It is to no surprise the massive media uproar that has been taken place lately is about the widespread epidemic, the coronavirus (COVID-19). The CDC (2020), officially declared this virus a public health emergency on Jan. 30, 2020. However, when it comes to some of the biggest organization around the world, are these organization marketing strategies ruined due to having to postpone their well-known social events because of the virus?
Yes, the cancellation of festivals, events, and businesses is a safety precaution, but what does that do for the many companies and their marketing strategies/communication outlet(s)? Due to the virus have their organizations been affected and causing a decrease in either sales or marketing?
According to Indrajeet Deshpande, a company should take these seven marketing strategies to consideration in the time of a crisis: Assemble your crisis management team, protect your people, evaluate various possibilities and create communication plans, pick the right communication channels, develop marketing contingency plans, find alternatives to deliver on your promises, and prevent the spread of misinformation (Deshpande, 2020)
As someone who used to attend festivals, I would have been livid knowing an event in which I was looking forward to for months, is now canceled. However, that is the side of me that is being stingy because I’m losing my chances to have fun during Spring Break and Summer. Now that I understand the severity of this virus and how it is rapidly affecting day to day life, I appreciate the organizations concern for not only my health, but the thousand of festival goers as well.
Some of the major festivals to postpone their events are: Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival, and Stagecoach (to name a few). Many have taken to social media to give their point of view about the festival(s) — Some are excited for most festivals taking place in October, while some are upset they can not attend due prior engagements.
Only time will tell as to what comes next for the music festival(s), and whether or not Coachella, Stagecoach and etc. will be able to generate as much revenue as they normally would if the festival were to still take place in their original months, and whether or not each organization unique marketing strategy will either persevere or fail.
However, what are your thoughts on the virus and what is currently happening worldwide in regards to the way citizens are acting over the epidemic?
P.s. since I was once a festival goer, I’m also interested to see if any of you are into festivals/concerts? If so, are you bummed about the festivals being postponed? And has this virus made you reconsider your daily activities?
References
Deshpande, I. (2020). Your 2020 Crisis Marketing Strategy: Marketing Communication and the Coronavirus. Retrieved from: https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/customer-experience-2/crisis-marketing-communication-strategy-coronavirus/
During earlier centuries, sex was not an acceptable discussion topic. Women were not allowed to wear revealing clothing. Women were too controlled and are still fighting for their rights. So, how would society be free enough to talk about sex? The current generation is changing that mentality and normalizing sex discussions. However, there are still religious and cultural differences that create a taboo mentality around the subject. More traditional generations still have the belief that sex should not be discussed. Even schools need permision to talk about sex.
If we limit ourself to not talk about sex, then how can we be educated about sex? We need to discuss sex to be able to understand it. There are a lot of sexual aids and tools, like condoms and ads that promote safe sex practices. In school, they never encouraged students’ sexual activities, and they promoted abstinence only programs. The younger generation doesn’t know how to take care of themselves until something happens. A fair amount of teens get pregnant or get secuxallh transmitted infection because they are not educated or given the necessary support. Parents help to determine their childrens’ educational path.
We see a lot of ads that promote using condoms. I remember when I went to college, they were giving us free condoms. I was surprised because they wanted us to be educated and safe, but it was like they were encourging us to have sex. I was only slightly educated about sex because I took a sex Ed. class and listened to my college professors. Women learn about sex in college these days. High school students should be informed about sex to allow better decion-making processes on the subject. Not many of us have college resources, so our education is limited.
There are many of us that feel like we can’t talk about our sex life with our friends because they going to judge us. This limitation causes us to shut down and not learn. In numerous cases, people have relationships that are forced, including sex activities; this is bad because it is considered rape. In some cases, it helps to open up to someone because of the freedom it gives. Being able to talk about sex in a different level can help prevent harm from illness or abuse. Also, knowing about sex can really make your sex life better and promote healthy activities.
https://youtu.be/wAmxpSURVHM
Goldenberg, J.L., Pyszczynski, T., et al. (1999). Death, sex love and nueroticism: Why is sex such a problem? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,77, 1173-1187.
