LOVES God, fashion, business, photography, traveling, candles, and coffee! Style Guru for College Fashionista!
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Statistics
We looked inside some of the posts by fionabai-blog-blog and here's what we found interesting.
Average Info
Notes Per Post
1
Likes Per Post
1
Reblog Per Post
0
Reply Per Post
0
Time Between Posts
5 days
Number of Posts By Type
Photo
12
Text
5
Last Seen Tumblr Blogs
Fun Fact
In 2020, 27% of US Tumblr users had an annual household income of over $100,000.
Text
100 Happy Days
Recently, I just finished the 100 Happy Days Challenge. This challenge required me to post a picture every day of something that made me happy. At first, I thought that this would incredibly easy but it turns out that I’m not as grateful for each day as I thought I was. Many times, I almost didn’t make the 24hour deadline. It just goes to prove that many times, we don’t take the time to stop and enjoy what’s happening at the moment.
For me, this challenge really exposed me to the simple things that life offers that bring happiness as long as I allow it. Happiness is so many things. Below are 7 things that make me happy:
1. Eating good food
2. Spending time with great people/building relationships
3. Comfy and Cozy
4. Loving and being loved by God
5. Traveling
6. Photography
7. Music
Happiness comes from the choices we make within our hearts and minds. It can come planned or as a surprise. However, it stems from gratefulness and the right attitude. External factors cannot be changed but one can totally change how one reacts to them. So many things are out of our control but that’s the beauty of life. I can only let go, rely on God, and face each day with a smile and grateful heart. Happiness is supposed to be sought after because that’s what makes life worth it.
1 note
·
View note
Photo
ACCESSORIES REPORT: Spring Scarf
0 notes
Photo
ACCESSORIES REPORT: Dress to Impress
0 notes
Text
"Big Sugar"
In America, we have the luxury of having the resources, food, and facilities to take care of our health. However, access to whatever food we want also includes access to unhealthy foods like sugar. As a result, we’ve become the second most obese nation in the world.
Sugar is extremely addicting and in the land of plentiful, this addiction is only encouraged. It’s available, relatively cheap, and marketed to consumers constantly. Personally, I am bombarded by ads encouraging me to buy sugar. Today I saw a Reese’s ads on Hulu and McDonalds commercials on TV. Therefore, when people have obesity problems, is it partly the fault of these companies who continually advertise their unhealthy products? As a future marketer, this is an ethical dilemma that I will have to face.
Part of me tells me that it is the consumer’s responsibility to take care of his/her own health. However, as I learned in Organizational Behavior, humans are extremely affected by environmental factors. There’s a reason why all the candy and gum are by the checkout stand. It encourages impulse buys. As marketers, we need to provide customers with what they want. However, I believe this could be unethical if marketers are advertising products that are bad for the customer.
Therefore, I also believe that the government should take a role in regulating unethical marketing strategies. Places like England are considering putting a sugar tax on companies to reduce sugar in products. Within the US, Berkeley City Council has already agreed to put a sugar tax on products as a possible ballot measure with signs that say “Protect our Children”.
However, rather than taxing companies, I believe the government should encourage transparency and increase education on healthy living. For example, the government could require commercials that advertise sugar to put a disclaimer at the end. Another idea is to require companies to change the format of their labels so that the sugar content in the product is very clear. Also, by making people more aware of the effects of excessive sugar intake through marketing campaigns or holding classes would be effective. If this is done then I believe it is the parent’s role or an individual’s role to make the right decision.
For now, there is no clear line between what the company is responsible for, what the government is responsible for, and what an individual is responsible for. I think that by making these lines clear, we will be able to help solve the issue of “Big Sugar” and lead everyone to a win-win situation.
NOTE: Thank you Amy, my Integrated Marketing Communications professor for assigning the blog project. I really enjoyed it and thought every topic was relevant to current industry news. It was challenging but I was motivated to really reflect a professional opinion on every post. Thanks again!
0 notes
Photo
ACCESSORIES REPORT: That Not-So-Awkward Transition
0 notes
Text
ObamaCare Cool?
Recently a new ad campaign “Got Insurance” came out prompting people to buy ObamaCare. Looking through the images, I was able to identify with some of them and even chuckled at a few. It was no doubt to me that this campaign was either targeted towards moms with young kids and me, a millennial. I was impressed with the overall layout of the campaign and how it was so easy to share on all different social media platforms. However, I’m not sure if it’s compelling enough to get more young people to enroll into ObamaCare.
Looking at the “Got Insurance” ad campaign, it follows the hierarchy of effects theory. Its aim seems to be to change consumer attitudes toward the necessity of insurance and thus motivate consumers to opt in to ObamaCare. Through different scenarios with supporting visuals, these ads make the consumer consider the “What if?” question. The ads also effectively use a combination of fear and humor appeals to identify with the consumer affectively. Fear appeals were mainly targeted towards moms by giving “what if” scenarios concerning their kids. Meanwhile, humor appeals were targeted toward the millenials linking stereotypes of college students to the ads.
Besides the “Got Insurance” images, Obamacare has also used other marketing strategies to target millenials. According to John Terbush of “The Week”, ObamaCare is trying to enroll the younger generation in order to balance out the costs of adding older people who are more likely to have higher health care costs. This explains the use of celebrities, clothing, and music festivals to target millenials since these are the things that matter to us the most. Like Terbush says, ObamaCare has really tried to portray a cool image as their marketing strategy. After all, millenials only buy into things that are “cool” right?
