Spring Marketing Classes at AGSM
Time to start thinking about classes for next semester! AGSM is offering a stellar lineup for marketers too, making it difficult for many to decide.
SoMe Music Connection
Today's musical artists are using social media to create a personal connection with each and every one of their fans.
Klout’s New Algorithm or No, The Sky Isn’t Falling
The sky is falling! No, that’s just my Klout score. Klout made significant changes to its algorithm & folks aren't happy.
Lebron Tweets, We Listen
Recently, superstar basketball player and the ultimate self-marketer – Lebron James – tweeted asking ESPN the NFL deadline to sign free agents.
The New Timeline & Opportunities for Digital Marketing
Welcome to Timeline, where you can tell your story, the way you want it to be told and you can remove any stuff that might make you cringe.
AMA Wants YOU!
The AMA Board is seeking nominations for First Year Rep and Social Media/Blog Director. Do you have what it takes?
It’s time to start thinking about your classes next semester! AGSM is offering a stellar lineup for marketers too, making it difficult for many to decide. I wanted to give you some insight into the classes and hopefully make the decision a little easier. I haven’t taken all the classes offered so I’ll be extending advice from fellow classmates!
Check out the list of classes, navigate over to the Willamette website.
GSM 662: Integrated Marketing Communications (Russ Yost – Tuesday, 6:00-9:00PM)
Joanita: If you are interested in marketing and are looking for something hands on, this is definitely the class for you. I took this class as I am very interested in marketing and I had gotten some good reviews from the people who had already taken this class. I wasn’t disappointed; this class combines experiential learning with a PR approach towards marketing. You get to create an integrated marketing campaign for a non-profit with a budget of $30,000; it gives you a pretty good idea of how to handle marketing budgets and choose among the various marketing tools that are available at your disposal; you also get to meet a graphic designer and hash out design ideas. This class helps to bridge the divide between traditional and new media and gives you a 360-degree view of what to expect in the real world. Verdict: If you are interested in getting some real-world experience in marketing campaigns, take this class.
GSM 667: Design Thinking (Paul Dwyer – Tuesday/Thursday, 2:00-3:30PM)
Design Thinking is one of the best classes I’ve taken at AGSM. Professors pound into our heads the importance of innovation and creative thinking, but somehow, its lost from most of the syllabi. Design Thinking starts the creative juices flowing and gives you a great method for brainstorming and idea development. Over the course of the semester we went through the Design Thinking product creation method and developed two products. Paul empowered us to find a solution for a problem and create something that could actually go to market.
GSM 672: Data Mining Applications for Marketing of Info. Based Products (Paul Dwyer – Tuesday/Thursday, 4:00-5:30PM)
Paul knows analytical data mining tools and is the perfect professor to offer this class. Data is key in building and backing up your marketing strategies. I haven’t personally taken this class, but here’s a quick description from the website: This class explores a number of analytical tools (XL Miner IBM SPSS Modeler) to mine the data and develop behavior based marketing strategies. Specifically, the class explores how this data and these tools differ from traditional market research tools. Analytical tools discussed include: neural networks, association rules, decision trees and cluster analysis. Windows software required. This data can be extremely useful in helping companies segment their markets and develop information based marketing strategies.
GSM 653BBB: Competitive Intelligence (Sean Campbell – Monday, 6:00-9:00PM)
This is a new class this semester and rumor has it this is going to be a very interesting class! Sean is the co-owner of Cascade Insights. Cascade Insights is a competitive intelligence firm that helps organizations grow during market changes, take share from their competitors, and protect the share they already have.
GSM 660: Research for Marketing Decisions (Marianne Bradshaw – Thursday, 6:00-9:00PM)
No one should pass up the opportunity to sit in on a class Debra is teaching. She is a brilliant marketer and will give you valuable insight into the field. I took her strategic marketing class last spring, it was very challenging, but significantly elevated my ability to analyze a situation and develop recommendations. You will be a much better writer after spending a semester with the Dean. This class is designed to help students become wise “consumers” or users of marketing research. Definitely a must for marketers.
The spring brings a lot of great classes for marketers! It’s going to be hard to make a decision. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
-Matt (@malex2208)
Musicians and their fans, it’s an oddly intimate relationship. Music is an experience that brings people and cultures together. It’s pretty common for a fan to fall in love with a musician by feeling an almost unexplainable personal connection through the music’s lyrics or inspirational message. The strange thing about this musician and fan relationship is that although they may have never met, they develop strong emotional ties to one another. It’s amazing how a musician can have such a profound and inspirational effect on an individual whom they have never even met (cut to footage of woman releasing doves outside of the Michael Jackson trial).
So how has Social Media changed the relationship between artist and fan? It’s pretty astounding.
