Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
| EYE EM' K? |
The very first week of IMK I was paired up with a person I have worked with in every single graduate course I have taken, and another IMK student. With the added advantage of having the only German speaking FIU student, I figured working with the IMK student to be a breeze, it wasn’t. Apparently she had already achieved the number of points she needed in order to pass for the semester and was completely unconcerned with the outcome of the assignment. Luckily, I had the other partner and we were familiar with each other’s work habits. Needless to say if both my partners had approached this first assignment with that kind of enthusiasm, come time to present FIU and IMK students alike would have been treated to an amazing display of Cuban bravado.
The second week I was paired with what I feel was one of the brightest IMK students. She was witty, spoke excellent English, and an incredible work ethic. She was constantly in touch with me and eager to meet to discuss the assignment. It helps that she was convinced she was going to present that Friday. Our partner however was the exact opposite. As she had presented the week before, my other partner was a ghost. Aside from the day in which the assignment was handed out, I never saw her again. After completing the assignment and emailing her the final product, she decided Fridays were better suited for sleeping and pulled a no show at the Friday presentation and left me and my partner empty handed. Lucky for me I did not have to present and her lack of presence did not affect my grade or my partners.
So up to this point if you had asked me what I thought about working with IMK students, you would probably have needed to censor the answer. But the problem is not with the students per say. The problem actually sits with the system in which the IMK students are working within and the point system in which they satisfy their course requirements. For starters, the students at IMK must fulfill the course requirements for each semester through acquiring points per presentation. The presentations are graded on a number of factors but do not provide a system of accountability to determine which students performed and which students coasted by. Additionally, once students have acquired the necessary number of points needed to pass the semester, unless paired in a group with a dear friend, they simply shut down. Therefore, the unfamiliar FIU students immediately shift into one of two reactions; 1) they stress out, take on more of the work load, and in some cases complete the assignment by themselves. 2) They complete the work equally with the remaining group members while simultaneously holding a grudge with the individuals who did not contribute.
However, there were examples of the perfect scenario. One in which all three group members contributed equally. One where each group member chose to participate in the aspects of the assignment they felt their talents were best suited. One where every aspect of the presentations was executed well and on time. This was my experience with my third and final assignment, and coincidentally we were the first group to present. We scored well and we were all satisfied with the level of work we had each handed in. But the unifying factor in this scenario was that each of my group members NEEDED to present, were anticipating presenting this particular week, and required a score of 7 or higher to fulfill their course requirements. Final conclusion; there is a reason people work hard and it is not motivated by the joys of working in groups. It is motivated by money, by recognition of achievement, and by the allure of achieving excellence. Remove that dangling carrot and the motivation runs from the person faster than a döner eaten at 3 A.M. after a night of heavy drinking. The system is flawed and should be revised.
Monday, July 5, 2010
| We Call Em' Lights, They Call Em' Gold |
Today I want to talk about Germany’s unique cigarette culture. Yes, that’s right I am calling it a culture of cigarettes. Virtually everyone I met in Germany smokes, with the exception of a handful. Now I myself am a social smoker, which is someone who smokes when in the company of other smokers. However, I found that while I was abroad it was incredibly difficult to adhere to my usual regimen of only smoking when having drinks with friends. It seems that almost anytime is a good time to have a cigarette break in Berlin. I found myself turning down endless invites to step out for a moment to burn another cancer stick. If I spent the day at IMK and I said yes to every request, I could have seen myself smoking an entire pack of cigarettes in a day.
So it appears that there is a very high percentage of people who smoke cigarettes among 18 to 30 years of age. They appear to be slowly getting adjusted to the, what I find to be familiar, smoking ban that exists in Berlin. This ban restricts bars and pubs larger than 75 sq. meters from allowing cigarette smoking within the establishment. However, there was a loop hole, much like in Miami, that allows establishments smaller than 75 sq. meters to have indoor smoking as long as they do not allow anyone under 18 and do not serve food. In addition the ban restricts advertising and using names such as Lights, that would suggest cigarettes any were less deadly. Instead, Marlboro chose to use the name Gold. As if this made them sounds any less desirable after downing a pint of beer?
So why I am I discussing this and what does this have to do with social marketing campaigns?
