A Year of Survival and Serentiy

Christmas is a wonderful time to reflect upon the entire year; your short-comings, your accomplishments, your memories and your loved ones. I’ve recently been thinking about my first year of college; the friends I’ve made and the teachers I’ve connected with. And I realize that future first year students might like to hear some insight straight from first years before them.


Our RA John decorated my door
for my birthday while I was sleeping



First of all if you have the finances to house in residence (even if it’s only for one year out of however many your course runs) you SHOULD GO. You will meet so many different students and although you may not come to know all your neighbours by name you will certainly know the faces of at least the 2-3 to your left and right. Our floor RA (Residence Advisor) was one of the first friends I made and I’ve learned so much from him already. Plus you get surprises on your door every now and then. And who doesn’t love decorating their door?

Second to all students living in residence… YOU DO NOT HAVE TO STARVE! Some colleges may have different meal plans but for us it is only recommended you use $7.50 a day to make it last the entire semester. To those of you wondering HOW WILL WE SURVIVE? The answer is simple… INVEST IN A RICE COOKER!!! Anything you can cook in a pan or pot you can make in a rice cooker in half the time (whether you are actually cooking rice or not) and I mean ANYTHING. Also if you have classes in the afternoon or evening and only have spare time in the morning the answer is also very simple… INVEST IN A CROCKPOT!!! It’s the same as a rice cooker only with a much slower cook time. You can throw everything into a crockpot and forget about it for hours while you clean or study or go out into town.



Our Writing for Communicators
teacher Frank Armstrong



Next GET TO KNOW YOUR TEACHERS! But this isn’t as hard as everyone says. Every one of your teachers has something to offer to your learning and growth even though some professors you may connect with faster than others. You may learn how to adapt to lectures, you may learn how to become a better writer, you may learn how to be a proper business professional, or you may learn how to be a well-rounded creative thinker when facing corporate stress.



Lindsey Fair
Business Consultant and Artist

It’s always important to get to know your town/city. I volunteered at an art show within Kingston’s Fort Henry and had the time of my life helping to keep the vendors happy. I made some friends, learned about some of the cultural businesses around Kingston and I gained a new connection with one of our future teachers who organizes the event every year. I’ve found a lot of unique stores and restaurants and seen some beautiful scenery around our campus.

And finally, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE. This may sound cheesy but we all from time to time change little aspects of our behaviour or personality to gain acceptance with our classmates or to just make friends in general. Be PROUD of who you are and stand by it. If you’re wiser than your years don’t “dumb down” just to get your peers approval, or if you fight passionately for what you believe in don’t back down just because people argue with you or don’t understand. “Drinking to get drunk” is the most overrated “popularity tactic” ever. But if you do go out PLEASE bring a group of reliable friends to stop you from doing anything you or your family will regret later I BEG YOU.


But above all the stress, studying, sacrifice and silliness don’t forget to just have fun.  They say that college is one of the best times of your life and the friends you make stay with you for years. I’ve been blessed to have already created two international friendships in my first months in school. Always make the best of any and all situations with a smile and life will take you anywhere.



Ivy (Xiao Xuan Zhang)

 

Mustapha Makri








You're a Good Man [Jessica Ayla]: my introduction to Finding your Brand

“You’re a good man, Charlie Brown. You’re the kind of reminder we need. You have humility, nobility and a sense of honour that is very rare indeed.” Charlie Brown was lucky to have his family and friends to tell him what his “personal brand” was. Even though they arent advertising students and don’t know the terminology.

My advertising class has our professors to help us find our personal brands through blogging, podcasts and our own personal websites. They teach us that we have to really think about who we are, what we stand for, and what we want to prove and portray in life.

Well I guess I will start with who I am. I am Jessica and I have a FATAL allergy to all nuts and nut products. I love anything to do with the dramatic and graphical arts. My favourite animals are cats and bats. Karate is my life; it brings me a stress-reliever and helps me find balance in my hectic life. I love learning and meeting new people – even though the idea of trying to make friends gives me great insecurity. My birth mother came from Grenada and my father from Trinidad & Tobago.

