"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

There are over 2.3 million incarcerated individuals in the United States.  The U.S. has the worlds largest prison population.  Being that many state budgets are low and lack funding, several prison facilities throughout the country are looking to provide an early release to some nonviolent and less violent inmates.  With the implementation of early prison release programs, what course of action are the states doing to ensure that these inmates are rehabilitated and will no longer pose a threat once released back into society?  In addition, is rehabilitation even possible for some of these convicts?

According to psychiatrist James Gilligan, prisons evoke violence.  A nonviolent offender will more than likely participate in violence once they are in prison.  Gilligan believes that mental health care within the prison system is a necessity in treating the inmate population.   Mental health care recipients should be treated and separated from the rest of the prison population.  Gilligan conducted a mini research that showed that over 60% of treated mental health care recipients were less likely to re-offend once they were released from prison.  By offering these rehabilitation services, inmates can treat their illness and be able to function efficiently within society.

With state facility budgets being cut, what other options are available to assist inmates with rehabilitation.  For example, in 2016, Oklahoma’s budgets were dramatically reduced.  The lack of funding has the inmates in Oklahoma dangerously outnumbering the guards, and there is no longer mental health nor drug rehabilitation available in the penitentiaries.  Therefore, with rehabilitation programs within the prison system diminishing, will the early release program be doomed to fail….not to mention a public safety issue now jeopardized.

References

Gentzler, R. (2016, May 19). The effects of budget cuts on Oklahoma prisons are hidden but dangerous. Retrieved from http://okpolicy.org/effects-budget-cuts-oklahoma-prisons-hidden-dangerous/

McCray, R. (2016, September 19). Rehabilitating Violent Offenders Is Possible. Why Aren’t We Doing It? Retrieved from http://www.takepart.com/feature/2016/09/19/violence-and-redemption-rehabilitation/index.htmlViolence and Redemption. (2016, September 19). Retrieved from http://www.takepart.com/violence-and-redemption/index.html

Violence and Redemption. (2016, September 19). Retrieved from http://www.takepart.com/violence-and-redemption/index.html

Neilsen’s most recent report from July 2017 indicates that Generation Z now accounts for 26 percent of the total media audience, which makes them the largest audience segment (Sterling, 2017). This shift in demographics has been long anticipated, but the time has finally arrived, so current and future marketers better take notice.

According to Sterling, members of Generation Z were born between 1997 and 2015 (Sterling, 2017), which means that they are beginning to enter college and the workplace (Granados, 2017). As the world’s largest, most diverse generation (Klepacki, 2017) that is a quarter of the population in the United States (Granados, 2017), they can no longer be generalized as children who are similar to millennials merely because they both grew up with technology. It is true that generation Z grew up with technology, but the way they use it and their outlook on life is much different.

One important distinction between these two generations is that Generation Z is widely considered to have a more financially conservative outlook than millennials, because they were raised during a time when their parents struggled through the Great Recession (Klepacki, 2017). They are also interested in working hard and saving money for financial stability, whereas millennials are more inclined to take on debts and baby-boomers hold on to money as a status symbol (Klapacki, 2017).

Another difference between the two generations lies in their purchasing behavior. Whereas millennials prefer to convenience of purchasing goods and services online, Gen-Z tends to prefer physically going to stores where they can be exposed to products and brands that they like. The outlook of wanting to work hard to save money combined with the behavior of in-person purchasing may seem as if Gen Z is more similar to baby-boomers upon first glance. However, as Klepacki points out, Gen Z is arguably the first generation to know no other existence than one that involves technology, so while they will physically go to stores, they are also heavily involved in social media (Klepacki, 2017).

Finally, Klepacki finds that Gen Z prefers to use mobile devices for the majority of their media consumption (Klepacki, 2017). Mobile has been a major emerging market for years, but this research indicates that there will be strong growth in this area for years to come as Gen Z prefers it over television and even logging in to computers (Klepacki, 2017). In terms of social media on mobile devices, the most popular websites are Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook (Klepacki, 2017).

These blended generational characteristics beg the question, will Gen Z require new approaches for marketers to reach them, or can they be treated with similar approaches to previous generations?

