"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

When you google “college degree,” you will easily find at least one article opening with a question, “Is college degree worth it?” As a graduate student at USC and a current administrator in a university, I praise how valuable higher education is. Unfortunately, many journalists and bloggers disagree. Every year, they release articles with a title like “10 most worthless college degrees” and infuriate many college graduates who actually hold the listed degrees. Well, at least, I am furious since communication degree is listed.(http://www.thesimpledollar.com/10-worst-college-degrees-to-earn-in-2015/)
Educational attainment in the U.S has been increasing since 1995 but still Bachelor’s degree holders were only 32.5 percent of population 25 and older according to U.S. Census (Ryan and Bauman, 2016). OECD reported that U.S. ranked 11th in educational attainment in the world, while South Korea, Japan, and Canada claimed to be the top three (OECD, 2016). The result was surprising considering the fact that about 150 out of 1000 are the U.S. universities listed in the world university rankings.
(https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-united-states)

(Source: http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/p20-578.pdf)
In contrast to my beliefs, college degrees may not be important to many individuals. They do not guarantee one’s success, and Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg chose to drop out from their colleges yet are known as successful figures who heavily influenced today’s communication and consuming patterns. As the public devalue college degrees, higher ed industry should continuously develop effective marketing strategies to maintain or increase the enrollment rates.
Differentiation is the key to the institution’s success. Take a look at the list of all the taglines
http://www.stamats.com/resources/tagline-repository?sort=institution. When you go through them, you will see how similar all these taglines are expressing. Type success in the search box. You will find 49 universities or colleges that use the word to express themselves. Stoner(2016) concerns how difficult it is for universities to stay different from each other. They offer similar programs, execute similar strategies, and have similar administrative systems. This is where storytelling becomes significant to find an institution’s own identity to appeal to its current and prospective students and internal stakeholders. (Jones, 2016). Social media’s role in higher education is strongly emphasized when sharing the experience and the culture. It is like expanding the brand experience and strengthening emotional connections.

When I came across Tim Jones’ article, I realized strategic market segmentation would be the tie breaker in the higher education industry. He argues that colleges and universities tend to consider their target audience as “everyone,” and their market segments are sometimes overly generic by grouping undergraduate vs. graduate students, or online vs. residential student (Jones 2016). To come up with sophisticated strategies, identifying and knowing the target audience and making relevant messages to them are crucial. For instance, Parthenon Group suggested six major student segments who need differentiated messages: Aspiring Academics, Coming of Age, Career Starter, Career Accelerator, Industry Switcher, and Academic Wanderer. You may find specific definition of each segment from the link below:
http://cdn.ey.com/parthenon/pdf/perspectives/4.4.2-The-Differentiated-University-Part-I-1-disclaimer.pdf

Higher Education tends to have very conservative natures and strong resistance to change. However, the competition will grow severe, and failure to adopt the new marketing strategies will make the school floundering. With effective marketing strategies, universities and colleges will be able to appeal to students with its unique voice.

“I still think she’s a wonderful singer and performer, and some of the music on Lemonade is fantastic. But I have to be honest, I preferred the old Beyoncé. The less inflammatory, agitating one. The one who didn’t use grieving mothers to shift records and further fill her already massively enriched purse. The one who didn’t play the race card so deliberately and to my mind, unnecessarily. The one who wanted to be judged on her stupendous talent not her skin color, and wanted us all to do the same.”

—Piers Morgan, The Daily Mail (25 April 2016)

Piers Morgan is clearly upset with the Queen Bey for expressing her blackness, but why? Morgan is wondering what happened to the less in your face Beyonce, the less political and the less agitating Beyonce.  He admits to being a big fan but her latest project caught everyone, especially her white fans completely off guard.

Even Saturday Night Live got in on the rant with a piece of the action with a spoof entitle The Day Beyonce Turned Black. With all the racial unrest in the country, Beyonce took to the stage to express her feelings through song and creative expression.  First with her powerful Formation performance during the Super Bowl 50 earlier this year and then the release of her Lemonade project.

Why is so much attention being placed on Bey? Well. earlier this year, Beyonce yet again broke records and re-wrote industry rules with the release of her sixth album, Lemonade. Her new album was more political, racially conscious and an ode to blackness than past projects. This time Beyonce dug deep and featured the project with rapper Kendrick Lamar, Serena Williams in video, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown’s mothers  with cameo appearances on this project.

