Twitter: Can You Really TWEET Celebs?

For MEAN 5 I was unsure what exactly to do. I had emailed Professor Johnson and he had told me that MEAN 5 had no substance because I was suppose to brainstorm an idea and then add the substance the question was lacking. As I pondered on exactly what to do my simple infatuation with Justin Bieber posed a question I have been often wondering – if you Tweet celebs, are they going to tweet you back?

Twitter was created so that its users can send (and read) messages what are known as Tweets. These messages are publicly visible and can be viewed by the user’s followers or the general public. If one Twitter account holder wants to send a message to another Twitter account holder via the messaging system all they need to do is include the “@” symbol followed by the username of who they are sending the message to and an instant Tweet is received. This form of social networking bridged the gap between celebrities and their fans. Fans that had Twitter accounts could now Tweet their favorite celebrities, sports players and famous icons and feel as if the celebrity would Tweet them back. Basically it was a way for the fans to feel as if they were best friends with their fellow Tweeter. Tweeter became a way to bridge the gap between fans and/or stalkers and mega-famous celebrities and icons.

It wasn’t until my obsession with Justin Bieber started that I really had the desire or knowledge to follow Twitter. I was sitting at my computer working on homework and, as usual, was sidetracked by the ever growing internet. I was listening to Bieber’s hit songs when an idea to scope out his Twitter came to mind. Well, I should have refrained by exploring the account because I became one of his most loyal followers. I was in shock when I noticed that fans had been Tweeting Justin and he had been replying. I had to stop what I was doing and focus on this new technology that could possibly allow me to talk to my favorite celebrities! This couldn’t be real. There is no way that celebrities would have time, or care, to Tweet back fans that send useless messages like, “I LOVE YOU” and “YOU ARE MY IDOL.” Like these celebs don’t already have enough to do that they would have time to Tweet a million messages across the world. This simple thought led to me to start doing research of the validity of these Tweet-backs. If these Tweets were in fact real this gave fans the idea that they were “talking” to these celebrities. I knew that I had to figure out the basis of these Tweets and found humor in the fact that fans would in fact say that they were having a conversation with these celebrities and would act as if they were friends.

Now, while I am researching the validity of these Tweets, keep in mind that I was debating creating a Twitter account for the mere reason of Tweeting Justin Bieber, but once I realized that I am almost 22 years old and he is a almost a 17 year old boy I thought twice about my decision. As the research for whether or not these celebrities truly Tweet their fans back was scarce I had no choice but to create a Twitter page. I tweeted a few big celebrities like Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez and then tried a few less famous celebs like Chelsea Lately but, with no surprise, I was not Tweeted back. I continued to stalk Justin Bieber’s page and see that he did actually Tweet back a few fans. Even though he did pick and choose I will give him the credit that he sent a few back. I can assume mostly girls in the rage of 15-17 but in any case the Tweet-backs did get sent.

As for me and my Twitter account, let me just say I didn’t find success. I created it with the intention of Tweeting Justin Bieber all night and starting a meaningful relationship (just kidding) but much to my surprise he wasn’t interested. I debated leaving my Twitter account open with the intention of finding a celebrity that would Tweet me back but once I figured out Joe Mauer didn’t have a Twitter I realized Tweeting a 16 year old boy and stalking celebrity Twitter account would not be some of my finer moments.

Basically, in conclusion, the mystery of whether celebrities Tweet-backs are valid is still open for discussion. For me the stalking of Twitter accounts and receiving no positive feedback proved that it is very rare you will receive anything back. It looks like I will stick to my ordinary life of listening to my Justin Bieber playlist and following his tour dates while one day dreaming that I will own a lock of the famous Justin Bieber hair.

