Happy Shopping Season

Wow! Can you believe we’ve already passed Thanksgiving and now we’re on to Christmas? I have never had the urge to shop on Black Friday, but I know many people who can knock out all their gift giving needs in that one day.

I heard much media coverage about Black Friday and one news story stated that 10% of all holiday sales come from Black Friday alone. As both a marketer and a consumer, that is as amazing statistic.

When it comes to Small Business Saturday (the Saturday after Black Friday), it’s a day I support wholeheartedly. I enjoy shopping at small businesses year ’round. Meeting shop owners who are grateful for their customers is like nothing else. And I do love Cyber Monday…who can resist shopping online?!

My snowy porch (notice my footsteps!)

We received a dusting of snow this past weekend, so it really feels like the holiday season for me. The snow and chilly weather inspired me to decorate my home and desk at work with Christmas items that make me smile. I wish I could feature a glittery poinsettia on my kitchen table and desk at work each day of the year!

And just think, the closer we get to December 25, the closer we are to the end of the Late Fall semester!

Have you started to prepare for the holiday season? If so, what are you doing to make this season extra special?

Pin down your vision; anchor your communication

I’m Julie Long, otherwise known as the Cabin Girl, blogging to you riverside from the Brandywine Valley located in idyllic Chester County Pennsylvania. For those who have never been to the area, I’m just twenty-five miles outside of the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia.

Besides living near the historic city where the Declaration of Independence was signed, Philadelphia is home to culinary classics like the cheesesteak sandwich, soft pretzels and sweet treats called Tastykakes.

If you already knew about the local flair, then what you might not know is the area is home to the largest shopping mall on the east coast. With over 400 stores and two million plus square feet, the King of Prussia Mall is the shopping Mecca for any die-hard shopper.

If online or television shopping is more to your taste, a multinational corporation specializing in home shopping is just down the road offering group tours for loyal fans. If you guessed QVC, as the retailer, you must have either ordered before, or heard the hosts mention the town during live programming.

I know the QVC story very well because I work there as a Web Designer supporting QVC.com. Depending on the specials of the day, I work then shop, or shop then work. It can be dangerous at times working in retail, but you never know what valuable Today’s Special Value you might have to have. Do not be afraid, I know the difference between need and hoarding. The topic of QVC hoarding could be explained in an entirely different post.

In this post, I have glossed over some of the main highlights of the area, but strategically skipped over the Philadelphia sports teams because the poor season records all around indicate a rebuilding year. If you don’t watch Philadelphia sports (which I do not do, or recommend), or shop with QVC, one other way you can catch a glimpse of the idyllic landscape is by watching an M. Night Shyamalan movie. I would suggest Signs, which was filmed in the area by the native Chester County producer. If science fiction thrillers do not suite your fancy, search online for American realist painter, Andrew Wyeth, who used the landscape as his muse.

Philadelphia and Chester County is where I spend my time with the WVU program, and my sixth class in the program is IMC 641 Social Media and Marketing taught by Professor Rachael Post. This particular course has allowed me the opportunity to do a deep dive into the world of all things social media. My final project will entail preparing a social media-marketing plan for any client of my choice.

Without the flexibility of the WVU IMC online program, I wouldn’t have been able to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater during my current nine-week semester. As I made the four-hour journey west from Philadelphia to southeast Pittsburgh, my IMC coursework was available to me from my iPad. Taking a step away, on my own terms, allowed me the opportunity to see best realization of organic American architecture.

Just as, Frank Lloyd Wright realized his vision to build a cantilevered home over a waterfall; IMC practitioners and future IMC practitioners can also realize their vision by leveraging marketing tools against an anchored integrated communication structure.

If you are a current student, how do you realize your vision? Do you by chance curate your vision onto a Pinterest board? I use Pinterest for both professional, personal and education purposes.
Feel free to reference my Integrated Marketing Pinterest board. http://pinterest.com/cabingirl/integrated-marketing/

Post your IMC Pinterest boards so we can follow along as you realize your vision.

-Julie Long

What Gets You Moving On Assignments?

This past weekend in Northeast Ohio was unusually warm! Looking out my window writing my Week 3 paper for Social Media and Marketing was honestly a little difficult, but I used some old tricks I’ve learned since starting the IMC Program two and a half years ago.

Turns out, having some good music playing helped inspire me to write and got my fingers hitting my keyboard a little faster than normal.

I’m sure I’m not alone when I admit music provides a little motivation for me. If music doesn’t work, I log onto YouTube and find episodes of television shows I enjoy to listen to while I’m working. I tend to work better with some background noise whether it’s a familiar song or show that makes me laugh.

There are some days when I know exactly what I want to write and my fingers can’t move fast enough, but other days, like this weekend, the words don’t come as easy.

Some people are different and prefer complete silence when writing. What’s your style and what motivates you to write on a day when you need an extra push?