Well, virtually unheard of to my friends in Berlin, the European Union as a whole recently launched a massive social marketing campaign to empower the public with the right to ban cigarettes in their establishments. This would not concern Germans directly if it weren’t for the fact that Bavaria became the first state to endorse a total no smoking band in all public buildings. Without keeping small businesses in mind the push to ban cigarettes in public places is set to commence next week and continue through 2012, the hope is to create a smoke free Europe.
Best of luck with that.
resources:
http://www.cigarettesflavours.com/anti-smoking-campaign/ec-initiates-13-5m-anti-smoking-campaign/
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5760072,00.html
So it appears that there is a very high percentage of people who smoke cigarettes among 18 to 30 years of age. They appear to be slowly getting adjusted to the, what I find to be familiar, smoking ban that exists in Berlin. This ban restricts bars and pubs larger than 75 sq. meters from allowing cigarette smoking within the establishment. However, there was a loop hole, much like in Miami, that allows establishments smaller than 75 sq. meters to have indoor smoking as long as they do not allow anyone under 18 and do not serve food. In addition the ban restricts advertising and using names such as Lights, that would suggest cigarettes any were less deadly. Instead, Marlboro chose to use the name Gold. As if this made them sounds any less desirable after downing a pint of beer?
So why I am I discussing this and what does this have to do with social marketing campaigns?
Well, virtually unheard of to my friends in Berlin, the European Union as a whole recently launched a massive social marketing campaign to empower the public with the right to ban cigarettes in their establishments. This would not concern Germans directly if it weren’t for the fact that Bavaria became the first state to endorse a total no smoking band in all public buildings. Without keeping small businesses in mind the push to ban cigarettes in public places is set to commence next week and continue through 2012, the hope is to create a smoke free Europe.
Best of luck with that.
resources:
http://www.cigarettesflavours.com/anti-smoking-campaign/ec-initiates-13-5m-anti-smoking-campaign/
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5760072,00.html
| International Search Summit |
During our first few weeks in Berlin there was an important meeting taking place among companies concerned with social media, globalization, and localization. I discovered this meeting only after returning to Miami. As students of global strategic communications, the use of social media, and localization, I was surprised we were unaware this was taking place. However, after reading a number of reviews on the event it would surprise anyone to know that a convention specializing in international communications, failed to successfully communicate its importance, significance, or purpose.
The meeting is known as the International Search Summit. The focus of the meeting is to bring together companies who specialize in online services particularly those interested in maintaining a global brand image, search marketing, and translations. There were a number of guest speakers who lectured on a number of topics but as one speaker reportedly pointed out – This was a meeting of companies interested in a multitude of topics which in many cases may or may not be interrelated. The example given was by Isabella Ballanti who stated that translators and search marketers are two different species.
I think this sort of conference could be beneficial to students such as ourselves. It can be incredibly beneficial when speakers such as Calijn van Lennep, member of the E-Commerce team at KLM, discussed the importance of maintaining brand image on global websites. I believe they are hosting this event in Berlin next year, and I feel it would make a great addition to the site visits.
resources:
http://www.internationalsearchsummit.com/berlin.html
http://www.stateofsearch.com/international-search-summit-berlin/
The meeting is known as the International Search Summit. The focus of the meeting is to bring together companies who specialize in online services particularly those interested in maintaining a global brand image, search marketing, and translations. There were a number of guest speakers who lectured on a number of topics but as one speaker reportedly pointed out – This was a meeting of companies interested in a multitude of topics which in many cases may or may not be interrelated. The example given was by Isabella Ballanti who stated that translators and search marketers are two different species.
I think this sort of conference could be beneficial to students such as ourselves. It can be incredibly beneficial when speakers such as Calijn van Lennep, member of the E-Commerce team at KLM, discussed the importance of maintaining brand image on global websites. I believe they are hosting this event in Berlin next year, and I feel it would make a great addition to the site visits.
resources:
http://www.internationalsearchsummit.com/berlin.html
http://www.stateofsearch.com/international-search-summit-berlin/
| Represent! Represent! |
I watched very little television the entire time I was in Germany. Something about watching Charlie Sheen speaking in a high pitched German voice, on a delay, was unappealing. The only thing keeping me even remotely aware of television was the World Cup, which was typically watched in public setting. However, in between the matches and at halftime I did manage to see some television commercials. From what I can remember, not a single individual depicted was anything but a white German. This also held true in most billboard advertising I saw as I traveled around the city. I can honestly say as a person who traveled around Berlin for about a month paying extra attention to its advertising, that I saw a complete lack of ethnic diversity in their campaigns.
