Integrated Marketing Communications

C&A Beats Buyer Confusion With Smart Hangers

By Liz Jester | Published May 18, 2013

What do Customers "Like"?

We all face indecision when we're clothing shopping. Two similar looking shirts, different color jackets... with enormous brand saturation, shopping is becoming more and more confusing to consumers. I'm not sure about you, but I am not the quickest decision maker when it comes to making purchases.

Brazilian retailer C & A seemed to understand this problem facing its customers, so the company decided to put its clothes on hangers that displayed the amount of Facebook "likes" followers had given the item. These hangers are linked to C & A's website to display real-time results.

Two Birds with One Stone

These hangers are both a marketing gimmick and a crowdsourcing tool.

For one, the initiative is a great way to improve Facebook followers and activity. It's a cycle - the more activity, the more visible you are on Facebook, the more people follow you, which results in even more activity. C & A, unsurprisingly, has over 3.5 million Facebook fans. Aside from getting people to its Facebook and website, I'd bet this campaign got people into C & A stores. It's undoubtedly innovative, and if for no other reason, should generate increased traffic just for its "newness".

It will be interesting to see whether these hangers correlate or cause an increase in sales. When customers see a clothing item with a lot of "likes" will they be more inclined to buy it? Or will they choose to pass it by in search for a more unique item? I think either way, the displayed Facebook likes will influence consumer purchases.

The crowdsourcing component of the campaign is interesting as well. While it may not be your typical way of using crowdsourcing, it certainly is using customers to help other customers decide what to buy. Sort of sales assistance you could say. It also lets C & A know what apparel people like and what people don't. It gives insights into the most popular colors, styles, trends, etc.

Similar Campaigns

Macy's has implemented another innovative Facebook campaign with its Magic Fitting Room. They can "try on" clothes using a mirror-like screen that superimposes images of clothing on shoppers. Shoppers can then post their looks on Facebook for friends to see. This is another interesting way to connect physical retail
stores with the world of the web. And, of course, using customers as advertisers! I think this campaign is even more clever than C & A's. I'm not too likely to post a picture of myself trying on clothes on Facebook, but if I use this cool, unique mirror thing, I might just do it! Even if it's just once or twice, I got Macy's clothes out there for my Facebook network to see.

Relating it to IMC

This is Integrated Marketing-Communications at its finest! A perfect campaign to complement on- and offline sales. Online activity influences consumers' purchase decisions while in-store interaction with the Facebook hangers send curious consumers online. Most integration of Facebook into offline stores is simply an advertisement of the Facebook page, nothing more.

Are hangers, though, the best way to go about this? What if a customer puts the wrong item back on a hanger? Or, what if buyers just feel even more confusion? I want an item that people like, but I also want an item that not everyone will have. If I see a lot of "likes" for an item, I may assume that a lot of people have it.

Another consideration is - everyone has Facebook these days. What do customers get for "liking" you? It seems like "likes" are becoming less meaningful and exciting, especially if there isn't interactive or compelling content on your Facebook page keeping fans interested. So, using Facebook as a tool for your own good rather than asking customers to visit your Facebook is a very strong strategy. C & A and Macy's have certainly figured out how to use Facebook to their benefit and stand out to customers.

It will be interesting to see the success of both of these campaigns, how they are tweaked in the future, and if anyone copies them.

What do you think? Would you buy an item with more likes? Would you share a picture of your outfit in Macy's virtual mirror?

References:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/05/31/facebook-likes-fashion-clothes-hangers-display-ca-brazil-retail-social/
http://www.ecouterre.com/ca-debuts-clothes-hangers-that-display-facebook-likes-in-real-time/

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

The Brand of Me: An Update

By Katie Bloom | Published May 17, 2013

A Time To Reflect

As my last few weeks at Elon are finally coming close to the end, I have begun to reflect upon my personal "branding" journey over these past few years. I entered the freshman class in 2009 as a member of the Business Fellows, a program that has made me feel tremendously valued in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. It was my freshman and sophomore years that I had my eye on a career in fashion merchandising, which sparked my commitment to my Marketing and Entrepreneurship degrees. Over time, I also found I have a fondness for numbers and math, which
evolved into the completion of my Accounting minor. As I look back on my marketing classes in particular, I see that I have evolved into a much more analytical and realistic thinker due to the emphasis Elon has placed on "real world"experiences. This year's work with ABAN in both my marketing research and IMC class has been particularly rewarding.

