Being Latino is fun !

First of all I have to admit that I am not the kind of person that follows a page or a blog but I couldn't resist to "Like" the Being Latino Facebook page a couple of months ago. I saw a picture one of my friends shared on her Facebook page and with a click I discovered how funny us Latinos can be.
This page shares funny pictures that any Latino can identify with and I even remembered how I grew up and the things I used and still say or do.

Moreover, this page is not just for Latinos but for people that want to learn about the Latino culture. For example, some of their videos show how Asian girl dance bachata, or how an African American lady sign beautifully one of Selena's song.  Simply amazing!

Also, it keeps me updated with events happening around the world and new music and artists too.
I see this page as refreshing and entertaining and it adds a little humor to my day everyday.

Perez-Fox - Design and Branding

One of the many blogs that I follow on the "information super highway" (yes, permission to laugh granted) is that of Prescott Perez-Fox of PerezFox.com.

I initially took a liking to Prescott's work through one of his earlier projects, twentyhood.com.  I was fond of his combining both blogging and podcasting from one source; it was a first for me to experience.  Some instances the short blog posts corresponded to the latest podcast and at other times it did not.  I found that not disturbing, but interesting.

I've taken a liking to what Prescott refers to as the "order-and-chaos" philosophy.  It is not noticed in his writing style, in my opinion, but the content that Mr. Perez-Fox presents from one posting to the next shows a reflection.  There is no consistency portraying a theme, unless you consider "life", but it is interpretive to the reader and I am comfortable with that. 

You can find yourself reading about how Prescott is coming along with his new standing desk one day and the next you're reading a post of raw angst over a crashed Hackintosh.

When it does come to Prescott's writing style I have found it easy, fluid, and relatable, obviously.  

• Easy in the sense that Prescott does not use any jargon that may go over the average reader's head.  Average meaning that more than likely someone with an 8th grade reading level can comprehend to the context of a post.  You feel comfortable and feel as though Prescott types as he does speak.
• Fluidity comes from how easy it is to actually get what is being said in a post the first time.  I rarely catch myself running back to the beginning of a paragraph or a sentence to due to a lack of proper grammar.
• Content is king with me and Prescott Perez-Fox delivers the goods.  His blog is not for those who are trained to stick to one theme on a blog, but recognize as an individual that they have multiple interests and appeals, and maybe they should embrace that.  Mr. Perez-Fox has a little something for everyone.

Despite his sudden drop for my first love, twentyhood.com, I respect and admire his growth that I've witnessed through the years.  

He's on again, then off again, but the fact remains that he comes off approachable and real as it is represented through PerezFox.com.

PEPSI: Live for NOW!

Coca-Cola vs Pepsi, it seems that this battle will go on forever. When I thought of Coca-Cola I thought family, tradition, sharing a intimate moment, and until 2011 I thought of Pepsi as "nothing".

For me it seemed that Pepsi did not have an identity at all.
In 2012 Pepsi launched its first global campaign, the objective of this strategy was to differentiate the Pepsi brand from its main rival and long time winner of the soda battle Coca-Cola.

Pepsi went for the "living the moment" concept. "Live for Now" will invite and inspire Pepsi fans to live each moment to the fullest through a breadth of global, pop-culture platforms, including relationships with music and entertainment brand evangelists, digital innovation, epic events and unique partnerships. pepsico.com

Pepsi got together with MTV, VH1 and sponsored some Billboard concerts during the summer, which made sense being that music, and excitement are what they wanting to accomplish for its brand. Moreover, Pepsi was represented by  Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry (pop singers) that added fun and a refreshing effect to the Pepsi brand.

Even though, Coca-Cola still had higher sales than Pepsi, Pepsi's fans are active 42% longer in social sites than Coca-Cola's. mashable.com Therefore, it seems that Pepsi is winning the social media battle.

What I follow!

The blog that I most frequent would be www.perezhilton.com. Most people would say that he isn't a credible source, but  I see him as a person that is in the center of all major media stories.  From celebrity news to the latest music, he is keeping viewers informed on a minute by minute basis.

My goal is to be involved in entertainment media and lifestyle brands, and this blog definitely keeps me up to date on all of the latest news.

Zales

I was born in April and my birthstone is a diamond so it was only right that I did my presentation on Zales.

