As the semester and the class comes to a close, I feel like its been forever ago that we started this journey. It has been a wild ride, with brain storming sessions and people not knowing what to do, to eventually making a campaign that we wanted to show to the judges and hope for a good response. I feel that this class needs a lot of revamping before the next batch start it again in the fall. I feel like there should have been a definite timeline to finish work before we put it in. I did not like the idea of having all of the groups doing things and then putting them together. It might have been helpful with the situation analysis, but otherwise it was confusing and time consuming. I also felt like it should have been said that if you start the class in the fall, you have to continue it in the Spring. When people left, it not only lessened the workforce for the campaign, but also put the burden on a lot of other people who didn't have as much help as beforehand. I also think that the workshops should be used throughout the week, every time. A lot of work might not get down, but at least some things can be settled or something can be thought of for a creative idea, image or event. Anything should be used to make the campaign and the process go smoother.
Overall, this class has been a great experience. It helped to realize how an agency works, how a campaign works and what really is needed to make a great one. I feel like a year long class is tough, but definitely better to make the campaign really effective. I have learned a lot about how to work with others, about media planning, and what not to do during the sessions. I feel like the class as a whole will remember this class and will look back upon it as either a great or at least a memorable experience, one of which they will take lessons from and use them in their own professional lives. When it comes to getting a job, we know that NSAC being simply stated on a resume, could be a great way to start not only a conversation, but to help us put our foot in the door.
I thank you for this opportunity and hope for the best for future classes and campaigns to come.
Bests,
Lisa
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Presenting to the judges....
The judges at the competition were not so nice to us, but we beat out Temple at least! I was not too enthused that the media plan was ripped apart after looking and doing it over and over for weeks on end. Yes, we did mess up, a lot, but it was a great experience to look and see what people really thought of our campaign, especially when we kept looking at it and didn't notice certain things. As a class, we were all so tired of looking at the same things over and over, it became mundane. Our presentation team did the best they could, and after watching the video of them performing, we saw that it was pretty nerve racking. I personally would not have been able to do it, especially when it comes to memorizing. I felt like I would have hiccuped somewhere and then completely lost it. As a class, we were upset to hear that we received 6th place, but happy that at least we got to go to competition. We were able to do something with only 17 people instead of 300, and thats an accomplishment. As a class, we looked through the plans book one last time and looked to see what the judge thought. It was interesting to see their responses.
I felt that this is important for this class because it is better to see what the judges thought, that way we can see what we should have done better. In turn the next class would be able to learn from those mistakes and not repeat them over again. Feedback is important in communications, and learning from that feedback is definitely beneficial to the competition process. I wish that we had feedback midway, that way we could change things if needed and then be able to make the campaign the utmost best it could be. It helps the class to realize that their work is good, it just needs to be tweaked a bit to make it even better. Overall, this end of year look back helps the class to realize that it was hard work, and the judges appreciated what we had done.
I wonder what it could have been if we had the midway feedback....but thats a thought that will never be answered.
Bests,
Lisa
I wonder what it could have been if we had the midway feedback....but thats a thought that will never be answered.
Bests,
Lisa
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Media, still around...
Even after the plans book is finalized and ready to print, the media is still always coming to question, especially now with us moving towards the presentation part of the course. I am not a part of the presentation team, but they still need all of us to participate and make it the best it can be. The media team is making sure the presentation team are prepared for questions that might be asked about the media plan. It has been frustrating that the team doesn't understand the plan at all, and sometimes it is hard to explain. I feel like the team wasn't really that involved with the media, so when questions arise, no one else understood the plan. I also felt awkward when the numbers did not apply or were not correct. I felt like I failed the team and make it harder for everyone not only to fix it, but that the campaign was not as great because of the media plan. It was upsetting to see that our work was not enough.
