happiest day of the whole year

What a notion, “happiest day of the whole year,” Can each of us actually pin point one? Often times I think we focus on the negatives or things that are not going our way, this inhibits us from finding that elusive ‘happiest day of the whole year.’

Yesterday, was a good candidate for happiest day of the year (Especially in the viewpoint of a business partner and friend!). Columbus had uniquely warm weather, sunny, not humid, 70 degrees. It was really odd actually. Biking to work. Awesome. Opening garage doors at the workshop co. Awesome. Being amazingly productive (Win). Rock climbing at the Audubon Park. Awesome – which if you haven’t checked out you need to. 

 

Dinner time was equally exciting as my friends and I cooked fresh salmon, home fries, asparagus, corn bread and macaroons for desert. The food was excellent… sorry for not getting into details. (Consensus was that the corn bread was best). I think a home cooked meal may be a requirement for ‘happiest day of the whole year’ but I could be wrong, I’ll have to consult and expert. I do know that inventing a game is a must for the prestigious day-recognition, which after supper we did. Said commander and master of the term ‘happiest day of the year’ devised the game Q-Master. Details and possibly playing cards to follow in the coming months.

Anyways… Go find your ‘happiest day of the whole year’

“Beyond the Blackberry Patch”

The Jazz Arts Group recently commissioned a composition by acclaimed trombonist and composer Wycliffe Gordon. The 90 minute piece of music was created for ten musicians to tell the story of the King-Lincoln District of Columbus Ohio. Over three years Wycliffe Gordon visited Columbus City schools and developed musical curriculum to inspired students to learn more about their historic neighborhoods. The study of the King-Lincoln District inspired the overall composition; “Beyond the Blackberry Patch- Past, Present and Future.”

The “Blackberry Patch” is a folkloric name given to the area on Columbus’ near east side where many African Americans settled during the Great Migration. Historically it was a hotbed for African America Culture, including many great Jazz musicians.

Today, the Jazz Arts Group is committed to the revitalization of the area. The renovation of the historic Lincoln Theatre is just one step in the process. The commissioning of music to tell the story and educate students will be an on-going initiative to further revitalize the King-Lincoln District as well as the greater East Side of Columbus Ohio. The reclamation of the 80-year-old Lincoln Theatre, represents the hope for the future.

I encourage everyone to check out a show at the Lincoln Theatre, it is absolutely stunning and the acoustics of the theatre are unbelievable. I will be posting a video shortly of the show! In the mean time be sure to check out the Jazz Arts Group web page for upcoming events! http://www.jazzartsgroup.org/

“The price good men pay for indifferenc

“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” — Plato ^AV

The Gods of the Copybook Headings haunt

The Gods of the Copybook Headings haunt me. http://bit.ly/mk6ze ^AV

A favorable juncture of circumstances

Historic Lamp

Throughout life I have found myself blessed with opportunity. The word itself, opportunity, represents an entire process and train of thought completely independent and unique within different frameworks of thought. Most recently the process of opportunity recognition in my life has been illuminating for me in determining my professional and personal goals. The last ten months has provided me with many great opportunities to build and explore a professional freelancing career. This process has filled out my portfolio and built up a marketable skill set. Currently I find myself at a crossroad. One where I will need to better define and specialize the skill set I offer to clients, and a crossroad where I must set personal goals so that I can better access new opportunities.

In thinking about opportunities and more specifically opportunity recognition I have thought deeply about the following ideas/keys:

1) Being observant: I want to continually challenge myself to quickly notice others and the world around me. My Uncle Michael told me a long time ago, it is good to “be observant”, I want to think more about this quality and react to this quality. Observant is a very active state of being despite its connotation of inactivity. I will see how it goes trying to be more actively observant!
2) Suspend Judgment: One of my Professors told me “You can’t see something new if your mind is full.” I think the creative process of de-programming what I know or preconceived norms with in an organization is one way to find innovation. I think this process of questioning and deconstructing industry standards can lead to powerful opportunity. So what is an effective ways to do this! This is where my goals will come into play once I define them. This outlook on opportunity will help me challenged and measure my own goals.
3) Ask questions: The art of critical thinking and inquiry. Not accepting ideas at face value and asking tough questions is key to understanding or discovering an opportunity. I believe even the simple “dumb” questions can reveal an often overlooked problem. Questions are key to interaction and development of innovation.
4) Define: I think defining a need, a space, a world, is key to understanding a problem or opportunity. By defining the platform it creates a canvas for creation. I think this idea is where I need to find a niche and understand where my strengths will be best used. The definition of my platform will fuel the direction for my next opportunities.

From these opportunity recognition key points I will be able to start to define my goals. I think opportunity recognition and goal setting are important skills to practices and hone for every individual. By re-discovering and thinking about these processes I know I will be able to confidently integrate my strengths and define my goals for my future.

