Reflection on the class

After almost four months of class, its a struggle to list everything I have learned because there has been so much. From Twitter fails to social media analytics, every ounce of information that has been presented to use holds some of value and will come in handy in the next couple years. The social media industry changes every month, so to have this base knowledge we can continue to build as the years go by will be vital in any communications job. Below are some of the most important lessons I learned throughout the semester and will be my biggest takeaways as I begin my career.

Know your audience 
This is key. Every platform you write for has a different audience who gravitates towards different things. The same people who use Facebook are not the same people who use Twitter. These different audiences call for different content to be posted if a company wants to effectively get its message across. Younger generations tend to gravitate towards Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, while older generations appreciate the simplicity of  Facebook. On top of this, companies should also limit its platform presence, as it does not need to be on all of them at once. If it targets younger people, leave out the Facebook and opt for the Snapchat instead. This will allow more time to focus on the platforms that actually get the most engagement.

Plan your content
It always helps to be prepared. At the beginning or end of the year, sit down and write in all holidays or big events that are happening in the upcoming year. By doing this you will be doing yourself a favor by being able to stay on top of the content you post and prep accordingly. For example, if you know Christmas is coming up in a month, get all your Christmas content planned ahead of time, that way all you will have to do is worry about posting it and monitoring it. Obviously there are some things you can’t quite plan for, like changes in leadership or crises, but its always good to have a back up plan in case something catches you off guard.

Monitor your posts 
You never know what someone is going to post and how it will affect your company, which is why you always need to monitor and watch how your followers are engaging. From product complaints to unforeseen offensive content, always know what your followers are saying. What you thought seemed like an appropriate post, may not have been to someone else. If that’s the case, take it down and issue the appropriate apology. It’s better to own up to it rather than avoid it. If it’s a product complaint, tell the person to message you directly so you can get the details and handle it accordingly. Being responsive is one of the best business practices you can have in the social media field.

USE COMMON SENSE 
Last but certainly not least, USE COMMON SENSE!! If your gut is telling you not to post something, do not do it. If you think it will be offensive, do not do it. If you are running any risk that could show your company in a bad light, do not post it. The last thing you want is to be called out and put your social media in a fire storm. If you ever have any questions about the tentative posted content, get someone else’s opinion on it. They might see something or suggest something that you otherwise overlooked. In the end, social media should be used to show and promote your company in the best possible way, don’t ruin it because you were lazy and negligent.

Social Media Interview

In a world that is constantly being narrated by social media, it is hard to imagine anyone not having some form of social media account. From Twitter to Snapchat to LinkedIn, most people utilize to express not only their opinions, but to update the world on their lives. However, social media isn’t just for the average person. Social media is now being utilized more than ever in everyday business practice, becoming a vital instrument for sharing news about the company.

For this assignment, we were asked to reach out to a social media professional and interview them about the job. The person I interviewed is actually a really good friend of mine, Becca Peterson, who is an intern at a small advertising agency called Activated Growth. Becca runs the social media accounts for two companies, Gopher Resource and George Dental Group.

A typical day for Becca starts out by looking through all the editorial calendars her and her boss have set up and “then posts on pages according to the plan we have in place (we usually set up posts for each month about a month in advance).” By doing this, she is able to control how cohesive the messages are and at what times they are being released.

However, the job comes with both its perks and downfalls. Becca’s favorite part about the job is “seeing her work published online”. Getting that sense of accomplishment and pride after your hard work truly is one of the most rewarding factors of the job, especially when the posts see engagement. One of the worst parts about the job though is her lack of being in an office space. Because social media is all done through the internet,  an office space isn’t really required but it certainly could help with the process.

Becca’s favorite platform to utilize is LinkedIn. “LinkedIn is so much more straight forward, and the images always upload a lot better and clearer than they do on Facebook”. With Facebook, she said its often a struggle to get things formatted in a cohesive manner.