References

Granados, N. (2017, Jun 20). Gen Z media consumptions: It’s a lifestyle, not just entertainment. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.mobilemarketer.com/news/the-emerging-portrait-of-gen-z/445739/

Klepacki, Laura (2017, June 26). The emerging portrait of Gen Z: Expect a change in direction as the world’s most influential consumers – who combine technological prowess with an old-school mindset – grow up. Mobile Marketer. Retrieved from http://www.mobilemarketer.com/news/the-emerging-portrait-of-gen-z/445739/

Sterling, G. (2017, July 17). Move over millennials, Gen-Z now the largest single population segment. Marketing Land. Retrieved from http://marketingland.com/move-millennials-gen-z-now-largest-single-population-segment-219788

Regardless if you work in IT or not, you have probably heard the term “Big Data.” Big Data is the huge volume of data that deluges businesses on a day-to-day basis. Basically, data is generated from anything we do that involves a digital transaction. Think about the amount of data you generate every day yourself though online activity such as social media or online shopping. Big Data is a really big deal. According to Gartner (2015), 75% of all business are now making major investments in collecting and storing this information, both structured (customer databases, for example) or unstructured (tweets from your customers).

I was thinking about what value this data has to marketers and how they can harness this for better integrated marketing programs. Many times we conduct our own primary research to better understand and target our prospects. But there is a whole world of existing data to tap into for new insights about your audience. Marketers these days need to be a combination of creative geniuses and data scientists. Maybe we call that persona the “extroverted nerd,” a term we lovingly often used at my previous organization for those people who understood the power of data, how to analyze it and put it to great use. Here are just a few ways your “extroverted nerd” can tap into the power of Big Data to better understand your prospects and customers:

Using Google Trends Google Trends can help you show how often a particular search term is entered relative to the total search volume, in various languages across the globe. Trends offers real-time data from more than 100-billion (yes, billion!) searches through the tool monthly to evaluate search trends during specific time periods. You can watch for spikes in search terms during events so you can determine what topics are getting people’s attention and then leverage this information for your own content creation, including key terms within your materials. For example, Unilever tapped into Google Trend data to better understand what messaging appealed to their audience. You can read more about the campaign here.

Mining the Twitter Firehose  Every second, there are 6,000 tweets sent, which equals about 500 million tweets per day (Twitter Usage Statistics, n.d.). Can you really keep track about all of the topics across Twitter related to your business? You need deeper access to all of that Twitter data. There are tools that connect to the Twitter “firehose” and can pull all of that data out to analyze. Gnip is Twitter’s API (application platform interface) that allows businesses to access and unlock the power of those social conversations. A prospect’s social conversation about a topic related to your product is a key signal he or she is ready to engage. You can even go back in time, and explore historical data to better understand the buyer’s journey, such as what PayPal did.

Retargeting With retargeting you can take advantage of the data on your own website. An easy win is to include a retargeting pixel on the backend of your website to capture the information for visitors who came to the site but who did not convert into a response. A retargeting program specifically targets those that got away with your own branded ads. This is not only an awareness strategy but it takes advantage of all of that data on your site and helps you to target them at a low-cost. I found a great easy to understand example at one of my go-to marketing resource sites, Marketing Sherpa, where the use of retargeting ads led to a 278 increase in conversion for B2B offer in just 60 days.

Have you had any experience with “Big Data?”  What other ways can you imagine tapping into your “extroverted nerd?”

Gartner Survey Shows More Than 75 Percent of Companies Are Investing or Planning to Invest in Big Data in the Next Two Years. (2015, September 15). Retrieved June 18, 2017, from http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3130817

Gnip – Historical. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2017, from https://gnip.com/historical/

How Unilever’s Jif Used Data to Power YouTube Creatives. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2017, from https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-ae/case-study/jif-case-study/

MarketingSherpa (2014, November 04). Retargeting Marketing: 278% conversion rate lift in 60 days. Retrieved June 18, 2017, from https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/retargeting

Twitter Usage Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved June 18, 2017, from http://www.internetlivestats.com/twitter-statistics/

The need and challenges for corporate Integrated communications efforts is well documented. The biggest concern in creating a successful integrated communications effort is the ever changing face of technology and how to maximize reach using rather new advancements to reach the illusive Millennial crowd. However, integrated communications expands beyond simply having an up to date Facebook page and twitter account. Integrated communications can also extend to brick and mortar shop owners and employees as well.

Although millennials are known for there heavy social media usage, it should not be understated that as of at least 2013, that 81% of millennials purchases came from brick and mortar stores (Forbes, 2013); 56% percent of those will actually make a purchase; Half of those purchasers got there discounts or coupons via TRADITIONAL MEDIA (Forbes, 2013). That said, s a business, if your goal is to identify with Millennials solely via social media, you would be missing an entire market and certainly not giving your business the best opportunity to be successful.

