Chose an appropriate organization and write the case study thatsummarized a problem the organization wants to solve, the solution the organization employed in an attempt to solve the problem. Make sure you have collected historical or contextual information about the organization and reported on it inyour case study. Use social listening tools to collect data about the organization’s communication output and practices.
Description The Case Study is an individual assignment where you will write a case study modeled on those we examine in class. The goal of your case study is to analyze the communication process of an organization of your choosing at a particular moment in time (e.g. during a specific advertising campaign). In particular, your case study will: examine the historical context of your chosen organization, and its assumed communication strategies; present a statement of the problem the organization hoped to solve; present the presumed solution that the organization adopted; discuss the results of the organization’s efforts; and reflect on the success or failure of the organizations’ efforts, given the data you have collected. The information you collect to help you write your case study will come from a variety of sources. First and foremost, you must collect information about the organization through vehicles such as official websites, news articles, reviews, or historical accounts (e.g. on Wikipedia). Second, you must use social listening techniques and tools (e.g. Netlytic, Google Trends, social platform searches) to collect data on how your chosen organization communicates on social channels. Third, you must look at your organization’s social output at a well-defined point (i.e. during a campaign, etc.) and identify the problem and solution your organization is attempting to address. Topics for this assignment are open. Note that you are permitted to interpret the term ‘organization’ quite broadly: Your chosen organization could be a business, or commercial entity, who is embarking on a social media advertising campaign (e.g. Nike advertising a new brand of sneakers); or it could be a non-profit group, who is perhaps looking to find support in new demographics (e.g. the Movember Foundation successfully brings awareness to men’s health and prostate cancer every November); or it could be a loosely associated group of individuals who are bound together by shared values or concerns (e.g. the #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter movements). Most important is that you can identify specific moments within the organization’s historical or current communications efforts to critique. More generally, I suggest you chose something related to a personal interest that you’d like to know more about. A checklist for the assignment is provided below; you can find the rubric hosted on Blackboard. Please note that some topics will be more challenging than others due to information availability. Therefore, you should do a little pre-research prior to jumping into this project, or you should discuss with me if you are uncertain. Checklist Consider the following checklist before handing in your completed case study: · I have chosen an appropriate organization. · I have collected historical or contextual information about the organization and reported on it my case study. · I have used social listening tools to collect data about the organization’s communication output and practices. · I have identified and clearly summarized a problem the organization wants to solve. · I have identified and clearly summarized the solution the organization employed in an attempt to solve the problem. · I have clearly summarized the results of the organization’s solutions. · I have considered the perspectives of the organization and its audience. · I have reflected on (or critiqued) the success or failure of the organization’s efforts. · I have included appropriate hyperlinks to source and related content throughout the case study. · I have included properly formatted in-text citations for all external sources. · I have provided a well-formatted works cited section for all external resources. · I have proofread my case study and am confident in its quality. · My case study is between 1500 and 2000 words in length. Case Zone—10 Case Studies Case Study for Part I Foundations of Social Media Marketing: Case Study 1—Social Advocacy Around the World Karen Mishra, East Carolina University Many nonprofit organizations use social media due to its low cost and wide reach. These “social communities” are places where organizations can provide influential information about their cause, as well as create a community of followers who believe in their cause and co-create content through their followership. Nonprofits use social communities to increase awareness and cement brand loyalty. Recent studies about nonprofit social media use found that Facebook and Twitter are the top social media channels used by nonprofits.1 Despite the widespread use of Facebook and Twitter, researchers find that nonprofits are not utilizing the positive aspects of social media as much as they might.2 For instance, nonprofits use social media more to push out communication rather than create a dialogue with the communities they are trying to serve.3 Many nonprofits are now pursuing a form of “social advocacy” by using social media to both inform and help their followers take action. Lovejoy and Saxton found that there are three primary uses of social media for nonprofits: 1) information, 2) community, and 3) action.4 Many nonprofits harness the information they are sharing with their communities to advocate for them to take action in some way: donate money, share information with others, or give their time.5 Obar defined advocacy as “the act of championing, supporting or advocating a specific viewpoint or cause.”6 Pack for a Purpose (PfaP) is a nonprofit with a mission to