Unfortunately they are under utilizing their social media sites.  I found excessive overlapping and no definitive message on either site.

I would love to see them build more of an intimate relative brand. I suggest that Zales ties in celebrities with their products as well as stories of their past customers.

Zales is also encouraging potential customers to use their mobile devices to view their site.  Unfortunately their mobile site is not user friendly.

Social Media has been out long enough for Zales to not make such a mistake.  Who still pinches and zooms?

Zales has a good following on twitter, facebook, and instagram.

Gee-Wiz: Flipboard

Afternoon to those who contribute to The KU Cougar and those who are following.  I just wanted to let everyone know that we actually have followers of this awesome blog and to spread the word.  I like to believe we do have something to say.

Through an app called Flipboard, which I utilize on a daily basis, serving as a one stop for all of my online digest, I've been able to develop this small following for The KU Cougar Blog.

One of the great features that I've utilized since the start of the semester was the ability to create what Flipboard calls "magazines".  The creation of an individual's magazine consists of content that the user can view in private for later reading or have on display for fellow Flipboard users to peruse through publicly and follow.

I've obviously made one of my magazines public which is populated with nothing but our own work and I have to admit that I'm glad that there are people out there listening to us and so should you.

I would like to hear from you about publicity and whether or not you would like for me to continue to contribute certain posts as headliners for the magazine.

Look forward to hearing from you, happy blogging everyone!

Put Me in Coach...I'm Ready to Blog!

Ever do some reading on AdAge.com?  Well, I do.  It's required in one of my classes!

But even though my experience with AdAge began with the swift motion of my professor twisting my arm and face-planting me onto the pavement of this media source, I am finding that position on the pavement rather enjoyable.  Posting blog entries around the clock on the latest ads and marketing gossip, AdAge is a staple for marketing junkies.

They keep it clean: black text on white background (like a newspaper), crisp photos relevant to the post, and concise facts that deliver you that precise amount of information you need without wasting any time.


EXPERIMENT: check out this post (but only read the first sentence!):

AdAge Reports on Energy Drinks

Now, you should have taken less than 10 seconds to do that, and hopefully, there are two things in your head from it.

1.)  A fairly confident understanding of what the entire post is about, just from that first sentence.
2.)  A curiosity to know more about an energy drink killing someone.


This is why I have grown fond of this blog site.  They understand the short attention span of online readers; so they immediately throw a summary out to inform the reader with a hook attached that brings them in for the full read.

The art of SEO

Successfully occupying ad space is a right place, right time combination. It sure can be difficult to determine whether or not the outlet you've chosen to increase consumer awareness or following was indeed the best option and has positively impacted your company's sales and or recognition. Spending time to further understand the harsh climate of the ad sales industry, a great blog had a wonderful article on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). VerticalResponse, a knowhow marketing blog has recently released this article, concerned with the ideal recipe to ensure all the little ingredients you've stirred together can help to produce a quality and effective effort on the SEO front.

Starting with content, the article emphasizes the need for the continuous updating of your website, to keep the content high quality and fresh within the search results

Using keywords helps your website remain pertinent in terms of content while staying relevant to what people are searching for before coming across your website.

The importance of links, internal and external, in relation to your website are vital. The internal links, which can direct one to other pages on your website, if done right are able to pull others around your website, gaining more familiarity with you and your organization. Meanwhile backlinks or external links are a great way to grab surfers while they're on other sites.

Metatags, the descriptions of your content that show in search results are of great importance...The article compares a weak Metatag to a burger without ketchup....It's that important.

Continuing on down the list of important qualities for SEO, positive reviews and reputation give you a major advantage here. Great reviews on ratings sites such as yelp, Merchant Circle and Angie's list influence the ranking of webpage...the better positive buzz around your company, the more highly ranked it will be on the search results. 

By Dan Tobjy

Every Man Is Not Everywhere

A great name, great product, and a great target audience is...well...GREAT!  Ideas always seem excellent on paper, but when the execution of a plan, or in this case a campaign falls dramatically short via the utilization of social media platforms it is time to walk back to the drawing board,  tail in-between your legs, and get it together...Every Man Jack.

