WHITNEY MARTINEZ Creative Brand Manager, VCU Brandcenter
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GERMEXICAN [jur-mek-si-kuhn]
-Noun 1. a mash-up of two completely different cultures, German and Mexican; ex. Whitney Martinez My maternal grandmother has a very thick German accent. My father’s name is Fernando. I have fond memories of the most delicious German candy. I have been to well over 15 parties with piñatas as a child. I watched my mom and grandma eat liverwurst sandwiches but never partook. Tortillas are always in my refrigerator. My parents have videos of my sister and I singing along to Linda Ronstadt in Spanish.
My culture is a puzzle. There are two pieces that fit well together -- Germexican -- but that leaves out the southern part of my heritage. All of that combined is a recipe for a crazy, mixed up family. But without this puzzle my experiences in only 23 years would not be as interesting. I had cousins from both sides calling me a “city girl” and a “cracker.” I didn’t really get it, because I wasn’t either. They were stereotyping me and its hard to fit neatly into one stereotype when I am part of three different cultures. Each culture makes fun of the others and I am caught in the middle. I don’t think I can ever choose a side.
I have always opened presents on Christmas Eve.
Who would want to when you get to have the fun-loving, hot-tempered Mexicans, the sweet tea drinking, always welcoming southern folk, and the Germans, with their harsh throaty vocals and beer steins lining their shelves. All of this in one family. It’s bizarre to almost anyone who lives outside of it.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I marked white on many standardized tests when I was younger, unintentionally denying my Hispanic background.
I’m lucky to be exposed to all of these cultures. I know the stereotypes and some are true, but most are not. In order to understand all sides I believe you have to dig deeper than the surface to get to know a culture and its people.
I’m both the oldest child AND the middle child.
That’s why I love being in the Creative Brand Management track. I’m able to have a better perspective of both sides. I am eager to help bring business culture and the creative process together to shape the future of branding.
I have an insanely large and diverse family.
I became an aunt for the first time at age 2, and I now have 2 nieces and 3 nephews.
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WHITNEY MARTINEZ
Creative Brand Manager VCU Brandcenter Class of 2010
114 N. Morris St. Richmond, VA 23220 703.901.6690 whitneymmartinez@gmail.com
BRANDCENTER EXPERIENCE
Brand Audit for Goodwill • Wrote situational analysis and Identified core strengths and weaknesses of the organization • Crafted competitive review • Completed qualitative and quantitative consumer research which included writing a discussion guide, conducting a focus group, one-on-one interviews, & online surveys • Presented competitive analysis, consumer research findings, strategic recommendations, and estimated budget to client Segmentation Study for Blurb, an online book making company • Performed qualitative and quantitative research to discover consumer attitudes and perceptions from over 250 respondents • Used findings from research to develop consumer segmentation study • Conducted a competitive analysis that included price, products, and benefits for five key competitors • Recommended ideal target and provided traditional and non-traditional media ideas to reach them Social Marketing Concept for Bayer’s One-A-Day Vitamins • Generated multiple ideas to raise money for child mortality awareness • Formulated a competitive analysis and identified two companies that would work well with the cause, Vitamin Angels & Brinker International • Recommended traditional & non-traditional advertising to promote the events that would raise money for child mortality • Developed media recommendations based on extensive research into timing, location, and feasibility
NOT SO RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
I’m great at customer service. At the membership desk you get all kinds of interesting questions. Costco, Leesburg VA, 2005-2007 I worked at a bakery & gave customers exactly what they craved, from macaroons to cherry pie. Mom’s Apple Pie, Leesburg VA, 2006-2007 I can handle kids and unexpected situations that they throw at you. Substitute Teacher, Loudoun County Public Schools, 2007-2009
LEADERSHIP
Delta Sigma Pi: President, Senior Vice-President, Vice President of Community Service, Historian Women’s Club Volleyball: Team Captain, Secretary
EDUCATION Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA – Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, May 2008 SKILLS Mac OSX, iWork, iLife, Windows, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, social media, Simmons INTERESTS I love traveling and planning trips, reading, drawing, being creative in the kitchen, and I’d rather
play sports than watch them.
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CONTENTS 8 12 16 22 24
Pogo Stick Nike FC Project 141 Ebony Brand Story Blurb: A Segmentation Study
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POGO STICK Assignment: Reintroduce the pogo stick. A dated child’s toy needs to make a comeback. What could make this toy relevant in today’s culture? A whole new attitude.
