MKT 265 Blog 3

I wouldn't say I follow any social media "influencers" because I don't use social media that much. The only people I follow on Facebook or Instagram who are not friends or family members are local companies or local individuals. I follow companies like small boutiques or local people like photographers or people who sell baked goods. My sister however, I big into Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson.

• What do you notice about this type of marketing?

These two have teamed up as a marketing strategy to bring in more followers. They are both liked individually however, their personalities together is bringing in more followers then ever. They are make up influencers that started off just reviewing makeup and products made by companies. They now have a successful make up line and my sister owns just about everything they sell.

• What strategies are they employing?

They are both using their fandom to marketing their products and turn a profit. They are also using strategies like having celebrity guests on their YouTube channel and by making their own products, their customers are able to market for them. Their line just launched a couple of months ago so for the last year they where building the products and giving their followers sneak peaks and their colors or products. When their make up launched they had so many people trying to buy on the website that it crashed for over 3 hours, my sister was one of these customers. She sat on her computer at work for over 3 hours trying to buy one pallet of make up. Since the launch they have also offered mini pallets, promotional items and mystery box's. They use their YouTube channel to promote these launches and let customers know when they will be available. By doing this they are creating curiosity which makes people want to buy their products.

• What role do these influencers play in marketing?

Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson do all of their own marking as they are brand ambassadors and owners of their company. Jeffree Star  is a marketing genius by coming out with products and thinking about every detail of his products and packaging. All of the names of the make up products are based on their YouTube channel and they have even spent time and money by organizing their colors in the pallet and making it look appealing. They both also put a lot of time and energy into the shape of the box and uses different materials to target the higher end market. Jeffree and Shane are also great about creating a hype on their products and post regularly on social media.

• How does the use of marketing perspective impact the relationship between the company and consumer?

 I spoke with my sister about this question because she is the customer and she said she honestly feels connected to the products. She followed the making of the conspiracy theory pallet for over a year and she felt so connected to it that she had to buy it no matter what it costed. She also said that she loves that Jeffree and Shane review other products and offers their opinion on them to help market other companies products. Lastly, she said because of how many videos they have made and seeing how much they really care about their products and their customers happiness it makes her feel like a valued customer and keeps her coming back to buy more items from them.

MKT 265 Blog 2

• What was done successfully to meet the wants and needs of the target audience?

The TV show The Voice has become very popular since it first aired in 2012. This show is so wildly popular because it appeals to such a wide range of people. The purpose of this show is to give singers a fighting chance who don’t fit the typical “look” of a super star singer. This show meets the needs of their audience by continuing to focus on good singers and less about appearance. They also go into the performers back stories and how much of a struggle it is to become a singer when you are either overweight or maybe have a deformity. This show continues to entertain American by showcasing great singers, having battles and hiring witty coaches who are well known and liked.

• How was the social and consumer experience addressed? Was this done successfully? Explain.

The Voice brings in the audience and views opinions by having them call in to vote on their favorite artist after a certain point in the show. By doing this, they are engaging with their audience and making this show more engaging for viewers. The producers of The Voice also have interactive polls and communications on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Lastly, The Voice has a great website that has all current and up to do date information about contestants and viewing times, but they also have back stories about previous performers and what they are doing now.

• How were the digital media followers handled?

NBC does a great job at advertising for The Voice and communicating with fans on the website. The Voice administrators that handle the social media accounts do a great job with keeping up with their daily posts and responding to their viewers. They are great about posting when shows are going to air and how to vote for the contestants. The Voice has a great social media following and they are very responsive to their followers. Having the power for their followers to Tweet and vote during live shows makes the viewing experience more entertaining.

• Is there something that could have been done differently to make that experience more efficient?

I don’t think that much else can be done to make the viewing experience of The Voice more efficient. They are very diligent with their marketing strategies and getting through to their viewers. I have been a long-time fan of this show and every year they continue to impress me with small changes in the competition such as changing the coaches or adding celebrity guests. I truly think they their long-term success can be attributed to their overly efficient marketing strategies and their commitment to their viewers.

MKT265 Blog 1

• What sites and/or applications do you visit most often? Describe the sites and applications that you identify.
• Do you have positive or negative reactions when using certain types of digital media?
• Do you find that your needs are satisfied using one type of digital media over another?
• Do you receive emails from companies? If so, what types of email catch your attention? What do you look for?
• What do you notice about the use of digital media in marketing today? Explain.

In the world of social media, I favor Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. I use Facebook to stay up to date on friends and families lives and communicate with some friends overseas. I use Snapchat primarily for news and sharing pictures of my son and dog. Lastly, I use Instagram primarily for watching tutorials on makeup, cooking, cleaning hacks and more. With all three of these social media sites I mostly have a positive reaction however, there are the occasional posts that come up that present a negative feeling. I am a new mother and when I see stories on my Facebook come up about children being harmed, I get very upset. 

Mostly, I feel more satisfied with Facebook over any other social media sites because I use the Marketplace application the most. The other social media sites do not offer a place to purchase local items. On average I would say I receive about 15 emails per day from companies promoting their products. The emails that catch my attention the most are the ones from the stores I shop at the most and the ones that are advertising big sales. I tend to only shop for my son these days so when I get emails, I look out for sales on baby clothes and formula. A new digital media tool I have noticed within the last year or so is when you are shopping on one site and you view an item you can bring up another browser and you tend to get an ad for the exact item at that store. Companies are using the use of digital tools to market products people have previously viewed but not purchased to entice them to come back and make the purchase.