KATHRYN JEFFORDS
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The New Social Media.... Ephemerality

5/2/2015

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Why are apps like Snapchat so popular with Millennial and Plural audiences? 
The application trails behind Facebook and Twitter as the third most popular social media app among millennials. This ephemeral messaging application allows users to send photos and videos of less than 10 seconds to their friends, who can view them once, and then they disappear into a data graveyard. 

Snapchat CEO, Evan Spigel, stated that ephemerality is at the core of all conversations, those that occur both online and in person.1 The application allows pervasive connectivity, quick media creation and ephemerality. Combined, these features are forging the path for an entirely new method of communication. There are two things that make Snapchat an anti-social media.
  1. Intimate Public: Snapchat is a place for small, intimate communities who share a commonly lived history and experience. It offers a space for expression, creativity, and vulnerability where users are creating conversations through content, not around them. 
  2. Ephemerality: The focus of other social networks like Facebook and Instagram are to document life and archive it. Snapchat on the other hand is more about the art of communication. It recaptures the element of obscurity that is present in our every day human interactions. 
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Have you seen the new Taco Bell commercials?

5/1/2015

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This morning as I was getting ready for class, I was listening to my favorite Pandora station and I got an interesting advertisement. The video was a montage of different women holding up their favorite Taco Bell Breakfast items and explaining why they liked it. Interesting, Usually fast food commercials are targeted specifically at men. I'm not exactly the target audience for Taco Bell breakfast. But somehow seeing the all-female presence in the advertisement made me like Taco Bell more. This brings up a couple marketing lessons
  • Know your audience. Women like to receive personalized advertisements especially from a company that usually targets late night food for males. 
  • Why should someone choose Taco Bell breakfast over McDonalds breakfast? Well according to the ad, Taco Bell breakfast is different. They offer biscuit tacos, A.M. Crunchwraps and Cinnamon Delights (which are like hush-puppies but with cream inside. Sounds a lot better than what McDonalds has to offer. 
  • Taco Bell is rebranding all over the place. Now you can order your Taco Bell from an app, making it even more convenient for your drive-through pickup. Is this really necessary? Probably not. The point is that Taco Bell thinks about its customer and is changing the way they relate to their customers. I see success in their future. 

                                                                           Anyone up for a biscuit taco?

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Snapchat Advertising... Is it effective?

4/20/2015

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I have been an avid user of Snapchat since the app launched in 2011. I have seen the app evolve into what it is today. I must say that I do not think Snapchat advertisements have the intended effect. I personally never use the "Discover" app, which allows users to receive content from outlets such as CNN and National Geographic in real time. I primarily use the app to send personal snaps and post to My Story. 

One feature that I believe is effective are Sponsored My Stories. Various events such as COACHELLA and Marti Gras in New Orleans post live feeds of snapchats using geo-filtering. This feature allows for people who are in a certain location or attending a certain event to post to a collaborative My Story. I must say, this feature really feeds FOMO (or fear of missing out), especially for large concert events that I couldn't attend. 

The "Discover" feature should be more embedded in the app, so that users do not have to go to a separate tab to see the content being posted by news outlets. To me, it feels like I am consciously clicking on something that will be nothing but a feed of advertisements and content that I do not necessarily use the app for. 
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Hear Ye, College Seniors on LinkedIn

3/16/2015

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LinkedIn has been around for a while now and has proven to be an excellent networking tool for professionals. Some people are total experts with LinkedIn and utilize all the tricks and tools for growing and establishing an online network. Some people, like myself, feel pretty comfortable with it but aren't caught up on all the awesome features. Even though my profile has reached "All Star" status, I'm not quite sure I would call myself an all-star with LinkedIn....yet.

Ms. Marianne Brigola, the Assistant Director of Career Services for the Elon School of Communications, stopped by my Senior Capstone class today. She provided us with great tools for maximizing the job search and becoming a stand-out candidate, or as she put it, a job "ninja." Most of all, today I learned so much more about networking on LinkedIn. Here are some tools:


1. The "Kathryn, Meet Potential Employer" tool. There is a function on LinkedIn that allows your previous connections to introduce you to a third party connection over LinkedIn. Say, for example, you held an internship with a film production company in Los Angeles. Your supervisor from LA is a mutual connection with the hiring manager at the PR firm you are currently pursuing! Amazing. So next you can ask your LA supervisor to "introduce" you virtually to this hiring manager. Boom! You've made a connection, grown your network, and you've probably got a better chance of scoring an interview at the PR firm if you're qualified.

2. "Students and Alumni" tab at Elon University. Find your university's official page on LinkedIn. Click on the "Students and Alumni" tab. From here, you can narrow your search and view alumni who are out in the workforce. You can preference geographic location, industry and company name to see if there are any potential alumni connections in the places you are looking for jobs! 

In my experience, reaching out to alumni on LinkedIn has been effective and has introduced me to many new opportunities. I made a connection with the "Kathryn, Meet Employer" tool just today! Give these tools a try and I promise you won't be disappointed.  
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Buzz, Buzz, Buzz

3/3/2015

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"Buzz" in the marketing world is defined as the interactions between consumers of a product or service which creates an enthusiasm around the marketing message. 
So why is Buzzfeed so wildly successful with Millennials and Plurals?
As one of Buzzfeed's two million monthly readers, I'll tell you why. 


1. Buzzfeed creates content that is especially sharable on all social media platforms. Not only are their sharing mechanisms seamless, they create content worthy of sharing. People don't normally go Googling "grandmothers smoke marijuana for the first time" or "man has seizure while skydiving," so Buzzfeed does the dirty work for us. They bring excellent content to our fingertips. And they don't just provide entertainment, they provide investigative and emotional storytelling too. There's a little something for everyone.
2. They value the trivial things. Buzzfeed capitalizes on content that includes aspects of personal identity. I can't resist reading "20 Things Only '90s Girls Will Understand," or taking quizzes like "Which '90s Beauty Trend Did You Rock?" These things may seem trivial to an outsider, but they really strike a cord with a specific reader. This type of content makes me feel recognized, understood and nostalgic all at the same time. Buzzfeed executive video producer, Andrew Gauthier, said that Buzzfeed wants readers and viewers to see content and think, "That is so me." Lots of content on Buzzfeed adds a certain value of truth and validation to people's lives that they want to share with friends and family. 
3. Tone, Tone, Tone. The tone of Buzzfeed reminds me of late-night host, Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy is so successful because he is an amazing listener to guests but he also has his own unique comic wit. Millennials want to be valued, understood and recognized as individuals. We prefer (and actually expect) a tone that is colloquial, approachable and encouraging. Buzzfeed utilizes visuals and short, strategic text. They know their audience because heck, they hire their audiences. 



To read about Buzzfeed's viral video success, read: http://digiday.com/publishers/inside-buzzfeed-video/
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    Author

    Kathryn Jeffords majored in Strategic Communications at Elon University. She reads Flipboard, enjoys live music and frequenting coffee shops and perfecting the art of macaroni and cheese.
    Contributing blogger on sciencemediasummit.org and jhfestival.org 

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