Beyonce broke the mold with this latest project. She really stretched herself to create this album. Lemonade is well written,  creatively choreographed, and presents a powerful storyline throughout the entire project. Bey really out did herself with this project. Each single has its own video and educates the public about black feminism, misogyny and the societal racial tensions present in this country today.

The Queen Bey is full of so many surprises. Towards the end of 2015, Beyonce gifted the world with her song Formation and later released Lemonade. This influencer is a marketing genius.

With the use of Tidal,  the brainchild of Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z  an application for streaming music, Bey released her Lemonade project  which was exclusively previewed on Tidal. Later featuring the entire project on iTunes.  It is estimated that the Queen Bey made a cool $50 million in the initial days of its release. Tidal has an estimated 5 million subscribers.

Forbes refers to this as the “pre-tour marketing campaign. Beyonce’s visual album was released just four days before her Formation tour. Seat Geek saw record breaking ticket sales – tickets to the highly anticipated concert more than tripled. As one of the biggest touring acts in the world, Queen Bey was estimated to have made more than $200 million.

Did Beyonce use her marital woes to sell albums? Are she and Jay-Z’s marriage really on the skids?  Would the Queen Bey really compromise her home life for a few million dollars?  If she did indeed do this her fans fell for it hook, line and sinker.

References

Morgan, P. (2016, April 25). The Daily Mail

Rubano, J. (2016, May 4). The brilliant marketing strategy behind Beyonce’s Lemonade. Retrieved from https://www.candoideas.com/blog/the-brilliant-marketing-strategy-behind-beyoncés-lemonade

Saturday Night Live. (2016, February). The day that Beyonce turned black. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ociMBfkDG1w

Sawdey, E. (2016, April 28). Beyonce lemonade. Retrieved from http://www.popmatters.com/review/beyonce-lemonade/

Hip-Hop Culture has made it’s way into the mainstream. With Hip-Hop artists topping the Billboard Hot 100, hip-hop artists are gaining mainstream success and attention. Advertisers are listening and capitalizing on that appeal. The number 1 song this week is by a hip hop artist, and 6 hip hop artists are in the top 10. If brands want that instant “cool” factor they are calling on artists like Drake and DJ Khaled. Even ads that are normally targeted to middle class moms, are using hip hop celebrities like MC Hammer.

This is not the first time Hip-Hop has “gone corporate.” Hip-Hop giants like Tupac and Ice Cube aligned themselves with brands in the early nineties. The difference is the cross-over, as artists like Shaq and Kendrick Lamar are doing commercials for mainstream giants such as American Express. Some might argue that Hip-Hop artist are selling goods for a society that does not fully embrace their culture, but wants to exploit them to sell goods. The Atlantic argues that the features in these commercials adds to the consumerism and materialism that is prevalent in Hip-Hop culture. Either way, the success of these ads shows that this trend isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIpfLkd1mP8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9RNGyZRs6c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPUbr4LGfmQ

Have you ever found yourself reading an article in a magazine, only to realize that it was actually an advertisement? This is known as native advertising, which is a paid ad that is usually information based and seamlessly blends in with the medium’s surrounding content. It can be found not only in print, but on digital formats as well. Native advertising is one of the oldest trends in marketing and is making its way back as a popular strategy with estimates that spending on this form of advertising is projected to reach $21 billion by 2018, in the United States.

IMB Native Advertising on The Atlantic

But how is native advertising more effective than traditional advertising? Where traditional advertising usually presents a product or service, native advertising provides the consumer with information. According to Rob Lutz, CEO of Cleriti and Advent Media Group, “While people may (or may not) take notice of a direct advertisement, they actually stop and read or watch native ads because they become part of the process of searching for relevant information.” The idea that the consumer can learn about something before making a decision is what makes native ads more engaging and results in better recall. Native ads are also less disruptive to the consumer’s current experience. With consumers making a conscious effort to avoid advertisements, native advertising provides a covert and effectual way of getting consumers’ attention.

Iconic Guinness Advertorial in Esquire Magazine from the 1950s

So why should brands consider this form of marketing? Native advertising provides a way for brands to reach a very targeted audience, as well as “diversify their media mix.” With the increased opportunities for native ads on popular websites like Buzzfeed and Forbes, and reputable news outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic, brands are also able to connect with their target audience, as well as a new audience, in various environments.

