Why Humber College is #1 for me

 When applying to a post secondary institution, what are some of the first things you do? Do you look at the program outline, the faculty, and actual location of the school? And don’t lie to yourself as you’re reading this, because I know you don’t do any of these things - I didn’t!

As a 20 year old, and with 1 year of University under my belt, I wanted to make a choice that I was actually going to be happy with. So I did the most logical thing and that was to ask friends who were currently at potential schools as well as people who graduated from that school, how difficult it was for them to get a job once they had finished their studies? This was the key for me.

I knew that I wanted a school that would give me hands-on experience as well as a solid foundation in the fundamentals - so I could get that job. My first choice was Humber College, followed by George Brown and Seneca. I weighed my options and after discussing it with alumni, I knew Humber was the right choice for me! Humber could give me the blend I was looking for.

Humber understands that each student has a different needs and varied reasons for coming to Humber. Some come to Humber on their path to University, others come to get the skills and knowledge needed to get a job! This flexible approach also appealed to me.

So here I am - on my way to graduating - and loving it!

A Change in T.V Viewing

Online TV and movie viewing is becoming one of the fastest growing trends in media today. Whether it is a TV show or a movie, it’s hard to find a young person today that hasn’t downloaded or streamed online with the massive amounts of websites dedicated to hosting the content for a small monthly fee, or free of charge. Even on our mobile devices, the public consumes countless hours of television. This year`s March Madness has 26% of all viewers coming from a mobile or tablet device. In previous years this technology was not available; and it is obvious that mobile TV viewing is going to be `the next big thing` for marketing and media corporations worldwide.

This should be a marketer’s dream - websites dedicated to binge TV viewing; but there must be a way to have the biggest impact on consumers with the least amount intrusion on their viewing experience. Standard advertisements litter these file-hosting website like there`s no tomorrow; paid for by the companies that make the ads, they allow these streaming websites to stay free. Unfortunately, this often proves to be a hassle for viewers, overloading their computers with media and slowing down the streaming rate. This is a small price to pay for most people, who chose these websites over cable TV to avoid additional expenses

 This is an exciting time for marketers who are looking to come up with new innovative ideas to reach consumers on platforms that didn’t previously exist. When legitimate streaming websites limit and monitor the amount of advertisements being presented on their page, they can also target specific audience groups based on the information gathered about their users. This will allow a harmonious relationship between marketers and the viewers who prefer to make their TV-viewing mobile without the annoyance of unnecessary and outdated ads.

Go Viral!

               Why do viral videos create such a big buzz in the marketing world? We have all at some point in our lives wanted to be wanted to be stars, actors, or comedians; and viral videos do just that. It gives all of us the opportunity to be part of the world’s culture, and in almost an instant you can become a star.

                An example of this can be taken from an episode of television show ‘The Pitch’. For those that haven’t heard of it, ‘The Pitch’ is an unscripted series from AMC that goes behind the scenes with the pressure on America's top creative ad agencies, competing to pitch a new account. Each week the two agencies go head-to-head in a presentation known as ‘The Pitch’ with only seven days to prepare. In one of the episodes, two companies competed to be the advertising agency for Subway sandwich chain. One of the agencies saw a video of somebody on YouTube rapping about everyday food and thought it would be a good idea to bring him in and develop a rap for Subway sandwiches. After the two agencies presented all of their ideas, Subway ultimately chose the agency that brought in this unknown rapper.

                This is a fantastic example of how a marketing agencies was able to think out-side the traditional forms of media to capture the attention of consumer through an on-line video sensation. A lot of companies today are investing in online media, going viral is the ultimate goal. Not every video is going to be a success but if you make something that’s unique, funny, and creative enough you may just have the right ingredients to go viral. So next time you are looking to go outside the box in your promotional campaign think VIRAL VIDEO!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsAE-3xjc3Y

Yet another Failure by a Person Who Is Meant to Inspire

           I have tried to avoid this topic for quite some time now but with yet another celebrity endorsement falling at Nike’s feet, I felt a need to pose a question to all who read this. Does your view of a brand change when the epic and highly publicized failure of athletes and celebrities come to light?