                      

I pride myself in being a good natured person. I am always polite to everyone no matter who it is. My boyfriend says I say “please” and “thank you” more then the average young adult. And I always hold open the door and let others go through first before I do. I even ask my fellow residence-mates if they need help carrying their bags.

I found this video while watching television one day which I think describes my brand of “multicultured equal courtesy” but in a funny way of course.                                   

I may not fully know what my brand is yet, but I KNOW that I will always have my nut allergy, I will always strive to defend what is right and I will always show kindness to everyone. So even though they are singing about Charlie Brown the meaning is still the same for others and myself as welll…
“With a heart such as your you could open any doors. You could go out and do anything. You could be king Charlie Brown, you could be king.”

An "All-Star Experience"



Frank Armstrong- Coolest Teacher ever!
Thank you for giving us such a great opportunity



Ip Man once said “It is difficult for a student to pick a good teacher, but it is more difficult for a teacher to pick a good student”. Last Friday our Writing for Marketing class was visited by an “All-Star Panel” of Advertising-Integrated Marketing Communications graduates who taught us a lot about our awaiting lives outside St. Lawrence walls.

 Ricardo Guiliani, Gui Bermejo, Laura Kittner, Jamie Walker, and Viktor Michailov shared stories of their experiences in placements and jobs after graduation. They told us how important it was to always try your hardest, always say yes to the little jobs, appreciate the opportunities that are opened for you and always network and value those connections.

After the intermission we split into smaller groups and talked to the all-stars. I chose Viktor Michailov and I’m glad that I did. Viktor works for my Presentations teacher Jackie St. Pierre at Ontario East Economic Development. He also owns his own company Paw+Paw that specializes in luxury high comfort pet beds. Viktor explained to us that you have to respect everyone as fellow human beings. Everyone makes mistakes. He also asked us about blogging and the importance of separating our personal life from your professional.

Viktor changed my image of the business worker. He is really funny and charismatic and didn’t show up in a suit and talk all in business terminology. He spoke as though he only left school yesterday. He thought it was really cool that I based a big part of my brand on food allergy awareness. That gave me some much needed self-confidence that I wasn’t finding anywhere else since arriving in Kingston.

 Viktor Michailov once said “I see life as an amusement park. There are all these rides but you’re only given a limited amount of time to stay. It’s up to you to figure out how many you’ll try....you don’t want any regrets on the way out”. I’ve never found anyone who I could look up to (save my mother) but I hope that Frank invites Viktor to come back again. I could have talked with him all day, and I hope I get another chance to over the next 2 years.

 Thank you Viktor, don’t hesitate to visit again because your newest fan will be here when you do.

A Sense of Emotion

While looking up information on food based allergies I found this advertisement. This picture is from ALLERGIC LIVING but was posted on a blog by “Sophie Safe” a mother who talks about the trials and tribulations of raising a child with a food based allergy.

         


The advertisement was made by Allergy Asthma Information Association and their mission is to “create a safer environment and improve quality of life for Canadians affected by allergy, asthma, and anaphylaxis by empowering individuals and providing education, leadership, and a national voice.” They practise the three A’s which are Awareness, Avoidance and Action. They focus on education and prevention.

By the look of the figure this advertisement is targeting adolescents/young adults who have/or are affected by someone who has an allergy. The message is that even the simplest action can lead to an allergic reaction. Even a small amount of an allergen can cause you to go into anaphylactic shock whether you “thought” what you ate was safe or not. The image uses powerful emotional appeal techniques. Anaphylactic shock can happen almost instantly and the image represents this fact.

I think that the positioning strategy for AAIA would be to represent a lifestyle. Living with any kind of allergy is a different lifestyle of its own because you have to constantly be aware of information and choose the things you touch, eat and buy accordingly. I’m not saying there is a specific ‘allergen lifestyle” out there like with Harley-Davidson but you do have to live a different way then others.

I love this advertisement because it’s hard dealing with food based allergies not only for the one with the allergy but for the loved ones close to them. With more advertisements like this AAIA could create some much needed awareness and understanding in our communities.