Every Man Jack (EMJ) is a line of men's grooming products that give you the sense that they are upfront, straight forward, and lacking any gimmicks that their rivals in the market place dish out (cough, "I'm on a horse.", cough, Old Spice, cough, cough).  I will say that they are also lacking in the soc-med department when it comes to garnering followers and driving some viral presence online.

From what I've been able to gather about EMJ's presence in the social, digital spectrum is that its almost non-existent.  Going back to 2010 and as early as 2009 when their Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook accounts were establish you would think that in 2013 their numbers and creative content would be up to snuff with what is already out there.  EMJ is great, their products are excellent, but it appears that they are missing that sophistication that comes with embracing social media avenues.

Taking a look at Every Man Jack's YouTube page, ironically titled EMJBuzz, I lost the concept of the company being the straight shooter  that I portrayed them as earlier.  I see a lack a creative content and not only that, but the focus on establishing/ reinforcing their image is not clear.  Who are you EMJ?  What would you recommend they do about this; leave the YouTube scene entirely or actually put some elbow grease into making this channel work?

I would like to see more of a mesh between their social media accounts and incorporate their audience because as you can see below I've gathered original works from individuals who are showing love for the brand on their own time and dime.

 

Why are you not listening EMJ?

 

 Maybe not entirely within copyright regulations and a host of other red tape, but good on you Martin Torres for showing a little YouTube love for EMJ.

Works such as the one above is what I envision for the brand, and still do just from the name, Every Man Jack, to embody and promote.  Get it together...Man. 

Social Media in Entertainment

Social Media is a very new thing and not every company knows how to use it.  There are many ways that it can be effective for you and many ways it may not be effective for you.  When companies do not take advantage of the benefits of social media or ignore it all together that creates problems down the line.  That is what the CW Network originally did when they started their social media brand.

One of the objectives of social media is to create awareness and marketing for your product.  When you have a new television show it may be hard to gain viewers.  The CW Network originally failed when they created their social media accounts.  They allowed a lot of their new shows to have half of a season without social media brands such as Twitter helping them gain followers.  If companies cannot adapt then they will fail especially a company that is trying out a new product.

On the other spectrum I am a huge fan of entertainment news and movie statistics.  Not many websites give me both that information better then Deadline Hollywood.
http://www.deadline.com/2013/10/despicable-me-2-passes-900m-worldwide/
If its happening in the entertainment industry they are one of the first to give me the information.

I am also enjoying the fiery attitude of Nikki Finke as she tries to leave the company that she has started.  The back and forth fighting and hearing straight from  Ms. Finke's twitter account is both very interesting and exciting.  Any entertainment fan must be very curious as to the direction this is going and want it means for Deadline.

TMZ blog

One of my favorite blogs that I have followed even before I have registered for this class is TMZ. I Love the gossip of celebrities and the social world around us . TMZ is on top of all their blogs. I find out Info on celebrities such as Chris Brown punching a " photo bomber." 

Another great thing about TmZ is it's on television . Every night I get home from work that's what I watch . I guess you can say I like gossip . 

Techniques TMZ uses in their blogs is in every caption they have a picture of either a celebrity or the idea of the blog. This is an attention grabber to the blog reader and gives them an idea of what they are about to read about . 

There's an app for that ! 

TMZ has an app which I love. One click and I'm at their page . I also like how you get instant updates sent to your phone when some new they post. Being so up to date on their blog, peaks my interest even more. 

In my blogs that I have posted prior, I have used that technique to use a picture after or before my text . I believe it gives the reader an idea as well as a visual to know what I am about to say .  I will continue to use this technique in my future blogs . 

Food For the Hungry: Using Social Media to Save Lives

"They Die One at a Time, and So We Can Help Them One at a Time"

  

With thousands of children dying each day 

from hunger, in 1971 Dr. Larry Ward founded Food For the Hungry with the belief that just as children were dying one at a time, they could be helped one at a time. 

While not everyone may be familiar with them, they are a Christian nonprofit international relief and development organization with operations in over 26 countries.  Originally, they worked to help shelter, feed, and clothe survivors of natural disasters, but have since expanded in working on long-term development with the poor to transform impoverished communities.  
 
Although FH is active on a number of sites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest to name a few, their main focus is on Facebook and Twitter.  At the same time, they have an awesome blog that they are extremely active on.  
 
