Jersey Girl

For 8 years of my life, I lived in Sparta, New Jersey.  This was a big part of my life- - middle school and high school years.  I can still remember exactly what the town looks like even though it's been about 4 years since I've been there.  I can still picture my old, brick house on Crystal Rock Road that was on top of Sparta Mountain and the Lake Mowawk boardwalk where I spent most summer nights. After seeing all of the posts and pictures on the news and on social media outlets from my friends of what Hurricane Sandy did to what I consider my hometown, I felt the anxiety building as I saw each picture.  I wanted to make sure everyone was okay and after many prayers and checks on Facebook, I relaxed a little bit.  However, I was still devastated to see the demolished streets where I learned to drive, the tree covered outdoor pool where I spent all of my summers there, and the shredded high school football field where I used to play powder puff with my friends.  My family used to visit the Jersey Shore frequently and we would go for long walks on the beach competing to see who could collect the most seashells.  Now, completely that the area is wiped out, the memories are stronger than ever.  Having family and friends living near by NYC, I was worried about them too.  I am very relieved to see everyone is safe, thank God for Facebook.  Seriously, without power and without their posts I would have no way of knowing their status in relation to the extremity of the storm.  Still praying for all of those who may have lost their loved ones or their houses. 

SAS Brand Ambassador

The Student Advertising Summit is another organization that I am a part of this year.  It is a non-profit that partners with AdFed to host an annual event that has been active for over a decade now. The summit is an all-day event that attracts 100—300 attendees from across the Midwest, including: college students, recent graduates, those in job transitions, freelancers, and professionals.

I am their Brand Ambassador for the University of St. Thomas and so far I have really enjoyed my experience working with these awesome people who are just bubbling over with crazy, creative ideas.  These creative misfits motivated by the pure excitement of their jobs have really inspired me to pursue my inner passion for advertising and marketing further.  Here is a blog post I wrote for our SAS blog about Oreo's imaginative brand, check it out:

OREO:

Oreos are not only milk’s favorite cookie but they are MY favorite cookie too! Yes, Oreos are oh so delicious, but they also make up a playful, imaginative brand that is constantly trying to help everyone in the world celebrate the kid inside.  This is something that I can definitely attest to.  Their ability to connect with many different audiences by focusing on the effect of nostalgia is very effective for Oreo as a brand.

CAMPAIGN:

Their most recent campaign called "Daily Twist" was a 100-day long campaign designed by DraftFCB's creative team.  Each day throughout this campaign, Oreo offered a whimsical, humorous or eye-catching ad to the more than 27.9 million people who like Oreo on Facebook.  Every ad was also displayed on their website, Pinterest and Twitter.  The timely and relevant subjects of these Daily Twist ads included gay pride, Elvis Presley Week, Bastille Day, the Mars rover, Talk Like a Pirate Day, the introduction of the Apple iPhone 5 and the Emmy Awards.

For the execution of the final Daily Twist ad, the brand set up a virtual/pop-up office in Times Square on October 2^nd.  Oreo fans were given the power to decide what the final twist should be via Facebook and Twitter.  The ad was then created live for fans to watch the creativity in the making and follow its progress via social media outlets.

EFFECTIVENESS:

The results say it all.  Oreo has seen a 110% growth in fan interaction per social-media post and has doubled their average reach per post since the “Daily Twist” launch.  At the ripe old age of 100, the Oreo brand seems younger than ever and I think that the initiatives of this campaign reflect their overall brand image effectively.

Because of Oreo’s strong commitment to provide their fans with the value of relevance, in this “Daily Twist” campaign, they have engaged their fan base in memorable conversations via entertainment, utility, inspiration and humor.  As consumers, our need for instant stimulation and gratification has grown to the power of communicating with brands in real time.  Oreo has mastered this aspect of consumer behavior and has not only given their fans power and control, but they have surpassed their expectations of what it means to be the world’s favorite cookie.

Welcome to the Family

Each year, we have traditions that must be carried out.  This past weekend was one of our famous family weekends where we welcome the newcomers to the team in our own special way.  As a swim team who acts more like a giant family of 70, we are very dear with our traditions that bring us closer together.  Our coach Tom, is the leader of the pack and guides us on our journey of 6 long months together.  My past three years on this team have really shaped me into the person I am today and without these traditions, I don't think our family would be the same- if a family at all.  With that said, this year has been very different for me because I am a senior and one of the captains helping lead the pack along side Tom, the other coaches, and the other captains.  I consider this to be an honor and I am very grateful to be considered a role model for the underclassmen to look up to.  Finally, being on the other side of the cheers, speeches, and prayers, while at the same time being the one organizing the traditions for the family, and the one swimmers come to with their comments, complaints, and concerns is a huge role to take on and I am more than happy to do it! I have actually waited my whole swimming career for this time to come, my time to shine and share everything I have learned in this sport over the past 14 years of my life.  After our first two meets, I can already tell that this year will be very special and as Tom would say I am moderately pleased.  I vow to make this year one of my best yet- I want to be the best swimmer, friend, sister, pep pal, cheerer, leader I can be.