As I think about all of the Twitter research I have done I just have one thing for you to keep in mind if you ever Tweet a celeb – Even though YOU have tweeted them it does NOT mean that you talked to or carried on a conversation with them. Even though you have awkwardly sent them, “Hey Kate Hudson. I love you and am one of your biggest fans. TWEET BACK” this does not mean you are now running in their inner circle. I am sorry to crush your hopes and aspirations of one day having coffee with these big time Hollywood names but often they have no idea who has just tweeted them (you could be their stalker for all they know) or it is their team of people updating their account. Well, I guess I could just say go get em’ and never give up.. maybe one day you will get that special Tweet you were waiting for.  

Note: If I am ever famous enough to have a Twitter account, you can feel free to Tweet me and I will make sure I Tweet you back!

Happy Tweetering,

Tiffany

Music Video Product Placement - Genius!

For anyone that has seen Britney Spears’s new video for “Hold It Against Me” you can understand that it summarizes the growing ideology of using music videos for palpable product placement. Her video spares no view on the placement for dating websites and big technological brands.

When Spears’s new video was premiered it was everything you would assume you could find in a Britney video. She was dancing in an underwear-like garment with semi-naked men dancers surrounding her. With the usual Britney effects it did however include a few new ideas for cashing in big buck – product placement. In one scene Britney is being lifted upward through a giant cylinder tunnel looking room that is filled from top to bottom with Sony TVs and monitors.

The more you watch the video the more you realize that you cannot avoid the fact that the Sony brand is blatantly displayed throughout the entire video. From the Sony TVs and the Sony logo being flashed numerous times throughout the entire video to the PlentyOfFish dating website that Britney explores and finds a man on make it extremely hard not to make notice of the subliminal advertising that is not so subliminal. If you watch the video below and scroll to 1:34 and 2:40 you will see the obvious placement of both these companies. It was estimated that Spears made over $500,000 alone on the placement of these advertisements in her video.  

We know that music video product placement is becoming a growing trend, not only from Spears’s video but Lady Gaga’s as well. In her “Telephone” music video, the diva also featured the free-to-use dating site PlentyOfFish, Diet Coke and Virgin Mobile. I think that product placement in videos is going to become one of the best ways to sell a product.

After doing some research on the advertisements in Spears’s video, according to PopEater (www.PopEater.com), “Plenty Of Fish has reported a 20 percent increase in traffic to their site since Spears debuted her video last week.” It was not until I was eating dinner at a family friend’s house that I realized how genius music video product placement was. I was sitting at the table and my friend Tina had been telling me about this new dating website she had heard of and how her co-worker had found success on this new dating website which happened to be PlentyOfFish (Tina had never seen Britney or Gaga’s video and didn’t know the product had been placed in either of them). She then proceeded to tell me that since her co-worker found success her boss had followed her and explored the site as well. Tina explained how both women had gone on numerous dates with the men they found on the website and were currently still seeing them. When I got home from dinner I was online networking and it was by a fluke that I came across Spears’s video. I decided to watch it and my mouth dropped when I saw the PlentyOfFish website placed in the video. It was then I knew where these co-workers had found the video and how impactful these product placements are which led me to this blog.

I find it mere genius that celebrities would charge for product placement in their videos and/or television shows. If one celebrity is not using this form of profit, another will. It leads us to the question why we are using it – it is because it works!

Truly,

Tiffany

Born From YouTube to World Sensation - Justin Bieber

It was just four years ago that a young Justin entered a local singing competition at just 12 years of age and took second place. He had never taken voice lessons or had a coach but still wowed the audience. He and his mom wanted to share his victory with friends and family far away so they began uploading Justin’s videos on YouTube. This is where the history begins. It was not only Justin’s friends and family that enjoyed his videos but the general public overall loved them just as much. Justin ranked in over 10,000,000 views simply from word or mouth. He sang his own versions of everything from Ne-Yo to Stevie Wonder. Below is Justin's video from his singing competition.