When it comes to voice and audience, Becca says that they’ve really gotten to know their clients well now. “For Gopher Resource, a lot of our content is very informative and fact base. We engage with our consumers by asking them questions, presenting facts as “Did you know?” and sharing relevant content that has to do with the safety of their communities. We do this because a lot of our consumers are surrounding community members in Eagan, MN as well as Tampa, FL since that is where our recycling plants are located.” Then for George Dental Group “we post a lot of helpful dental tips as well as relevant information about the industry. We also try to make every post light-hearted as well as promoting a ‘clean’ feel, as we want our consumers to immediately think “clean” when they think of George Dental Group. We engage with consumers by posting content that they may find interesting or fun, and we also will include posts such as ‘Smile, it’s Friday!’ or things that consumers can respond to.”

When it comes to social media crises, Becca said that she has yet to experience one (which is a good thing) but something were to happen, “we do already have communication crisis plans in place in case something does happen. Especially with the fields we represent, if something goes wrong it can truly be tragic. Because of this, we like to stay on top of things and make sure we are as prepared as possible to respond.”

When asked about social media calendars and whether she used them or not, she says “oh yes. I would be so lost without my editorial calendars. I have one for both clients that I update religiously with insights about how each post was received by our followers. I also plan each post with a date and time estimate of when it should be posted.”

The last question that I asked Becca was what her advice for other students going into this field would be, since she’s already had so much experience with it at such a young age. She said “keep an open mind and keep trying! Sometimes social media can be frustrating because you can come up with ideas that you think are great, but your followers will not respond how you expect them to. This can be hard, but it is important to not get too attached to everything you work on and instead learn from it to make it better next time!”

Becca is a rockstar social media professional and with the way that this business practice has already grown so much, I think we can both agree its not going away any time soon so we might as well utilize it to its full potential.

 

Book Report- Reputation Rules

Reputation. The one thing that can make or break your company. Whether it be a nasty tweet or defunct product, a company can easily be sent falling from grace in a matter of seconds and you will have no control over it. However, that is what PR professionals are for. Although they can not control the uncontrollable, they can control how a company reacts to the crisis and at least do as much as they can to prevent it. In Reputation Rules: Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset by Daniel Diermeier, he explains how to effectively manage a company’s reputation through overcoming challenges, managing scandals and incorporating reputation business practice into everyday life. 

Synopsis 
The book chronicles a series of case studies from companies such as Shell, Mercedes, and Wal-Mart, just to name a few. The main point that the book tries to get across to readers is that reputation does not happen overnight, rather it happens through a series of exchanges between a company and its shareholders that are favorable in BOTH of their eyes. To understand a crisis, you must first understand your reputation and how you can  strategically protect it.

Key Takeaways 
1. Understanding a company’s conduct during a crisis will have a major impact aunthood company’s reputation and understanding the forces that drive repetitional crises provides the right perspective for managing a crisis proactively and strategically.

2. Assess why a situation went wrong and fix it. Companies can either be the hero or the villain, be the hero by identifying the victim (the consumer or product) and saving it.

3. Successful reputation management is proactive. You must be able to see business decisions from multiple viewpoints if you want to manage moral outrage.

4. Disaster response allows a company to act as a hero, however you must take the correct approach because sometimes what you think is doing good, is ineffective.

5. Fear and outrage are the main drivers of reputational challenges. The public will perceive it in a different way than you as the expert, so see where they are coming from.

6. Most reputational challenges do not happen because of some external event, but rather are the consequence of an earlier business decision.

Personal Opinion 
Overall, I thought this book was a good read! Although it was a little dry and hard to understand at times, I think that if you are going to be working  in the PR field, let alone any corporate company, it should be a must read. The book not only explains how to handle crisis situations, but WHY you should handle them that why and the science behind it. A good read if you are going to have a specific use for the information it gives!

 

The Future of Social Media

Social media is one of the most recent, permanent lifestyle changes the world has ever seen. It has not only redirected many lifestyles, but has launched careers and became a fundamental part of basic business practice. Without social media, products simply wouldn’t sell and businesses wouldn’t have a voice.

