Marketing of Everything

Action News Interview on Mobile Apps That Will Save You Money For the New Year

2012-01-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news%2Fconsumer%2Fsave_with_6abc&id=8491646

Facebook's Finer Points

2011-12-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

THIS WILL APPEAR IN SCHOOL BOARD MAGAZINE JAN 2012
Facebook’s Finer Points
Using Facebook to connect with your community? Make sure you’ve covered the basics.
By Jennifer Regina

Communication strategies are rapidly evolving and responding to the constant improvements in social media tools. School districts need to adapt and embrace the new marketing and communication tools in order to stay relevant, gain their constituents’ attention and be able to effectively gain attention in today’s high tech world.
If there were any doubt that your school district should be engaging the community via social media, consider these statistics: According to Nielsen State of the Media Report (2011), there are more than 800 million people on Facebook, while social media accounts for 22.5 percent of the time that Americans spend online. Americans spent an estimated 53.5 billion minutes on Facebook this past year, so it is important to gain a part of your community members’ time for your school district.
The first step in developing a comprehensive social media strategy is to decide on the objectives your school district would like to achieve throughout the year. Do you want to use a social media platform to engage, push out information, create dialogue, or educate? Do you want to drive traffic to your district website or use for feedback on upcoming important issues? Twitter and Facebook can be used as additional communication tools in your arsenal to enforce messages, events and news to your community.
Still hesitating? There are many excellent reasons that your district should be using social media as part of your communication strategy. People are already having conversations online about your school. It is important to know what they are saying and be able to respond if there is a negative backlash. Ignoring or pretending that negativity exists will not help your community relationships. Sometimes your own community will help diffuse issues on the social media sites. Crowd sourcing answers will help create dialogue and build trusting relationships. Districts can also use social media to respond to inclement weather conditions, closures and emergencies. Many districts are sending out Tweets for immediate alerts or updates.
Another great use of social media is that is allows you to create a close-knit alumni community that you can rely on for fundraising, support and dialogue. Blogging and YouTube/School Tube can be used to visually tell a story about your district’s accomplishments. Photos and videos offer an emotional connection that resonates on social media sites.

Rules of engagement
There are some basic rules that school districts need to follow to insure a successful social media launch. Foremost, have patience in building your fans and followers as it will grow organically. Make sure that you tell a compelling story as Facebook is a very loud and busy environment. You need to stand out and post content that is value added and engaging. The ultimate goal should be of developing long-term relationships that will lead to excellent two way communication. Districts also need to look to develop online partnerships with local business through Facebook. For example, your local school fundraisers can be cross-promoted on your Facebook partner’s walls as well as your own, leading to viral diffusion of your message. Don’t forget to reach out to radio DJs, local anchors, politicians, celebrities who can also be bearers of your messages and content.

A Facebook Business page
Please make sure that when you create a Facebook page for your district, you are creating a business page and not a personal page. There are many reasons why you need to create a business page. First of all, Facebook could close your page if you are using a personal account for business use. Secondly, a personal page is limited to 5000 friends, while a business page can have unlimited fans. Finally, a business page allows custom tabs, welcome tabs and gives you access to Facebook Insights, which provides weekly page analytics. More about that later.
School districts should have at least a basic Facebook Business page. Each business page is given a vanity URL link to easily communicate the direct link to the page to like. You can use this vanity URL in email blasts and embed your email signature. For example, my vanity URL is www.facebook.com/marketingeverything. I use this link as my email signature and post it on other walls to get new fans. I also share the link with my friends so that they can promote my services. Lastly, I can share this link on flyers or handouts to drive traffic to my Facebook Business Page. A school district could use a URL with the district’s own name in it.
Every Facebook Business Page has an administrator who can make changes and post as the school district. I highly suggest make multiple administrators to ensure that no one person has ultimate control over your page.

Facebook analytics
Facebook Insights provides weekly page analytics that can help page administrators see who is viewing their content, how much engagement is happening and which posts are most viral. The data will help you curate your page and result in a better and more effective use of your social media profiles.
For example, Facebook Insights will tell you the gender, age, and city of residence of viewers who are on your site, as well as their primary language. (The information comes from Facebook users’ own profiles.) You can see the number of “eyeballs” viewing your Facebook page, and tell what time of day people typically view your page. Knowing that people typically read your posts at 8 p.m., not 11 a.m. can help you post fresh information in a timely fashion. You can see which posts are shared most frequently so you know what type of information is important to your Facebook readers. You can also get a sense of how quickly information is disseminated through your page. I frequently use Facebook Insights just to check that clients are hitting the audience they want to reach. I recommend you examine your analytics closely each week.

Your social media policy
Another important consideration is to post a Social Media policy as a tab on your page so that you inform your fans as to what is allowed. You should also train your staff about what can be posted and send home a policy to your students and parents about rules of Facebook engagement. There are many barriers you can create to easily maintain control over your page content. First of all you can set profanity setting to “high” to eliminate any embarrassing posts. Your administrators will also get an immediate email notification when anything is posted (fresh content or comment) to your district’s wall. Anything negative or controversial can be deleted immediately. You will also know who posted the content and can reach out to them to discuss any concerns. Make sure your fans are engaged and don’t be afraid to float questions for feedback. A Facebook LIKE box should be integrated on your website for people to easily find your page. The @ sign with Facebook allows tagging and you can use this in many ways to create engagement. You can tag other partners on your wall with an @ to help promote their content and also ask them as well to tag your district to create live links and direction to your page.
Districts need to reach offline to create effective online partnerships. Cross promote on each other’s Facebook walls. If you do use Twitter, then make sure to connect Twitter to Facebook and have a custom Twitter tab on your profile. Add the district’s vanity Facebook URL to all employees’ email signatures to help drive traffic and also have it added to business cards. Create custom landing pages to offer Welcome Pages and more visually interesting pages. Districts should consider having a superintendent write a blog to educate and inform the community. The blog can also be added directly to the district’s Facebook page to ensure integration. Anytime a new blog post is added, it will automatically be updated to the Facebook page and to your fans’ newsfeed.

There are many app functions that allow districts to further customize their Facebook Pages. For example, one app called Scribd allows districts to upload PDFs, Excel, Word or PowerPoint documents directly to their page. Some schools are using this app to create a library of registration forms available directly on their Facebook Page. The forms can be shared, downloaded or printed.
The option of outsourcing Some additional advice: don’t be afraid to outsource. Companies such as mine are brought it to help setup a social media profile. We also provide training and strategy development. Many districts hire us temporarily to help them get their feet wet and then once the training wheels are off, they use another employee we have trained. There are many consultants who offer such services.
But before you do anything, a school district needs to decide on its objectives for its Facebook page, so you can use social media to integrate and strengthen your overall marketing plan. Tell a compelling story. Social Media provides an exciting opportunity to reach out to your community and engage them in a long term relationship. It is time to “Get Social!”

Jennifer Regina is chief executive officer of The Marketing of Everything, a social network marketing firm, and an adjunct professor of marketing at Rowan University. She can be reached at jenregina@comcast.net.

Tips on Using Social Media During a Natural Disaster

2011-08-26T11:40:00.001-07:00

Tips on Using Social Media During a Natural Disaster

August 25, 2011 By News Report
Last week’s earthquake on the East Coast was a preview of what to expect when Hurricane Irene approaches this weekend. Many people could not use their cell phones or land lines and had to rely on Twitter and Facebook to communicate. The immediate transfer of information that social networks provides becomes even more important during a natural disaster.

According to Jennifer Regina, a Rowan University (Glassboro, N.J.) adjunct professor of marketing and CEO of The Marketing of Everything, Washington Township, N.J., “The best thing to do is also have an action plan in place for communicating with your loved ones during a natural disaster.”

She suggests:
Have an agreed-upon plan of communicating. Make sure your family knows if you are going to be tweeting your condition or will be communicating via texting or Facebook.
Make sure you have your communication devices fully charged. Charge your laptop and cell phone to their full capacity every night. Even consider purchasing an extended or backup battery for your devices.
Pay attention to government and news agencies’ social media posts. Subscribe to their posts so they will be sent directly to your phone via text. Many state and local agencies are aggressively using their social media profiles to communicate quickly about disasters. Already hurricane evacuation information is spreading quickly through Twitter.
Establish agreed-upon times for your loved ones to post updates. For example, every hour update your health or the status of your location. Social networks also can be used to warn others of impending disasters. Many in New York City saw tweets from their friends in Washington, D.C. about an earthquake and seconds later felt it themselves. Many people stay glued to social networks to see how others are handling storms that are approaching and gleaning valuable tips.
“This weekend’s hurricane will be another example of how social media networks will help families communicate and governments issue warnings and updates,” Regina said.

