Let's Ignite Change!

Injustice... Inequality… Black… Male… Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!  These are the words or phrases that are becoming all too common. Lately, it seems every time I turn on the news there has been another act of violence towards black men. This reminds me of a play I once watched entitled, The Day of Absence… a day when all the black people disappeared. Are we here? 

The male segment of the African American population is starting to disappear or go missing. Why are they starting to disappear? They are falling victim to police; they are involved in black on black crime; and they are dying from HIV and poor health decisions. 

According to the New York Times, In New York, almost 120,000 black men between the ages of 25 and 54 are missing from everyday life. In Chicago, 45,000 are, and more than 30,000 are missing in Philadelphia. Across the South — from North Charleston, S.C., through Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and up into Ferguson, Mo. — hundreds of thousands more are missing. They are missing, largely because of early deaths or because they are behind bars. 

It seems that society has negatively labeled our black males from birth. What is it about African American males that people fear?  Why must our black men be oppressed?  With black men being killed or locked away in prison, this leaves the question, who is to protect our young black boys?  We all want the same thing which is to be treated with respect. So why, then, isn’t that happening? 

From the Travyon Martins to the Eric Garners of the world, things have to change. But how? Communication, communication, COMMUNICATION! We have to stand up for what’s right.  The people’s voices have to be heard. Action must be taken. People all over the world are trying to ignite a sense of urgency for change.  Shonda Rhimes, creator of hit TV show, Scandal addressed this issue in one of the episodes this season.  This episode was about a black father that wanted the truth about losing his son for an unjust reason. 

How can we communicate the message that Black Lives Matter?  As marketers, it’s up to us to create the platform to get people thinking about the big picture. A world where people don’t have to be in fear of authority figures… A world where people respect each other… A world where people help each other to be better… We have an uphill battle before us but we can ignite change by creating a viral movement that demonstrates the importance of black lives.  We can even customize social media messages to communicate the importance of equality for everyone and so much more. The sky is the limit!

For years, we have implemented innovative campaigns to support the notion that black lives matter. Our campaigns encourage black men to live longer healthier lives. Whether it be to quit smoking, get tested for H.I.V. and STDs, colon or prostate screenings, etc., we communicate because we care. 

Working with leaders and faith-based organizations in the community is another avenue that can be used to share the importance of black lives to those who may not understand.  These programs will provide young black men the information they need to make informed and educated decisions. Community leaders and faith-based organizations can present a seminar to the community about thinking before taking action. This can be a positive push for change to end the senseless acts that are happening around the world. 

As marketers, we have the platform to influence and change attitudes. We speak to various audiences for a living. We know how to convey messages that will allow people to make decisions based on the information we provide. We can let them know that their voice can and will be heard. Knowing that you have the opportunity to ignite change, the real question is, what will you stand for? How will you use your platform? Will you use your marketing for a better America?

To Snap, Dub, or Keek?

Keeping up with millennials can be a pretty tough thing to do, especially since millennials are the epitome of trendsetters. Let’s look at social media. As a marketer, are you communicating with millennials via their preferred platform or the platform you’re most comfortable using? Not sure? Here are a few social media outlets that millennials are currently using.

No longer are the days of Facebook being the main social media site. Millennials are using applications like Snapchat, Dub Smash, and Keek to have conversations with friends and family. 

Snapchat allows you to send video messages to your friends and family. Gone are the days of simply texting and calling.  With Snapchat, you no longer have to wonder if the intention of your message is understood. Since its video, you can communicate your message exactly how you intend. Snapchat also allows face to face video chatting. Marketers can easily use Snapchat to directly market a product or service to their intended audience. 

Dubsmash is becoming one of the most widely used video applications. Dubsmash allows millennials to express themselves by recording 30 second videos with pre – recorded sounds and audio clips. This application also allows you to make a video montage of all of the small videos you capture while being able to upload them to social media to share with your friends.  

Keek has over 70 million users. It is described as a combination of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Keek provides the capability to share videos with friends and family. Additionally, you may like and follow your favorite celebrity or company.   With Keek, you are may share as much or as little of your life with the people who follow you. 

Kik, not to be confused with Keek, has over 200 million users. Kik literally allows you to talk with anyone. You can start a group conversation by creating a hashtag. Those interested in the hashtag can join the conversation. Kik lets the user decide who they want to talk to and how. You can share videos, memes, pics, gifs, and anything else you find. 

As a millennial, it would be great to see companies share their message through various social media apps that millennials use every day. It shows that these companies truly understand the way I communicate and want me to notice their product or service.  With millennials, you have to stay ahead because you never know how quick a social media platform will be considered a thing of the past and what will be deemed the hottest new trend. 

As marketers, I’m sure you are aware, social media means instant connection and communication.  Communicating on the right platform is key. After reading this blog, take a good look at the current social media platforms you are using. If it is not reaching the audience you intended, it’s time to do your research and quickly change the way you have been communicating.  As it relates to millennials, using social media to communicate is not a choice.  It’s a mandate.