I think this is important for this class because it shows people that they need to understand every aspect of the campaign, not just their part. People need to look at every aspect and think, well does this make sense? Will it work? Media is one of the most important parts of any campaign, and should be invested into just as much as the creative's are. I understood that the rest of the class was busy and could not fully participate, but a little extra help could not have hurt us. I feel that the next group who become Media Directors should start right away looking up prices and estimates for everything, that way when something comes up or when everything is figured out for which media should be used, they can just look up the prices they already have and use those. It might be unrealistic to do this, but at least it will give them somewhat of a head start to lead them on their way. In the end, the media should have been revisited multiple times, but that is just something we have to learn from our mistakes. Blaming and pointing fingers will get us no where, and the campaign could suffer. For me, the plan and the flow chart were the media teams blood and sweat, and to see it be rejected is just heartbreaking. It was worth the struggle, and hopefully we will be able to take what we learned and run with it.
Bests,
Lisa
I think this is important for this class because it shows people that they need to understand every aspect of the campaign, not just their part. People need to look at every aspect and think, well does this make sense? Will it work? Media is one of the most important parts of any campaign, and should be invested into just as much as the creative's are. I understood that the rest of the class was busy and could not fully participate, but a little extra help could not have hurt us. I feel that the next group who become Media Directors should start right away looking up prices and estimates for everything, that way when something comes up or when everything is figured out for which media should be used, they can just look up the prices they already have and use those. It might be unrealistic to do this, but at least it will give them somewhat of a head start to lead them on their way. In the end, the media should have been revisited multiple times, but that is just something we have to learn from our mistakes. Blaming and pointing fingers will get us no where, and the campaign could suffer. For me, the plan and the flow chart were the media teams blood and sweat, and to see it be rejected is just heartbreaking. It was worth the struggle, and hopefully we will be able to take what we learned and run with it.
Bests,
Lisa
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Moving Forward...
Gearing towards the end of this semester, I have to reflect back on this class. Being a part of the media planning process has been extrememly stressful, but definately worth it. To be able to look at the plans books and see the two pages that Amanda, Tim and I have done, its amazing how far we have come.
The past two months have been a roller coaster. The media team worked overtime to find numbers, contact people, find impressions, and everything under the sun to make our media plan the best it can be. We even got into some problems. Television was the hardest to find, and thankfully our professor was there to help us find numbers. It took weeks to finalize the flowchart and figure out which research to use, and which to dump. The rest of the class was just as stressed, finalizing every single detail for the plansbook and the campaign as a whole. We learned how to work together as a team. At times, we might have snapped at each other, but in the end our hard work has finally pulled off. Now, I see commercials and wonder how they figured them out. I notice more where advertisements are being placed, and wonder why they put them there. For Ad Decision Making, we are discussing the Media Plan now, and my mind goes straight to the flow chart, wondering what this one will look like compared to the JCPenney one. I am thinking like a Media Planner, something I never thought I would be able to do. I think about campaigns I see, and wonder what else was put into it, and even think about what that plans book would look like. I feel more like an advertiser then just a student in a class.
During the process, Media Planning was intense to say the least. The team couldn't find numbers, we look everywhere for them, and the people we contacted never responded. It was frustrating, which made me wonder if I wanted to do Media Planning as a job after school. But now, I understand it more than before. I appreciate it more, and how advertisers figure out every little detail out. Knowing the ins and outs is definately better in the long run. It is a fairly new area to advertising, and I hope that interviewers will see that and think, 'she understands this, she could be a great asset to the agency.'
This is important for this class because it shows how far the team, and the media team, have come. Two months ago we had nothing, and now we have a full media plan, with flow chart and all. I am proud of the media plan, and get excited when I show it to people. Future Advertising competition people should start media early, and think about it as soon as possible. They should make sure to consider every scenario, even if it seems impossible. I'd rather you try to fit another avenue of media, then come short of the budget. Use up the budget as much as possible. This looks good in the judges eyes, and lets them know you tried your best to make it happen. It is important to understand that yes, the competition is intense, its time consuming and at first, you wish you never signed up for it. In the end, it will not only look amazing on your resume, but you will feel more confident going into a job, or even a interview, because you understand what an agency is like. The stress, the late hours, and the hard decisions, its all there. It is preparing you for everything that is going to happen when school is all over, and that is better than just sitting in a class and wondering about it.
