PR Video Case Study

SunCycles is a bicycle sharing company based in Orlando.  Their mission is to provide a "smart, fun, and flexible solution for the last mile in Central Florida".  They also focus heavily on the community as Orlando's alternative transportation options are limited.  Since the company is new, they rely heavily on grants to fund development.  In order to find funding, getting exposure and 'buzz' online and offline is essential.  Last month, SunCycles created a video to spread awareness of their product and mission.  The company focuses on the advantages of biking: convenience, economics, and health; as well as the bike itself.  Their demographics are younger residents who might not have a car, money, or those who want to be more active and green.  One way SunCycles reaches their customers is by locating their bike hubs in Thornton Park, The Milk District, and Ivanhoe Village.  These areas are considered the "downtown alternative" because they are geographically close to downtown Orlando.  SunCycles appeals to their demographics by providing inexpensive, green, and easy-to-use rentals.  Reinforcing the subculture that supports these types of programs is also apparent in their mission.  SunCycles does not market themselves to tourists in the attraction areas because they feel Orlando residents are ready for a bike share program instead.  Their video explains the origins of the company, the advantages of biking, the process of city approval, and the features of their bike.  Video is necessary for SunCycles because future customers need to see its potential 'in action' in order to spark interest and gain participation.

Another organization that has grown rapidly in Chicago is Divvy Bikes.  Divvy is owned by the Chicago Department of Transportation which has provided funding and has allowed them to grow faster than most bike share programs.  Their mission is very similar to SunCycles as they provide a "fun, easy, and affordable" bike share service to Chicagoans.  The Divvy service blends nicely with the city's well established transportation system.  Unlike Orlando, Chicago is based on a grid system with bike lanes on most roads.  As long as the roads are not covered in ice, bike riding is perfect in Chicago.  Even though Divvy markets itself as a service for the locals, it has also become extremely popular for tourists.  Chicago's tourist attractions are downtown, which naturally provide more people to rent Divvy bikes.  Both Divvy and SunCycles products, services, and goals are similar, but Divvy has had more opportunities to achieve their goals.  Instead of creating one long video, Divvy has multiple short "Teach Me How To Divvy" (instead of dougie) videos that explain different aspects about their bike.  These quick tutorials are necessary for customers because they visually demonstrate the product. 

SunCycles video is perfect for someone who wants to learn about their service.  On the other hand, Divvy's videos are practical for the customer using the service.  I argue that SunCycles video is overly informative and should be separated into more concentrated clips.  As SunCycles becomes more established, adding Divvy style videos could help them achieve their goals.

Social Media Strategy Case Study

The recent South Park episode, Informative Murder Porn, that addressed customer support problems in the cable TV industry made me curious to learn how Comcast interacts with customers online.  After analyzing their social media accounts and website, I found that they focus on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and a little Google+.  Comcast has unique and effective strategies apparent on each social network they use.

Comcast has subdivided its brand into many different Twitter accounts.  The accounts range from @comcast and @comcastcares to @xfinitysports and @comcastbusiness.  By separating their accounts, Comcast can tailor their content on each handle to different demographics.  The @comcast and @xfinity accounts are focused on corporate news and new content available on their cable service.  On the other hand, @comcastcares focuses on customer support.  Recent publicity about cable companies’ lack of customer support caused me to gravitate towards their @comcastcares account.  The accounts profile has their admin’s personal photo and name.  Their new admin, Bill Gerth, is literally the face of Comcast’s customer support.  Strategically, this is a smart plan for Comcast because users who submit complaints see a person behind the account.  Users are more inclined to be appropriate and pleased if they are talking with a person instead of an automated program.  In contrast, having Gerth’s identity on the support account gives customers a reason to blame him for problems.  Overall, this strategy is personalized and unique to Comcast.  In terms of content, the account mostly posts about problems with the service.  One tweet explained that “services in the Denver area are being restored.  I apologize again for any inconvenience this may have caused”.  Using the word ‘I’ instead of ‘we’ also personalizes the message.  Customer problems seemed to only be addressed in private messages which served two beneficial purposes.  First, the customer could get a personal response from Gerth addressing the problem.  Second, their feed was not flooded with customer complaints.  Therefore, Comcast appears as though their customers are satisfied with the services.  Representing Comcast on this personal level makes it challenging to “respond with empathy, but defend your brand” (Kip Wetzel, former admin of @comcastcares).  In all, Comcast’s customer support on Twitter seems to be far ahead of other corporations, even though they still get bad publicity about their services.