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FROM PROBLEMATIC TOY TO EXTREME SPORT Parents are less likely to let their children use pogo sticks because they are increasingly aware of activities and toys that may injure their children.
Extreme sports is known for the inherent element of danger. The original pogo stick was criticized for being too dangerous, but with extreme sports, the danger factor is relished.
The pogo stick takes a lot of practice to master. Many kids viewed it as a pick up activity, not something that is used for a long period of time. They would rather play with friends.
Extreme sports are generally solitary activities. Children would get bored with bouncing on pogo stick, but an extreme sports enthusiast will spend hours attempting to master a trick.
The youth of today has fun playing video games. This newer form of entertainment means less time outside and more time in front of a screen.
Young people are attracted to extreme sports. The three out of five children in the US who watch extreme sports will definitely notice when the pogo stick is added. Youth culture usually influences popular culture and the pogo stick will gain credibility once again.
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X-POGO X-Pogo does exist, but few people practice it. Those who do, use the pogo stick to practice a variety of gravity defying tricks and stunts. The Flybar is a pogo stick that jumps higher than older models. The 1200 model can jump around 5 feet because of new and improved technology.
POSITION Elevation technology for a bigger thrill. TARGET • Extreme sports enthusiast = male, teenager to young adult • Likes one or more extreme sport: visits neighborhood skateparks regularly, takes mountain biking trips with friends, and winter means snowboarding • Not afraid to get hurt • Brags to his buddies about his “narrow escapes” • The risks keep him coming back for more • Rebels against conventional sports, especially those with teams • Likes to perfect tricks alone in his spare time • His friends would say he’s outgoing, maybe even a little “crazy” • Individualistic • Buys products from Quiksilver, Billabong, O’Neill, Volcom, and Hurley
PACKAGING
Customizing is important for extreme sports enthusiasts. Pogo sleeves will be created for personalization.
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In store, there will be no actual package. The hands-on experience helps with the purchase decision.
NON-TRADITIONAL PROMOTION
1. DEMONSTRATION Skateparks and college campuses in: Los Angeles (UCLA) San Francisco (UCSF) Austin (UT) Miami (UM) New York City (NYU) Flybar merchandise will be given away.
2. SAMPLING Athletes: Be seen in public or on videos using the Flybar Specialty Sports Shops: Customers get hands-on experience in stores
3. VIDEO GAMES Bonus rounds enable gamers to perform tricks on a Flybar pogo stick in games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Dave Mirra’s Freestyle BMX.
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NIKE FC Assignment: Partner with a global brand to achieve results similar to that of Nike+. A big idea with global reach. It all started with soccer and Google; two things that almost everyone in the world have been exposed to.
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CONCEPT
Offering a global soccer community locally. Google and Nike together will enable users to organize pick-up games without a formal season or schedule. Organization provided by Google, gear provided by Nike. Organized soccer for the unorganized.
COMPONENTS • • • • • • • •
Find and create local teams using Google Groups View individual performance Team tips and information Team rankings using individual stats including sportsmanship ratings and records Coordinate games with other Nike FC teams Locate fields Schedule events using Google Calendar Nike Cup: an event that encourages teams to organize games to play across regions
NIKE FC PRODUCT LINE • Nike FC exclusive patch on all branded products • Customizable apparel and equipment using NikeID technology • Jerseys, shorts, socks, warmups • Shin guards, bags, balls, cleats
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PRE-LAUNCH EVENTS Famous players will go to soccer fields known for pick up games in 12 major cities. The will invite random people in the cities to play a pick-up game with them. The players will give Nike FC jerseys and other branded apparel to participants for the game. Production crew films the experience and produces viral videos. Participants will be able to keep Nike FC branded products.
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LAUNCH Nike FC will give away branded jerseys to select teams in regions that sign up first in the Google Groups community. That will provide motivation for the other teams to outfit themselves in the customized gear. Non-traditional urban advertising will include sign-up sheets, bus shelter ads and other buzzworthy placement.
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PROJECT 141 Assignment: Develop a cause-related marketing campaign to raise money and awareness for child mortaility. Malnutrition claims the lives of 5.6 million children under the age of five each year. Proper nutrition is the simplest way to keep children and their immune systems healthy. Vitamin Angels is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing nutrients to children all over the world. But they only accept vitamin donations directly from the manufacturers. Because of that, this concept is intended to be presented to the Bayer Corporation.
