COMU3150 Allegra Hamilton-Carswell s47016006 Assignment 1: Create
Allegra Hamilton-Carswell s47016006
COMU3150 Assignment 1: Create
Planning Strategy
Word Count: 761
Introduction
My video focuses on the presence of promotional culture in our day-to-day lives, and is comprised of 3 1-minute-long videos to be posted on the University of Queensland (UQ) TikTok account.
In Promotional Culture (1991), Wernick argued that culture had become saturated in the medium of promotion, and no physical object can be separated from the promotion of itself. Promotional messages, comprised of different signs representing the commodity, are deeply connected to understanding our everyday lives (Bauman, 2007; Davis, 2013; Wernick, 1991). People in today’s consumer society have come to internalize the practices of self-promotion (Bauman, 2007; Davis, 2013).
The 3-part video series draws on these theories regarding promotional culture and expresses these concepts to target audiences in an easily digestible format, provoking the audience to think about promotional culture in their own lives.
After first introducing the concept of promotional culture as defined by Wernick (1991), the videos will draw parallels between Wedgwood pottery and Korean makeup brand 3CE. 3CE has recently rose to popularity due to Korean beauty being increasingly popular worldwide, and the brand’s association with K-pop idols. In the second and third videos, 3CE is used as a 21st century example of promotional culture in comparison with the case of Wedgwood pottery in the 18th century.
Objectives
According to the marketing brief available on UQ Extend, an organic TikTok post on the UQ account receives 1,060 views and 140 engagements. The aim for this video series is to surpass these metrics by at least 10% for the first video, and 5% for the subsequent two videos. The videos are designed to increase engagement with the UQ TikTok account, via asking viewers to like and comment to see the next part of the series. The second and third videos will both be uploaded as a reply to a comment on the previous part. This is to increase engagement with the posts and to facilitate audience-creator communication.
Target Audience
Generation Z (those born 1997 and after) have distinctly different media consumption patterns to previous generations (Haenlein et al, 2020). TikTok, a highly visual and entertainment-focused platform, has rapidly become one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide with the majority of users in their 20s and younger (Haenlein et al, 2020; Wenjing et al, 2023).
The primary audience of these videos will be fans and followers of the UQ TikTok, including current students, prospective students, and graduated students and staff. In particular, the target audience for this video series will be future and first year female university students aged 17-25yrs old. This public has been selected as the primary target audience as they are the main consumers of lifestyle content on TikTok such as “day in the life” videos and makeup tutorials (Shutsko, 2020).
Tactic
Considering the target audience of female university students aged 17-25 years, the videos are designed to effectively communicate and engage these audiences in a similar style to popular content on the platform.
Upon analysis of trending TikTok content, aesthetic and relatable content is most popular on the platform. Additionally, vlog-style videos with a voiceover sharing opinions or insights is a common format. Considering these trends, I have designed a vlog-style “day-in-the-life” video series of a university student. These videos focus on branding and promotional culture in one’s life, while simultaneously appealing to audiences by providing content similar to that which they consume on a regular basis.
Goal
The primary goal is for the target audience to better understand the idea of promotional culture in self-branding online and in daily life. The 3-part video series is designed to spread awareness regarding the abundance of promotional messages and encourages viewers to think critically about brands and their promotional messages. The videos provoke insight into promotion in our daily life and encourage the audience to think about their own role in today’s consumer society.
Evaluation Metrics
While social media platforms such as Instagram have an average engagement rate of 1-2%, TikTok can generate up to 15% more engagement than other platforms (Macready, 2022).
Via TikTok analytics, the engagement rate will be calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of the videos. It will be measured by adding the total number of likes, comments, and shares and dividing them by the number of followers and multiplying by 100 (Newberry, 2023).
Additionally, statistics such as the reach, impression and video completion rate will help determine the effectiveness of the video posted. In particular, the video completion rate will be an important metric in the evaluation of how users watch and interact with these videos, and how to optimize audience engagement.
Planning Strategy references
Bauman, Z. (2007). Consuming life. Polity Press.
Davis, A. (2013). Promotional cultures: The rise and spread of advertising, public relations, marketing and branding. Polity Press
Haenlein, M., Anadol, E., Farnsworth, T., Hugo, H., Hunichen, J., & Welte, D. (2020). Navigating the New Era of Influencer Marketing: How to be Successful on Instagram, TikTok, & Co. California Management Review, 63(1), 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125620958166
Macready, H. (2022, March 3). A Simple TikTok Engagement Calculator (+5 Tips to Increase Engagement). Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-engagement/
Newberry, C. (2023, August 2). 17 Social Media Metrics You Need to Track in 2023 [BENCHMARKS]. Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-metrics/
Pan, W., Mu, Z., Zhao, Z., & Tang, Z. (2023). Female Users’ TikTok Use and Body Image: Active Versus Passive Use and Social Comparison Processes. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 26(1). http://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0169
Shutsko, A. (2020). User-Generated Short Video Content in Social Media. A Case Study of TikTok. In G. Meiselwitz (Ed), Social Computing and Social Media (pp. 108-126). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49576-3_8
Wernick, A. (1991). Promotional culture: advertising, ideology, and symbolic expression. Sage Publications.
Video references
Bauman, Z. (2007). Consuming life. Polity Press.
Davis, A. (2013). Promotional cultures: The rise and spread of advertising, public relations, marketing and branding. Polity Press
Wernick, A. (1991). Promotional culture: advertising, ideology, and symbolic expression. Sage Publications.