Bests,
Lisa
The past two months have been a roller coaster. The media team worked overtime to find numbers, contact people, find impressions, and everything under the sun to make our media plan the best it can be. We even got into some problems. Television was the hardest to find, and thankfully our professor was there to help us find numbers. It took weeks to finalize the flowchart and figure out which research to use, and which to dump. The rest of the class was just as stressed, finalizing every single detail for the plansbook and the campaign as a whole. We learned how to work together as a team. At times, we might have snapped at each other, but in the end our hard work has finally pulled off. Now, I see commercials and wonder how they figured them out. I notice more where advertisements are being placed, and wonder why they put them there. For Ad Decision Making, we are discussing the Media Plan now, and my mind goes straight to the flow chart, wondering what this one will look like compared to the JCPenney one. I am thinking like a Media Planner, something I never thought I would be able to do. I think about campaigns I see, and wonder what else was put into it, and even think about what that plans book would look like. I feel more like an advertiser then just a student in a class.
During the process, Media Planning was intense to say the least. The team couldn't find numbers, we look everywhere for them, and the people we contacted never responded. It was frustrating, which made me wonder if I wanted to do Media Planning as a job after school. But now, I understand it more than before. I appreciate it more, and how advertisers figure out every little detail out. Knowing the ins and outs is definately better in the long run. It is a fairly new area to advertising, and I hope that interviewers will see that and think, 'she understands this, she could be a great asset to the agency.'
This is important for this class because it shows how far the team, and the media team, have come. Two months ago we had nothing, and now we have a full media plan, with flow chart and all. I am proud of the media plan, and get excited when I show it to people. Future Advertising competition people should start media early, and think about it as soon as possible. They should make sure to consider every scenario, even if it seems impossible. I'd rather you try to fit another avenue of media, then come short of the budget. Use up the budget as much as possible. This looks good in the judges eyes, and lets them know you tried your best to make it happen. It is important to understand that yes, the competition is intense, its time consuming and at first, you wish you never signed up for it. In the end, it will not only look amazing on your resume, but you will feel more confident going into a job, or even a interview, because you understand what an agency is like. The stress, the late hours, and the hard decisions, its all there. It is preparing you for everything that is going to happen when school is all over, and that is better than just sitting in a class and wondering about it.
Bests,
Lisa
Thursday, February 3, 2011
A New Chapter...
It has been a very long and the team and I are still getting into the swing of the new semester. Over break, Amanda, Tim and I discussed media and our plan for the campaign. We looked through everything we could think of according to Television and Magazines. There is so much information, we are going to need to narrow everything down. The team all came in early for advertising, and it was an extrememly productive weekend. The media group also got more insight into what we needed, with the information we recieved from the IMC group and all of their ideas. They had various ideas, including direct mail, coupons and photo booths. Hopefully, creatives can also give some insight so we can narrow things down. I liked the idea of the war room during our meetings together. Having all the pictures, words and lists around us helps to think and visualize what needs to get done. Those words could trigger something else that we might need for later or even a slogan we can use for the commericals. It also felt like we were a real agency, with everything surrounding us while we discussed things. Visuals really help with the process.
Although we did get a lot done, I am nervous about everything that still needs to be done. It is only a few weeks before our Plans Book is due and we are in crunch time. Everyone needs to participate at their fullest potential, me included. I took so many pictures over our meetings, but I want to take more and make sure the ones I have are of the best quality. I am crazy like that with my pictures. This weekend, the media team will be meeting again to look at prices for television and out of home. We can see what the creatives say, and hopefully they can help us choose whether to run one or two ads on TV. Our last class was a great way to think about the emotions behind buying, which is definately something we, most of us being girls, think about all the time. It helps us to consider what would go better with our ideas, to gear toward one emotion more than another.
I think this is important part of the class because we really did do a lot during those meetings, as well as last semester. Even so, we still have a long way to go. We are gearing up for late nights and hopefully no one fighting in the end. The next class should realize that they need to do as much as they can during the first semester, like the research, and over the intersession. That will help out so much with the rest of their campaign. Its better than scrambling at the end and having a horrible compaign. Hopefully, we will not have to scramble. Lets see how Monday goes again. I am nervous, but excited for whats to come.
