Hello Again

Hello again! It's been awhile since my last post, but I've been busy. I went to Washington DC, Mexico City, and Cancun, then it was the new year, and school started again which means work started again too. Despite my lack of free time, being back at work and school feels rights so I really can't complain. While I haven't been posting, I have been watching a plethora of ads for the Super Bowl and the Olympics!

Here are my favorites so far:

For the Super Bowl: Budweiser- Puppy Love by Anomaly 
Budweiser posted their commercial "Puppy Love" to their YouTube account and it's already accumulated 9,435,096 views. It hasn't even been twenty four hours and OVER 9 MILLION people have watched it! 

For the Olympics- Guinness- Twins by BBDO New York 
Even though Guinness is not an official sponsor, they created this spot which gave me chills. Everything was just right...it was beautiful. I have a sister and can seriously relate to this commercial. It was so powerful I still have chills as I'm sitting here writing this. I know that I'll remember this ad for quite some time. If you haven't seen it yet you'll have to wait until after February 26th because Guinness is not an official sponsor and can't air advertising featuring Olympic athletes.

Stay tuned for more after Super Bowl Sunday!

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DC

I'm currently in DC right now and went to the Newsuem, which if you have the chance to go, DO IT! It was such an awesome museum, I spent 5 hours exploring and interacting with all the different exhibits. As I went through each room, there was a plaque that stated who was sponsoring the content and the display. The most effective use of this was by far the Ron Burgundy exhibit for Anchorman 2. 

HP New Media Exhibit

Another cool exhibit was the HP Exhibit for New Media. The whole room is HP screens and computers of course! You can touch the screens and pull up different topics like Twitter, WikiLeaks, the Miracle on the Hudsond. HP's sponsorship of the new media exhibit was very smart and well executed. It was entirely interactive and let you customize what you wanted to learn about. At the end of the exhibit was a game where you tested out your new media skills, and I'm proud to say I was a new media master. It would've been extremely embarrassing if I wasn't since everything it asked me questions about related to the media industry. The Newsuem was fascinating and it's been the best museum I've visited so far. Everything goes hand in hand with advertising and media. So if you get the chance to go to DC, it's definitely a must see. 

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Multi-screen

For our first project of the semester in my advanced media strategies class, we had to present our research about which platforms different age segments use, how the platforms change during the week, and how to measure success for each distinct target segment. One of the most interesting facts I found is how more and more people are using multi-screens. As I thought about it, I realized that very rarely do I watch TV without having my laptop open or my phone on me. Sometimes I even have my laptap on and am surfing the web but then get bored and instead decide to play a game of Candy Crush on my phone before paying attention to what's going on during the show that I was watching. 

More and more TV networks and advertisers are creating mutliplatforms for their content. For example, HGTV, which is always on in my apartment, isn't just a channel anymore, it now has a website that it directs viewers to as well as a twitter handle which it advertises right under the logo during all the programs. It has multiple apps that let you watch all the shows or look at floor plans of the dream home their giving away in a sweepstakes. People aren't consuming one media at a time any more since media channels are becoming more fragmented and specialized. In order to have a successful campaign, advertisers will need to spend more money to create a for cross-platform campaign hitting consumers everywhere they are. For media, this means becoming more strategic with plans and really figuring out where the consumers are consuming media and when. Metacognition will start to play more of a role when it comes to media planning for cross-platform campaign to find where your audience is and when they are consuming your content.  

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Reflection

After my  final group project for advanced media strategies was over, I had time to sit down, relax, and think about this crazy semester. Going to school and working part time has been tough, but I've learned a ridiculous amount in these past 5 months. For school, our last project for Hilton has been challenging, fun, and a great learning experience. It never really felt like work, even when I was pulling  my hair out because I couldn't get our network TV budget right,  because of the six other people in my group. We became quite close quite fast, and each of them has taught me an invaluable lesson. Our differences and experiences created a unique team dynamic. We definitely took a risk on our project,  but we thought it was now or never since we'd never get an opportunity like this again where we can suggest ideas that Hilton may not be ready for. We were all so passionate about our ideas and couldn't wait to present them to our client. I usually get nervous speaking, but for this presentation I just was too excited to get nervous. The presentation was an adrenaline rush, and I confidently presented my part and helped out my teammates when they lost their train of thought during the presentation. Because we practiced so many times and had all worked the plan together, I knew what everyone was saying, so I quickly jumped in to get my teammates back onto our idea. I think what makes me a good presenter is that I don't have to memorize what I'm going to say. As long as I have a general idea of what is important, I can say what I need to. The Hilton project really gave me my confidence when it comes to media. I learned that you can't hold back and that taking risks and failing is essential to growing. You have to go after what you want and go after it with 110%. You must be passionate about what you do, and this project made me realize that I want to do this forever. As the semester comes to a close, I look back and see the immense growth I've experienced. I learned so much about media from school. At work, I'm given an assignment, and I've already learned how to do it in school. I've also gained confidence in my own abilities and have come to find that if you work hard, and stay kind, amazing things do happen....corny, but so true!

