Tagline - Brands in a Social Media Age by Spartan Advertising Club

TAGLINE Spartan Advertising Club

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2013

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Table Of Contents Presidents Note.................................................................................. PG 03 from the officers.............................................................................. PG 04 Brand Sociality: Is it Here to Stay? James M. Coyle........................................ PG 05 The Imperativeness of Today’s Social Brand Griselda Quintero.......................... PG 07 The Promotional Tweet: Yay or Neigh? Tiffany Marcar.................................... PG 08 Three Ways Brands Can Use #Hashtags Clarissa Sangalang............................. PG 09 Tweet and retweet – infographic Lisa Sydes-Findlay....................................... PG 10 #SocialMediainSports Joseph Lopez............................................................... Pg 11 Where and Why Brands are Being Social Sarah Ullmark................................. PG 12 Most Social Brands on Top Outlets: The Top Two Angelica Monterrubio.............. PG 13 Brazil v. USA – A Social Media Friendly Isadora Busch.................................... PG 14 IPO on People’s Information Jay Singh......................................................... PG 15 Viral Videos Matthew Viramontes.................................................................. PG 16 The Glass to the World Jay Singh.............................................................PG 17 Swinging Onto Vine James M. Coyle............................................................. PG 18 The Importance of Being Social to Potential Employers Benjamin H. Benitez.......... PG 19 Behind the Social Media Formaldehyde Curtain Tim Winfred............................PG 20

A Note From the President On behalf of San Jose State University’s Spartan Advertising Club, I would like to present our Spring 2013 Issue of TAGLINE. Our annual publication TAGLINE, is both written and produced by our club members, which its theme is centralized by a specific area of advertising. This years TAGLINE theme is Brands in a Social Media Age. Social media has played a significant role in advertising recently and has really played as huge stepping-stones for brands that have gone the “non-traditional” route for building awareness. Because of the fast growing popularity of social media and advertising, our members have chosen this year’s theme and have written related articles that you will enjoy. In the last year the Spartan Advertising Club has revamped their look and feel. We started by redesigning our logo, making it more bold and confident. We also built a Facebook Fan Page and launched our Spartan Ad Club SJSU Instagram, all to better engage with SJSU students, and the advertising world around us. I am also proud to announce that our semiannual Agency Tours have been nominated for Outstanding New Program Award, and Outstanding Educational Program Award in this year’s 2013 Student Organization Awards. The significance of the agency tours is that it allows members to get a better understanding of the advertising industry outside of the classroom. It provides members to see what agency life is like and are able to ask industry professionals questions and advice on how to land that first job as aspiring advertising students. This year has been an amazing learning experience for the Spartan Advertising Club and especially myself. I am confident that this club will continue to exceed expectations and produce some of the most brilliant and creative students the advertising industry has seen. I am proud of all our club members and am excited for what the future holds for them! I hope you enjoy the 2013 issue of TAGLINE!

Joey Lopez President

Words from the officers There are some things you just can’t learn in a classroom. That’s where SAC comes in. I’m so thankful for what the club and the members have taught me about the industry. I wanted to become an officer so that I could help continue the club’s mission to help its members be more connected to each other and the ad industry. There are many bright minds in SJSU and in SAC. Tagline is just one of the ways our members can shine.

Clarissa Sangalang Vice President

Social media, and a brand’s presence on it, is the future — there’s no denying it. I couldn’t be more proud of our members, and their involvement in such a critical sector of advertising’s future. And as Tagline’s content manager, I’m excited to see our hard work pay off, providing us with the perfect tangible tool for getting our foot in the door.

James M. Coyle

Communications Chair

Lisa Sydes

The world of advertising is crazy and chaotic. Since joining SAC in fall of 2012, and being elected as Creative Director, my world has become nothing but coffee, design, last minute advertising projects and too many sleepless nights to count. But in the end, after seeing our finished business cards, t-shirts, and now Tagline, it’s all worth it, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Creative Director

Not Listed: Raana Camila – Treasurer, Angelica Monterrubio – Events Coordinator

Brand Sociality: Is it Here to Stay? By James M. Coyle

Technology is one of the many sectors of our society that changes by the day, but also one of the few sectors that has no established place in our society’s future. Because of the endless opportunities that social media has to offer, and the wide array of tech industry factors that fuel it, we can probably name many reasons why its future may be unclear. However, there are also several reasons why a brand’s presence on a trending network like Facebook, Twitter, Google + or Pinterest is most definitely here to stay. In this piece, I will examine two of the main reasons why I think brands need to not only stay on social media networks now, but in the future too.

1. Social Networks are the best Landing Spots for Brand-to-Consumer Engagement. I know the term “engagement” has been overused lately, but there is a legitimate reason why; because it works! For example, let’s look at second-screening—social networking on your phone or tablet while watching TV—and how it has quickly become yet another platform for brands to further reach their consumers. Without drifting too far into the world of Social TV that I’ve grown to love, second-screening is still the perfect example of how brands are taking a social media trend and capitalizing on it. Since the beginning of this social trend, brands have been consistently finding new methods to engage their consumer and eventually generate advertising revenue through it. Whether it’s done via an app or social network they create, or the added brand exposure they generate through tweets, second-screening has provided the ad industry with a slew of new ways to reach their audience. Though just like with all other social networks since their inception, the process of monetization on them has presented them with many difficulties. While I do foresee an onslaught on different brands jumping on the brand-to-consumer engagement wagon, I believe they can only go so far before the monetization process is perfected.