So now the question is, do you think more brands will adopt native advertising? Why?

DeMers, Jayson. (2016, November 14). 7 online marketing trends that will dominate 2017. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/11/14/7-online-marketing-trends-that-will-dominate-2017/#70865aaddec8

Farnworth, D. (2014, April 14). 12 examples of native ads (and why they work). Retrieved from http://www.copyblogger.com/examples-of-native-ads/

 Lutz, R. (2015, September 26). Native ads and the human brain: When science and advertising collide. Retrieved from https://www.adventmediagroup.com/blog/native-ads-and-the-human-brain-when-science-and-advertising-collide

Walters, T. (2016, January 19). Native advertising: Fad or new go-to standard? [new research]. Retrieved from http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/01/native-advertising-research/

What an UGLY election this has been.  It would have been difficult to put forth two worse candidates.  Hilary is, well, Hilary.  Trump, is well, Trump.  I don’t think I even need to say much more than YAY, it’s over.  Love Trump or hate him, at least he will try and restore some sort of law to this great land. Yes, he will also undo every environmental measure ever enacted, but at least he will try and stop illegal immigration.  If he’s successful in doing that, it’s a win for America.  And, he’ll have the best SNL spots – EVER….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxH6bKNPBIA

What can we learn from the top 100 mobile app marketers? As the third screen becomes the first screen, what trends and insights do the top performance advertisers on mobile have to offer?

To answer this question, I regularly conduct a survey of the top 100 advertisers on the AdColony platform. Just a few weeks ago, I published the results of that study. Here are the highlights:

• Budgets are increasing. For the third time in a row, an increasing number of advertisers are reporting that their spend on mobile is increasing. In this survey, 89% of advertisers reported that their mobile advertising budgets have increased in 2016.
• Spend is shifting to video. A truly effective format for illustrating the value proposition of an app, 81% of mobile marketers have increased their spend on video for their app install campaigns this year.
• Campaigns are going global. As marketers increasingly localize their apps and ad creative for more languages to appeal to a broader global audience, so their campaigns are spreading out over more geographical regions. In fact, 77% of advertisers have increased their geographic targeting in 2016 over last year.

Beyond the top 3 trends, there were a notable number of campaign shifts in 2016, which are illuminated by this chart:

As is evidenced by this data, a few ad formats are falling out of favor. Most notably, traditional media — television, display, out-of-home, print, and radio — are declining.

Granted, this was to be expected. As users reach app installation saturation & maturity, so the task of enticing someone to install an app becomes more daunting. As this happens, install rates fall, leading advertisers to re-examine their budgets. As traditional media’s tracking capabilities on mobile user acquisition is sorely limited, it’s not surprising that the budget lines attached to these formats would be critically reviewed and reconsidered.

So, what formats are thriving? What works for the top mobile app install marketers? According to the respondents, it’s clear that immersive, interactive, and highly targeted formats are exceedingly in favor.

Indeed, according to the survey respondents, the top app install formats used are full-screen video, interstitial display (which is also full-screen by definition), social video, and social display.

One might note that banner ads are curiously also popular. However, it must be noted that banner ads are the equivalent of bargain bin remnant advertising. If a restaurant offered nearly free fries in addition to a steak dinner, how many patrons would honestly turn it away? The same is true with banner ads. They are often purchased as a cheap way to garner a high volume of impressions to supplement other more expensive ad placements.

Indeed, usage is not indicative of investment, as the following chart illustrates:

In this view, it would appear that full-screen video is the end all, be all to mobile advertising. Alas, it must be noted that just as banner ads are cheap, so video ads are more expensive. Thus, investment in a full-screen mobile video campaign will command a significantly higher portion of the budget than the same number of impressions would on a rich media or banner campaign.

So, why can full-screen video command such high prices? If you ask the top app install marketers, there’s one clear answer: they work. Nothing quite beats the power of sight, sound, and motion to convey an app’s value proposition in a way that not only piques user interest, but drives high quality engagement and installs. In fact, when asked which ad formats were the most effective, the answer was clear:

Of the sixteen advertising formats included in the study — 12 of which were specific to mobile — the top three were all video:  full-screen video, social video, and in-feed video. While social display rounds out the top four, many would argue that it only does so for its uncanny ability to micro target audiences. While such targeting is available at a premium and offers limited scale, one cannot argue with its effectiveness.