Social Media Expert Advises Making Communication Plan Ahead of Irene

2011-08-26T11:39:00.001-07:00

Social Media Expert Advises Making Communication Plan Ahead of Irene
August 26, 2011 11:34 AM
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Reporting Karin Phillips
Filed Under

GLASSBORO, N.J. (CBS) -- A local expert says social media will become even more important — perhaps even invaluable — if used properly during the passage of Hurricane Irene.

Rowan University marketing professor Jennifer Regina says Tuesday’s earthquake was just a preview. Many people will have to rely on social media to communicate during Irene, she says.

“Really, the best thing that you need to do right now is come up with an action plan. So start texting or e-mailing your friends and family and decide on how you are going to communicate when you are isolated,” Regina advises.

And, she adds, decide on agreed-upon times for your loved ones to post updates: perhaps update your health and the status of your location hourly.

Hear Karin Phillips’ full interview with Jennifer Regina in this CBS Philly “Specials Place” podcast…

South Jersey Seniors Using Technology To Stay In Touch

2011-06-30T11:56:00.001-07:00

South Jersey seniors using technology to stay in touch
Published: Thursday, June 30, 2011, 4:00 AM
By Kristina Pritchett/Gloucester County Times Gloucester County Times

Shirley Gregoris from West Deptford smiles at as she looks at a picture on Facebook, of her granddaughter and great granddaughter. Staff Photo by Tim Hawk/Gloucester County Times
Staying in touch with family members is proving to be easier for most senior citizens in South Jersey.

Grandparents are able to stay connected anywhere in the world by using Facebook, Skype, text messaging and emailing.

“I have a Facebook, a Myspace and a Twitter,” said Joe Ali, a 77-year-old resident of Clementon. “But I mostly use Facebook.”

Ali, who has been on Facebook for about five years, uses the social media website to stay in contact with his four children and 10 grandchildren.

“It’s easier to use these technologies because my one son is always traveling and he can read and then respond to me when he has the time,” Ali said.

Ali and his family are very close and socialize very often, and using the social media site helped link the family together.

“Even though my grandchildren swear I’m a spy for their parents,” Ali joked. “I’d never get them in trouble though.”

The uses of technology allows family members who talked once a week to now have the ability to talk once a day.

Dolores Quenzel, 79, who lived in Woodbury for 65 years and now lives in Astaro, Fla., connects with family everyday through the Internet.

“Facebook is my life line,” Quenzel said. “I get to see things I normally would miss. I get to see prom preparations and eighth grade graduations.”

Quenzel, who has four grandchildren and three children, stays in contact everyday through the website and text messaging.

“My granddaughter and grandson taught me how to text and sometimes we talk more than once a day,” Quenzel said. “It’s great.”

Jennifer Regina, a marketing professor at Rowan University, believes that people go to Facebook for communication because it has an easy learning curve.

“Even senior citizens realize how quick it is to become proficient,” Regina said.

Regina added that Facebook allows them to discover friends, people that they would not be able to find without the website.

“Facebook searches through high schools, colleges and job profiles that make it easy to find people,” Regina said.

Regina said the fastest growing market is 50 plus on Facebook and that the ease of use will continue to make it a great tool to stay connected.

Besides using the social media sites, seniors are looking to email as a way to stay in touch.

Originally from the Vineland area, Mary Lou Freshcoln uses Facebook and emailing to keep in contact with family and friends.

Freshcoln, 78, checks her email and Facebook everyday.

“Sometimes I get up to 50 emails a day, all of which I try to answer,” Freshcoln said.

Frescholn uses the technologies to stay in contact with her six children and 14 grandchildren, and all but one use Facebook.

“I use these things everyday so that I can see how my friends and family are doing. I check up on their health,” Freshcoln said.

Emailing not only has allowed people to stay in touch, but to separate the professional from the personal.

Kathy Smith, a 62-year-old resident of Williamstown, has been using the computer for over 10 years and has accumulated five email accounts.

“I have one for Facebook, one for Myspace, I have a Yahoo account, I have Gmail account and I have a Verizon account,” Smith said.

Smith said the reason behind all the email accounts was to be able to keep everything separated from one another.

“I tried to have different emails for different people. And I added more accounts when we had Comcast then switched to Verizon. So I made the Yahoo account because it was easier than emailing everyone about the Verizon email.”

For a faster way to communicate with family, seniors look to their phones for text messaging.

“Oh I text all the time, I had to go to unlimited otherwise my phone bill would be through the roof,” said June Peterson, a 64-year-old resident of Ocean City.

Peterson finds text messaging a more convenient way to speak to family, friends and co-workers.

“It’s a lot easier to send a text then to call and leave a voicemail. Then you have to hope they listen to the voicemail. With a text message you have a higher chance of them seeing it,” Peterson said.

Peterson has two sons and two granddaughters that she stays in contact with everyday.

“With my sons, I text them everyday, and then when we want to Skype we text a time then we meet up on Skype.”

Peterson said she uses Skype at least once a week to talk to her son in California or to chat with her granddaughters.

Text messaging has allowed people to be more comfortable during a conversation.

Tina Poole Finocchairo, a 59-year-old resident of Swedesboro, would rather send a text message than talk on the phone.

“I’ve always had this natural thing where I’d rather send an email or text. Phone conversations were never really my thing.”

Finocchairo has two children that she constantly texts everyday. She also sends messages to friends and other family members.

“My niece spends a lot of time in the hospital, (so) texting is our primary source of communication,” Finocchairo said. “It’s just more simple this way.”

Regina adds that the trend of social media and the use of technology to communicate is popular due to the fact that there is a higher response rate.

“Senior citizens are always looking for ways to make their lives easier and still allow them to keep in touch with their family and friends,” Regina said.

With generations living further apart, technology has filled the gap to tie families together, Regina said.

“Skype, texting and social media all allow people to keep instantly engaged and updated in lives that otherwise they would be missing out on,” Regina said.

Social Studies Article in SJBiz Magazine

2011-06-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

Social Studies

by Jessica Beym
You may be a pro at working a room, but working a chat room requires a whole different skill set. Here’s how to start making social media work for you.
Whether they’re announcing dinner specials, posting recent real estate listings, offering information about new products or answering customer questions, more and more businesses throughout South Jersey are connecting with their clients through social media.

And those who aren’t tuned in to the benefits of Facebook or Twitter need to update their status immediately, says Jennifer Regina, marketing professor at Rowan University’s Rohrer College of Business.

“The key part of social media is communication. That’s the ultimate goal,” says Regina, who’s also chief executive of The Marketing of Everything, a social media consulting company.

Businesses that are just starting out can use social sites to build brand awareness, promote their services and products, establish relationships, bill themselves as experts, and share news. Even minimal investments in social media can yield substantial results. Here’s what you need to know to get started on the road to social success.

Select Your Site
Many businesses elect to use some combination of social media sites, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube. “Facebook has the biggest user base,” says Howard Yermish, a Burlington County-based Internet strategist and online marketing expert.

“Twitter isn’t for everyone,” he adds, noting that many people don’t understand how to connect with others on the microblogging network. Yermish likens Twitter to the ham radio networks of years past, where amateur users would broadcast messages to each other and tune in for specific conversations. Instead, on Twitter, users add the “#” symbol, known as a hashtag, to categorize a post under a given topic. This enables companies to latch onto trending topics, or even create a conversation surrounding their own business. This can allow the savvy to solicit ideas and opinions to help improve their products and services.

“Once you know how [Twitter] operates, you can do amazing things with it,” Yermish says.

Making Friends
Online contacts can include a mix of current clients and new prospects. If you’re just starting out, it may be helpful to offer incentives for new friends and those who recommend you, Regina says. She suggests business owners offer discounts to users who sign up.

