Saying goodbye to January...and Hello to February!

So nature has managed to deliver a snowstorm to us every week in January, but let's hope February will not be so cruel to us! (doesn't look so promising considering there is a storm coming in tonight.) We have officially made it through the first month of the new year and now it's time to keep it going and welcome in February! We also will be kicking off week 5 of the Winter Quarter! Just think, next week for some classes is, dare I say it, MID TERM WEEK! Hard to believe, but it's reality!




Being that I am a Marketing major, I decided this would be a great time to discuss something for all of my football fans out there, the Super Bowl Commercials! I got a call from my boyfriend before and he was like Lyndsay, you need to go online to Papa John's and fill out something to get a free pizza if the Superbowl goes into overtime. So my first reaction, was "what are you talking about?!" He continued to go on and explained in better than the first time around and basically instead of paying some CRAZY amount for a 30 second commercial, Papa John's Pizza is offering a free pie, to those who sign up for it of course, if the Superbowl game goes into overtime. As long as you open an account and register for Papa points, you are in! How simple is that, and what a great promotion to run! Interested? Visit the link here: http://www.papajohnsot.com/



Ok, so back to my main thought here, advertisements costs companies a leg and an arm to run during the Super Bowl, but companies do benefit from it because they bring along humor, which is what people eat off of! The commercials have to be eye opening and attention grabbing if you plan on making your ad stand out and especially for $3 million dollars for a 30 second commercial, you better make it happen! Here is a video I found where they discuss some of the ads you will see during this years Superbowl! Check it out!

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/battle-of-the-super-bowl-ads-24025162

Now for me, I love the Superbowl commercials, but some of them feel a little overboard to me. Yes, you are spending a great deal of money, but at least make it worth it. I can't recall one commercial from last year that I felt this way about, but in the world of Marketing, it's your mission to catch the audience's attention, not be boring. Stupidity won't open your doors to more people, but keeping it entertaining and humorous will!

Here are a list of some advertisers who are buying space in this years Superbowl:

With inventory for Super Bowl XLV all sold out, according to Fox, we expect more advertisers on the event's roster to unveil their plans. This list won't be final until just before the Super Bowl airs on Fox on Feb. 6, so check back often for updates.

Anheuser-Busch InBev
Buy: One 60-second spot for premium Belgian brew Stella Artois, one 60-second spot for Budweiser and three 30-second spots for Bud Light.
Creative: The Stella Artois Super Bowl spot continues the campaign launched late last year that features '60s-era European settings in ads that target well-educated, upscale beer drinkers with the tagline "She Is a Thing of Beauty."

The Clydesdales will appear in the 60-second Budweiser spot; the Bud Light spots will continue the "Here We Go" campaign that debuted at last year's Super Bowl.
Agency: The Stella spot comes from the independent agency Mother. The Budweiser spot comes from the independent Anomaly. Two of the Bud Light ads are by Omnicom Group's DDB, Chicago, while one was done by St. Louis-based Cannonball.

Audi of America
Buy: One spot in first ad break in first quarter
Creative: This is Audi's fourth consecutive entry in the Super Bowl. Creative focus yet to be revealed. One of many automakers vying for attention during the game.
Agency: Independent Venables, Bell & Partners

Best Buy
Buy: One 30-second spot projected to run during the third quarter
Creative: In the retailer's first-ever appearance, Best Buy says it will be announcing news that will "revolutionize" retailing. It's weighing two creative concepts, one that delivers the message in a very clear way and one that potentially has more entertainment value. A celebrity or two could also be in the mix.
Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky is handling creative. Publicis Groupe's Starcom handles media buying and planning for the retailer.

BMW North America
Buy: To be determined
Creative: The marketer is returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade. Ads could focus on introduction of ActiveE, BMW's electric vehicle
Agency: MDC Partners' Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners.


