Branding, and you! (as in, the way you brand)
For this post, I'll be addressing some questions from my ENG 431 professer, Morgan Leckie (hey there!). I'll be sure to keep my answers as traditionally Matt-like as possible, which apparently means absurdist and sarcastic. Despite that, I solemnly swear to take this seriously.
What corporation, organization, or political campaign do you want to “re-brand”?
There's a kind of funny story to this. I used to use Tumblr really often, particularly throughout my freshman year here at Ball State. One thing I noticed while browsing was that the advertisements for Funyuns were generally just...bad. Then I went to Funyuns' actual Tumblr account and, well, I wish I had a better word than bad, but its simplicity really captures whatever you call this:
There's a kind of funny story to this. I used to use Tumblr really often, particularly throughout my freshman year here at Ball State. One thing I noticed while browsing was that the advertisements for Funyuns were generally just...bad. Then I went to Funyuns' actual Tumblr account and, well, I wish I had a better word than bad, but its simplicity really captures whatever you call this:
Make no mistake, I take no issue with the onion-flavored corn starch rings. I've taken a few chance moments in my life to enjoy them, as I'm sure many of my readers have. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there's no excuse for this--and furthermore, that the excuse of forced meme marketing.
I will say that Funyuns have done some things right. They respond to people very often, and the overarching weird sort of humor works well for their demographic (millennials; hey, I won't deny our tastes). As a company, it seems they keep good relations with their consumers up on social media. It's just the Tumblr itself that I would change, preferably to make it a bit more...palatable. That's a good word.
I will say that Funyuns have done some things right. They respond to people very often, and the overarching weird sort of humor works well for their demographic (millennials; hey, I won't deny our tastes). As a company, it seems they keep good relations with their consumers up on social media. It's just the Tumblr itself that I would change, preferably to make it a bit more...palatable. That's a good word.
What specific audience do you want to persuade?
In a more general sense, and speaking of my own projects, I want to interact most with millennials. I'm often the first person to call out how regressive dividing people into arbitrary groups like generations can be, but I understand how important it is to note how we're all different, and to learn and grow from those differences. I guess the product of my own personal brand would be my writing, particularly poetry and creative nonfiction, as well as the other projects I've got going on. Millennials make sense as my target audience then, because most of my writing and projects are distributed digitally, which is sort of our thing, in a stereotypical sense.
In a more general sense, and speaking of my own projects, I want to interact most with millennials. I'm often the first person to call out how regressive dividing people into arbitrary groups like generations can be, but I understand how important it is to note how we're all different, and to learn and grow from those differences. I guess the product of my own personal brand would be my writing, particularly poetry and creative nonfiction, as well as the other projects I've got going on. Millennials make sense as my target audience then, because most of my writing and projects are distributed digitally, which is sort of our thing, in a stereotypical sense.
Why is this important to you?
I've had a hard time labeling myself recently. I don't know if I have the right to call myself an educator yet, or a writer, even though I've published some work in a few magazines. It can be hard to keep confidence up when I don't always feel that I've achieved enough yet. But knowing my audience, knowing who I look up to and who may look up to me is ultimately really helpful.
I know I'm not alone. I can reach out to people who feel just as nervous about the growing and shifting world around them as I do, and we can share the experiences through our work. I think that writing is a bold act of reaching out, and when you know who you're reaching out to, things are much easier. Well, at the very least, they're less lonely.
I think that's the note I'll end this post on. Until next time!
I've had a hard time labeling myself recently. I don't know if I have the right to call myself an educator yet, or a writer, even though I've published some work in a few magazines. It can be hard to keep confidence up when I don't always feel that I've achieved enough yet. But knowing my audience, knowing who I look up to and who may look up to me is ultimately really helpful.
I know I'm not alone. I can reach out to people who feel just as nervous about the growing and shifting world around them as I do, and we can share the experiences through our work. I think that writing is a bold act of reaching out, and when you know who you're reaching out to, things are much easier. Well, at the very least, they're less lonely.
I think that's the note I'll end this post on. Until next time!