One thing that stuck out to me was their target audience. Only one third of their followers are located in the United States, so they stay rather silent on many domestic issues, having developed much more of an international voice,  with topics ranging from clean water to human trafficking. Honestly, although I follow them on social media, I somehow managed to overlook that aspect, but going back, just by looking at the comments of their Facebook posts, you can easily see just how global their audience is. 

                                                                                    In August of this year FH went to Guatemala for their third blogger trip, giving their bloggers (many which have their own blogs in addition to blogging for FH) an opportunity to share their experiences with their audience on the work being done.  Each trip features a live tweet chat, and on each trip it has trended WORLDWIDE; this year there were 3,000 tweets sent out, and since then, there have been over 2.8 million unique visitors to the blog from that trip.
 
Have you ever received an email from or seen a post from a company advertising their online catalog? Well, FH uses the same methods (email, blog posts, social media posts) to promote their catalog during the Christmas season in what they call the “Twelve Days of Christmas”. The only difference, you’re not shopping for yourself, instead, you’re shopping for families in impoverished communities, buying them things that can provide them with sustainable food and income like goats and chickens.  Over $45,000 was raised last year in just eight days! 
 
With so many options for interaction of Facebook, how do you increase your Facebook likes by over 1000% in less than two years?...Just ask FH.  By focusing on their core audience, with only 8,000 fans in January 2012, FH currently has over 88,000 fans!
 
Beyond social media, FH launched an artist program in 1997 where artists take a few minutes out of their concert each night to share stories with their fans about the work FH is doing to help raise sponsorship for children around the world; this is how I first learned about FH. Always mentioning thier Facebook and Twitter pages, by FH being active on so many channels, it’s simple for fans to do a quick Google search in the days following the concert and easily connect with the organization. 

 Introduction to Food For The Hungry

Twitter Flies to Wall Street

Here is something interesting. In the next few weeks, Twitter will become a publicly traded company. The social media giant will be issuing 70 million shares in the New York Stock Exchange as early as November 6. Pricing the stock between $17-$20. They are expected to raise 1.4 billion dollars and possinly even more if they issue more stock and raise the price.

Check out the blog from Seth Feigerman here.

His blog was easy to ready and straight to the point. The blog had a great image of the Twitter logo to immediately let the reader know what the topic was about. He also provided a link of where he found the information.

I tried doing the same by putting the Wall Street picture at the top of the page to let you know, this is about Twitter going to the stock exchange. This is a writing strategy I will surely use more often.

Reading The Midgemomma.com Blogs

I have worked with many journalists and bloggers for 4 years in the automotive media industry whether they were big time and small time. Out of everyone I met during this time, Lauren from midgetmomma.com is one of my favorites.

She is married woman, mother of three, and a blogger. Her blog is about how to stretch your dollars and save while having fun, have an adventure, and how to enjoy life.

Her last post is about pumpkin cookies but my favorite one is her last automotive review because it was one of the last times I have worked with Lauren. She had reviewed a Mazda 5 which is a minivan that is unbelievably small. (This review can be seen on this link)

She describes the specs on the vehicle, features, and opinions about the car. She was very honest on her review of the car, knowing the car is a "MINI-van", and this car is not big enough for a weekend trip.

To show you how small this car really is, I included a picture of the day after I picked the car up from Lauren months ago (below)

Yep, that's my goofy self a few months ago with this Mazda 5.

Anyhow, what I liked about her review is that she was honest about her review and her thoughts about the car. The more I read about her blog, the more I learned on how to do mine which is be straight to the point.

Who would have thunk it!

Let me start off by saying that my perception of social media was all wrong.  I never knew how MUCH I could make it work for my benefit until I read the Oracle article.  There is really a method to the madness of social media!  Everything I thought I knew went out of the window.

I started to realize by step two "List your content", that I have not been effective or efficient with my social media tools.  Here I am trying to break into the Learning and Development industry and bulk of my social media activity consist of Instagram photos of my latest hair style, and poor food choices.

 

 

The following are answers to the homework assignment.  Please be aware that I am currently asking God to stretch my days out to 30 hours. 

 

Though the process itself seems fail proof, it also seems time consuming.  Has anyone figured out how to successfully work meaningful social media usage(not lacking substance) into your day?

 

 

Is there a such thing as social media management tools?  ONE website that you can go to, to management all of your social media sites? 