It’s an entirely new level of connection. Musical acts used to be somewhat of an untouchable hero where the closest thing to a “personal” connection was watching them on stage in front of dozens or thousands of people. As a fan you had to infer their personality through the artistic expressions that reverberated through your speakers or possibly by reading the promotion led interviews in the Rolling Stone. Social Media has changed all of this. Facebook, Twitter and Youtube have changed the entire landscape of the music industry. Not only are musicians getting the exposure they’ve always wanted, but their opening their personal lives to their fans to enjoy, and connect with on an entirely new level.
Let’s take two opposite ends of the spectrum: A relatively obscure band and an international pop-superstar. First let’s look at Manchester Orchestra, a rock-band from Atlanta. You may have heard of them; you probably haven’t heard their music. These guys have done an excellent job in utilizing Social Media to expand their reach and fan base. They have a self-made Youtube channel with personally made podcasts of their excessive touring efforts. They have an interactive Facebook page that is updated with news and promotions multiple times a day. On top of that each band member has a constantly updated Twitter account that streams off the bands website. Many up and coming bands should take notice of how effective this personal connection and free promotional touch has led to Manchester Orchestra’s success. And the best part about all of this publicity, especially for a small band, it’s FREE. Although you’ve probably never heard a Manchester Orchestra song on the radio(or should I say, Pandora), their last album release “Simple Math” landed in the Top 5 of Albums sold on iTunes in the first two weeks of its release; proof in the pudding.
http://atkinsonmarketingassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MO-SoMe-blog-e1320211357526.jpg
Now let’s look at the musical artist the entire world has seen and heard. It’s no coincidence that the world’s biggest pop-star is also the “Queen of Twitter”. That’s right, Lady Gaga is not only a superstar, but she is the poster-child for Social Media stardom. Lady Gaga has utilized Twitter and Facebook to a tee, and she(and her consultants) pioneered the movement of using Social Media to propel an artist’s career to the next level. Prior to her enormous success, she hit the blogosphere hard, offering interview after interview to anyone who would listen. She was also a big user of that social media fossil you may remember, Myspace. This was all a foundation to what we see now, 14+million Twitter followers and a global fan base she lovingly refers to as her “Little Monsters”.
Whether it’s a small rock band trying to make it or an international superstar reaching millions of fans, Social Media has changed the way musicians market themselves to their fans. The strong connection fans create with music is what drives the masses onto iTunes and Spotify to buy and listen to their favorite songs. In an industry walks a fine line between mass appeal and intimate connections, Social Media and Music seem to be a match made in heaven. What other place can you make a statement(140 character or less) that can reach millions of people in an instant, all the while each and every one of those “followers” feels a bit more personally connected to you? They say content is what drives successful Social Media, but maybe it’s a bit more personal than that. Yes, Gaga may relentlessly promote her upcoming tour dates, but would people follow her on Twitter if she didn’t “tweet” from her bed once in a while? Musicians are not just marketing their stage personas anymore; they are marketing their entire lives. So what is the result of this 360 degree-24/7 coverage? All us fans are personally connected to our favorite musical artists more than ever, and even more people are tuning in to listen. Sounds like a win-win.
I think we can all agree we like transparency and we like accuracy when it comes to metrics helping us measure social media ROI (at least I hope we are all good and fair marketers!). In Klout’s recent blog post titled “A More Accurate, Transparent Klout Score,” the platform helps users understand the changes. At its basic foundation, Klout basis your score on “how many people you influence, how much you influence them, and how influential they are.”
We already knew that though right? What you didn’t know, was how to impact your score, and who to influence to build your reach and amplication. The new Klout focuses on “True Reach,” “Amplification,” and your “Network.” True Reach is the number of people your content is actually reaching. Amplification is the potential your content will be shared. Both are the ultimate goals in the social realm.
As you can see, my True Reach has decreased by 493 in the past month (don’t judge, school has been demanding). However, Klout tells me who I haven’t been influencing lately (most folks dealing with midterms), thus I know who I should reach out to to increase my reach.
With this change, Klout becomes a more powerful tool for social media marketing. This is another step to reaching the holy grail of social media, ROI measurment. Is it perfect? No, but it is better. The more information Klout gives us, the more we can accurately evaluate its use and potential.
We should be thanking Klout for adjusting its platform to become more accurate and transparent. Ultimately the overall Klout score is superficial. As marketers we need to pay attention to the subscores. They give much more insight in to our performance. Instead of an overall score that flatters some, we now have numbers we can actually use to improve our strategy.
So before you run around like Chicken Little, stop, look up and realize the sky is not falling. Your social media ego might be busted for a minute (I know mine was), but accept the challenge with the new algorithm. Take the advice, realign your strategy, and have fun!