BRAND

SOCIALITY 2. Social Networks Provide Brands with the Opportunity to Establish a Brand Voice. I think we all can agree that it’s flat out dumb for brands not be present on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and even Pinterest. The very idea of impressions on people is one of the driving forces in advertising, or publicity for that matter. So, even though many of these social networks are still young, but rapidly growing, people are already on them, and they’re on them a lot. This is where brand presence comes into play, and how strong of an effect these brands are having on their followers. Are they tweeting upcoming sales, posting pictures or videos of new products, or holding contests for their users? Well, most brands have already caught on to the idea of using social media as a source for extra exposure, but what they haven’t mastered yet is their brand voice. Does their online brand voice represent what their company stands for? Does it actually respond to consumers who are tweeting them, posting pictures or videos, or liking them? Maybe not quite yet as brands still haven’t ironed out all of the pros and cons of having a reflective and interactive brand voice, but they sure are learning quickly.

06 As you will read in a couple of our other Tagline articles, there are a number of brands that are leading the way in sporting a strong online presence; but as of now, an online presence is still new and much younger than social media itself, so the potential for growth is still abundant. Once brands master the art of a strong online presence and an effective brand voice, they will certainly remain in the future of all things social media related. So, if someone were to ask me about the future opportunities for brands on social, I would probably tell them to watch out, they have no idea what is coming. Since Facebook first caught fire, we have already seen how fast it can spread. Now, we are seeing brands, young and old, utilize these social networks to grow their online presence from nothing to absolutely everything.

The Imperativeness of Today’s Social Brand by Griselda Quintero

The 21st century has evolved into a social media age. It’s clear that a business absence on major social networks is can be an indication of irrelevance. Social media networks can not only boost profits and increase brand recognition, but can also improve customer retention. Utilizing social media well demonstrates that a brand or company is connected to what its customers say, think or feel about the brand or product. However, because of the many social networks popping up, the biggest challenge businesses face today is knowing which platforms produce the most brand awareness. When it comes to a web presence, Facebook continues to be a key social network due to its broad global reach, with Twitter coming in second due to its global relevance. Facebook is estimated to have more than 350 million active users while Twitter boasts around 32.1 million according to the American Bar Association. MySpace, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest aren’t even close to the millions of users that Facebook and Twitter have, but are becoming rapidly growing platforms that are gaining worldwide acceptance. Facebook, as the largest social networking site, is a very effective marketing tool that businesses can use to interact with their customers. Based on survey results conducted by Ask Your Target Market, Facebook users engage with brands, while Twitter users only follow brands. Facebook users often mention brands in status updates and share stories from brand pages. Moreover, 50 percent of Facebook users are more likely to share positive feedback, while Twitter users will tend to be more critical and include negative feedback.

According to a Forbes article written in October 2012, the digital marketing industry today is about how search engines, like Google, are continually updating their algorithms to provide the most relevant search results and content possible. Companies need to realize that social media sites like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest have become search engines themselves. Consumers are going directly to social media channels to search for content and to learn more about products or services. Brands should not ignore the opportunity of communicating brand value and building trust by engaging with existing and potential customers. LinkedIn has served to help individuals and companies build and maintain relationships. LinkedIn allows professionals to be more successful and productive in their careers by leveraging their skills and assets for better opportunities. Users can connect to people in the same industry to build their network. LinkedIn has established itself as the social media outlet that showcases resumes and introduces the users’ strengths and abilities to employers and recruiters. One thing for sure is that the social media era is far from dissolving, but instead evolving, and is most likely going to be apart of our lives 24/7. Social media is the new way of social interaction and information sharing, which makes it the new wave of marketing. Brand pages on social platforms contain excellent opportunities to build awareness, listen to consumers, gain a better understanding of audience needs, and manage a company’s image. Participating in social media can increase a company’s revenue while building a strong foundation of customer loyalty.