Bridgestone
Buy: Two 30-second spots, one to run between first and second quarter and one to run during the fourth quarter
Creative: Bridgestone continues to sponsor the halftime show.
Agency: The Richards Group

Careerbuilder
Buy: One 30-second ad in the third quarter
Creative: Careerbuilder brings back its popular and memorable chimpanzees after a hiatus of five years. Look for the chimps to wreak havoc at Yeknom Industries, their place of work, while a human counterpart bears the brunt of their, um, monkeyshines.
Agency: In-house


CarMax
Buy: Two 30-second commercials
Creative: To be determined
Agency: Amalgamated

Cars.com
Buy: Two 30-second spots, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter
Creative: The new ads will show how Cars.com "drives confidence" with expert and consumer vehicle reviews, helping car buyers pick the right car
Agency: Omnicom Group's DDB Chicago

Chrysler
Buy: Could buy as many as two spots
Creative: To be determined, but the automaker could showcase two different car brands
Agency: Independent Wieden & Kennedy

Coca-Cola
Buy: Two spots, one 60 seconds in length
Creative: One ad called "Border Crossing" was shot in Morocco with two French actors, who share a Coke and resolve a border dispute; second ad features an animated dragon in a epic battle-like scene
Agency: Independent Wieden & Kennedy crafts ads for Coca-Cola.

E-trade
Buy: One spot during third quarter
Creative: The popular E-trade baby is expected to show up once again.
Agency: WPP's Grey

GoDaddy.com
Buy: Two 30-second ads, plus one ad in the pre-game
Creative: The spots will feature not one, not two, but three -- count 'em -- "GoDaddy girls," including reliable standby Danica Patrick and newcomer (and "Biggest Loser" star) Jillian Michaels. Here's the GoDaddy Jillian Michaels Danica Patrick Super Bowl spot. The third celebrity -- a surprise -- will be revealed in a commercial touting a new .co web domain (as opposed to .com).
Agency: Produced in-house by GoDaddy Productions

HomeAway Inc.
Buy: One 30-second ad, set to air in the third quarter
Creative: The online vacation-home rentals company, whose entry in the 2010 Super Bowl marked its first time advertising in the event, is set to launch a new national campaign. Its ad will seek to highlight the benefits of vacation rentals over hotels by invoking a fictional government agency, the Ministry of Detourism, and the slogan "Why Hotel When You Can HomeAway?" In its 2010 Super Bowl ad, HomeAway drew attention by featuring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo in their roles from the 1980s movie "National Lampoon's Vacation."
Agency: Vendor of Austin, Texas


Kia North America
Buy: One 60-second spot in the first quarter
Creative: The spot, entitled "One Epic Ride," will show people from different times and places -- such as an "ancient chief," a police officer, space aliens and Poseidon -- trying to get behind the wheel of the new Kia Optima, according to the automaker. The commercial is tied into a contest -- "One Epic Contest" -- in which consumers vying for one of five 2011 Optimas will use clues provided in 15-second TV spots, print ads and social media to answer four questions in the weeks before the game. The answer to a final question will be found within the Super Bowl spot itself.
Agency: Independent David & Goliath

Mars
Buy: One 30-second spot in the third quarter
Creative: After wrestling with whether to put Snickers or M&Ms in the Super Bowl, Mars decided to use the big game to continue Snickers' "You're Not You When You're Hungry" campaign, which began with a Super Bowl spot last year featuring Betty White and Abe Vigoda. This year Snickers' Super Bowl spot will star comics Roseanne Barr and Richard Lewis.
Agency: Omnicom Group's BBDO

Mercedez-Benz
Buy: One 60-second spot in the fourth quarter
Creative: To be determined
Agency: Omnicom Group's Merkley & Partners


Paramount Pictures
Buy: Five in-game spots for upcoming films "Captain America: The First Avenger," "Rango," "Super 8," "Thor" and "Transformers: The Dark Of The Moon." (Also one pre-game buy for DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 2," which the studio is distributing.)
Creative: Movie trailers
Agency: In-house

PepsiCo's Doritos
Buy: Three 30-second spots
Creative: Doritos is running its popular "Crash the Super Bowl" contest for the fifth year. This year, the contest has expanded to include sibling brand Pepsi Max. Consumers will select two spots, while PepsiCo execs select the third.
Agency: Omnicom Group's Goodby Silverstein & Partners

PepsiCo's PepsiMax
Buy: Three 30-second spots
Creative: Pepsi is taking a page from sibling brand Doritos' playbook, joining its "Crash the Super Bowl" contest. Consumers will select two spots, while PepsiCo execs select the third.
Agency: Omnicom Group's TBWAChiatDay

