Cultural Event 4 - Anchorman 2

During this semester, I attended a long anticipated showing of Anchorman 2, a sequel to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (one of my all time favorite movies!).  This cult classic has remained an underground favorite among comedy buffs for years.  Anchorman also takes a firm place in the roots of today's pop culture.

Nearly 9 years after the original film, Anchorman 2 finally came to theaters.  Rumors of a failed sequel existed many years ago.  After the initial sequel failed to be completed, many fans didn't give much more hope or thought to another being filmed.  Much to the surprise of dedicated fans, Anchorman 2 was released December 18, 2013.

At the time the first Anchorman was released, it was unlike any other comedy I had seen.  Most of the dialogue breeding a new brand of nonsensical, irreverent humor that has become the norm in many films since.  I was excited to see that new ideas were brought to the table with Anchorman 2 rather than disappointing fans with basically the same movie as the original.  Getting the chance to watch the sequel to one of my favorite cult classics was a blast.  The movie exceeded my expectations.

Cultural Event 3 - Art Exhibit at Taylor Books

Recently, I took a trip to Charleston, the capitol of West Virginia.  Amongst the many exciting attractions in the area, I happened upon a very interesting art exhibit at Taylor Books.  The exhibit featured several artists such as Josh Miller, Lorin Michki and Brent Thomas. Each artist had a unique style.  They also each used very different mediums for their art.

The artist that interested me the most was Josh Miller.  His art was unlike any I have seen in a long time.  Each painting he creates looks like the doodles of a 4 year old.  This is a very interesting perspective to capture and portray through art.  From food to animals, Josh Miller draws everything the way most toddlers would.  He even refers to his art as "drawings" on his handouts.

One example of many of Josh Miller's "drawings".

Cultural Event 2 - Wiretap Show, 1/28/14 at 100 Proof Tattoo

On January 28th, 2014, I  attended a local music show at 100 Proof Tattoo in Martinsburg, WV.  This was the first show that 100 Proof Tattoo had ever hosted.  It's still up in the air at the moment, but employees and the owner of the shop have tossed around the idea of opening a professional music venue at the location.  This show was a trial run that ended up working out pretty well.  Several local Hardcore bands played that evening including Wiretap and Distances.

Martinsburg, WV has always had a steady underground music culture over the past 10 years.  While the music may not always stay consistent, the energy of new bands displaying new musical ideas is always thriving.  Despite the fact that a music scene has existed in the area for a long time, there has still never been a designated all ages venue for local musicians to play at.

With this show as a good start, 100 Proof Tattoo is becoming more and more convinced that opening a local venue would be a good idea.

The show itself was great! This predominately Hardcore show consisted of the artists Sailor's Mouth, Distances, Wiretap and Black Mask.  I hope to see more shows at this venue in the future and to eventually play here with my band as well.

Wiretap performing.  I am pictured, second from the left, watching their set.

Cultural Event 1 - "Murder and Mayhem: How It All Began" Presented by The Rude Mechanicals

I attended a showing of "Murder and Mayhem: How It All Began" this semester.  This play was a Medieval Drama.  It was about the Christian story of the Creation of Man. It consisted of four different parts:

Creation and Fall of Angels
Fall of Man
The Murder of Abel
Noah

This was the second Rude Mechanicals play I have attended since I have been at Shepherd.  I can definitely say I wasn't disappointed.  The Rudes never seem to fail at providing an entertaining show for their classmates.  This particular play focused on some of the first parts of the Bible.  These stories explain the creation of the universe and mankind.  I thought that the play was quite entertaining.  I feel that many Shepherd students don't expect The Rude Mechanicals plays to be as funny as they are.

Faculty Review

Last week was the Faculty Review for my Capstone project.  I didn't have enough time to give a complete demonstration of the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts I created for Brother's Pizza, but I did review my PR Campaign and the progress/success I have achieved so far.

