The #MeToo Movement: Why Brands May Want to Reconsider Joining The Conversation

Editor’s Note: This topic was chosen in partnership with classmate, Lauren Nickerson. She will be writing about the opposing side of this issue. I would strongly encourage you to read her blog post. Having varying viewpoints on important topics is an integral part of the communication process.

Many brands have attempting to buy in on the #MeToo movement. Trademarks for cosmetics and wearables sprang up not long after the campaign (Orso, 2018). There is a #MeToo-branded wine in Napa Valley, a clothier in Manhattan, and a social mobile application.

#MeToo topped twitter feeds in hours; the rebrand of an 11-year-old campaign to raise awareness of sexual attacks on women of color (Zarkov & Davis, 2018). It has since exposed an industry that silenced victims and protected perpetrators (Johnson & Hawbaker, 2018). It continues to unmask attackers sector by sector. It’s given rise to the so-called Weinstein effect. That effect is firings, criminal charges, and/or firms looking to shield themselves from the fallout. What’s important is that people, women especially, are talking about sexual violence. And we are seeing how prevalent it is.   

Today, many firms have begun to see #MeToo claims as serious material risks (Crabb, 2018). Firms took a deep dive into their sexual harassment policies. More than that, they have begun including Weinstein Clauses in contracts, especially in acquisitions. Apart from the financials, bidding firms want to know what #MeToo precautions are in place at the company. They want full disclosure of any allegations made against executives in the last five years. The same term as the statute of limitations for rape in the third degree, and pivotal to Weinstein’s defense (Ransom, 2018).

#MeToo is more than victim accounts. By Twitter’s estimates, there were 1.7 million #MeToo tweets in less than ten days after Alyssa Milano’s 2017 use of the hashtag, which followed Ashley Judd’s revelation. We’re beginning to see accountability. But there is a difference between social change, and the administrative change that make movements stick (Zarkov & Davis, 2018).

In response to allegations made against former CBS CEO, Les Moonves, the company added three women to its executive board (Levick, 2018).  To make hay of #MeToo, political candidates are disclosing survivors without their permission in campaign literature (Vitali, 2018). Some firms are seeing a wave of ill-advice, essentially advising all men and women not to interact with one another (Hendrix, Silverman, & Fisher, 2018). There is fear that now that sexual violence has gone mainstream, that it has will be mistaken for change (Zarkov & Davis, 2018). The necessary practical changes may not happen (Hendrix et al, 2018). And tone def responses can exacerbate the underlying issue. Branding #MeToo can easily fall into this trap.

Much of #MeToo has been contextualized by the social locations of the perpetrator and victim. Powerful men are attacking young, attractive women (Zarkov & Davis, 2018). This is not the norm. Outside the Hollywood-industry, Williams and Lebsock (2018) show how pervasive the culture of harassment is. It’s an everyday occurrence affecting both genders. They both have a stake in ending harassment.   

If #MeToo has shown a company anything, it is that it’s highly likely sexual harassment is happening within their ranks. Whether it’s institutional, industry wide, from the boardroom to the production floor. It’s lurking in an organization’s culture. Being a part of the conversation is noble. But can you say the underlying policies of the organization are more than just overly-cautious and confusing policies to both men and women? Or, were three women added to a board, and they called it a day. Is your message self-serving window dressing (Aitkenhead, 2018; Orso, 2018)? If you can’t answer these questions, it’s likely internal testing of your #MeToo message, won’t uncover it. The message, the organization, and the brand may very well be the #MeToo movement’s next moment. You may diminish what gains have been made.     

References

Aitkenhead, D. (2018, October 7). The magazine interview: Rose McGowan, the actress who exposed Harvey Weinstein, on why Hollywood’s approach to #MeToo is a lie. The Sunday Times. Retrieved from https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-magazine-interview-rosemcgowan-the-actress-who-exposed-harvey-weinstein-on-why-metoo-is-a-lie-9rt33kr0n

Crabb, J. (2018). Rise of ‘Weinstein clauses’ to shield parties during deal-making. International Financial Law Review, Retrieved from http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/docview/2101140288?accountid=14749

Hendrix, S., Silverman, E., & Fisher, M. (2018, January 28). #MeToo has a ‘chilling effect’ on workplace camaraderie. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-metoo-workplace-camaraderie-20180128-story.html