When it comes to utilizing social media in business practices, I only think its going to get stronger and better. If a company doesn’t have social media accounts, then it might as well accept the fact that the company isn’t evolving at a rapid enough pace for the modern age. Social media allows companies to find its target audiences more easily and communicate with them to find out exactly what they want and expect. It also allows them to grow good rapport, by listening to their consumer’s complaints and doing anything it can to solve them. When there is a problem, whether it stems on social media or not, companies are likely to issue its apologies through series of tweets or an Instagram post, rather than the traditional press release. Now thats not going to say that press releases no longer serve a purpose, they do, but for more serious situations and it still might be shared through social media.

Additionally, social media is likely to be the number one way companies draw attention  to itself. Whether it be through advertisements on social media feeds, tweeting a series of snarky tweets, or sharing original video content on Instagram, social media figures out how to best reach you and grab your attention. Some companies are even beginning to have entire departments dedicated to its social media. Consisting of analytics, designers and planners, these departments are specially trained to utilize social media to best promote its company.

Overall, I think social media is only going to continue to grow. It has consistently shown to be one of the most effective ways companies can reach its consumers, and in this day and age, engaging the consumer is everything.

 

Brand Crisis- Dove

Brand crises are probably one of the hardest areas of communication to work in. One of those reasons being that you never know when they will happen. It can happen even when you are most prepared for it. Another reason being that it can often be hard to mend the wounds a crisis leaves on your brand. However, with a little extra caution and strong PR decisions, a company can and will eventually bounce back. Usually companies will issue an apology to the public, and in our modern day we are seeing more and more of this taking place over social media. Social media is usually one of the methods a company will use to issue that apology because its an easy way for them to reach a large audience and more importantly, its target audience the crisis is most likely affecting.

One of the most recent brands to utilize apologizing on social media is Dove. The company recently came under major backlash when it posted a screen-grab of a video advertisement. Unfortunately, the screen grab featured an African American woman taking off her sweater to reveal a white woman underneath. Not cool. It made the brand seem like they were racist and culturally insensitive at a time when racial tensions in the United States are very high.

Obviously this ad offended a lot of people. And to mend the wound it left on its brand, Dove decided to issue an apology both on Twitter and Instagram. The apology essentially explained themselves and the ad further, saying that it was never their internet to offend anyone and that the picture was actually apart of a longer video ad. 

The apology is a sincere one at that, and it truly demonstrates how sorry and against their brand the ad is. I thought it was interesting that this post went exactly against what they were trying to do. Instead of promoting diversity, they shared a video that offended others and took responsibility for it.

I thought that this was a good move on Dove’s part. By apologizing and taking responsibility for its actions, it showed it actually cared and wanted to make things right, even if it was an honest mistake.

On top of issuing these formal apologies, Dove also tweeted to apologize as well. These tweets came before the formal apology that gave more details but it showed that it knew it messed up and was going going to make things right. 

Honestly I think that Dove did and still is handling the situation pretty well. It recognized the fact that it was a mistake and apologized for it. On top of its apologies, the company has also refrained from social media in the time being to let things blow over and not add more fuel to its fire. Although the crisis happened well over a month ago, its social media hasn’t been active since, showing that the brand is taking the proper measures to fix the situation it caused. It also removed all the content that was offensive from its social media almost immediately.

However, one thing that I would do differently is issue a press release in addition to the social media posts. Although I do think that the best way to reach the people this add probably affected the most was through social media, I think it would have been more professional to issue the press release as well.

Overall, I thought Dove handled the situation well. As long as your company’s name is attached to the product, you are responsible for anything and everything that happens with it, even if you don’t have any control or it was a mistake. Reaching out to consumers on social media worked in Dove’s favor because they knew it was the most effective way of reaching them and truly showing its sincere regret for the situation.

