The Start of Something New
Think of the last time you started something new. Whether it was baking a pie for the first time, learning (or relearning) how to ride a bike, or creating a dating profile after years of being single, we have all done something new in our lives. After all, if we aren’t learning new things, how are we growing?
That leads me to where I am right now- welcome to my first ever blogging journey! My name is Jackie and I am in my first year of my Masters at NYU.
I went to a small liberal arts college in PA for undergrad, majoring in Government and Law because I had NO idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. Really, I changed my major so many times that I had to keep that one or risk not graduating on time. Luckily, a chance internship my Junior year led me into beauty marketing, which I have moved up the ranks in across two companies in the last 5 years. While my career path has taught me a great deal about marketing, I felt like I needed AND wanted more, which led me to NYU. And while my journey so far has not been what I thought it would be (Covid, you truly were an unwelcome addition to 2020), the digital landscape makes it very easy to continue my classes remotely.
This blog will, of course, primarily be about marketing- digital marketing to be exact. We are living in a unique time, where the shift from traditional marketing to digital marketing is more apparent than ever. Because of that, there is the unexpected that digital marketing natives and novices alike are exploring. The current political, social, and economical landscape is making this more apparent than ever. Take for example the recent protests about the Black Lives Matter movement. Brands had to come up with a statement, a position, and a plan of action as quickly as they could- or risk callout by consumers. If they didn’t share this on social media, consumers assumed they didn’t care.
RMS, a clean beauty brand, made the mistake of telling a commenter on an Instagram post they would come back with a statement at 9 AM on Monday when the team was back in the office. The downfall was swift- with hundreds of consumers commenting back that they need to do more.
Who What Wear, a media brand that is a part of Clique Media, wrote a plan of action on Instagram, about how they would be changing their hiring practices to help hire more People of Color, and asked for consumer’s feedback and opinion on how they could do better. Again, hundreds of commenters- some POC who were past employees of the company- commented back with recommendations and criticism.
Like it or not, digital marketing and social media are here to stay and a brand’s ability to keep up with it, especially with everything going on right now, is necessary for its survival. I am excited to take this course during this unprecedented time. I am a bit nervous to blog about it- I’ve never blogged before!- but I do feel like if there was ever a time to dissect digital marketing and the role it plays in society today, it is now. I look forward to you being part of my journey of starting something new.