Goldenberg, J.L., Cox, C.R., et al. (2002). Understanding human ambivalence about sex: The effects of stripping death of meaning. Journal of Sex Research, 39,
Leung, H., Shek, D., Leung, E., & Shek, E. (2019). Development of Contextually-relevant Sexuality Education: Lessons from a Comprehensive Review of Adolescent Sexuality Education Across Cultures. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(4), 621. doi:10.3390/ijerph16040621
Recently, Knives Out film director, Rian Johnson let slip a little known fact that Apple forbids villains in movies from using their products. Apple is known to have tight control over its brand identity and how its products are associated with characters in film and television content. Apple has not only created a position within its company to monitor and secure favorable product placements in films, it’s guidelines state that its products be featured “in the best light, in a manner or context that reflects favorably on the Apple products and on Apple Inc” (Sweney & Shoard, 2020). In fact, an article in WIRED described how Apple’s policy manifests in some of the most popular films (Kahney, 2002). For instance, the article states, “The free-spirit heroine Reese Witherspoon [in Legally Blonde] uses an Apple laptop while everyone else at Harvard Law, who are portrayed as a bunch of stiffs, own PC notebooks” (Kahney, 2002).
Apple’s strict control over its product placements and brand image is nothing new. In fact, companies have been doing it for quite some time. Sweney and Shoard (2002) point to another case of how Coca-Cola and Mercedes, originally featured in Slumdog Millionaire, had to be removed because the companies did not want to be associated with themes of poverty and criminal gangs. This leads me to pose three questions. Can a case be made for “there’s no such thing as bad PR”? From a viewer’s standpoint, what are your thoughts on Apple’s policy when it comes to product placement on TV and film? Finally, what are some challenges you think Apple might face as its products become more (if not already) ubiquitous in today’s society.
For many years, I performed stand-up comedy. Stand up, to me, is one of the most phenomenal art forms. But tough. The only way to get funny is to spend many years not being funny in front of a lot of strangers. To endure the torture of being a terrible comic, you have to really love humor. You have to love it enough to spend every night at an open mic, you have to love it enough to come back after being heckled, and you have to love it enough to be paid in nachos.
When I started stand up, there were no smartphones or social media. Comedy, on a large scale level was filtered through media gatekeepers. We now live in a time of Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, where anyone with an iPhone can be funny. There is some brilliant content out there, and some of the most entertaining content comes from corporate accounts such as Taco Bell, Arby’s, and Casper. Even the TSA is funny:
An engaging social media account is essential for any organization, and a humorous social media account can be powerful. If a funny tweet goes viral, it can be seen by millions of people for a relatively small cost (i.e. nachos). One interesting phenomenon that can happen to brands on social media is that the brand develops a personality. Brands engage with their audience which can result in the humanization of the brand (Barcelos, Dantas, & Sénécal, 2018). The Taco Bell Twitter account is an excellent example of this as their tweets are written in a funny and distinct voice. (Patel, 2019).
Coming from the perspective of a comedian, one of the reasons why corporate tweets can be so funny is because they defy expectations, and defying expectations is the heart of comedy. Theoretically, corporations are supposed to be stiff and businessy–as if the C-suite paid for their MBAs with their ability to have fun. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Take this Tweet from Taco Bell:
This is tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation because nobody expects the best date could possibly be at Taco Bell. If someone took me to Taco Bell for a date, it would not be the #BestDateIn4Words. It would be the #LastDateIn4Words. Many corporations, if they are brave, could do this. This tweet could work any fast food restaurant: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, or anywhere you wouldn’t want to take a date if you wanted it to go well. This tweet would not work at the famed LA steakhouse Maestro’s or even, arguably, Red Lobster.
Brands have to take caution using humor. They have to evaluate if it is appropriate for their brand to stray away from a traditional corporate communication style. A casual communications style is suitable for a brand whose products are less serious such as food or liquor (Barcelos, Dantas, Senecal, 2018). In other words, it would not be in good taste for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer twitter account to tweet: “Makin’ it rain with all these Medicare dollars! #BIGPHARMA #SORRYNOTSHKRELI”
One example of a social media post gone awry is DiGiorno’s tone-deaf tweet utilizing the #WhyIStayed hashtag that was created to encourage discussion about domestic violence (Campbell, 2017).