Attention-grabbing Ads

In a world where advertisements are literally all around us, its in the advertisements best interest to stand out. Without being noticed, advertisements literally serve no purpose. Some ads do it better than others, but none the less the point still remains the same: create an ad that will catch people’s eyes. Every person is part of a different target audience due to their unique set of interests and needs, therefore its up to advertisers to determine what kind of ad will catch their specific target audience most effectively. Below are the types of ads that catch my attention most effectively, even though it might only pertain to the certain target audiences I am apart of.

Ads on my social media timeline
These ones are always guaranteed to make me stop and look, especially when they’re thrown right in the middle of my timeline. I think this often is because I’m expecting to only see content from the people/companies/pages I follow and am interested in, therefore it almost tricks my mind into thinking its something I care about, and sometimes it actually is. Usually the ads that show up on a timeline are catered to the specific user, so the ads I personally see are often either food, clothing, makeup or travel related.

Ads with a catchy song 
Whenever I’m watching TV and a commercial comes on, I am 90% more inclined to pay attention to it if it has a catchy song playing in the background. If I feel compelled to look up the song they use in the commercial so I can listen to it, I am most likely going to remember the product or remember the song that was used in ~insert company name here~’s commercial, whether it be a song I liked or thought was annoying. A great example of a company that uses catchy songs in its commercials is Apple. Apple always has a cool/trendy/hipster song to introduce its products, and sometimes even helps that artist’s song hit the charts. It has almost become an annual event to see which artist/song Apple chooses to have the honor of helping it promote its news product. Bottom line, if the song is whats going to help you remember the company/product, thats exactly what the company wants.

Ads with a familiar voice/celebrity endorsement
This is one that gets me interested in what the commercial is actually saying because I’m either listening to the voice over (trying to figure out whose voice it is) or I’m seeing what the celebrity is endorsing and wondering how this company got them to do it. For example, Kim Kardashian starring in T-Mobile’s Super Bowl commercial, or John Krasinski narrating almost 60% of the commercials that are on TV today. Oh and we can’t forget Matthew McConaughey’s Lincoln commercials (do we even know what he’s trying to say at this point?!). The point is, people are more likely to pay attention to the commercials if it features a familiar face or voice because it might convince them that if this famous person endorses and likes the product, then I should too.

Ads that tell a story
These are my favorite type of ads because they not only get you to pay attention to what you’re watching, but it can often tug on your heartstrings or make you laugh. The best example of this that I can think of is the Budweiser commercial that features a lost puppy trying to find its way home with the help of the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. It’s not just a quick blurb informing you about the product, but rather it gets you interested so you have to continue to keep watching to find out what happens. Then they’ll tell you what they’re selling. It’s a good way to get you as the consumer to remember the product and generate a positive impression on the company.

 

Social Media Influencers

When it comes to social media, I am usually all about browsing different accounts to see the newest and trendiest posts. However, the accounts that often tend to catch my eye the most have to do with food (knowing me this is not one bit surprising).

One of my favorite things to do is try out a new restaurant or cafe, so by utilizing social media I can easily get first hand knowledge of where to get the best food. Some of my favorite food accounts on Instagram include @cheeseandcarbs, @food52, @brunchboys and @foodandwine. All of them always post the most aesthetically pleasing picture of food that makes my mouth water (it’s really not helping that I am starving as I’m writing this).

@cheeseandcarbs would have to probably be my favorite influencer out of the three mostly because it posts anything and everything that has to do with my favorite food (cheese) and food group (carbs). One interesting thing about this account is that it knows its target audience by sticking to posting what it knows its followers want to see. The reason that followers will follow them is because it wants to see pictures of cheese and carbs, and by posting that it certainly does not disappoint.

@foodandwine would probably be my next favorite because it includes drinks on top of my favorite food and food group. This account not only also includes cocktails and wine, but it also includes recipes, Buzzfeed-Tasty-esque videos and encourages a lot of user-generated content. However, one of my favorite posts of theirs wold have to be the fanciest waffle I’ve ever seen to honor the Stranger Things 2 premiere.