Johnson, C.A., & Hawbaker, K.T.  (2018, October 11). #MeToo: A timeline of events. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-me-too-timeline-20171208-htmlstory.html  

Levick, R. (2018, September 17). #MeToo after Moonves: What should companies be doing?. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardlevick/2018/09/17/metoo-after-moonves-what-should-companies-be-doing/#1249947c2100

Orso, A. (2018, February 20). Brands trying to make a buck off of #MeToo. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from http://www2.philly.com/philly/news/brands-public-relations-me-too-marketing-20180220.html  

Ransom, J. (2018, September 21). 5 Ways Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers plan to fight the accusations against him. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/nyregion/weinstein-sexual-assault-defense.html

Vitali, A. (2018, October 16). Sen. Heidi Heitkamp apologizes for identifying sex assault survivors without permission in campaign ad. NBC News. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sen-heidi-heitkamp-apologizes-identifying-sex-assault-survivors-without-permission-n920886

Williams, J.C., & Lebsock, S. (2018). Now What? Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/cover-story/2018/01/now-what.

Zarkov, D., & Davis, K. (2018). Ambiguities and dilemmas around #MeToo: #ForHow Long and #WhereTo? European Journal of Women’s Studies., 25(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350506817749436

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The #MeToo Movement: Making the Case for Brands to Join the Conversation

Editors Note: This topic was chosen in partnership with my fellow classmate, Graham Parker, who will be writing about the opposing side of this issue. I would strongly encourage you to give his blog post a review, having varying viewpoints on important topics is an integral part of the communication process. 

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, which gained momentum in the Fall of 2017, and the dizzying decline of movie producer Harvey Weinstein and others, it’s a natural progression for an organization to consider their role in the conversation.

When should a company get involved? If they feel strongly about gender equality, equal pay, diversity and representation, shouldn’t they add their voice to the cacophony that is demanding change? My short answer is yes.

I think it really depends on the brand, the sincerity of the organization, and the core mission and values and how they align with the movement. For this post however, I am going to talk about the value of a brand aligning with a movement, and the importance of key corporate stances that make a positive impact in our society.  Let’s discuss three basic rules that an organization should abide when wading into a potential political and social firestorm:

  1. Authenticity Matters: As a brand, you can’t shout from the rooftops about equality when your executive leadership, c-suite and board of directors is all represented by a group of people who look, think and act the same way. If you have diversity in your organization, than talking about the value of that is vital. If you don’t, shore up your own home before joining a movement and risk looking hypocritical. We don’t need another Matt Damon shouting from the rooftops, “not all men”. *insert eye roll here*
  2. You CAN make a difference: Organizations and their collective influence and voices, carry a lot of weight (Feldmann, 2016). Powerful campaigns have made a huge difference in changing the conversation about our perceptions (Feldmann, 2016), consider Dove’s “Real Beauty” Campaign:  
  3. You SHOULD make a difference: This is as much about the value of of doing the right thing, as it is protecting your bottom line. An organization who stands for something is becoming increasingly more important to a younger demographic (Laurine, Bruch, Huitt & Johnson, 2017). Your key audience wants to align with organizations who are thinking about the future, and looking to make a positive impact (Laurine, Bruch, Huitt & Johnson, 2017).

#MeToo is more than just a hashtag, it’s the result of systemic and long-standing abuses of power, and everyone is responsible to change the dynamic, the expectation and the conversation surrounding gender equality. As an organization, and a brand, it’s important that you look from the inside out when joining a movement. Organizations have a responsibility to demand equality and justice as well.

So, now that we’ve established the importance of an organization jumping into the conversation, the next obvious question would be “how”?

I think it’s best to start small, while thinking big.

As a company, how have you ensured gender and pay equality for your employees? Do you have a female CEO who can speak about the benefits of having female representation in the C-Suite? How does your product or service support this movement? Ensure that your messaging is authentic, reflective of your organization and honors the bigger conversation. Still wondering how you do this? Look to KMPG for guidance, they tackled the #MeToo movement, and ensured they were on board both internally and externally (Gourguechon, 2018). In 2015, KMPG’s Lynne Doightie became the first female CEO of a big four accounting firm, and in light of the #MeToo movement, was positioned well to respond and join the conversation in a productive and meaningful way (Gourguechon, 2018).  

