It's All About the Brand

Dear IMC Students, 

My mother's surgery went well - without a hitch!  I'll be spending the rest of the day and tomorrow helping her recover. For your time with Scott Hamula- please note that your in-class work is both here on this blog and on Blackboard. Please submit your thoughtful answers on Blackboard before the end of class.

Background Information on Honeywell International, Inc.

NEW YORK, April 20 (Reuters) - Diversified U.S. manufacturer Honeywell International Inc (HON.N) posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year sales and earnings forecast.— 

Please read the article below:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/20/honeywell-idUSN1822669320110420

Now peruse the brand portion of this website:

http://www.honeywell.com/sites/brandM/brandMng.htm

Kindly address the following questions:   

1) Who are the "brand ambassadors" for Honeywell? Why?

2) Since 2004, "almost all of the company's business unites, products and services are now branded_______?

3) What is the "Honeywell Brand Promise?

4) Honeywell does not permit other logos, graphic symbols or graphics. Please share their reasoning:

Do you agree with this policy? Why or why not?

5) What are your initial impressions of this particular website? 

6) Do you feel this site has too much information? Not enough information? Or just the right amount? Explain.

7) How does Honeywell integrate IMC strategies into their branding efforts and overall brand promise?

8) This site is roughly broken down into the following categories for the brand:  ambassadors, guidelines, nomenclature, strategy and migration. Although this is an international manufacturing company and your team represents a tiny business in comparison- if you could pick one and only one of the areas above to encourage your client to focus upon- which one would it be?  Please explain your answer.

Have a great weekend! 

Michelle

 

Delivering on the Brand Promise- Semester Re-Cap and Friday's (4/22) Work

Dear IMC Students, 

As we have discussed this semester, true understanding of one’s brand is essential to the success of that brand. In the beginning of the year, I asked you to assess your initial impressions of your client’s brand, and to then evaluate your client’s impressions and feelings about their brand. In all cases, we worked toward mutual understanding and congruence between ourselves and the clients we serve. Many of you provided very clear directives for your clients- ensuring that they understood how to best position themselves in today’s marketplace. You helped them understand the importance of embedding their promise and connecting to target demographics. By consistently communicating their message in a clear and cohesive manner, you helped real-world small business enterprises understand how to remain competitive in today’s uncertain marketplace.

As we moved forward, we helped clients understand that there’s no such thing as a valid social media strategy without proper brand identity. As many of you know in working in your teams and with your three clients, you had to have an understanding of what their business stood for- and overall, what the overall brand promise was. We viewed examples of strong brand management campaigns that used advertising, marketing, sales promotion and public relations to best advantage. Clients visited with us on-site several times during the semester. We also met at the client’s places of business, where we made compelling presentations (to sometimes alter their opinions), directed photo shoots, analyzed operations and learned more about their business objectives. We also had no choice but to sample food and drink if so applicable. :)


Next, we looked at how to ensure IMC strategy integration either in print, TV, radio or online publishing, advertising, and more. Consistent messaging between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the web are what your clients and their consumers expect. In most cases, you helped the client get on-line and up and going with their social media, which was no small task.  You also found time in your busy schedules and amidst all your client work, to analyze the IMC cases related to Muzak, TED (United) and Chevy.

Finally, you just spent three weeks enrolled in the Global On-Line Challenge for Google AdWords on behalf of your clients. You tested algorithms, monitored your campaign, wrote a pre-campaign strategy for your professor and your client’s approval (don’t forget your post-campaign strategies due on 5/2!).  We used this week to make full team presentations to your client about your role in your client’s brand management, the lessons learned using the $200 you had to spend on their behalf with Google AdWords and your overall strategy going forward as you approach your final project preparation. Today, marks the last day of client visits for the semester. Congratulations!

Since I will be out on Friday (4/22) of this week, due to my mom’s surgery, my Department Chair-Professor Scott Hamula, will be coming in to take over class that day. Please make me proud!