As well, be sure to spread the word within your existing network. “The most important thing to remember when developing a business page is to suggest it to your friends,” Regina says. “Then, you want signage in your store saying, ‘Find us on Facebook.’”

Constant Contact
Once you’ve built up your friend count, it’s vital to keep the posts coming on a regular schedule.

Many companies create a Facebook page and post once a month or so, Regina notes. “That’s not enough,” she warns. “If you’re not in their news feed, they’re not seeing you. You need to be there so they click on your links.”

That’s just what Erin Kelley has been doing at the United Way of Camden County for the past two years on Facebook and Twitter. At least once a day they post something for their followers, whether it’s photos from a live event, links to articles about the United Way or news about upcoming initiatives. “We want to give people information they’re interested in and keep them informed about issues that are important in their lives and the investments they’re making through us,” Kelley says.

As a nonprofit, the United Way would normally need to set aside money for advertising efforts.

By contrast, Facebook is free. “And it’s fun. It’s not a huge e-mail you have to put together. Changing a status or sharing an article is a lot smaller of a job than to prepare a newsletter, and that’s how people want their information these days,” Kelley says. “Talking to my donors needs to happen all day every day, and Facebook is an easy way to do that.”

Building Relationships
The best social media users do more than just promote themselves to online friends; they build relationships. One example is the international gluten-free food company Schar, which is constructing U.S. headquarters in South Jersey. Schar frequently posts recipes for some of their latest products on Facebook.

When they held the groundbreaking for a new manufacturing facility in Pureland Industrial Park in Logan Township, they were quick to upload photos and video of the event. Many of their 5,000 Facebook friends commented back. They were excited to hear the news.

“Through Facebook, we can keep in touch with those customers who do not visit our website on a daily basis,” says Jasper Radeke, marketing communication associate for Schar USA, Inc. Since joining the network in July 2010, Schar has crafted plans to expand its online offerings, including posting videos on healthy gluten-free living ideas and offering advice for people recently diagnosed with celiac disease.

Most importantly, says Yermish, social media marketers need to focus on the quality of their interactions, not just the quantity. Twitter users should engage their followers, rather than limiting posts to promotional content. “To get people engaged, do what you would do at a networking event,” Yermish says. “Talk to people about things they find interesting. Ask questions people might comment on.”

And, be prepared to set aside the time required to respond to their comments and questions—turning the online interaction into a true conversation.

Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Biz, Volume 1, Issue 5 (May, 2011

Quotes on Rowan Engineer Professor's New App Pikme

2011-05-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

GLASSBORO — Attention all teachers: Ever have trouble remembering a student's name? Find it difficult to get your charges involved in the classroom?

There's an app for that.
Rowan University's Dr. Smitesh Bakrania has invented an iPhone app called Pikme that will help improve the way teachers learn students' names and encourage better student participation.
It all started with a bout of nervousness in 2008 after Bakrania, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, joined the Rowan faculty.
"I was going to have over 35 new faces in my class, and I was worried that I would not be able to remember their names," he recalls. "While preparing for my first course, I came upon the idea for Pikme."
At first, Bakrania saved the names of his students and their photographs on his iPhone. Then he considered what other uses instructors might have for smart phones in the classroom.
Bakrania wanted Pikme to randomly select students to participate in class and get them involved in lectures. And he also wanted a way for professors to grade student input.
Last fall Bakrania enlisted the support of senior mechanical engineering student Ryan Sikorski to help develop the app.
Sikorski, of Blackwood, and a classmate, Mike Goldberg of Voorhees, designed, coded and programmed the app. About three weeks ago, Bakrania says, the app in its final form was submitted to the Apple Store and approved.
"It's exciting that the actual development of the app was done by Rowan students," says Bakrania. "Ryan made it into reality."
Bakrania says once the app is in place a teacher simply shakes the phone, and a student's face will pop up on the screen. After a question is asked and answered (or not answered), the instructor can apply a rating system based on how the student responded.
The app will select each student in the class once, then refresh itself and start over.
"I want my classes to be very interactive; I want everyone to be involved," says Bakrania. "And the app also allows me to get better feedback on how I'm doing -- whether or not I'm reaching the students."

But will the students like Pikme?

"I think everybody would be kind of afraid knowing that they're going to be picked (to answer questions)," said Zachary Toman, an engineering major from Flemington who will be a senior in the fall. "But I feel it could actually help with the classes because it would make sure the students are more prepared.
"And now no one can say the professor is singling them out. It's the app."
Jennifer Regina, an adjunct professor at Rowan, says anything that will get students more active in class is a plus.
It's a huge challenge nowadays for any professor to keep the attention of students.
"And they're scared to participate. But they love technology stuff. So I think for the student this will be a cool way for the professor to try and engage them. It gives the professor a cool factor.
"Also, it's a very organized way of keeping track of students," Regina added. "It will be a great tool for my iPad and I'll be using it in the fall."
The Pikme app is currently free from iTunes for the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
Reach Joe Cooney at (856) 317-7830 or email jcooney@camden.gannett.com

Article: New Global Communication Weapon May Be Mixing Street Protesting and Social Media

2011-03-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Newswise — With many Americans concerned about rising gas prices, state budgets and inflation — and with battle lines drawn in several states between governments and unions — the U.S. can expect more social media “wars" in the near future.

“Union protesters will take to the streets and use social media to communicate their message in order to build support,” said Rowan University (Glassboro, N.J.) adjunct marketing professor Jennifer Regina, who also is CEO of a marketing firm that specializes in social media (The Marketing of Everything, Washington Township, N.J.).

The subject of unions using social media is in its infancy, but organizers in Wisconsin have demonstrated success with it, and Regina expects more state groups to follow that example.

“The ease of creating groups and engaging participants is the biggest benefit of social media. Although it is easy to collect members, the key is to create an atmosphere where action is taken by those members,” Regina said. “It can be as simple as calling their government official, donating time or material or taking a stand in the streets or courthouse.”

Regina said organizers also can use Twitter to inform people on the route of a protest or what supplies and materials to bring. In a few short days, a very organized group can be formed and messages communicated on the fly.

Of course, both sides of the battle can use social media. State governments also can employ social media to create a more effective way to communicate their messages to their constituents.

“Officials will use social media to persuade residents what needs to be accomplished in order to turn the souring financial picture around,” Regina said.

Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker has used Twitter effectively in the past to communicate with the state’s residents, Regina said. “In December 2010, he used Twitter to tell residents about the city’s snow emergency. He created an open channel of communication and asked people to tweet him information about the city. Many people asked for help during the storm and were helped after tweeting requests to Booker,” she noted.

Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools can be used in any forum or for any agenda. “As long as state governments create their social media channels as forms of open communication, they can create trust,” Regina said.

“Residents will feel that their comments and thoughts are taken seriously and, in return, they will be more open to listening to what government officials have to say.”

With many states facing similar issues compared to Wisconsin, the trend will be for both sides of a problem to air their fight publicly and in social media channels, the professor added. “There is a correct way to properly navigate these new communication methods,” she said, “and those who don’t embrace the rules will lose the social media war.”

http://www.newswise.com/articles/from-wisconsin-to-new-jersey-the-new-global-communication-weapon-may-be-mixing-street-protesting-and-social-media?ret=/articles/channels&channel=22&category=breaking&page=2&search%5Bstatus%5D=3&search%5Bsort%5D=date+desc&search%5Bchannel_id%5D=22

Rowan Article on How Social Media can Help De-Stress Moms Published in India Newspaper

2011-03-30T20:13:00.001-07:00

Social media can help stressed-out and overworked mothers, says an expert.
Today's moms know that time is their most precious commodity. School, homework, activities, dinner and bedtime make for a grueling schedule that most moms have to face on a daily basis.

One solution to help with the burden -- and to help moms not pull out their hair -- is to become more organized and use technology to make life easier, said Jennifer Regina, an adjunct professor of marketing in the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University (Glassboro, N.J.) and founder and CEO of The Marketing of Everything (Washington Township, N.J.).

According to The NPD Group, 79 percent of moms with children younger than 18 actively use social media, said Regina.
They rely heavily on blogs and Facebook to decide what to buy and what brands to promote through their word-of-mouth channels.
Additionally, 55 percent of moms have purchased a product because of a blog, and 40 bought a product because they saw it on Facebook.