Go Beyond the Cover: the Bare Bones of Advertising Campaigns (revised after marking)

When you think about DERMABLEND products do zombies come to mind? This is 26 year old Rick (Rico) Genest and he is the ZOMBIE BOY. Earlier this week I found DERMABLEND’s newest ad campaign starring Rico. The tagline is Go Beyond the Cover: How do you Judge a Book? The Creative Strategy or “Big Idea” is that you cannot always judge someone by their outward appearance.

Rick inspires people around the world to accept that inner and outer beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That in itself is a big contribution to get customers loyal with DERMABLEND’s brand. The fact that their products can completely cover that many tattoos flawlessly is brilliant.
 

DERMABLEND decided not to use a traditional celebrity endorsement where the subject stands with product in hand and raves about its benefits (this is called a factual appeal technique). Rico doesn't even speak during the whole video. After all actions do speak louder then words. The audience can only hear the background music There is Hope by Zoo Brazil featuring Rasmus Kellerman.

DERMABLEND used an emotional appeal technique for their ad. When you see Rico rubbing off the make up and revealing his tattoos it is very shocking. If I hadn't already known about Rick I would have been amazed myself although I am very impressed with the overall results of the products. As if the Zombie Boy didn’t catch your attention already this advertisement leaves you wanting to know more. Watching this video left me near speechless.

                                

I also found the behind the scenes video for anyone who wants to watch the transformation.

                                
I would definitely show this video to my students if I taught advertising classes. You cannot help but understand how savvy this advertisement is and how inspiring their campaign is. Koodos to you DERMABLEND!

Marketing has caught the VIRUS!

Think of the latest video you watched on the Internet. Did you like it so much that you forwarded it to your friends? Did your friends then forward the video to more friends? This is how videos become viral.

In our Media & Culture class we recently talked about Viral Marketing which is a form of online marketing that encourages the receiver of a message to pass it along to others to generate additional exposure. But sometimes the message doesn’t have to specifically come from the marketers and advertisers themselves…

This is Lilly and this Youtube video shows her reaction when her mom tells her that they are going to Disneyland for her birthday.

                                      

Now didn’t that video just give you the warm and fuzzy feeling to want to take your children or little siblings to Disneyland?



Click to see Lily and Mickey Mouse

The video may not have been specifically made to promote Disneyland but it does have a big Emotional Appeal to its viewers. You form an emotional attachment to Lilly and her “brand loyalty” towards Disneyland and its services. Even if it wasn’t intentional Disneyland is still going to benefit on all the “buzz” created from videos like this.

I like to think of viral videos being very similar to testimonial advertisements. Everyday consumers are viewed positively experiencing a company’s brand(s). Rather then spending millions on celebrity endorsements  like Proactive, companies should be searching for viral videos and trying to benefit from them.

With your consumers just thinking they watched a really funny or adorable video they wont realize that in the back of their mind is the company or product(s) responsible for such reactions. Almost like a new 007 of product placement?

McGlobalization? (Revised after Marking)

Glocalization as the creation of products and services intended for the global market but customized to suit local needs (Tuckwell, K. Canadian Marketing in Action, Eighth Edition). McDonalds is a company that seems to be prospering from this strategy.

You need a lot of money to be a successful franchise. You need even more money to advertise to a mass market. You need even more money than that to market globally. And finally, you need a heck of a lot of money to be able to market globally to mass markets with local food within their cultures. Now what other franchise has the ability to pull off such feats as these? McDonalds of course.

 

The McRice in Hong Kong

It is almost sickening to think that a fast food franchise like McDonalds (which is starting to offer cheaper made products of poor quality for higher prices - as tasty as their food may be) is riding on the backs of multi-cultures people across the globe just to make a higher profit.

The Green Bean Pie also in Hong Kong

Serving items like green tea milkshakes and salmon burgers with dill sauce. McDonalds is a great example to any company that is thinking of expanding their franchise around the world. Strictly from a business point of view McDonalds is still a leader in the fast food service. Challengers like Burger King, Wendy's and Harvey's are finding it hard to compete with the customer loyalty and company longevity of McDonalds.

So I guess as long as children everywhere nag and whine for their Happy Meals, and the busy worker needs a quick place for a quick meal McDonalds will probably always continue to dominate market share of the fast food industry. That's a global McProblem I hope someone one day resolves.