Where to Next?

While marketing and fashion were my original passions, my interests and skills have developed and changed over time. I know that some form of marketing will always be used in the career that I decide to take on. This fall, I will begin my first year of law school at The University of Baltimore. My focus will be on business law, although I know my particular law interest may change over time just as my business interests did. From my experiences at Elon, I have learned how to be flexible and adaptable, two traits that I'm sure will help me survive my first year of law school. I know that my next life experience will be completely different from Elon, but I am ready and prepared to continue building upon the brand of me!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Be Nice to Girls, Be Nice to Everyone

By Betsy Tremblay | Published May 17, 2013

So apparently I'm about to graduate from college? Where did that come from and when did I become an adult?

I remember walking around campus as a freshman thinking that I was never going to graduate and that there were SO many courses I had to take to get there. Now I look at my degree audit very proud of myself for completing what once seemed impossible. My marketing classes as a senior have gotten me excited for what's to come, which I owe all to my professors. Not only my marketing classes, but a great number of classes and professors in the business school have shaped me and helped me get where I am now. One of my favorite parts of my marketing elective classes has been all of the interesting guest speakers that come to share and inspire the class.

This semester Joy Cook came to my Integrated Marketing Communications class and she reiterated one thing my mom always taught me and that is this:

Never burn any bridges.

You never know who knows who and who can connect you with who. Making enemies is not worth it. Keep a friendly face on and the world is a better place. One day, you'll be thankful to have that person as a friend rather than an enemy. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right? "The New Marketing Mantra: Have a big heart, play nice, boost the bottom line," an article in Fast Company makes the point:

"The nicer your are, the more customers will gravitate to your company, product, or service."

Companies are being held accountable by consumers. Transparency and being a good citizen of humanity are pertinent to a company's success. The world of marketing is no longer about tricking people into buying your products, but about being genuine and letting consumers choose for themselves. Show your true (nicest) colors and success will follow. No one wants to do business with a bully.

And guess what? There's an ap for that. Forbes goes in depth about this new app that allows consumers to see who's really behind the brand they're buying. A way for people to choose who they make purchases from means that companies are even more accountable for their actions. Maybe Unilever will have to finally do something about their misaligned Dove and Axe brands. Big companies without a big purpose better get thinking about some strategic partnerships to boost their image or people might start "buycotting" them.

My last sentiment on being nice comes from this sweet little boy telling college guys to "be nice to girls, be nice to everyone, and make George Clooney proud." I have to say, I wish this video came out 4 years ago.

Thank you Elon University, for the most amazing four years of college and teaching me the value of going the extra mile.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Racy wins the Race

By Kelvin Walker | Published May 17, 2013

If you are the Chief Marketing Officer for Victoria's Secrets, and you want to make a line of products that appear edgy and cool to young, college and high school aged girls what do you do?

GET THE PARENTS TO START COMPLAINING ABOUT IT.

When Rockstar Games made Grand Theft Auto, parents protested the violence and sexual content. Sales went through the roof, making it one of the most popular games of all-time. Victoria Secrets has, luckily, fell into the same situation. Just a few months ago, Victoria Secrets launched its new items in its PINK line. The campaign is geared towards young women, with the slogan "Bright Young Things." They launched a youtube video with really young models and it was not received well by parents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUS5ScGvcCw

Personally, I don't think it was "that" racy, and don't see much difference in previous advertisements compared to this one. In fact, a facebook commenter was quoted saying, "This is the same sort of thing found on their college-aged targeted line...for a long time now. Why is it all of a sudden an issue?"

A Seattle woman named, Diana Cherry, actually got 4000 people to sign her change.com petition to rid the stores of this "glaring example of culture forcing girls to grow up fast". Unfortunately, Victoria's Secrets made the decision to remove the products from the stores and website. I am not so sure this was a good idea. They should waited a while, and observe how the racy publicity impacted the performance of the new product line. If Rockstar Games did this with Grand Theft Auto, the company probably would not be in existence. Obviously, Rockstar Games is not at the same stature as Victoria's Secrets and I do respect the decision to maintain your public image, but you never know if this could have been a gold mine.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/27/news/companies/victorias-secret-underwear-ad/index.html

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Final Thoughts

By Caroline Scalici | Published May 17, 2013

Oh How Far We've Come...

