Steve Jobs: The ultimate IMCer?

(A formal invitation for Steve Jobs to guest lecture at Medill IMC)

By Anne Mahoney

In a recent article featuring an interview with Jobs’ old boss at Apple, John Sculley, details about the mythical man had me reeling with pride. “He’s a total IMCer!” I thought as I read about Jobs’ focus on user experience before market share. It illuminated a vast difference between Apple and Japanese companies – and also IMC students and MBAs.

The article was especially timely as we had the opportunity last week to hear Jose Costa speak on the difference between IMC and MBA students. Costa is a Medill IMC grad and currently finishing up an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Among the more conspicuous degree comparisons, the one that had us students applauding was his slide featuring IMC as a Mac and MBA as a PC. Steve, did you hear that?

As IMC students, we are constantly urged to consider the question: “What business are you in?” Jobs was the only person, back in the 80s, to view the computer as a product for personal use. Guess he nailed that one.

We also learn that consumer data is extremely important, but the frustrating part about consumers is that they can rarely articulate exactly what it is they want or need. It is up to companies and mostly marketers to anticipate that need, and to create a product or messaging to satiate it. Jobs did exactly this, too, when he visualized the Macintosh, which was far outside the realm of what calculator users thought they needed.

The article highlights how the success of Apple is most definitely a result of Jobs’ emphasis on product design. Although Medill incorporates a rich and varied amount of elements crucial for integrated marketing into the program, Jobs also makes a great case for why design should be a topic more relevant at Medill. If we as marketers are able to influence the core of the user experience, what a person sees and feels, that will make us more successful in all other communication surrounding it.

So Steve, if you’re not too busy, feel free to stop by Evanston and teach us a thing or two about this design thing you’ve changed the world with. Lunch is on us.

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Anne Mahoney is the Social Media Director at Vitamin IMC and a student in the Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program at Northwestern University's Medill School. She can be reached at AnneMahoney2010@u.northwestern.edu.

Foursquare: Location-based consumer insights?

By Johnny Schroepfer

Foursquare is one of the best iPhone applications to date. The idea is simple: check-in on your mobile device at various restaurants, clubs or stores to receive points, unlock badges and even become “mayor” of the venue.

Foursquare also encourages competition amongst your friends to see who can rack up the most points in the same city. This “location-based” social networking app has great potential for brands in terms of understanding and rewarding their customers.

While some major brands like Pepsi have taken advantage of sponsoring leader board pages, local businesses are using the app by offering specials for the“mayor” of their venue. For example, I’ve checked-in to bars and received messages similar to “The mayor of Bar X drinks for free from 8pm-10pm” or “The mayor of Restaurant X receives a free appetizer with purchase of $9.99 or more.”

These location-based promotions are a great way to interact with and reward your customers. The application not only tracks where users are checking-in (and how often) but also allows users to write tips and to-dos for each venue.

Local businesses have the opportunity to understand how often users are visiting their store or restaurant, what they’re saying about the service and what they’re suggesting to other users.

Location-based services like Foursquare will help the mobile industry grow in the United States by increasing engagement and providing value to its users.

Would an app like Foursquare make you more engaged with a local business or major brand?

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Johnny Schroepfer is the strategy & content director at Vitamin IMC and a student in the Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University's Medill School. He can be reached at johnnyschroepfer@u.northwestern.edu.

USPS Holiday Site Helps Consumers With Seasonal Shipping Stress

It's holiday season and consumers everywhere are stressing out about all the cards they have to send out and shipping gifts on time. Understanding the stress of the holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service created a fun, festive, and useful site to help consumers with their holiday mailing needs. This one-stop-shop has a lot of helpful features including tutorials for printing labels and scheduling pickup, custom card creator, locator for finding post offices with extended hours, and holiday countdowns for Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza.

The site is effective because it provides value to consumers by making their lives easier and keeps them engaged with the Web site and the brand. The experience of using the site is great way to keep consumers coming back to USPS for their shipping needs instead of using other providers.

All-in-all it's a good site and next year's site could be even better by adding:

• Sharing: Make the site more shareable and increase word of mouth by adding functionality for sharing on Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, etc.
• Augmented Reality: USPS has a cool and innovative Virtual Box Simulator. It is a perfect fit for the holiday site and should be a featured tool.
• Branded App: An app that incorporates site features such as scheduling a delivery, countdown calendars, and post office locator as well as new features such as reminders and a to-do list would make for a very relevant and useful app.

--Marina Molenda

Yum! Visits IMC

Did you know that on one street corner in Shanghai, China, there are four Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants? Were you aware that in a country with India’s population (approximately one billion people), there are only 300 Pizza Hut restaurants? Jonathan Blum, senior vice president and chief public affairs office for Yum! Brands Inc., shared these interesting facts and more with Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) students at a Professional Speaker Series event in the Medill IMC program.  

Blum explained the history of Yum! Brands Inc. and how the company spun off from PepsiCo in 1997 with the brands Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants. Students learned of the incredible growth of the company, especially with its current international expansion to approximately 112 countries including Russia, China, Vietnam, Brazil and India. Blum also spoke of IMC tactics his company is executing to both domestic and international consumers during these tough economic times. For example, recent Kentucky Fried Chicken ads emphasized the value of the KFC products, a concept that is particularly important to consumers who are watching their wallets. Additionally, Blum emphasized the importance of conducting thorough market research in arriving at consumer insights and understanding purchase behavior. It is through these market research processes that Taco Bell decided to create its Fresco line, to appeal to the health conscious consumer through its low fat, fresh products.  

Prior to joining Yum! Brands Inc., Blum worked in the White House during President Jimmy Carter’s administration. He obtained his law degree and worked in an advertising agency, but never felt like he ‘found his niche’ until he joined Yum! Brands Inc., which he claims is “fun and slightly left of center.” Yum! recently posted a twinternship position for Pizza Hut that will focus on new and emerging social media. 

About his job, Blum says, “I love that I get to roll up my sleeves and do what I love every day.” Blum’s passion for his work, his ability to adapt with the times, and keeping the consumer at the core of all activities serves as a reminder to us all of the importance of creating a customer centric marketing approach grounded in thorough research.

--Guest Contributor: Divya Chopra, IMC Graduate Student

The Problem with Price

The current economic recession has caused both companies and consumers to watch their pennies and focus on financial budgeting.  In fact, it is pretty hard not to see a television commercial, print ad or e-newsletter highlighting a discount in prices or a product that can help save money.  But as IMC practitioners understand, businesses not only must keep in mind the current customer needs, but also remember that it needs to continue to reinforce its brand’s promise, not just its ability to offer lower prices. 

Home improvement superstore giants The Home Depot and Lowe’s are currently riding a potentially treacherous slippery slope with their latest round of television commercials.  The Home Depot uses their familiar, uplifting music to introduce its new slogan “More saving. More doing.” while Lowe’s cleverly places a “t” in the form of a letterman’s jacket and telephone pole after its name to highlight that they provide the “Lowe’st” prices.  Both are vey time relevant, but are the commercials brand distinctive and identifying?  No.  Other than the companies’ familiar logos and catchy tunes, one could easily mistake one store’s lumber aisle for the other. 

Of course saving money is a leading motivator for customer behavior during these times and The Home Depot and Lowe’s are trying to play into this consumer insight.  However, it is still imperative for companies to understand that the recession will not last forever.  By not continuing to emphasize their differentiating features such as breadth of products (The Home Depot) and professional expertise (Lowe’s), companies risk losing long-term brand distinction for a short-term solution. 

-- Lauren McCabe