial before it was aired on live television. I personally like Kim Kardashian, so even I was exposed to Skecher’s new line of shoes! Skecher’s Facebook page also has a YouTube link, which shows various videos and commercials that the company has produced. All of these videos and commercials are geared towards healthy lifestyles. They just make you want to buy a pair of the shoes! I personally don’t even think a lot of the shoes are attractive, but after watching these commercials, I am understanding how some people are convinced that they can look better wearing these shoes. See how well Skecher’s advertising is impacting me? One of the videos focuses on a celebrity fitness trainer, Denise Austin. In this video, she explains why walking is important and how to stay healthy. Skecher’s Facebook page also has a link to events that they have held, or are going to hold. There are Skechers polls, reviews, discussions, VIP specials, and questions. Facebook is clearly adding to the number of Skechers fans out there!

The television advertisements about Skechers footwear are growing even more and more. I think that the most influential commercial that Skechers has produced was the one with Kim Kardashian. Clearly Kim is going to be a huge influence on women to buy the shoes! There is no question about that. This is the newest commercial that Skechers has produced, but there are many other commercials that don’t just pertain to women. Commercials about shoes for kids, footwear for men, and footwear for working environments are produced. I noticed that one type of shoe Skechers was manufacturing promoted the ideal of being tall as a kid. If you aren’t tall, you can’t ride the roller coaster. So let me get this straight, if kids put on these shoes, they get taller, which then permits them to ride the roller coaster? I guess I’ll just go with the flow about that idea. Skechers produced many other kids commercials, all showing new crazy types of shoes. Some shoes glow, and some shoes have bungee in them! How crazy is that? Footwear for men, also known as Skechers Men, promotes ideals of healthiness and comfortableness. Skechers made sure to say that their shoes go with everything. I know for a fact that men will fall for this idea, how smooth.

Major stores, like Foot Locker, Macy’s, and Sears sell Skechers. Their magazines are sent out to homes, and we are then exposed to Skechers! Billboards also are a form of a media platform that helps to show Skechers to a wide variety of people.

Celebrities have always helped many companies sell their products. Skechers has been able to pick up some of the most popular celebrities ever! From Christina Aguilera to Kim Kardashian, Skechers has used these women in a sexual way to promote their shoes. These advertisement campaigns were all well thought out. Who would want to pass up a picture of their favorite sexy celebrity? People become interested in the product this way, and may become future clients.

When advertisements about Skechers shoes come on television, it tends to be during late afternoon to nighttime. The reason for this is because teens will be off of school then, so they can view the commercials. Parents will be off of work too, so they can sit back and watch some television, allowing them to relax after a long day. It’s a strategic plan to run the commercials at these certain times. Think about it, would you be able to see a Skechers commercial at 11 a.m. on a school day? The answer is clearly no!

Who do you think is mostly impacted by Skechers advertisements? Is it men, or do you think children are being impacted the most? In my opinion, after doing research, women are the most impacted by Skechers advertisements. I mean, just look at the website. The official Skechers website is targeted towards mostly women. However, the company has eight separately marketed “fashion and street” brands targeted at different demographics. The advertisement campaign that I am focusing on is the Kim Kardashian one, which is the most current campaign that Skechers is conducting. Currently, Skechers is trying to reach women in their 20’s-40. The company is focusing on categories such as, exercising and fashion. The Kardashian Collection, Resistance Runner, and Shape Ups, are all geared towards women. “Sketcher,”  is  a street term for an energetic person who cannot sit still. The target market that Skechers is trying to reach can be looked upon as energetic too. Targeting energetic people means that athletic shoes must also become available. As of now, there are lots of fitness shoes available. They are not only for women, but men too.

Skechers is currently the biggest company providing toning shoes, and have seen their women’s sports footwear market increase 17%. This means that annual sales amount to $ 226 million. I would consider their advertising campaign a huge success. In my opinion, Skechers is trying to change its whole image. The company is known for having shoes that aren’t as stylish. Skechers is now promoting their company as a company that provides stylish, comfortable, and body toning shoes. By using Facebook, television, magazines, billboards, and celebrities, Skechers has been able to  launch a very successful advertisement campaign.