Changing societal expectations and conversations is a marathon not a sprint, and every mile counts.

And so, in the interest of solidarity, transparency and change, #MeToo.

References:

Feldmann, D. (2016). Social movements for good: how companies and causes create viral change . Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Gourguechon, P. (2018). Forbes. How One Company Responded Proactively to the #MeToo Backlash. Retrieved From: https://www.forbes.com/sites/prudygourguechon/2018/07/29/one-companys-proactive-response-to-the-metoo-backlash-and-yes-thats-a-real-thing/#33194712508b

Laurine, J., Bruch, A., Huitt, W., & Johnson, J. (2017). Millennial Turnover Intention Predicted by Corporate Social Responsibility and Compensation Satisfaction. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1952261957/

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Don’t Call it a Comeback

If you are a sports fan, chances are you have a favorite athlete. You’ve got your typical favs like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Tom Brady, Christian Ronaldo, the list could go on and on. However, when asked about my favorite athlete the answer is always the same. It’s the dominant, the queen, the GOAT– Serena Williams. As a tennis player she has overcome constant challenges. Most recently the dialogue surrounding her abilities after giving birth to her daughter. Leaving many asking if she can “comeback” to tennis and be a mom AND a champion. Ahead of the US Open this past August, Chase released an ad in partnership with Serena, reminding the world that this isn’t a comeback

As we’ve learned there are certain elements that make an ad more effective. Take a look at “Mama Said Knock You Out” below before we dive deeper into why it works so well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYbOwTKptnA

The purpose of this ad was to inspire others, particularly working mothers who saw Serena as relatable and could identify with this struggle. The campaign was also extended through the hashtag, #ThisMama which allowed mothers to share their stories across social media. With five simple words, don’t call it a comeback, Chase was able to create a sense of community among mothers and empowered them with the help of Serena. By creating an ad that was unique, they were able to stand out from their competition (Twose & Jones, 2011). This kind of differentiation among other brands is what leads to long-term success for Chase (Knowledge Points, 2016).

However, it’s not just about being unique, it’s the emotional connection built with the viewer that makes this ad meaningful. Creating an emotional connection is an important element and one of Jonah Berger’s six steps to contagiousness (Berger, 2013). Emotion is a critical part of what makes something impactful, and the more we care about something, the more likely we are to share it (Berger, 2013). I don’t know about you, but as soon as I saw this ad I had chills. I shared it with EVERYONE. It was in my Instagram stories. I showed it to anyone who would watch. I was immediately engaged with the campaign (and boy did I want her to win so people would stop asking about her comeback!).

Certainly, the connection to motherhood is relatable and this ad resonates with moms everywhere. But I also think it can connect with people who have been told they can’t do something. And this is why I think the message can be felt by so many different people. It may have been targeted to moms but the idea of “coming back” or feeling like you can no longer succeed is an extremely relatable emotion.

Who hasn’t wanted to echo the sentiment and remind all the doubters, you’ve been here for years.

References

Berger, J. (2013). Contagious: Why things catch on (1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

2006. Knowledge Point– What makes an ad persuasive? Millward Brown. Retrieved from www.warc.com

Twose, D., and Jones, P. (2011). Creative effectiveness. Admap. Retrieved from www.warc.com

https://droga5.com/work/chase-this-mama/

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International Marketing: Essa Coca É Fanta

Since I am currently working in Brazil, I thought I’d write a post on international marketing. Global brands know the importance of market research and that understanding culture is imperative to connect with a targeted audience. We have also learned from our guest speaker, Brandon Roshon, that to be culturally relevant, marketers have to observe what is happening in the world and gather data from them. Simply translating an ad or commercial in a different language is inadequate communication with consumers. Brands have to understand the culture of their target consumers and relate to them as a way to increase sales. This is particularly important for specific consumer segments, such as the LGBTQ consumers, as demonstrated by a recent marketing campaign by Coca-Cola in Brazil.