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Tweet Tweet

The little birdie seems to be the talk of the town. This semester I've discussed Twitter in multiple classes and at work. When David Gill, director of client services at Nielsen Mobile came to speak to my research class, the majority of the conversation centered around how tweets are influencing what people are watching and how what people are watching influence what they tweet about. People live tweeting about a show makes the show trend, so more and more people will see the tweet and be more likely to tune into a show. When a finale like the Bachelor airs, women tweet about all the twists and turns that happen before his happily ever after. It all stems from the fact that people are using more platforms and screens to consume media. One of the challenges though is measuring the tweets. Click here to read more about how Nielsen is studying the connections between tweets, or earned media and TV to create industry standard metrics. See It, a new platform, turns twitter into your own personal remote control allowing you to watch in real time, record the program, or schedule a remind. As Comcast, and Time Warner Cable expand See It, the acceptance an industry standard metric will become crucial. 

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Buzzword of the Year

The buzzword of the year goes to...Native Advertising. Native advertising is everywhere in the media world, and it's not going anywhere soon. Native advertising has it's own topic sections in publications like Mashable and AdWeek. It's been a highly debated topic and the FTC just recently had a workshop to determine how consumers can distinguish native advertising, and the IAB published a playbook based on six different types of native advertising. But what is native advertising? 

According to Sharethrough, native advertising is "a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed."

I constantly come across native advertising  in my daily life. For class, we had to decide whether or not native advertising was right for American Express, while at work, we discussed whether or not it would be effective for a client of ours. I was hesitant to jump aboard the native advertising trend when I first heard about it, but with proper regulations for the right brand, I see how effective it can be for advertisers. When I'm online looking at BuzzFeed, Mashable or Harper's Bazaar, I run across a plethora of native ads which are customized and specifically tailored to my habits. I find these ads much more relevant than annoying banner ads and consumers will appreciate ads that have content they want to see. One of my favorite native advertisements is 5 Heartwarming Stories That Prove Dog Is Man's Best Friend.Native advertising needs to be properly labeled as to not deceive consumers, needs to be able to be measured. Everyone has something to say about native advertising. What are your thoughts?

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Airport Wonderland

Airports provide a variety of touchpoints to reach consumers. From the time you check in bags, through security and the terminals, all the way to picking your luggage up from baggage claim,  passengers are captive and paying attention to advertisements in the airport. Let's face it, when your plane's been delayed, there's not much to do providing advertisers with a unique opportunity. According to a study by Clear Channel, airports deliver high returns for advertisers and a chance for campaigns to go viral. 

Zappos Baggage Claim Game

Smart companies have capitalized on the receptiveness of advertising and have found ways to break through the clutter creating campaigns that people can't stop talking about.  Zappos decided to make traveling fun again for some lucky passengers during Thanksgiving. Mullen, Zappos agency, turned a baggage claim at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport into the Wheel of Fortune.  As the bags fell onto the baggage claim, travelers were rewarded with different prizes including gift certificates, Ugg boots, and Kitchen-Aid mixers. Zappos decided to use Houston to say thanks to its loyal customers.

Departure Roulette 

 Heineken  created a "Departure Roulette" board where travelers pushed a button and were immediately sent to exotic locations. Their game garnered millions of hits on YouTube.
WestJet in Canada created a digital display and when passengers passed by, Santa came on screen and addressed the passengers individually asking what they wanted for Christmas. Little did they know that employees were checking Santa's list twice to make their wishes come true. From socks and underwear, to plane tickets and toys, to snowboards and TVs, WestJet went on a mad dash to buy and wrap all the gifts for the travelers before their plane landed. The passengers are shocked when they see their presents on the carousel. 

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