@brunchboys is another really cool account because it follows one guy’s passion for my favorite meal: brunch. From tasty bagels, to breakfast pizzas  and epic Bloody Mary’s, this guy has seen and eaten it all. Making him a really interesting and mouth watering account to follow.

@food52 is an account that not only posts about delicious food but is really good about engaging with its followers. By holding consistent contests for its followers to be featured or win some cool stuff, they are always bringing in new followers and keeping them around for its perks. Plus, it’s page is VERY aesthetically pleasing!!!

Live-Tweeting Experience

Live-tweeting could possibly be one of the biggest social media trends seen today. From concerts, to baseball games, to in my case, a haunted ghost tour, live-tweeting is a way to keep followers in the moment with the most relevant and up to date information. If done right, it can gain you followers and engagement, a Twitter account’s number one goal: be noticed.

Like I mentioned, the event I chose to live-tweet was the Shakers Haunted Ghost tour in downtown Milwaukee. I thought it looked interesting and it was a way to engage myself fully in the event. However, that actually turned out to be my ultimate struggle. I engaged myself too much in the event and often forgot to tweet or put a little more thought into my tweets. The event turned out to be way more interesting than expected, so instead of capturing all the important moments, there were too many to count. I was so invested in listening and learning about the history of the building. Although I was invested in the event because of the detail I didn’t want to miss, it also turned out to be a strength of the live-tweeting process because I had so much information to work with. It was easy to take pictures, pick up on quotes, and utilize the Shakers bar hashtag, since I couldn’t find a Shakers bar account to tag.

The tweet on the right was the tweet I used to start off the live-tweeting string. I accidentally forgot to tag Caitlin in it (whoops), but I thought it was a cool way to catch followers eye because they’d be interested in the ghosts and stories of the bar (plus it looked so cool!). This is a picture of the back half of the bar that was Al Capone’s speakeasy back in the prohibition era. Much of the interior and layout is the same as it was back in the day, with minimal renovations here and there.

 

These tweets are pull quotes I took from our tour guide and I thought were interesting. The first one is just a simple history of the building and what it used to be. With the exterior covered in a layer of cream brick (one element that made Milwaukee famous), the building used to be Al and Frank Capone’s speakeasy and brothel. However, when the building was built, it was in fact built on top of a cemetery, in which some of the bodies are still buried within the walls. A perfect place for a haunting. The second quote has to do with the sighting of black dogs in the basement. In the paranormal world, a black dog is neither a good nor bad sign, just a sign to get out of wherever you are because something doesn’t want you there.

The tweet on the left is actually the highlight of the entire night. It’s our tour guide communicating with one the the building’s friendlier ghosts, Molly. Molly worked at the brothel back in the 20s, only to meet a tragic and early end when one of the speakeasy’s most prominent and regular customers strangled her to death. Our tour guide can be seen here using these metal rods to communicate with her, asking her to cross the rods to answer questions and point to where she was in the room. It was one of the scariest moments of the night when Molly actually decided to respond and point to where she was (right next to me nbd…).

Last but not least is my favorite tweet of the night. This picture of my friends and me after the tour is a clear example of how the tour went. Our faces are uneasy with the terror but high off the adrenaline so we’re smiling through it. It was a really cool experience and I’m happy I could convince these two to come along. It would have been much worse if I were to go it alone. (P.S. I’m sitting in Molly’s favorite spot on the couch in the picture)

One thing I would do differently next time is do a little bit more research into the event beforehand. I was so pressed to consume every bit of information that was being presented, that I often got overwhelmed at times when deciding what to post and what not to post. It’s all a learning experience, and although my experience was a spooky one, it sure was interesting! Which is all you can hope for when live-tweeting.

