Category: Uncategorized

We’re not often encouraged to judge a book by it’s cover, but when my professor assigned us to redesign the cover of a book we have read, Sugar Nation came to mind right away.

1. The Medium is the Message- By looking at this book, I expected to learn about all the places where sugar is hidden in

the American diet and how to improve our nutrition. I was also hoping to learn all the reasons sugar is detrimental to our diets, in hopes that I would have more motivation to tame my sweet tooth.While some people wouldn’t consciously think a book cover, they may just like one more than another, how much I hated the cover of this book crossed my mind every time I picked it up. Here’s why:

The author had other intentions, which was to tell more of a memoir of how Diabetes has impacted his life. I blame this miscommunication on the cover of the book, which may seem harsh, but that’s the purpose of a book’s cover and graphic design in general, is to communicate with the viewer.

2. What Meets the Eye- I also thought that the colors and fonts chosen for the cover do not match up with the overall tone of the novel. Neon blue and white is far more uplifting and dynamic than the copy beneath the cover. The main focus of the book, as I mentioned, is his own and his father’s journey with diabetes, along with commentary on how diabetes is being treated. I’m not sure about you but I wouldn’t have come to that conclusion.

3. Start at Square One- The images associated with the title take a very literal approach to the title’s message. Once again, while this communicates a connection between our nation and sugar, the title and the imagery used do not match the narrative. The caption below also doesn’t match up with the image, because nothing about a flag in a sugar bowl is hidden or related to medicine. Basically, the recommendation here is to change everything, including the title of the book.

Rather than using the imagery of only sugar and the flag, I thought it would be more effective to communicate the role sugar has played in US History, with using entertainment events like pie-eating contests as an example. This also conveys that this connection between our country and sugar is not a new phenomenon, which is important when attempting to create change. The roots run deep.Moving forward, I started to understand why the diabetes piece may have not been included in the cover. It’s hard. Utilizing medical or diabetes imagery  can be difficult to convey in a visually-appealing way. After playing around with it, I decided to take a less modern approach to the design, to at least give it more of a memoir feel.

I’m not sure this completely solves the miscommunication between the book’s topic and cover, but removing the caption hopefully opens it up for more interpretation. If the assignment called for creating our own images over finding images, I may have been able to communicate the message further; but I still believe the title starts this novel off a different path than  where the reader is taken.

I believe this shows the importance of communication between parties, the designer should never just be fulfilling orders, but rather offering creative perspective to find a way for the most effective link between the written and visual communication.

What do you think could help either of these covers?

International Women’s Day brings to mind many bold and courageous females, continuous struggles for equality, and apparently, advertisements.

Always has caught my attention once again, with their recent release of another video, Stronger Together, for their #LikeaGirl campaign.

This campaign took social media by storm when it was released in the summer and again when shown in the 2015 Superbowl. To keep the buzz alive, Always celebrated International Women’s Day with a #LikeaGirl campaign video that showcases girls and young women, worldwide, displaying what it means to be a Like a Girl.

Originally, the ad related to athleticism, as that is an area where girls and women tend to be belittled or thought of as inferior. However, in this new video they address the many areas of life girls and women excel at, but are often not regarded as leaders in the field. This includes “calculate #LikeaGirl,” as a female student completes a math problem and “experiment #LikeaGirl,” as another student does chemistry.

While some have thought of this campaign as random, or worse, that it is capitalizing on feminism for corporate gain. To be fair, the company has boosted sales as a result to the Superbowl air time. Call me an optimist, but I think the new Stronger Together video solidifies Always’ intentions. As a company focused on the female market and needs, taking a stance on the empowerment of women doesn’t seem like a far stretch to me. Here’s why:

1. Rewrite the narrative: The tagline is powerful because it converts a phrase that is often intended as an insult, and shows why there is nothing about being a girl that someone should be ashamed of. Likewise, it is not uncommon to hear “time of month jokes” in conversation or in the media, so much so that they can be used to justify why women shouldn’t be trusted to lead a household, a company, or the nation.

2. Perspectives have impact: Sadly, I think everyone has heard the criticisms of female politicians being “too emotional” to handle foreign affairs, or the tongue in cheek jokes about wars that could start when said politician was menstruating. The #LikeaGirl tagline allows Always to cover all of these areas where girls and women need empowerment.

3. The new video also solidifies pre-teens as their target market, which is reaching girls at a time in their life when the Always brand has a new sense of relevance. As girls are entering puberty, Always wants their message to be clear, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Not to mention, this target market is also creating brand loyalty for potential lifelong users.

When it comes to the popularity of the ad, I think a great deal of credit goes to the strength of the tagline. It’s short and sharable—hence the Facebook impressions—it’s memorable, which helps sales; and it’s inspiring, which creates an emotional connection with the brand.