“Word of mouth is critical for moms making purchases. The first place moms will go to are other moms in order to come up with the brands or products they should be considering in their product choices,” she said.
Social media, she said, have provided the platform that has allowed those word-of-mouth referral to flourish.

For example, Regina said, CafeMom is one of the largest resources for moms with any questions on a multitude of topics.
For the mom who has a very mobile lifestyle, social cell phone applications have been developed to make even life's milestones easier.
Pregnant women can use Mom 2 Be, which is a pregnancy app that tracks the baby's progress through statistics and even allows the mother-to-be to share tri-semester information with friends and family.
Every mother needs help in the kitchen, Regina said. The Mom's Shopping List cell phone application allows anyone to quickly create a shopping list.
Some fun mobile applications are available. The first is the Ask Mom app. This will not only entertain kids but also provide great conversation starters. It covers cute questions that kids would ask their mom.

“Even if a child can't read, the application allows him or her to tap on words, and the question is read out loud,” Regina said.

Another favorite app is Sit or Squat, which provides a very important service: help for moms to find the nearest bathroom for their toddler who is participating in toilet boot camp.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/social-media-can-help-stressedout-overworked-mothers/767951/?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d934fac4c578dfa%2C0

My ABC Action News Interview with Amy Buckman on Mobile Money Apps

2011-03-30T20:11:00.001-07:00

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/consumer/save_with_6abc&id=7957642

Action News Interview on GeoCoupon Apps with Amy Buckman - 2011

2011-01-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/video?id=7895418&pid=7882840

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/researcher-to-facebook-resisters-get-with-it-0739/

2010-11-19T18:09:00.001-08:00

http://www.newswise.com/articles/facebook-everybody-is-doing-it-why-aren-t-you

2010-11-19T13:43:00.001-08:00

Everybody is doing it. Why aren't you?

2010-11-19T13:40:00.001-08:00

Facebook: Everybody is doing it. Why aren’t you?
Parents, cousins, grandparents and even the British Monarch have embraced the lure of Facebook. According to Mashable.com, Buckingham Palace is starting a Facebook Fanpage that will feature a mixture of news, links and videos. If you have not yet joined the 500 million people on Facebook, here are some reasons from Rowan University adjunct marketing professor Jennifer Regina on why you should consider becoming part of the growing Facebook family.
Connection: The most basic benefit to Facebook is the ability to connect or reconnect with family and friends. You are able to see instantaneously what family happenings are occurring. Pictures, videos and announcements are easily updated, and you are never left with a feeling of being uninformed. Happy birthday wishes, baby announcements and wedding pictures are posted through Facebook and not sent through the mail anymore.
Promotion: Facebook should be used to promote yourself. If you are also a business owner, then you should be using it to advertise your company, too. “I tell my college students that branding yourself is very important,” Regina said. Create a visual, online portfolio of your education, accomplishments and pictures of yourself. Make sure your avatar image on Facebook is professional and your links and comments reflect your areas of interest. No matter how small your business, you should have a separate Facebook Fanpage established. A Fanpage does not limit you to 5,000 friends, unlike a personal page, and allows you to promote your business on Facebook. Some companies that have a great company Fanpage and have embraced integrating social media into their marketing campaigns are Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, Walgreens and Us Weekly.
Networking: In this economy you should have established a presence on Facebook just to keep your networking current. Facebook allows you to reach out to friends, former bosses and coworkers and to keep informed about potential job opportunities. “I have helped companies in the past find employees by just posting an announcement in my status. It is amazing how fast the word spreads on Facebook,” Regina said.
Awareness: Facebook can become your best source of news. By joining Fanpages and Groups that reflect your interests, you are able to get a constant stream of individualized information to your news stream and your phone. “I find out about marketing news, local news and weather all from my Facebook newsfeed,” she noted.
“Facebook offers so many unique benefits that individuals and companies should be easily and freely taking advantage of to help make their lives and companies more efficient. The first social media site you should investigate is Facebook. The opportunities to learn and communicate and are endless.” Said Regina, who also owns the Washington Township-based marketing firm The Marketing of Everything.

(NOTE: You can follow Regina at her blog at http://themarketingofeverything.blogspot.com
or her company website at http://www.marketingofeverything.com.

College students should use social media for job searching.

2010-08-07T15:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.womenofgloucestercounty.com/Press-Releases/Archive/College-Students-Should-Use-Social-Media_117.asp

Marketing During a Recession

2010-07-25T16:46:00.001-07:00

http://themarketingofeverything.blogspot.com/2008/12/marketing-adaptation-during-recession.html

New Jersey needs marketing help ASAP!

2010-03-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

What is New Jersey known for? I decided to see for myself by plugging in that exact question into a search engine. The result via wiki.answers.com was not that exciting: Jersey tomatoes, corn, the Turnpike, the Sopranos, the Jersey Shore. And yes, the answer was referring to the beautiful coastline of the Jersey shore, not the “The Jersey Shore” MTV show. New Jersey has gotten a bad reputation over the years, but it has taken an extra pummeling this year. Television shows such as “Real Housewives of New Jersey” haven't helped much to improve the state’s image.

Just last week, my local Wal-mart in Turnersville, N.J., made the national news. Some buffoons decided to announce racist remarks via the announcement system. New Jersey continues to get bad press, and quick action needs to take place to revive the state’s image.

Recently released data from The Tax Foundation shows “NJ has the second highest state sales tax rate.” New Jersey also always leads the pack in highest property taxes too. FUN! I believe that when a product, service or image is cycling downward it needs a marketing intervention. New Jersey needs to be rebranded or repositioned into a cool, dynamic, exciting state that its residents can be proud to live within.

Do you remember when Cadillac wasn’t so cool? Or how Buick has tried to reposition itself as a younger, hip carmaker with the use of spokesman Tiger Woods (big, big mistake that has Buick execs kicking themselves).

As a Rowan University adjunct marketing professor and a marketing consultant, I have decided to create a rebranding plan for the state. The key component of developing a positive brand image is to create a feeling with the customers via an experience, logo, name, service. New Jersey needs to first conduct some marketing research as to what its residents would like to showcase as their state brand symbol. (One big problem might be the ongoing debate regarding whether North and South Jersey should be two separate states.)

The elements of repositioning constitute a need to move New Jersey into a more positive light. The definition of repositioning according to Marketing by Lamb, Hair and McDaniel is “changing consumer’s perceptions of a brand in relation to competing brands.” New Jersey’s competing brands are at this point every other state since most have a better image. The current New Jersey motto is “Liberty and Prosperity.” With all the taxes we have had to deal with, I doubt that this motto is being realized by many residents. It is time to take inventory of what New Jersey has to offer, including incredible natural resources, history, industries, educational facilities and cultural (opportunities) and come up with a new focus.

Let’s create a country-wide buzz that causes New Jersey to be “THE” state that everyone in our country wants to live in. Compare it to a hot club that promotes itself and has everyone wanting to be invited. Below are some ideas that New Jersey needs to consider as part of its new marketing plan:

1) No taxes. I can personally guarantee that this will improve the state’s image overnight. Not only that, but we will have people fighting to buy our homes, come shop at our stores and create new businesses.

2) Make Lady Gaga our state spokesperson. She is constantly on the news and has shown in her recent video “Telephone” that she is the master at product placement. Ask her to use New Jersey in her next video, and the free public relations we will get promoting the state will be worth millions of dollars.

3) The state should produce "The Real Houses of the Jersey Shore.” It will showcase the gorgeous shore houses from Cape May to Loveladies and how real citizens enjoy the beaches. The episodes can run on YouTube and be promoted via social media channels.

4) Showcase education – New Jersey has amazing depth in its educational facilities including Princeton, Rowan, Rutgers and Ramapo College of New Jersey. Use successful graduates of these colleges in commercials and in public relations for the state.

New Jersey can be rescued. We can become more than the little sister to New York and Pennsylvania. A little tweaking of New Jersey's image could make us the state "Where Everyone Craves To Live" or the state where "Beauty, Culture, Liberty and Prosperity Collide." It's just a marketing and public relations plan away!