It was not more than seven short months after these videos had been uploaded to YouTube that former So Def Jam marketing executive, Scooter Braun, came across Justin’s videos while randomly searching for videos of new artists. He immediately got in contact with the boy and flew him and his mother out to GA to meet with his team of professionals. Scooter drove Justin and his mom to the studio and they happened to see Usher in the parking lot. It was only a short time later that Usher realized he was in the presence of a soon-to-be superstar. Justin signed with Raymond Braun Media Group (RBMG) which led to a recording contract with Island Records. This is where Justin’s certified platinum album in the US and twice platinum in Canada and UK, My World, was created.

It hasn’t been more than four years since the debut of Justin Bieber and already he has been awarded and nominated for numerous prestigious awards over these past years. He was awarded Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards and was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards this year. When his single, My World 2.0 was released it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 charts making Justin the youngest solo male act to top the charts since Stevie Wonder had done it in the year 1963. Justin’s hit movie, Never Say Never 3D, grossed over 12 million dollars on its first day and a total of $30.3 million for its opening weekend. It came in number two (the first was Miley Cyrus’s film, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert) in the top selling music-documentary films.

With the hit success of Justin Bieber on YouTube it gives a true testament to just how powerful these social media sites are. He was 12 years old when his mom simply uploaded a video for family and friends to see and Justin Bieber is now one of the most successful solo male artists to come around and he has yet to hit puberty. I can proudly admit I am a dedicated fan to the “Bieber Fever” I watch his videos numerous times per day on YouTube, I waited in line at the midnight premiere for his movie, Never Say Never 3D and I proudly wear a shirt with his face on it to the gym. To think that this young kid who entered a singing competition one day and a short seven months later he was creating double platinum selling albums is ludicrous. This is a prime example of how social media is going to take over the world. If it was not for YouTube and a simple search engine hundreds of millions of girls around the world would not have “Bieber Fever” and would thus have to find someone else to be smitten over. Justin’s success is just a prime example for how social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter could eventually be the basis for how we run our new, innovative society. He can barely drive a car legally, but the boy can sell out Madison Square Garden in 22 minutes. Is YouTube to thank for his success? Obviously. Without YouTube Justin Beiber would still live in Stratford, Ontario and be singing in local competitions and I wouldn’t have a young, teeny-bopper to idolize. The makings of YouTube and Facebook are going to change our society in ways we cannot explain over the next five years.

Below is one of my favorite Justin videos – enjoy!!

Happy Bieberfying!

Tiffany

(Source: Information on Justin's childhood and what led his his success was obtained through http://www.justinbieberbiography.net/)

The Emergence of Social Media and Social Networking

MEAN 3: The emergence of facebook, Wikipedia, flickr, myspace, youtube and others creates a completely new “social networking” phase of the internet.  Develop a perspective on two of them that attempts to reflect on the value-systems* expressed by the new media?  How will they change the world of business? The life of the average consumer?  Are they over rated? Under-rated? Do they introduce ethical

considerations? How will they evolve in the next five years?

I chose to interact with two of my most favorite social media enterprise – Facebook and YouTube. When Facebook was first introduced I was not aware of it nor did I care. I had a MySpace and didn’t use it very much but I, at the time, thought it was the greatest thing in the world. I could see what people were up to and people could see what I was up to. We could talk over the internet and then talk when we were together a few hours later. It was basically the coolest thing since AOL Instant Messenger.

It was not until I was graduated from high school and in my second year of college that my friend suggested I get one. I had already deleted my MySpace and wasn’t sure if I wanted one since MySpace I felt was toxic. Well, I took my friends advice and she helped me create one (I wish I would have known I was going to become addicted and then I might have thought twice about creating one). After creating my Facebook I was introduced to an entirely new world. Adult family members who I hadn’t talk to in years had a Facebook, friends from kindergarten who I hadn’t seen had a Facebook and people who I met while studying in Europe whom I hadn’t talk to since I left there had a Facebook. I realized when I created my Facebook that this was going to be an entirely new culture of internet communication.