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Project 141 is a participatory program that gives people the opportunity to take vitamins for their own benefit while contributing to a organization that helps reduce child mortality. One for Me, One for You. For every vitamin taken, Bayer can donate one vitamin to Vitamin Angels to help children in need.
one for me. one for you.
The concept, One for Me, One for You would be implemented through sampling, sales, and an online widget during the month of September (Child and Infant Mortality Month).
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TACTICS: SAMPLING Vitamins will be handed out at restaurants and ice cream shops. An assortment of One-A-Day vitamins will be sampled at a partnering restaurant chain. Gummy vitamins will be sampled in an ice cream chain as an ice cream topping. For every vitamin sampled during one week in September, a vitamin will be donated to Vitamin Angels.
SALES For every bottle sold in retail locations, the same number of bottles will be donated to Vitamin Angels. This is ongoing throughout the month of September.
ONLINE WIDGET People will be able to download a widget to their social networking profiles that records their vitamin intake each day. For every click that a vitamin has been taken, a vitamin will be donated to Vitamin Angels in September.
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WEBSITE DESIGN:
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PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS:
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RATIONALE: Cause-related marketing is known to increase consideration for products. One-A-Day and the Bayer brand will benefit from the goodwill of being associated with Project 141. Sales of vitamins have decreased by 20% in the past few years because fortified foods and fresh produce are widely known as the primary sources of nutrients, not vitamins. Consumers believe that vitamins should be taken as a replacement for healthy foods, not as a supplement. Bayer has the opportunity to re-educate the public by showing that vitamins can be an important part of your diet.
one for me. one for you.
Because One-A-Day is supporting child mortality awareness, consumers will be more willing to try products by One-A-Day causing and increase in sales and awareness for One-A-Day products.
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EBONY
When I opened an issue of Ebony for the first time, all of my preconceived notions flew out the window. After learning of the magazine’s history, I was inspired to write the brand story from Ebony’s perspective.
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BRAND STORY
I was founded by John H. Johnson in 1945. That makes me over 63 years old. I have seen so much in those 63 years. I have Brothers and Sisters across the country who have been there with me. WIthout them, I would not be the same. When the GIs came home from WWII, I was there -- ready to give them an identity that they could be proud of. They were real and successful; I was not ready to let them fade into anonymity, just because they came home from war. I wanted the world to see my Brothers and Sisters in a new light that was respectful and most importantly, positive. But first, I changed advertising for my pages. Advertisers started using my Brothers and Sisters in their ads instead of white people. They showed them like ordinary consumers. I guess people didn’t think that we were normal. But we knew there was much potential for us so we waited. We were positive; there is no doubt about that. I showed the challenges that we were going to face: poverty, racial injustices, and terrible discrimination. But I also showed what we were capable of: getting jobs and starting careers in every field imaginable. We were successful; and that success was not only for us, but also for our grandmothers, our grandfathers, our children and our grandchildren. It was a struggle. Everyone was proud of what we had achieved, but there was a long way to go. Most of my experiences came from the civil rights movement. It provided tears and laughter that became part of every page. I saw the desegregation of lunch counters and schools. Racism was running rampant in every place we turned. I saw the murders of Emmett Till, the four little girls from Alabama, and many different activists. I saw the March on Washington in 1963. Oh what a sight! Over 250,000 people and all were there to protest the inequalities we had been suffering. Martin Luther King, Jr. told us that he had a dream. I was there to witness how he moved people, and I was there when he was brought down. Everything I saw brought happiness and heartache. And what would I be without the countless writers and photographers itching to show the world what we are made of. We were a team, all different, but with the same goal -- to show America that Black people are beautiful and successful. There is no doubt about it; we are beautiful, and we are successful. I have served as inspiration to every Brother and Sister out there. I show them our history. I relay the information that is relevant to Black America. I answer their questions. I give them advice for families and friends. I help them cook for their little ones. I know who they are, which is why my point of view is respected. They can trust me because I have given them their culture back. I am Ebony. They don’t just read me. I am lived. Ebony is a way of life.
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BLURB: A SEGMENTATION STUDY Qualitative (one-on-one interviews), quanitative (online surveys), and secondary research were performed to identify four different segments. Each segment was separated by the primary motivations of photo takers.