In stand up, if you tell an offensive joke, you might lose the crowd but you can to win them back with your best jokes. The same principle applies to a corporate social media post. If an organization writes something offensive, they have to at minimum, be prepared to lose that customer base. Except you might not get a chance to win them back with follow up tweets. So, tweet wisely.
Elizabeth
References
Barcelos, R., Dantas, D., & Sénécal, S. (2018). Watch your tone: how a brand’s tone of voice on social media influences consumer responses. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 41, 60–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2017.10.001
Campbell, A. (2017). 9 Brands that should delete their
account after that tweet. The Huffington Post. Retrieved on from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/twitter-mistakes-brands_n_58caafa2e4b0ec9d29d95dc5
Patel, D. (2019). 7 brands killing it with humor on Twitter.
Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/335485
People used to know the acronym “BTS” as behind the scene, however recently, the meaning of BTS has been shifted to the Korean pop group BTS also known as Beyond the scene. Over the last two years, the group accomplished many achievements. For example, being the first K-pop group to win an award at Billboard, sold out numerous stadium tours around the world, and recently performed at the Grammys. The group went from an unknown boyband in Korea to a global sensation being label as the next Beatles. The question is, how? How did this band break language barriers and achieve such a worldwide success? Is it their music appeal that captures the hearts of millions of people? Or is it their marketing campaign. BigHit entertainment succeeded in creating a brand from its boy group by continuously developing new marketing strategies.
Justin Bieber- “Changes” album cover from February 2020.
One of the youngest, yet largest names in the music industry, globally famous Grammy Award winning pop superstar Justin Bieber has recently released his brand-new album titled Changes, and it debuts at number one on the World Billboard Artist Hot 100 charts. The 17-track thriller is available to purchase on the Apple iTunes Store as of Valentine’s Day 2020. This feat gives Justin Bieber the mark of all five of his albums debuting at the top position. “With his 12th consecutive week atop the Billboard Artist 100 charts, Justin Bieber ties Ed Sheeran for the sixth-most total weeks spent at the number one spot, dating back to the chart’s 2014 launch.” Reports Xander Zeller of Billboard.
Justin Bieber tops the Billboard Artist 100 charts yet again with the release of his 2020 album “Changes”
Although Justin Bieber is featured in songs such as the 2017 Latin hit Despacito(Remix) by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, which is currently the highest viewed video at 6.75 Billion views on YouTube, where Justin Bieber was discovered over a decade ago in 2008, “Don’t Check On Me” by Chris Brown from the 2019 album Indigo which rapidly surpassed one billion streams across all platforms; Changes is Justin Bieber’s first solo release since his 2015 album Purpose, which notched a 2016 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the song Where Are Ü Now featuring DJ’s Skrillex and Diplo as the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) dynamic duo also known by the name of Jack Ü.
Los Angeles, California, USA- Staples Center- February 15th, 2016: At The Red Carpet for The Grammy Awards are DJ Skrillex, DJ Diplo and Justin Bieber (from left to right).
Song: Don’t Check On Me, Artists: Chris Brown featuring Justin Bieber and Ink, Album: Indigo. Release Date: June 28th, 2019.
The Island Def Jam Recording artist returns with changes (pun intended) in music style, from fast tempo rhythms on the hit single “Intentions” featuring Quavo of The Migos, to slow songs such as the album opening “All Around Me” a clear-eyed pledge of commitment and luxury comforts, backed by delicate strings; a pure delivery of vocals on “At Least For Now”, unique instrumental beats as displayed on “Forever” featuring Post Malone and Clever, and the usual loving catchy tunes such as “Yummy”. Jayson Greene of Pitchfork describes the new Pop and R&B sound as an “Album about domestic love that has all the glow and eroticism of an airport terminal.” This record will surely be in the running for Album of the Year.
