Category / Ads

by drey3113

Media and Creativity Collide

The world of advertising is always evolving and changing with the flow of the consumers’ needs. If advertising teams remain stagnant, they become a rock in the river impeding the flow of progress instead of promoting it. The most successful teams are the ones open to change. Sometimes just changing a P to a B is all you need.

Lindsay Rittenhouse gives some insight on how companies are moving with change in this week’s issue of Adweek. IHOP, BP and Westworld are a few examples of how companies are consolidating their media and creative teams to push innovation forward. IHOP’s collaboration with IPG agencies Initiative and Droga5 allowed for the IHOb campaign to come to fruition. All it took was a letter change to blow up Twitter. It would not have happened though if Initiative and Droga5 had not worked so closely throughout the campaign. Consumers in this generation require personalized media and innovative ideas to garner their attention. This creates a need for media teams and creative teams to become synonymous in order to deliver successful media campaigns. BP also had WPP Team Energy create the “Possibilities Everywhere” campaign in order to emphasize its support of transitioning to a lower carbon future. WPP used a single team made up of strategists, media specialists and creatives in order to deliver the campaign instead of splitting up the responsibility into separate teams. Westworld and Giant Spoon also found great commercial success in its campaign for the new TV show. Giant Spoon co-founder Marc Simons stated how they don’t treat media creation like an assembly line. “There’s a central team made up of strategy, creative, media, experiential that is linked to our projects. It’s not just a media-led project or creative-led project,” Simons said.

Advertising has become a creative collaboration. As consumers take in new media their expectations rise. Media and creative teams can no longer act separately if they want to create the next IHOb. Creating innovative media is difficult for one department to do. Everyone can’t be as witty as the International House of Pancakes, or should I say burgers. While collaborations between teams can bring tension and cause individuals to butt heads the pay off is tremendous. IHOP’s campaign speaks for itself garnering 1.2 million tweets and 15,000 media stories in just ten days. There were probably individuals who laughed at the idea of IHOb proclaiming that a letter change won’t create any media buzz. Low and behold though that the IHOb campaign is one of the most successful media strategies in the past few years. Times are changing and with that consumers needs are as well. Advertisers need to take risks and get creative with their media. IHOP and Westworld have shown the industry that consolidating media and creative teams are a step in the right direction in combating an evolving market. Who will use this information to succeed in the market? Only time will tell. It is clear as day though that advertising must do something different or it risks falling to the wayside in the mind of the consumers.

For more information, follow up by reading the article What’s Old is New in Adweek volume 60.

by drey3113

The Next Generation of Sports Media Consumption

Imagine the world of virtual reality colliding with the world of sports. Real-time VR streaming fused with sportscasting to create a new world in sports media. The possibilities are endless. This is what Patrick Kulp at Adweek discovered after researching Fox’s collaboration with AT&T.

Fox decided to take a break from covering the current presidency to invest in its sports media stock. Their sports department teamed up with AT&T, Intel and Ericsson to bring the viewers of the U.S. Tennis Open Championship a more efficient and in-depth experience. By using 5G wireless services the possibilities for streaming and quality production skyrocketed while cutting costs at the same time. This raised questions on what else 5G could do for media production and consumption. The Sacramento Kings took this as an opportunity to collaborate with Verizon to create the first 360 virtual reality stream of a basketball game. While this may not help the team play any better it certainly provides fans with a new immersive experience. “Immersive media experiences are going to be one of the things that are unique on 5G,” said Jaunt CEO Mitzi Reaugh.” This step forward in sports media technology opens up many doors in the consumption of sports media allowing fans from all parts of the country to be able to experience their favorite team as if they were there. It is quite interesting where the current state of 5G is. There aren’t many 5G devices on the market, and most if not all providers are jumping at the opportunity to install 5G capabilities into a variety of venues. The future of sports media is now.