PepsiCo
Buy: One 30-second spot
Creative: Pepsi has added another 30-second on to its initial Super Bowl buy, with the brand being promoted to be determined, though Lipton Brisk Iced Tea is getting consideration.
Agency: To be determined

Pizza Hut
Buy: One spot in the first half
Creative: Instead of pushing a specific product on Super Bowl Sunday, as Pizza Hut has done in previous year's advertising around the game, its first entry into the Super Bowl proper will focus on the Pizza Hut brand and the role it plays in consumers' lives "beyond the game and throughout the year," according to Pizza Hut VP for advertising Kurt Kane.
Agency: Interpublic Group's Martin Agency


Skechers
Buy: One 30-second spot after the two-minute warning in fourth quarter
Creative: Skechers' Super Bowl ad featuring Kim Kardashian will promote the Shape-Ups toning line, marking its second consecutive Super Bowl berth. "The idea is that Kim Kardashian is going to break someone's heart in front of 100 million people," the company told Ad Age. Last year the company used 15-second spots with testimonial from Joe Montana to boost the Shape-Ups line among men; it didn't have time to prepare a typically big-splash Super Bowl spot when a hole in the ad lineup became available just two weeks before last year's game.
Agency: In-house

Universal Studios
Buy: Two ads, one for "Cowboys & Aliens"
Creative: Look for trailers. "We're cutting it now," tweeted "Cowboys & Aliens" director Jon Favreau on Jan. 11.
Agency: In-house

Volkswagen of America
Buy: Two 30-second spots, one for the new 2012 Passat and one of the new 2012 Beetle. One ad will appear in second quarter, the other in fourth quarter
Creative: The Passat ad will use a "Star Wars" theme, while the Beetle spot will make use of a "Black Beetle" character jumping along to the song "Black Betty" by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
Agency: Interpublic Group's Deutsch

Walt Disney Pictures' "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"
Buy: One spot during third quarter, to air after Best Buy ad
Creative: Movie trailer
Agency: In-house

If you are interested in checking back to this website for updates, here is where I pulled this information from: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=146802

I'm really interested to see what advertisers bring to the table this year. Who knows, maybe one day I will get as far as to this type of advertising and share my creative advertising ideas for the Superbowl? Not a bad goal to try and fulfill, right??

Well, I hope everyone has a successful week and again, STAY WARM & SAFE in the snow! Till next time....Cya!

Week 3 Wrap Up!

Well, it's a snowy end to week 3! Some campuses had a delay opening today so hopefully everyone is taking their time to get to class this morning! I'm sure with it being so cold out there, things are a little slippery. It's crazy how every week we have a storm. What is going on here? And next week, they talking about a two day storm from Tuesday to Wednesday. Who knows! I am getting sick of the snow that's for sure! It is pretty though so I won't complain all that much I suppose.

So as for Week 3, all is going well so far. I just think it's all going by way too quickly! I was just thinking the other day about what classes I still need to take since scheduling will be creeping up soon. I believe for the most part I completed all of my major courses, so it's electives and preparation for my upcoming internship. Yikes! I did begin exploring some options for internships, so that's a start! I still need to sit down with Career Services one day as well and see what I can do. Another great thing about Career Services is the fact that they will sit with you and help make any needed improvements to your resume so that you can go into a job interview with a top notch resume that will hopefully turn some heads! I recently made some adjustments to my resume but I do want to run it by Career Services before I start sending it out. Mine as well take advantage if someone is willing to help me out. Just something to keep in mind as other students reach this same time in their education.

As far as my classes for this quarter, I am loving all of them. I think I definitely picked a good variety of classes this quarter. Entertainment studies is focusing on the evolution of all the media around us from when newspaper were the big thing, up until today where we see so much new media! New product development is another interesting class. It's cool to go behind the scenes and see the process a new product must go through to get in the market. You learn that its a lot of trial and error, and then you apply any revisions that could help the product in the long run. In bio-ethics we are in the conversation of assisted death and euthanasia, which as I'm sure you can imagine, is very, very debatable. That's one of the reasons I decided to take the course because in high school, I took a similar class and the debating was my favorite part. There are people you agree with and others that you just don't understand why they say what they do, but that's what makes debating that much more interesting! And lastly, my honors class! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! The class overall just communicates so well and our conversations are really in depth and interesting. This week we are focusing on the concept of abject and violence. I'm not sure how many of you have studied or heard of Abject, but it's a complex subject. It's the concept of Kristiva. I had to read through the required materials several times before I could really pick it apart and analyze it. We also have been so lucky to receive iPads to help with our studies and I love mine! It's nifty and I just love having it around!

