A Day in the Life at Morris+Mitchell

Written by: Adam Plunk

At Morris + Mitchell, I am on the team that works with the ICAN and ODEI accounts. These organizations, a non-profit in the Abilene area and a new department at ACU, are fantastic clients and I feel very privileged to be working with them. We have provided advertising and public relations services like social media management, logo design, and webpage design in order to help promote their institutions. Working with both of these clients has given me so much experience in my field and I am very grateful to gain some real-world experience while still in college.

ICAN, the Abilene-based non-profit, specifically asked us to work on their digital image; they hadn’t updated their social media in a while, and they were after a new, modern look. After designing a sleek new logo and making a branding guide, we applied fresh colors and graphics to their social media in order to gain new followers. We also took a look at every digital aspect of their brand in order to see other improvements that could be made in the future.

However, things were a little different with ODEI, a new department at ACU, and we needed to think in a “big-picture” kind of way. Rather than simply updating their digital presence, ODEI was trying to create an overall brand for themselves. We began designing logos and making sure they were to our clients liking; we didn’t want to take any action without their approval. Because ODEI is an ACU affiliated department, we ran into some creative issues with the university’s branding guidelines. We’re still working on this project, and are trying to merge ACU’s branding with the branding we had in mind for this up-and-coming department.

Another project I got to work on this semester was the annual Gutenberg Celebration, an event that honors distinguished alumni for the outstanding work they’ve done in their fields. Due to COVID-19, we had to adapt our ceremony to be a virtual one in order to keep everyone safe. We did this by having separate breakout rooms via Zoom, each hosted by different alumni. These hosts talked about their careers and gave advice to the college students that attended about their job hunting experiences, how to network, and what employers are looking for in a job candidate. We then asked everyone to go and watch a live-stream video of the actual awards ceremony, which was a more formal presentation. The event went very well despite the challenges, and I am happy my last Gutenberg was a good one as I graduate this December. Overall, my time with Morris & Mitchell has been a great learning experience, and I feel like I am very prepared to enter agency life and (hopefully) ace my job interviews.

Student Entrepreneurs and Social Media

Written by: Rachel Puckett

The world of business is one that everyone participates in. Whether you are the consumer or the CEO you have an integral role in business. Many college students, both majoring in or not majoring in business, have taken action in the relatively new shift to online marketplaces.

According to Merriam-Webster, an entrepreneur is “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” They are the people behind your favorite companies. After all, every business has to start somewhere. Notice within the definition there is no set age tied to an entrepreneur. Many assume that you must be older to have a successful business, but in actuality, you just need to have a decent product and market it well. This is a concept that many college students have come to realize.

College students across the world have harnessed the energy of social media to market their own businesses. Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok have allowed these entrepreneurs to advertise on platforms they are extremely familiar with. ACU student Karson Tutt is the president of Founders Club, an organization for college entrepreneurs. She has 3,500 followers on her store, Karson’s, Instagram. Often she will do giveaways, advertise new products, and spread the word about her next pop-up shop through the social platform. Students across campus know her brand purely based on her social platform, and she is now opening a storefront based on the success of her online store.

The pandemic has limited the ability to meet and shop in person, so advertising websites have become that much more important. The forceful shift to an online marketplace has increased the opportunities for success for millions of people and has caused a dent in millions of consumers’ pocketbooks. According to CNBC and the New York Times, right now may be the perfect moment for entrepreneurs to start their business. Although thousands of small businesses are closing due to the pandemic, thousands more have embraced the change and created their own websites or gone to places such as Etsy or eBay to continue their sales.

During quarantine, many students took to Instagram to sell the clothes from their closets to make some extra cash. As a consumer, it felt like I was at a neighborhood garage sale while scrolling through my feed. Millions of people also took the extra time to learn a new skill that they realized they could market. In this day and age where there is a will, there is a way is a cliche but a true statement.

