Author: samanthaktaylor96

As many already know, the fast food chain, Wendy’s, has made themselves extremely active on their twitter account. Most recently, they have been seen “beefing” with competitors, McDonalds, Burger King and Wingstop. The beef includes comical tweets back and forth to each other, throwing shots and punchlines about the quality of each others products.

Wendy’s recently stepped their game up to the next level– they released a “mixtape” on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming sources. The EP, cleverly titled “We Beefin?”  consists of five diss tracks taking the direct shots to the next level via a unknown female rapper.  The songs are clever, shady and undeniably catchy.

Despite the entertainment provided in the moment, the question arises– when is enough, enough? While I thought the mixtape was a clever idea, how much longer can these companies relying on their public bantering back and forth to be a sufficient form of advertisement? Does the growing twitter “beef” truly benefit their company as a whole? And lastly, what happens when people simply stop caring?

When I decided I wanted to study Journalism in college, I assumed I would be writing and reporting on current events. As I learned more about the different avenues one could take as a journalists, I realized I could utilize my skills more effectively emphasizing in strategic communication. However, I NEVER assumed my journalism educational career would lead me into a research position.

Fast forward to my senior year at the Missouri School of Journalism. I am currently Researcher for AdZou, a student run advertising agency ran through the university. AdZou provides students with real life ad-agency experience, all while being a student. Students are assigned roles– and that is how I now became a researcher.  Through my capstone course, I have been able to learn the importance of research. Primary and secondary research. Quantitative and qualitative research. Different research methods and how to analyze the results to understand the main insights.

While confused and somewhat frustrated at first, I quickly learned the importance and effectiveness of my role. The approaches and tactics and our overall “big idea” for our clients project– a informational conference– are all rooted in the research conducted. Without research, our suggestions would be completely baseless and possibly in accurate.

By gaining this experience, I now look at advertisements through a new lens. You can truly tell who took the time to research their target audience: Is it reflective of their needs and does it offer them a solution? You can also tell how much effort the team put in to understanding the ad from various demographics point of views– was there a diverse team working on this project? Do you understand the market trends at the time– is your advertisement relevant? In the few months of 2018, there have been many controversial advertisements- such as the H&M print ad and the 2018 Dodge Super Bowl commercial– all which could have been avoided if a little more effort had been put into conducting and understanding research.

I am a college student who, not to long ago, kind of disliked social media. Contrary to popular belief, some of us do exist. Personally, I never saw the purpose in continuously posting about yourself because…who really cares? While I found it to be a useful and  entertaining platform when it comes to viewing others opinions, I could not seem to be an active member. I would simply bookmark or favorite things I wanted to revisit.

Despite my initial beliefs, my opinion is gradually changing. While I may not be an avid Snapchat user just yet, more and more I see the benefits of social media usage, especially in the advertising and marketing world.

Millions of people are using different social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc.) on a daily basis. Not only do they post about their own lives, they are constantly looking to stay connected to those around them, including their favorite brands and companies. As a future journalist and possible advertiser, it is extremely important that I learn how to represent myself as a brand as well as the agency and/or brand I will work to represent in the future. If people are looking to interact on social media to build a bond– a level of trust and loyalty with their favorite “brands” (again, whether that be actual companies or people)– then I must continue to learn how to use this vital tool. According to Forbes contributor Jayson DeMers, there are 10 benefits of social media as a marketing tool:

1. Increased brand recognition
2. Improved brand loyalty
3. More opportunities to convert
4. Higher conversion rates
5. Higher brand authority
6. Increased inbound traffic
7. Decreased marketing costs
8. Better search engine rankings
9. Richer customer experience
10. Improved customer insights

Therefore, by using social media, individuals and companies are gaining more recognition and increasing the amount one looks at their website and/or products. They are improving relationships with current customers and building  relationships with new customers, all while being affordable and enhancing the overall experience.

The earlier you start, and the more you learn on how to properly navigate social media with your brand in mind, the easier it becomes. Show off your unique personality and interests, all while being professional and innovative. Interact with those around and voice your own concerns to your favorite brands. You may be surprised to see just how much they interact with you back!

Follow me on Twitter: @_SKTaylor

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/2/#7d8b51f7743f