           Now I don’t particularly want to go into what Oscar Pistorius, Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps, and Tiger Woods (just to name a few) did because we all have read and heard enough of this in the news. But I do want to get into the underlying issue. How do we as people, as consumers put so much faith in athletes or celebrities that a brand has placed on a throne for all to see and admire, when in actuality there are just as human as the rest of us?  They all have their own faults, weaknesses, and pressures. But we like to view athletes and celebrities as more; as someone to look up to, someone who can inspire us to be more than what we are and someone who we want to be growing up as a kid.  We don’t want to know their faults or their failures. We only want to hear about their triumphs and successes.

           As we grow up and with a lot of help from the new media, we become more enlightened and educated to their negative behaviour, but it still doesn’t stop the public’s idealization of these so called iconic figures that so many brands have labelled, so many times. However, for those athletes and celebrities that have overcome remarkable odds do have a profound impact on the lives of others as they touch the hearts of millions. Shouldn’t we not hold them higher standard? So when they fall from grace, their fall is that much higher.

          The phrase that I have found that best describes the celebrity spokesperson is “Borrowed Equity”. When a celebrity wears a Product A or uses a Service B, maybe the consumers will purchase it too. But as you can decipher from the term-borrowed equity; it is just that--it is borrowed. For as long as they are successful, impactful, and relevant, they will be able to influence consumers. When a company and their marketing and advertising departments get together and decide to attach themselves to a celebrity or athlete, they are in most cases now held hostage by that person’s image because it is supposed to reflect the image of that brand. It holds true when you think of Michael Jordan you think of Jordan, Sidney Cosby-Reebok, Payton Manning-Papa John’s, “Mean” Joe Greene-Coke and Lance Armstrong you think Live Strong.  All of these celebrity athletes and the brands that have attached themselves to them all have the same characteristics, but you now when you read that list your image towards one brand and athlete has changed dramatically.

        It is not because the view of that company/brand has change; it is solely based on the actions of one and is now his/her image is being placed beside that brand. How long it takes a brand to recover from the tarnished reputation of their spokesperson is purely based of how iconic the figure was. Now you won’t see Tom Brady endorsing beauty, but if he endorses a new Under Amour clothing line, you may consider it. The goal for companies is to obtain maximum exposure and celebrity endorsements are just that and the same goes for the celebrities. We cannot forget the goal for both parties and it is to gain exposure and increase sales. When these symbolic figure heads fall, we should not forget what they are a symbol our expectation put forth by the brands that employ them

 

 

 

 

 

Instagram's Change to Stay the Same

       Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media outlets available to the public. Recently the Facebook-owned photo sharing company has announced the launch of it’s website-equivalent, which functions just like the app does on your smart phone; but they have left out one key element - the ability to upload photos.

       It has been two years since the release of the Instagram app for iPhones and Androids, and in that time it has gone from a relatively unknown photo sharing application to servicing 90 million users today. It’s no wonder that Facebook bought Instagram last April for a whopping 1 billion dollars. This web-based experience now allows users to access and view photos, but the company wanted to keep one key aspect of their application the same – photo uploads are still only mobile-based.

      Many of us are left asking why the two year delay if Instagram hasn’t made any major changes to the website or app. One way of looking at reasons for the the web expansion is the growing number of tablets and netbooks consumers are carrying with them today, and taking into consideration the amount of potential users who are excluded from using the popular app. This now provides users with the continued ability to view Instgram through a variety of devices that now include your PC, laptop or tablets.  However, in an attempt to deter users from committing copyright infringements, Instagram’s choice to limit sharing abilities to mobile devices may have actually been a smart business choice. The sharing capabilities, now restricted to mobile devices, allows the company to indirectly control the source of the images being shared.

       So why is this so important to marketers? With millions of consumers, and companies flocking to social media, Instagram gives marketers another consumer touch-point to influence through visuals and short messages. It has become a perfect way to allow brands to get their messages across as quickly and effectively as possible. The company’s transition to the web allows marketers to reach a wider audience that can be engaged with the brand and hopefully be influenced by it.

