sauder – Marketiquette by Minyoung

Our group’s initial choice for the marketing project actually wasn’t TD Canada Trust. We had to switch from Pepsi to TD after finding out that Pepsi wasn’t in the UBC Library database, which ended up not making much of a difference in the end.

At times, if I had to be honest, I deeply regretted choosing TD. It was not an easy company to analyze due to its financial nature. My group members and I found ourselves constantly looking for simpler, understandable data. In addition to this challenge, it was difficult finding specific points of differences that were individualized to TD due to its extremely competitive market. We had to ensure that the other big banks weren’t doing the same things as TD when we wanted to point out a competitive advantage or stand-out appeal. Oftentimes, they were. If I had know how complicated TD was, I would never have chosen it.

In hindsight, however, I’m actually really glad that we chose TD. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have learned so much about the company as well as the banking industry – subjects I had little interest or knowledge in. As someone who loves marketing for its creative aspects, I’ve always run away from the technical sides to problems despite knowing that they, too, are extremely important in business. After learning about TD through this project, I realize that numbers may not be as scary as they seem. Once you start understanding how they work, they’re pretty enjoyable to work with!

The coolest part about this project was recognizing some of the terms in the research data (interest rates, employee turnover, cash flow) thanks to some of my past commerce courses. This definitely helped us simplify the tangle of data on TD.

And of course, I learned a ton about teamwork. Being specific with deadlines and delegation is so important when it comes to working together, and I was extremely fortunate to have been in a group where every single member was dedicated to contributing her own part.

All in all, Comm 296 was a very hands-on course that gave me lots of valuable experience and insight into the world of marketing, even in a dry and number-based industry like banking. I wouldn’t exchange this experience for anything.

Oh, and my biggest tip for next year’s Comm 296 students… Background music will bring your video to life!

I first read about this study in my Sauder 360 e-Newsletter when its title caught my eye – “New Sauder Research Slacktivism Liking on Facebook may mean less giving.”

I think the part that caught me the most off-guard was the fact that social media pushed people away from giving meaningfully and generously, as opposed to having a positive effect or even no effect.

If you don’t know what ‘slacktivism’ is, don’t worry – I didn’t know either up until this article. According to an article from First Giving, it was during the sweeping storm of a campaign for Kony 2012 that people began using the term. A combination of ‘slacker’ and ‘activism’ and labeled by many as ‘feel good activism’, slacktivism refers to one who supports a cause with small and very easy gestures to pretty much feel like he or she is contributing. Even though not a lot of people may know the term itself, I feel like slacktivism is a huge part of the current generation and the lifestyle everyone lives nowadays. If all you’ve done to help out a certain cause is ‘like’ or ‘retweet’ something, you’re guilty of slacktivism. I know I certainly am.

To be honest, it makes sense. Now that we’re exposed to so many viral issues around the world every single day, it’s difficult for people to devote their time and effort towards a single cause. By spreading ourselves thin, our contributions per cause becomes less significant, leading to quick and easy ways of getting involved. Most people probably have the same thought after pulling a slacktivistic move: “At least we did something right?”

I feel like slacktivism also works on both sides. If marketing provokes slacktive reactions, clearly the marketing could have been more striking – no? With great marketing comes great responses – see what I did there? – and my belief is that if you affect the right people the right way, you will see the change you want to see. If you go for the simple, easy, effortless marketing, don’t expect anything else but the same impact to be reflected from your audience and/or target market.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DfztIIqbTI

And you know what? Charities are paying attention to this new discovery. When I was corresponding with Hope International, an international development agency that is based right here in Vancouver, their representative mentioned this study and how her own organization may take this into consideration regarding their future social media marketing. Whether they’ll change what they do with their social media drastically is hard to say, but I believe being aware of slacktivism is the first step towards deepening your impact on those who care.

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CUT! Comm 296 Reflection