The Promotional Tweet: Yay or Neigh? by Tiffany Marcar

As a young and upcoming social media enthusiast, I spend a great deal of time on sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. In fact, my morning isn’t complete until I’ve had a daily dose of tweeting. As I scroll down, scanning each tweet for relevant news, I come across an unfamiliar name, Visa. That’s funny, I don’t remember ever having a sudden urge to follow Visa. I look to see who retweeted this and as my eyes scroll down I see the all too familiar yellow arrow and one word pops into my mind, promotional. Twitter, like many other social media platforms, depends on advertising. They call one of their offered forms of advertising “the promotional tweet.” While it’s not as obtrusive as the wall of advertisements lining my Facebook page, these promotional tweets still have the power to surprise me. It may seem as though the promotional tweet is just another way for advertisers to violate your personal space online, especially with such a niche provider like Twitter, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Promotional tweets came about in 2010 as a way for the San Francisco based startup to make a profit as the 140 character social platform took off. Promotional tweets not only generate revenue for Twitter, but they also serve as a modern means for brand exposure to the niche consumer. That’s right, that promotional Nike tweet you saw for those new shoes you wanted was no coincidence. Twitter pays attention to who and what you follow and matches them with promotions that best meet those interests. Also, thanks to promotional tweets, Twitter remains a free online forum for just about anything you want to know. From President Obama to Grumpy Cat, there are no limitations on Twitter. Still, with all the monetary benefits that promotional tweets have brought to Twitter, why does it still get a bad rap? Matt Cabot, an associate professor of public relations at San Jose State, says he feels these tweets can be invasive at times. “For some reason, they’re always a little bit surprising to me—and maybe even a bit intrusive. When you get a promoted tweet, it feels sneaky.” It’s true. The promotional tweet has a way of working its way into our pools of interests, but by tailoring these

tweets to what we really are interested in, isn’t it a lot more pleasant than being bombarded with random promotional tweets we care nothing about? Elizabeth Greenroad, an avid tweeter and sophomore at Mission College, agrees. “I think as long as promoted tweets are about stuff that people find interesting, they’re a great idea.” Twitter’s promotional tweets can actually be quite tasteful and innovative. While they may seem sneaky, they aren’t too intrusive, they’re relevant to user’s interests, and they aren’t tweeted often enough to become overwhelming. They allow for brands and people to not only make their products and services known, but also invite consumers to comment, favorite and follow like never before. Promotional tweets build brands, connect consumers and even help you find what you didn’t know you needed. Take Visa for example. Being the avid fashion follower that I am, they know I need a credit card to keep up with my obsessive shopping habits. Maybe it’s a sign that I should start following Visa, and finally accept the promotional tweet after all.

Three Ways Brands Can Use #Hashtags By Clarissa Sangalang

It’s no question that hashtags are becoming more and more ubiquitous in advertising. In this year’s Super Bowl, 38% of ads contained a hashtag, a 31% increase from the previous year. Although hashtags can be used on several different social networks, it is most prevalent on Twitter, thus making it the ideal platform to start a brand hashtag. Unfortunately, the ease of creating a hashtag can be a downside as many companies use them in their campaigns ineffectively. It is not enough to insert a pound sign in front of a keyword or phrase. There should be a good amount of thought and planning before creating a brand hashtag. Admittedly, it is hard to predict how the Twitterverse will respond, if at all, to a company’s tweet. But with careful planning, one can decrease the chances of having a hashtag backfire (known as a “bashtag”, but more on that later). The following are three ways companies can use hashtags with purpose:

1. Start a conversation Yes, having a conversation with 140 characters or less is difficult. That’s why when a brand asks a question or prompt, it should be succinct and easily relatable. The White House (yes, the White House) offers a great example in its #40dollars campaign. Back when the government was on a standstill over payroll tax cuts, the White House launched a social media campaign asking people “What does $40 mean to you?” with the hashtag #40dollars. Its purpose was to put public pressure on the Congress to make a decision. There were over 40,000 tweets containing the #40dollars hashtag, of which 78% contained positive sentiment, according to social media analyst company Crimson Hexagon.

2. Incentive based participation Offering prizes or rewards for participation is an age-old tactic in sales promotion. While a onefor-one prize system may not be ideal for a large audience such as Twitter, there are brands who are finding unique ways to reward its followers. In March of 2012, Domino’s UK launched its Tweet for Treat campaign for discounted pizza. Each tweet with the tag #letsdolunch reduced the price of a selected pizza by one pence. The promotion ran for two hours and generated 85,000 tweets. More importantly, it generated positive publicity for Domino’s for thinking outside the box. Another brand who is using incentive-based participation is American Idol. On April 3, 2013, American Idol producers, in partnership with ATT, began taking viewer ideas for show themes through the tag #ATTIdolTheme. It is the first time in all of the show’s 12 seasons that viewers are allowed to pick an episode’s theme. While it is too early to gauge this campaign’s success, it is worth noticing how the show is attempting to adjust to the growing influence of social media.

3. Monitor chatter Some hashtags exist simply for categorizing a tweet. This is helpful for companies who want to monitor their brand on Twitter. An example of this is ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. The network appointed the hashtag #DWTS to its show and it soon became the almost exclusive tag used when referring to the show. ABC can use this tag to track viewers’ comments, criticisms and praise about the show.