KYW Newsradio interview on Marketing of Tiger Woods

2010-02-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.kyw1060.com/Expert-Says-Tiger-s-Apology-is-Halfway-to-Recovery/6401682

Newsradio

E-Mail StoryPrint StoryShareThisText Size: A A A Email Story

Posted: Friday, 19 February 2010 3:27PM

Expert Says Tiger Woods' Apology is Only Halfway to Career Recovery

by KYW's Karin Phillips

A local marketing expert says Friday's public apology by Tiger Woods was a smart move and, if he behaves himself, the golf great could even get his sponsorships back.

Tiger Woods Apology -- The Full Story

Jennifer Regina, an adjunct professor of marketing at Rowan University, says that Woods is doing -- or needs to do -- a four step program to get his career and image back on track.

First, she says, fix the problem, which he's doing with his sex therapy. Second, apologize, which we've seen (above). Third, disappear for a while, and rebuild his image.

"And, of course, stay in golf, whether it's donating time with children or his foundations. That will bring some of the respect back."

Regina believes that Tiger's image could recover. After all, she says, Britney Spears recently got her Candies shoe sponsorship back after she shaved her head and attacked

http://newsblaze.com/story/2010012814200300004.wi/topstory.html

2010-01-29T10:47:00.001-08:00

Time Versus Things

2010-01-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

In the last decade more and more companies have been successful in providing services to allow parents to free up their precious time from duties/errands. Services such as home delivery dry cleaning, maids, nannies, and lawn care companies have exploded in suburban markets. The idea is to use these services to free up time to spend hopefully with your family or loved ones.

The trend that I am noticing is that using these services has become addictive in the sense that EVERY duty is being hired out. I recently read an article about companies that will now teach your child how to ride a bike, or how do homework or just about anything that involves parental/child interaction. If we don't participate in these with our kids are we not developing any type of memories on an emotional level?

Someone who I have the highest admiration and respect for recently asked me what I remember most about my childhood: emotions/memories or things. Although I have a memory or two about a unique gift (such as the Christmas I got Intellivision), overall I remember the time I shared with my family the most. I was brought up by parents who believed that time was more important than things. They would spend their time just playing board games, kicking a soccer ball, doing art projects, making up games such as "Monster on the Sofa". This complicated game consisted of my brother and I using pillows to take out the Monster (aka my Dad) on the floor and run to the safe-house which was a chair across the room. I also clearly remember my Dad running behind me teaching me to ride my bike. Or vivid memories of washing my grandfather's car every Sunday with my brother.

It is the people that I remember...not things.
The time that I was lucky enough to spend with them.

The challenge now I have as a parent is fighting against the materialism and impatience of the consumer cycle. To show kids that things won't bring happiness, but interaction and relationships with people will. On some days I feel it is an uphill battle that I will never win. Other days I see a glimmer of hope as I dodge the pillow aimed at my head from my little monsters on the sofa.

Thanks again LC for your comments which gave me the idea for this post!!

2009-06-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

College Students Should Be Using Social Media as an Essential Part of Their Job Search

2009-04-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

With the unemployment rate hovering around 8%, 2009 college graduates are facing one of the most difficult job markets in our country’s history. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers plan to increase their college hiring by just 1.3 percent this year over 2008, the weakest outlook in six years.
As a University Professor I have sadly noticed a huge increase in the number of students seeking my help to find work after graduation. I have also been contacted frequently from ex-students who have been laid off from their first job out of college. Many students are now asking for my assistance in both resume consultation and alternative job seeking methods. Students should consider using social media as part of their job search strategy. Many people are familiar with social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook for having fun with friends and family. These can also be used to conduct a very successful job search.
Let’s first look at Twitter. Twitter is a social media website that allows you to follow/be followed by individuals who have the same interests as you. By cultivating your own network on Twitter of people who work in the same industry, it allows you to keep a pulse on what is happening within your area of expertise. It allows you to network with people and utilize excellent word of mouth to job search. Don’t be afraid to “Tweet” that you are looking for a job and what your experience is within the industry. Tweets get noticed and garner responses.
Twitter is also overflowing with recruiters nowadays. You can follow recruiters and search job postings. Many of the most followed Twitterers have links to their blogs where they are now posting premium job listings. One example would be follow @smheadhunter on Twitter. You can also search recruiter, headhunter, job posts, industries for more jobs and also join TweetMyJobs.com. This website offers new job postings sent directly to you via Twitter.
College students should also be subscribing to blogs that have job listings. I have found many of these excellent blogs via Twitter. One of my absolute favorites is Guy Kawasaki’s blog How to Change the World. His blog has a section where he offers an excellent list of job opportunities (http://jobs.guykawasaki.com/a/jbb/find-jobs).
LinkedIn is another great tool to use to look for employment as it can replace the traditional networking events. LinkedIn allows you to set up a professional looking resume and online recommendation/reference section. I suggest to students to target specific companies and then try and reach out and make a connection to a current employee. LinkedIn can allow you to gain introductions to others this way and perhaps find an internship or garner an informational interview.
Facebook is very popular with college students because it allows them to socialize with their friends and family. They also should be using Facebook to position themselves as a viable candidate for their industry. I have written blogs before about how college students should be creating a personal brand. They need to differentiate themselves from the competition. If students have relevant blogs, they should be linking them to their FB account. They should use FB to advertise their talents and make sure that their FB friends are aware of their job search. Facebook Chat is another great way of meeting and networking with your friends. Use it to start conversations or garner advice for your job source.
Another way to utilize the internet to improve your job search is by the use of Yahoo Pipes. On John Barker’s blog InspiredMind (www.d3sync.com/blog), he explains how to “Take the Job out of Job Search”. Barker uses Yahoo Pipes to combine, sort and massage data from a number of different websites. Barker gives a great example of how to search for a job in his industry. “The search I created pulled a feed from three sources: Dice, Craigslist, and jobs.zend.com and then searched for keywords [LAMP, PHP, SQL, DB, Python, RoR, Ruby, Rails, Apache, Programmer] in the city of San Francisco, CA. This allows me to easily sort through and identify from a list of jobs that pertain to only what really applies to my line of work and location.”
Just an end note: I met John Barker through a social media website called BrightKite. I posted on the site about the idea for this article. Within one hour he had offered his expertise by providing me with this entry on his blog. Just an example of how quick, supportive and relevant it is to be using social media sites…especially if you are in the market for a job. College students can’t afford not to be using social media as an integral part of their job hunt strategy.

The Marketing of Guilt

2009-01-19T18:57:00.000-08:00

I recently watched The Sex and The City Movie and in it a pregnant Charlotte confides to Carrie that she is afraid her life is too perfect.....that something is going to happen to ruin it. She is afraid she will lose her child because she finally has it all. She can't believe that she can be happy.....that everything is finally positive in her life. Those thoughts resonate with me because I also believe the same thing. When things are going really well in my life, I sometimes feel guilty about enjoying it to the fullest because I am too busy waiting for disaster to strike. Some might say I am jaded, but when it happens time and time again to you it becomes harder to enjoy the perfect times.....knowing that just around the corner you are going to get hit by a Mack Truck.

Here are my reasons:
Got married and then I lost my MomMom who lived with me growing up and was like a second Mom to me.
Had my first child and my husband's Father past away. He also almost lost his Mom three months later. He still says to this day he doesn't remember the first year of our son's life.
Had my daughter and a week later my Mom had a Grand Mal Seizure and almost died.
My list goes on and on.....but I am sure I made my point.

From the business side, marketers also love to pile on the guilt when it comes to selling products or lifestyles. They use guilt to sell you sunblock (skin cancer), diet products (you don't want to be fat) and even vacations(you are not spending enough time with your family). I can't remember the last time I got through a day where I wasn't made to feel guilty about something in my life. Perhaps it started with the religion I was raised with. I remember being guilty of committing a sin, guilty of not going to confession enough, or guilty because I didn't finish the rosary as penance. The guilt continued to grow as I entered adulthood. Now I think my guilt is so internalized that it becomes more difficult to figure out if I am living my life to make everyone else happy or if I should be following a different path.

There are companies that are using guilt to market in a different way. One example of a company using "Guilt Marketing for the Good of the Consumer" that I found on Dan's Bullets Blog (Dan Henderson) is Esser Vineyards.