It was not long after the world of Facebook was introduced to me that You Tube became a new part of my life. I was able to go to this website and find any video, good or bad, funny or dull, and watch it. I was able to find clips of my favorite shows, watch full episodes, watch music videos or see people making fools of themselves. Through You Tube I realized I could upload my family’s water sports wipeouts and let the rest of my family see them. One thing that I found was so great – I could upload my YouTube videos to my Facebook page! It was then I was awakened to the world of social media.

Like any social media the positives come with the negatives. Comparing the value-systems PowerPoint with the characteristics of Facebook and YouTube there are some obvious downfalls that come with these social media gold-mines. The reason Facebook has succeeded is that their users control is limited. There is a standard template that the user must follow and they are not allowed to (unlike MySpace) fill their page with jargon or useless media. Even though Facebook limits its user’s access it is still an internet company that makes its money from the advertisement and users that are able to obtain information through it. The information from users of Facebook was (possibly still is) able to be accessed through the transparency category on the value systems and companies are able to “gain competitive advantage” over its competitors. Companies who obtain their information through the Facebook users’ profiles are able to then use that information to gain knowledge on what ads, offers and spam to send to these users. Like any internet company information is going to be leaked and porosity is going to happen for the simple reason that your information is public once it is put online. It is much like YouTube where any information submitted is public and no matter the outcome people are going to access it.

These two world-wide known names have already changed business for the better. Millions of companies throughout the world have created a Facebook page and have started conducting business through it. By companies creating these pages they make their consumers feel as if they were a part of their business rather than a consumer outside of it. By these businesses making their consumers feel as if they are on a peer-to-peer level it allows the consumer to feel at ease when making purchases or conducting business with these companies. This says the same for businesses that run their advertisement or product placements on YouTube. These products, companies, commercials, music videos, television clips and virtually almost everything is accessible on YouTube at any time. A great example of creating a new world of business is music video product placement. In Gaga’s music video for her hit “Telephone” she had product placement for Virgin Mobile as well as Diet Coke. Companies are paying celebrities to endorse these products; the celebrities are placing these items in their television shows and/or music videos and are subliminally selling them. Business percentages are increasing and the celebrity is making money as well. This would be impossible without the explosion of social media and social networking databases.

These two things have already changed the life of the consumer. Consumers are now able to keep in touch with businesses latest coupons, deals, promotions, hours, contact info and hot topics through Facebook alone. The local churches have Facebook pages because they know it is the easiest, and fastest, form of advertisement. If you are looking for information on a company you can usually go to the search bar, type in the name and within a matter of minutes have more information then you were looking for. Consumers, while now feeling a part of business and a sense of importance, have just subconsciously increased their desire to support these businesses.

By allowing access through Facebook and YouTube you have just now created a world full of social media and networking that would in other cases not be possible. People in America are able to talk to their family in Germany on a regular basis without the long distance charges. Businesses in Germany are able to advertise to people here in America. I know for me the fact that I can stay in contact with my family who reside in Montana on a regular basis makes me cherish Facebook. Without Facebook staying in contact with them would be virtually impossible with all of our busy schedules. I find Facebook as well as YouTube the farthest thing from being overrated and the simple fact that Facebook is the #1 rated social networking sites with 1,191,373,339 monthly visits (www.complete.com) speaks for itself. Twitter follows a close #3.

With any social media and social networking site comes the question of ethical considerations. Yes, ethical considerations are going to be broken but you have to remember that with internet comes the basis of broken ethical considerations. Anytime you place your information online or take a risk and let the world see what you are doing you are allowing yourself to be subjected to ethical considerations. It is going to happen and the best way to be prepared is to understand that it may happen. The only way to protect yourself from these ethical considerations is to limit the information that is placed online via your Facebook page, Twitter account, YouTube video, MySpace page, etc.