change the way people think about packing for their global travel. Pack for a Purpose (www.packforapurpose.org) began with Rebecca and Scott Rothney’s first trip to Africa and the realization that they were allowed two suitcases each and a carry-on to the flight. On the next flight in Africa, they only had a luggage allowance equal to the weight of their carry-on. Not wanting to waste “free shipping” on their next trip, they used their four suitcases to take soccer balls and school supplies for a local school. Their tour operator, Wilderness Safaris, supported the school. From this experience, Rebecca founded Pack for a Purpose in 2009. PfaP encourages travelers to pack five pounds of requested supplies in their suitcases and deliver them when they arrive at their destination. This form of “social advocacy” is not only educating travelers about how they can make better use of their luggage, but is encouraging travelers to take action and commit to make a positive impact with their extra luggage on their next trip. PfaP has partnerships with accommodations and tour companies all over the world. These participants submit needs lists requested by the community projects they support. When travelers know where they are traveling to, they simply click on that specific country, find the needs list, and choose which supplies they would like to take with them. For instance, if you are traveling to Turkey, the Ritz-Carlton in Istanbul takes all the supplies Pack for a Purpose travelers drop off (such as school supplies and clothing) and delivers them to the elementary schools they support. Pack for a Purpose is an all-volunteer organization. From the webmaster to the graphic designer, individuals volunteer their time because they believe in the mission. The website went live in December 2009. Since then, PfaP has used a variety of social media to get the word out to other travelers. The organization uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Its motto is “Small Space. Little Effort. Big Impact.” PfaP has built its social media presence with the use of college interns. PfaP first started out with only Facebook, but over time, new interns have added new social media channels. By using all of these social media platforms, PfaP has expanded its outreach enormously, informing world travelers how they can make a difference. In exchange for their time, Rebecca makes them homemade chocolate chip mint cookies (hot out of the oven and delicious!) in her home. A dedicated office in her home is the world headquarters of Pack for a Purpose and is where the interns work. Rebecca is such an inspiring leader that these interns love learning from her and enjoy giving her new ideas to promote her cause. Andrew, an intern from NC State, commented on his experience with PfaP: “I’m so grateful that I was able to intern at Pack for a Purpose during my junior year at North Carolina State University. I learned so much from Rebecca Rothney, including what it means to be passionate and goal-oriented about one’s profession. I introduced Pack for a Purpose to Instagram as a way to visually engage more travelers and help spread the word about the organization. Because photography is so immediate it’s a great way to influence and inspire others.” Most recently, Rebecca initiated a fundraising effort (“action”) to buy 500 pairs of Be Girl (begirl.org) underwear. This underwear allows young women in South Africa to stay in school every “day of the month.” She used both Facebook and Twitter for her campaign, which both educated her followers about this issue and advocated for young women. This “social advocacy” campaign had excellent results. In less than three months, Rebecca raised the money necessary to purchase all 500 pairs of Be Girl underwear. Discussion Questions 1. What is more important for a non-profit: the zone of social community or the zone of social commerce? 2. How has this social advocacy channel in the zone of social community built momentum for the PfaP cause using altruistic impulse? 3. Examine all of the ways that PfaP uses social media. What area would you improve? Why and how? Which social media site would you follow? Why? 4. How has PfaP been effective for building community? What could they do to improve their sense of community around PfaP? 5. What type of social advocacy group would you start? Why and how? Case Studies for Part II Social Media Marketing Strategy and Planning: Case Study 2— Strategic Social Media Plan: First & Main, an Outdoor Shopping Mall Donna C. Wertalik, Virginia Tech University Not long ago, First & Main shopping center was entering a metamorphosis—starting a crucial time in its existence, which would come to have a lasting impact not only on the shopping center as an entity of its own, but also on each of its tenants. In a dynamic process, the center unveiled a new brand persona and offerings relative to entertainment, dining, and varied shopping experiences. Research suggested that the shopping center required the development of an online and offline marketing campaign to target consumers in a more strategic manner. With these efforts came the goal of enabling the shopping center to host a recognizable digital tone among the Virginia Tech population. This included building an attitude that would be known to many young professionals, both in the area and visiting. Conversations needed to boast identifiable characteristics and quality dialogue to propel new discussions. New discussions needed to have life, lasting impact, and an intriguing yet informal and upbeat tone. The strong social push would ideally be shared across multiple platforms and would become an enjoyable staple within the local social community. First & Main needed a brand voice that would inspire people to enjoy life, would bring to light the trends associated with the industries encompassed in the shopping center, and would be a resource for the latest