In 2017, Coca-Cola created a marketing campaign that turned a homophobic phrase into something positive and empowering. In Brazil people used the phrase “Essa Coca É Fanta” as a homophobic expression, literally translated to “That Coke is a Fanta,” suggesting that a person might look “straight” but might actually be homosexual. By using a phrase filled with hate that many used to make fun of homosexuals, Coca-Cola gave it a new meaning in their ad. The Youtube video below opens with a statement that many different phrases across the globe are used as homophobic expressions, citing examples from Argentina, Spain, and the United State of America. The tone of the video is light and “poking fun” at the use of the homophobic expression portraying an embracing attitude that is inclusive, accepting and celebratory. The video attempts to connect to the specific cultural context of the targeted audience by celebrating differences and empowerment.

Instead, Coca-Cola switched the phrase by creating the “Essa Coca É Fanta, E dai” campaign, translating to “That Coke is a Fanta, So what?” Coca-Cola created a limited edition can with the Fanta beverage inside and launched it on the International LGBT Pride day. The campaign quickly became a phenomenon in Brazil–everyone loved it. It garnered 1 billion impressions and even had Brazil’s most popular LGBT singer Pabllo Vittar express his love for the campaign. Brazilian culture went crazy and created user-generated content varying from memes to videos on Facebook and YouTube to fake merchandise. The campaign became viral, which suggests that Coca-Cola listened and talked to their target audience by addressing a prevalent and relevant social issue for the consumer segment while advertising their product.

According to the video, Coca-Cola invested $0 US dollars in media investments and still garnered 1 billion media impressions (Meio & Mensagem, 2018). The campaign became known as “the most engaging organic campaign in 2017” and changed the way people used the expression (Meio & Mensagem, 2018). Global brands such as Coca-Cola understand that importance of talking to all people, not only heterosexuals but homosexuals as well. The best way to reach minority groups like the LGBT community is by using culture to connect with them on a deeper level and making them love the brand. Coca-Cola capitalized on a popular expression and then appropriating it to fit Coca-Cola’s social message and social activism as part of their marketing.

Can you think of any other successful marketing campaigns that have used culture to connect with specific consumer segments (ex. #likeagirl)? How do you think Coca-Cola used Jonah Berger’s Contagious STEPPS to make this campaign successful?

References

Meio & Mensagem. (2018). PR / Ouro: Essa Coca é Fanta. Retrieved from http://www.wavefestival.com.br/premiados2018-pr/essa-coca-e-fanta-310/

DAVIDTHEAGENCY1. (2018). Coca-Cola | Essa Coca É Fanta. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiyoy2A7kPo

 

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Consumer Behavior x Social Media: Understanding the Human Brain in the Digital Era

Throughout several decades, hundreds of researchers have dedicated their resources into understanding the human brain, and its connection to marketing, purchase behavior, and product success. With the advent of the internet, marketing professionals had to learn how to shift focus, and establish an online presence for their brands. Truth is, selling online is a whole different animal, and businesses had to step up their game in order to survive. According to Barden (2013), almost 90% of new products fail every year, and consumer behavior is directly connected to that. Today, a business must understand way more than who their audience is – but also make sure they can find and connect with them online.

Within the web universe, Social Media is currently the number one medium influencing consumer behavior. Since social media has become such an influential part of many people’s everyday lives, the technology is also affecting consumer trends. Now consumers have access to information that goes way further than what is provided by the business. Reviews, referrals, blog posts, videos, the input available goes beyond the control of marketers, which impacts preferences, and – of course – decision making. As of 2017, over 74% of shoppers make buying decisions based on social media (Barker, 2017).

According to Smith and Zook (2011), Social media has changed the original mass media  communication model. Before, companies delivered messages to the public on a one-way channel. Now, social media has enabled web communications between customers, as well as B2C, B2B, and even between costumers and opinion leaders. Consequently, this “new model” affects every stage of the decision making process. According to Olenski (2012), social media not only affects behavior, but also impact sales, brand awareness, reputation, and loyalty.

The increased availability has changed the common consumer into a researcher. Before making a purchase, the consumer can log on to a social media network and see what other people think about your products and how you handle customer service. The more information available, the more likely the consumer will make the buying choice that fits his or her needs — and that might not be your company’s goods if others have reported negative experiences.

With social media, word-of-mouth advertising gained a completely new meaning. What before was limited, and slower, now became limitless – there is no geographical barrier, no social class difference, nothing can stop the information from spreading. Depending on the network, a single message sent from a single consumer can be accessed worldwide, and the consumer can communicate with thousands of people at the click of a button. (Simmons, 2017).