The Croque McDo in France

Everything Can be Obtained... for a Price of course (revised after marking)

Have you ever stopped to wonder how companies like Sport Chek or Toys R Us achieve such a strong connection with their customers? How they seem to always catch the attention of clients perfect for their products without seemingly trying? How did they become so successful?

Whether it seems creepy and unethical or not, companies like NAICS offer Industrial Market lists which target specific businesses. Geographic (geocodes) targets people by their postal code locations. You can rent market segment lists based on demographics or social factor segmentation (otherwise known as peer groups.) You can rent lists that focus on psychographics, which are your attitudes, interests and opinions. You can also rent lists on customers focusing on shopping behaviour.

No matter what your target market is there will always be a way to find out valuable information on your future customers. But like I said everything comes for a price. For the great price of 10¢ per name (amounting to $100 per the standard 1000 name list) you can rent a list to help further your company’s success.

Below is an example of a market segment list from Neilson PRIZM of www.tetrad.com. This list shows the top 66 current demographic segments that humans as customers fall can be categorized into. It also gives a description of their likes, dislikes, income, attitudes, and age range.




CLARITA PRIZM NE 01-66 Segments 

  

Although some of these segments are stereotypical and possibly offensive, companies fight over this kind of information to gain an upper advantage on their competition.  So just remember we are always offering ourselves up to be compiled and configured into lists with hundreds of other shoppers just like us, for the benefit of the “big wigs.”

How far is TOO far, when it comes to Advertising? (revised after marking)

While searching the Internet I came across the subject of skin whitening. I found a post by The Situationist that discusses the newest craze of skin bleaching and the advertisements that are spawning from it.

VICHY Laboratories has created Bi-White the Skin Pigmentation ID. This line of products ranges from deep cleansing gel, whitening toner, and hydrating fluid. Advertisements like this are seen widely across India, Korea, Japan and China.

Companies like VICHY, L’Oréal, Avon, and Garnier are capitalizing on the the prejudice notion that the modern day successful woman is Caucasian or light skinned. The research firm Euromonitor International stated that the $318 million market for skin care has grown by 42.7 percent since 2001. That is a lot of woman who have been persuaded and cohersed into being unhappy and embarrassed with their own natural skin tone and buying into skin bleaching products.

Should companies be allowed to advertise such messages? As an African-Canadian myself, I find the idea very disheartening that businesses are now capitalizing on woman’s lac of self esteem and gullibility. Natural beauty should be preserved and cherished not bleached away just to get a six-figure pay cheque.

Below is a Fair & Lovely commercial that is shown in India to promote skin bleaching



If you want to learn more, follow their blog The Situationist!

What gets you up in the morning?

Ikigai is the Japanese term meaning “what gets you up in the morning,” It would be nice if the anticipation of reading my next blog entry was what got readers up in the morning. After all, Rand Fishkin (The CEO and Co-founder of SEOmoz) said “If you can start up a local blog about the independent hip-hop scene in Seattle or the financial side of the restaurant business or the intersection of immigration and entrepreneurship, you’ve got a fat better shot at becoming a leader in your field.”

I enjoy helping others even though it rarely gets me anything in return. But I hope that my blog will be different. In our Writing for Marketing Communications class we had a Skype session with well-known blogger Brook Johnston. He told us that blogging isn’t just about voicing your opinion. You have to write with an audience in mind. You have to write with the expectation that people will read your entries and gain some sort of knowledge or inspiration from them.

I think blogging is a very important and growing medium for people to use. People gain insight and information from different entries every day. You can read blogs about every possible subject and every possible event in history or present day. I also think that writing and reading blogs is a great networking experience. It’s a way to learn about what other people have been researching or have found useful in their lives.

Starting a new blog makes you feel like a “little fish in a big pond,” or maybe a “little cat in a big city.” But I hope that people always be able to continue learning; from my blog and others. And never forget whether it’s for the search of knowledge, or an inspiration message, what gets you up in the morning.

If you want to know more about Brook Johnston: Marketing Man, check him out on Twitter!
If you want to know more about Rand Fishkin, check him out on Twitter!