New Endeavors: Revisting Point of Purchase

This past summer I spent hours laboring on my Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis. The project represents the culmination of four and half years of my college education that spanned the globe, from Slippery Rock, PA to Sydney, Australia.  The thesis document entitled “POP Event: An Experiential Marketing Study on US Politics and Business.” proved to be a very rewarding endeavor as I was able to tie together my various educational disciplines into a coherent study.

Over the next month I will be revisiting my undergraduate thesis work. It is my aim to compress the chapters into brief abstracts and bibliographic documents so that I can share knowledge I have gained from this research process. I also hope that through comments and interactions with interested readers, I may understand and develop an even stronger understanding of Point of Purchase Events.

Below is a copy of the table of contents to serve as a road map for the next few articles that will be posted on my blog. Each chapter segment will be compressed and refined to shortened abstracts with a corresponding bibliography.

1.0 American History of the Marketing Communication Mix

1.1  Entertain Us! Early American Medicine Shows, and P.T. Barnum.

1.2  Media Men: The Greatest Show on Earth, and The Wild West.

1.3  Technology: Television, Internet, and Consumer Activism.

1.4  Web 2.0 Revolution: Mobile Advertising, and Social Networking.

2.0 Human Perception: Psychology and Public Relations

2.1 Psychology: Freud and Maslow

2.2 PR Men: Bernays The Father of public relations.

2.3 Identity: Leisure and Community

2.4 Micro-demographics, branding in politics and business

3.0 Obama Campaign

3.1 Championing the masses: A Power Perspective on American Democracy.

3.2 David Plouffe: The flawless campaign

3.3 Grassroots targeting

4.4 Marketing Lessons

4.0 Point of Purchase Events

4.1 Event Sponsorship: Cut through the Clutter.

4.2 Point of Purchase in the Digital Age.

4.3 Point of Purchase event: Consumer Value and Entertainment

“Obama’s War”

I have recently stumbled upon BBC war correspondent Ben Anderson’s series “Obama’s War”. It is an unbelievable view-point into the day-to-day operations of America’s Marines in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.  While watching this report it made me realize how often Americans disconnect themselves from the sacrifice our armed forces are making for our comfort and security. It was sad to see Marines say on camera that Americans back home are more concerned with shopping then what is going on with them on the ground. This documentary series makes me proud of the work our marines are doing to not only eradicate fear and terror from the world but also sincerely working to build the confidence of a nation (Afghanistan).

Ben Anderson offers interesting insight in how the American strategy in the Helmand district may be better suited for success then the previous British forces strategy in the region. However, he also discusses the odds of success and reasons for continued engagement in Afghanistan may prove fruitless. Mr. Anderson is very critical of the current media block out of Afghanistan coverage, particularly the lack of coverage in the media on the war and on Mr. President Obama’s policies on the war. I found it really interesting as to how open the Marine Corp has been to embedded journalist. This open-uncensored interaction between Mr. Anderson and the Marines in this particular documentary was very fulfilling for me and my understanding of the complexities in Afghanistan.

I hope many more people will have the opportunity to watch this series, and be encouraged to find other similar field documentaries. Please do share other videos, articles, documentaries on Afghanistan policies and events in my comment box.

Lets all say thanks to our armed forces: Lets Say Thanks

Happy holidays!  always the best,

Andy

Wall Installation: Miami (Oh) University

It was an abnormally warm-72 degree November day- as I was walking to work across the main quad of Miami University. From a distance I could see a great art installation/wall. As I approached it I noticed it was a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall. The artwork on the massive tribute wall encapsulated various ideals of fear and oppression that slowly morphed into a message of freedom, peace, unification. The expanse stretched across the whole central quad, and provided a picto-history of events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The tribute wall stretches 300-400 feet across the quad in a crescent shape. The wall is constructed out of ply wood and canvas material. The wall also has a motion sensor spotlight feature that triggers as students walk by the wall through the quad. The wall itself separates the east and west sides of the central quad (leaving openings for the sidewalk). My eye was drawn to the many beautiful graphical representations of various historical and theoretical ideals. Being a history enthusiast I also appreciated the representations of events such as the Berlin Airlift, and faces of various political leaders of the time. 

A small section of the Berlin Wall tribute in Oxford Ohio.

I dug up a little more information about the art installation and discovered that the Senior Architecture studio on campus headed up the project. Eventually other studios got involved and supported the project. The senior studio made it a semester thesis project and will auction off pieces of the wall at the end of the semester to benefit a local charity. 

The impact of this art installation has been very evident. Miami University is often isolated from world events, projects like this help generate a greater sense of community and awareness of history and the world. I hope to see more interesting campus initiatives to commemorate other events or causes.

Point of Purchase-Proximity Marketing

        In the event management field proximity targeting is quickly being utilized to offer more comprehensive sponsorship packages. The popularity of SMS proximity targeting is due in part to its higher demographics capture rate, in turn offering a higher ROI then traditional promotional mixes. In analyzing Bluetooth or proximity targeting I will apply it to a point of purchase promotions event. My artifact will be a sample SMS graphic based message that could be applied in a point of purchase proximity marketing campaign. For this campaign I will use a POP-now event kiosk and Pepsi event as my hypothetical case study. 