"Manfred Esser launched his own wine label. Esser Vineyards is now one of California's newest hot contenders, despite competition with, as Esser puts it, "about 80,000 different competitors." How does he do it? Esser calls it "guilt marketing."
"You treat your customers soooo well, that you create a sense of obligation for them to come back for more. And, even more than that, to become ambassadors for your company. They actually feel guilty if they forget about you."
He's not recommending tricks or or cleverness or high-pressure selling and hard closing. He's recommending a quality product and treating your customers like Kings and Queens. Make them feel special. Let them know you really care about them for even the smallest purchase.
It's rapport building and relationship building. And it works".

I agree with essence of Esser's marketing philosophy because I can't even escape guilt when purchasing products or services. I have my favorite brands that I have developed an emotional attachment with whether Disney, Adidas, and Victoria Secret. If I just happen to purchase a competitor I feel a small tinge of guilt. I guess those companies have wooed me enough that I feel like I am "cheating" on them by purchasing elsewhere.

Esser's style of guilt marketing works well in personal relationships too. I feel that if you treat your friends and family the same way......with dedication, sincerity, and love they will never forget you too!! As for dealing with guilt.....I hope that with age comes less of it.

The Marketing of Social Norms/Rules

2009-01-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Marketing of Social Norms/Rules

I have been fascinated with the idea of what people consider normal. What rules are we supposed to follow? Which ones can we break without much repercussion? The idea of linking norms to marketing has also occurred as a way of implementing change. This idea of social norms marketing became extremely popular in early 2000.

According to the New York Times, "Social-norms marketing is the science of persuading people to go along with the crowd. The technique works because people are allelomimetic -- that is, like cows and other herd animals, our behavior is influenced by the behavior of those around us. The technique stems from a watershed study conducted by H. Wesley Perkins, a professor of sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y. Perkins found that students consistently overestimated how much alcohol their fellow students drank. In turn, these students drank more themselves, in an attempt to meet their misperceived standard of normalcy. Northern Illinois University began the first social-norms marketing campaign on a college campus in 1990, using newspaper ads, posters and handouts to deliver the message that, contrary to popular belief, most students had fewer than five drinks when they partied. By 1999, incidents of heavy drinking (five or more drinks) by Northern Illinois University students was down 44 percent. "So what is normal?

How hard it is too change the idea of normal? Is it normal to cheat, lie and steal your way through life? What is considered thin? Is it normal for most marriages to fail? How normal is it for someone to be successful...strike it rich? Everytime see a social commentary on some everyday life fact.....more teenagers are having sex, most college students have drinking problems, etc...I find the need to dig deeper. What are the actual facts and real data? Is everyone really doing it?

I find so many ads targeting young people and pushing some made up ideal of what is normal. This leads me to one of the most promoted social norm in society. The idea of instant gratification. I have observed that more and more young people are pursuing the idea of instant gratification as a religion. They look at life as with the same though on material items of "well if my friends own or buy it then I must also do they same". This has lead to dramatic increase in debt to young people. Why must your first car be a Lexus or BMW? Why can't your first home be a starter home and not a McMansion? I am curious where this mentality comes from. How did you learn about financial planning and monetary ideas? Did your parents stress the importance of savings or did you learn on your own through making mistakes?

I was fortunate enough to spend an entire day with a classroom of nine year olds. I was there as part of a Junior Achievement program that looks to teach young kids business ideas and principles. My last lesson of the day consisted of teaching the children all about credit cards, ATM cards and balancing a checkbook. We also discussed the idea of saving money. I was totally astounded by how many of the students accurately answered my questions. They knew that if you bounced a check you could get in trouble (it ranged from a monetary penalty to significant jail time in their words). The students also mentioned how you need to work hard and save money if you want to have really nice, large things (again..their words). What shocked me most of all was that 90% of them had a negative view on credit cards. The students said that if you use a credit card it is not really your money and so you should watch using them.

It seemed to that these young people had a very educated view on financial matters and that somewhere between nine and perhaps 18 years of age major changes occur. Is it perhaps they lose the idea of the value of money? Is it the current peer pressure the causes them to embrace credit cards? I am hoping that perhaps this new generation won't fall into the same traps that I have seen happen to cohorts and the younger generation. I hope the new norm will be saving versus spending on plastic.

I would love to see more social norm marketing experiments implemented to see if we can change the current norms. What if all magazines or top retail stores started using "normal" sized models? Skinny is out. Having some curves is in. Would it affect the general population's thinking? I recently saw a study of 9-12 year olds that asked them who the coolest kid was in school. Their view of cool was the computer geek....most responded that the student who had the most knowledge of computers and the Internet was the coolest kid in school. Perhaps things are changing.....

A Call for Effective Mentoring in College and Teaching Personal Branding

2009-01-02T18:09:00.001-08:00

I apologize if the title of my latest blog entry is a bit ambitious but I am very passionate about these two subject matters. As the new year begins I have sworn to pursue both mentoring and personal branding. I have been teaching at local colleges for the past eight years, and feel that many do not offer a strategic plan regarding mentoring and networking for college students. There should be a class on Personal Branding and how to differentiate yourself in the marketplace. Semester after semester I have students approach me and ask how they can get a job in a specific industry. Students seem at a loss as to how to marketing themselves, which is ironic since most of my students are pursuing a degree in marketing. Here are some of my suggestions that I offer to each student:

1) You must have an idea of what interests you. What are you good at? What hobbies or talents do you have? Those are the industries you should target.
2) Update your resume to include not just where you worked, but what did you do for the company. Don't just say you are managed people for a retail store. Give specific quantitative facts that showed you increased productivity 20% or increased sales 10% versus last year. Students should also have multiple resumes that showcase specific skills. When you are applying for a sales job the resume should be focused on sales skills. Have a few ready to utilize based on the job you are pursuing. This is where personal branding is important. You must differentiate yourself from every other college student.
3)Personal Branding: Don't be afraid to network and advertise - YOURSELF. Join linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. Please clean up your Facebook account so that pictures of you drinking and passed out on the floor don't show when a potential business connection checks you out. Twitter is an amazing resource for networking. Search out people who are in the industry you want to join. Follow them and engage them with questions. You will be amazed at how willing they are to share ideas and information.

I am also constantly bothered by the fact that large companies offering lucrative jobs bypass my local university. There is a need to have companies such as Hershey, Frito Lay and Coke visit and recruit during on campus job fairs. I also wish that there was a better resource to utilize or match students with mentors during their college career. There are many companies that are looking for ambitious, intelligent students to work for their company. Somewhere though there is a disconnect.

An example occurred during my last semester. One of my students was desperately trying to find an internship for the Spring and wasn't sure what she wanted to do. I had her make a list of her skills and the type of responsibilities she would want in a job. Would she want to work in an office? Does she like to meet new people? Would she want the job to be writing intensive? She presented me the list and I gave her a few job industry selections. She thought about the industries and decided that based on our research she thought the Convention industry would be perfect for her. I contacted a friend of mine who worked as a manager for a Visitors and Convention Bureau and hoped that the two could meet. I was hoping that my student would perhaps find a mentor. The end result was even better than I hoped, as she was offered an internship for the Spring and was so excited for the opportunity. I believe that this should be happening in a more structured manner in the University setting.

Every semester I try and take a few minutes during a class and cover how to network and utilize social media for personal branding. I wish somehow I was able to spend more time on this subject matter so that students are prepared and self assured entering this difficult job market. Lastly if anyone reading this blog is interested in being a mentor...well ..you know where to find me.

Marketing Adaptation During a Recession

2008-12-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

Companies need to adapt their marketing strategies during a recession to keep consumers' interest. Having an efficient and productive marketing plan is essential to all businesses, but during a recession the need becomes even more important if companies are planning on surviving. Before you adjust your marketing plan it is important to look at the type of product you are trying to market. Is the product a shopping, specialty or luxury good? As a marketer you also might need to change the focus of your product’s attributes in order to keep the consumer’s attention.

Marketers need to look at companies that are surviving successfully during an economic downturn. What ways have they adapted to keep their customers happy? One example is McDonalds. Instead of advertising their specialty burgers, they are promoting their value menu and are still getting people to “eat out”. Companies also need to consider offering free shipping or other discounts to attract consumers. Consumer good products such as grocery or health and beauty aids also need to adapt how they utilize sales promotions. Redemption of coupons is usually around 2 percent, so in recent years companies have moved away from issuing coupons. The latest numbers though show an increase in consumer interest. In a recent Brand week article, “72% of consumers are using more coupons than they did six months ago. Three-quarters of those respondents claimed the economy made them do it”. Smart companies are now offering online or traditional coupons with a shorter expiration date, which causes the consumer to make a purchase in the short term.