Here’s what I will expect you to do that day:  As is expected on days we’re not making presentations, welcoming guests or working in groups, you’ll log into your blog (that's this one, right here, in case you are  I will be posing a series of questions related to Honeywell, which was named one of the “world’s most admired companies” by Fortune Magazine). You will be spending time evaluating this site: 

http://www.honeywell.com/sites/brandM/brandMng.htm and questions posed after. All questions are to be addressed in class and submitted to me via Blackboard before the end of class. Please see Blackboard for details. Also, I have one person who is expected to be out on Friday. I will share that name with Scott for attendance purposes.

I'm sure since Scott is the branding guru- he will be able to help if questions arise! Thanks so much for all you've done this year. Enjoy class on Friday and have a great weekend. Also, don't be shy about talking to Scott about the Google AdWords campaign. I'm sure he'll be interested.

All best,

Michelle

Google AdWords- Weeks 2 and 3

Dear IMC Students,

It is hard to believe that we have about one month of classes left this semester! Wow.

If you haven't opened e-mail from me today, please do so, as it recaps important information re: our last few weeks of classes, amends the syllabus accordingly (to afford more time to our Google AdWords Campaign and/or time to prepare for your presentations). As my e-mail indicates, I wish to meet with every team PRIOR to your in-class presentations. As outlined in the e-mail, I will be sending you "Doodle" calendar information for each team. Further, please note that the team presentations have been extended for a week.

It is incumbent upon each team captain to huddle together, decide which date they'd like to present. Each team captain needs to contact their clients right away to ensure that either the client and/or client rep will definitely be here to hear presentations. Please let our clients know that we moved the dates to ensure that we had time to translate our Google AdWords results to best advantage for the client presentations.

Also, this week you will receive TEAM EVALUATIONS. They will be due in class a couple of days after you receive them. Well, as usual, we have a lot on our plates. But not to worry, we can do it!

See you soon,
Michelle

Today's Class

Good Afternoon Teams Bandwagon, Diaspora and Suzy:

Now that we're all finally uploaded and ready to go- this is the protocol I'd like to see used each time we're in class. By the end of each class, I will require the following deliverable a MEMO written to me and COPIED to your client, but only sent to me. After some tweaking, if required, I will forward the doc on to your client:

1. The status of your Google AdWords campaign on behalf or you client- how are the algorithms working? Any need to tweak the metrics or the CTR, etc.? Structuring your account is critical to effective advertising, so please may particular attention to the structure.

2. Google is judging you on optimization techniques, so please make sure you are addressing these as well as evaluating your performance and budget. Do you have any questions re: this area that either your client or I can help with?

3. And finally, please offer any other updates that are pertinent.

See you shortly!

Chevy Livin' Large Case

Welcome Back from Break!

I hope you all had a great time away...and to those of you who stayed here, I hope your time was also wonderful.

In today's class, I'll be handing back your Muzak Case and hope to have all your Ted cases graded by this evening. One key priority for today is to meet in groups to talk about finalizing plans to upload the pre-campaign strategy by tomorrow morning (Tuesday, March 22).  Getting all things up-to-speed before the launch is a priority.  I believe Team Suzy has client approval to proceed. Team Diaspora- your client should have a final review in hand by later today. I'm meeting with Eldred at the store after class. If anyone wants to join me from the team, please let me know. Team Serendipity:  Houston we have a problem. We will put our heads together to figure out the implications of our need to launch with the client's site "parked." I also have updates from each team as I either met with, or spoke with your clients at length, all during the "break."

We will have to really push hard to be ready to launch and begin our Google AdWords Campaign on Wednesday.

As for the Chevy case:

I had said I'd send the Chevy Case over break and extend the due date from today to THIS Friday. However, I wanted to give us more room between cleaning up some client work and launching the AdWords Challenge. Therefore, you'll have until NEXT Friday (April 1) to complete the assignment about Chevy. 

As you'll discover from reading the case, Chevy needed to communicate the benefits of an Aveo (spaciousness, quality, low cost) to its core audience. GM needed a way to be promotional, yet authentic; if the target audience felt the online content was too contrived, corporate or boring, the would lose interest fast. The solution? The creation of social media-driven Aveo Livin' Large campaign.

Please download the case PDF from Blackboard. Read and answer the following case questions in a 4-6 page paper). Just like in the TED case, please attach your papers in Blackboard only. Thanks!