When I showed up on Elon University's campus the summer of 2009 I had no idea what the next four years would have in store. Choosing to go out of state and start my next chapter all on my own, when my parents and I drove up to my dorm the only person I had met was my freshman year roommate just a few weeks before. I was bright eyed, bushy tailed, and so very naive.

While the past four years seem to have flown by, that 18 year-old in a cheerleading uniform is a faint memory. I no longer get lost on campus, have a meal plan or have to ask a third year for directions to my classroom in the business center. Much more than the trivial things, looking back over the past years at Elon I know now that the experiences that I have had here and the people I have met have changed me into an entirely new person. While I have evolved a lot over the past years I am now, very slowly preparing to go out into the real world, young, naive and starting out on my own like I was just four years ago. In case the Elon staff succeeds in dragging me across the stage so I can graduate, here's some parting thoughts on lessons I learned (outside of the classroom) and things to know for every one else who is in the shoes I was in not too long ago...

Lessons Learned

1. Be cool

My first year at Elon I was the definition of an overachiever. I got my work done the day it was assigned, not the morning assignments were due like my peers. After exams I stalked professors outside of their offices for grades. For each class I had a color-coded binder, with a cover sheet with the name of the course, professor, class times, and directions to the building just in case. (One of the first boys I met at Elon continued to call me "Binder Cover Girl" just about every night he saw me out till the day he graduated).

While I wouldn't be in the fortunate position that I am today without having the type A personality I had in college, by the end of my first year I learned that I really needed to be cool. My schedule was packed with about 20 credit hours a semester, Cheerleading, a sorority and all those clubs I signed up for at the organization fair just in case my resume wasn't packed enough by the time I had to start the career search. I soon learned that driving yourself crazy isn't the way to get through college. You don't need to be involved in everything to be anyone. You don't need to, and probably shouldn't, stalk professors. No matter how polished you try to be you will end up wearing work out clothes to class by your senior year. Sit back, and learn to relax just a little so you can enjoy the ride!

2. Take every opportunity

All four years at Elon I made sure to take every opportunity that I could. I joined a sorority, went to every event I could pack into my schedule, and applied to special programs my University had to offer. Not wanting to go home and spend the summer as a lifeguard in the Virginia suburbs after freshman year I applied to the Elon in New York Program and instead spent my break interning in the big city. I learned to be on my own in the real world at 19, met new friends and began the path to the career that I will begin in just a few weeks. By taking advantage of everything Elon has to offer, both socially and academically, I have all of the memories that I have now. I can now graduate knowing that I did not leave any box unchecked, taking no regrets but only memories that will last a life time back up to New York.

3. Study abroad!

One of the reasons I told my parents I wanted to go to Elon was because I wanted to study abroad. I don't think they were anticipating at the time that I would take the trip abroad not once, but three times. I spent winter term freshman year studying in Yucatan Mexico, winter term sophomore year on the beaches of Barbados and the fall of my junior year in Florence. There's no better way to grow up than to travel to a foreign country on your own. These are the experiences that taught me how to work a map, make five train changes through the night between Florence and Interlaken, and pack a bag without tagging along my entire closet.

No matter how young or inexperienced you are, you will figure it out. Getting lost, finding yourself in tough situations and making several mistakes along the way will end up leading to some of the best memories you make. During just my trip to Europe I got kicked off a train in Bratislava in the middle of the night for accidentally entering the country illegally, found myself on a ten euro flight to Barcelona where the pilot asked for silence so he could "concentrate during take off," and spent a night sleeping in a train station in Brussels on top of my passport. I learned my street smarts maneuvering my own way around Mexico and Europe. Now I am prepared to take on just about any city in the U.S.!

4. The best people you will ever meet will be in college

Over the past few years I was fortunate to find the closest friends I know I'll have for the rest of my life. It may have taken until the end of sophomore year for our group of five to come together, but we've been inseparable every since. They're the ones I have "family" dinner with a few nights a week while at school, the girls I walked home all 50 blocks from my internship to catch up with on the phone, and the friends I will count down the days to every summer reunion with. I knew I would find a new friend group after coming to college but I could not have imagined how happy I would be because of the close-knit friends I would make. With the worst of luck all five of us will be in five different cities next year, meaning graduation is definitely going to be requiring waterproof mascara. Leaving the four of them is going to be impossible but I'll always know that the best people I'll ever meet will have been at Elon!