With native advertising and ad technology evolving with the times it seems like 5G is the next step for advertising as a whole. Advertising must always adapt to its ever-changing markets which is how native advertising has started to come to the forefront of most companies’ creative groups. Being able to utilize this new form of production and streaming may become an integral part in both sports media and advertising. While virtual reality might not be everyone’s cup of tea due to the issue of potential motion sickness and the technology being brand new, 5G in itself is the perfect stepping stone to bring advertising into a new world of audiences. Generation Z is one of the most tech savvy generations due to being born in an era of iPads and smartphones being commonplace in most households. To reach and relate to this new generation, sports media is making a conscious effort to evolve with the times and provide new and exciting ways to experience sports. Will this pay off as far as the numbers go? Only time will tell but it surely is a good sign to see the industry not shy away from new technology. There is a lot to learn about the usage of 5G though as it is a relatively new method of wireless connection and wireless services have had a history of problems as far as connection stability and reliability. 5G may surpass these obstacles though and can give fans what they want. Better sports coverage and better advertising.

For more information, take a look at Kulp’s  article Next-Gen Sports Viewing in Adweek New York volume 60 issue 4.

by sarajamhour21

Multicultural Audiences in Today’s Media

(Trade Press Release #3)

Whenever a company or business puts out an advertisement, they always have a target audience in mind. However, with today’s constantly changing and growing multicultural consumers, these companies must make a conscious effort when creating these ads that they are being inclusive and culturally aware of the environment they are currently in.

Research which can be found at this link, shows that most advertisements are seen on social media and television. With this in mind, companies can then create a more engaging ad that will attract a higher rate of consumer involvement. The media they create can vary anywhere from ‘unpacking’ videos to celebrity endorsements to sponsored posts.

The digital and social media that is so present in today’s society must be utilized to communicate with consumers of various ethnicities including white, Hispanic, black and Asian. It is vital that the companies are doing research on these communities so that they are seen and represented in the ads being presented before them whether it be during the commercial break of their family’s favorite tv show or in the banner of a religious video on YouTube.

According to Adriana Waterston, “engagement is driven by personalization, creating resonance and relevance with the target; convincing consumers your company is aligned with their personal values. Brand due diligence is key to understanding customer values, social, political, cultural, and religious, including whether your brand’s values match the market.” Taking all this into consideration, it is important now more than ever that the backgrounds of the members of today’s multicultural audiences are deliberated so that both the company and its target consumers are all being catered to and benefitting from these more considerate ads.

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Photo Courtesy of AgilityPR.com

by nico102698

5 College Hacks to Save you Time & Money

1. Keep a Schedule of classes and assignments on your phone

Keeping a schedule of your classes and assignments on your phone can keep you organized by giving you notifications for upcoming events. Some schools even have the schedule available for download for integration on Apple and Google calendars. Both calendars have integration on all devices so your computer, phone and smart watch have can all the same calendar.

2. Ask for Student Discounts in Stores

Image Provided by Amazon

Many stores, especially ones around campus, offer student discounts, from movie theaters to restaurants, here’s a few to save you some money:

AMC Theatres: Students get a lower ticket price at select theaters.

Apple: Apple does special pricing for students.

Best Buy: Sign up for Best Buy’s college student deals to get promo codes emailed to you.

Cinemark: At participating locations, you can show your college ID to get a student discount.

Chick-fil-A: Get a free small drink when you show your student ID and buy anything at Chick-fil-A.

Chipotle: Get a free small drink when you show your student ID and buy anything at Chipotle.

Levi’s: Get an exclusive 15% discount when you join UNiDAYS.

MAC Makeup: Get an exclusive 10% discount when you join UNiDAYS.

Nike: College students can save 10% by submitting their email address.

PINK: Save 15% on your purchase.

Spotify/Hulu: Get 50% off a Spotify Premium account, which now includes a Hulu subscription.

TOMS: College students save 10% on TOMS.

3. Backpack Essentials

Image Provided by Target

Having the right gear in your backpack can save you multitudes of headaches on campus.

Here are a few Essentials:

Portable charger– For when you can’t find an outlet near you (bonus points if you have one that can charge your laptop)

Hand Sanitizer– Because you don’t know where your hands have been while on campus.

Portable Umbrella– To protect you and your electronics from the rain (Especially if you live in Gainesville like me, they call it Rainesville for a reason)

Water Bottle– To keep you hydrated on those sunny days and those days when the hangover hits you especially hard.

4. Go to School events

Image Provided by Pintrest

Going to school events can save you money on food and also lets you meet people and make new friends. Try to join clubs that interest you and that have common hobbies and interests as you, and always be on the lookout for flyers with event dates!