Social Media Audit- Netflix

Why Netflix? 
The company I chose to audit is Netflix. One of the main reasons I chose this company to critique is because of the wide audience it reaches. There is something for everyone of every age on the streaming site, making it a flexible brand that is able to appeal to multiple targets. Netflix in particular has a strong social media voice, focusing on being relevant and interacting with its numerous accounts (Netflix from other countries, shows, movies, Is a Joke, etc…) to promote the newest media coming to its site. It also isn’t boring. It has even caught on to its own jokes; “Netflix and chill” and “only going to watch one more episode… 2 seasons later” has caught on with it and plays into the joke just as much as we do. With a plethora of original content ranging from videos, to tweets,  to memes, to hashtags, Netflix knows how to keep its audience engaged with every post.

Platforms 
The main platforms Netflix has a presence on are Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, however its presences on both Instagram and Twitter are much stronger than Facebook’s.  The reason for this is most likely because majority of Netflix’s main users are of the younger generation, therefore being the two platforms that appeal to their generation the most. Twitter and Instagram are basically one and the same when it comes to its posts. Each have its own original content and voice, but you are still able to tell it’s the same brand. It just has different posts and ways of communicating its voices. Facebook on the other hand, basically just posts whatever Instagram and Twitter do. Every post you find on Facebook can also be found on Twitter and Instagram, therefore lacking its own original content and most definitely being a market for the older generations and family. Overall, Twitter and Instagram take the cake when it comes to killing the social media game, while Facebook lacks the originality its close cousins consistently show.

Voice
I would describe the Netflix’s voice as the sarcastic and impulsive. It wants you to think twice about its posts so you actually consider watching the show its promoting. It wants to be your guilty pleasure. It wants you to watch the extra episode (or season). It wants you to re-watch the same show over and over again. But it also wants you to watch all the new content its constantly streaming. That’s the beauty of its voice, it doesn’t tell you to watch anything, it just suggests you do in a way that makes you feel like you should. Twitter is way more sarcastic, while Instagram’s sarcasm is every once in a while. One of the most clever posts Instagram has created are the original memes that coordinate with its colors and play into the younger generation’s inside jokes. It doesn’t post them super often, but when it does it just enforces its impulsive and sarcastic voice.

Posting
Netflix posts every day at all times of the day across all platforms. Usually what goes on Twitter or Instagram ends up on Facebook as well.

Twitter is more frequent because its easier for them to share content from its other accounts (Netflix Canada, Netflix UK & Ireland, Netflix Customer Service and Netflix Is A Joke) and interact with its followers. Although Twitter makes it look like its pretty spontaneous with its posts, you can definitely tell that most, if not majority of its content is planned out. On average, Twitter posts about every two hours, whether it be a retweet, mention or original content piece.

It has also been know to live tweet every once in a while, most recently the release of Lady Gaga’s documentary, “Five Foot Two” and the Emmy Awards ceremony in which a lot of its shows were nominated. When new shows or movies are being released, Twitter tends to blow up with original content about the show to flood its timeline and draw attention to the premiere. For instance, the most current example of this is its “Stranger Things” promotion that premieres at the end of the month. I do not think a day goes by that they do not post something about it, if not multiple things.
Instagram is just as much on the “Stranger Things” bandwagon as Twitter, although it might not post as much about it. However, out of the last month’s thirteen Instagram posts, five of them have been about “Stranger Things”. Instagram posts about three times a week, with each post promoting an upcoming show or movie. Usually its a video clip of a show or a series of pictures from a show. For some reason, the most common day of the week for Instagram to post is Wednesday, and I can only assume that is because its hyping up weekend releases and people are looking for something to look forward to mid-week.

Contests
Unfortunately, Netflix is not big on running any contests with its followers, at least none that I can see. I’m not really sure what the prize would be if it did though, maybe a year of free streaming? The only direct consumer interaction besides replying to tweets from followers, cast members from its shows, and tweets from the show’s Twitter pages themselves, was polls on the Twitter page. One of them being “Is Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas movie?” in which the Halloween answer rightfully won (obviously). 