Bests,
Lisa
Although we did get a lot done, I am nervous about everything that still needs to be done. It is only a few weeks before our Plans Book is due and we are in crunch time. Everyone needs to participate at their fullest potential, me included. I took so many pictures over our meetings, but I want to take more and make sure the ones I have are of the best quality. I am crazy like that with my pictures. This weekend, the media team will be meeting again to look at prices for television and out of home. We can see what the creatives say, and hopefully they can help us choose whether to run one or two ads on TV. Our last class was a great way to think about the emotions behind buying, which is definately something we, most of us being girls, think about all the time. It helps us to consider what would go better with our ideas, to gear toward one emotion more than another.
I think this is important part of the class because we really did do a lot during those meetings, as well as last semester. Even so, we still have a long way to go. We are gearing up for late nights and hopefully no one fighting in the end. The next class should realize that they need to do as much as they can during the first semester, like the research, and over the intersession. That will help out so much with the rest of their campaign. Its better than scrambling at the end and having a horrible compaign. Hopefully, we will not have to scramble. Lets see how Monday goes again. I am nervous, but excited for whats to come.
Bests,
Lisa
Monday, December 13, 2010
Final Journal Entry for Fall
The semester has finally ended. It definately flew by. We have done a lot so far, especially when it comes to research. Over break each group will be doing their own projects. Its going to be hard to do work over break, but it will definately be worth it. For the Media Planning group, Amanda and I met with Dr. Mohammed and dicussed Simmons. Now that we both know how to use the program, getting the Media Plan together will be a lot easier. Although Media Planning is not easy, it is a start though. I will be looking up the TV part of everything, while Amanda will be looking up the magazine. Tim will then call and look up the pricing for everything
As for the class, we definately have come together as a team and discussed a lot of things. We might not agree on everything, but we do talk it out, and not let these things get to us. I hope maybe next semester we can switch up the mini groups though. I did like my group, but I think it owuld be beneficial to switch things up so we can all get different perspectives on things, and not the same ones generated from the same groups. It will help the class to bring themselves closer as a team evenmore.
I think this applies to the class because we have to consider everyones ideas, and make sure they not only fit with the research but also with what JCPenney is asking us to do. Its important to consider every possible option, and then knock them away as we go along. We need to keep the ball rolling, even when we are not at Scranton. Hopefully when we do go back at the end of January, we will not only be refreshed but full of creatives ideas. Till then, have a great break!
-Lisa
As for the class, we definately have come together as a team and discussed a lot of things. We might not agree on everything, but we do talk it out, and not let these things get to us. I hope maybe next semester we can switch up the mini groups though. I did like my group, but I think it owuld be beneficial to switch things up so we can all get different perspectives on things, and not the same ones generated from the same groups. It will help the class to bring themselves closer as a team evenmore.
I think this applies to the class because we have to consider everyones ideas, and make sure they not only fit with the research but also with what JCPenney is asking us to do. Its important to consider every possible option, and then knock them away as we go along. We need to keep the ball rolling, even when we are not at Scranton. Hopefully when we do go back at the end of January, we will not only be refreshed but full of creatives ideas. Till then, have a great break!
-Lisa
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Observations and Interviews
The semester is coming to a closer yet the team has only skimmed the surface on this campaign. Over the Thanksgiving break, the team had to do 10 osbservations, as well as 5 interviews. We also had to prepare the Media Plan, and soon a rough plans book.
For the observations, I went to the JCPenney in Roosevelt Field Mall, on Long Island. It was the dayafter Black Friday, so the mall was pretty packed. I observed 10 women and their shopping habits. Most of them were with children or friends, asking them for advice and browsing. Out of the 10 women, only a few bought the clothes they were looking at, or they just seemed to walk away. One women was in the home good section and she did not look pleased with the selection they had. Another women didn't like the quality when it came to sweaters. It was interesting to watch people and see how they shopped. Most were so busy, they just skimmed at everything. Children were pulling at their heals, the prices were checked, the brands and the quality. The store was cramped and confusing, the signs were small and I only found one directory. I couldn't find departments easily, and the signs didn't help me much. I notice there wasn't a Sephora at this store (it's in the mall and not in JCPenney). After all the observations, it gave me a good insight into what women do when they shop, and the things JCPenney needs to change.