5. Bring a Skateboard to campus

Image Provided by The New York Times

College Campuses can be enormous, so having a fun, compact way to get around can be a lifesaver. The perfect college skateboard is the PennyBoard. Designed to look great, ride as smooth as butter and exceeded all your expectations. The Australian brand has 12-plus years experience to its name, Penny puts as much weight on the durability and the sheer fun of its boards, which is what it’s all about. Penny Boards have been a staple on College Campuses around the country because of its slim, lightweight, portable design that anyone can learn to ride on.

You can buy the Penny Skateboard here:

https://www.pennyskateboards.com/us/

Image Provided by Penny Skateboards


by ianmmeredith

The Beauty of a Split Second

A child gets a balloon in Hollywood Studios, in Orlando, FL

I’ve been taking photos of the people and places around me for as long as I can remember. When I was in the fifth grade, I got my first camera: a point and shoot Nikon that probably wasn’t worth more than $30. But the price of the camera never mattered. The brief moments and memories I captured had much more value. Over the course of the nine years since then, I’ve obviously gotten some better gear. I’ve amassed my own little collection of old film cameras, lenses, and film stocks, as well as my own ideology for taking the “perfect” photo. I love being able to capture a split second of nature, despite all of its volatility.

The skyline during a sunset on El Matador beach in Malibu, CA

I don’t only enjoy taking photos of landscapes, though. When I started writing a year ago, I began to fall in love with the idea of capturing human emotion as well. I started taking my camera with me everywhere. I constantly observe the interactions of my friends and family so I can find the perfect moment to take a quick snapshot of the beauty of human emotion. Some people throw their heads back a certain way when they laugh, and other people’s eyes light up when they get happy. The little moments like this hold so much meaning to me, and I love being able to look back on a shot from a few years ago and let all the emotion come flooding back.

Friends having a conversation at a bar in Hollywood Studios, in Orlando, FL

Photography is one of my only passions, and it’s one of the few things I feel proficient at in life. My friends and family frequently come up to me asking me to take photos for their next birthday party, or they tell me to make sure I bring my camera next time we see each other. Every time I get more film developed, we gather around and have a blast looking back at moments we might otherwise have forgotten about. These little moments that fade so quickly from our memories hold much more power than we initially believe, and I think that capturing them is crucial.

by tayquintin

Photo Courtesy of World Vision Non-Profit Organization

Feel Good, Do Good.

An abundance of individuals struggle to find their calling each day, but the question that needs to be explored is are humans truly interested in helping other humans?

For most people, yes.

Donating time to bettering our world and helping others who are struggling is a rewarding experience that helps people identify their true calling in life. We should celebrate those that commit their time to serving others who truly need it.

What are the benefits?

One of the most worthwhile results of serving others is the outcome in the end. Natural disasters hit countries every day, diseases take over entire populations and third world countries struggle to keep citizens alive due to lack of healthcare. Although the negative components of disasters in countries are extremely prominent, looking past the negative aspects allows humans to realize they can serve a purpose and help others. Additionally, non-profits are a great way to get involved in local communities near or far.

“Today, nearly 15,000 children under age 5 will die of mostly preventable causes, such as diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia.” -World Vision

How can one give to non-profit organizations?

Whether people donate large or small amounts, even a dollar has an immense impact on struggling communities. In some countries the economy is incredibly low to the point where children do not have access to education or educational tools they need to grow as individuals. With this being said, the countries that struggle largely are the countries that have undergone terrible natural disasters and influx of diseases that they can not overcome. These are the communities that need help the most. Whether it is donations or volunteering citizens have the option to dive in and help others. The beautiful aspect of non-profit organizations is the versatility in what they do. Health, education, clean water, and disaster are relief among some of the great strides non-profits make for struggling communities.

Get Involved

The biggest takeaway is finding a true interest in serving others. Think more about the people struggling the next time you buy something you do not truly need. Explore the options of your local community non-profits and what they offer that would allow you to feel good, and do good. If you are looking to help communities far away that undergo extreme struggles due to disasters evaluate how involved you want to become, and how much service you want to offer to others. Adventure is out there, and helping others will always be an option to make you not only feel better about yourself but feel better about helping others.