The reputed digital agency Delloite published a comprehensive report in 2015 analyzing the concept of digital influence, and its impact on retail. The main focus of the study was to understand how social media affects consumers from different demographics. Even though different groups have different behaviors when It comes to time spent online, preferred devices, and search methods, for example, the use of social media is prevalent and meaningful for all demographics. The reports shows that approximately one third of U.S. consumers are influenced by social media with their purchases. If you only consider the hispanic demographic, that number increases to 50%. Amongst age groups, the report findings show that millennials are the group of people who are influenced the most by social media: 47% have their purchases impacted by online networks.

References:

Barden, P. (2013). Decoded: The science behind why we buy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Barker, S. (2017). How Social Media Is Influencing Purchase Decisions. Retrieved from https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2017/05/social-media-influencing-purchase-decisions/

Delloite Digital (2015). Navigating the new digital divide: Capitalizing on digital influence in retail. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/consumer-business/us-cb-navigating-the-new-digital-divide-051315.pdf

Mansoor, H. (2017). How Social Media Influences Customer Behavior to Drive Traffic and Sales. Retrieved from http://customerthink.com/how-social-media-influences-customer-behavior-to-drive-traffic-and-sales/

Olenski, S. 2012. Three Of Four CMOs Say Social Media Impacts Sales. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2012/08/21/three-of-four-cmos-say-social-mediaimpacts-sales/ [

Smith, PR & Zook, Z. 2011. Marketing Communications: Integrating Offline and Online with Social Media. Fifth Edition. London, U.K: Kogan Page Ltd.

Simmons, L. (2017). Social Media & Consumer Behavior. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/social-media-consumer-behavior-45733.html

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Hear How Brands Are Shaping Up From Being Musically Fit

Think of your favorite song. Now think about how it makes you feel when you listen to it. Undoubtedly, the uniquely arranged rhythmic sounds that form your favorite musical selection triggers some type of emotion or even a range of emotions. In this instance, I am hoping the aroused feelings are positive ones because after all, you are thinking about how your favorite song makes you feel when you hear it (smile). Can you see how sounds (now isn’t that an oxymoron), particularly ones that have been merged to produce tuneful audible expressions (aka music) has the remarkable ability to elicit emotions, feelings and thoughts? If not, no worries, just keep reading.

Just how I hoped you witness music’s remarkable ability to be a powerful stimulus for emotional response, a growing number of marcom practitioners and organizations are recognizing and understanding its influential capabilities. And they are finding innovative ways to incorporate musical sounds into their integrated marketing communications strategy to enhance their brand identity through a method known as sonic branding, music marketing, audio branding and various other terms to achieve favorable results. Hear 3 great ways how brands are benefiting from getting into shape by being musically fit. So, here it goes:

1.Google Connects Emotionally

How:Google’s Year in Searchcommercials takes viewers on the exploratory journey of the defining moments that shaped the year. This is wonderfully done in 2017 through the strategic arrangement and combination of visual elements with the moving song, “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles. It stimulates heart-felt emotions while showcasing the search engine’s impact and abilities.

 Listen Here:https://youtu.be/vI4LHl4yFuo

2.Harley-Davidson Reinforces Brand Values

How: Harley-Davidson’s brand-artist collaboration with rocker, Elle King, reinforces the brand’s core value of freedom for self-expression by no one else’s rules but your own with the rockin’ musical score, “Baby Outlaw”. The song’s strong rugged sound aligns perfectly with the brand’s iconic personality and identity of being a freedom fighter or rebel. It also emphasizes the brand experience existing customers enjoy while also appealing to more youthful and diverse audiences to attract and cultivate the next generation of freedom riders.

Listen Here:https://ispot.tv/a/dKib

3.Gatorade Repositions Brand

How: Gatorade found its musical fit in a partnership with David Banner, Grammy Award-winning music producer and recording artist (also a philanthropist and actor) to launch its extended brand, G Series. This music-brand collaboration resulted in the original brand song, “Gatorade has Evolved”, which became the featured background music in Gatorade commercials for G Series.

Listen Here:https://youtu.be/m0oRIthe2LA

Google, Harley-Davidson, and Gatorade are just a few examples of how musical sounds are finding spots in brands’ marketing mix to leverage consumers’ affinity for music. This is happening in notable ways to influence a range of consumer behaviors by building emotional connections, reinforcing brand values and helping brands to reposition themselves.