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An online company began when it developed a creative publishing service that was simple enough to make anyone an author. Cookbooks, photography, biographies, and portfolios are just some examples of the types of books that can be published through Blurb.
OPPORTUNITY Since digital cameras were introduced, photo printing has dropped drastically. We need to find out which photo takers will connect with the tangible products that Blurb offers.
FOUR SEGMENTS: PRIMARY MOTIVATIONS OF PHOTO TAKERS Hardcore Hobbiest Serendipitous Snapper Shameless Sharer Dedicated Documenter
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HARDCORE HOBBIEST They take photos very often, the more the better. Their rule is take many, keep few. They don’t think photography is about being perfect. They try to get as close as they can to capturing a great picture. They will take pictures of anything and everything, especially if it looks like it will make a great image. They often share photos with online communities like Flickr. To them its more about sharing their work with a larger artistic community. Those communities give them something that their family and friends cannot, a venue where their work can be appreciated and critiqued. Because their photos live online, they have no need to print. They have a deep knowledge and desire to continue learning about photography; and they invest in equipment to improve the aesthetic quality of their photos. They take photos for the joy of creating art.
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SERENDIPITOUS SNAPPER
SHAMELESS SHARER
These people want to capture the unusual occurences in everyday life. Taking a photo means recording the “twisted” side of the world. They do not take photos for attention or to frame on their wall. They are truly compelled by the subject matter.
They live to show off their pictures. Of course, they like having memories; the real joy is sharing them. Whether it is on Facebook, photo albums, or email blasts, the excitement comes from other people looking at their pictures.
They hardly ever take photos because they are not into capturing Kodak moments or anything similar. When they take photos, it will most likely be of an ironic sign or a flower growing out of the pavement.
They are social butterflies and are taking pictures of everything: weekend gatherings, family dinners, holidays, and road trips. You name it -- they’ve got the pictures. So where do their photos live? They use online photosharing, especially Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa.
They enjoy quirky aspects of living and are happy that they are able to capture a moment of absurdity on camera. They do not alter a picture after it is taken or share with many people. All they care about is the proof living on their camera; they were able to capture a strange moment with their keen eye.
They like to use their photos as conversation starters. “I love it when I find out people commented on my Facebook albums.” They are proud of their photos and the memories they captured because they feel like they are helping peoplle relive the great times they had. Their photos are the postcards of their life.
DEDICATED DOCUMENTER They think that practically everything in life is worth remembering, and they want to be there to capture it all. They believe it is their duty to keep track of life events for themselves, and their family and friends. To them, it is a challenging task, but they have fun doing it. They also think that collecting memories through photos is like building a time machine. They want to be able to return to that place, event, or holiday in an instant and remember every detail. It is no surprise that the majority of their time is spent with family and the camera plays a big part in telling the story of their lives. They want polished photos and they know just enough about photography to accomplish that. But it is surprising that only 4% keep photos in a photo album. They are having a harder time holding on to their memories when they are trapped inside their hard drive.
BLURB IS PERFECT FOR THE DEDICATED DOCUMENTER • They are losing the tangible feeling of a photograph and a Blurb book can replace it. • They are also losing their ritual (take photos, drop off film, pick up photos, assemble albums with pride) and the Blurb process can be a new ritual. • Blurb is the place to arrange their photos and memories into a superior quality book.
BLURB: EMPOWERING THE DEDICATED DOCUMENTERS TO TRANSFORM THEIR PIXELS TO PAPER
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In this business, the more problems you solve, the better you get. Bruce Bendinger
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BRANDS WORKED ON Aqualisa Quartz Bayer’s One-A-Day Blurb Chapstick Coty Ebony Magazine Flybar Goodwill Nike Oscar Mayer Red Bull Sirius XM Starbucks Subway Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland Vitamin Angels
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I am enjoying my time at the Brandcenter. Since discovering it during my second year at Virginia Tech, I knew I had to go. It has been amazing getting to know so many different people and learning a number of the ins and outs of the industry. In these two semesters, I have been able to take a closer look at myself, my strengths, my weaknesses and my work habits. I feel like I have come a long way since week one at the Brandcenter. Thank you for taking a look at my work. I’m itching to learn even more about the business of branding. I can’t wait to hear from you. You can contact me at whitneymmartinez@gmail.com or by phone (703) 901.6690.
THANK YOU