With this in mind, Integrated communications is not just limited to exterior marketing efforts, but also relate to the customers in-store experience. When considering a companies integrated marketing efforts, one cannot make assumptions based up on age. In store managers and employees must be educated on how to identify with all of your prospective customer base in reference to your integrated communications efforts. And with a unified integrated communications effort, rather a millennial or baby boomer, employees understand the message, as the communication efforts for the company are consistent.

Forbes list 7 steps to improve your integrated communications efforts:

1. Identify campaign goals and limitations
2. Define the target audience
3. Gain insight thru SWOT analysis
4. Understand competition and identify competitive advantage
5. Get Creative – brainstorm, be flexible
6. Check your Big Idea – does this fit my strategy
7. Communicate

https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2013/09/16/why-integrated-marketing-communications-is-more-important-than-ever/#38d8b36741ab

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/03/16/seven-steps-to-a-better-integrated-marketing-communications-strategy/#25c555297841

Recently I consulted for a company that had hired a smart and curious female intern with a positive attitude and an extraordinary work ethic. She wanted to learn more about the marketing decisions at the company. She was also interested in workplace research and politics, so we ended up discussing multiple topics but we paused at one topic that we just couldn’t explain: Why do some females (who truly need to support one another given the glass ceiling conversations) end up being aggressive towards other females in the workplace? Why is the worst job you’ve had oftentimes when you’ve worked for a woman or with one that couldn’t leave her emotions at home? She wasn’t the first female I have had this conversation with in two decades (likely the 50th).  If women need to support one another in the workplace to create more opportunities, what is really going on here?

The research points are survey validation to this conversation:

• Women bullies choose women targets 68% of the time (Namie, 2014).
• According to Fast Company (2015), 66 million working Americans report experiencing or witnessing abusive conduct at work.
• Female perpetrator, female target: 89% of cases the target of the bully loses her job (Namie, 2014).
• Sources: 56% of bullying came from a boss; 33% came from peers (Namie, 2014).
• Less than 20% of employers take any action to stop a bully in the workplace (Namie, 2014).

Recently a VC firm I know started a women-in-tech movement called “Seat at the Table” that is catching fire in Silicon Valley and New York City. At a recent event, it was interesting to see that three (out of the four female speakers) people were promoted by a man.

These examples are qualitative in nature. For a secondary data study, I turned to research. In a study by the Workplace Bullying Institute in 2014, 77% of those who reported being bullied were bullied by the same gender. 95% of females report being undermined by a woman at some point in their career, whether that behavior was sabotage, abuse of authority, or deliberate destruction of relationships.

Forbes author Marcus wrote about a scenario where a female is consistently being undermined and attacked at work by her female boss in front of others: “What likely triggers her boss’s bad behavior is the fact that Cara is great at what she does; she is considered a top performer. Her boss sees Cara as a threat” (Marcus, 2016).

Research and talk among multiple colleagues and friends confirms that bullies and backstabbers in the workplace are too often female-to-female. The younger intern at the company I was at provided a reason that is all-too-common. Often the phrase thrown around is “she’s threatened by you” as the reason for the verbal, non-verbal, written, or indirect attack on another female by a peer or female supervisor.

But what does ‘threatened by you’ actually mean? Can we unpack this, understand it, and then modify behavior or prevent it from happening? Is there anything to be done to make work more productive and less about personal issues? On one hand, business is not therapy and we don’t have time to understand the motivations of others when it comes to poor choices in behavior. From another perspective, gaining an understanding of why this occurs could provide much needed personal awareness and behavior modification, save good people from leaving, and set up companies for success by swiftly identifying this type of behavior and taking appropriate action.

Despite the statistics, we don’t hear too much about the “she-bullies” but if you’ve ever experienced this, it is the most taxing kind of abuse in the workplace. It can be direct or behind your back. It can have something to do with the actual work to be done, or nothing at all about work. It can sneak up on you out of the blue.

So how do we unpack hostile female-to-female behavior in the workplace? Why is this happening when so much of the media covers why we need to stick together?

First let’s unpack this by defining bullying in the workplace: “Bullying is the repeated, often covert, and strategic mistreatment of an employee by an aggressor who intends to control or undermine their target. “ (Forbes, 2015). Bullies seek personal gain at the expense of an employee and the company. Frankly, there is no reason to employ a bully in the workplace if a company wants to build a profitable, competitive position in the market. Too much time spent on taxing, repetitive, hostile behavior is time spent away from goals and outcomes.