-Matt (@malex2208)
Recently, superstar basketball player and the ultimate self-marketer – Lebron James – sent out a cryptic tweet asking an ESPN analyst about the deadline for the NFL to sign free agents. Obviously this sent fans into absolute hysterics; salivating over the idea of LEBRON JAMES making the jump to the NFL. This was like Bo Jackson making his leap from one sport to the next. Could he do it? Where would he play? With questions abundant, imaginations ran wild.
But really, this didn’t start with a single tweet. It started when State Farm put out a commercial of Lebron playing for the Cleveland Browns (this was before he became the city’s biggest villain). Promptly after, the World Wide Web was buzzing about the potential of Lebron making such a jump and whether such a move was at all viable. We know he’s a good athlete, but how good?
The point is, Lebron was able to generate all this buzz through one tweet. In an age where information is instantaneous and fans are more connected to athletes more than ever before players have turned to self-promotion. Maybe it is intentional, maybe it is not, but what is certain is that it is working. These players put up a single tweet regarding what they are doing and fans go crazy. They post pictures of their latest shoes saying how awesome they are, guess what happens next? Fans bite the bullet and purchase that shoe.
As communications become more and more direct, it does not take a genius marketing campaign to sell fans on player endor
sed products. Before Twitter, it was a marketer’s job to really communicate to consumers regarding a product, but now that is no longer the case. Fan’s just follow an athlete’s twitter account and get the latest news directly from the source.
So what exactly does this mean for sports marketing as we move forward technologically? My favorite athlete growing up, shockingly, was Michael Jordan. There was nothing that connected me to the happenings of his life; I just waited for an ad campaign to tell me when to purchase his newest product. Now that fans are directly connected to their favorite athletes, those campaigns are no longer the sole means of informing consumers. Players are learning and taking advantage because that means more money in their pocket, but does this reduce the profitability of an entire sector of marketing? It makes sense, Twitter is free so why pay someone to do make an intricate product campaign? For those that were paid to make these plans, a plan B career may not be a terrible idea.
Happy Monday! Its time to elect the first year reps for the Atkinson Marketing Association, and we want YOU! Two positions are open on the AMA board, First Year Representative and Social Media/Blog Director. Nominate a friend (or yourself) for one (or both) of the open positions! Please email nominations to malex@willamette.edu by Monday, September 19th.
Elections will be held on Thursday, September 22nd.
First Year Representative
- Attend weekly board meetings and AMA events
- Assist in event coordination, marketing and logistics
- Facilitate IMC Prize distribution (2nd semester)
- Write blog content and be visible on AMA social media channels
- Network with marketers to plan speaking events and represent Willamette
- Help organize Fall Trek to Portland
Blog & Social Media Representative
- Attend weekly board meetings and AMA events
- Assist in event coordination, marketing and logistics
- Write at least 1 blog post per week (please have strong writing experience)
- Manage and update AMA website
- Develop AMA Facebook and Twitter strategy
- Research innovative social media practices for marketers
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Matt, Lora, Rohit or Ezra!
Foursquare has won a decisive victory in the war for location based social media dominance. Facebook Places was quietly killed off as the company rolled out changes to its privacy policies. Places was launched a year ago, creating major competition for Foursquare and Gowalla. With over 250 million users accessing Facebook on a mobile device, it seemed the social media megalith would dominate over the smaller platforms. However, only 6% of users joined the fun. For those of you who love checking in on Facebook, you will still have some scaled back location featured integrated with status updates (to be announced).
Just as many marketing agencies and businesses were starting to see the value in location based deals, Facebook changes the game. Recently, Facebook announced it would expand Places, allowing business to claim multiple locations – instead the opposite occurred. There’s no need to fear though, location based platforms are still future of social media as Foursquare and Gowalla continue to grow. Foursquare recently launched event check-ins, tip lists, and a partnership with Groupon, creating even more value for brands and influencers. Over 10 million users compete to earn mayorships, points and are sharing tips with friends. Additionally, nearly 1 million brands have offered deals.
Foursquare is king, but Facebook is where it’s at when it comes to marketing. Don’t shy away from integrating Foursquare into your Facebook marketing strategy. Many brands are getting creative and finding ways to link Foursquare with Facebook and other platforms, including New York’s “World of Fourcraft” (or WoF), and others. Some folks are even using Foursquare as their visitor guides when they travel! The limits are potentially endless with the platform!
Does the death of Facebook Places affect your strategy? How are you using Foursquare?
-Matt Alex (@malex2208)
“My first time on Google+ and the first terms I run across are “Spotify” and “Klout.” I feel like such an old woman right now!” That’s what a close friend told me when the web was exploding with excitement over Spotify. With the social media industry moving so fast, sometimes it can be hard to keep up on the latest trends. Klout putting itself on the map by offering influencers, who broadcast invites, a free premium Spotify account. Until now, Klout has been fairly mysterious. Last month, Klout CEO, Joe Fernandez opened up to Tracey John of Forbes discussing the future of Klout, improving your score, and why they have Bieber Fever.