When corporate tightens marketing’s budget, the need to look elsewhere to advertise and promote your product or service becomes even more critical. Many companies such as Dunkin Donuts have embraced social media websites such as Twitter.com. Twitter.com is a social media website which allows individuals or even companies to follow or be followed by individuals. In short “Tweets” companies can update loyal customers about new promotions, new products and even ask for feedback. Most of the individuals on Twitter.com are innovators or the opinion leaders that companies long to reach anyway. The best is that the entire idea doesn’t cost Dunkin Donuts much except for the time of an employee to handle the media sites. Dunkin Donuts recent "Tweets" have consisted of free coffee giveaways near local colleges, and also reminding customers about D&D holiday gift ideas.

Is it possible to still sell a luxury item during a time when consumers are cutting back on their purchases? One way marketers can try to promote their more expensive products is to move away from focusing on status or image benefits and instead focus on quality or safety. An example would be to try and convince a consumer to pay more for a luxury vehicle by showing them that in the long run the repair bills will be less. Promote the idea of safety so that the consumer will feel that spending more brings them some type of cognitive reward and not just a feeling of status.

Understanding consumer demand and being able to rapidly adapt to changes is another important criteria. The American car manufacturers ignored the consumer trend of small and more fuel efficient cars. Missed opportunities are even more financially damaging during a recession. Marketers need to constantly reevaluate their marketing strategies and adapt wherever possible to the challenge of the financial landscape. By not keeping track of their consumer’s financial struggles will lead to a company facing a huge drop in demand and eventually obsolescence.

Do things happen for a reason?

2008-12-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

I have been in a very philosophical mood lately. My entire life I have been a classic "Type A" personality. I find it very hard to just live in the moment and enjoy life. Constantly planning, organizing and learning are the epitome of my life's journey. I wish that I had the personality of my brother who can just deflect problems and live life with a much laid back attitude. There has been one philosophical approach that has helped me learn to take a bigger picture of life. The saying of "All things happen for a reason". I especially feel this occurs with friendships.

As the years pass and challenges are met, I am able to look back and clearly see a path that wasn't always obvious when I was careening down it. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do certain people come into your life....while you lose touch with others? Sometimes a person will just take over my life in this blaze and it is clear that we have a friendship due to a specific reason. Other times I am lost as to why I am engaging in certain relationships.....especially if it feels very one-sided. Sometimes the picture becomes clearer many years later when certain friendships become my anchor in times of stress. The times that I have been faced with the hardest challenges, the most difficult decisions, and the most traumatic events have all lead me down a path that has resulted with life-altering changes. Fortunately most have worked out in my favor.....so does that mean that I made the "right" choices? I love the 1998 movie "Sliding Doors" because its story is based on a story of Gwyneth Paltrow's Helen. "Helen is fired from her job at a PR company, and when the sliding doors of the tube car close on her, we start to see what would have happened if she'd made the train, and if she hadn't." The movie shows not only that things happen for a reason but the impact of fate.

Although I was brought up in a strict Catholic household, I haven't embraced any type of organized religion in years. I find philosophical discussions much more enticing and engaging. During the craziness of this holiday season I like to take the time to reach out to each of my friends and let them know how I value their friendship and support.......because without them I would be even more lost. I would love to hear any of your thoughts about whether you believe things happen for a reason?

Santa's Elves are Coming (AKA Mattel, Hasbro, Nintendo...well you get the picture).

2008-10-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

According to a recent study by the NPD Group, last year 100% of U.S. households that have children under age 6 bought at least one toy and spent $485. This doesn’t get Grandma and Aunt Susan off the hook though -- according to the report, 88% of households with no kids present under the age of 18 still purchased at least one toy last year and spent an average of $113.

I have such great childhood memories of playing with Matchbox cars, Lincoln Logs, puzzles and even Intellivision. All of these toys brought my brother and I great joy and we spent hours playing with them. Today's kids are an entirely different breed. The toys that they play with need to be more complicated and challenging.

I spent a few years working in marketing for Mattel Toys. I had trouble finding most of the toys different from what was already on the market. Many of the toy ideas came straight from a 40 year old designer's minds. This did not help gain the attention of a five year old boy. One of the most stressful factors about working in the toy industry is that an entire new product line had to be developed every six months. Easter and Christmas were the two seasons we had to plan for every year. The product life cycle of a toy was so quick.....and fad based on many occasions.

My frustration with the toy industry continued once I did have children. As a naive parent I would succumb to their requests and buy toys that they had requested based on catalog ads or television commercials. The problem would be that the toy would be played with for about one week and then my kids would quickly lose interest. I found a perfect solution to this dilemma about three years ago.

There is a company called MindWare (brainy toys for kids of all ages). Their website is www.mindware.com. The toys are amazing products that challenge, educate and just are plain fun. Every single toy I have purchased from this company has remained interesting to both of my children. Some of my favorites are: Snap Circuits 300, Science Grade microscopes, Gears, Gears, Gears and the Rush Hour Game. All of these toys have won numerous Awards from Dr. Toy of the Year to Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award.

Now I don't want you to think that I am a scrooge....of course I still buy one or two of the traditional toys such as baby dolls for my daughter or Lego Kits / Wii games for my son.....but the majority of their toys come from catalogs such as Mindware. I do have a special point to make concerning video games. I have no problem with my children playing video games and think there is a lot of great skills and fun that can be had. When my father was operated on for prostate cancer, his surgeon performed the surgery with a DaVinci Robotic Arm. His surgeon ( who by the way looked to be 25 years of age) told me that most of the top surgeons who utilize the last robotic instruments developed their talents and excellent hand -eye coordination by playing video games :)

In the coming weeks, you will be smothered with numerous advertising and promotion toy campaigns. Try and be an educated consumer and not buy a pile of plastic that won't hold your child's interest. Check out Mindware.com instead!

When It Rains...It Pours

2008-10-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

I have to begin this blog entry by warning you that it has nothing to do with marketing. This time of year brings such mixed emotions for me. I met and then married my husband during the Fall and both of my children were born during this time of year. But I also have had some brutal times during one Oct/Nov time period two years ago. My Mom started having concerns that this black cloud that had settled overhead would never move away.

First my father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. His day of surgery his heart went into A-Fib and the surgery was cancelled. He needed to have extensive testing completed to make sure he would be fit for surgery.

In the meantime.....one of my dear friend's father died after a long battle with a botched surgery. I planned to attend his service the following day when I received a phone call from my father that his father (my PopPop) was found unresponsive at his home. I rushed to the hospital to find out that he was found dead by the medics but was brought back to life and then rushed to the hospital. I was able to get pertinent information from the doctors to relay back to my father concerning my PopPop's diagnosis: Vegetative state. By this time my father's heart condition was regulated and his planned surgery was delayed again so we could concentrate on my grandfather.

So...instead of having his cancer removed my father had to deal losing his father. I have to say that I was the emotional strong one when dealing with the complicated task of helping someone off the last remnants of life support. We had multiple neurosurgeons consult with us and confirm our worst fears. My PopPop would never be coming back. He was barely hanging on and his tests showed no brain activity. We then as a family had to follow his living will by removing all life support.

Somewhere during the three days of living at the hospital we all tried our best to be strong and deal with the emotional task at hand. We not only had to remove his feeding tube, breathing support but also bring in a medical tech to turn off his defibrillator/pacemaker. Even after observing all of his wishes it took another day for him to pass.

One week after my grandfather's funeral I was back in the hospital supporting my mom and then help care for my father after his prostate surgery. I am happy to report that for now my father has remained in remission regarding his prostate surgery.

As I grow older and I have more life to reflect upon I notice that times of crisis seem to rear their ugly head during extremely positive moments. I almost fear success or happiness because I have always been rewarded with something so ugly.. so sad that it is hard to recover from. For example: When my son was born my husband and I joyfully celebrated this beautiful little boy. By the time my son was six months old, my husband's father had died unexpectedly and his mother would be rushed into emergency bypass surgery after being brought back from the dead twice. Flash forward four years. My daughter is born and within one month my son is misdiagnosed with a fatal kidney disease and my mom has a grand Mal seizure caused by dehydration brought on by a severe flu. She is left in paralyzed state for a week and doctors are unsure if she will ever be the same again.