For more information on how to get involved in non-profit organizations for struggling countries visit: https://www.worldvision.org/our-work/health

by mnaim1

The University of Florida’s Premiere Radio Service for the Visually Impaired

Platforms of mass communication connect a vast number of people through a common medium. The invention of the radio by Guglielmo Marconi in 1895, laid the foundation for groundbreaking technology which would provide a means of communicating to a large audience through the air. The first radio broadcast was by Reginald A. Fessenden in 1906. The radio session from Brant Rock, Massachusetts dispersed music and entertainment which started a radio craze by the public intrigued by sound traveling wirelessly. From its use in the Navy through Morse code in the 1950s and 1960s to modern use as a source of listening pleasure, the radio serves a variety of practical purposes.

The Radio Reading Service is a programmed channel through the University of Florida’s WUFT-FM 89.1 radio station. The service intends to provide content for the visually impaired in the Gainesville area. Established in June of 1992, the station was once only able to be heard through a radio box available for rent at local libraries. Now, the Radio Reading Service may be easily accessed through any radio system or via a livestream broadcast found on the station’s website.

Schedule of Reading Services

The shows run on a business week schedule from 9 am to 3 pm with programs including “Newsprint Today”, “Apples and Oranges”, “On Topic”, “All Sports”, “Political Current”, “Take Me Away” and “This Weekend.” All programs offer beneficial information and the station encourages everyone interested to tune into a show on air !

“Newsprint Today” reads articles regarding local, regional and national news. “Apples and Oranges” reviews local grocery ads. The program “On Topic” covers a specific current event subject of interest and provides insight into the topic. “All sports” reports updates on sport statistics and events. The show “Political Current” features news articles related to politics at the local, state, regional, national and international level. “Take Me Away” discusses travel destinations and provides a look into what visiting these places may be like. “This Weekend” provides listeners with upcoming exciting events in the area.

Get Involved

The hosts of the radio shows are current students at the University of Florida enrolled in the College of Journalism and Communications. Students may sign up to be on the station through an immersion experience which allows for a hands-on approach to the inside jobs within a radio station. Duties include producing, controlling the soundboard, on-air personality and voice projection, and preparing the articles for a show. Students have the option to participate in the program for one semester and earn one credit hour.

Although the Radio Reading Service serves as an auditory newspaper connecting information with about 800 visually impaired listeners, the channel invites everyone in the Gainesville area to tune in for local news and more. The radio broadcast displays the University of Florida’s initiative to provide a helpful network for all members within the Gainesville community by providing entertaining and useful information. Make sure to listen in on the next broadcast and enjoy what the station has to offer. Those who tune in are likely to become part of a regular audience, because they don’t want to miss the next exposition on air!

To learn more or to hear the radio broadcasts, check out: https://www.wuft.org/rrs/

by Julia

8 Reasons Baths Can Improve Your Health

As people get older many make the transition from soaking in a warm tub to standing under the pressurized water of a shower. Whether for convenience, perceived cleanliness, or even the feeling of hot water pressing down the back, we tend to start to perceive baths as too time-consuming that we only take part in as children. Some people are so repelled by the idea of taking a bath as an adult that they refuse to take one anymore with the belief that taking a bath is so dirty.

But what if you knew that taking baths has numerous benefits for your health?

There is a multitude of scientific evidence that proves baths can help with many aspects of our body’s health from muscles all the way to hormones. Our aging bodies need these health benefits more than ever, so why are we not taking advantage of staying healthy and getting clean at the same time? Below are some health advantages that taking baths can provide.

Water is always a great tool for exercise when you are moving around in it, but what if you could burn calories by simply sitting still?

According to Loughborough University’s Steve Faulkner, sweating in a nice hot bath can burn the equivalence of taking a 30- minute walk in calories!

Congestion is one of the most common and frustrating symptoms of a cold or the flu caused by inflammation in the nose.

Steam from a hot bath can help loosen the nasal passage by helping the blood vessels in the face in moving.

A study from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology even concludes the elevated body temperature given from a bath can help immune cells work and therefore prevent these viruses in the first place.  

Soaking chest deep in a warm tub can reduce pain and inflammation in the nervous system as well. This can lead to improved mood and reduce any stress or anxiety you might be experiencing.

There’s a reason people see soaking in a bath as calming or relaxing. Protecting the spine from pain or discomfort with relief by the temperature and pressure of a nice soak in the tub is crucial for the infamous back pain of adulthood.

