Category Archives: Uncategorized

I’m not going to argue on our origin as humans, but I am certain we don’t descend from monkeys (unlike what Charles Darwin believed) but most of humans tend to act so behind a computer and we went on to name these people ‘’trolls’’. I didn’t learn how to handle social media because when I was in 5^th grade and started PC/IT basics, social media was an infant, seriously – even Google was a baby back then or a toddler and my teachers didn’t know anything like that yet. It was unknown. Parents nowadays do have a tough job, with criminals preying on little girls, as young as 10 or 11 online.

Truth is, we aren’t some important advertising agency(yet) to make an impact (for now), or part of the govt, or working in the govt so what is there for us to do? Curating our social media as Bailey Parnell has suggested in her Ted Talks presentation and in there she said most things I was thinking about the past few years as I have witnessed many things until now, age 30. Her words are even more important as I am a student on BA HONS Marketing with advertising and surrounded by mostly 18-20 year-olds who needed to hear that without having known that they do.

I have always curated my social media from the beginning because I knew the kind of content I didn’t want to have: burned children, sick children, spammy  ‘’if you share this Facebook pays a dollar’’ type of posts, people that only ask for help but never offer to help, friends that no longer are in touch with me because it is no longer a priority and so on. To be honest, my social media is pretty clean and it’s the same principle I applied to the fansite emma-watson.net that I am managing the social media for and it went pretty well because The Female Lead chose the twitter profile as a ‘’positive page’’ for youngsters and asked me to participate in their #DisruptYourFeed mental health campaign which was a huge surprise and honor for me.  

So, on which side of the social media are you? It does matter. Particularly for the generations that come after mine. We are vulnerable, there are LGBTQI youth who committed suicide after classmates or friends posted photos of them in an embarrassing position to them and couldn’t bare it so Trevor Project’s work is ever so important. But just as important to remind yourselves that you can be anything, but choose to #BeKind. It truly can change someone’s life. I, for one, am glad I don’t have to explain why I am heterosexual so why should anyone who isn’t?

It pays to be on the wrong side of the social media because I always stood for those people who were mocked or laughed at, and replied to countless rude or insensitive comments and had great pleasure in reporting comments and photos online. You should too. Stand up for someone even if it’s online. And you never know when your session is recorded on websites (hotjar) these days either. Big brother’s watching. So funny that what is happening in the world is very much like in this book The Circle by Dave Eggers. I recommend it.

My first question to you is, do you pay attention to what’s flowing onto your social feeds? IF no, why not? IF yes, why and my second is, who exactly are you following?

Thank you for reading, see you next time!

Brand loyalty is defined as ’’the tendency of consumers to continuously purchase one brand’s products over another. Consumer behavior patterns demonstrate that consumers will continue to buy products from a company that has fostered a trusting relationship.’’(Trackmaven.com). This is what they (companies and marketers) want to achieve, and to do so they use all sorts of well thought out, carefully crafted strategies.

People, say young ones in their 20s are the ones heavily influenced by ads, by friends and family, colleagues at work or school, they want to blend in and fit in. You, me and Dupree can see this literally everywhere, particularly with APPLE iphones. The system is gradually slowed down and users end up needing to upgrade in order for their phones to work properly.

But then you can see that some of them are desperate to fit in in their friend group by following the latest trend, with buying the latest iphone, or the latest clothes. It wasn’t my thing in my tween years and it isn’t now, so I’m a impossible target. I get it, they love ios – probably as much as I love my android if not more.

Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with spending your money like it disappears tomorrow, because if it weren’t for you young ones we older ones wouldn’t be so up to date with latest stuff in all categories so I am thankful to have you around. I would appreciate one thing, if y’all would relax more and thought deeper. That brain you have, use it. Change the world. But for the better.

It starts with each individual. You can buy less. We buy too much and not fix things if they break or fall apart. ThredUp(online thrift shop) latest tweet says ’’Compared to 20 years ago, we are buying twice as much and keeping it for half as long’’. We can become loyal to brands which are transparent about internal processes and technologies, wages and treatment of its staff. I’m Loyal to Kitkat but I’ve read stories of child labour and I want to know the truth about what they do, not just because kitkat chunky peanut butter is bomb but because it’s the 21^st century and these things should have ended long ago.

Advertising can be a toxic workplace, and Tori Flower’s ted talk we watched in Louise’s class is testament that people leave to do more social good because they saw what advertising can do. I mean would I be happy promoting cigarettes knowing what they contain? No.

Cruelty-free, vegan, eco-friendly products are getting more attention and it’s the direction I’ve been taking and thinking about for the last few years. Being mindful of what we buy is our power as consumers and most of you never realized it. It’s also good to start young with things like buying a 5 litre water bottle at tesco which is 1.25 pounds – a lot better than buying 10 bottles of 250ml ones, or better than buying the 2 litre one. 5 litres of water is going to last  a while for me. Same goes for sodas on the market. We can make our own juices at home with a lil bit of imagination and a blender.

