GapYear/Gap _ Months

Recently a friend of mine posted this image on my Facebook timeline and I wanted to 'like' it a million times because I think this quote holds a great deal of truth. In in a previous blog post on my experience as an international student and advice to other international students, I stressed the importance of studying abroad. What's better than studying abroad than traveling on your own terms?

Even if you don't travel, one alternative route to life after graduation is taking a gap year. A gap year is basically sabbatical from structured life i.e school/work. Gap years are especially popular in the UK and Australia but... not so much in the US. I took time off after graduation to travel to Europe, California and a few other places. The four years I spent panicking by not knowing what I wanted to do after I graduated were in vain because everything was revealed in due time during my gap 5 months. Of course with most decisions they're pros and cons; I outlined some below.

Advantages to taking time off after graduation:

• The chance to volunteer
• Unlimited time to travel
• Take part in activities to learn more about yourself
• Time to figure out what you want to do for approx. the next 5 years +

Disadvantages to taking time off after graduation:

• Missed opportunities for internships/jobs
• Missed on-campus recruiting
• Potentially be set back behind peers

Whether you take time off to teach, volunteer, travel, self-study or take part in a cultural exchange program, be sure to make your experience meaningful. Keep a journal and make every moment count.

What are your thoughts on taking a gap year?
Sound off below.

That which made Coco roll...

From time immemorial, (my entire undergraduate career) I've always chosen Chanel as my brand of choice when doing case studies or presenting relevant examples. I always chose Chanel because in my head I was a Parisian girl at heart (thank you mom for singing to me in French when I was a kid). I own one Chanel product but I'm brand loyal because it's the only perfume I've ever bought. I think I bought it in Paris just for the authenticity.

I love the Chanel brand. It exudes style, elegance, class, chicness and luxury. The No. 5 Perfume is the signature fragrance of the Chanel brand and its television commercials which equaled mini films further set it apart from all other fragrances.

Nicole Kidman = superb

Audrey Tautou = magnifique

Brad Pitt (part 1) = snoozefest

Brad Pitt (part 2) = well... okay

I took a while to write this post because I've tried to like the latest commercials. Goodness me, I've tried. Part 2 is entirely better than Part 1. I'm yet to understand why Karl Lagerfield signed off on this. Brad Pitt wasn't even wearing black. Black is sexy. Black is Chanel.

 However, there was style in diction, elegance in the cinematography and success in the fact that everyone has been talking about it for the past week. The campaign certainly did not go unnoticed. People talked about it for the mere fact that Brad Pitt was paid $7mil to do it. Some were foolish and starstruck while others grunted in dismay.

If Patrick Dempsey was not tied to his own fragrance he would be my first pick. Johnny Depp would be my 2nd pick. Yes, I know he likes the disheveled look and probably wouldn't even be interested in representing Chanel but think Johnny Depp in the film 'The Tourist'. Very similar to Brad Pitt's image but winning personality. The mini film aspect was missing. Keep Brad Pitt. Give me a mini film. 

What do you think of the latest Chanel No. 5 campaign? 

Sound off below.

Vintage

Always minimalist. Always colorful. 

Took it Vintage.

free-lancing

It's about time I posted some work for actual clients right?

(Click on the images for better quality)

Magazine cover

(not an actual client)

I created a magazine cover for the type of fashion/beauty magazine I would read. The quality isn't the best but I REALLY wanted to use this image. Those earrings are everything.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold?

Last week I came across POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and my first question is... why didn't we watch this for any of our marketing classes?

A movie about product placement, marketing and advertising funded by product placement, marketing and advertising. Brilliant! Here's the trailer:

I love the fact that this documentary is loaded with satire. Even more pleasing to me is the fact that it's the type of satire that you laugh at for the first few minutes and then you're forced to think and ask yourself questions like: "Do I like these shoes because the aesthetic is pleasing to me or because they were worn by a leading Hollywood actor/actress in the latest Blockbuster film?"