If you are a college student who believes you have a skill or product that the world should see, or perhaps you already have a business, use what you know--social media-- to advertise. The pandemic has caused a lot of issues, but perhaps this could be your time to take a risk and start something amazing.

Small Business TikTok Marketing

Written by: Allie Jones

Within the past year, the social media app, TikTok, has taken the world by storm. It has quickly climbed the App Store charts and even passed Instagram to claim the title of the second most popular social media app last month. It is safe to say that despite recent complications with the Trump administration, TikTok isn’t going anywhere. 

As a result, small and large businesses alike have started utilizing the platform to advertise and advance their products. So, what does it look like to market a product on TikTok? 

Connecting With the Audience

When you see small businesses advertise on TikTok, they always try to make a personal connection with the viewer. Especially with new small businesses, establishing these personal connections is essential to building a loyal consumer base. Using this app allows the customer to virtually inspect the product themselves on a deeper level than a five-star rating system could ever provide, which is especially important to the generation that puts a lot of value in good reviews.

Taking Advantage of the Algorithm

Once a company has created a video that connects with the viewer, they can move on to the final and arguably most vital aspect of TikTok success — the algorithm. What makes TikTok so addicting is that the more you use the app, the better the videos relate to your taste. When an avid TikTok user looks into someone else's account, it is not very likely that they will see the same videos on both feeds; one person’s feed may be more fashion focused, while the others’ feed is mainly sports highlights. So, for a business owner to reach their niche audience, they have to have an understanding of how the algorithm cultivates a “for you page.” By learning to take advantage of the algorithm, businesses can best reach their target audience, and hopefully sell more of their product.

Influencer Marketing

Another advantage of advertising on TikTok is the power of influencers. Many famous TikTok-ers have millions of followers and massive influence over their fan-base. By incorporating these social media stars into an advertising campaign, more people within the Gen-Z target market will be likely to see a business’s product or service, and will also be more likely to purchase.

With the threat of TikTok disappearing from the United States eliminated, now is the optimal time for small businesses to continue to lean into TikTok marketing. TikTok sparked a marketing module that values creative and engaging content over monetary input. By taking advantage of this platform, any small business can make it if they put in the work and create a fun dance or two. 

HBOMax Utilizes Brand Managers to Reach College Students

Written by: Meghan Long

Spring of 2020 — an incredibly odd time in the lives of people all over the world. Quarantine was a time of making banana bread, doing puzzles, and severely lacking toilet paper. Many of us were completely thrown from our normal routines in mid-March, which led to finding new ways to remedy our boredom, whether it be spending quality time with family members, learning TikTok dances, or binge-watching new movies. 

On May 27th of this year, HBO scrapped its mildly popular streaming services, HBONow and HBOGo, and created an all-new streaming service, HBOMax. This service is filled with everything from newly released films and classic movies to childhood-favorite television shows. HBOMax was initially announced last year upon the removal of the hit T.V. show, Friends, from Netflix; HBO announced that they would be obtaining the show for a whopping $425 million. They also obtained the rights for Cartoon Network shows, Studio Ghibli films, and Turner Classic Movies.

With the increasing popularity of using micro-influencers to promote companies and their brands, HBO has joined in on the trend by using college students across America to act as “campus brand managers” through Riddle and Bloom, an agency that uses college students to market for a number of companies. These campus managers are full-time undergraduate students who commit a certain amount of hours per week to their duties with HBO. Their main marketing strategies include promoting new TV shows and movies via word of mouth and frequent posts on their personal social media platforms, especially Instagram. They also have the opportunity to host giveaways, watch parties, and different activities through their Instagram stories in order to give away free perks to those who participate, including discounted or free access to HBO Max. I mean, who doesn’t love free stuff?

Though the campus managers are not in direct employment with HBO, both the company and the campus managers are reaping several benefits. HBO is able to widen its audience by making the streaming service much more accessible to college students, while the campus managers are able to network with HBO employees and gain opportunities for future employment and internship opportunities with the company. 