I wish that I could enjoy the good in life more and not worry so much about what is around the corner. The one thing that keeps me going is to know that the result of these traumatic events don't always end in negatives. My son was able to pull out of his health problem and my mom recovered completely from her illness. The lesson I keep learning from the visits from the dark cloud is that there is hope and the possibility of a positive outcome.... and I guess that is a good lesson to be learning!

Am I Old?

2008-09-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

In one of the last conversations I had with my Grandfather he kept harping on how his hands looked old. He complained that his hands reminded him of a 90 year old man. "But PopPop...you are 88 years old...that is why your hands look the way they do". He replied, "Oh..that's right. I keep forgetting that I am old." My grandfather always felt decades younger than his biological age. In most consumer behavior studies it has shown that most individuals view themselves at least ten years younger than their real age. More and more products position themselves to fight off or repair the aging process. The words "age-defying" or "age- correction" are thrown around constantly on consumer products. My question is what products make you feel younger and what is the age that people are considered old?

Personally I am happy to be at my current age (36) and thankful to not have to be the young parent again. I no longer need a minivan, strollers, diaper bags, and have finally entered a part of my life where I can be a bit selfish. I can purchase products based on my likes and not always have to consider the children. Back to the minivan.....no one really desires a minivan. The convenience, storage and cup holders are like a siren song to the newly minted parent. Fortunately I can now purchase a car again to reflect my internal age....a car that is fun, powerful and has a awesome sound system. I have actually felt more like a twenty-something in the last two years than ever before. Perhaps it is because I can actually get sleep (no more sleep deprivation due to babies crying). It is though I have been able to recover some of my youth again in music (no more Wiggles), clothing (No more pregnancy clothes), and cars (the dreaded minivan is long gone).

Age has been a huge issue in our home this year due to the fact my husband turned forty. I sometimes have problems believing that I am married to a forty year old.....is forty old? My husband thinks so. He had a mini mid life crisis. Fortunately it did not result in a corvette, mistress or wild spending sprees. It did make him stop and examine his life. And for that I think aging is priceless. With age comes experience, learning and perspective. A company can't sell that to you...nor can you erase that with some product.

As I push ahead and the wrinkles become more plentiful I wonder how much I will resort to purchasing products to help me fight the aging process. It is hard to age in a society where a 45 year old woman (Demi Moore) looks like one of my freshman students. The best medicine that I have for feeling youthful again is to go do anything with my kids. I get to relive all the fun times with them. Plus it gives me an excuse to go on a roller coaster, jump a wave, ride bikes, and act like a Pirate. If that can't make you feel young...than nothing else can!

What makes a Marketing Professor Happy!

2008-08-31T18:44:00.001-07:00

After leaving my twelve years of corporate marketing working for companies such as Dial, Nielsen, Pillsbury and Mattel Toys I knew that I needed to find a job to combine my love of marketing and teaching. Low and behold....teaching marketing in a college setting. I am now going on my eighth year of teaching and have to say that I love it as it brings me so much satisfaction. With school starting next week I have put together a short list for students and former students on HOW TO MAKE ME HAPPY:
1) Show up to Class....Not complicated...not hard. It is so much more fun having actually people to interact with than empty seats.
2) Participate...Don't just raise your hand and give a one word answer. Please offer your insight. Believe it or not but I like to learn from you too. My favorite and best students usually are part of a give and take relationship. This means that I have learned just as much from them as they have from me.
3) Don't Cheat. You would think in this day and age students would get the seriousness of this action. No. Every semester I have to deal with students copying homework.....trying to cheat with a cell phone. I have two kids.....I do have eyes in the back of my head and I will catch you.
4) Give me good feedback. I also look for students to communciate with me about how the class is running. Thoughtful, intelligent feedback makes me better and since you are paying for the class....will only make the product you purchased - better.
4) Once you leave my classroom....keep in touch. I love it when former students email me about a marketing promotion they saw recently that offended them or one that impressed them. Please also remember to network. With those years of corporate experience comes many avenues that I can help you navigate. If approached correctly I would be more than happy to help you down the road to your dream job.
I also have developed some wonderful friendships and mentorships with some of my ex-students. A few I count as my closest friends. I was able to help one former student land his dream job right out of school with a salary of 80K. So remember treat us right and we may be able to make you rich....if not educate you.

Why I Worry about Little Girls.....

2008-08-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

The marketing of clothing for children has increased tremendously over the last twenty years. Clothing has always been a way to rebel and express yourself. I remember girls at thirteen dressing like Madonna.....now though....it is the five year old girls that would want to dress like her. I have also been blessed with seeing how a little boy versus a little girl have to grow up in this new world.

My first born son was a very intelligent, sweet and emotional baby and toddler. He made friends easily and even to this day is not shy about entering a room and talking with complete strangers. I heard early rumblings in my son's preschool class from the teachers concerning the girl clothing issues occurring in class. Eventually I was pulled aside by the preschool teacher and told that I needed to witness something that was occurring daily to my son. As the three year olds were coming into class and taking their seats....certain little girls would go up to my son and massage their asses and ask him if their butt looked cute in their pants. Now my three year old son barely looked up from his blocks and shrugged his shoulders. Since she did not get the response she wanted she moved onto to the next little boy. I got my first lesson in the dawn of little girldom.....they grow up way faster and are more aggressive.

I later found out that due to the marketing of sexy clothes AKA Brittney Spears tramp clothes....preschool girls were caring more about their ass than their ABCs. I overhead a conversation a few weeks later waiting to pick my son up from school. One of the Moms was fretting because she couldn't find the thong her daughter wanted for her FOURTH birthday. It was that day that I swore that I wouldn't survive raising a daughter in this day and age. The overt sexiness of little girl clothes drives me crazy. I am a huge fan of Healthtex because the company dresses girls like little girls.

Fast forward six months later and low and behold I get pregnant ...with a GIRL. I promise myself to keep her little and innocent as long as I can....even if that means hiding her in the basement until she is eighteen. My path of innocence lasts until my four year old little girl turns out to my the tallest little girl on the percentage charts. In fact she looks like a seven year old and clothes now become an issue. I have to hunt to find appropriate clothing that isn't too short or too tight. Retailers make it difficult to do so and find ebay my best friend.

I worry more about raising my daughter in this day and age versus my son. Already the four and five year old girls have separated themselves into cliques...it is the Mean Girls of the preschool set. My son's friends meanwhile will hang with anyone who has a soccer ball, bike, a Wii or likes Star Wars.

I try to keep my daughter's life filled with play, sports and education. She still hits me up with questions like "Mom...when will my big breasts come in.....or How long will it take for me to finally grow a penis?" I don't mind answering her questions as long as she doesn't ask me for a thong for her fifth birthday.

The Marketing of Everything...to Kids

2008-05-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Lately I have just overwhelmed by how much marketing is directed at kids. I am not speaking of twixters, tweens or Gen Y. The marketing I am talking about is directed at eight years of age and under. As a marketing professor I am constantly asking my kids (Age 4 and 8): How did you hear about this? or Where did you see this advertised?

My eight year old is of course influenced tremendously by his peers. I wouldn't call it peer pressure. Instead I call it "The First Syndrome". Kids this age want to be the first to have the latest game, video, toy or be the first to see the hot movie. It is exhausting keeping up with their interests and demands. I try and think back to what kind of consumer I was at his age. Garbage pail kids, Hello Kitty and stickers were big. Now he has Bionicles, Pokemon and NeoShifters. These toys come out with new product lines every three months and the marketing of the product is so far reaching. The books, website, video, interactive games, fast food promotions are the norm for every toy launch or movie premiere.

My four year old will recognize products in stores and calmly reiterate the marketing message that she heard on the TV. Her favorite product is the infomercial of Mighty Putty. Anytime I can not solve a problem around the house....she is right there to explain how I should buy Mighty Putty and solve my problem.

One of the last books I read on consumer behavior in kids said that most five year olds can name 1,000 brands. Sometimes I wish that I could escape with my kids to a tropical island and ban all media :)