Tag Archives: marketing

by | Thursday, March 16, 2023 · 7:19 am

Tik Tok Interns

Do you use TikTok? If so, you are a part of a community of 1.5 billion monthly users around the world!

TikTok was launched in 2016 by Chinese tech company Bytedance.  In 2017 TikTok went global and has since grown to become one of the most popular social media apps in the world. Downloaded more than 3.5 billion times since launch, the app regularly garners 500 million additional downloads each quarter, and was the most downloaded app of 2022!

TikTok may have started with a young audience of teens, but it is far from being just a teen app.  In the U.S., the age range of 25-34 year-olds accounts for nearly 25% of its users, an important demographic for brands and advertisers. And, 18% of all Internet users use TikTok. TikTok is available in 154 countries and 90% of its users access the app daily.

TikTok is so valuable to brands that many companies are now hiring TikTok ‘interns’ to help them reach users. Job sites have listings for “TikTok content creators.” These creators are being asked to both make and appear in videos promoting various products and retailers. Companies hiring this expertise include Claire’s, Whole Foods, Travel Pro, and even Rosedale Mall located in Roseville, Minn. Brands are hiring college students and other young people to help them successfully navigate TikTok, and create an impactful campaign.

What will you create?  

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show TikTok in class: https://www.tiktok.com/
  2. You could also show a specific company/brand. (Ex: Fenty Beauty: https://www.tiktok.com/@fentybeauty )
  3. Poll students: How do they use it? When? How long? How influential is it on their behavior?
  4. Have students uploaded their own videos? If so, show several of their videos in class.
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a brand/company and analyze the company’s TikTok campaigns.
  6. Make sure students first identify the target market including demographics, psychographics, behaviors, values, etc.
  7. [Additional assignment: Have each team create an original TikTok video for a product or company they would like to work at.]
  8. Show TikTok’s career site: https://careers.tiktok.com/campus/project/internships

Source:  Maheshwari, S. (14 February 2023). Wanted: Interns who can make TikTok hits. New York Times.

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by | Tuesday, February 28, 2023 · 7:37 am

Top Ads Watched on YouTube in 2022

Advertising surrounds us. And while ads can be annoying when they interrupt our favorite video, people still search online to view compelling ads. Starting a new year is a good time to examine the winning campaigns from last year and evaluate the elements that made them interesting enough that people searched for them on online.

The most compelling advertisements and videos are ones that have a strong story, humor, inspiration, and excitement. They build a bond with the audience, and inspire thoughts and action. It’s not easy to create a short video that engages audiences and inspires them to share the video and view it more than once, so it is worth examining the top advertising videos of 2022.

The winners are:

  1. Amazon – Amazon’s Big Game Commercial: Mind Reader
  2. Clash of Clans – Welcome to CLAN CAPITAL
  3. Hyundai Worldwide – Goal of the Century x BTS
  4. HBO Max – Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
  5. Apple – Introducing iPhone 14 Pro
  6. Netflix – All of Us are Dead – Official Trailer
  7. Squarespace – Sally’s Seashells Big Game Commercial
  8. BMW USA – Zeus & Hera
  9. Hulu – The Kardashians Official Trailer
  10. LEGO – The Magical World of Disney’s Encanto

Remember, these are the ads that people seek and choose to watch – a marketer’s dream come true! (Note: Ads are determined by an algorithm that factors in organic and paid views, watch time, and audience retention.)

What is your top ad from 2022?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:  

  1. Discuss the importance of branding and brand management. How do the videos fit into branding?
  2. Divide students into teams. Have each team analyze one of the following videos with respect to target market, key message, type of appeal, etc.
  3. Ads are available at: https://www.youtube.com/intl/en_us/ads/news-and-inspiration/ads-leaderboard/youtube-ads-leaderboard-2022-year-end-wrap-up-us/
  4. Have some of the teams view the top global ads and compare with U.S. viewing: https://www.youtube.com/intl/en_us/ads/news-and-inspiration/ads-leaderboard/youtube-ads-leaderboard-2022-year-end-wrap-up-global/
  5. When teams have completed this, have each team show the video and discuss their analysis with the rest of the class.
  6. What are the commonalities between the videos? What are the differences?
  7. What should other companies do to replicate the success?

Source:  YouTube. Ads Leaderboard: 2022 year-end-wrap-up.

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by | Thursday, February 23, 2023 · 7:26 am

Google’s Year of Search for 2022 – “Can I Change…”

Marketers need to constantly scan the environment, particularly how consumers behave; their wants, needs, and habits are critical to effective marketing. Consumer insights give marketers information such as product reviews, recommendations, complaints, competition, and many more valuable data points.

As the new year begins, considering the last year gives us insights and information about behavior. One great source of trends is Google. On average, Google processes 99,000 searches every second for a whopping 8.5 billion search queries per day! These queries give marketers a snapshot of trends around the world and the research gives us a good idea of what people are thinking and wondering about.

A look at 2022 gives us the big themes of rebirth, personal growth, and optimism. In 2022 we searched “how to change myself” and “how to be better.” We searched about how to change jobs, how to improve our relationships, and how to be a better friend. We also searched about how to help each other such as how to help Ukraine, or how to help areas with disasters such as Puerto Rico.

Google tracks searches on an individual country basis (and even cities) as well as globally. Lists are based on search terms that had the highest spike this year as compared to the previous year.

Globally, some of the most searched for topics in 2022 searches about Wordle, election results, Queen Elizabeth, Ukraine, Serena Williams, and Uvalde. Searches are also for local concerns such as gas prices, COVID testing, and voting.

What did you search for in 2022?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Before showing the Google results, poll students as to what they think the top searches were in 2022. Why those topics? Is this the same for different countries?
  2. Next, show the Google site and video of the top searches:  https://about.google/stories/year-in-search/
  3. Show the local searches in different geographies in 2022: https://about.google/stories/local-year-in-search-2022/
  4. Discuss the importance of market research. What are sources that can be used? Why is tracking trends important?
  5. Divide students into teams and have each team examine a different topic or geography. What are the trends from that topic?
  6. How can these trends be used to develop new products and services?
  7. Debrief the exercise by listing the ideas from each team.

Source:  Google. Year in search 2022.

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