Using micro-influencers is a very popular (and much more affordable) marketing tactic for smaller or mid-sized companies that are trying to gain a larger audience, so it is incredibly interesting that HBO, a multi-million dollar company, is using this tactic to generate a larger audience of college students. Using college students to promote HBOMax allows the company to save thousands of dollars because they don’t have to employ a celebrity or larger influencer, which could cost up to $100,000 for a single post. I believe that micro-influencers are the future of PR and marketing, and with a big company like HBO hopping on the bandwagon, that idea is only further supported.

Micro-Influencers Are Taking Over the Ad Industry

Written by: Maggie Dye

Being an influencer can be quite the sweet life — photoshoots, free products, getting paid to simply be on Instagram? Yes please, sign me up! It is such an appealing lifestyle to millennials and gen-z that more and more are turning to influencing as a career.

While larger influencers including pop stars, critically-acclaimed actresses, and supermodels fresh off the runways of Paris are usually the ones who succeed in attaining this influencer lifestyle, smaller influencers are on the rise. Brands are increasingly seeing the benefits of working with micro-influencers, making your dream career of being paid to vlog your vacation more of a reality.

You may be wondering, what exactly is a “micro-influencer?" This term is used to describe social media users between 1,000 and 10,000 followers that are paid by brands to promote their products. Businesses are starting to look to these small internet-gurus rather than the traditional stars with over a million followers for several reasons:

Higher Engagement

Brands are beginning to realize that the higher the number of followers an influencer has, the lower the engagement rate. It feels much easier to ask a question or leave a comment on someone’s page that seems similar to you (but with better VSCO presets, of course) rather than a celebrity with god-like status, like Rihanna or Selena Gomez. A smaller audience means these influencers can have a more personal, genuine interaction with their followers. In fact, influencers with only 1,000 followers generated an 85% higher engagement rate than accounts with 100,000 followers. The sweet spot in follower counts seems to be in the 1,000 to 100,000 follower range, making micro-influencers marketing gold.

Tighter Target Audience

Many brands prefer working with micro-influencers because they're more targeted to their followers and audience. These mini-celebrities have followers that are actually interested in the product or service that these companies are selling. Larger influencers have massive followings of people from all walks of life, which makes the chances of their audience being relevant to a business’ product pretty slim. Micro-influencers also have a good knowledge of who makes up their audience, creating a more authentic, less commercial experience for their followers.

Fostering Better Relationships

Today, many consumers trust recommendations from friends over advertising. Micro-influencers come across as actual people giving truthful reviews on products they love and use, not just companies that will position their product however they need to in order to turn a profit. Even larger influencers and celebrities don’t count as a peer-recommendation anymore due to big-time sponsorships and commercials. Working with smaller influencers is the best way for businesses to foster trusting, natural relationships with their target audience.

Affordability

Celebrities and big-time influencers can cost you hundreds of thousands for a single post or endorsement. This strategy is not always ideal for smaller brands, which is why micro-influencers, a much more affordable option, are on the rise. Depending on the number of followers and engagement they receive per post, these influencers typically cost around $1,000 per post for those with 100,000 followers.  With this rate, companies have much more wiggle room in their advertising budget, allowing them to invest in other media channels and reach more potential customers.

Micro-influencers are a great idea for small to medium sized businesses looking for a way to reach their niche audience. By saving costs and directing their advertisements towards a tighter target market, this new marketing strategy may just be the new industry go-to. So, if you’re willing to up your Instagram game a little more, the glamorous life of an influencer may just be within your reach. 

PR & COVID-19

Written by: Gabi Morales

Covid-19 changed so much about the retail industry, causing countless stores to close their doors, factories and production. Overwhelmed by announcements from nearly every company, good news stood out among the sea of negativity. Companies like L.L. Bean and Ulta came up with creative ways to help their local communities, employees and customers during an otherwise tough situation.