Comcast has two Facebook pages, Comcast and XFINITY.  These pages solely promote media content available on their cable service.  The cover photo from XFINITY’s page was an ad for a new episode of Grey’s Anatomy.  Their pages consisted of ads for TV shows in image form with a brief description of copy [include screenshot].  With the ability to easily post photos, Comcast uses Facebook to promote their service and its content.  The Facebook demographic is more likely to see an ad appear in their newsfeed than on Twitter.

The Comcast Cares Google+ page featured an image that stated “We are here to help” but the image was of multiple employees sitting together all on different devices.  Since Google+ doesn’t have as much traffic, the page was relatively dormant.

Comcast actively uses YouTube for tutorials, promotional ads, and TV guide style videos.  Many of their videos are in Spanish because a large portion of their customers are Spanish speakers. Their “How To Self-Install XFINITY Internet” tutorial video had over 150,000 views.  Comcast quickly replied when users commented with questions about installation.

I found it slightly ironic that they had an internet set up tutorial online, but most of their demographic has phones that can access the video.

Comcast’s Facebook pages were focused on advertising new shows while there Twitter feeds were geared toward customer service.  Comcast’s Facebook demographic is more likely to see an ad appear in their news feed and not use Facebook for customer support.  Twitter is a much more efficient way for their demographic to see what problems are occurring and ask for assistance.  On YouTube, they included helpful tutorials and their most popular ads.  Specifically tailoring their content for each social network developed a coherent and effective message to customers.

Web Site Strategy Case Study

Click to download: Site Map Document in Outline Form

I chose Kraft's corporate website instead of their general consumer one because it seemed to offer more. The customer website was mostly recipes...actually a ton of recipes. I found the corporate on more interesting and traditional. When first visiting the page, it looked very updated. The simple 6 tab menu bar on the top was very easy to read and navigate. The stock information embedded into the header looks nice and definitely good for the corporate page of a publicly traded company. Given that their site highlighted investors and shareholder information, I assume investors are typically visiting this site the most. Other nice features were the font and contrast adjustments in the top right corner. Their demographics are probably older and have trouble reading small text. If so, they are very carefully, and probably effectively, catering to their demographic.  In addition, their investors have a tremendous impact on their performance and success. Catering to their demographic on this page is vital for the companies success.  Finally, their content is also relevant to an older demographic. They mention historical events in the company from 1903 and having a heritage section under 'about us'. It is obvious that Kraft specifically chooses certain images, designs, and customization to make the viewer experience positive for an older generation. However, it is still very effective for young generations too. This is apparent through their social media links on the top corner. My biggest surprise about this corporate page was how simple it looked on the outside, but how many pages were included after the homepage (see bottom chart).

Kraft Corporate Website

Site Map Of Kraft Corporate Website

Traditional vs. New Media Case Study

For my case study, I wanted to examine Best Buy. I chose this company because it continues to transition to avoid simply being a tech showroom. I was interested in the way it uses both old and new media, but also how their strategy and media uses have changed over the years. When they were the tech shopping king, they had entertaining TV commercials, billboards, radio ads, and other types of old media. Each type focused on the convenience, low prices, and products available from their brand. Since their stores are large and have high fixed costs, they need customers to just come in. Originally, Best Buy had a Wal-Mart style framework to beat out any local tech store completion due of their volume of products and customers. Now, they can't compete with the volume of Amazon warehouses and the absence of sales people seen in all online models. An Amazon warehouse can store a lot more products than Best Buy, so shopping online gives the consumer more options. The only advantages Best Buy has is the showroom aspect of getting to use products and any exclusive products. In terms of the “4 P’s” of marketing, Best Buy used to focus on their products and prices, but now they specialize in their place and promotions. The only aspect of product they have left is that the consumer can use it in the store. Since their prices are not competitive with online sellers, they cannot use price to market their products.
Recently, Samsung and Best Buy have worked together to make Best Buy exclusive products, but Samsung eventually ends up selling those products online. Since Best Buy still has store costs, their online prices often cannot compete with Amazon. Today, they promote their brand using other brand's products like Samsung. They still have many types of old media, but they focus on new aspects of the brand. Instead of low prices, they focus on having the product in your possession immediately. They also value customer support and the exclusivity of certain products.
In their recent Super Bowl ad, they had Ozzy Osbourne humorously not understanding 3G or 4G (View Below). Then Justin Bieber arrives and finishes the ad joking about a 6G phone. Its demographics were either young pop star fans, or older generations that don't understand electronics well. These same demographics might also not understand that the product they are looking for is on Amazon for 20% less. However, Best Buy brands itself now as a customer friendly electronics store where sales specialists can help fit your needs. If you are an unknowledgeable electronics consumer, Best Buy is probably a good place to shop.
On Twitter Best Buy promotes exclusive products, customer support, and affiliations with other events or promotions. Nascar is one of their biggest campaigns with the Best Buy 17 car. Since the Nascar demographic tracks the U.S. population closely. Marketing using new and old media strategies with Nascar makes a lot of sense. It is also why a lot of other big box stores have Nascar branded race cars as well. For being a electronics retail company, I would have expected Best Buy to be represented on most of the major social networks. However they only promoted Facebook and Twitter on their website. I find that seeing the same brands advertisements on different sites or channels to be more persuasive than if it is just on one billboard. On the other hand, their 6.7 million Facebook likes and almost half a million Twitter followers puts them in a popularly followed group that might just want to appeal to those on the top two social sites. The repletion of messages often causes changes in consumer behavior. I think using Nascar and other Pop entertainers to market the brand is a good start for Best Buy, but they need to completely change their brand before those followers find out about Amazon.