Hopefully, this provides some valuable insight as we prepare our integrated marketing communication strategies for our team’s brand. And if you haven’t already, maybe you will consider how adding sonic branding to your strategy can get your brand into better shape by being musically fit.

References

A Banner Vision. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.abannervision.com/#!projects/project8.html

Ballouli, K. and Heere B. (2013). Sonic branding in sport: A model for communicating brand identity through musical fit. Sport Management Review, 18, 321 – 330.

Beverland, M., Lim, E. A. C., Morrison, M., and Terziovski, M. (2006). Journal of Business Research, 59, 982 – 989.

Google. (2018). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/vI4LHl4yFuo

Gustafasson, C. (2015). Sonic branding: A consumer-oriented literature review. Journal of Brand Management, 22(1), 20 – 37.

iSpot TV. (2018). Retrieved from https://ispot.tv/a/dKib

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Attention shoppers: Price check on aisle politics

At the marketing intersection of politics and shopping

Source: Source: Hartford Courant (McCardle, 2018).

I know, I know, it’s not polite to talk about politics in mixed company. Even less so to ask questions about it. But for years I made it my job to do so, and to this day I can’t escape the thrill of a great political story unfolding before my eyes. Politics is just like sports – all the same verbs, as a beloved editor told me early in my journalism career. How true. Winners, losers, the predictions, and the surprise endings. Unlike most fans, I don’t have a team in the fight. I just enjoy watching the show, preferably with popcorn.

The latest round of presidential politics smacked right into marketing territory. So I grabbed the opportunity to indulge my sport and let it play out in this blog. To be sure, we could examine the entire presidency and Donald Trump himself through the marketing paradigm. Like him or hate him, branding experts agree that Trump mastered his brand in the 2016 election (Applebaum, 2017). But this story in particular concerns just one piece of the marketing milieu that is Trump: his massive campaign database.

At one time, Trump dismissed data mining as overrated. After securing the Republican nomination, though, the necessity of data was no longer in doubt. Trump eventually amassed his own database by encouraging supporters to text him their information. Now he wants to rent out his supporter list. It is information gold: names, email addresses and cell phone numbers of some 20 million Trump supporters. Republican candidates and conservative groups are the obvious audiences for such a list. But businesses, too, think they can profit from knowing who backed Trump, where they live and how to get in touch with them.

Trump would be the first sitting president to market such a list, according to The New York Times (Haberman & Vogel, 2018). He stands to make a lot of money for a 2020 run by doing so. But does he risk hurting his own brand by selling his supporters’ names?
It is a new GOP with Trump at the helm, meaning, in many cases, new messages spoken through a different set of values and potentially a different coalition of support. In marketing speak, new Republican candidates are selling to a different audience. Will the things that differentiated Trump’s political brand no longer be all that different? And will this supporter database benefit candidates who lack Trump’s mastery of the media?

Trump marketed to the insecurities of white, blue-collar factory workers who felt left behind by the latest economic recovery. He specifically targeted votes he thought he could gain in the Midwest (Applebaum, 2017). He promised to blow up the establishment, including the Republican establishment. Is it then outside the bounds of incumbent Republican candidates’ brand permission to speak to the same set of supporters? Will these Republican candidates be forced into Trump’s image, or will they lose authenticity in doing so?

Beyond the political questions renting out this database raises, what are the business implications? It is one thing to share supporters’ names with other Republicans. Conceivably, doing so furthers their party’s cause. But how do Trump’s supporters feel about having their names sold for business marketing?

And which businesses think they can profit from Trump’s supporters? Will this information become public? Are we in for a future of polarized shopping experiences to match our polarized politics? Or have the audiences for politics and businesses been intertwined all along?

No doubt, big business (think Harley-Davidson, Walmart, Starbucks, Nike, to name a few) has made a few recent attention-grabbing attempts at profiting off the surface of politics. But what will happen when intermingling at a much deeper marketing level takes place? One thing is certain: We are in for several more rounds in the politics-business matchup. Pass the popcorn, please.