Second, what is behind “she’s threatened by [another female]”?

The research below has pointed to several attributes and reasons why (Turner, 2015):

• Competition for few women leadership roles and limited opportunities.
• No time for socialization due to childcare responsibilities and work.
• Methods of handling conflict, such as holding a grudge and taking things personally.
• Expectations for close relationships among women.
• Success and likeability are negatively correlated for women.

Third, what are your thoughts (male or female) on female aggression in the workplace?

Research:

Fast company staff. (2015, Dec. 18). Three survival strategies for women in hostile work cultures. Fast Company. Retrieved from: https://www.fastcompany.com/3054779/three-survival-strategies-for-women-in-hostile-work-cultures

Marcus, B. (2016, Jan 13). The dark side of female rivalry in the workplace and what to do about it. Forbes. Retrieved from : https://www.forbes.com/sites/bonniemarcus/2016/01/13/the-dark-side-of-female-rivalry-in-the-workplace-and-what-to-do-about-it/#3d1a29245255

Mizrahi, R. (2004). Hostility to the presence of women. Why women undermine each other in the workplace and the consequence to Title VII. The Yale Law Journal. Retrived from http://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/qhostility-to-the-presence-of-womenq-why-women-undermine-each-other-in-the-workplace-and-the-consequences-for-title-vii

Namie, G. (2014). Workplace Bullying Institute. US workplace bullying survey. Retrieved from: http://workplacebullying.org/multi/pdf/WBI-2014-US-Survey.pdf

Turner, C. (2015, June 15). Women working with other women: support and sabotage. Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caroline-turner/women-working-with-women-_b_7565232.html

How does a brand as old as the British sci-fi show Doctor Who keep things fresh while still delivering for longtime fans? Well, today the show announced that for the first time in its 54-year run, the main character of the Doctor would be played by a woman. Through some sci-fi hijinks, the main character has the ability to be reborn with another face and body whenever the production studio decides it’s time to shake things up. It is one of the ways the show has retained viewer interest decade after decade.  There has already been some push-back from certain corners of the Internet as well as some defenders of the recent casting news. There will be the inevitable commentary on how this is a politically correct move while others will welcome the diversity in a long line of white male actors.

My interest in this topic lies in how the show has been able to retain a rabid and vocal consumer base for decades and generations, and how it stays relevant today. Plenty of screen time is devoted to building up the mystery of who will take on the role next. The anticipation drives more interest and interaction online among fans. The showrunners conduct interviews touting the secret new actor and the “new” direction of the next season. The anticipation has to be balanced with reassurances that the essence of the brand will still be the same, regardless of who plays the main character or who runs the show. This is a conundrum that any brand around for several decades faces. How do they keep their consumer base happy while seeking new consumers and markets? A television show doesn’t have the ability to split its products along markets and regions, so how can they create a single product that appeals to so many different markets and people?

Currently the show has decided to take the risk of alienating long-time viewers in order to attract new audiences. Instead of abruptly introducing such a controversial move, they’ve also been slowly but surely preparing the audience for the change. They introduced the female version of the main villain three years ago and have been leaving little hints in dialogue about the same happening to the main character. I think this can be used as a learning tool for other brands seeking to introduce a major change to their product. Audiences are much more likely to accept something new when they’ve been eased into it. There will be those who reject any kind of change, but priming the audience can help bring even those people around at some point.

Doctor Who as a brand has always had to balance the change written into the show’s structure and being part of a country’s television institution. It will be interesting to see how the brand handles some of the criticism in the coming seasons. Will the brand use this as momentum to introduce even more diversity or will it revert? So many brands bow to public pressure after making drastic changes to their products; will Doctor Who be able to convince their audience to accept this change?

References:

http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/doctor-who-jodie-whittaker-is-exactly-what-the-franchise-needed.html

Spiderman Homecoming, the recently released and over-hyped latest addition to the Marvel Comics Avenger movie family, hit the screens with a box office opening exceeding $100 million.  Despite terrific reviews and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%, I can’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the onslaught of action hero movies.  I walked into the amazing Wonder Woman movie feeling alive and empowered as a self-professed amazon woman, standing 5’10”, but left feeling a bit overwhelmed after the litany of trailers for upcoming superhero movies.

My daughter and nephew were anxious to catch the movie on opening weekend and the criticism was harsh.  My daughter believed the movie was more parody than action film, and wished more time and resources had been invested in the making of the movie so that it would be more in alignment with the other movies in the Avengers franchise.  Spiderman, Thor: Ragnarok, Justice League, Deadpool 2, Black Panther, and Avengers: Infinity War are all rest for release over the next year and I was left wondering if the urgency of studio executives to release more movies in a shorter span of time would impact the quality of the films.