Thinking into the future and how social media and social networking sites are going to shape the world – I become speechless. I don’t believe Facebook has even hit its peak in success yet and YouTube is just getting its start. These two companies, along with Twitter, Flickr, Blogger and other social networking sites are going to hit a complete upward spiral in the next five years. Facebook is going to be used for anything and everything and I predict the emergence of new social media sites as well. We must face the fact that social media and communicating over the internet has left paper virtually dead. Internet communication is going to be our new way of life and, if I do say so myself, makes it much more convenient for Americans. After all convenience is what we love.

Happy Facebooking!

Tiffany

Above the Influence Commericals: A Subliminal Message or Drug Prevention Tactic?

I had been watching one of my favorite shows, Desperate Housewives, and an Above the Influence commercial came on. If you have never seen one of these commercials, they are rather intriguing. The situation has been presented where a teen is faced with the choice of being under the influence, is under the influence or has been under the influence and the commercial makes light of how stupid their decision was or will be if they choose substance abuse. The commercial series has also created Above the Influence commercials where teens are above the influence and proud of their decision. The ads contain very strong images or messages that pertain to the teenager choosing the extremely wrong choice of being under the influence and what they can or lost because of their decision, as well as teens who are proud of their decisions to be above the influence and how they have succeeded because of it.

When I first saw these commercials years back I thought they were the coolest things I had ever seen. The way they are created and the strong message that they sent made me really think about all of those that choose to be under the influence. Throughout my life I have never thought about or even considered taking substances that would harm my body emotionally and physically, but if I had these commercials would definitely have made me think a little harder about whether or not I was making the right choice. The commercial often is created with “hook” where you want to keep watching it because it is so raw. Below is the “Lost” commercial that has been most recently aired. It is about a boy who has lost himself due to substance abuse. Watch for the creative way they send the viewer the message that being under the influence is not okay.

Since our unit of subliminal messages I find myself looking at every ad, commercial, television show, print ad and any type of advertising in media or radio through an entirely different light. When I saw these Above the Influence commercials I was reminded at how subliminal messages are not always a bad thing. I find these commercials to contain subliminal messages but address them in an entirely different light. The commercials send messages through the images they create and through the teens who are marketing their message of sobriety. I love the fact that the Above the Influence organization has taken subliminal messaging and transformed its purpose into a positive way to market their message. I realized I had become accustomed to the sex appeal and false messages that numerous, if not all, companies try to use to sell their products that I had forgotten sometimes a subliminal message that is not always so “hidden” can be just as powerful as one that is. So, to answer my blog question, “Above the Influence Commercials: A Subliminal Message or Drug Prevention Tactic?” allows me to say it is a little, and a lot, of both. I will forever be an advocate of the company and really support how they market their products.

Next time you are watching a television show and one of these commercials comes on you should take the time to really explore the message that this company is trying to “sell.” It is much more powerful than you may think. You can also click on the link below to visit their website!

http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/default.aspx?path=nav

Blessings,

Tiffany

Hidden Messages EVERYWHERE - Understanding Consumer Behavior

MEAN 2: Go to www.snopes.com and read the whole piece on subliminal perception. Read all of the “Hidden Persuaders” entries under business – they all are significant pieces of marketing trivia. Now develop an assertion and support paper of not more than 1.5 pages on the topic of subliminal advertising.  Does subliminal advertising change consumer behavior?

I found the “Hidden Persuaders” on www.snopes.com extremely interesting. I know in almost every advertisement there are hidden messages, but I have never realized the extent to which companies go to add these subliminal messages to their product. I did not realize, until reading through he subliminal messages on www.snopes.com, that subliminal messages are basically everywhere. I was extremely surprised to see that most of the subliminal messages are sex related and are hidden within the packs of cigarettes or can be viewed once beer cans are stacked on top of each other. After I read through the “Hidden Persuaders” I stopped to think a minute about all the hidden messages that are beneath the products I buy. I took the time to make a list and was astounded at what I found.

As I was creating my list of products that I have purchased it became clear to me that subliminal messages definitely have the effect to change consumer behavior. Below I have my list a few things I have bought due to the image or message that was partnered with the product.