Good ideas don’t come along very often, but when they do, they’re worth spreading. Many PR professionals put in countless hours trying to come up with ideas to help their brand image during the pandemic. L.L. Bean, an outdoor company based in Maine, responded to the COVID-19 outbreak in a very positive and uplifting way, greatly benefiting their corporate image. In March, L.L. Bean had to shut down their stores for two weeks, taking a big loss in sales, however, they didn’t let that stop them from making a difference in the local community. In an Instagram post, L.L. Bean shared how they altered one of their shipping facilities into a distribution center for food for local Maine residents. L.L. Bean partnered with Good Shepherd Food Bank to provide food to locals who were in need of the support. This partnership not only helped the community, but it kept their warehouse employees, truck drivers and countless others employed during a time of mass layoffs. In another Instagram post, L.L. Bean shared their commitment to the health and safety of medical professionals. They converted their Brunswick, Maine factory that normally makes Bean Boots into a mask making operation, hoping to make around 10,000 masks a day. 

They weren’t the only company that decided to help healthcare workers. Ulta, the beauty retailer, decided to lend a hand as well, but in their own unique way. Ulta is known for their wide variety of beauty products and services, with many locations offering a full salon. They decided to offer a special deal to medical professionals as a thank you for their tireless efforts to thwart the virus. In a letter released on May 11th, the Ulta CEO, Mary Dillon, offered a half off a haircut and style to all healthcare workers with a valid I.D. This may seem like a trivial thing to worry about during a global pandemic, but healthcare workers deserve to take time for themselves and be taken care of as well. This was a unique way for a beauty company to make a difference in many lives, while their image benefited from the good deed. Seeing how different companies used their skills and resources to come together and help fight the virus was very inspiring. 

Another way many companies either boosted or harmed their corporate image was shown in how they treated their employees during the shutdown. During the pandemic and initial shut down, many hourly workers lost their jobs. I kept reading about how callous some companies were in this process of laying off their employees; from mass emails to mass Zoom calls, people had their jobs taken from them in heartless ways. I decided to seek out and support companies that treated their employees well during this hard time. Companies like Ulta, L.L. Bean, DSW, and Bath & Body Works kept their employees on payroll during the nationwide quarantine. Several companies kept their employees paid as long as they fiscally could, but eventually they ran out of funds when business dropped off. However, seeing and hearing about the businesses that treated their employees well shaped their image more than any ad campaign ever could — this is the difference PR professionals can make.

Coronavirus taught many people how to slow down, enjoy time at home and maybe even make some sourdough bread; businesses learned just as much. They learned how to bolster their image by treating employees with respect when the eyes of the nation were on them and to commit to community outreach to help the surrounding residents and hospitals in need. Understanding how companies responded to COVID-19 showed their true colors and what they value as a company. Whether it was a PR publicity stunt or a kind gesture, these acts of selflessness by companies will carry on longer than any short-term profit ever will.

COVID 19 Response: How Celebrities and Influencers are Shaping the Narrative

Written by: Kate Matthews

How many social media platforms are you on? Maybe you’re on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter or TikTok - or all five! 

How many hours a day do you spend on each social media platform? 

What if you compared your usage now to three months ago?  

Chances are, you’ve spent significantly more time on Facebook and Instagram than you did in January. Whether it’s to look for updates on your state’s safety requirements, or to watch the latest quarantine cat video on YouTube (with ads from brands promoting public health and safety, of course), consumers are scrolling through socials at a higher rate because of COVID-19. (For more information, check out this link: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106766/media-consumption-growth-coronavirus-worldwide-by-country/) 

And celebrities and influencers on these platforms are taking advantage of the increased time you are spending on there. So, how are these influencers shaping the narrative on COVID-19? 

A few talk show hosts are providing comedic relief and an uplifting message to audiences through relatable content. Jimmy Fallon, the host of late night talk show The Tonight Show, has been collaborating with various celebrities (and his adorable family) to produce content for YouTube. A few notable videos include an interview with John Legend, a coronavirus-inspired song from Bon Jovi, and an original quarantine song from Adam Sandler. Ellen Degeneres, the host of The Ellen Degeneres Show, has been posting funny content on Instagram. She’s also posted more serious videos reminding fans of the importance of social distancing and staying safe in public. The majority of her content is meant to give audiences a distraction from the sadness and craziness of the world. Her videos chronicle her struggles with a 4,000 piece puzzle, conversations with notable celebrities, and a tribute to essential workers. 