The final track on Justin Bieber’s fifth studio album, “Changes.”
Song: Forever (DJ Maya Remix), Artists: Justin Bieber featuring Post Malone and Clever. A remix to an original Justin Bieber track apart of the “Changes” album.
Justin Bieber also released his own YouTube Documentary titled Seasons, which covers the vulnerabilities throughout his musical hiatus, mental health issues, personal life change in tying the knot and getting married to Hailey Rhode Bieber (née Baldwin), the girl he met when he was 15 years old and made his debut in the industry, the making, production and influences of this new album, and the announcement of his upcoming Changes Stadium World Tour beginning in Seattle, Washington’s CenturyLink Field on May 14th, 2020, as The Biebz prepares to stare into a sold out sea of passionate fans yet again in his ever so illustrious career. “What a decade it has been. I definitely have grown up in front of the world.” Justin Bieber tells Apple Music. Which feels like a grave understatement when you consider how he has also helped to shape that period of time and beyond- crossing genres, borders, and language barriers long before that became a standard practice for modern pop.
“What a decade it has been. I definitely have grown up in front of the world.”
Apple Music
Los Angeles, California, USA- November 13th, 2015: Singer/Songwriter Justin Bieber looks on into the capacity crowd as he performs onstage during “An Evening With Justin Bieber” at Staples Center in Downtown L.A. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Universal Music).
Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, USA- Justin Bieber sells out UCLA’s Rose Bowl Stadium for consecutive nights during his Purpose World Tour stadium tour series in 2017.
Justin Bieber performs in front of a sellout stadium crowd.
Just a decade ago, this young boy was beginning his journey to what has made him an essential God of music and a globally untouchable mere mortal. As done so previously, and again today, celebrities across the music, film, sports and entertainment industries are proudly praising Justin Bieber’s album. Stars such as Grammy Award winning R&B artist, singer, dancer, songwriter, producer, painter Chris Brown, Pop Rock music artist Demi Lovato, multiple time Superbowl Champion and NFL MVP, Tom Brady from the New England Patriots, film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey and comedian Kevin Hart, as well as plenty of other reputable names who left comments under the singer and dancer’s social media postings, or posted about him.
Fellow music artist Chris Brown posts on Instagram to support and praise Justin Bieber’s new album “Changes”
Manchester, England, United Kingdom- August 2017: Justin Bieber performs at the Manchester United Soccer Club’s, Old Trafford Stadium.
Arlington, Dallas, Texas- Saturday, July 29th, 2017: Justin Bieber greets front row fans amidst his Purpose World Tour live concert at AT&T Stadium.
With his own clothing line of art, imaging and sticker company Drew House rising to fame, Justin Bieber created a Kobe Bryant version of his company’s sticker logo to honor and pay tribute to the late great athlete, and is selling customized stickers online for charity and proceedings towards Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s Mamba and Mambacita Basketball Foundation Academy.
Kobe Bryand and Justin Bieber.
With much continued success and anticipated excitement lying ahead, on this March 1st, 2020- Happy 26th Birthday Justin Drew Bieber! 😊
Justin Bieber, born March 1st, 1994.
References
Apple Music. (2020, February 14th). Apple Music Preview- Changes by Justin Bieber. Retrieved February 14th, 2020, from https://music.apple.com/us/album/changes/1496639180
Aron, A. (2019, August 8th).