Maybelline Mascara – The long, luxurious eye lashes that the model was wearing. These eye lashes were false but I did not think about this until after buying the product and using it. At the time of buying the mascara I had only thought about how my eye lashes would look if I used the product and how this mascara would give me the long, luxurious lashes I have always wanted. Below you can see the picture where the model has perfect, separated, long eyelashes and is giving the appearance that this mascara will give you the same lashes as she has. In reality the consumer forgets that the model has false eyelashes that were applied to her real eyelashes by a make-up professional.

Abdominal Machine – The model is the abdominal machine showed her picture before she had bought it (she was flabby and not toned) and after using the product for six months she showed her body after and it was toned with amazing abdominal muscles. When exercise equipment is introduced, it is very rare that the product itself led to the models in the ad to become as defined as they seem. These models are usually extremely fit before the advertisement is displayed and they were simply hired to give the illusion that the machine will give the buyers the same results. The picture below is of the Ab Circle Pro and is a great example of how a company uses sex appeal to sell their product. The model has a sport top on that is extremely small on her which causes her cleavage to attract the eye. Her shorts are very tight and small on her body as well. This company is trying to give the illusion that by using their machine consumers can get the same results and give off a “sexy” look when they reach their results. Again, in reality, this is not feasible by just using this product.

Do I think subliminal advertising changes consumer behavior? Absolutely. Consumers don’t realize they are buying the products due to the subliminal messages they have seen. When you see a product on a commercial or in an ad you automatically want to be like the people representing the product. So, what do you do? You go to the store or research it online, follow the reviews and then purchase it. If it wasn’t for the advertisement you just saw it would most likely not have been on your list of things to purchase. I have noticed that numerous subliminal messages, including the subliminal messages in “Hidden Persuaders” use sex appeal as their main way of advertising. I realized that sex sells in any advertisement. As much as we dislike it, as much as we want to remove these ads from television and as toxic as we think it is for our children, the reality is sex appeal is the way companies sell their products. By using sex appeal consumers end up feeling less adequate about themselves and they have the thought that by purchasing these products we will ultimately feel better about ourselves. Subliminal advertising is a vicious cycle that consumers continue to feed into the hidden messages (lies) that these companies are offering with their product.

Next time you are watching a commercial take just a few seconds to really watch it and pick out the subliminal messages. I have started doing this with multiple commercials and by evaluating the commercial you will be extremely surprised at what messages (there are usually numerous) that you can find within a two minute commercial.

God Bless,

Tiffany

Why Create The MEAN Scene?

As you click on the link to this blog I am sure you ask yourself, "Why create a blog that has to do with marketing? Who would want to look at this?" Well, let me just inform you that this is far beyond a marketing blog, but yet a chance to keep current on all of the hot marketing topics like social networking. Since social networking is, by far, the most upcoming and current form of marketing, I couldn't think of a better way than to create a blog keeping everyone informed. Blogs are not only easy to follow but they allow the blogger to really showcase their personality through their writing. I love to talk and I love social networking so I couldn't think of a better way than to combine the two. :o)

The purpose of "The MEAN Scene" is to keep all of my bog readers up to date on, not only the latest marketing discussions in the world, but specific topics related to marketing you may never have considered as important. Below is the definition of what Professor Johnson (Principles of Marketing) has described as why he assigned the MEAN notebook as a project.

"This Marketing Exploration and Activities Notebook (MEAN) will include five cued textbook assignments as well as accounts of marketing explorations, readings and other course-related activities. It will also include critical thinking on different marketing ads (Ex: Mountain Dew). Critical thinking/active learning about marketing issues is as important as mere description."

This semester, each students MEAN Notebook will use social media marketing as their primary focus. The discussion will include how social media marketing has introduced change into the world of the marketing profession.

Be sure to check regularly for updates.


Enjoy!
Tiffany