        The basic function of proximity marketing is to target mobile phones and web 2.0 browsers at a certain physical location. In my example I will be using point of purchase locations such as Wal-Mart as regions to target and capture brand demographics. “Proximity marketing is a means by which brands can deliver branded content to the mobile phones of their target audience based on individual’s proximity to a location like Bluetooth and infrared (Haines,23,  Journal of Sponsorship).” This idea of capturing your consumer at the point of purchase increases chances of selling a good, and follow up with the consumer about their experience. It is important to recognize the role the web 2.0 and mobile advertising revolution plays on this process. It essentially creates the sub culture and demographic to advertise to. By targeting an online sub culture, in my example, online gamers, Bluetooth/SMS can be personalized to each demographic. The digital content offers consumer choice in the advertisement and promotions they choose to part take in.

       By utilizing SMS targeting at a point of purchase event consumer and brand value is created. The promotion itself offers consumer value, as well as the digital experience and coupons offered via Bluetooth/SMS. In today’s increasingly mobile web society Bluetooth/SMS marketing is an important one to understand.

Great user experiences are the cornerstone of engagement…Consumers who are having great experiences while immersed in a consumer community are harbingers of engagement. Whether they podcast, vblog, mblog, generate there own content, upload mphotos…really simple syndication it is all interactivity (Sharma,80, Mobile Advertising).

Capturing markets and follow up via the web increases brand equity and connects the consumers mind to a brand through a community and experience. It is what event sponsorship prides itself on doing, connecting an emotional experience with your supporting brand sponsors to increase consumer good will. Translating this into increased sales/brand usage. 

The chart above illustrates a study conducted on measuring brand awareness created as a result of proximity marketing campaigns. It compares modernized economies. These numbers can be translated into the effectiveness of Bluetooth proximity targeting that can be utilized at point of purchase event sponsorship.

        At a point of purchase gaming event hosted at a Wal-mart, Pepsi co, can achieve a successful proximity marketing campaign by integrating it with there gaming event (see 1a). This in store gaming promotion provides the excitement and brand interaction Pepsi wants to achieve, but it ends with the event. By utilizing Bluetooth/SMS at the proximity of the event they are able to continue brand communication into the future, thus increasing the value of the sponsorship.

 

1a) Pepsi gaming kiosk: Used for Gaming Promotional Events.

        By capturing an online community, such as national gaming organization, they have a base audience to deliver a message too. By linking current branding efforts with their Mountain Dew brand to the World of Warcraft game. Pepsi can effectively capture male demographic of 15-25 year old gamers; A demographic that over 50 percent have mobile phone technologies (Adams, 88, Electric Tribes). Integrating Bluetooth/SMS technologies with a more traditional promotional event allows for the sponsorship to achieve a higher ROI, and measurement of the effectiveness of the event. The proximity targeting capabilities also allows Pepsi to create a network for future promotions and events to solidify brand loyalty. 

This graphic based SMS illustrates the link to a promotional event and the follow up of the promotion activity via a web based promotion. Creates more consumer value then a one-time promotion.

        Mobile advertising solutions like Bluetooth/SMS proximity targeting have great implications for the future of advertising. As consumer increasingly rely on the web and mobile technologies in there daily lives our privacy will be increasingly tested through new marketing practices. Implications of this targeting while new and cutting edge could soon become a consumer annoyance. It is an important technological issue to research in the coming months/years in advertising.

Adams, T., & Smith, S. A. (2008). Electronic tribes :The virtual worlds of geeks, gamers, shamans, and scammers (1st ed.) Austin: University of  Texas Press.

Haines, E. (2008). Brand activation and ROI using bluetooth proximity marketing solutions in event sponsorship. Journal of  Sponsorship, 2(1), 22-30.

Sharma, C., Herzog, J., & Melfi, V. (2008). Mobile advertising:Supercharge your brand in the exploding wireless market. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

October 29th

Ernst Fall Festival was a lot of fun. I had a great time working with all of the great bands and musicians that performed. I would like to send out a special thanks to all parties that made the event a great one— Oxford Drum Ensemble, Boogie Boys, Patrick Woods, John Hurd, GhostBear, and Karate Coyote– The event would not have been the same without all of your wonderful musical skills and talents. While the event itself did not attain the attendance I had projected, the quality of the event was evident as all student organizations, corporate partners, and attendees were entertained and excited about future events at Ernst Nature Theater.

I hope that with the help of strategic campus partners such as the Miami Student Radio, and the Miami Concert Board a spring musical event can be hosted at the Ernst Nature Theater. It was truly a beautiful venue to host this event and I am already beginning to organize a follow up spring fling festival at the venue. These alliances will help us expand the line-up for the spring and incorporate a national act into the set list.

Overall, Ernst Fall Festival increased exposure and raised money for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. It also established the Western Program as an academic program with a goal of building community and providing outreach to communities at need. We hope over the next few weeks online donations and shirt sales from the event will help us raise even more money for the charity!