Engagement
The biggest way Netflix engages its fans is by creating original shareable content to promote its upcoming shows and movies. Whether it be a clip, meme, picture from behind the scenes or mention to a show’s cast member, Netflix knows that the more it pushes its content, the more its going to get shared and get attention. It uses a lot of hashtags on both Instagram and Twitter, usually correlating with whatever show its promoting. On Instagram, it will usually just tag the show with a hashtag every once in a while.

Another genius way that Netflix engages fans is by picking up on what its followers find funny and interesting. For example, Netflix has found that the show Neo Yokio, a Japanese anime, has a large following, so they post a lot of jokes and memes from that show, knowing fans will engage and its something they want to see.

Another example is the large following Stranger Things has. Netflix knows that its release at the end of the month is going to be one of its biggest yet, therefore its really pushing the content regarding it because it knows it will gain a lot of engagement and its what its followers want to see right now given the Halloween season.

Perhaps one of the oddest and most comical examples of consumer engagement is the company’s awareness of the cult following certain characters from certain shows and movies tend to get, and acting on this opportunity. For some weird reason, a lot of its followers have an obsession with Tilda Swinton, Michael Cera and Bill Nye, awarding each with it’s own meme-esque post every once in a while.

Netflix also tends to flood its Instagram and Twitter accounts with posts promoting the release of one of its shows once it gets closer to the release dates, showing that it actually plans out a lot of its posts to correlate with what’s the most relevant at the moment. Like I mentioned previously, Stranger Things is its main focus right now since its one of its most popular shows and the new season premieres at the end of the month. Mid-November is probably going to start the heavy promotion of another popular show, The Crown, that premieres mid-December. It’s also going to be all over award season coverage, as nominations begin to filter out, probably prompting some live-tweeting.

The Good

The best tweets are the ones that will get the most feedback and draw in the most attention. Twitter does this by varying the tweets it sends out and keeping an organized balance of content, retweets and mentions. However one of my favorite tweets, or series of tweets, was when Retta, who played Donna in Parks and Recreation, took over Netflix’s Twitter account and live-tweeted the Emmy Awards. She was up to date, funny and mastered the use of hashtags during the takeover. Plus it was a familiar face  fans would recognize.

Sometimes you have to be in on the joke to get the joke. And that’s one concept Instagram has showed time and time again it understood. Take this post featuring Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt character, Titus Andromedon. To a normal person who hasn’t seen the show, they probably don’t get the joke. To fans of the show, its meme gold. In the show, Titus spoofs Beyonce’s Lemonade album and vandalizes a neighborhood, just as Beyonce did in her “Hold Up” video. As you look at the post, you automatically know its a joke his character would make on the show, it references a scene from the show and you can almost hear the drama in his voice as you’re scrolling.

Another Instagram post I thought was smart was its #ReasonsWhyYouMatter campaign. In it, Netflix posted short videos of friends and family telling each other why they matter to them on its story. The reason it did this was to correlate it with the release of 13 Reasons Why, a Netflix show that got mixed reviews for covering a sensitive topic. To promote positivity surrounding the rather sad show, it decided to enlighten its followers with this heartfelt series of videos.

The last example of a good tweet, or should I say Twitter, is Netflix’s dedication to maintaining a theme this entire month of October. If you go on its page, more than half of its tweets have to do with horror films, Stranger Things or just Halloween in general. It’s taking advantage of the season and tapping on its horror/supernatural/sci-fi loving audience to engage them as much as it can right now. Tis’ the season.

The Bad
Honestly, the worst part about Netflix’s social media? Facebook. There’s just no original content! Instagram and Twitter both have its own audiences and know how to speak to and reach them. Facebook on the other hand, knows its audience but has a hard time reaching them. You can obviously see its trying to reach an older audience who are more family orientated, by posting specifically to them every once in a while, but not enough to say it has a strong voice with them. Almost everything found on Facebook can also be found on Twitter and Instagram.