Applebaum, Y. (2017). The ingenious marketing strategies behind Trump’s success. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-ingenious-marketing-strategies-behind-trumps-success/508835/

Haberman, M., & Vogel, K. (2018, October 13). Now for rent: Email addresses and phone numbers for millions of Trump supporters. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/13/us/politics/trump-political-data.html

McCardle, M. (2018, September 10) Americans agree: Keep politics out of shopping. Hartford Courant. Retrieved from http://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-mcardle-keep-politics-out-of-shopping-20180907-story.html

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Who Runs the World? Girls!

I recently attended the Beyoncé and Jay-Z On The Run II Tour in Phoenix, Arizona, and like everyone else, I was in awe of Queen Bey’s effortless talent.  No exaggeration, it was truly a life-changing experience.  I was amazed by how empowered she made me feel, and I could see that she had the same impact on others in attendance.  The feeling got me to thinking.  If I, as a man, feel so empowered by Beyoncé, I wonder how her female fans feel. Are they encouraged by the fact that Beyoncé has defined the successful, independent woman?

Long gone are the days when a woman has to wait for a man to purchase her a luxury item.  In the Beyoncé era of “independent women” and “if you like it then put a ring on it,” the modern woman waits for no man to provide for her.  Today, there are more women in the workforce than in previous generations (Zarolli, 2016).  They work more, earn more, and spend more than their predecessors (Lieber, 2017).  Also, women today are getting married later, so they have more disposable income to afford luxury purchases on a whim (Lieber, 2017).

While Millennials are an important and sought-after consumer segment, the independent woman aged 25 to 39 is a spending powerhouse not to be overlooked. According to diamond giant De Beers, Millennials spent almost $30 billion on diamond jewelry in 2015, and 31% of those purchases were made by women aged 25 to 39 (Lieber, 2017).  These women represent America’s independent woman – women who buy themselves luxury items for no special reason (Lieber, 2017).  They have taken Aziz Ansari’s “treat yo’ self” advice to heart. So, whether you like it or not, she can and will put a ring on it herself.

Lieber, C., (2017).  The new Tiffany & Co. needs women.  Racked.  Retrieved from: https://www.racked.com/2017/2/5/14502980/tiffany-jewelry-self-purchasing-woman

Zarroli, J., (2016).  Fact Check: Hillary Clinton and women in the workforce.  NPR.  Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/2016/06/22/483090841/fact-check-hillary-clinton-and-women-in-the-workforce

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Making Everyday Easier But At What Cost?

New technology is made to help consumers get things done faster, better and with less work. Think back to the 1950’s, the surge in home appliances took off because it made housewives lives easier – the vacuum cleaner, the dishwasher and fancy new refrigerators just to name a few. Today is no different, new technology is out to help improve consumers lives. Voice assistant Alexa, smart refrigerators, smart thermostats, and Roombas are a few of the new devices that use the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable our lives to be easier.

The internet of Things just means that it is a computing device embedded in everyday objects that is interconnected to the internet, this helps enable it to send and receive data. For marketers, this sending and receiving data is a goldmine. As a consumer uses these objects, it stores the habits and behaviors of the consumer enabling it to do a better job and also allows the manufacturer to better understand the needs of the consumer. Ideally this seems fantastic, just like the sensors on new cars – you won’t hit the curb if it alerts you once you get close. But is this an invasion of privacy? Do you want manufacturers and advertisers knowing this information? If you buy the products, it seems there is no way of opting out of this information sharing.

In 2017, the New York Times published an article about how certain pricey models of the Roomba now map out your home, to ensure it can avoid crashing into certain items. In theory, this seems like a normal computing functionality but if this information is shared with Amazon, Apple or Google it might be an open door to a new form of surveillance. The Roomba now knows the exact size of your house and whether or not you have enough room by the front door for a table, next comes the Amazon ads for an entry table and so on. *I do want to note that Roomba will only give your data to third parties if you consent to doing so but it still has this information the moment you log onto the internet with it.

As technology progresses, there may be no avoiding this type of data sharing. As a marketer this would enable advertising to be better targeted. All these new technologies seem great in theory but sometimes I think we just need to work on the simpler technologies first – getting Siri to understand me, making sure car alarms don’t go off randomly, automatic hand towel dispensers working without me waving in front of it three times, and having a phone battery that doesn’t eventually stop holding it’s charge.

Technology is making lives easier but at what cost?