5. No matter what, you will not be ready to leave in four years

From older friends I always heard about how ready they were to graduate from their respective colleges and get out on their own. Each year at Elon I've been waiting for that moment to hit me. Now that graduation is just a week away I know that it never will while I am here! Where else do I get to actually live in a botanical garden, with all of my friends living down the street and endless plans almost every night of the week?

Before I came to Elon I was struggling to pick between eight different colleges. The one I luckily chose quickly became my favorite place in the world. Everyone's experience here has been different but there isn't one senior I know who welcomes the question from underclassmen: "So are you excited for graduation!?" No matter what you say before the big day comes, none of us will be ready to leave when President Leo dismisses us at graduation and it's time to throw our caps in the air.

What's next?

While leaving Elon may just be the hardest thing I have to do I am fortunate to have a lot to look forward to! The amazing experiences I have had here at Elon and professors that I learned so much from have landed me in my dream career. Just a week after graduation I get to start a whole summer traveling around the U.S. training with my company and then settle in my second favorite place, New York City. This chapter of my life was filled with many more twists than I could have imagined and I know my next will hold many more stories I'll look back on.

I can't bring up the nerve to say bye, so for now Elon let's just settle for "see you soon."

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Racy wins the Race

By Kelvin Walker | Published May 17, 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUS5ScGvcCw

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Closing One Chapter, Beginning A New One

By Sarah Schermer | Published May 16, 2013

I am at a very critical transition in my life. I am graduating from my undergraduate program. This blog began as a requirement for my Integrated Marketing Communications class, but it's not going to end that way. I have enjoyed blogging. While I am slow in updates, I've actually had four posts on the back burner until I actually made myself sit down and write them out, it helps me focus on what's interesting in the marketing world. I think that after graduation, and with the freedom to write about whatever I want, this blog will transform in to a personal journey I hope you join in with me.

There is one more company I want to talk about before I close this chapter. And that is Coca-Cola. I also took Global Marketing this semester and my senior capstone class, Business Policy. I wrote lengthy papers in both those classes about Coca-Cola. While working for a non-profit this semester, ABAN, I learned many differences between nonprofit and for profit companies. I believe that the main difference isn't greed, but putting the brand first. Coca-Cola is one of the WORLD's most recognized brands. Everyone knows they sell soda, but what they've really been selling is a lifestyle disguised as soda. No, you don't think so? I think so.

While I was studying abroad in Japan, every morning my friends and I would buy a Georgia Coffee from the vending machine by the bus stop before going to class. It wasn't until more than half way through my Global Marketing class I found out that Georgia is, dun dun dun, Coca Cola. That's right, I was wasting my foreign experiences on an American product. But that experience of just picking up a can of something good to drink and enjoying it with friends, that's Coca Cola, not the physical ingredients within that can.

If nonprofits could invest their time in committing to defining their organization and cause marketing as a brand, a lifestyle, an experience then people wouldn't realize they're donating, they would just be living.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Funny Does Work

By Sarah Schermer | Published May 16, 2013

I am definitely a part of my demographic. I watch a ton of TV. True, none of it is on an actual TV because I am a wizard of the Internet and too cheap to buy a DVR. However, this means that my exposure to commercials is about zero to none. So when I dusted off the TV last week to watch something while I ate lunch, I came across a commercial advertisement for a men's razor that was hilarious, slightly shocking and inappropriate, and the most important point, memorable. I immediately looked up that commercial online after I saw it. I don't know if or when the last time I looked up a product simply from watching a TV ad for it. After looking it up, I saw that Philips Norelco has a whole series of these, each varying in hilarity. I may have an odd sense of humor, but that aside, the customization of the person based upon the standardization of the product was what intrigued me.

The man goes from having a full beard, to different kinds of beards and then to clean-shaven. The way the commercial showed the transformation of the man simply due to the way he looked based upon shaving showed a true market championship: positive customer relationship with product.

While searching for this commercial, and it was difficult, I finally came across the video on this amazing website, a marketers dream. The website creates TV advertising analytica for agencies, brands and talent. The website claims:

"Instantly access real-time data around the shows, networks and airings for any national TV advertising campaign. Our easy to use graphical interfaces let you view and filter the data in many useful ways. View the data for a single ad or across an entire industry segment."