The Evolution of the Hoodie

The hoodie. A few years ago when hearing this word, you would have immediately thought of a sweatshirt with a hood to keep the cold, rain and wind off of you. Today, when hoodie is mentioned, it ignites feelings of injustice because people remember those who have been misunderstood and prejudged by this article of clothing. Treyvon Martin was one of the individuals who was misunderstood and prejudged in 2012.  Martin was walking home from the store wearing a hoodie and carrying a package of skittles in one pocket and an iced tea in the other. Due to him being prejudged by his “hoodie” and the color of his skin, he ultimately lost his life. This tragedy brought awareness towards the underlying racism that continues to persist in communities across the country.  Many people displayed their grief by recreating images of hoodies, an Arizona tea, and a bag of skittles and posting them on social media.

Recently, Oklahoma lawmakers announced they are considering passing a law that will prohibit wearing a hoodie in public places. While this act is meant to create a sense of safeness by not allowing individuals to hide their identity, the bigger issue is that the government is essentially taking away freedom of expression through dress. One might ask “Does wearing a hoodie mean that you are getting ready to do something illegal? Or, is wearing a hoodie so serious that the government needs to play such a large role in managing our daily lives”? While we cannot blame this issue on racism, it’s pretty clear that it is a large determining factor when dealing with this problem, rather we want to admit it or not.

How does wearing a hoodie or racism correlate with marketing? Understanding your audience and how/why they operate the way they do would be a much more effective way to manage future generations rather than create ways to simply block them out. In marketing, you must understand the consumer’s wants and needs; their way of thinking; the reasons they do the things that they do; and more. If you just create a general message for everyone, chances are, your target audience will not get reached and your marketing effort is less effective and costly for no reason! As a marketer, we set the trends, not follow them. You must be in tune with your audience at all times. 
Never Assume. Know.

Marketing for a Tobacco-Free Future

As cliché as this may sound, millennials are the future.  In the year 2000, 23 percent of the teenage population smoked cigarettes.  14 years later, the original 23 percent decreased to 9 percent. This decrease is significant but still not enough. Additionally, there are newer tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes that are still fueling this problem. The slightest things, such as seeing celebrities smoking, influence our youth population. These influences can extend past he simple things and can be blamed on peer pressure or even role models.

Not all teens take the time to do any research before putting harmful chemicals in their bodies.  On average, those that ingest harmful chemicals die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.¹   Smokers are prone to their skin aging faster, which means more wrinkles at an earlier age and for the generation of the “selfies”, it’s hard to believe my peers would feed into risking a greater probability of damaging their image. 

 An estimated 1.5 million packs of cigarettes are purchased for minors annually¹, so adults are contributing 30 million cigarettes to young people that can’t even purchase cigarettes for themselves!  We as a population must do better.  It is believed that as generations progress, they are living longer; however, this will not be the case if our youth continue to experiment with harmful, dangerous, extremely addictive, and deadly tobacco products.

When you consider the implications of this harmful habit from a marketer’s standpoint, advertising against tobacco is working. At Advantage Communications Inc., we execute innovative ideas that bring awareness to the dangers of tobacco products and encourages users to quit through the award-winning Stamp Out Smoking campaign.  This campaign seeks to be culturally relevant in communicating the ills of tobacco. Over the years we have seen smoking rates for youth and women significantly decline.

 As marketers, we must evolve and continue to innovate in the public health space and innovative ideas that will encourage tobacco users to quit and encourage their peers that use tobacco products to quit as well.  We can create an anti-tobacco movement!

Written by Michael Frank Steele, Marketing Intern, Advantage Communications, Inc.

Sources:

1.     https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teen-smoking

2.     http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/?mobile=nocontent

What “I Can’t Breathe” Means for Marketers

The phrase, “I can’t breathe” is usually a cry for help in American culture. In most circumstances, after that phrase is used, medical attention is sought for the person that is struggling to breathe. Unfortunately, Eric Gardner cannot say the same thing.
 In July 2014, Gardner, a 43 year old, 350 pound African-American man was approached by undercover officers. Which began what Gardner felt as harassment. The police knew him to sale individual untaxed cigarettes. When one of the officers approached Gardner, he pleaded that he did nothing wrong.  Following Gardner’s request to be left alone, the officer attempted to subdue the “suspect” and Gardner swiped his hands away. This gesture led to additional officers taking physical action and eventually putting Gardner in a chokehold. Chokeholds have been prohibited by New York City Police since 1993.
 While all of this was captured on video, you can hear Eric Gardner repeating his last words “I can’t breathe” before his body was left on the pavement, motionless and unresponsive.  This tragedy has garnered nationwide attention.