Super Bowl Sunday not just for Football Fans

            The 42^nd annual Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday night; and while most of the focus will be on the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, many marketers and advertisers will be watching which brands make the biggest impact with their game day commercials. With big named brands such as Blackberry, Doritos, Toyota, Go Daddy and Sony shelling out major dollars, upward to $4 million for just a 30 second spot, you can bet those companies want to get the most out of their money and be the highlight of the night.

Few things are must-see-TV anymore, and that’s why advertisers are so geared towards advertising during the Super Bowl. All you have to do is look at the statistics to see why; T.V audiences last year reached a record 111 million people. This is mass marketing at its best - being able to reach as many consumers as possible with just one consumer touch point, doesn’t come around too often. Companies are starting early and releasing their commercials prior to game day in an effort to create buzz around their brand. Last year companies had around 300 million views per commercial on YouTube. Then YouTube did some research into the early release of Super Bowl commercials and found that companies with earlier release dates had on average 9.1 million more views.  Super Bowl ads are arguably the best part of Sunday’s championship day; it is the part of the event that will make us laugh, cry and love, regardless of the love of football. Social media will be abuzz on Monday, with everyone’s thoughts and reactions to the outcome of the game, where all will be judged and scrutinized.

            This trend suggests that the price for Super Bowl commercials isn’t going to dip anytime soon, and with an 84% increase for a 30 second TV spot from just 10 years ago, you can almost guarantee it. As an advertiser it would almost be cheaper to ink yourself on one of the heavily tattooed players on one of the two teams for the four hour show.

 

Super Bowl Sunday not just for Football

          
            The 42^nd annual Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday night; and while most of the focus will be on the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, many marketers and advertisers will be watching which brands make the biggest impact with their game day commercials. With big named brands such as Blackberry, Doritos, Toyota, Go Daddy and Sony shelling out major dollars, upward to $4 million for just a 30 second spot, you can bet those companies want to get the most out of their money and be the highlight of the night.

Few things are must-see-TV anymore, and that’s why advertisers are so geared towards advertising during the Super Bowl. All you have to do is look at the statistics to see why; T.V audiences last year reached a record 111 million people. This is mass marketing at its best - being able to reach as many consumers as possible with just one consumer touch point, doesn’t come around too often. Companies are starting early and releasing their commercials prior to game day in an effort to create buzz around their brand. Last year companies had around 300 million views per commercial on YouTube. Then YouTube did some research into the early release of Super Bowl commercials and found that companies with earlier release dates had on average 9.1 million more views.  Super Bowl ads are arguably the best part of Sunday’s championship day; it is the part of the event that will make us laugh, cry and love, regardless of the love of football. Social media will be abuzz on Monday, with everyone’s thoughts and reactions to the outcome of the game, where all will be judged and scrutinized.

            This trend suggests that the price for Super Bowl commercials isn’t going to dip anytime soon, and with an 84% increase for a 30 second TV spot from just 10 years ago, you can almost guarantee it. As an advertiser it would almost be cheaper to ink yourself on one of the heavily tattooed players on one of the two teams for the four hour show.

 

The Best Game You Can Name (NHL Lockout)

   The puck dropped on Saturday night for the first time since the 2012-2013 NHL lockout ended, and teams are doing their best to entice fans back with free ticket giveaways, open practices to the public, autograph signings, and apology letters. After a 113-day lockout and 1,020 missed games, the NHL is faced with a public relation nightmare.  With only 48 games guaranteed for each team this season, NHL marketers are going to have to do their best to fill those seats with fans and get sponsorship dollars back in their pocket.  

   The NHL players had an estimated total loss of about $400 million, and you can double that for the league. Marketing departments of the NHL are doing their best to encourage fans back to the rink.  Here in Toronto, the Leafs held an open practice last Thursday that attracted 1,400 fans; they will be also giving away about 1,000 tickets to Monday’s home opener through various promotions against the Buffalo Sabers. Among giving away commemorative scarves at the game, 1,500 season ticket holders will be seeing the first game free of charge. In less traditional hockey markets like Chicago, the Black Hawks are giving away 1000 autographed jerseys, and a lucky fan in San Jose is going to be selected to drop the ceremonial puck in their home opener.