I feel that the presentation went well overall, but there were some criticisms for my project.  It was pretty unanimous that my work needs a little more of a push in a different direction.  Rather than just posting about specials the restaurant has to offer and creating new specials, I can improve by creating something more different and unique for Brother's.

I was also told that I should work more to appeal to my selected demographic and existing audience.  Repetitive posts about specials don't appeal to my audience as well as more demographic-centered posts would.  For example, my goal is to appeal to families.  To do this, I could post pictures of families enjoying their dine in experience at our restaurant.

To conclude, I can reflect on the criticisms I received at the Faculty Review in order to improve my project.

More Progress For Brother's Pizza!

My PR campaign for Brother's Pizza is still going very well!

Last night was the very first open mic night that Brother's has ever had and the second event that I planned for them.  The event could have gone a little more smoothly however.  Instead of planning the event for two weeks, I only had one. With more time, I could have better planned the event and had a better turn out. We ended up only having 2 performers play, but the people in the restaurant enjoyed the music! Overall, I think I would host this event again, but some better planning will have to happen on my part.

Next, I plan to begin a "pizza of the month" promotion and I am also considering a pizza eating contest to round out the month.  For the Pizza Of The Month, we will offer a different one of our specialty pizzas at the price of a regular pizza.  Hopefully, this will boost some interest in our new specialty pizzas.  For the Pizza Eating Contest,  I considered mimicking a March Madness bracket for customers to fill out for who they think will win out of 10 contestants.  I haven't done much planning for this event yet, so I am not sure if I still want to host it.

To conclude, I feel like I am on the right track, and I'm learning a lot about organization and planning through managing the Brother's Pizza social media.  This will help me in future jobs to create more efficient and successful work.

Capstone Project Progress

So far, my PR campaign for Brother's Pizza in Martinsburg is going very well.  Since the reboot of their Facebook page and the creation of their Twitter and Instagram accounts, I have noticed an steady increase in business overall.  Within the last three weeks,  I am responsible for gaining 82 likes on the Brother's Facebook page, 95 followers on Twitter, and 67 followers on Instagram. 


Before I began working on social media and PR for Brother's Pizza, they didn't have much of a social media presence at all.  Their Facebook page was pretty vacant, with about two or three posts total. A Twitter and Instagram account for Brother's were nonexistent.  Since I have become the manager of these accounts, there have been weekly, regular postings on all three sites.

Brother's Pizza also didn't have much in the way of promotions and events.  Some of the promotions that did exist didn't get much attention, and no one seemed to be interested in planning and running events.   One event that had been held a couple times was a Valentine's Day Dinner where customers could get a Heart-Shaped Pizza and Brother's would donate $1 to the American Heart Association.

I decided to hold the Valentine's event again this year.  Overall, it was successful!  Having reflected on it, the event could have been a bit more organized.  There wasn't a unified price for the pizzas so much as customers were given the option to have their pizzas heart-shaped.  By the end of the event, we sold 10 Heart-Shaped Pizzas.  Also, each customer who ordered one, ordered other menu items.

I am planning on creating several more events and promotions for the restaurant within the next few months, including a Pizza of the Month promotion, an Open Mic Night, and possibly a Pizza Eating Contest.  So far, I have made good progress with my capstone project.

A working version of a table-top flyer I created to promote Brother's new social media campaign

Do You Know Why You Use Social Media?

While the theory of Uses and Gratifications helps to provide a better understanding of why people are drawn to social media, it's not always spot on.  Many users, if asked, can provide almost knee-jerk responses to their habitual uses for Facebook, Twitter and the like.  What this theory sometimes overlooks is that people aren't always fully aware of what purposes they use social media for.

Lots of people who use social media may not always be aware of some of the reasons they use social media.  For example, if a couple breaks up and the two begin stalking each other on social media, it's likely that they wouldn't admit to using it for that purpose. Other less extreme examples would be subconscious uses that users may overlook, like periodically checking a certain twitter account.