But more than anything, I think women of all ages resonate with this ad and just wish it came out sooner, so they could be the young girls empowered to inspire others.

As students, we’re often told not to narrow ourselves into one area of strategic communications, as the fine lines that separate advertising, public relations, marketing, etc. continue to stretch and shift.

Originally, I never saw myself filling any role in advertising or marketing. Strategic communications as a whole, really, felt like intimidating, uncharted territory that I could just skim the surface of with my love for events and writing. However, through diverse opportunities and challenging myself to diversify what opportunities I think I can approach, this thinking has shifted.

I think these fine lines that separate focuses have more to do with the people than the work. Public relations always appealed to me for the opportunity to create relationships on behalf of an organization and impact how people think of their brand. That appeal still exists, but I now recognize that my skills for this can be- and need to be- applied to all mediums of strategic communications.

The advertisements and campaigns I get most excited about do just that, which is why I am highlighting Petsmart’s Partners in Parenthood campaign (by GSD&M). The advertisements, two of which were shown during the Oscars, play on the idea of pets being part of the family, and create satiric scenes of the different stages of “parenthood.”

The extended version of all the advertisements can be found on YouTube, and can credit a good fraction of their views to my free time and love for dogs.The campaign’s unifying idea is that PetSmart will be with you every step of this journey, something every actor calls out in some way in the commercials and online videos. PetSmart brings attention to the humorous and all too true dynamics of a pet owner, which looks much more like a parent and child. It also creates or reinforces a need by telling pet owners “No, you aren’t caring too much about your pet, don’t second guess these toys, boots or grooming sessions.” At the same time, the products are weaved into the stories so well, you don’t feel like they’re being aggressive.

The marketing directors of PetSmart said their goal was to “make people laugh or smile as they recognize themselves or someone they know in the videos; and to remember PetSmart, I think it will set us apart.” They predict it will be a successful campaign, which I completely agree with.

Within minutes of finding the ads on YouTube, I posted the full video (2 minutes vs. 30 second t.v. spot) to my friend’s

Facebook, tweeted about the campaign and quickly emailed the links to my family. When you can see your self or others in an ad, it builds a connection with that brand, a sense of they get me.

Additionally, PetSmart had traditionally took a more “features” approach to advertising, which didn’t really set them apart or make them too memorable. This campaign focuses more on their customers and what PetSmart has in common with them, a love for pets. The creative target audience seems to be “obsessive pet owners,” or “helicopter pet parents,” who can be reached in a completely different way than the people who are looking just for the essentials for their pet.

PetSmart is making fun of how ridiculous owners like Anna Farris (and me) sound when describing the haircut their imagining for their dog’s grooming, but at the same time they are saying, we get it, they aren’t just a dog, they’re family.

If that’s not focusing on creating a relationship, I’m not sure what is.

As planners, you are accustomed to offering your advice, tricks of the trade and even horror stories of events gone wrong. However, it’s not as common to ask the venue, “how was that for you?”

Event coordinators and managers play key roles for meetings and events planners, as they often act as the bridge contact between a planner’s blueprint and the event day-of. Here are three ways to make sure your next event pleases all parties:

1. Keep it simple

Clear communication makes all the difference, says Alaina Battaglia, event services coordinator of McNamara Alumni Center. After working with many clients at the popular Twin Cities venue, she explains, “If you bring too many people into the planning process it can get very confusing. As a result, when event day comes, there may be a question that only one person can answer and they aren’t always in attendance.”

Having a go-to communicator for the venue can ensure seamless day-of execution. Battaglia says what forms of communication used depend on the type of event. The larger and more specific the event, the better it is to meet in person throughout the planning process.

2. Skip surprises

Although it may seem obvious, what better place to meet than at the venue? Even if you initially visited the venue, it helps to visit once additional details have been decided. You may have made initial decisions about the placement of event attributes, like the silent auction, upon visiting, but if you’re going to change your mind, it’s better to do it a month before, than an hour.

Increased communication and organization helps keep surprises at bay as well, Battaglia explains, “the more prepared a planner is, the easier it is to create their vision. If they have a timeline for the meeting or event, sharing that with the venue staff can help ensure breakout sessions or other plans run smoothly.”

3. Easy as humble pie

In times of stress and “all hands on deck” involvement, we often forget the roles of those around us. This proves beneficial for team members who are able to support one another by accepting new responsibilities. However, when it comes to the staff of the venue, these obligations shift. There are ways to collaborate with venue staff while still respecting their interests and responsibilities.

Recently at the FIVE Event Center in Uptown, I was with the event planner as she was complimented for asking and obeying the Center’s policies. Taking the time to find out where they would prefer eating to take place, or what guests can bring in, shows that you respect the venue, recognize them as a key player in the event, and value their stake in the its success.