By Lisa Sydes-Findlay Of course, there are many more ways companies can utilize hashtags on Twitter. These three examples show simple ways companies, whether big or small, can join in on the hashtag game. Unfortunately, there are companies who have lost this game as their attempted brand hashtag ended up putting the company in a negative light. Some refer to this as a “bashtag” since users are bashing a brand using its own hashtag. One notorious example is McDonald’s #McDStories campaign. In January of 2012, McDonald’s launched a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #MeetTheFarmers. The goal was to put a spotlight on the farmers who supplied the restaurants. With that same sentiment, McDonald’s tweeted the hashtag #McDStories. The Twitterverse took advantage of this easily exploitable hashtag and used it when tweeting McDonald’s horror stories. Instead of the feel-good sentiment the hashtag was meant to create, it turned into a great example of what not to do. While #McDStories only accounted for 2% of McDonald’s-related tweets that day, its failure was noted by the media countless times. In these kinds of situations, it’s best to concede defeat graciously. As McDonald’s director of social media Rick Wion said, “ Part of being in social media is knowing that you can’t control the message 100 percent of the time.”

tweet & retweet

OF ALL RETWEETS 57% CONTAIN A LINK OF TWITTER 53% USERS RETWEET OTHER USERS MOST RETWEETS HAPPEN BETWEEN 3PM - 7PM HASHTAGS RECEIVE 2X MORE ENGAGEMENT THAN WITHOUT but going overboard has the opposite effect

#SocialMedia inSports By Joey Lopez

Social media has come a long way in the last five years and is changing at a much faster rate than anyone has ever expected. First starting out as a simple online social interaction tool, social media developed into something people use to connect and interact with each other more than they would face-to-face. Big name brands shortly caught on and social media eventually made its way into the sports world. People may have forgotten, but many sports teams themselves are well-recognized and well-respected brands. They entered the social media world as a means to have a more personal interaction with their beloved and devoted fans. Before social media, fans were able to enjoy a game by attending the game or watching it on their TV screens at home. As many advertising and media personnel have learned, traffic on mobile and tablet devices have increased as technology has advanced over the years. These sports brands still wanted to be connected with their fans and have turned to social media platforms to reach them. Some of the most commonly used platforms are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, which have all been successfully tailored to keep fans updated with news, photos and team highlights during the game, after the game, and most importantly during the off-season.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, I follow the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, San Jose Sharks, and the Golden State Warriors. All these teams have built their social media presence over the years and have made a name for themselves. One of these teams that utilize social media the best is the #SFGiants. Having won two World Series in the last three years has boosted their popularity, but in terms of social influence, their social media presence is far superior to several other teams. Klout, the online application that measures social media influence across different social platforms, has the San Francisco Giants at 98 out of 100, just one point behind President Barack Obama at 99. This is proof that the Giants’ social influence has strengthened the brand far outside the ballpark. Facebook posts, tweets, and creative hashtags have given fans the connection they asked for when following a sports brand. They can now feel more connected to the clubhouse and with athletes through real-time pictures and conversations posted by athletes active on social media. Never before were athletes able to interact instantly with their fans until social media became present. Social media in sports is here to stay and is only getting better. We have seen brands utilize social media to influence their fan base over the years and are always looking for new and inventive ways to stay relevant and ahead of the curve. In just the last couple of years we’ve seen social media in sports become part of sport pop culture with athlete and tournament-related hashtags like #Tebowing #Linsanity and #MarchMadness. We have even seen brands like Oreo take advantage of social media in sports during the Super Bowl blackout with the instant, “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet. It will be interesting to see how brands use social media in sports in the future as they are always looking for new ways to advertise. With so many brands competing for eyes, I will be looking out for the social brands that find inventive ways to stand out.

Where and Why Brands are Being Social by Sarah Ullmark

In today’s advertising climate, brands are having an even harder time finding their own voice in the noise of the ever-growing world of social media. Social network outlets are becoming as important and diverse as the classic advertising media outlets. However, this new sector of advertising is fast growing. According to brandwatch.com, social media usage takes up 20 percent of computer time and 30 percent of mobile time. With these numbers growing more and more each year, it’s more important than ever for brands to use these growing opportunities to their advantage. The choice in social media outlets are as diverse and niche as the audience brands cater to. However, trying to pick out an outlet in order to sell an idea has proven to be a challenge. Pick the wrong site and your voice won’t be heard or seen by your target market. One of the most important things to do when choosing social media outlets is finding out which sites hone in to the target audience. Each social media outlet is different from each other, and it’s important for a brand not to spread itself too thin by using too many outlets. It’s important to branch out but be selective, figure out which sites go along with the brand then ask the question, “Is the target audience using it?” A good example of using select outlets to

personally cater to an audience is beauty brands. Not only do these brands use the general staple sites like Twitter and Facebook, but they’re also using YouTube in an interesting way. YouTube caters to a whole buffet of interests with one of those groups centered around beauty products and beauty “gurus,” who are users who produce and upload beauty related videos and who tend to have a large subscriber base. Beauty companies will send their products to these gurus to test and review their products on film. This way, viewers can not only find out about the product, but also learn about the guru’s firsthand experience with the product. This generates useradvertising, a facet of social media that’s been on the rise which and sparking the interest of many brands. The idea of useradvertising is also being applied to blogging sites like, Wordpress, Blogger, and Tumblr. Brands are creating animated images called GIFs, creative posts, videos and images that would interest their target audience who uses those sites. Another crucial component in deciding where to be social is if the brand would do well using that certain outlet. For example, Taco Bell uses a whole range of outlets, especially Twitter and Facebook not only because their target market uses it, but also because they can create a dialogue between their consumers, thus strengthening their brand identity. Most social media sites are immediate, can be very personal, and can readily create open dialogues between brands and consumers. Viral videos on YouTube and Vimeo or blog posts on Wordpress and Blogger may take a more time to create, but can provide a personable handcrafted touch to the communication between the brand and consumer. Branding has taken a whole new meaning now that social media has taken hold. Utilizing certain characteristics of various social media outlets and deciding what works best is crucial to brands in establishing its voice and providing a platform that its audience can listen and participate in.