   Whatever ways NHL marketing departments decide to coax fans back to the game, sponsorship dollars will not flock back until companies see that faith has been restored in fans’ loyalty across the league. The NHL must been seen as a stable enterprise, with the ability to provide an interrupted season to the good ol’ fashioned hockey game– after all, they’re what drives the fans.  

The Dawn of Mobile Marketing

As the dawn of the smartphone age sets in, there are more tablets and smartphones than personal computers. Mobile platforms are building at increasing speeds, and industry giants such as Facebook and Twitter are building their mobile capabilities to meet the amplified demand of this consumer trend. Marketers need to keep up with one of the fastest growing trends in marketing today, or risk being left behind. Today, smartphones and tablets are two of the fasting growing consumer products on the market. In a high-paced world, where people have less and less time to be reached and influenced by the  more traditional forms of media;  marketers have yet another tool through which to distribute their advertising. Thanks to the advancement of mobile search, apps, SMS and mobile websites; the ability to stay connected with consumers has never been so easily attainable. In the near future, mobile marketing may be poised to surpass television as the most dominant consumer access point. Mobile searches account for more than 50% of searches on the web today; which is an enormous amount of consumers that can be reached through their existing mobile devices.

In order for marketing campaigns to be successful, they must integrate mobile marketing into their campaign strategy. One of the greatest things about mobile marketing is the ability to connect with consumers on a personal level, helping them use their mobile devices to get information and to make their purchase decisions. Driving traffic to business, product or service is one of the most vital components in measuring the success of any campaign.  Running part of a campaign through mobile media is now an integral part of marketing strategies. Targeted mobile advertising is cost effective, measurable and drives conversations between consumers. Combining mobile apps, mobile websites and SMS messages can lead to success in a new campaign.

Welcome Back!

As the last weekend of summer draws to a close it is time to start thinking about back to school and what the 2012/2013 school year has in store. There is always a lot to think about as the new school year begins; what classes to take, how many classes to take, what books to buy, what events to attend, what clubs to join and if you are new to campus how to find out where you have to go!

Humber has some great resources for new and returning students to help with all of these back to school questions:

1) The registrar and program coordinators can tell you what classes are required for your diploma or degree or you can also go online and take a look at your specific program. See the Business Marketing Program link below:
http://www.humber.ca/program/business-marketing#curriculum

2) The bookstore has a list of required textbooks for each program and you can also order your textbooks online and pick them up from the bookstore once classes start!
http://www.bkstr.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?catalogId=10001&langId=-1&demoKey=d&storeId=10303

3) Finally, the Humber Students' Federation or HSF offers many events and clubs that you can participate in throughout the year. The events are listed in a calendar on the HSF website by month. In September, be sure to check out Frosh Week from September 4-7 and Clubs Fair at North Campus September 19 and at Lakeshore Campus September 20.
http://humberlife.com/

For marketing students, there are a number of great conferences and events that can be attended depending on which classes you are taking in a given semester, but each year Humber participates in The Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition or OCMC, which takes place each year in the fall semester with recruitment taking place each April. The team for OCMC 2012 has already started actively preparing to show off their skills at this year's competition in November!

The Humber OCMC team is selected each year in April and the selection process consists of 'tryouts' or presentations for each event toward the end of the winter semester. Those interested in joining the Humber OCMC team must attend a mandatory information session where they are told about the competition and what each event entails. From there, each person selects the top two events that they wish to participate in. The audition process differs for each event. For the case events each person must present a solution to a problem with a given marketing case to a panel of faculty followed by a short Q&A session. The entire presentation can only be 5-7 minutes. For the job interview and sales presentation, students are given a job posting or item that they must prepare a presentation or interview for. Quiz Bowl consists of tryouts where the top 4-5 people who acquire the most points are selected for the team.