So what is social influence and what is the Klout score all about? Fernandez explains, “It really boils down to what the likelihood of the content you create on social networks is being acted upon; people commenting, clicking links, liking, retweeting. Ultimately, when we think about influence, it’s really about the ability to drive others to action.” Klout aggregates your influence over Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Tumblr, Blogger, Last.fm, YouTube, Instagram, and Flickr.
Klout effectively quantifies influence. Additionally, it displays topics you are most influential about. It’ll be no surprise when employers start checking the Klout scores and circles of influence of applicants, especially in positions that require social influence. Some applicants are already putting their score on their resume! Gone are the times when people care about the awesome PB&J you’re eating (unless you tag the food cart that made it), your social content matters more than ever now.
Quick tips to increase your Klout score:
- Don’t worry about how many followers you have (the Twitter porn star spam does not in fact help).
- Focus on what you know and connect with other influencers.
- Get connected to CEOs or other high level execs on LinkedIn (you’re golden if you are connected to Zuck, Jobs, or Bill Gates).
- Quality over quantity. Frequency doesn’t affect your score. Get fans to comment and share your content.
- You can’t game the system – it’s really all about social influence.
- Your score is derived from your main network of influence (i.e. you use Twitter more than other platforms), everything else is a bonus.
- Klout doesn’t care if you go on vacation. Neglect your social media and your influence will decrease.
- A score in the 70’s is “pretty strong” (Fernandez’s score is 69). Justin Bieber is the only person to have a perfect 100, follow his lead (Klout staff have his posters cover their office as inspiration).
2011 is a big year for Klout. Expect to see increased integration of other platforms, including Google+ and Facebook Pages. Many are also excited for the release of Klout Topic Pages.
Know your Klout score?
Do you think Klout is another social fad? Or will it’s influence be important?
The Atkinson Marketing Association is proud to welcome the MBA class of 2013 to Willamette! We are very excited about this new class, especially the large number of marketers we’ve met!
The Marketing Association is affiliated with the American Marketing Association. We promote innovative, exciting new marketing strategies and love sharing great new finds! Do you want to expand your network, connect with the best marketing professionals in the Pacific Northwest, geek out over the coolest news on Mashable and VentureBeat, play with the newest tools (Google+ is so yesterday), develop international marketing strategies? Do you think this is ridiculously cute?
If you answered YES to any of the above then, WE WANT YOU! We need members and to fill two more first-year spots on the Board!
Please contact anyone on the Board if you’re interested.
Matt Alex – President – malex@willamette.edu
Rohit Kamath – Vice President – rkamath@willamette.edu
Lora Roba – Secretary – lroba@willamette.edu
Ezra Nigussie – Treasurer – enigussi@willamette.edu
Don’t forget to connect with AMA on Facebook and Twitter too!
It used to be that a television show would allow for subtle product placement. Oh look, the main character is drinking a Pepsi, isn’t that clever. Later, companies would make commercials with actors from shows and then attract audiences to click on the website to see how the commercial would end. Chevy and the hit Fox show Glee have taken advertising and marketing one step further.
Tuesday night, the show Glee will have part of their plot line around making a car commercial for Chevy! Yes, Chevy is throwing their advertising money all into one basket, and stealing some of Glee’s audience attention and focusing it around their cars. I’m sure the performance spectacle will be very entertaining, and anything Lea Michele sings regardless of a car in the background will be very well done. You have to give Chevy credit, they convinced Fox to sell their own show’s integrity for a few marketing dollars, to write in a contrived plot line that has the show’s characters spending air time promoting a new car? Chevy didn’t let this opportunity go to waste either. Commercials leading up to Tuesday have enticed Glee fans to go on their website to get a sneak peak of the performance. The 5th P, participation! Glee fans probably flocked to Chevy’s website to see the new song and choreography, and Chevy certainly hopes they stick around and check out a few cars too.
From a market research standpoint it seems like a really clever idea. Glee has a huge fan base, which includes kids, adults, and families, a perfect slice of the market segment Chevy is targeting for many of its cars. Glee is an incredibly American show. It captures American suburbia, American Idol, and college acapella’s popularity. Chevy is branding itself as an American car company, so what could be more American than Glee? The song on Tuesday is called “See the USA.” Chevy is indirectly targeting the parents of this market though. Kids can’t drive! But have you seen the craze for Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber? It’s amazing how popular child performers have become. Chevy is hoping parents financially support their kids passions, whether that is Glee, Bieber, or a car that the Glee cast says is so great.
Advertising dollars for television shows has been steadily declining, as companies would rather market online. With the advent of DVR, Tivo and Hulu, who really sits and watches commercials anymore? At least Tuesday you won’t be able to ignore Chevy. They are part of the show! It will be interesting to see if Chevy’s expensive gamble pays off in car sales.
Here is the performance I mentioned above
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