Most Social Brands: The Top two By Angelica Monterrubio

Brands who actively engage in social media have benefited from the consumer interaction by leading them to a consistent fan base. Social Media is a place where consumers connect with their favorite brands, communities and people by exchanging valuable content. Post, likes, pins, tweets, shares, #hashtags, Instagram pictures, YouTube videos and the famous “follow me @,” are different techniques that companies use to engage with consumers. This applies to conversations, responses, attentiveness, and promotions in the marketplace. By the use of images and interactions, consumer brands have created new ways to grow globally, and gain more loyal customers throughout the social media platforms. So who are the top brands that engage in social media today?

1.Coca-Cola Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the world today. It is the top global beverage that has been active with a total of 62 million likes on Facebook and 696,660 followers on Twitter. CocaCola has a unique way of bringing consumers the whole “brand experience” through creative story telling, sharing videos, amazing advertisements and participating with fans in hundreds of conversation. Their engaging posts on Facebook such as, “Coke is like...” and “I’d trade ______ for a nice Coca-Cola, right now,“ capture the attention of millions of followers. Many consumers posted photos of the product on Instagram with cool design grids. Each and every one of Coca-Cola’s products has its own Facebook and Twitter page with interacting and lively posts in many different languages like, “Coca-Cola Zero,Coca-Cola Vánoční kamion and I love Coke.“ Coca-Cola has created a classic and modern experience by bringing happiness to the lives of people around the world and becoming the leading brand with 131,711,284 YouTube views, along with 2,836 pins on Pinterest.

2. STARBUCKS You see it at every corner; you walk through to get more than just simple coffee. Around the world, Starbucks is the second most engaging brand, dominating the coffee retail industry. Starbucks shares special deals, product highlights and interactive posts through social media. As of today, Starbucks has a total of 34,202,597 likes on Facebook, 3,629,070 followers on Twitter, 1,171,811 followers on Instagram and 80,464 followers on Pinterest. The company posts a lot of engaging tweets such as “Sometimes a good cappuccino and a good book are all you need.” On their Facebook page, Starbucks has remained very active with great offers like “All new My Starbucks Rewards members will receive the $5 credit with in 72 hours of registration!” Starbucks also apologizes to customers if they were unsatisfied with something or just had a bad experience. By having 248 photos of their freshly brewed coffee, Starbucks has marked the spot with its fascinating photo snaps they share.

Brazil v. USA – A Social Media Friendly by Isadora Busch

As a native Brazilian living in the United States, I’ve had the amazing opportunity of experiencing two very different worlds of social media advertising: the American consumerism world where the newest innovation becomes extinct the second a newer innovation is released, and the friendly, hyper-social, and steadily developing Brazilian world. Brazil, currently the world’s sixth largest economy, has seen significant growth of its middle class in the past few years, creating a massive impact on the way Brazilians use the Internet today. Brazil’s extravert culture has deeply affected their society, driving excited Brazilians onto social media sites and apps to share information, connect and socialize. In fact, the rapid growth of social media in Brazil has been so astonishing that the Wall Street Journal has referred to the country as “The Social Media Capital of the Universe.” The Wall Street Journal also lists that currently more than 47 million Brazilians are online, and 98% of them use social media. Just behind the United States, Brazil is home to the second-most active accounts on Facebook and YouTube, while also ranking on Twitter’s top five most active users.

The steady growth of social media in Brazil has presented immense opportunities for brands to engage with their consumers. However, unlike in the United States, Brazilians need a reason why they should connect with a brand. According to SocialBakers, in the U.S., the top three brands with most on Facebook are Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon—all retail companies. In Brazil, the top three brands on Facebook are Guaraná Antarctica, Skol and Coca Cola—all beverage companies that sponsor two of Brazilians favorite events: Carnival and soccer. While Americans are more interested in connecting with brands to receive something in return, Brazilians are simply looking for a place to be entertained and ultimately—socialize. Americans want to find and buy products, discover promotions and discounts, and engage in activities that lead to one thing: a purchase. Brazilians on the other hand, want to be friends with the brand, have a fun and easy going connection, and spend a large amount of time engaging in small talks about soccer, TV shows and other fun topics of their interest. I find it interesting that although both Americans and Brazilians use the same mediums to connect with brands of their own interests, the reasons for each country to connect with brands are quite different. I’ve learned that in order for brands to build a successful brand-to-consumer relationship, they must understand the cultural differences first. After that, it is only a matter of time before brands are able to capitalize on every type of culture that exists in the world of social media advertising.