Other influencers are setting the best example they can by posting from home. Celebrities like Ariana Grande (@arianagrande), Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) and Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) are posting photos of family and pets and filming video challenges sparked by COVID-19, such as the #SafeHands challenge and the #Allin challenge. 

No matter the platform, celebrities and influencers are trying their best to maintain a positive approach to the global pandemic in order to keep audiences feeling calm and safe. They are shaping the narrative by posting uplifting and comedic photos and videos that help fans take their minds off of COVID-19, even if it’s only for a few minutes. As consumers, these influencers inspire us to remain calm and informed about COVID-19. The content we see reminds us to focus on the good things in life and to be joyfully expectant of the day the world gets back to “normal.” 

Image source: (I took a screenshot of a video, so here’s the video link) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEQl6Pt-654&list=PLykzf464sU98lwxyHHBqnqx-r0xtOMLjt&index=93 

Author: Kate Matthews

Product Placement: The Industry Most Audiences Don't Recognize at First Glance

Written by: Allie Nichols

 Product placement is a visible recognition of products and brands  in movies, tv shows, music videos. Advertising has become increasingly important. Sometimes we don’t even realize that things we see are supposed to be promoting a certain product, or business. A lot of different products and brands can be promoted in the same movie. How many times do you see name brand products in a movie that you're watching? Do you recognize that these products are being advertised, or do you just think it was supposed to be part of the scene in the movie? Product placement is a really big factor in the success of some businesses. (https://www.intechopen.com/books/advancing-insights-on-brand-management/product-placement-as-an-effective-tool-for-the-brand-positioning) 

Product placement is a huge part of marketing efforts, with the approach of getting brands and products recognizable. Companies that choose to put their products in movies, music videos, or tv shows generally spend about $22,000 per placement.(https://brandongaille.com/46-product-placement-in-movies-statistics) As you can see, that’s not cheap for just one movie or show. Considering how many people watch the movie, I think they are really getting their bang for their buck.The next time you see a product on TV, in a movie, or in a music video it is most likely that the product is intentionally placed in that exact scene for a fee. 

Here are a few examples in product placements being successful.

In the 80s, the movie Top Gun gave Ray- Ban a huge increase in sales when famous actor Tom Cruise wore Ray- Ban Aviators in almost every scene. After the movie, everyone was hitting the stores getting the famous ‘Ray- Ban Aviators,’ the exact black sunglasses Cruise wore in the movie.(https://shadesdaddyblog.com/top-gun-sunglasses-sunglasses-tom-cruise-wear-top-gun/)   

In 2011, Drake came out with his single, Headlines. In the music video, Drake wore a black Nike hoodie and Nike gloves. A lot of Drake’s biggest fans who saw him wearing these products wanted them.

These are examples of ‘good product placement’ because they are very clear and straight to the point of why they are in certain scenes. An example of a bad placement of products is if the product is too obvious or having more than one product at once. For example in the movie I Robot, in the scene that they were trying to promote ‘All-Star converse’ there also was a brand new ‘Audi’ sports car in the shot, which took away from the promotion of the converse tennis shoes. (https://screenrant.com/worst-product-placement-scenes-hollywood-movies)

The best product placement in a movie I have seen is ‘Cast Away.’ I walked out of seeing that movie and immediately wanted a Wilson volleyball that stuck with the actor the whole movie.

