Group Projects

I really enjoyed all the group projects that were presented in class last week. I think everyone did a great job in choosing different retailers and companies and creating new marketing campaigns for them. One project that sticks out in my head is the one for Kodak. I really enjoyed this presentation because Kodak is something we don't discuss much as retailing students. It was refreshing to see a take on a company that doesn't sale clothing and accessories, since that's what we mostly focus on. I think the campaign the group created for Kodak was well executed and I could actually see it helping Kodak if it were their actual marketing campaign! Great job!

-Jessica

A Career in Marketing and Advertising.

As I prepare for the end of the semester for the fall of my junior year, I can't even believe how fast the semester has flown by and it's all a little overwhelming. I feel like I really have learned a lot from my classes that I am currently taking and feel like the material I have learned recently is really going to be useful in my future career. After taking this Integrated Marketing Communications class, I feel like I would really like to go into marketing and advertising after graduating from college. The thrill of coming up with new ideas to progress a product or a company and make that particular thing very successful is something that I am truly interested in. I really do love fashion and I know that I always will, but I am very interested in the consumer side of retailing and why people buy. I love marketing and advertising because by seeing or hearing different advertisements, we can dissect them and figure out what the core message really is. Why would someone hear or see the ad and think that they NEED that product or service. Advertising is something that I really want to explore and think that this class has really brought me into what I truly may want for my future career.
-Amanda

Keith Richards and Disney

Near the release for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's end, Keith Richards, who plays Johnny Depp's father in the movie, made headlines for snorting his dead father's ashes. The marketing team behind the movie became worried about the effects Keith's actions would have on the film, so Disney pulled him from doing any publicity for the film. I'm not sure if taking him out of the promotions for the film all together was a good idea. Having such an already famous celebrity promote a summer blockbuster might help bring more people in to see the movie. However, I do understand how Disney could feel apprehensive about having Keith associated with the movie since they are such a kid-friendly company. But the movie is full of inappropriate things like drinking and smoking, so why would it be such a big deal? Do you think Disney should have pulled Keith Richards from promoting Pirate's when he is already in the movie anyway?

-Jessica

BBC or GMA?

I usually start my weekday mornings with a shower, a cup of coffee and Good Morning America on ABC. It's an entertaining way to get the latest news, but also new and interesting products, technological advances, and controversial news stories. Sometimes I get news from the Yahoo homepage and click on stories when the headlines really catch my eye.
When looking at the BBC and NYTimes websites, it was very different than watching TV or even looking at the local newspaper. I found it incredibly overwhelming to look at everything on the BBC website, but I did realize that I should be keeping up with the news around the world more often. I really enjoyed the NYTimes website, even though there was so much to look at, but I really enjoyed the style and entertainment sections and even found myself looking for archived fashion articles and looking up sections in the archives like during 9/11/01. It's amazing how much is on one website, but for right now I think I'll stick to GMA and look at BBC or NYTimes when I need a worldly view of things.
-Amanda

I usually get the news by watching The Today Show on NBC every morning, which also includes a few minutes of local news in-between commercials. I like watching The Today Show because I can get ready for class and just listen to the TV to get the news, rather than having to take time to sit down at the computer and click and read different news headlines and articles. However, a setback to watching The Today Show to get my news is that if I miss it, I can't go back and listen to it again. On the BBC and New York Times websites, you can click on the articles and read them as much as you need to. You are also able to print them out so you can have them right in front of you whenever you need them. Also, BBC allows you to get news from all over the world. However, I find the BBC website to be a little intimidating and overwhelming. I like the New York times because, like The Today Show, you not only get the news, but the latest in health, style, entertainment, and more. I like to have a little mix of everything so that I don't get too bored by just serious news stories.