What’s most interesting, however, is the promise offered by alternatively engaging ad formats. While video is far more captivating than display, so ads that truly engage the user and integrate with the in-app experience are the most captivating of all. In this way, playable and native ads are hardly to be scoffed at, garnering the attention of 33% and 39% of the top advertisers, respectively.

Looking Ahead
So, what does the future hold for mobile marketers? If the behaviors of the top 100 app install marketers are any indicator, the answer lies in user immersion. Truly captivate someone’s attention, even if it is only on a 4 inch screen, and you have a meaningful opportunity to drive measurable outcomes at scale.

Block me

ADBlock Plus, a cross-platform ad blocking software, fancies itself to be an easy to use addition to the web browser Firefox.  While it was not the only ad blocker on the market, It provided a comprehensive ad blocking service, and it worked…  Boy did it work.  However, while ad blockers have become an effective way for the average consumer to save time, bandwidth, and annoying intrusive banners, it has also become a way for juggernaut advertisers to easily break through these barriers while those with less money and influence lose revenue.  The little guy, the one that was barely making a living on the meager revenue of accidental clicks, lost a good portion of that revenue.

In 2014, It was estimated that Ad blockers were already being used by 45 million people in the United States.  So, it is safe to say that in 2016 Ad Blockers had the capacity to ruin the $1 Billion dollars worth of presidential ads that showered the masses this year.  Now, even mobile devices have apps that are capable of blocking ads.  But there is a problem in this ad-free bliss utopia that  has been created…  Ad blocking companies themselves are starting to sell ads that are immune to “the block”.  Dirty Poker?  Maybe.  But media providers have always used their power to pick and choose what and who they run the ads for.

So don’t be surprised if you see some of your most annoying ads pop through your blockers.  How can we miss them if they don’t go away?

References:

Kerstetter, J. (2016). Facebook blocks the ad blockers. New York: New York Times Company.

Young, J. (2016). Meet the blockers: A quantitative analysis of ad blocker usage

Montelarro, Z. (2016, November 9). Is Ad Blocker Going to Ruin $1 Billion Worth of Presidential Campaign Ads? Retrieved November 21, 2016, from http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/is-ad-blocker-going-to-ruin-1-billion-worth-of-presidential-campaign-ads/450945/

Blanchfield, S. (2014, September 9). 2014 Report – Adblocking Goes Mainstream. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from https://pagefair.com/blog/2014/adblocking-report/

Many times when we think about Uber drivers the first thought that comes to our minds are male drivers. Women Uber drivers are very hard to find we rarely see them even though from time to time we may hear someone mention that they had a female Uber driver. In my experience as an Uber passenger, I have never come across a female Uber driver, and I have often wondered how would my ride experience be different if my driver was female. Sometimes women find it difficult to ride in Uber with men as their driver because of all the negative stories they hear or because of some of the negative things they have experienced.

Uber’s smartphone app-based service offers transportation that is cash free and fast and easy, which makes the experience comfortable. You don’t have to pay the driver, and this makes the ride much more enjoyable.
Many believe that the reason that there aren’t many female drivers is the lack of protection for these women when they are driving. Even though Uber has put in place a system that is capable of tracking rides, there is still a problem with the lack of female drivers. The job still involves driving alone and picking up strangers, often at night, which many women feel are dangerous.

In interviews with eight female on-demand drivers, a report from Forbes found that they usually feel safe being drivers, but are concerned about holes in safety measures. Women drivers have turned away from wanting to be drivers because they feel less safe than their male counterparts. Uber has come up with recruiting practices that are crucial to making the job enticing to women.  According to the Benenson Strategy Group Uber has begun to put in   place a system that would encourage females to sign up to be hired to become Uber driving, which is creating interest by these women to become Uber drivers.

Huet, H. (2016). Why Aren’t There More Female Uber Drivers. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2015/04/09/female-uber-lyft-drivers/#5ed817765298

Wilner, E. (2016). Uber puts drivers in charge. Retrieved from http://us.kantar.com/public-affairs/economy/2015/uber-introduces-the-new-workforce-model/

It’s fair to say that 2016 has been a year marked by the growth of nationalist sentiment and the awareness that a mental divide between “us versus them” is well and alive in many countries. In particular, two developed western countries that had been open and progressive for many years have now become the poster child of this trend — the United Kingdom by breaking its ties with the European Union by voting in favor of Brexit, and the United States by electing Donald Trump after his campaign promises to deport millions of illegal immigrants, demand Muslims to register into national security database, and removing rights of women, LGBT community, among other minority groups.