IPO on People’s Information By Jay Singh

Uh-oh. Those must have been the words that went through Mark Zuckerberg’s head when his company’s IPO sank after the first day of trading on the stock market. An IPO, or initial public offering, is the way a private company goes public into the stock market via buying and selling public shares of the company. Facebook had a starting valuation of roughly $28 a share but pushed up to roughly $35 a share, valuing the company at $104 billion. This valuation made Facebook one of the biggest technology IPO’s in history, and there was a lot of buzz around it. There were talks that Facebook undervalued their stock, and at the same time there was an outcry that it was valued too high. In my opinion, Facebook valued it too high. When a company makes an IPO, it is valued for the amount of profit and foreseeable profit that they can make. Facebook is not in the business of socializing, it is in the business of selling information, which is why the company was valued so high. This push for technology companies to go public, especially “social” driven start-ups, created a bubble within the tech industry. This bubble was caused by the inflated thought that if Facebook can make money off of stocks, then why can’t the other social driven start-ups make money too? The bubble is still growing (though not as fast as before Facebook went public) as more social media and technology start-up companies are looking to either go public or be bought out. All of these start-up companies have a lot of venture capitalist money invested in their product or company. With the inflation of so many companies, there is likely to be a burst. A company like Facebook does bring in revenue for shareholders, but it benefits advertisers much more. Facebook started at $35 a share and is now down to $25 a share. Although this drop in price did not make shareholders happy, they are sticking with Facebook because of its potential. Twitter was also interested in going public, but saw that Facebook did not do so well in their IPO, so they opted out.

One of the other reasons Facebook stock plummeted is because of the increased usage of mobile applications instead of desktop use. Since advertising is limited on mobile platforms, the shift to mobile has really hurt the company’s profit. Facebook is going to either need people to pay to use their mobile application, or add advertisements to the existing application, both of which could be detrimental. Call me old fashioned, but I think that interacting with people is much more invigorating and enlightening than chatting with them on Facebook messenger or posting pictures or videos on people’s timelines. Facebook drives envy within people; it is a platform for people to show off what they have and what their friends don’t. Facebook tried to create envy amongst tech companies with their IPO, but they fell flat on their faces. Facebook had high aspirations when they valued their company at $100 billion. When it was released on the NASDAQ stock exchange, the exchange could not handle all of the requests of buying and selling stocks which led to Facebook losing roughly $500 million the first day which translated to investors losing confidence in the stock. If I was the CEO of a large private tech company, I would value my stock lower than it should be valued because there is room for people to invest and give investors confidence in your company. Facebook needs to go back to basics of how to generate revenue by analyzing the shift to a mobile operating system where ads are much less prevalent and advertising money is scarce.

Viral Videos

By Matthew Viramontes It seems like only yesterday I saw the “Leave Britney Alone” video on YouTube and Vimeo. It’s been almost a decade since both these sites launched viral videos into mainstream media. In that short time, viral videos have become a major part of advertising campaigns for internationally-known brands like Pepsi, Honda, and of course, Old Spice. In the last few years as brands have transformed viral videos into advertisements, instantaneously noticing that quality viral videos sport a lot of appeal in AdLand. With the infusion of social media kingpins like Facebook and Twitter, viral video making has become a worldwide trend. Social media particularly has allowed brands to spread both their company personality and inform their consumers about new products or services, all via video. Unlike a text or picture post on Facebook or Twitter, a video post has been proven to have a significantly greater attention hold than any other kind of post. A brand’s reach will also travel further via viral video compared to the conventional TV commercial, as the virality will likely reach our second screens, and then shared too. This also allows the brand to directly connect with their consumer, especially on more of a personal level. Old Spice did this with their “Re: Lindsey” and “Re: raondy” viral videos where they personally addressed comments left by individuals about the earlier viral videos they made. In this way, the comments can even act as idea generators for new concepts in a future campaign. Brands can also see instantly if a video is doing well via the comments left by the viewers, giving the advertiser instant feedback on whether or not impressions are being made. Brands can use viral videos as a gauge for new campaigns they may feel unsure about, or may be too extreme for TV. In 2010, Old Spice did this with their “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign, where they and their agency, Wieden + Kennedy, were unsure how the campaign would be received on TV so they put out the viral videos first. Old spice instantly saw the success it had on YouTube and Facebook and shortly after made the decision to run the already-successful campaign on TV.