-Jessica

Cheerios

I really enjoyed class today. The ads we watched and discussed were very interesting, especially the Cheerios ad. I liked that the ad was different than the cereal ads you normally see on TV. Cereal commercials normally either target children with sugary cereal and kid friendly advertisements, or adults with heart healthy and weight-loss cereals. However, this Cheerios ad had a more specific target - adults with children. The ad uses emotion to connect with the viewer and shows how Cheerios can bring people together, even complete strangers. I also liked the fact that at the end of the commercial it said that the story line was inspired by a true story. I think knowing this commercial was based on a true story makes it more believable, which is more affective in connecting with the consumer. I think Cheerios ad is very successful and was money well spent!

-Jessica

Finding the Perfect Internship

Some days it seems like college life will last forever and living in an apartment with your roommates, going to class everyday, is how our lives will be forever, but that is so wrong. As a junior in the CARS department, I am constantly asking myself, what do I want to do after college. The CARS major offers so much and in so many different areas of the Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Industries that it can sometimes be overwhelming as to the number of options that a degree in our major has to to offer.
One of the biggest things you are probably thinking about if you are a junior or senior, is INTERNSHIPS. Yes, I know the word we hear ALL the time and that we are always bombarded with. I have been looking at internships all over the U.S. and am very excited to be an intern in the summer of 2008, but what I don't necessarily find thrilling is the process of searching and searching and searching.
Taking the Pre-Internship class (CRS 331) is really preparing my peers and myself for the business world and the correct way to have business interaction and communication off of the college campus. I have not narrowed my search down for internships in just Greensboro or North Carolina, but it would be nice to be around here, too.
I am excited and nervous to take this next big step in my college career and really learn what I want to do in this industry through an internship that will offer me a lot of great information, learning experiences, and an insight into what I may want to do in the future.

If you are looking for some websites to find internships, here are a few that are really great and reccommended by the UNCG Career Services Center:

www.internships-usa.com
www.internshipprograms.com
www.campuscareercenter.com/students/intern.asp
www.vault.com/top-internships

-Amanda

Yahoo Avatars!

When we received the assignment to create a Yahoo Avatar, I remembered that I created my own avatar awhile ago, but had completely forgot about it because I don't really use yahoo that much on a regular daily basis. Upon signing into yahoo and seeing my avatar, I remembered how much fun it was to create an online cartoon of myself and not with just a creative screen name or cute icon, but a very amazing caricature of how I perceive myself.
I began to tweak my avatar just a little bit to fit my current life (i.e., a lecture hall background, casual college clothes, etc.) and found that there was so much to choose from. I thought there was a great variety of clothing, backgrounds, and accessories, but one thing I'd like to see would be a pulldown list of collegiate apparel and acessories, as well as more detailed facial features. These could really pull a lot of people in and college students would love to add another site to their list of daily favorites (But don't get any ideas, facebook will not be stopped for now as the number 1 site for college students to waste away their time :) ).

-Amanda

Yahoo! Avatars

I've had a Yahoo email account for a few years now and I have never come across the avatars! I thought creating an avatar was so much fun. There are so many different choices of clothing and accessories, but I felt like there could have been more choices in the appearance category. There were only about eight choices for different faces and you were able to choose your eye color. I think there should be a separate category for each feature of the face - one for eyes, one for lips, one for nose, etc. Everyone is so different and unique that I think the features are too general to accurately resemble a specific person.
Another good idea might be to make the appearance category more interactive. There should be a feature where you can click and drag certain parts of your face or body to make them bigger or smaller and longer or shorter because everyone is a different shape and size.
Overall I enjoyed creating an avatar on Yahoo. However, as I mentioned before, I've had a Yahoo account for a few years and have never heard of avatars. Honestly I didn't even know what an avatar was. Maybe there should be more advertisement of avatars so members are more aware of what they're able to do with them!