I also did 5 interviews. 3 of them were my cousins, and 2 were my brothers girlfriends. One was a huge Kohl's fan, and expressed her loyalty to them, yet still shopped at JCPenney. Two refused to shop at JCPenney because they didn't have quality clothing, which also did not fit them properly. It was interesting to hear what the women did all day, and what they did like. The ranking of JCPenney was average, so that is something to consider when we look at the campaign.
Overall, this pertains to the class because it is a great way to look at JCPenney customers and actually interact with the women, instead of just reading statistics on an online survey. The class needs to do so much research, and making us do observations and interviews will definately help us in the long run. Over the long break, we really need to analyze this information and figure out definitive answers to our questions. The lesson in this is: research is a long ongoing process. We need to do it. It's a big pain, but the more we have, the better. As for the rest of the time in class, our group put together a Media Plan. As one of the Director's of Media Planning, we will have to look through all four of these and pick a rough media plan for the rough plans book. Over break, Amanda, Tim and I will be able to look at it more throughly and pick the best plan we can pick. Hopefully, our classmates made plans that coincide and can help us when picking media.
In the end, this class was worth it. Even though we have so much work to do, and the class isn't even close to being over in the long term sense, it is something all Advertising tracks should do. It brings you into the team and campaign like atmosphere and forces you to do every little aspect of a campaign. So until the end, we will keep driving and keep making our plan the best there is.
Bests,
Lisa
For the observations, I went to the JCPenney in Roosevelt Field Mall, on Long Island. It was the dayafter Black Friday, so the mall was pretty packed. I observed 10 women and their shopping habits. Most of them were with children or friends, asking them for advice and browsing. Out of the 10 women, only a few bought the clothes they were looking at, or they just seemed to walk away. One women was in the home good section and she did not look pleased with the selection they had. Another women didn't like the quality when it came to sweaters. It was interesting to watch people and see how they shopped. Most were so busy, they just skimmed at everything. Children were pulling at their heals, the prices were checked, the brands and the quality. The store was cramped and confusing, the signs were small and I only found one directory. I couldn't find departments easily, and the signs didn't help me much. I notice there wasn't a Sephora at this store (it's in the mall and not in JCPenney). After all the observations, it gave me a good insight into what women do when they shop, and the things JCPenney needs to change.
I also did 5 interviews. 3 of them were my cousins, and 2 were my brothers girlfriends. One was a huge Kohl's fan, and expressed her loyalty to them, yet still shopped at JCPenney. Two refused to shop at JCPenney because they didn't have quality clothing, which also did not fit them properly. It was interesting to hear what the women did all day, and what they did like. The ranking of JCPenney was average, so that is something to consider when we look at the campaign.
Overall, this pertains to the class because it is a great way to look at JCPenney customers and actually interact with the women, instead of just reading statistics on an online survey. The class needs to do so much research, and making us do observations and interviews will definately help us in the long run. Over the long break, we really need to analyze this information and figure out definitive answers to our questions. The lesson in this is: research is a long ongoing process. We need to do it. It's a big pain, but the more we have, the better. As for the rest of the time in class, our group put together a Media Plan. As one of the Director's of Media Planning, we will have to look through all four of these and pick a rough media plan for the rough plans book. Over break, Amanda, Tim and I will be able to look at it more throughly and pick the best plan we can pick. Hopefully, our classmates made plans that coincide and can help us when picking media.
In the end, this class was worth it. Even though we have so much work to do, and the class isn't even close to being over in the long term sense, it is something all Advertising tracks should do. It brings you into the team and campaign like atmosphere and forces you to do every little aspect of a campaign. So until the end, we will keep driving and keep making our plan the best there is.
Bests,
Lisa
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