All in all, Product Placement, if used correctly, is an effective tool in advertising that boosts brand recognition and has potential to increase sales. Product placement is very important for businesses to promote their product in an ethical way. Product placement is a visible resource that is helping social consumptions of a ‘well-known’ brand or product. The way that Product placement is growing in popularity is a testament of the efficiency of this advertising tool. (https://www.intechopen.com/books/advancing-insights-on-brand-management/product-placement-as-an-effective-tool-for-the-brand-positioning) 

Sources: 

https://brandongaille.com/46-product-placement-in-movies-statistics)

https://www.fortressofsolitude.co.za/product-placement-movies/

https://shadesdaddyblog.com/top-gun-sunglasses-sunglasses-tom-cruise-wear-top-gun/

https://trendjackers.com/14-examples-of-product-placement-in-music-videos/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqwk0qs8EOc

https://screenrant.com/worst-product-placement-scenes-hollywood-movies/

Author: Allie Nichols

Six Ways to Be Your Own Brand Like Beyoncé

Written by: Kelsea Abston

What does it mean to “be your own brand?” According to Elite Daily, being your own brand is identifying with something (a hobby, a job, etc.), standing out from the crowd, embracing your knowledge, being real and taking a chance. 

The first person that comes to mind when I think of someone who embodies the definition of being your own brand is Beyoncé. Her reputation precedes her; all you have to say is her name for people to know who you’re talking about. Beyoncé surrounds herself with people who boost her up. She supports causes and projects that she wholeheartedly believes in, not just because she has to. She creates pop and R&B hits with meanings and lessons behind them for everyone to enjoy.

Beyoncé proved she doesn’t need to be advertised when she unexpectedly dropped her self-titled album in 2013 with ZERO warning or clues to the fans before hand. In the US, 80,000 albums were sold in the first three hours after the release and a total of 430,000 in the first 24 hours alone. 

Beyoncé is not afraid to collaborate. From Gaga to her own daughter, Blue Ivy, Beyoncé has rocked all genres of music while going out of her territory to do it. 

Beyoncé exudes a confidence that is starting to show up more often in stars like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, who bring the Beyoncé-style branding technique into their own careers. How can we, as everyday people, bring that into our lives? Is it possible to brand yourself the Beyoncé way? The answer is YES!

Being your own brand is about being shamelessly you. First, you have to embody your own identity and personality, not someone else’s. Beyoncé doesn’t pretend to be Kim Kardashian and you shouldn’t try to be someone else either. You are YOU. 

Second, you have to find something to associate yourself with. Beyoncé associates herself with her music, and people make that connection every time. Associating yourself with something you excel at will help people get to know about you at face value before you tell them the insider details. 

Third, don’t hide your differences. Those differences make you stand out. Beyoncé can float across genres, collaborate with pretty much anybody, AND be a great mom and wife. She doesn’t hide that. Instead, she embraces it and mixes all those things together. Find something unique about yourself and embrace it.

 Fourth, don’t be afraid to continue to learn and share your knowledge. Beyoncé was a part of the 90’s female group, Destiny’s Child, before she was ever the Beyoncé we know and love. She had to learn from others in order to grow. She grows every time she collaborates with another artist, especially if they’re a different genre. Embrace learning and knowledge. If you can be open minded to learning and sharing, you’re putting yourself one step ahead. 

Fifth, be real. I can’t think of a time where Beyoncé has ever been fake about herself or her reality. She has been real and open with her fans from the start and people admire her for that. Be real with people; it gets you a lot further in life than being fake.

Lastly, take a chance. That job you want to apply for, but you’re not sure if you’re good enough? Go for it. That pair of shoes you can’t stop thinking about? Go for it. If Beyoncé held back every single time she had a chance to do something, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Beyoncé might not have been completely sure that releasing an album out of nowhere without any advertising was a great idea, but she took that chance and it worked out really well. 

These six tips can be applied to many aspects of your life -- especially job interviews. When you apply for a job, you don’t have an advertising and marketing team to set up the perfect campaign to show why you are the best candidate. You only have yourself, so you have to present yourself in the best possible way. Employers want to see who you are, what makes you who you are, and that you are unapologetically and authentically you. They aren’t there to interview Kylie Jenner or Ryan Reynolds. They are there to meet you and find out about you. 