Black Panther Movie Trailer

References:

Kelley, S. (2017, July 09). Box Office: ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Slings to Massive $117 Million Domestic Opening. Retrieved July 16, 2017, from http://variety.com/2017/film/box-office/spider-man-homecoming-box-office-opening-weekend-2-1202490552/

The Tylt. (2017, July 07). Does ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ live up to the hype? Retrieved July 16, 2017, from https://thetylt.com/entertainment/does-spider-man-homecoming-live-up-the-hype

I recently took a flight to New York on a Delta Airlines flight.  Having become more keenly aware of brands and their marketing efforts, I was surprised to notice the total integration of marketing the Delta brand directed at me, the customer, because I’d hardly noticed their marketing efforts before on other flights.  Now that I’m a savvy customer (lol) much more aware of marketing tactics, I found myself trapped in a captive audience role on a flying brand. I was bombarded with marketing, from the minute I sat down to the :30 second “Delta is everywhere” seat back digital video ad, followed by the government required, but Delta PR packaged safety video, to the 136 page “Sky” glossy magazine in the seat pocket before me.  The cabin steward wandered up and down the aisles offering additional skymiles to any customer that wanted to sign up for an Delta American Express.  Getting off the plane, the wall was plastered with a Delta billboard advertising their “#stay connected” wi-fi ad campaign that featured an attractive cosmopolitan, yet earthy 30-something-ish Delta customer with her iPhone in one hand and a cup of Starbucks in the other, obviously content that she was able to be so happy and connected because she flies Delta.  

  This experience got me thinking about co-branding and partnerships between different companies.  The Delta billboard utilized and Apple iPhone and a Starbucks coffee cup to give voice to Delta’s “#stay connected” wi-fi message.  According to Lindsay Kolowich, co-branding works, but only if it’s a “win-win for all players in the game.  The value perceptions, target audiences, prices and promotion channels need to match” (Kolowich, 2016).  She also says that a huge opportunity exists in co-branding campaigns by introducing the new brand or product to a new customer that already likes and uses the old and faithful co-brand.  

  We live in a brave new world where “the information and communication technology revolution is altering existing business models and practices that have regulated the industries for decades” (Sigismondi, 2011).  The goal today with business analytic tools is to find a connection between a company and the environment it works in (Grant, 2002). Data analytics are collected resulting in improved customer retention. Here are some examples; Tesco, a large UK retailer sends new Dad’s coupons for beer because data analysis showed that new fathers who went into the store to buy diapers, also purchased more beer from the grocery store because they could no longer spend as much time at the pub after the new baby.  Another example from American Express, the company tailors its card offerings to customer’s “life events.”  Card holders who have recently  lost a spouse are flagged for special attention.  Or a newly married customer is a good candidate for additional products like a home insurance policy or a new mortgage (Rust, 2010).

  So with all the data analytics out there about every purchase we do or do not make, every product or brand we search, every latest and greatest we like or heart, is it a wonder that brands are migrating together to reach us, their audience, through co-branding and partnerships?  

  Here are a couple more co-branding partnerships I particularly like; 

BuzzFeed and FurBaby Rescue partnered together on an article entitled, “We Gave Drunk Girls a Bunch of Puppies and There Were Lots of Tears” (Kolowich, 2016).   

Lastly, remember Dr. Pepper flavored Bonne Bell?  I still buy Dr. Pepper flavored Bonne Bell lip gloss when I can find it in stores.  The ad copy read, “From Bonne Belle of course: the cosmetics company that understands your tastes.” (Kolowich, 2016). This co-branding partnership originated in 1973!  Maybe marketing hasn’t changed all that much after all.

Sources:

Grant RM (2002) Contemporary strategy analysis: concepts, techniques, applications, 4th edn. Blackwell,  Malden, p. 15.

Kolowich, L., ( 2016). Examples of Successful Co-Branding Partnerships (And Why They’re So Great.)  Hubspot. March 8, 2016.

Rust, R., Moorman, C., & Bhalla, G., (2010). Rethinking Marketing. Harvard Business Review, January- February, 2010. pp. 1-9.

107. Sigismondi, The Digital Glocalization of Entertainment, 119 The Economics of Information, Communication, and Entertainment 3, p. 107.

DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-0908-3_10, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011