Social media can be frightening. As a nontraditional form of advertising, it is just now starting to really take hold, and marketers are still trying to figure out how it works. It takes someone who is quick on his or her feet to truly be effective at it. Social media can be very powerful, as I learned at my recent internship with the Chicago Auto Show.
Working in the Media Center, I got to see all the behind-the-scenes action for the event’s social media content. Although most of the posts were promotional for the show, there was other content that responded to questions and live tweets of events. The best part, however, was when my supervisors used social media to solve parking problems at the show. Because the owners of the parking garages near McCormick Place wanted to keep all the profits from auto show visitors even when the garages were full, they kept all cars waiting in line until spots opened. They did not let people know about the parking down the street with free shuttle service, so visitors were becoming unhappy and some were even leaving. The Media Center became aware of this when they noticed people tweeting about poor parking situations. After quickly checking with the parking garages, my supervisors immediately began responding to tweets to let people know alternative options for parking. They launched a social campaign that included directions, maps, and everything visitors needed to know about parking. This was a really neat experience because it highlighted just how powerful social media can be. The real time dialogue and response to concerns is great for brands. I am so excited to see where social media will go as well as what other new forms of advertising will develop.
1 Comment
Throughout college, many of my advertising teachers have stressed that the client rarely knows best.
Unlike retailers who live by the principle of “customer is king,” those working in advertising have the job of getting to know their clients better than they know themselves. Luckily, I was able to recall this lesson last week when meeting with the store manager of my client for my advertising senior project. Upon my group’s first in-person meeting with our client, one of the very first insights she shared with us made our hearts drop and stomachs turn over in fear. “We have limited space and cannot accommodate any more people. We do not want to attract more customers.” My smile froze, my head stopped mid-nod, and visions of a large, red “F” flashed across my eyes. How the hell were we supposed to execute an ad campaign for a client that wanted NO MORE CUSTOMERS?? After a few deep breaths and some rapid-fire blinking, I was able to recover. The comment was a solid punch to the jaw, but continued conversation eventually eased my fear. You see, my professors were right (go figure!). The manager thought she didn’t need any more customers, but we soon discovered that she had pretty slow business on weekdays and could also accommodate group parties in a recently acquired upstairs room. It was only upon further investigation and adding in external perspectives that we were able to find a problem our ad campaign could solve. Although many ad students may have their eyes glaze over when thinking about research, there is nothing more important than this stage in campaign development. There’s a certain thrill that comes with gathering massive amounts of both qualitative and quantitative data and boiling it down until you find that “spark.” That “spark” will be the driving force behind the campaign. It’s what makes or breaks it. And really, it’s what advertising is all about. As a first grader, I indignantly asked my mom how my teacher at a Catholic school could vote for Democrats when they supported abortion. Four years later, I was back at it as a politically active 10-year-old organizing a classroom debate for supporters of George W. Bush and John Kerry.
Fast forward to me as a college freshman walking around my *first* job fair with my *first* résumé freshly printed. Overwhelmed and unprepared, I took a few minutes to review the list of employers before making my way to the surprisingly empty booth with a representative from Congressman Aaron Schock’s Campaign Office. No, I didn’t really want to work in a congressional office, but the booth couldn’t help but attract me and my affinity for politics. Older and wiser, more open-minded and less condemning of those with different beliefs, I didn’t care what Schock’s affiliation was; I wanted to work on a campaign. Having not grown up around Peoria, I knew nothing about Schock, but I quickly became ecstatic to design his billboards and flyers, coordinate his events, and walk by his side in parades. I was introduced to a whole new form of advertising, one where you’re not trying to sell a product or make money from sales. Instead, you’re primarily trying to build a brand and gather support. You’re trying to motivate masses of people to like you and support you without offering anything tangible in return. With political advertising and campaign management, you’re developing an idea, an opportunity, a promise. You’re not targeting those strong supporters of your party; instead, you’re trying to attract moderate voters that feel stronger ties to their values than to a political party. You’re encouraging the nonvoters to vote and the uninformed to still support you. The wonderful thing about advertising is you’re not stuck in a specific career. Sure, you’re in the business of promotion. But you have the opportunity to work in politics, construction, medicine, finances, retailing, and more. You’re constantly learning as you take on new accounts and develop different campaigns. It takes an ability to quickly learn new concepts and immerse yourself in new industries. My freshman year internship with Aaron Schock introduced me to this aspect of advertising. Since then, I have been able to expand my skills in various roles from promoting non-profits to loan companies, from newspapers to safe drinking habits. With these experiences in my background, the next step is sure to be in a great direction. Watch out craft beer drinkers: this blog is not for you. Born and raised just outside of St. Louis, everything I know about beer was filtered through the lens of Anheuser Busch. My favorite baseball stadium was laden with ads for the macro brewers, visits from the Kansas branch of my family always included a brewery tour, and the Clydesdales were as iconic to St. Louis as the Gateway Arch itself. When deciding on advertising as my college major, I had aspirations to someday work on campaigns for Anheuser Busch. Having known many people that worked for the company, I saw this as an attainable goal. As I delved further into my advertising coursework, I fell in love with the branding by Anheuser Busch. The unifying color of red and the brand’s emphasis on emotional connections made me fall in love with their commercials, developing a crush on the brand comparable to my infatuation with Target branding. When Inbev overtook the company, there was definitely a shift in attitude and company goals. While it created initiatives to monopolize markets and eliminate craft brewers, I couldn't help but still cling to the roots of the company and hope it someday returns to those. Over time, I came to the actual consumption of the brewer’s products. With a distaste for liquor and little time for the “girly” drinks, I quickly came to develop a liking for beer; more specifically, Budweiser Select and when the elegant black cans or bottles were unavailable, Bud Light. (Granted, these often advertise separately from traditional Budweiser, but they still count in my mind.) With my new affinity for anything A-B came the sneers and comments from those that prefer a more “sophisticated” beer. My hometown macro brewery was not good enough for the “beer snobs,” and the pressure to expand my tastes was felt fully. Enter: Budweiser’s 2015 Super Bowl commercial. Filled with digs at my not-so-beloved “beer snobs,” this commercial never meant to convert craft beer drinkers to become consumers of the macro brewery’s products. No, it was instead intended to support Budweiser fans in their beer-drinking habits. It gave confidence to them in their defenses against those that looked down upon them. No longer will Budweiser fans be embarrassed to order their favorite drink. With this commercial, pride is instilled, and consumers are reminded that they a’re drinking tradition. Although the commercial threw insults at a large consumer market and its monopolizing efforts are questionable, I stand by this commercial not necessarily for what it says but rather for what it achieves. It is effective advertising first and foremost because it reflects the mentality of the corporate leadership at A-B Inbev. In advertising, if you choose to offend someone, you might as well go big or go home. Budweiser made a polarizing ad that did nothing to attract a market it had already written off, but it did everything to increase consumption and promote brand loyalty in its current consumers. As any marketing student knows, it's a lot easier to increase sales from your current consumer base than trying to seek a new one. To those at A-B Inbev, all I have to say is: Drink up, Buds. |
Kristin KreherMy happiness comes from meaningful interactions, the outdoors, thrift shops, and saying "thank you." Archives
April 2018
Categories
All
|