Brands are utilizing their star power to engage in the conversation and take a position on the values they stand for. Recently, Google and Amazon have launched ads that promote inclusiveness, acceptance, and tolerance. Google’s latest ads are documentary-style short videos that portray stories of transgender people. The campaign is called #transgender voices and it aims to build awareness and foster understanding of this minority group (Coffee, 2016).

On Amazon’s case, the brand launched an ad to promote interfaith and intercultural tolerance on their Holiday Campaign this year. The ad shows a Catholic priest and a Muslim imam sharing a laugh and friendship (Beltrone, 2016).

https://youtu.be/Ouu6LGGIWsc

These two examples show that brands are not afraid to take a position and promote their values. Even though they may alienate parts of the market who do not agree with their messages, they are still taking their chances. 

References

Beltrone, G. (2016, November 17). Google Is Telling More Transgender Stories at a Critical Time for LGBT Rights. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/google-telling-more-transgender-stories-critical-time-lgbt-rights-174682

Coffee, P. (2016, November 18). Amazon’s Touching Interfaith Ad Appeals to the Better Angels of a Divided World. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/amazons-touching-interfaith-ad-appeals-better-angels-divided-world-174721

Several years ago, it was announced that the company that I work for would be acquired and would merge with a conglomerate. Being part of senior management, I sit on both sides of the fence, I was immediately concerned with the lack of communication that would occur. The current communication channel looks like an inverted pyramid. I was concerned on how information sharing would be handled. Since there was no proper plan, I asked to review the crisis communication plan to see if there may be any snippets of information that I would be able to use as a communication tool. As expected there was none.

The initial reaction throughout the organization was fear. We feared change, loss of jobs and most of all fear uncertainty. Yes, we all know deep down inside that change needed to happen. Achieving growth and diversification is a quick way for many companies to increase revenue and instantly gain market share, but what most companies fail to properly factor into the equation is the human component. Behind every action, there is a REAL person, with a REAL life, and REAL responsibilities. Having lived and barely survived one of the worst mergers, I’ve had time to reflect, digest, and accept what has occurred. Hindsight is always 20/20 but looking back I am in awe and wonder how we made it! The tips below are ideas on how I survived a merger. The list is intended to shed light on how a promising young executive (me), survived a cluster-fuck of bad policies that were set in place by a failed executive board.

Be Positive

No one has the right to make you unhappy! Smile, be kind and do not judge. Go with the flow. Do not try to control what is out of your area. Simply smile – be change you want to see.

Your manager does not have the answer and is often times more nervous than you

Although some will act as if they are in the “know”, 90% of the time they are just in the darks as you! Be careful in whom you confide in and ask for clarity. Some bad information can send you down the false path of information.

Work on your own set of goals

Be true to your self. If the direction of the merger does not fit your career goals – leave! It’s easier to end on good terms than prolong a bad breakup.

Do not take side

Be Switzerland! Many employees saw the merger as quick fix to existing problem! “Yes, someone who understands will help us.” Many managers quickly adopted new change and turned their back on their managers. Little did they know, that the managers were being promoted to oversee a bigger part of the business and would be making cuts! These early adopters of change and deserters of structure were the first to go. During a mergers, we do not know how the cast will dye, so it’s best to build rapport with everyone!

Ask the “not so nice questions”

Ask difficult questions- it’s ok to be the turd in the punch bowl. Many employees do not want to get signaled out so they remain quiet. When it comes to benefits, pay, additional work or reduced headcount – the best way to find out is to ask. I encourage employees to express their concerns early on before its too late.

Do not start or engage in rumors

Stay away from rumors. It’s so easy to engage in rumors, but my philosophy has always been – why suffer twice? If the rumor is repeated often and truly bugs you, you will start to believe they are true. I encourage everyone to look at the source and decide if this person has creditability. Do not spread what you do not know to be a fact! If you are extremely concern, have an honest conversation with human resources. Usually, HR is really good at rumor busting.

In no way are my recommendations a means to an end. You can heed my warning or just say – this guy is nuts – with a capital N! But for me, in hindsight, if I would have followed these tips, my experience through a merger would have been a whole lot better. When going through a merger or any difficult time, just remember (and I don’t mean to spoil the ending), that it will all work out in the end!