A bath relaxes your muscles of course, but this important muscle is, in fact, working harder than usual.

Your heart beat faster much like the idea of burning calories through a warm bath, you’re getting that cardio in as well.

Heat from baths can also help with circulation and blood flow allowing an overall reduction in blood pressure. Research shows heart conditions, such as a stroke or a heart attack, are more preventable with reduced blood pressure.

Warm baths clearly provide many benefits to your health, but what about bathing in colder water?

Hormones such as the adrenocorticotropic hormone (release in times of biological stress) and other adrenal hormones can become more balanced and even assist infertility issues.

On the other hand, warm water baths can increase your happiness hormone- Serotonin.

Both cold and warm water baths can be useful tools for going to sleep.

It’ s been proven that colder body temperature will help induce sleep, but the same idea goes for taking a warm bath as well. The sleeping hormone, melatonin, is produced more at night when our bodies naturally drop in temperature.

By taking a warm bath before bed, this process of cooling down can happen quicker, therefore producing more melatonin.

Lavender scents are also beneficial in adding to your bath to aid sleep.

The pressure and temperature of immersing yourself from the chest down in warm bath water can aid in breathing.

The pressure on your body created from the water can contribute to heart exercise, allowing it to beat stronger and quicker. Oxygen intake also increases as the heart beats faster, so the warmer the water, the more your heart beats, and the more oxygen is taken in.

The steam from a warm bath is also a great way to clear both the sinuses and the chest.

Finally, our outer health can be just as important as our inner health.

It’s a no-brainer that immersing your body in a tub full of water can give it the hydration that it needs as the body is made up mostly of water. But, our skin, hair, and eyes are also enhanced with the minerals that occur in water by nature.

Adding other moisturizing oils, such as products with shea butter, can always help refresh and soften skin.

Add a little more fun to bath time by purchasing Lush Cosmetics’ bath bombs and bubble bars are sure to make any bath full of moisturizing oils and fragrant scents that can contribute to some of these as well and are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. As Lush is saving animal lives, they are also helping ease yours with easy to use and essential bath products.

There are at least eight reasons why baths can improve your health, so help your body through the process of aging by utilizing the benefits baths can offers.

by Kea

What Exactly Are You Selling?

High all! Everyone is hard at work creating fun and exciting projects. In the next few hours, students are going to start posting their versions of Native Ads.

What are Native Ads? Well, to put it simply, Native Ads are paid advertisements that are designed to look like the surrounding content. You’ve probably seen these ads on someone’s Instagram, framed with the words “sponsored content.” Or this New York Times article asking if college is still worth it, sponsored by Discover Student Loans (of course, they said yes).

And let’s not forget the infamous Scientology ad posted by The Atlantic. That didn’t go well for them, but it did raise important questions: First, how should companies go about the business of advertising in a rapidly changing environment. People are not tuning into television for traditional ads. In fact, I just updated my HULU subscription to get rid of ads.

Second, what are the ethics involved in creating advertisements that blend into regular digital media content? The response to The Atlantic article suggests that people want to, in fact, believe they have a right to, know when they are being pitched to.

Everyone in my class agrees that Native Advertisements walk a fine line of ethics. It’s one thing to have very obvious Toyota product placement in an episode of Bones (which is another interesting conversation), but it is another thing altogether to have major publications like The Atlantic housing a propaganda piece. The academic equivalent of this would be a scientist and professor conducting research, writing an article, and publishing an article on the benefits of Fentynal without disclosing that his or her work is sponsored by a pharmaceutical company.

Well, maybe not that dramatic, but this is serious business.

Another thing we have tried to suss-out in this class is what constitutes a native ad. I have a colleague who believes that anything we encounter that presents a call-to-action, especially a call that involves a product or service, is a Native Ad; this includes book reviews or film reviews.

I’m not sure I agree. It is another aspect of advertising that will have to be debated in our new digital age.

In any case, the students had to compose Native Ads. You will see a variety of content. Some of the ads will be in the form of blog posts, and some will take other forms. There are two main goals for this assignment: Try to sell something, but don’t make it obvious that you are trying to sell something. That was the task before them.

This also gives the students some experience with creating ads in digital spaces like WordPress, which is a platform many news organizations use already. I look forward to seeing what they have come up with.

-Dr. W