ABOUT ME

I am an accounting technology major and I enrolled in this class because it is required for my degree and I was very happy to find that it was at the Benton Center. I am currently working full time while going to school full time. Since I live and work in Corvallis I was grateful to find a class in town.

I am not a business or marketing major, but look forward to this class very much. I am most interested in learning how to build my brand. I look forward to learning the skills required to best communicate my strengths and build positive name recognition.

Outside of work and school I spend as much time as I can with family and friends, and see live music. I love to hike, camp, and explore, and am a big fan of cinema.  I am also a big supporter of small, local farmers and other locally owned businesses.


MARKETING IN THE NEWS

Awhile ago I took a break from Facebook for a couple of years to focus more on more personal interactions. I had expected to miss some things, daily updates and communication from friends near and far. However, I was not expecting to miss so many nearby events. Birthday parties, baby showers, potlucks and gatherings unknown and unattended. I would frequently be asked later about my absence only to find out the invite had gone out on Facebook. Even when face to face birthday wishes or congratulations were shared, it didn't register to anyone to pass along party plans to me because of course I had been included in the Facebook invite.

This experience really solidified for me the influence of Facebook in our daily lives, even I have come back. It seems that whatever is happening, is happening on Facebook. With so much reach into virtually every market, except the Amish, Luddites, and a few others, Facebook is a great venue for advertisers, but no relationship is without it's challenges.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (Jan 12,2018) discusses Facebook's latest announcement that in 2018 users will see "less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media" (Zuckerberg 2018). Now, marketers are going to have to examine how they use Facebook to reach consumers, and get creative. There is some speculation that this will lead to higher advertising costs, and have a severely detrimental impact to a brand's posts which have not paid to be promoted on the platform. These organic posts will have fewer opportunities to be viewed as Facebook focuses on more engaging social interactions. The authors go on to mention that "organic reach" has been declining on Facebook for awhile, and suggest that marketers think differently about how they interact with consumers. The article suggests companies engage in more content and discussion rather than primarily self promotion, and discusses Facebook's new video service positively as a potential new opportunity to connect with your consumer. 

It is interesting to me how this situation reveals conflict between Facebook's two value propositions. For the user, Facebook connects us. For work or play, near or far, dear friends and long ago acquaintances, good or bad, day or night, just about anywhere you are, you can reach out and someone is there. For advertisers, Facebook targets potential users to grow your sales with less money than conventional ads, and they have access to a lot of potential users. It is a careful balance of "social" and "media".

In our chaotic and noisy world it is a consistent challenge to get your brand noticed and innovation is necessary. Just as advertisers moved from radio to television and then to the internet, they will now have to find new ideas to be relevant to consumers. I think it's going to be interesting to see what the marketers of tomorrow come up with. The Wall Street Journal Article mentions Netflix encouraging fan interaction on their Facebook page, they are choosing to facilitate and participate in the interaction of their users rather than talk at them. I think companies being more exposed to the common folk and their ramblings is a good thing. I see the potential to spark innovation, make companies more aware of and responsive to the public, and improve corporate citizenship as companies build more community with the public. There may be a post Facebook/social media future, but in the mean time I have learned that I need Facebook a little bit and, though some may go, advertisers do too.