 

If not, I thought of it first. Thank God for time stamps.

 

 

Where are you going to find your target audience?

 

I plan to find the bulk of my target audience on LinkedIn.  It only makes sense- their titles and interest are listed and therefore searchable.  I presume acquiring a target audience will take the least amount of time through this platform.

 

How are you going to get their attention?

 

I intend on grasping their attention through articles that speak directly to their current job titles or interest.  For instance, I want to get into Learning and Development, so I would connect with all involved/interested parties.  Then I would post articles specific to L&D (e.g. "best L&D practices").

 

The following is a rough draft of my marketing strategy:

 

Twitter- give a brief daily synopsis of my efforts to get into L&D, I may even note accomplishments-people I have met, or who my latest LinkedIn connections are and why they are noteworthy.

 

LinkedIn- post specific articles pertaining to L&D.

 

My Own Blog- the dumping ground.  It will showcase my activity on all other sites as well as display personal works(presentations, papers, videos).

 

Instagram- will add the visual effect.  It will go hand and hand with twitter.  The running theme will be "A day in the life of someone trying to break into L&D".  The pictures will be of executives who are making strides in the industry, to real life pictures of mishaps and achievements.

 

What social media mix will you use to communicate with them?

 

I will use LinkedIn and Twitter to directly communicate with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Under Armour..The Future is Today

Woahh. Talk about a social media monster still awaiting the sort of recognition it deserves. Under Armour knows the how to, the where and when of social media marketing.

Engaging all ages, starting with potential future athletes, so young those Friday night lights have yet to be given the chance to blind them in their glorious athletic career debut.

They simply know how to put athletes on a path of determination with style.

Early adoption is the name of the game in this industry and the efforts have been made to increase their awareness and acceptance with the athletes, computer geeks, photographers, band members...you name it their "Undeniable" Program promotes school pride and engagement with the brand on a whole different level...all for the selfless cause of your school. Photograph your schools trophy case, a great sports play, a new song created by the band for the campaign and your school may have the most diverse and powerful checklist of school pride activities to grant you that $140,000, (I should say your school).

Even their marketing communication intern challenges create a buzz and desire to be closer to the company...which you can check out here. Under Armour Intern challenge

Under Armour's newly endorsed athletes are sure to prove a social media success. Like the twitter avid Steph Curry from the Golden State Warriors, a symbol of the essence of Under Armour, the "underdog" who works day in and out to overcome the obstacles in the way...the success is earned!

Ask Plank, the founder...this company is worth 5x more than stated...its sure to be a success for many years to come.






By Dan Tobjy

Cleaning My Company's Social Footprint

Interestingly, I think about the majority of the homework for this class without realizing it.  If you are learning some of the skills on getting noticed for that dream job, why not think about it all of the time?

I have been following up a lot on the social media sites my current company uses to market themselves, and let's just say they are dropping the ball quite a bit.  With that said, I have found a great way to get noticed: analyze their strengths and weaknesses, compile recommendations, and submit them to a couple of the marketing managers at corporate headquarters.

I know it is a bit of a stretch to step outside of my pay grade, but my plan is to approach it humbly and confidently in the fact that social media marketing is constantly changing (as we saw in the Oracle article) and I have a freshly influenced and educated perspective on how to utilize it.

And I have a couple of YouTube ideas as well.  Stay tuned for more.....

Victoria's Secret's Social Media Is Sexy

Victoria's Secret was named #1 in the Top 500 retailers for their social media strategy in 2012 and is in the upper half of the top 50 for last month's numbers.

But how can such a company beat out stores like Amazon.com and Walmart? Well, here is how.

Victoria's Secret truly knows their target market. They not only know where their target market hangs out, but they know what attracts their target market.

Having a target market of young women, they were sure to choose social media that their audience would use.



They have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube channel. All of which Victoria's Secret updates frequently.

Through these accounts, Victoria's Secret will integrate or promote one another. On one Facebook post on October 1st, Victoria's Secret added a link to their YouTube Channel . In the video they also talked about a hashtag, #VSFragrance, which is usually used on Twitter. This shows their connection between and use of all accounts.

They are also sure to get their audience involved. They ask questions, hold contests, and host events exclusively for their online followers.