I hope that as we go into week 4 that everyone is already comfortable in their classes and enjoying all of their experiences. Keep us posted on how you are doing! We would love to hear from you!

Well, I am about to go finish up some homework for the week, shovel my driveway (BOO) and then who knows! I hope everyone has a great weekend and bundle up because it's suppose to be in the teens all weekend! YIKES!!!

In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Today, January 17th, marks a very important day where we honor Martin Luther King Jr.



"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a prominent activist and clergyman in the African-American civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, and in 1963 he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington D.C. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was declared a federal holiday in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. It was first observed Jan. 20, 1986, and in 1992, President George H.W. Bush declared that the holiday would be observed on the third Monday of January." (http://lemont.patch.com/articles/jan-17-martin-luther-king-jr-day-2011)

In recognition and honor of Martin Luther King Jr, Berkeley College has given our students & staff the day off, as well as many businesses around the world. I want to thank everyone who attending any events today in regards to Martin Luther King Jr Day. Below are some of the famous quotes that many of us have heard before:

If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
— Martin Luther King Jr.

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
— Martin Luther King Jr.

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
— Martin Luther King Jr.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation were they will not be judge by the color of their skin but by the content of their character ."
— Martin Luther King Jr.


I hope everyone enjoyed their extended weekend and prepare to kick off week 3! We are in store for yet another winter storm, so if you have to travel, safe travels and of course, if you can, STAY HOME! Also, stay alert for the Berk Alert if there are any delays or closings at any of the Berkeley Campuses tomorrow! Stay safe and be warm!!

Let Your Voices Be Heard Berkeley College Students!

Hi All! I hope everyone had a great weekend and are ready to start fresh in week 2! Get ready for more snow as well! Oh, one of the many joys of the winter season!

This blog will be serving at a high level of importance for all Berkeley College students and our staff. As you all know, I am very involved here at Berkeley, keeping up with my blog, volunteering when the opportunity arises, and addressing questions/concerns any of our students may have, who are both continuing and new. I also involve my own personal experiences with classes at Berkeley, and my overall experience at the college.

What I have recently come across was a story that was published in a NYC based newspaper known as The Village Voice. A writer published an article making up false statements about Berkeley College, and even went as far as to make up a student name, make up some bizarre story, and then even had the nerve to make up false quotes from a Berkeley College representative! The Village Voice has pulled this article and has apologized for their writers actions, but "SORRY" doesn't cut it.



I will be providing several links below in which you will be able to access this story and leave your comments about the situation. Berkeley College takes pride in their students and is there for them every step of the way. I have not once had a problem with Berkeley College and actually have received much more attention than I ever expected. At Berkeley, the staff is full of compassion towards their students and are willing to help us succeed even through the toughest of times. I will be graduating in the Summer with a degree in Marketing and I couldn't be more proud to say I am part of the Berkeley College Family. As a student, I have had so many positive experiences with the staff, professors, and even the maintenance people on campus. For this writer to claim that a "made up student" "amassed a large debt at Berkeley College without obtaining a degree" is completely out of line. You get what you pay for at Berkeley, and in the end, you walk away with a degree that you deserve!

Please take the time to read through the articles so that you all can see how shocked I was myself, to even come across a crazy story like this! I am very disappointed that Rob Sgobbo (SHAME ON YOU) would even make up such a story to bring down a very well-liked college, who does so much not only for their students, but even charities and so much more!

If anyone has any questions at all, please let me know! I encourage all my fellow Berkeley College students to let your voices be heard!! GO BERKELEY!!!!


Here are some links to the story:

http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-01-05/news/for-profit-blues/

http://www.businessinsider.com/village-voice-contributor-who-fabricated-sources-recently-won-journalism-award-from-columbia-2011-1

http://gawker.com/5727609/village-voice-caught-in-jayson-blair+style-fabrication-scandal

http://www.mediaite.com/print/village-voice-contributor-fabricated-sources/

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/village-voice-pulls-story_b25117

http://jerseyshorereality.com/gossip/Village-Voice-Caught-in-Jayson-BlairStyle-Fabrication-Scandal-Journalismism-4502164.html

Snowy End to Week 1!