Just like Beyoncé didn’t become an overnight sensation like her self-titled album did, building your own brand won’t happen overnight either. Being your own brand requires self confidence and being comfortable in your own skin. So do a power pose, keep your head up, and get ready to exude some Beyoncé-level confidence. 

Schreiber, K. (2014, March 21). You Are Your Own Brand: Why It's Important To Create 

Your Own Image. Retrieved from https://www.elitedaily.com/money/entrepreneurship/you-are-your-own-brand-why-its-important-to-create-your-own-image

TikTok: How Long Will It Blow up the Internet?

Written by: Natalie Hutcherson

TikTok is recorded as the fastest growing social media app on the market. The app has been around for awhile, but it recently became more popular in 2018 when viral successes from other (now defunct) video platforms Vine and Musical.ly shut down in recent years. Now teenagers everywhere are entertaining themselves and each other by creating their own video content in the hopes of catching the wave of social media fame. By exploring just how TikTok came about, perhaps we can understand how it captures the attention of teens across America and how long it will last. 

Owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok is a social network where users create and upload a variety of video-based content. Videos range from comedy to lip syncing, to viral challenges, some of which emerged specifically from famous TikTok users.

Before TikTok,  the trending video app was Vine. Then, there were born Vine Stars. These Vine stars made their money and fame through comedic videos and later social media partnership.s When Vine died in 2016, these stars turned to Musical.ly to continue their fame and social media careers. TikTok was also launched in 2016 under the Chinese name Douyin.  As the app spread beyond China, Douyin’s name changed to TikTok. ByteDance continued to purchase Musical.ly, gaining another popular video app. Eventually, TikTok began to steal the show, and ByteDance got rid of Musical.ly. This is when TikTok began to blow up the Internet. 

Loren Gray was one of the first people to become famous through her use of TikTok. She currently has 39.4 million followers on the app. The story of Loren Gray repeated itself as more TikTok videos gained popularity. As regular users like Loren gain viewers on TikTok, their followers begin to overflow to their other social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, etc.). The more content they create, the more their fan base grows and becomes invested in their social media content and personal lives.

Typically, influencers make their salary from paid partnerships and personal branding/advertising. These methods are most common via Instagram, but TikTok has advertising purposes as well. Often, if a famous user makes a TikTok video to a song no one has heard, this song will be used for more and more TikToks, ultimately boosting the song’s and artist’s fame. If a famous user wears certain clothing or does their makeup a certain way, followers may message them via another app  to find out how they can also use the same products as the TikTok star.

Aside from advertising and fame, TikTok has started multiple trends and viral challenges. TikTok videos formed new dance moves, including the dance to “Get the Gat,” that the LSU football team posted from the White House after winning the NCAA College Football Championships this year. Even fashion trends have not been able to avoid the TikTok influence. When the song “Old Town Road '' was popularly used to make TikToks, not only did the song gain fame, but its lyrics about cowboy hats and Wranglers seemed to influence men and women’s fashion back to their country roots. Multiple viral challenges have emerged, sending users into a frenzy to create their own original TikToks. To name a few: 

• the Haribo Challenge - arranging hundreds of gummy bears as a crowd while Adele’s “Someone Like You” is blared in the background; 

• Fake Travel Challenge - using everyday objects and pictures to mimic travel pictures in a comedic way; 

• Raindrop Challenge - adding visual effects that mimic pouring rain and stopping the rain in sync with musical beats.

TikTok influences many current trends, and continues to create rising social media stars. The app continues to gain momentum and popularity as a form of social media. However, just as Musical.ly and Vine are a thing of the past, TikTok could only be a rung on the ladder to the next best social media craze.