As a member of the millennial generation, I can’t say whether these marketing attempts have been successful or not. Personally, I am still not motivated to get health insurance because luckily, I am still insured under my parents. However, I also understand a lot of people are not. If that was my situation, then I would probably be motivated to get ObamaCare. The motive though would be out of necessity and not because of the humorous appeals of keg stands portrayed in the ads. Overall, I think that these ads do a good job in creating more awareness for ObamaCare and it’s availability. Is it cool though? Not really. Like any other kind of insurance, health care insurance is just another form of financial protection that I see more as a necessity.
0 notes
Photo
ACCESSORIES REPORT: Dressed Down Dressy
0 notes
Text
Big Data: A Blessing and a Curse
The main goal for any brand is to make a customer a Brand Advocate. One way for companies to do this is through loyalty programs where detailed customer data is gathered. Every interaction with the customer is recorded. This means every purchase, every response on social media, all e-mails you send and every time you walk in the store is all recorded to be compiled into a pool of data. This is known as big data. Sound a little disturbing? I think so too.
A classic example is Target. Target collects mass customer data by assigning each of their customers a guest ID. Data collection is further enhanced through their Target loyalty program and mainly through their team of statisticians whose job is to track customer shopping habits. According to Charles Duhgg, the author of “The Power of Habit” and contributor to the New York Times, figuring out consumer habits has become a science. Big corporations take advantage of this by targeting customers who are undergoing life-changing phases such as pregnant women. When a woman is expecting a baby, her shopping habits are more likely to change and due to big data, Target notices. Therefore, they start showering these women with ads for baby food, baby cribs, and natal vitamins. Pretty soon, you start buying other things from Target while shopping until it becomes a habit. Their algorithms were so good that they even discovered the pregnancy of a 16 year old before her parents.
Duhgg himself seems more fascinated with this “Big Brother” role that Target is playing than worried about the ethics. However, it seems like he believes that habits can be changed and thus consumers are responsible for their shopping behavior. It can’t all be blamed on corporations. The only problem is, as humans, we are sometimes blind to the habits that we have.
Big data can also benefit the consumer in different ways as Jerry Michalski of Forbes magazine demonstrates. These include early detection of problems, useful feedback, encouraged collaboration, easier accessibility to information, and more job opportunities. In my opinion, big data can also allow companies to better cater to the individual customer. For example, although I hate to admit it, I am a Starbucks gold card member. Thus, I get extra benefits such as free drinks, free refills and they even remember my birthday. As a customer, it makes me feel special.
However, as shown through the Target example, there are major customer privacy and ethical issues around collecting customer data through loyalty programs. When a company knows that much about me, it’s really unnerving and I feel like my privacy is totally violated. I only want Target to know how much I want them to know but that is not the case. Therefore, I believe that companies need to establish a system where a customer gets to choose what data they can and can’t use. Also, I believe companies who capitalize on or create bad habits are acting unethically. It’s really important for companies to be transparent about what they are selling, how it’s produced, and what the consequences are. As long as companies work together with consumers to establish boundaries of privacy though, I think that big data can be used effectively to create a win-win situation.
0 notes
Photo
ACCESSORIES REPORT: Spring Fever
0 notes
Text
Ambush Marketing at the Olympics
After learning about what ambush marketing was, my first thought was that it was an ingenious idea for companies who aren’t official sponsors of the Olympics. However, I realize that there are two sides to every story. Those that are official sponsors such as P&G and Samsung have spent a lot of money to be the brands most closely associated with the Olympics. After doing some research, I believe that ambush marketing is ethical to a certain extent, creative, and will benefit the Sochi Olympics overall.
If I were part of the marketing department of any global corporation, I would definitely suggest being associated with the Olympics. As an event that is watched worldwide, it serves as a huge opportunity for companies to market their brand. Now the question is, should I suggest the company to become an official sponsor or to participate in ambush marketing? Is ambush marketing ethical? In general, I think that it’s more smart than unethical. Like Abram Sauer of “Brandchannel” states, the business world isn’t fair. It’s up to you to be as creative as you can to beat the competitor. In addition, ambush marketing may also be the only way that some companies can compete if don’t have the resources. However, it’s really important that companies who do participate in ambush marketing follow the rules. The rules set out by an Olympics copyright committee and by the nation must be followed. As long as you play fairly within the rules of the game, it’s not cheating.
There is no doubt that ambush marketing is very creative. The idea of ambush marketing itself is very creative. One of the greatest ploys was in the 1996 Olympic games hosted in Atlanta by Nike. Basically, its strategy was to invade Atlanta with its logo through billboards, TV ads, swag and even building its own stadium. As a result, it became more strongly associated with the Olympics that year by 6% than the official sponsor Reebok. Although it may seem a little excessive, it’s no doubt that their ambush marketing tactics were very creative and got the consumer’s attention. Those companies who aren’t official sponsors of the Olympics have to try harder to be associated with the games through creative tactics like ambush marketing.
Finally, I believe that ambush marketing will benefit the Sochi Olympics overall. The Olympics will only receive more hype and love from consumers who love the brands that are associated with it. Take Starbucks for instance, NBC broadcast headquarters in Sochi have its own Starbucks stand. As an American, it’s nice to know that there is something very familiar at the Sochi Olympics even if Starbucks isn’t an official sponsor. Therefore, it makes me feel more connected to the Olympics overall.
Either way, it still comes down to whichever company is most creative and connects with the consumer the most. The Olympics can serve as a major platform for companies or ambush marketing can serve as a great strategy. However, if companies don’t execute their marketing plan well, then it doesn’t matter whether they are official sponsors or not. Those that use the Olympic platform or ambush marketing tactics most effectively to project a “one clear voice” are the ones who will take the gold.
0 notes