As a marketer, one of my pet peeves is being marketed at. This week I went in to Verizon to buy a new phone and the salesperson was putting it on thick. What a turn off. I decided to buy online instead. I most definitely appreciate being marketed towards. The difference between the two is the approach. No one likes that person in the subway station who pushes flyers up their nostrils. Instead, I genuinely appreciate when a company takes the time to do research and target a demographic appropriately or reaches a target audience through creative initiatives. When working for clients it's necessary not only to understand their business but also what their competition isn't doing!

Spurlock also addresses the consequences to buying advertising. No one likes to be addressed as a 'sell out' and most creatives hate losing control of their creative vision. However, the documentary explores how quite often this is the case in Hollywood. 

Section 324: the product must have 15 seconds of screen time on 4 separate occasions.

Nice try POM, I may or may not give you a trial in the future. Brand integration. Product placement. Co-promotion. Apart from The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, my favorite feature was watching the Ford Focus park itself on the Amazing Race last season. I can appreciate a good product placement, keep it classy or unexpected and I won't change the channel.

What's your favorite feature of product placement? Sound off below.

Netflix = Noflix

A week ago I took the time to have a Scandal marathon on Netflix.

• The quality was HD
• I didn't have to queue the next episode, it played automatically
• An overall lazy and lovely marathon experience......until I looked for more marathon worth content and came up short. 

I've always had hope for Netflix. We had some good memories, the two of us. Yet, sadly enough, since it's breakup with Starz, our friendship just hasn't been the same. We went our separate ways and I paid occasional visits whenever my friendship was begged for. Netflix finds our friendship important. A free trial gift because I'm missed? No. A free trial gift because I'm needed.

I've always had hope for Netflix. However, a 10% fall today in the stocks is no surprise since this is my 4th free trial. Yikes. If Spotify Premium gave me another free trial I would be a happy camper but Spotify understands the detriment to that. Continuous free trials tells the customer your product isn't as valuable as it is priced. Quite frankly, I don't understand why there has been a shift in content being provided. There's an entire section 'Just For Kids' and all 3 kids in my household watch video content on the television. Is this a failure to conduct adequate market research? Another shift noted has been towards adult television. Hulu dominates in this area, therefore; this is an attempt at being delusional. A distinct DVD plan further takes steps to becoming obsolete since redbox takes the cake with supermarket shoppers.

I still have hope for Netflix. A hope for an imminent Amazon acquisition. I look forward to my next free trial offer (even though I may pass on it).

Surviving College as an International Student

Apart from the first eighth and last eighth of my college experience I was considered an international student. My situation is a little unlike the average international student, yet, I offer some advice from my experience. 

1. You will miss home. Let me repeat that again. You will miss home. It doesn't matter how long you've been aching to spread your wings or escape your parents' 'tyranny.' There will come a time(s) when you will long to be back in the comfort of the place you call home. This is especially true when things aren't going so well and unlike most other college students who are able to go home for the weekend, Easter or Thanksgiving your home is most likely miles and miles and miles and miles away. Take each day at a time.


2. Skype (or ooVoo) is your best friend. Not your actual best friend but you will be able to communicate a whole lot more with that actual one, family, significant other, aunt, uncle, pet, neighbor, etc. Give them a tutorial on the necessary ins and outs of  your chosen application before you leave if you must. However, don’t let your roots prevent you from branching out. Make new friends; international and non-international.


3. Get to know International Student Services. Fish is to water as International Student Services is to international student. You may or may not want to obtain a driver’s license (to avoid carrying your passport to anywhere where you may have to prove your age), get a social security number, obtain permission to return to the US after your spring break trip in Mexico, and render a few other important services. 

4. Try to decide early whether you want to stay in the US after graduation or return home. The longer you wait, the quicker the decision is made for you. Sponsorship from companies is extremely difficult to obtain, especially in the present state of the economy. If your wish is to stay, networking will most likely be your passport. (Pun intended.) NGOs are much more likely to hire international students since they’re familiar with the extensive procedure.