The video of the officer choking Eric Gardner, which led to his death, went viral, and many “famous” people have chimed in to bring awareness to this terrible issue. For example some professional athletes have worn “I can’t breathe” t-shirts such as LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Garnett of the Brooklyn Nets, and other NBA stars. The most recent outcry is  by Samuel L. Jackson, a famous actor. He encourages everyone that participated in the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Ice Bucket challenge to participate in his challenge as well. He asks people to sing the 'We Ain't Gonna Stop til People are Free' song." This challenge not only brings awareness to the Eric Gardner tragedy, but sheds light on some police officers abuse of their power without receiving  any reprimand. Of course, people die every day but not usually by the hand of a person sworn to protect the public and keep the peace.   

After reading this blog you might ask yourself; what does this have to do with marketing? This matter is relevant to marketers because the “I can’t breathe” phenomenon is not a multi-cultural issue, but rather a Millennials matter. Individuals that are around my age, 23 years old, whether they are Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, or Asian are coming together and again speaking out for what could be considered right or wrong in America.  As a marketer, what can you do to help the voice of millennials be heard? What can you do to bring awareness to this issue and other issues like it?  What will you do to take a stand?

Written by Michael Frank Steele, Marketing Intern, Advantage Communications, Inc.

The New Music Industry: Technology is the Culprit

Today’s music industry is quite different than it was ten or twenty years ago. There was a time when artists were recognized by album sales; there was a time when fans were eager to purchase new and upcoming CDs from their favorite artist or band, and if you were lucky you may even find a free pass for a concert. Now, CD sales have drastically declined because the demand for CDs is at an all-time low. While record sales of major industry artists remain somewhat steady, the numbers are not even close to what they have been in the past. We can blame this on one thing, technology.

 In today’s market, the largest music retailer in the world is now digital. Such nuances as the Internet and iTunes have created new windows to the music industry. With today’s consumer being less patient, but having a need for stellar customer service, being able to download a CD at the touch of a button is simply more convenient. Why go to the store or “camp out” for the new CD, when you can purchase it from your app store at the touch of a button? Lorri Francis, General Manager of Double Door, a concert hall and nightclub stated, “The music industry has changed completely. Labels don’t exist and everything is on the web. If you want something you can just download it.”

This drastic change of how people consume their music not only affects the people of the music industry and consumers, but also the individuals responsible for getting the messages to the consumers (e.g., new artist, new releases, and artist appearances). Whether you’re a marketer in the music industry or not, the message is the same. Marketers must evolve, not with their customers but ahead of them. We must ask ourselves a hard question: Are my products or services still relevant? If it’s not, CHANGE! If your customer is going to your competitor, CHANGE!

Think about this…if the music industry has changed so drastically over the past two decades, what will happen tomorrow? What will you do to stay ahead of your competitors?

“Chasing Millennials”

As a millennial, I’d like to share one word with you to help your brand(s) to succeed.  “Trendsetter”.  Trendsetter is the new word, the new vibe, and the new way to get to this audience.  You must change the way you want us to see, hear, and buy your products, as well as read and remember your messages.

“Trendsetter”, because we are constantly changing and multitasking we have little time to spend to listen to things that are not of interest, which actually sounds to us as “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”  We are tech savvy which means we can search and find what we want, when we want it and where we want it. 

“Trendsetter”, because we are using the hottest product before the rest of the world has even thought about it or has interest in it.   We set the tone for everyone else and by the time everyone starts using the products we use, we have already moved on to the next best thing. If you are marketing to us, you must beat us to the punch. You must stay ahead of the game and provide us with the products we need and want before we know we need or want it. Once we get a hold of the product, we use it and spread the word and then the rest of the world follows. 

Let’s look at social media. The very first thing that became big that millennials were on was Myspace. Most people were using it to be noticed in the music industry, but millennials turned it into the hottest social media site.  When the rest of the world jumped on Myspace, we moved on to Facebook. When Facebook became popular, our parents started using it, and we moved on to Instagram.We are very different from Boomers, and X’ers.  We dislike waiting and love that we are different.  We enjoy the differences in our “group” --- We can connect with others in a matter of seconds, find out what is going on all over the world with friends we've met in grade school, high school, camp and college through a variety of social media mediums.   We can even “see” them with the new technology that has been introduced!

We love brands, new things on the market that relate to who we are and what we are doing.  We know what’s happening in sports, music, TV shows, videos, movies, apps, a variety of foods and a list of other hot things----we are constantly connected. Talk to us---- ask us to try your product.  But be careful.  You won’t find us looking for an ad or coupon in the newspaper or listening to a radio commercial and if you move too slowly even in social media arenas, we maybe on to the next.  If you want your brand to be larger than life, be sure to say ahead of the millennial, as we will help take your product to new heights.

What’s the next big thing for millennials? Please believe when we find it, we will let the rest of the world know.

Written by Michael Frank Steele, Marketing Intern, Advantage Communications, Inc.