Brands can also use viral videos as a way to build anticipation for their upcoming TV ads. For example, in this year’s Super Bowl, Mercedes-Benz ran a “Kate Upton washes car” teaser online about a week prior to the game, convincing their fans to tune into the Super Bowl to see how the Kate Upton spot would end. Another reason for brands to get in the viral video game is the low production cost, where you can even use your phone’s camera and still produce an exceptional video. Another upside of viral video production is there is no time constraint, and definitely no monetary cost to buying “TV time,” here you simply just post your video online. Though as with every new medium that becomes available to advertisers, there are still two major problems with viral video: the ability to actually make the video go viral, and the shortened attention spans of users online. In the ad industry, what it takes for a video to go viral still appears to be a mystery to most, but that hasn’t stopped brands from getting their feet wet. And as far as attention spans go, online is not TV, and the consumer online possesses more power in his or her hand, being able to click on anything else that may spark their interest. Despite these two issues, viral video has already become a major part of our main stream, and looks to play a significant role in most advertising campaigns in the future.

The Glass to the World by Jay Singh

What is it about social media that is making us more “un-social?” Over the past six years, social media has erupted into a new and widespread form of communication. People now have two different personas, a virtual one and a tactile one. There has come a phase in our generation, and future generations, where we would much rather look at our phones to view a person’s Facebook than talk to that actual person face-to-face. This shift has left us wanting to interact with our phones instead of interacting with people using eye-to-eye contact. Google Glass is here to change that. Google Glass is an innovative and futuristic way to stay in touch with technology while staying in-touch with human beings around you. Glass is a wearable computing device that hovers over your right or left eye allowing you to take pictures, access directions, take videos, answer phone calls, send text messages and search Google all by saying “Google.” The Glass is fully connected to your phone and has a card style notification system [like Siri but more visual] that the tech giant has coined “Google Now.” In a society that finds it normal for people to look down and read text messages or Facebook updates, Google has discovered a way to combine technology with human socialization in a more natural way.

Glass also throws potential advertisers for a loop, as the screen is too small for the standard impressionable advertisement, and Google too controls what goes into the glass. If Google could perhaps create opportunities for visual and/or audio ads within Glass, it would likely be a new mobile medium that advertisers would flock too. Also, through Glass, Google can finally push its Google + social network, and have people connect through Google Glass instead of the traditional Twitter or Facebook. While I do believe there will always be multiple ways to use social networks to communicate with people, I feel no other method of social networking will be as prevalent as Google + through Glass. Google Glass has quickly generated buzz around the globe, as it was even worn as an accessory during a New York fashion show and a major highlight at SXSW. Google is company that innovates. They innovated video sharing through YouTube, mobile mapping through their Maps app, cloud computing through Drive, and now they are innovating how people interact with each other through Google Glass. Ironically, it seems as if our only hope as a society for pulling away from technology is…through technology. Google believes Glass will be the product to finally do that.

Swinging Onto Vine by James M. Coyle

Within one night of its launch, Vine—Twitter’s newest and greatest offspring that allows users to upload 6-second videos—was the top-ranked social networking app in the Apple App Store. For those of who you haven’t gotten tangled up in Vine quite yet, think of it as a combination of Viddy and Instagram, though instead of posting either a video or photo, you post both, magically creating something similar to GIFs (but better). One option Vine gives you is to film a straight, six-second clip—nothing really new there. Though the coolest—and most used—option is Vine’s easy-touse embedded video editing software that even our great-grandparents can have fun with. For example, instead of recording a short moment in time, why not capture several by holding down your thumb whenever you want to record something? Simply open a new Vine, hold your finger down on the footage displayed, watch the green status bar above inch closer to the six-second cap, and then release it when you want to record a different scene. Hold down your finger again for another scene, watch the status bar move, and so on. If you get crafty, and have the time, you can easily fit over a dozen different scenes into one Vine. Since many of you reading this are probably visual learners, my explanation of how Vine works probably won’t entice you much, but as a fan of brands, this will.

With the recent influx of mobile technology and social media in our society, you probably won’t find many people scratching their heads when they realize they can’t focus for more than a minute at a time. So wouldn’t an app that creatively limits you to a six-second video post be perfect for our device-dependent generation? If you find yourself disagreeing with these rhetorical questions, just think about how long you watch a crappy YouTube video before clicking on another, or think about how long you read a Facebook post before scrolling. Essentially, we only focus for six-seconds at a time, and as Vine and Twitter took advantage of that, so did the advertisers. Some of the advertisers already on Vine are Adidas, Gap, American Apparel, Ugg, and most recently James Mongold, the director of the forthcoming Wolverine movie. Just one way brands are utilizing Vine—at least in Mongold’s case—is by posting what he called a looping “tweaser,” a six-second Vine video teasing the at-the-time unreleased Wolverine trailer. For production companies, and actors with a slew of Twitter followers, a “tweaser” is the perfect way to generate free buzz on mobile platforms. In other social situations, brands may use Vine to unveil new products; like Adidas’ new Leonel Messi soccer cleats. Creatively shot in 14 different short frames, the six-second Vine was seamlessly stitched together to make what many might know as a “stop-motion” video. Brands may also utilize the new mobile social network by giving consumers “inside-looks” at the workplace, holding contests where users can post brand-related Vines, and posting product demos. While Vine is still just a few months old, brands are already swinging onto Vine as they realize the potential of Twitter’s new app. In my opinion, the future for brands on Vine is brighter than on the 140-character limited Twitter, as there is much more room for creativity, and a much more modern way of staying connected with your consumer. In fact, Vine allows brands to go further than a “brand voice” to consumers, allowing Vines to become the actual advertisements, for free. Vine, the app that in one night swung to the top of the social networking app category of Apple’s App Store, remains atop that list ‘til this day. Soon enough, brands will have no choice but to grab the endless fruit that the Vine has to bear.