Another bad tweet is this one to the right. I get it, Netflix is trying to play into a popular and ongoing joke with younger generations, but it just doesn’t really have a place on its feed right now. It was tweeted a couple days ago, and doesn’t really go with the overarching Halloween theme its been following for the month and doesn’t correlate with any of its new releases. It’s not that its a bad post, just the timing of posting it was bad. If they posted it this summer or in correlation with that movie’s release onto Netflix, it would have worked much better.

Overall, Netflix is doing a great job with its social media right now. It’s utilizing the platforms that it knows its biggest target audiences are on and creating original shareable content to keep them engaged. There is always something new to share, whether it be a new trailer or meme, so followers will definitely be paying attention. For being a brand that has so much to promote at one time, it does a good job of keeping it organized and original.

Book Report- Hit Makers

Do you ever wonder why you are attracted to something? Is it because it correlates with your values, has gotten good reviews from other people, has a good amount of practicality or maybe it just looks really cool? These are all factors that play into the question of what makes a HIT. The book Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction by Derek Thompson does just that. It answers the long asked questions of what it takes to make a product that people like and why some of these products fail in its respective markets. Is it because they targeting the wrong audience? Or maybe it was just the fact it had a really shitty idea. I had the pleasure of finding out!

Synopsis
This book is written as a series of case studies compiled into one book separated by different themes. The themes range from topics such as exposure, familiarity, marketing strategy and viral compass just to name a few. It’s then broken down by case study to explain why each theme is important and why it plays a key role in popularity.

The first half of the book covers why we, the consumers, are psychologically attracted to something. It’s all about the drive behind our actions, and what we find pleasure in compared to other things. For example, a big part of the first half has to do with Richard Loewy’s MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) rule. It states that for someone to be attracted to something, it must be complex to the point where people stop understanding it. It teaches us that we won’t pay attention to something if it annoys us or becomes too much, just like that one song on the radio that will never stop playing. Loewy is the father of modern American design and everything from the international space station to toothpicks has felt his influence. Another big concept of the first half of the book is familiarity. It is psychologically proven that more people will be interested in something if they can find familiarity in it, albeit still having some element of surprise. If a brand, movie or song can find this distinct thin line, their product will more likely than not become a hit (using the example of Star Wars did a great job of explaining this).

The second half of the book talks about why ideas and concepts take off on the marketing  side of things. What do companies do to make sure their products get noticed, although sometimes it simply just doesn’t take off even if it has a marketing campaign. Products can become popular in the oddest of ways, sometimes not even right away. Because consumers are constantly changing, it makes for a complex market that no one can ever predict its next move. From Bill Haley and His Comet’s “Rock Around the Clock” to Fifty Shades of Grey, we find out why the market accepts some things and why it slightly changes others for it to be successful.

Key Takeaways 
1. People prefer complexity up until the point that they stop understanding.
2. The shape of an individual’s preferences is an arch supported by many stones.
3. Understand how people behave, then match the products to their habits.
4. Choices, economics and marketing are always shaping tastes.
5. People do not decide what they think is cool all on their own, its what is mainstream and what is not that decides that.
6. Things do not really go “viral” because it will just keep getting passed on without really dying, things take on a “cascade” effect because they will spread in a short burst (usually by a celebrity prompting it) and then will die fairly quickly (Kony 2012)–some ideas and products are more infectious than others
7. People purchase and share all sorts of things because they want people to see that they have them. They want to share what makes them weird.
8. Music and story-telling usually both follow a repetitive pattern and structure
that make them appealing. Without this pattern, people would see it as too unfamiliar and not pay attention.

Personal Opinion 
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Personally, I am a huge fan of pop culture, so the fact that this book was constantly touching on one pop culture reference after another, made the book all the more interesting. Plus it combined a lot of old pop culture references, such as the Mona Lisa theft of 1911 to the new Disney streaming bundle. Drawing connections between the pop culture that we all know and love, and the science that made it popular, was truly fascinating. Definitely a good read for anyone interested in popular culture and communications!