OCMC takes place over two days in November and allows students the opportunity to improve their public speaking, presentation and networking skills through a series of events. The two day competition consists of the following events:

• Quiz Bowl: this event is kind of like Jeopardy. This year's team consists of 5 members. 
• Sales Presentation: 1 member of the team is responsible for this presentation. 
• Job Interview: 1 member of the team is responsible for the job interview. 
• Case Competitions: there are 8 case competitions  which take place on day two of the event. Each case topic is prepared by a team of two.  The topics for the case competition include:
• Marketing 
• Retail 
• Entrepreneurship
• Integrated Marketing Communications
• Account Management 
• International Marketing 
• Market Research 
• Direct Marketing 

The Humber OCMC team is selected each year in April and the selection process consists of 'tryouts' or presentations for each event. Those interested in joining the Humber OCMC team must attend a mandatory information session where they are told about the competition and what each event entails. From there, each person selects the top two events that they wish to participate in. The audition process differs for each event. For the case events each person must present a solution to a problem with a given marketing case to a panel of faculty followed by a short Q&A session. The entire presentation can only be 5-7 minutes. For the job interview and sales presentation, students are given a job posting or item for which they must prepare a presentation or interview. Quiz Bowl consists of tryouts where the top 4-5 people who acquire the most points are selected for the team.

As a member of the 2012 OCMC team I am very excited that we are underway with this year's competition preparations.

As you can see, Humber offers students many opportunities to get involved and make the most of their time on and away from campus, so get involved and take advantage of these great opportunities

-Rachel

Ad Buzz give advice to new grads

On June 8, lucky new graduates and current students attended the sold out inaugural Ad Buzz event "What You Weren't Taught in School." The goal of the one day conference was to teach recent advertising and marketing graduates the tips and tricks of "how to get in, fit in and be amazing in the advertising industry."(http://theadbuzz.com/WYWTIS.html)

The event, was held in downtown Toronto at the historical Arts and Letters Club . Students were provided with advice and insights from some of marketing and advertising's most influential people including:

Ron Tite: President, The Tite Group
Leslie Ehm: Principal, Three Training
Trina Boos: President, Boost Agents & Ad Lounge
Ken Dobell: President, Digital, DAC Group
Luke Sullivan: Author, Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This


The speakers spoke to students about the importance of being a brand, understanding your role, building relationships and how to figure out what you need to become the best possible version of yourself and why people should care and take notice of who you are.

But, perhaps the most anticipated and best advice came from author and instructor Luke Sullivan. Luke spoke to the attendees about the importance of tension in advertising and that creating advertising around tension "can often leverage these tensions and help creatives produce more and often better work."( Luke Sullivan, 8 June, 2012)



In his presentation he told the audience that there are two major questions that advertisers and marketers must ask themselves when looking at and starting a campaign:
1) What is the truest thing I can say about this product or category?
2) Where is the emotion in this product, service or category?

In the end the message
of all of these speakers was to create an image for yourself, an idea of yourself that people want to pay attention to, create something that is interesting because "when everything is okay, we're not interested." (Luke Sullivan)

Click on the video below to see a message from Luke Sullivan.

-Rachel

Almost A Year Later ...

Its 3 o’clock in the morning, the bar is shutting down, and the servers are kicking you and your friends out. You then stumble down the street to Mickey D’s and wolf down a handful of cheeseburgers before you go home to pass out... Sound familiar? We’ve all been there before, and someday we’ll all be there again - just not quite as often as we once were.

Just over a year ago, like many of you, I had no clue where or what I would be doing in 2012. I didn’t know if I was going to be a business owner, a university student, a Humber student, or a “nobody” working for a “somebody”.

Now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of many, I can say that I know who I am, what skills I hone, and I have a clear picture of where I want to be in 5 years. As someone with a passion for marketing and communications, finding the right mentorship to guide those skills towards success is what I truly lacked. Humber proved to be a valuable resource for me. I was able to create strong relationships with many industry professionals, and I was able to get the support and mentorship of a few professors that would be instrumental in finding me opportunities when I graduated.

There was one course in particular that helped me to raise the bar more than ever, and that was the Internet Marketing course that so many students are excited to take. Whether it was providing special pricing at major marketing events or engaging in real life projects that build valuable experience, the Internet Marketing course pushes even the least motivated students to get their hands dirty. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without it!


Working with many of Canada’s largest corporate institutions has proven to me that the skills that I picked up in this course are incredibly valuable – skills that are really a “need-to-have,” not a “nice-to-have.” Skills that I am using everyday to stay current and to develop in my career in digital marketing.