Those studying this theory are left with this drawback.  Aside from becoming invasive, it's difficult to conduct perfect research for this theory.  The easiest way to gather information is through surveying users or self reports.

As with many psychological theory, variables such as this exist.  Even though some of our uses and gratifications may be subconscious, they're still as important as the ones we're aware of.  Sometimes users are unaware that they are even using social media for a specific purpose until they are questioned about it or really have to think about their usage.




Source:
Jimenez, A.G., Maria C., & Carmen P. (2012). A vision of uses and gratifications applied to the study of Internet use by adolescents. Comunicación y Sociedad.  25 (2), 231-254.

Common Uses and Gratifications In Social Media

     Everyone who uses social media, uses it for a reason.  Whether it's a quest for knowledge or a way to pass time when you're bored, users are still drawn to social media.  There is a plethora of uses and gratifications that draw a user to any specific social media, but here are several broad examples:

• Social Interaction
• Information Seeking
• Pass Time
• Entertainment
• Relaxation
• Communicatory Utility
• Convenience Utility
• Expression of Opinion
• Information Sharing
• Surveillance/ Knowledge of Others

     Of those who are active on social media, most can say that they've used social media for at least one or more of the examples from the list.  I personally can recall using social media for every one of these uses and gratifications since I started using social media with Myspace a few years ago. 

     The theory of Uses and Gratifications is undeniably directly related to social media.  Understanding why a user wants to use social media provides a better understanding of how to effectively use it.  In terms of my capstone project, I must differentiate the uses and gratifications that followers of Brother's Pizza look for.

     Not only must the uses and gratifications be taken into account; in order to effectively run social media for a business, their operators must also differentiate the uses for each social media.

     For example, the reason a follower would use Instagram could be much different than why a user visits their Facebook profile.  Discovering the most common uses and gratifications for each social media can help to tailor your posts to better suit the audiences' needs. 


Source:

Whiting, A., & Williams, D. (2013). Why People Use Social Media: A Uses and Gratifications Approach.  Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal.  16 (4), 362-369.

The Theory Of Uses and Gratifications: Why Use Social Media?

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew why people use social media?  Well we can!

The theory of Uses and Gratifications is a theory that helps to explain this.   The theory seeks to explain why users "use" social media and what "gratification" they receive from using it.  It speculates that people use new media in order to satiate social or psychological needs.


For example, many users of Facebook have found this site as a Mecca for interpersonal relationships.  I can recall my first uses for Facebook were to find existing friends of mine as well as seek out older friends I had lost touch with. The gratification of my usage was the reconnection of friendships through a new medium.

This theory isn't just about Facebook though.  It can be used to discover the reasons why people decide to use any social media site.  Twitter, for example, has a variety of uses for its users to receive gratification. 

Specificity is important when looking into the uses for social media.  To say that someone is using social media for a broad use (e.g. to find friends) isn't enough.  It's better to find a precise usage, like if a person where to want to find pictures of dogs on Instagram; but not just any dog.  They want to find a "#crazydog" pic.

This theory can be useful when building the presence of a company on Social Media.  It helps tailor posts to the specific needs of your audience.  My capstone project, for instance, should use social media to target the uses for the intended audience of Brother's Pizza.

When a customer is browsing the internet to find a pizza place to eat, I have to think of what their uses could be.  "I want to find a pizza place where I can go watch a football game."  or "I'm looking for a place to hang out with my friends and eat some pizza." are some possible uses that my audiences may have.  It's my job to make sure those uses are gratified through Brother's social media and that users are likely to search and find Brother's in order to satisfy their needs they have.


Source:

Sundar, S. S., & Limperos, A. M. (2013). Uses and Grats 2.0: New Gratifications for     New Media. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. 57(4), 504-525.