In preparation for this trip I did read an article on npr.org that discussed the large Turkish population in Germany and a lack of representation in the media. The article discussed a phenomenon which exists in what western culture considers “racist” and what Germans misunderstand, as they consider their country monoracial. Therefore, they consider all Germans to be one race, and do not recognize or are generally unaware of the need to represent, what they describe as, “people of migrant origin.” This was no less truth after realizing that we, students of Florida International University, were staying in the very area of Berlin in which the article was written about, Wedding.
In a related blog, I discussed my encounters with a few Palestinian residents who hung out at a local bar in reference to where we were staying. In that entry I mentioned a discussion I had with those individuals about their advertising preferences, particularly how they felt they would be more likely to remember a product if they felt represented in its advertising. I even asked about products they purchased and which products they preferred, all of whom admitted they preferred brands from their country of origin. Essentially, despite specific targeting they were more likely to purchase culturally familiar brands.
In addition, I examined a global brand called H&M, and with another student, we attempted to breakdown how they managed to be so successful despite using one race in their advertising. While presenting that case in class there were students from other countries who recalled seeing advertising in their native country in which H&M had diversified their choice of models. The conclusion I drew from this was that financially this strategy must be working, otherwise it would be reexamined.
In summation, I would have to say that although Germans of “migrant origin” or “New” Germans feel underrepresented, advertisers have not stepped up their efforts to include this target. Either due to their preference in their own native brands, or due to the simple fact that corporations may not feel it is necessary as it relates to their bottom lines, I see no sense of urgency to remedy this situation. Even following our agency visit to McCann Erickson, in which we were given a sneak peak at their 2011 Lufthansa campaign, it was pointed out that roughly 1/10 images contained a non-white person. That one exception might have even been specifically targeting another country. This does not seem to be a concern for corporations selling products within predominantly white societies, although it should considering the rapid incline in “people of migrant origin.”
references:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99189265
In preparation for this trip I did read an article on npr.org that discussed the large Turkish population in Germany and a lack of representation in the media. The article discussed a phenomenon which exists in what western culture considers “racist” and what Germans misunderstand, as they consider their country monoracial. Therefore, they consider all Germans to be one race, and do not recognize or are generally unaware of the need to represent, what they describe as, “people of migrant origin.” This was no less truth after realizing that we, students of Florida International University, were staying in the very area of Berlin in which the article was written about, Wedding.
In a related blog, I discussed my encounters with a few Palestinian residents who hung out at a local bar in reference to where we were staying. In that entry I mentioned a discussion I had with those individuals about their advertising preferences, particularly how they felt they would be more likely to remember a product if they felt represented in its advertising. I even asked about products they purchased and which products they preferred, all of whom admitted they preferred brands from their country of origin. Essentially, despite specific targeting they were more likely to purchase culturally familiar brands.
In addition, I examined a global brand called H&M, and with another student, we attempted to breakdown how they managed to be so successful despite using one race in their advertising. While presenting that case in class there were students from other countries who recalled seeing advertising in their native country in which H&M had diversified their choice of models. The conclusion I drew from this was that financially this strategy must be working, otherwise it would be reexamined.
In summation, I would have to say that although Germans of “migrant origin” or “New” Germans feel underrepresented, advertisers have not stepped up their efforts to include this target. Either due to their preference in their own native brands, or due to the simple fact that corporations may not feel it is necessary as it relates to their bottom lines, I see no sense of urgency to remedy this situation. Even following our agency visit to McCann Erickson, in which we were given a sneak peak at their 2011 Lufthansa campaign, it was pointed out that roughly 1/10 images contained a non-white person. That one exception might have even been specifically targeting another country. This does not seem to be a concern for corporations selling products within predominantly white societies, although it should considering the rapid incline in “people of migrant origin.”
references:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99189265
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