Levi's

In class the other day we were discussing different brands of jeans and their appeal to a younger market. Levi's in particular are considered old and dated. Recently, the brand has been trying to change its brand identity and appeal to younger consumers. I've seen some of their new TV commercials and have to say they're very edgy and provocative, but I really like them. One in particular is the commercial where a couple is in the bedroom and they keep ripping off their clothes, but more clothes are underneath. Each outfit is from a different decade, but one thing remains constant - they are always wearing Levi jeans. This is suggesting that the brand has withstood time and is a classic, yet fashionable, jean. Some may find the ad to be too provocative, but I think that it draws in a younger audience, which is good for the brand. I hate to say it, but sex sells, and I think these new commercials will help the Levi brand gain a new customer base and sell more of their jeans.

If you want to watch it, check out the link below. Let me know what you think!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eemEosoyo6s&mode=related&search=

Have they gone too far?

As a Consumer, Apparel, & Retail Studies student, we are often drawn to entertainment awards shows to check out the latest fashion on the red carpet. Well, this last Sunday, the Emmy's aired on Fox and I was very happy about many of the fashion choices. The simple lines and beautiful rich colors were fabulous, but that isn't what all the news has been about after the controversial show censored some celebs. Fox, being a conservative channel with a known-conservative CEO, is being critisized mainly for the censorship during Sally Field's speech for Best-Actress in a Drama Series. People have been going back and forth since the Emmy's premiered live on Fox Sunday night, as to whether the censor came from her taking God's name in vain with a very passionate "God D**n, " or was it her anti-war statement that we shouldn't even be in a war right now?
I am a firm believer in the fact that we as Americans have the right to voice our opinions on politics in the country that we are free citizens in, and I think its horrible that they censored her!
If you haven't seen the speech yet, here are the YouTube links. The first link is the uncensored version and the second link is censored:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImoMGyJjWIk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS2AbZWpfJU

Please let me know what you think!!!!

Fashion is Not a Luxury, It's a Right

I wanted to ask everybody what they think about Sarah Jessica Parker's new line, Bitten, she recently created for Steve and Barry's. Everything in the the line is $19.98 or less. Some may be asking why someone like Sarah Jessica Parker, a fashion icon in Hollywood, would create such an inexpensive line for a retailer like Steve and Barry's. Most people probably haven't even heard of Steve and Barry's before. However, I think the line is a great success. As SJP says in her manifesto: "It is every woman's inalienable right to have a pulled-together stylish, confident wardrobe with money left over to live". I've been to the store to see the line and I must say that I really liked to clothes, and the prices were shocking! With trends coming and going as they do today, getting a cute tank top for $7.99 is a great deal. On the other hand, you're able to buy a great little zip-up hoodie for $14.99 that will last you throughout the seasons. Although the partnership may seem strange at first, I think it is beneficial to both SJP and Steve and Barry's. They have "found a hole" in the market for low-priced, good quality clothing that is also fashionable.

Vera Wang at Kohl's

So I went to Kohl's today to check out Vera Wang's Simply Vera line and I have to say I wasn't that impressed. Yes, the clothes, accessories, and home decor were nice, but I guess I was expecting more. As for the clothes, pickings were slim. The color palette was limited to black, greys, and purples. There were cute dresses, jackets, and other separates, but everything just seemed out of place to me. The prices were way above the prices of the other merchandise sold in the store. I mean, the clothes are probably worth what's on the price tag, but the fact that they are being sold in Kohl's de-values them a bit. I think that if you spend that kind of money on something by a prestigious designer, it should make you feel good. However, I couldn't see myself buying a $128 black trench and bragging that it's Vera Wang from Kohl's... that just doesn't sound right to me. Aside from the clothes, the Simply Vera line had bags, winter accessories, sleepwear, bath towels, and bedding, which still didn't impress me. Her bedding was placed right next to Daisey Fuentes', which again, I have to say, seems out of place to me. Funny enough, I liked Daisey's bedding better. I guess what I'm trying to say is Vera Wang does not belong at Kohl's, not now, not ever.