Victoria's Secret also encourage customer interaction. They ask them frequent questions, respond to some customers, and even help them out.

Also, they always are adding new content and pictures that appeal not only to women, but to men too. I was showing my co-worker my powerpoint for class and he was very happy with the pictures I chose.



As much as Victoria's Secret is online, they are offline too. Though they do send a lot of their promotions, sales, coupons, and information through email. They do send out coupons, sales, and catalogs through the mail.

They also have the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on TV, and encourage people to write about it. Last year they had the largest number yet of people watching and talking about the fashion show.
______________________________________________

I think that Victoria's Secret social media strategy is really effective. They're so good; I can't think of a away that they can improve.

Like the oracle article "Managing the Social Media Marketing Mix" said, They are connecting all of their social media counter parts and creating a thread between all of them.

Plus they are using the four social media lenses. They are frequently updating their content, using the correct formality for their audience, they are funneling to specific channels,  and using the waterfall effect by connecting their channels.

Although I am not exactly sure if they are ranking their social media  lenses by subscription size, I'm sure that they are in some way and using it to their advantage.

Maybe that is something that they can work on, using their subscriptions to their advantage. I did notice that their Twitter uses twitter pics and they don't post their Instagram pictures to their tweets. So maybe they can use their larger subscription of Twitter followers and have them click on an Instagram link to promote more visits to their Instagram.



Other than that I think that Victoria's Secret is doing an amazing job with their social media strategy. I mean, after all, they were number 1! Let's hope they keep it up for this year.

MAC

MAC started its business by providing free merchandise to makeup artists who worked with top models and actresses. Now, a lot of their marketing strategy is incorporated now with celebrities. 

Most of the time they don't even have keep announcing to the public about a new product launch. RiRi Woo is a perfect example. Rihanna's Tweet stired up the world by telling them to get ready and buy the lipstick and guess what.... it was SOLD OUT in 3 hours!!

MAC has a great strategy going on and I cant wait who's next to sign their name on a product.

Coca Cola: The "AHH Effect"

                    Coca Cola is one of the most well-known brands in the world.  They also rank in the top 5 of 100 most successful companies.  I found their most recent campaign to be the "AHH Effect".  This campaign was towards teens who are tech-addicted and always on the go.  This was an all-digital campaign, which means there has not been a TV spot yet.

                     http://www.ahh.com/ is the first of 60 websites dedicated to the "AHH Effect".  It connects teens to play games and share these experiences through social media.
The websites add an "H" to every additional website.

In addition, on every bottle there is a comment about the power of "AHH".  The "AHH Effect" is to experience happiness, like how every sip of an ice cold coca cola will bring you great happiness and you will not be able to resist the "Ahh".

As a result of this campaign, the company has seen about 4 million views to its websites as well as a more prominent interest in the brand.  There has been no link to this campaign in regards to sales, but Coca Cola is going to create a TV spot in 2014 to accompany to "AHH Effect".

Target audience

My target audience would be Anthony Martini. I have an extensive music background that I can bring to their company. I have impeccable multitasking skills as well as organization skills. I have incorporated music in every aspect of my life. 

I'm currently taking the initiative to fly out to Los Angeles to show Anthony and crush management that I am qualified to fit the position. While I am out there I will network with their team and learn their ways of the business. 

Why VW?

Volkswagen "The Peoples Car"

They had a campaign online called "Why VW?" which was featured on their Facebook page. Volkswagen used Facebook to have enthusiasts and owners write on their (Volkswagen Page) wall about how much they love their vehicles and shared stories about their cars.

A special site was also opened to share customer stories as well.

Some selected enthusiasts and owners stories were chosen and aired on television and on the Volkswagen Youtube website. After it was aired, Volkswagen sales doubled after a month and over millions of views on Youtube.

There are a lot of stories in the site which most came from Facebook posts of Volkswagen Owners, my favorite one is from this one Beetle Enthusiast. She reminded me of my coworker who buys collectibles and sold a Beetle which was in mint condition to a lady who LOVES Beetles. (Check out the link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04PfPo6xlkI&feature=c4-overview&list=UUPyUeedE8lNX60DGmA3wp4w

Youtube and Facebook campaigns were pretty effective in social media because consumers participated and shared their love for the product line. Fans, enthusiasts alike helped the manufacturer with the marketing a lot and non owners noticed the German Manufacturers reliability for the VW line. 