Photo by: Andy Melton
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2348/2247781640_e97f87a211_z.jpg

Social Media from an Integrated Marketing and Compliance Perspective

       Social Media can be a very powerful tool for marketing strategies.  As of the past few years, it has almost been a necessity for any business, band, celebrity, etc. that wants to get their foot in the door of this trendy new avenue in hopes to gain the attention of its users (practically EVERYONE these days).   With any powerful tool however, there can also be downsides and risks involved.  Professional PR practitioners should be aware of how to correctly use social media to their advantage.

There are several considerations to be made when professionals are considering to begin to use social media:

Goals-

     This is a very crucial thing to consider. What are you trying to accomplish with social media? Answering this question will help tailor results to your liking.  For example, given the goal that you have set, what is the best social media outlet to carry out this goal?  The biggest social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for example) are all very unique and different in their delivery methods.  Determining which of these outlets will help complete your goals and reach your targeted audience most efficiently will help in the long run.

Strategy-

     Having a content strategy in place is important when considering how your audience will perceive your organization and react to you.  The biggest difference between traditional, static Web presence and social media, is that social media offers interaction between professionals and their audiences.  This way, an organization can better adjust to customer needs; perfect for branding and further audience analysis/targeting.  Keeping consistency in your content will keep audiences attentive for longer as well.  Avoid posting things that are less thoughtful or unimportant.  This will help cut down on over-posting.  But you also want to avoid not posting at all.

Tools-

     Think about the tools you have at your disposal.  As mentioned before,  choosing the correct avenue for your organization will give you the best results.  For example, while Facebook and Twitter are both social media outlets, they offer different things for your audience. An organization needs to tailor to their audience's needs as best they can.  Considering who uses the different outlets will help to better target an audience.

Risks-

     There can always be risks associated with using each social media.  It's possible that the audience you intended to target, was in fact not targeted at all through the outlet(s) chosen.  For example, Instagram can be a powerful social media tool, but is an outlet dedicated to image sharing the best option for every organization?  Something else to consider is your overall presence on social media.  Be sure not to associate yourself with anything on the Web that won't clash well with your intended audience.

     These considerations are important when beginning to create a social media presence for your organization.  A thoughtful process and strategy is the best way to ensure that social media is a tool for your success rather than a disaster.



Source:

Schlinke, J., & Crain, S. (2013). Social Media from an Integrated Marketing and Compliance Perspective. Journal Of Financial Service Professionals, 67(2), 85-92.

Statement of Intent: Capstone Project

For my capstone project, I intend to complete a multimedia PR campaign for my band, Strike Out Kid.  This project will mainly focus on Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising skills; some areas I am interested in pursuing for a career. 

My band is planning on releasing our first full-length album in the spring.  For this album to hopefully make more of an impact and reach a wider audience,  I plan to create a larger presence on our social media outlets with the use of advertising.  Posts on our social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) will help to foster attention from our fans and potential fans and create excitement about our upcoming release.  To kickoff the release of our new album, we intend to host a local show.  To plan this event and get people excited, I will use social media to get more people to attend.

Our last EP.  Like this album cover, our new release will be photographed and edited by us.

I'm also considering the creation of a band website through the use of a Tumblr account.  Formatting similar to a Tumblr blog are used often as websites by bigger bands withing my band's genre. This could be successful in exposing my band to a completely new social media outlet.

Along with PR work, I will also be spending a considerable amount of time recording out band's album with our guitarist, Levi.  He and I are responsible for all of the sound design for our music.  Levi uses Pro Tools software to record, mix and master bands and other musicians in his studio.

In all, this project should boost my band's presence in the social media world.  The bigger the presence, the more likely we are to gain attention from new and old fan bases.  There is also a potential for our band to get signed to a record label.   That is ultimately our goal for this album release.

Work such as this is done professionally every day for many famous bands.  A career working in PR for musicians is something I am very interested in pursuing.  It is a necessity for success in the music industry today.  I hope to create that same success for my band by using Public Relations skills.