Getting detailed analysis of when/where/who is watching about your commercial would greatly increase the ability to determine how much ROI is coming back from marketing. There's no greater pat on the back than to find our your hard work in market research, creativity and budgeting has paid off.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

How to Make Homelessness "Sexy"

By Sarah Schermer | Published May 16, 2013

"It's hard to sell homelessness. It's not sexy," Kevin Murray, the chief executive of the Weingart Center, a nonprofit focused on helping homeless people get back on their feet, told the LA Times.

The Weingart Center knows the difficulty of trying to reach out to donors. Most people avoid eye contact with people begging on street corners, especially younger generations. Murray knew it was going to take a whole new kind of marketing to reach younger generations to donate to the cause.

"John Stevens, 22, the artist who drew the chalk living spaces, says the campaign's message worked for him. "A lot of people, they just walk by homeless people on the streets. I'm guilty of doing that," he said. "But this changed my outlook. It made me start thinking. It made me think that people don't have to live this way"" (LA Times).

In the fast-paced time of NOW, no one's willing to stop and smell the flowers, so advertising has taken on the tone of interruption. So when it comes to something heart-breaking that seems without a solution, people ignore it, making this an extremely difficult cause to advertise. I think that this is a beautifully crafted way to engage passer-bys, especially of younger mobile generations. It engages the eye and the ease of donation engages the wallet. It can be so easy to miss something under our nose. By taking something everyday out of it's normal perspective and putting a spin on it, we can find ourselves seeing something old afresh.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Color’s Controlling our Minds!

By Alex Silverman | Published May 16, 2013

Why is Facebook blue?

It might seem like a silly question but the root answer to why different web pages have different color schemes stems deeper than, oh it just seemed cute or appealing. Buffer's Leo Widrich published an article on Fast Company analyzing the science behind colors in marketing.

Photo Credit: Facebook.com

For Facebook the answer actually IS that simple. The reasoning behind the blue color scheme is due to the fact that creator, Mark Zuckerberg is red-green color blind, and blue is the color he can perceive the strongest. Unlike Facebook, the rest of the world wide web, is designing their pages based on what sort of mood and message they want to convey to their viewers.

Photo Credit: Fast Company

According to Widrich black conveys power, strength, direct, credibility, accuracy and definiteness. Sites that use a good amount of black as the basis to their color scheme are usually more serious organizations like construction, corporate, oil, fashion, cosmetics, mining and marketing. Sites with a green color scheme are more on the environmentally friendly mindset, as well as education and adventure. Medicine, science, government, ecological-business, tourism and human resources all predominately have green color schemes. Finally, sites with a blue color pallet convey characteristics like credibility, calming, clean, focused, medical, professional, judicial, power and business and encompass business like medical, scientific, utilities, government, health care, high-tech, legal, information technology, dental and corporate.

According to Widrich, women and men are surprisingly similar when it comes to color preferences, both gravitating towards blue and green and preferred colors and disliking brown and orange. This general color preference makes it easier to appeal to a wide range of users, and stay away from colors that would deter internet traffic. Red has also been proven to be a very demanding and urgent color, and when used on a web page to try and persuade users to subscribe to something, versus a green button, 21% of more users subscribed when exposed to the red button. This simple change in button color generated a significant difference in whether users performed a specific action or not, which proves that color has a definite impact on our choices and perceptions.

Photo Credit: Fast Company

After reading this article I took a closer look at some of my favorite websites I visit daily and analyzed the color scheme and how it effected my mood. Pandora was the first site I looked at and with a generally blue color scheme, the site made me feel relaxed, which is what I look for in a music website whether it be studying for finals or when I want to listen to some tunes and unwind from the day. The next site I looked at was BuzzFeed with a generally red and yellow color scheme, the colors made me feel happy and lighthearted, as the humorous stories on the site are intended to do. Lastly, I looked at LinkedIn, which had a blue and black color scheme, giving off the sense of professionalism, credibility and business.

Although colors of a web page might seem like a characteristic most overlook, web designers spend a lot of time designing and coming up with these color schemes in order to send a message to users. The color of a website may have more of an impact on your senses and perception then you might think, and something as simple as the color of a button may be the reason you subscribe to a web site or not. The moral of the story, do not underestimate the color wheel, it may be controlling your choices, mood and online credit card activity!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged mkt413 | Leave a Comment

Integrated Marketing Communications

C&A Beats Buyer Confusion With Smart Hangers