SOURCES:

https://www.hercampus.com/culture/popular-tiktok-trends-college

https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-app-online-website-video-sharing-2019-7#but-as-tiktok-started-to-gain-traction-globally-another-short-video-app-was-already-buzzing-in-the-united-states-musically-its-focus-was-15-second-lip-syncing-music-videos-10

https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us

Targeted Advertisements Becoming Normalized

Written by: Sydney Villanueva

Let’s talk about creepy advertisements. It happens to all of us, all of the time. Just last week I Googled IPSY, the subscription box brand, because I was researching it for a project. I exited my browser, pulled out my phone to go on Instagram, and what do you know? There was an ad for IPSY. I find that this most frequently happens to me on Instagram and Facebook.

Companies have taken targeted advertisements to a whole new level in recent years with something called cookies—and no, I’m not talking about the kind that you eat. 

According to Privacy.net, “cookies are used to remember things about websites: your login information, what you have in your shopping cart, and what language you prefer.” The cookies that make those creepy ads pop up on all of your social media accounts are called third-party persistent cookies/tracking cookies. Other websites can access cookies they didn’t necessarily create in the first place, making cookies a powerful tool in advertising.

Although targeted ads can seem creepy, your name isn’t attached to the cookies in any way, shape or form; however, they do categorize you in groups for targeted advertisements. 

Companies are well aware that targeted ads can persuade people to buy items that they were initially not going to purchase. That’s why they use them.

I have been on the verge of buying an item online and decide against it plenty of times, but ads that continually pop up on my social media accounts eventually make me want to purchase the item after all. 

Users can take action to avoid these types of cookies, but it’s getting harder and harder to avoid them all together these days. One way to prevent these stalker-like ads is clearing all of the cookies from your web browser often. If you’re really concerned about being targeted by ads, the New York Times has a great article on free tools you can use to help it stop.

Picture source: https://digiday.com/media/know-cookies-guide-internet-ad-trackers/

Cut the Cable: How Streaming Services are Taking Over Television

Image source: https://www.gq.com/story/which-streaming-service-is-right-for-you

Written by Rachel Puckett

“Continue watching?,” the button on Netflix teasingly asks as if you have not been watching The Office for the past four hours. It is curious to think about how the show originally aired on television and one had to wait a full week to see what happened to Jim and Pam. Now, all we have to do is admit that we are addicted to binge-watching the show. Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+ captivate our culture and dominate how we receive our entertainment.

With all these different platforms, there is the ability to release new content and revisit the old. With its potential for so many more projects to be greenlit, producers, filmmakers, and entertainment junkies alike see these platforms as a gold mine. More independent films are finally getting a mainstream platform; now audiences are able to enjoy genres that they may never have known existed simply because these genres showed up on their Amazon Prime recommended list.

However, with every streaming service providing new shows and new movies, the market is becoming flooded. This causes our society to go from “I have seen this already, and I want something new,” to “there is so much new, I am just going to watch this again.” New content, however good it may be, gets looked over unless it becomes extremely popular. This trend is helpful for nostalgic shows to become beloved again. Shows like Friends, That 70s Show, Gilmore Girls, and Full House are gaining a new fan base with younger generations. Friends was so beloved that when it was going to be removed from Netflix, fans fought back and extended the show’s streaming time. 

With all of these movies and shows and so many ways to watch them, there is one big question: is this sustainable? Prices of the most popular streaming services range from six to nine dollars a month, significantly lower than the average cost of cable TV. However, that low price just for one service. Most families have multiple services, which may end up costing more than cable would originally. So, do you buy only cable or only streaming? It depends on what you want. Disney+ is the newest streaming service and has already climbed the ranks to become one of the most popular within three months of its existence. People are drawn to it because of the popularity of the Disney brand. It offers the nostalgia of childhood and the entertainment of today. It also mimics the shows that are currently offered on the Disney Channel. It is a prime example of how a company could switch to streaming platforms only and actually gain revenue. Disney Channel is still alive and well, but Disney+ lives up to the plus in its name. Personally, after being without cable there is no shortage of entertainment and news to be found on streaming services alone, so I don’t see streaming platforms going away anytime soon.

Author: Rachel Puckett