Chris Brown Celebrates “Indigo” Passing 1 Billion Streams. Retrieved
February 22nd, 2020, from
https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/chris-brown-celebrates-indigo-passing-1-billion-streams-news.87770.html
Baid, R. (2017, August 30th). Justin Bieber’s ‘Stadium’ Merch Is Coming to H&M Outlets Near You. Retrieved February 28th, 2020, from https://www.stylegods.com/justin-biebers-stadium/
Goldman, A. (2016, February 16th). Skrillex, Diplo & Justin Bieber Rock the Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 26th, 2020, from https://www.edmtunes.com/2016/02/skrillex-diplo-justin-bieber-grammy/
Greene, J. (2020, February 18th). The Pop Star Returns with A Grown-Man R&B Album. Retrieved February 28th, 2020, from https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/justin-bieber-changes/
Lakshmin, D. (2016, February 15th). What Did Justin Bieber Do After Winning His First Grammy Award? Retrieved February 26th, 2020, from http://www.mtv.com/news/2740752/justin-bieber-first-grammy-skrillex-diplo-jack-u/
Norwin, A. (2020, February 14th). Justin Bieber Gets Love from Chris Brown, Demi Lovato and More Stars For ‘Changes’ Album Release. Retrieved February 29th, 2020, from https://hollywoodlife.com/2020/02/14/justin-bieber-new-album-changes-celebrity-reaction/
Scribner, H. (2020, February 12th). Justin Bieber Paid Tribute to Kobe Bryant. Here’s What Happened Next. Retrieved February 24th, 2020, from, https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2020/2/12/21133669/justin-bieber-kobe-bryant-nba-mambaonthree-fund
Sisario, B. (2019, July
9th). Chris Brown Streams His Way to No. 1 With ‘Indigo.’ Retrieved
February 22nd, 2020, from, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/arts/music/chris-brown-indigo-billboard-chart.html
Zellner, X. (2020, February 25th). Justin Bieber Returns to No. 1 on Artist 100 Chart, Thanks to ‘Changes’ Debut. Retrieved February 25th, 2020, from https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8551918/justin-bieber-tops-artist-100-chart-changes
New York City is launching a new campaign to change a behavior and stop individuals from leaving their cars on idle in order to fight pollution and decrease health risks. Some constituents have a reputation of leaving their car on idle while they drop off the kids at school or are running errands. Apparently, this is a big issue in NY because of the hazards that it promotes.
The health issues include asthma, the possibility of increased risk of heart disease and cancer. The part that is surprising is that they chose a peripheral route by choosing Billy Idol, and the tagline is a play with words “Billy Never Idles,” get it?
The blended mix of marketing is consistent across media meaning the messaging is the same on billboards, radio and social media ads. The campaign has a $1 million-dollar budget that is being funded primarily by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
Cialdini (2008) states that
one of the principles of social influence is authority or liking; my concern is
that Idol is not an authority on the subject (he admits he rides on motorcycles
and does not drive) and is he still relevant to audiences for it to fall under
the Ciadini’s liking principle?
What do you guys think? Does
this speaker match the message? Who would you have chosen as a spokesperson?
Fast fashion is one of the biggest contributors to environmental pollution. According to Business Insider, the fashion industry emits more carbon than air travel and maritime shipping combined, totaling about 10% of all carbon emissions created by humanity. The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply and fills our oceans and rivers with microplastics. Consumers are also buying more clothes than ever before. On average, consumers are buying 60% more clothes than they were a decade before. The more clothes we buy, the more waste we seem to create. Every year, over 85% of all textiles go to the dump. If you want to learn more, Hasan Minaj did a great episode of Patriot Act about the impacts of fast fashion:
It’s undeniable that social media has contributed to the rise of fast fashion. People feel pressured not to appear in the same outfit twice, especially on their social media profiles. Instagram, especially, has become a place where fashion trends disseminate very quickly. The influencers make it known what the fashion trends of the moment are, and their followers then feel pressured to keep up with the trends. Fast fashion companies like Fashion Nova are infamously quick with putting new products on the market once a trend begins, then leveraging social media influencers to help sell them. The volume of clothing produced by these fast fashion companies only adds to the volume of waste created by consumers as the trends come and go.