3 Interesting Business Cards

1) Yoga Business Card.

















I really liked the yoga card because it was memorable, funny, and interactive.  It would make me feel happy and probably more open to trying yoga.

2) Divorce Lawer Business Card

I thought this card was hilarious.  It is probably just what a couple getting a divorce needs during an uncomfortable time.

3) Tear Away Envelope Business Card

Forcing the receiver of the card to tear away part of the card to reveal contact info probably increases memorability and could add to the brand if the card producer is in the packaging/shipping business.

Personal Story (brand identity)

My personal brand is trustworthy, friendly, and generally professional. Although depending on the demographics that I encounter, more nuances in my brand become apparent.  Typically, I tend to be very open and people get to know me quickly.  I don't have any enemies or people I try to avoid.  Generally, I go with the flow and continue to learn about people and technologies.  Most people see me the way I see myself.  I've been called a hard worker, trustworthy, and creative.  Sometimes at first people think I am lazy or bored because of my monotone voice, but after they get to know me, they realize I actually care about their opinions.  The products of my creativity and hard work are the aspects of my work that I enjoy seeing the most.  As a person really interested in technology, seeing so many tech inventions created in my lifetime is amazing.  I find interacting with those technologies to be entertaining.  In contrast, being outdoors and getting some fresh air is important.  Rollins College has given me many opportunities to get outside and enjoy nature.  I still find myself distracted with the latest app or viral tweet when I'm trying to get away from a screen.

As a City of Chicago native, living in a distracting and high energy state of mind is comfortable for me.  I use music, vacations, and family to relax when everything is crazy.  Keeping a healthy work life balance is difficult for me because I enjoy working on new projects.  Sometimes my work intrudes on my life outside of work, but as long as the work is rewarding, I don't see it being a problem.

My past work at WPRK opened me up to new underground types of music that I wouldn't have heard otherwise.  Now I am working on a new project for Rollins to help increase the College's video presence online.  I anticipate similar work life balance issues with it as well.
Whether I see my professor, parent, friend, classmate, girlfriend, landlord, or neighbor, I attempt to keep a consistent brand.  Consistency in general is easier, but I obviously share more about my brand with my girlfriend than with my neighbor.  The way I share that information is how I try to remain consistent with my brand.  Personally, I don't subscribe to living and acting differently around my friends at night and then drastically changing myself when I'm at home.  A large part of this choice could be that many of my colleagues are friends that I hang out with outside of class or work.  Consistency, reliability, trust, and punctuality are very important to my brand.  Without those traits it is difficult to be productive, learn, and have fun.  A lot of people don't share those values, although when they do share them, things are more likely to go as planned.  The most important aspect of my brand revolves around my character.  My drive to be independent and think of entrepreneurial ideas keep me focused and help me continue to learn more.  An aspect of my brand that I often downplay are my past accomplishments.  Whenever something good happens as a result of my hard work, I tend to keep it to myself.  Normally others mention my successes before I do.  As strangers get to know me, they quickly understand my abilities, values, and character.

Hello

Rollins Logo

Hi there,

I'm a CMC Major at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL.  My area of concentration is consumer behavior.  I used to work at WPRK as a DJ and Assistant Station Manager.  Now I'm doing an independent study to create R-Video.