We have made it to the end of Week 1! Woo Hoo! How was everyone's first week? Crazy, overwhelming, no big deal?? I'm sure for continuing students it was a little tough getting back in the swing of things, but for our new students, how did everyone make out during this first week?

Being that we just got over the holiday season, it was taking me a little while to get back on track, but I have officially created a schedule for myself and I was able to successfully get my work done for the week. What a relief! Now I get to enjoy the snow and eventually shovel myself out! Ah, but it's the weekend, at least I don't have anywhere important to really be. I was actually under the weather these past few days, so I'm in complete lazy mode as it is. The only good thing with not really having the energy to leave the house, was the fact I could read and catch up on my homework.

I actually want to share one of my discussions this week from my honors class. We were given articles to read about the Columbine High Shootings and applying Freud's theories to how these boys were thinking during this terrible tragedy and if there could be any possible relation. When this occurred, I was very young, so of course I didn't know the full extent of what had actually happened. This week, I was given the opportunity to actually look at the writings of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two boys who went on a shooting rampage back in 1999 at Columbine High. It was really disturbing to read what these boys actually wrote about in their journals but I now came to realization that they had so much hatred built up towards those around them. I want to share this link with you which will link you to see the actual journal entries from these boys. There is also plenty more information about the shootings, which I think will really surprise you! If you do take a look, please share some feedback. http://acolumbinesite.com/end.html
Another interesting assignment I engaged in this week had to do with the time we spend with the media. Now I want to ask all of you, approximately, how much time do you think you spend with the media on a daily basis?? You may not think it's all that much, but add that up over the course of a year, and it's insane what your result will come out to be. I will be paying special attention to any statistics that come up throughout the text in my Entertainment Studies class and will be sharing with you guys. It may be very surprising to many of you!

As the week winds down, take a look at what you have accomplished the past week. Did you get all of your required textbooks? Notebooks? Pens & Pencils? Calculator? Make sure you come prepared to class and be ready to learn!

I hope everyone enjoys the snowfall and has an even better weekend! Safe travels and I'll catch up with you all in week 2!! It's already moving along pretty quickly!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We have officially left the year 2010 and moving on to bigger and better things for 2011! I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year's with their friends and family, and I also hope everyone enjoyed their two week vacation!



We have officially kicked off our Winter 2011 Quarter and I am ready to go! Only 3 more quarters till graduation and boy, oh boy, is that going to come quick! As I mentioned in previous posts, I was accepted into the Honors Program, so that is one of my classes I am really looking forward to. As a gift for being accepted into this program, we were given Apple iPads, and let me tell you, this is by far the greatest thing I have ever owned! I just got it yesterday, set it all up today, and I am ready to go. We will be using these iPads to help us during our Honors course to view the readings for the course instead of the book. We will also be using them for research throughout the quarter. I feel like a little kid. It's a new toy and I'm so excited about it!

Aside from the honors class, I will also be taking Entertainment studies, which is a business elective. Our first assignment that we started off with this week is in regards to how much we are involved with the media and how much use we are getting out of it on a weekly/daily basis. It's actually disturbing to see how much media we consume throughout the year! I have a feeling this is going to be a great class! I am also taking New Product Development as a marketing elective. It's always interesting to learn about the product development and how it is implemented into the marketing world to be sold when it's BRAND NEW to the market! Lastly, I decided I wanted to take Bio-ethics as a science elective. I took a bioethics course back in high school and I absolutely loved it, so I figured I would get involved in this course and see what else I can learn.

For the most part, everything is off to a great start! It's a new year, which means new goals, new beginnings, and all that fun stuff! What were some of your new years resolutions out there?

Since it's a new quarter, there will also be a new contest going on with FourSquare! Attached below is the flyer you may have seen up on the Facebook page about the contest and all the details you need to know! I will post it here again so everyone can get in on this awesome contest!



Check out FourSquare today and get involved!!!

I want to wish everyone a very happy and healthy year for 2011! Best of luck in all of your classes!! Now let's kick some Winter Quarter butt!!!