Getting the Attention: Marketing Strategy

My target audience are young African American female adults they are a huge percentage of regular active internet users and there are several places they hang out on the web and on mobile.

Young black  females are interested majorly interested in

• reality shows
• fashion
• cosmetics
• family
• health
• shopping
• hair products 
• career opportunities

All of those interests can be located on Facebook, blogs, forums, Twitter and Instagram.
I plan to get their attention by writing blogs about how to take care of their bodies, products they can use, and how to do day-by-day activities to be more healthy.

I will post informative information that women would like to read and are interested in learning about. Images are also a great way to get audience's attention so images of myself using products would be a good touch.

Overall, marketing strategy would be rhetorical questioning to the audiences.
Example, Do you struggle with split ends? Having trouble finding a good moisturizer for your skin?

Women are naturally curious so rhetorical questions is a good way to get their attention. That can be done on Social Media by doing various posts. and maybe a few poll questions for fun.

The social media mix I will use is the blog, all the content and posts on the social media websites will lead up to the blog by placing the website links so generate more traffic.

Adorn the body, Enlighten the mind, and Empower the spirit

Alex and Ani has grown from 2004 to today very quickly, making there million dollar mark in just four years. As I began to research I noticed how passionate the owner was with her product. Taking such pride in an all american made bracelet made of all recycled products.  The idea of Alex and Ani is a bracelet that means something ,power,energy,love,etc.

Alex and Ani takes pride in all charities. Donated mounds of money for selling that one certain bracelet. The "I'm a girl" campaign is running now and a percentage of what is made when selling that product goes back to the charity. The thought of a company giving back is just breath taking in my eyes.

Alex and Ani is big on social media and very up to date. There website has listed all their social media links and as I observed each and everyone, I noticed videos that were updated a week ago, post updated an hour ago.
Another thing that caught my attention was the company reaching out to the public to get voted for a "Shorty award" for best use of social media. The company is taking such pride in their product, and really communicating their message to the consumer, and wants feedback.
In my eyes their social media is very effective. Keeping update and really expressing events and products on youtube, and instagram.  There passion for their product really shows in their product and how they present it to the public. I personally love Alex and Ani and continue to add to my collection.

The example above just shows how they want the consumers feedback and opinions. The path they are going down with their social media is brilliant in my eyes!

LIVE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT

Bacardi Limited is the world's most awarded rum. They have a brand portfolio comprising more than 200 brands and labels. Who hasn't had a Rum n Coke before? or some nice coconut flavored rum mixed with pinneapple juice?

Bacardi's head of digital Peter Clare understands the importance of social media in 2013, and claims that 2013 will be the year that social media, and mobile becomes the primary focus for marketing campaigns. He is well aware that social media is an essential tool for a brand like Bacardi to build meaningful, direct reltationships with consumers.

Bacardi is all about getting people together. They launched a campaign called Like it Live, Like it Together, a campaign like none other. It turned Facebook 'likes' into real world experiences, and unique events held around the world. They utilized likes as a way to inspire, engage fans, and facilitate real get together moments
Here is the direct link to check it out...bacardi facebook

   

                 

This innovative idea for Bacardi broke the normal rules of marketing. It was a success as Bacardi gained universal brand awareness, and drove increased engagement through facebook (Bacardi's Facebook page had a 34% increase in 'likes' in just one month, and increased weekly active users). Here is a youtube clip from an event...youtube clip

Bacardi also integrated a new hyperabreviated, earned-media format called Vine. This offered a new, creative way to advertise and reach potential customers. They introduced a series of visually driven, 6 second, cocktail recipes. Each video showed step-by-step assembly of a cocktail, which of course shows Bacardi Rum as the core ingredient, and some music to set the tone. It doubled   Bacardi's Twitter reach, and was a fun user experience for the consumers. Check the Vine out here...Vine bacardi recipe

Both of these social media campaigns were effective. It unified Facebook users, Bacardi was able to share and live up to its brand promise of helping people get together, it drove increased engagement through all the social channels, and created a new kind of dynamic to marketing. Overall it was an overall effective way of creating stronger brand loyalty, and better marketing results.

 

    Drink Responsibly ;)