5. Study abroad while studying abroad. This may be a little difficult due to a number of factors but try to take advantage of this opportunity. I truly believe that travel is a priceless experience. The more you travel, the more you learn about yourself and the world.


6.  Enjoy the experience. College in itself is a time of growth, learning, change and development. While education is the primary objective, the experiences outside of the classroom are just as enriching. Challenge yourself to take steps out of your comfort zone and share the valuable insights you have to offer. 

Are you or were you an international student? 
Sound off below with tips, questions or queries. 

How honest?

If you're a Millennial (aka Generation Y member) then you probably consume media a lot differently to previous generations. Millennials more often than not get their news from their phones (thanks Twitter), their television from their laptops (stay tuned for a Netflix blog post) and advice from peers (hello Youtube).Peer:

• a person of the same legal status

• a person who is equal to another in abilities, qualifications, age, background, and social status.

• something of equal worth or quality.

• a nobleman.

• a member of any of the five degrees of the nobility in GreatBritain and Ireland (duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron).

More than ever Millennials are taking advice from people who are like them in some way be it age, background or social similarities. Take Blair Fowler for example, an 18year old fashion and beauty vlogger with just over 1 million subscribers on Youtube. Blair's success on Youtube has been derived from giving fashion and beauty tutorials, advice and product reviews to young women. Marketers caught on quickly to the leverage of peer marketing.

Peer marketing includes product reviews, the use of a spokesperson, and use of a product. Product reviews in social media have been implemented in hopes of increased product trials, sales, and all-in-all word-of-mouth advertising. In my previous blog post about Google +, I touched on how Youtube should leverage partners to influence the use of the Hangout. Yes, they have that much influence on subscribers and followers. So, does great responsibility come with great power? The scales are tipping on the 'no' side.

Mashable recently reported some very interesting data. "By 2014, 10% to 15% of social media reviews will be fake and paid for by companies, according to a new study by tech research company Gartner."

This data is far from surprising to me and I will go even further by saying that Gartner is underwhelming the statistics. While legal sanctions are in place by the FTC to decrease the amount of fake reviews and ratings. I believe that marketers will continue to find a way to push their brand through peer marketing channels because it's working (at least for now).

Why hasn't Google+ caught on yet?

We have all seen the Google+ commercials. And we have all been annoyed by the Facebook game requests. So why hasn't the majority made the switch as yet? Many attribute the lack of adoption to the general lag of innovation. But is Google+ an innovation?

According to Everett Rogers, an innovation is "an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption" While Google+ is more so a convergence of already existing platforms, ideas and tools, it's an innovation because it needs to be adopted. In one college class last semester, my professor asked for a show of hands for all those who use Google+. Less than half the class raised their hand and the general consensus was a pity party. "It's good but no one uses it."

Rogers made popular the theory of 'diffusion of innovations' with his 1962 book of the same name. Diffusion of innovations occurs through a decision-making process including the following stages: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. After the commercials on television (knowledge/persuasion), the implementation stage is limited as consumers are not able to trial the Google+ service to it's full potential, thus hindering confirmation.

Added to that, the rate of adoption is the relative speed at which members of a social system adopt an innovation.

Despite Google's claim that the platform has 170million users. It's a ghost town. In order to change this, my recommendation is for Google+ to use 'influencers' to acts as innovators/early adopters to motivate the early and late majority. For example, the use of Youtube partners to host events, giveaways, virtual meetups in order to force platform use.

Individual consumers aside, for businesses; marketing for a competitive advantage should be the pitch. Carolyn Brown of Black Enterprise encourages the use of establishing a business profile page on Google+ as a good strategic move due to it's integration into Google Search. "It's also a great way to engage your customers with tools such as Google Plus Hangouts and Google Plus Circles. You can design circles to fit your business needs. ...one circle could be your vendors, another for customers, and yet another for your employees."

Here's the deal: convergence is the name of the game.


References
Brown, C. M. (2012). Use Google Plus To Position Your Brand. Black Enterprise, 42(8), 30
Rogers, Everett M. (1983). Diffusion of Innovations. New York. Free Press.