 

Astor, M. (2017, July 25). Your Roomba may be mapping your home, collecting data that could be shared. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/technology/roomba-irobot-data-privacy.html

Morgan, J. (2014, May 13). A Simple explanation of ‘The internet of things’. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#2e0fcf211d09

Newman, P. (2018, July 27). IoT report: How internet of things technology is now reaching mainstream companies and consumers. The Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/internet-of-things-report

 

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Marketing Ruins Everything

I recently started binge watching Adam Ruins Everything on Netflix and what every episode addresses or concludes is that marketing had a hand in creating certain beliefs and social standards around products and events (Conover, 2016). After watching the episode “Adam Ruins Weddings” I thought I’d recall my own wedding- since today is my anniversary- and how ideas of love influenced me and those around me.

Before I got engaged, I never gave much thought to what my wedding would be like. However, after I got engaged there was an instant and intense amount of pressure I felt to put this big and memorable event together. There was a problem though. Josh and I would had to self-fund the wedding, so we made choices that we thought were conservative enough to save money. The average U.S wedding is over $30,000 and depends on what city you have the wedding (Jacobs, 2018). New York has the most expensive average at about $70,000, while New Mexico is about $17,000 (Jacobs, 2018). So we decided to get married in my hometown of Chicago (Average $34,000) as it was cheaper than getting married in LA (Average $44,000), and with our families being from the Midwest we took advantage to send them scouting locations, finding décor, and having a free place to crash when we visited for wedding duties.

A few months before the wedding, the pressure felt unbearable. I started saying yes (very click-whirr responses as Cialdini puts it (2008)) to things I didn’t want or care for like a horse and carriage (an unnecessary buy), these expensive chairs (an unnecessary but reusable buy) and a sedan vehicle (a bad buy) simply because my mother wanted it (which she was influenced by scarcity of possibly only ever having one daughter that would marry (Cialdini, 2008)). Josh and I got into many disagreements or awkward tiffs about his involvement in planning which went from no opinions from Josh to Josh second guessing all of my decisions and suddenly being groomzilla. Meanwhile I was still trying to stay financially afloat by working overtime, babysitting friend’s kids, and bettering my future by working towards my masters. Needless to say, I was influenced by the pressure of what I thought a wedding was supposed to be and what others thought a wedding is supposed to be.

Sedan Vehicle

Fast forward to my wedding day:

It rained all day, so I lost money on a permit for a beautiful garden, cancelled the horse and carriage, didn’t use the sedan vehicle (thank goodness!), forgot the expensive chairs for us to sit in at the reception, the reception was not set up when we arrived at the venue (another story for another time), among many other things that went awry. I’m realizing, I didn’t even pick out my dress, my bridesmaids did (I do love it though). And that other elements of my wedding were put together by other people’s ideals, like my social media hashtag #ovothedrakes (which I didn’t understand until my sister explained). Everyone to this day says the rain is “good luck”, but that’s a load of crap people say to make brides feel better about the rain “ruining” their perfect day. However, it was the repeated saying that has made me see the positives of this marketing disaster.

A wedding should make the bride and the groom feel good. And the people invited to the wedding should make the bride and the groom feel good. And on my wedding day, despite everything that was wrong leading up to and during the wedding, I felt a sense of community and the love our family and friends had for us because I let go of the preconceived notions of what advertisement and marketing told me it should be. I also told my family the morning of that I was letting go of their needs because I had to focus on what mattered to me. The aesthetics didn’t matter to me, the wedding politics didn’t matter to me, the rain flooding into the venue didn’t matter to me. By the end of the night, we all had a great time at a big party with food, drinks, music and a dance floor.

And so I would like to propose that we take back certain events that advertisers prey and pray on us buying into, by asking ourselves what really matters?

What other events can you think of that marketers and advertisers have exploited that you want to take back? Which ones are you okay with them exploiting? Do you feel they already exploit everything and why? And lastly, is there something you think they haven’t exploited yet and what is it?

 

Cialdini, R. B. (2008). Influence: Science and practice (5th Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Pearson.

Conover, A., & Wilkime, T. (2016). Adam Ruins Weddings, In A. Annussek. Loa Angeles, CA: TruTV

Jacobs, S. (2018). The average wedding cost in American is over $30,000- but here’s where couples spend way more than that, Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/average-wedding-cost-in-america-most-expensive-2018-3

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