Old Navy Controversy

This is Amanda, back again, and maybe stirring up some action this time around. Today in class, we talked about the commercial for Old Navy's newest jeans. The controversy behind this commerical for possible accusations of sexual harassment issues is one that became very heated and active our RCS 362 class this morning. I was the only student to really stand up and say that I thought this commerical was very provocative and too sexy for the some of the customers that Old Navy targets in its everyday market.
Many of my peers said that they thought the sex appeal in the commercial was something HOT and FRESH for the company and that it almost made them want to go buy the jeans right then and there. But for me, I am almost always drawn to a commercial by the music and the rythmn of the beat with the images in the media. The repeated "no, no" in the lyrics from the girl and the fact that no matter what, the man couldn't resist her, made it definitely appear offensive to me.
Most others didn't even notice the lyrics and thought that the controversy was full of incredibly stupid accusations. But I think to myself: If I had been sexually assaulted, or had a 10-year-old daughter watching this commercial, would I just think it attactive and sexy? Nope...I think it's too provocative for the company.
I know I'm a stubborn and headstrong person, and I believe that a company that reaches such a large variety of people and every age group should not being airing such a commercial.
People pointed out that commercials like Victoria's Secret and Calvin Klein promoted sexiness in their campaigns....but these companies aren't targeting a younger age group and aren't using the same lyrics in their music.
I know that I can't change the way others think about things like this, and I'm not writing to change your mind....I'm just pointing out how one group of consumers might be feeling.
-Amanda

Brand Loyalty

After talking about brand loyalty the past couple of classes, I can't stop thinking about Ralph Lauren Polo. I think everyone knows that certain group of people, specifically guys, who own every Ralph Lauen Polo in every color imaginable. The guys who always look like they've stepped straight out of a J.Crew magazine. Some would call it brand loyalty, but sometimes I disagree. One of my guy friends inparticular has said that he would never be caught dead in a polo shirt from somewhere like Target or Old Navy, but what makes the Ralph Lauren Polo so much better? If the two different polos were put in front of you without the logos, you could probably tell the difference between them - that's why we're in this major. But for a normal everyday consumer, such as a college guy, I doubt they would be able to tell the difference. So why do they insist on paying over $50 for a shirt from Ralph Lauren that would be the same to them as one for $15 or $20 from a less prestigious retailer? Are they paying for the logo? Is it that big of a deal to them to have the man on the horse rather than another symbol? I guess you usually only see brand loyalty for apparel in more expensive, higher-end brands. I can't see anyone saying they're loyal to the Kohl's brand and will only wear jeans from there.

I'm not saying I'm against wearing a Ralph Lauren polo. I've owned a few in my life. I'm just wondering where brand loyalty becomes obsessive... or even arrogant. But I guess if Ralph Lauren has certain customers who only wear their brand, they've done their job well.

Exciting new class!

Dear readers in blog land,

This is the first post from us at CARS2009. Being college students majoring in Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies, we are experiencing an exciting opportunity to discover the world of advertising and marketing. Especially important to us, are the ads in our mass media that are from companies in the retail and apparel industry.

During our first Integrated Marketing class today, we discussed the difference between "good brands" and "great brands." Nike and McDonald's are known across the world and they are considered a great brand because of their ability to reach the masses.

Also, we discussed Vera Wang bringing a her new label to Kohl's. Some people thought that bringing a lower end label to a department store, so that more of the US population will be reached, was a smart idea and that doing so would NOT hurt her image for beautiful, exclusive couture wedding gowns. Others thought that using her name for everything from clothing, bedding and home furnishings was too much of an oversaturation issue. They thought that doing so may destroy the exclusivity of her brand and the rare opportunity to wear one of her gowns if you could ever be so lucky. I am some what torn on the issue. Most people don't even know of Vera Wang and wouldn't even know the name if they saw it on a tag in Kohl's, so I don't know if people who don't understand the beauty of her work, will pay the little bit extra for her beautiful work. We, as a class, have decided to watch the line as it progresses this fall and see how this new Vera line works out.

Be back soon,

Amanda