In today’s rapidly changing environment, those plagued by FUD (fear, uncertainty, and denial) do not succeed. In the digital world, we are preparing to enter a dynamic period in time where hardcore developers are going to get an opportunity to showcase their talents like never before and as marketers we need to stay on top of these trends and opportunities.  As creative marketers, it takes a strong knowledge of new technology, communication channels and of course people to be successful.

With this being said, I hope many of you decide to make the right choices, and respect the right people. Because, you will find that as you get older, your life can change pretty quickly after a year goes by. I wish you all the best of luck in your ventures – and look forward to seeing you at future Humber marketing events. Cheers!

Zac

Humber College Honour Pin Ceremony

This past Tuesday the Humber College business school recognized the academic excellence of a group of Marketing Diploma students. Faculty and family members acknowledged the students during the annual Honour Pin Ceremony.  

The ceremony highlights the academic achievements of students who achieve an overall average of 80% during the academic calendar year.

Throughout the event a number of speakers concluded that achieving honours is not an easy feat. In fact, achieving honours means much more than simply attending classes and receiving good grades; it encompasses a wide variety skills and attributes such as: hardwork, determination, team work, communication, analytical thinking and problem solving. Excelling within college provides you with more than just good grades. It helps establish the foundation for your future career and success.

In this blog I would like to share with you three tips that I believe can help students achieve both academic and personal success while studying at Humber College.

Tip #1- Get Involved

Becoming involved within the school through both academic and extra circular activities can prove to be very beneficial to a student’s success. Whether it is joining a club such as Toastmasters, a case study competition team, a sports team or even speaking engagements, getting involved can lead to great opportunities.

Tip #2- Stay on top of your studies

Although this tip seems fairly basic, it is very easy to fall behind within your studies. With a full course load, multiple assignments, group projects and your own social life, it can feel very overwhelming at times. Organize, plan and take your time to ensure that everything is completed on time and properly.

Tip#3- Don’t be afraid to ask for help

The sooner you realize that your teachers actually care and that they want to help you succeed, school becomes an entirely different playing field. This has been one of my greatest lessons while studying at Humber. Take advantage of the services on campus; Humber offers various learning centers and tutoring services to ensure that students are successful. 

Not only does achieving honours make you stand out amongst the crowd, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment.

-Tim

Marketing students represent Humber College at Vanier case competition

On February 10^th, Humber College marketing students had the opportunity to travel to Vanier College in Montreal, to compete in the 7th annual inter-collegial marketing BDC case competition. Vanier College welcomed 30 teams from various colleges and CGEPs across Canada as they competed in hopes of winning the prestigious marketing award. I am pleased to announce that the team from Humber College placed 4^th out of 10 teams within their division! The team displayed an exceptional effort in both the competition and through representing Humber.

The overall results of the competition are as follows:

        1st Place- Mohawk College

·                2nd Place- College Lionel Groulx

·                3rd Place- Okanagan College

On the whole, the entire competition was a huge success. I would like to extend a very special thank you to all participants, coaches and supporters that played a role within the competition.

If you are a current or prospective student at Humber College and are interested in getting involved within the school, I suggest that you inquire about the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition.

What is OCMC?

The Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition is an Ontario wide competition in which participants in teams of two are challenged through a series of case analysis covering various topics. In addition to the case analysis, there are two other categories: Sales presentation and a job interview.

The case competition is a timed challenge in which teams of two participants have thirty minutes to analyze a specific marketing case and prepare a PowerPoint presentation, which is formally presented in front of a panel of judges.  

Why Participate?

College is a time to learn- A time to challenge yourself. Participating within OCMC helps build, test and evaluate your skills within a proven setting. Although the competition is focused on Marketing, the developed skills stretch far beyond the basic business skills. In addition, you will develop presentation, public speaking, teamwork, time management and analytical thinking skills. College is a once in a lifetime event- Make the most out of your experience.

Interested? Apply today!

If you are interested in getting involved within the Ontario College Marketing Competition or would just like to find out more information, please visit the Humber OCMC blog http://humberocmc.blogspot.com/ and pick up a form in the Humber Business School in room E205 to apply and register.  

Check out this video for a sneak peak into OCMC http://youtu.be/wAc3bDVR0ho! 

 Thank you!

- Tim