The Importance of Being Social to Potential Employers by Benjamin H. Benitez

The countless hours spent on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Wordpress, Instagram, Pinterest, and Foursquare among other social media sites have finally paid off. Now, employers are progressively looking for employees who know and understand the process of social networking and how to reach their rapidly increasing digital audience. Just a couple of years ago social media knowledge and participation was a “trend” adopted by the younger generations in an effort to keep in touch with friends and family. Fast-forward a few years and those same skills have become critical skills in the workplace, and in the world. Through social media sites, brands have discovered new ways to market to audiences, as well as build and maintain relationships with consumers. This has prompted employers to seek out people who are not only knowledgeable, but also active within these sites.

“Remember, employers hire you, not just a portion of you.” One particular statement I heard during lecture got me thinking of the importance of this newfound skill, “If you apply to a PR, marketing, or advertising agency and you don’t have social media skills on your resume, I guarantee you it will be tossed out immediately.” This may sound exaggerated but Professor Michael Brito, Senior Vice President of Social Business Strategy at PR firm Edelman, was absolutely serious when he said it.

When I asked Professor Brito about how critical it is for advertising students to be active on all of the trending social networks his response was concise, “This is critical. All employers (particularly recruiters and hiring managers) typically Google search candidates they are considering and whatever marketing function you plan to work in, social will undoubtedly be a portion of your responsibility. It’s important to showcase your thinking about what interests you so that you can at least show that you have a point of view about the topic at hand. Plus, if you plan to work in social, how can you counsel your clients or company you work for on using social channels correctly if you aren’t using them yourself?” Although Professor Brito is an advocate of social media usage among students, he does express caution to those who like to share every detail with the world, especially if it involves shady or unprofessional behavior. “Remember,” he said, “employers hire you, not just a portion of you.” So for all the distraction sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr have caused us during midterms, they might have actually benefited us after all. Now, you’re no longer just keeping in touch with friends and family, but sharpening a very critical skill for which you can get paid. So what are you waiting for? Go share your world.

Behind the Social Media Formaldehyde Curtain

by Tim Winfred JMC Alumni and Content Marketing Specialist at PRx Digital I landed my first social media internship in the summer of 2011. I was given the opportunity to build the social media presence of a tiny business-to-business (B2B) startup company, literally from scratch. I went into the position thinking that I knew everything about social media—after all, I had been using Facebook on a regular basis since 2008 (enter sarcasm here). The truth is, social media marketing is extremely difficult, especially in an agency setting. Clients are usually too impatient to wait for their social media marketing dollars to show results—they expect to spend one dollar and, in return, see a thousand dollars worth of measurable results (with a huge emphasis on “measurable”). After spending the last two years working very closely with several different social media accounts, I have been able to pinpoint one aspect of social media that is the most effective way to make clients happy: advertising. Why? Because social media advertising is the easiest way to solve both of the problems I mentioned in paragraph two: it quickly shows return on investment and provides the measurable results they’re looking for. Let me take a quick step back for a moment. Before you run to your client and tell them social media advertising is the solution to your social media marketing problems, let me clarify a few things first.... First of all, you need to realize that social media marketing is expensive. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tumblr and even Houzz may allow you to set up free accounts, but the time it takes to manage these accounts (aka the paycheck given to your agency) can be expensive. It’s time consuming to create a social media strategy, create a content calendar and manage all of these accounts on a daily basis. For a small company or brand, it’s easy to have one person managing these

accounts, but for a larger company it takes a bigger team to handle it all. Then, adding social media advertising on top of this makes everything even more expensive. And we all know: the more marketing dollars a client gives your agency, the more return on investment (ROI) you have to show them. Now, you’re probably asking yourself: If social media marketing is so expensive on its own, how can I convince a client to give me additional marketing dollars for social media advertising? The reality of this is that if I had the best answer to that question, then my agency, PRxDigital, would be the number one social media marketing agency in the world, and I would be making a million-dollar-a-year salary. Let me pause for a minute to clarify, for those of you who may be wondering, I unfortunately do not make a million dollar a year salary. Case in point. The truth is, a client needs to trust you and believe you are honestly spending their marketing dollars to bring them return on investment. This is where social media advertising is extremely helpful (see paragraph three of this article if you’ve forgotten why). Let me leave you here with this closing statement: Social media advertising needs to be built into every social media marketing strategy—it’s relatively cheap and can put a brand in front of a large, very selective target audience. It took me about a year and a half to realize the true benefits of social media advertising, so (*pause here for a dramatic emphasis effect*)... you’re welcome. If you have any questions, or think you understand the title of this article, please email me directly at tim@prxdigital.com.

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