As someone who does love fashion but also cares deeply about the environment, this has been a source of conflict for me. That’s why this campaign by Carlings, a Scandinavian fashion brand, caught my eye. Carlings teamed up with Virtue Worldwide to create the adDRESS THE FUTURE campaign, the “world’s first digital fashion collection.” The digital collection allows consumers to show off their fashion on social media without having a detrimental effect on the environment. You can upload a photo, then Carlings 3-D technology custom tailors your clothing of choice to fit you perfectly. Now, you can show off your outfit to all your followers without creating more waste or adding to your carbon footprint.
adDRESS THE FUTURE won the Digital Craft prize at Cannes Lions. Definitely a worthy winner! Not only is the technology impressive, but the campaign was an innovative way to draw attention to and address the environmental impacts of fast fashion. However, there is something a little bit dystopian about the idea that we no longer purchase clothing out of necessity but for social value, communicated through our online profiles. But, that is the reality we live in and I commend Carlings/Virtue for their creative approach to this phenomenon. I wonder what implications this has on the future of the fashion industry. Will more brands release digital fashion lines? Will we one day have a fashion app that gives us a virtual closet? How will the fashion industry mobilize to reduce its environmental impact?
The 21stcentury comes with all kinds of amazing technology to make our lives easier, faster, and more connected. And super-efficient transportation means we can be in small town USA in the morning and then the bustling streets of another country by nightfall. Live far away from your family? No problem, carve out some time on your jam packed schedule to get some one-on-one time on FaceTime. You could even do it while you are walking the dog or taking your son on a scooter ride. Feel like you need an edge in your career? Take an online master’s degree program to get it. Never mind that you are going to see 1 a.m., 2 a.m., and 3 a.m. roll around and then get up at 5 a.m. to pack lunches, inhale some coffee and swoosh the kiddos off to school. And, yes, we all work really fast-paced and (hopefully) rewarding careers that are equally demanding. In the end, it’s all worth it. It really is!
We are a nation of busy, busy, busy people. And with the activities, work, kids, and degrees come stress and burn out as we try to make it all fit. According to a recent New York Times article, Americans are the most stressed out people in the world (Chokshi, 2019). The author reported that in an annual Gallup poll that surveyed more than 150,000 people around the world American’s reported the most levels of stress, anger and worry in a decade.
I am part of this wonderful tribe of people trying to do all the things related to being a mom, a graduate student, professional consultant, friend, wife, and just a cheerful, giving person in general. And, I really do want to do it all. But I found myself giving from an empty cup and resenting it. So, like everyone else I went to the internet to learn more about mindful meditation. I then proceeded to downloaded at least four apps to start practicing meditation.
I soon learned that meditation is the art of learning to focus your attention to achieve balance. According to Mindworks.com it helps us to “focus our attention on here and now with goodwill and without judgement.” I quickly found out it’s actually not easy to keep your mind focused for a period of time.
A study by the National Center for Complimentary and Integrated Health (2012) put the number of adults practicing meditation at 18 million and growing, approximately 8 percent of the U.S. adult population. Meditation has its roots in the Eastern religious or spiritual traditions and is used today without those parameters. Mindful meditation programs can be found everywhere now, including corporate workplaces, schools, hospitals, yoga studios, and more. Don’t forget about the myriad of smartphone apps available, including Insight Timer, Meditation Studio, Happier, Headspace, and Calm to name just a few.
Does it really bring inner peace and calm? According to a Thriveglobal.com article, studies on mindfulness have repeatedly shown that meditation develops the habit of being aware where you are in the present moment (Gil, 2017). It gives us space in our mind. It has been shown that people under stress will respond to situations impulsively with anger and are not capable of slowing down enough to consider their response or how it will make other people feel (Gil, 2017). I have been that impulsive person and walked away thinking, “Wow, I just made that situation a lot bigger than it needed to be because of the way I acted. And I hurt people’s feelings. Why did I do that?” Studies show that meditation programs give people the ability to think about and adjust their reaction before responding. According to the article, “meditation literally “lights up” or “exercises” eight different parts of the brain, many associated with better and more deliberate decision making.” (Gil, 2017)
Obviously, technology and the speed at which we live isn’t going away any time soon. But we can learn to make better decisions about how we choose to live and how we interact with other people. As for the apps that I downloaded I ended deleting them all and signing up for USC’s weekly Mindful Lab program instead. It’s off to a great start with an amazing instructor and a really interesting group of people!
And don’t worry, Choksi reported in that same poll that in spite being the most stressed nation, people in America were also found to have more positive experiences than the rest of the world (2019). There is hope!