1. Describe how Chevrolet utilized social media in the Aveo Livin' Large campaign (1 page)

2. What were the results of the Aveo Livin' Large program? (1-2 pages)

3. Describe how you might utilize and/or are utilizing a social media program for your client. Be specific about the design of the campaign (1-2 pages)

4. Utilize the content distribution model to describe how you would distribute this program for your client. (1-2 pages)

See you soon!

Your Professor MCB

Ted Case, Ad Words

Dear IMC Students,

I tweeted an interesting link today that I thought might be of interest. As you may know, businesses tend to underestimate the budget they should allot for their marketing initiatives. Please read:  Setting a Marketing Budget | How to Set a Small Business Marketing Budget http://t.co/DibLKLt

In today's class, you'll be working in your teams to drill down further into the exciting world of Google AdWords.

Here's the link for PDF for the "Paint the Town Ted" case study analysis that is due electronically before the start of class, next Friday, March 11.
http://jimc.medill.northwestern.edu/JIMCWebsite/2006/Ted.pdf

After reading the case, please answer the following questions:

Case # 2 – Ted Airlines

Critical Issues in IMC

Read the case and answer the following questions:

1. Describe how the Ted brand was positioned in the market.

2. How did marketers create an “integrated” campaign for Ted? Evaluate some of the key components of this campaign.

3. How might you apply a similar approach to your current client? Brainstorm with your case team and provide some specific strategies.

Your case analysis should be submitted electronically by start of class on Friday, March 11.  Be prepared to participate in a discussion and share your insights with the rest of the class.

There is no required length, however, 4-6 pages is an estimate for what you will need to adequately respond to this case. There’s never any penalty for providing more content rather than less. 

I'll be posting this to Blackboard in class today.

Take care,

Your Prof Michelle

Using IMC to Build Brands & Solid Social Media Strategies, Google AdWords

Hello IMC Students,

Here's a synopsis of what we're up to this week.

CLASS THIS WEEK 

Since Team Suzy's client is coming in today, Monday (2/28), we will (as my e-mail to you confirms), hold another client project workshop today. If you haven't read the e-mail on what Teams Serendipity and Diaspora are doing today, please do so now. 

On Wednesday (3/2) we will have our Google AdWords discussion. (See bottom of this message for the links you must review between now and Wednesday's class).  I'll also be posting the "Ted Case" later on today, but it WON'T be due as your syllabus states (3/4), rather, I'm pushing that assignment to 3/11.
 Obviously, we need the extra time so we can focus on the Google Online challenge and any tying up any other loose ends before we forge full steam ahead with the AdWords campaign.

On Friday (3/4), I'd like you all to log-on and familiarize yourselves with the student dashboard and other such marketing tools in the Online Challenge. You'll have time to also read the "Ted Case" and to prepare your responses by that following Friday (3/11).

QUICK NOTES: USING IMC TO BUILD BRANDS  & STRENGTHEN SOCIAL MEDIA

As we've discussed previously, there's no such thing as a valid social media strategy without proper brand identity. As many of you know in working in your teams and with your three clients, you  must first have a clear understanding of what the business stands for- and overall, what the overall brand promise is.

Just as you wouldn't begin a print campaign without a clear statement and appropriate research, the same process holds true for any IMC strategy integration either in print, TV, radio or online publishing, advertising, etc. Consistent messaging between Facebook, tumblr, Twitter and the web are what your clients and their consumers expect. So, too, is understanding tone and logo usage across the spectrum of your marketing communications efforts. As visitors discover what your business has to offer, they begin to explore your online presence (web, blog, Facebook, tweets, video, etc.)  It is hoped that after this exploration, they build affinity with your product and/or services. From this you work hard to ensure that this enjoyment leads to sales and opportunity for further engagement. From there you continue to build the brand promise through quality customer service and attention to detail.

So that you can be fully prepared for Wednesday's (3/2) discussion, please take note of the links below. Kindly print out the Student Academic Guide or have it available on the computer for continuous reference throughout the Google Online Challenge.

90 sec overview of Google AdWords
Google Student Academic Guide

Please let me know any questions arise between now and then- either about the campaign, your clients or anything else that resonates and/or brings up questions.

Best,
Michelle