I hope this blog made you think about the changes you can make internally and externally and taking the executive decision to be a more thoughtful consumer. Let me know what you liked reading about in the comment section below. Tell me, are you loyal to a brand?

Thank you for reading and see you next week!

References:

Trackmaven.com, Brand Loyalty

Tori Flower ted talk

thredUP

https://twitter.com/thredUPhttps://twitter.com/thredUP/status/1227298775502409728

The internet is a huge influence. Way back when I was in fifth grade computers and peripherals were bulky and slow, google was a baby to now, it is quite a different world in all aspects. If forty years ago people could not find a lot of information about where they wanted to travel, relying on what they were told by family and tour operators/travel agents – now we have the luxury of a privilege of searching on our own, wonderful destinations from our bucket lists being readily available in a few clicks. How easy is it now to book a flight? Extremely easy.

I ran a search on esky.ro and skyscanner and found my flight to Southampton in a minute. Booked it in another minute and there were plenty of options for luggage, hotel stays, car hires and so on. All this changed our decision-making process by a long shot! My flight from Bucharest to Denmark marked my first flight and I was excited like a kid! I told myself I better travel more because boy this is great! From Denmark I flew to Manchester, then made my way to Southampton. Flybe’s plane was so small I felt like I was offered a private plane, It was lovely.

Me, you and anyone can book a holiday quite easily, without having to explain to someone else what you want, what you don’t want, your budget and your stay. No one else will pick your hotel room – you can view all available hotel rooms on their website, and make a quick reservation. You could even email them about certain details that interest you about the room, set up a surprise for a spouse or child months ahead and pretty much do what you like.

The beauty about the internet is that it helps us reduce the decision-making process, from recognizing the need to information search to evaluating my options to then purchasing my holiday and all this in under an hour thanks to google. But this isn’t a love letter to google (it is the month of love though). I am grateful for living in this digital era and how I am a part of it.

For some, the amount of information that is available to them in only a few clicks is way too much and get easily overwhelmed, gotta say I know the feeling of that. That is why it is best to make clear on what you want, where you want to travel to, budget, how long will you stay and begin searching for flights and hotels in an area you’d be comfortable in. Even if it’s still overwhelming ask a friend or family member to assist, it’s only fair!

The beauty of the internet is that everything is figureoutable, take it easy and enjoy it! Take some photos from your trip and show us on Instagram. My dream destination is Fiji Islands, it’s an archipelago of more than 300 islands so I am sure I’ll find one island to roam free on and lounge. Here’s my favorite photo taken somewhere in Fiji.  What’s your favorite destination? Share a photo that inspires you from there.

Thank you for reading, see you next week!

The area of study that studies how consumers choose and use products, the motivation behind their choices – is called Consumer Behaviour.

Companies and marketers want to know what influences consumers, how are they influenced by emotions, family, and how they respond and interact with ads online. Most of us use an Ad Block because we are bombarded with ads daily (a few years ago there weren’t so many) and as a result companies smarten up about it.

Take a look at newspapers which asks viewers to turn off their Ad Blocks in order to stay on page or continue to read the desired content; oftentimes they even show you a list of ad blocking apps and show how to turn the one you have off. Others, like Facebook, changed how they publish content and switched algorithms so that the sponsored content is shown even if an Ad Block is installed on a particular device.

I, for one, receive ads featuring shoes, jewellery (girly I know), and eco-friendly, conscious, handmade, vegan beauty and skincare type of products because they noticed that this is the content I am most responsive and interactive with. I’m sure these brands – assisted by Facebook insights, saw that I click on the ads containing products like the above then go to the brand page, like it, interacting with other posts relating to what I was interested in.

I have started making more eco conscious choices as we are literally drowning in plastic, in nature or supermarkets. I have purchased wet wipes and nasal tissues made from bamboo from a brand called The Cheeky Panda (UK based) from Amazon, just this past weekend. The benefits of using such products are endless, for us and for the planet as well.

Users have posted examples of conversations where they’ve spoken over the phone’s microphone about cat food and they’ve had cat food in ads on Facebook a few hours later. I don’t have Facebook on my phone for that reason and I didn’t have that happen on the laptop either. A similar thing happens with how they suggest connections on the same platform.

My question to you is, how do you interact and respond with ads online? What are you searching for and have you seen yourself targeted with a certain type of ads? If yes, what were they? Recognize the patterns and let me know, I’d love to have your feedback!

Thank you for reading, see you next time!

“It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for us to hate each other, but to be able to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration and respect.”

― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

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