Noah Hansen Creative Solutions

CAP 105 has provided me with an excellent diving board into the sea of advertising and public relations. Covering everything from brand imaging to Big Data to artificial intelligence, the information and insight presented is crucial in my journey to success. The nuances of these industries are incredibly difficult to navigate, with trends and practices changing on a seemingly non-stop basis, and this course solidified that this change is not only inevitable, but is exactly why I need to be here.

Trends come and go, society shifts and changes, and the internet never sleeps. The world of advertising is becoming more and more digital every day, which makes so much sense when you consider that you can directly reach the consumer with a simple Instagram DM. Utilizing social platforms to communicate with your customer base and potential clientele is a no-brainer in 2022, but I have learned that there is so much more to consider when it comes to promoting yourself or your brand to the people of the web. Not only should a person consider using the most popular platforms to reach their audience, but should also put just as much emphasis on discovering new platforms to interact with consumers of different demographics and in different ways. More important than the platform, however, is the content you create. Content is what gets your audience engaged with your brand, and your audience can even create more content surrounding your brand. The content your audience creates not only provides your brand with more publicity, but also allows you to listen in on what people think of your organization. Content creators must be mindful though; ideas are often great when looked at from a certain perspective, but another angle can reveal a new meaning to what seemed to be harmless. What you say on these platforms may be instant, short, and trendy, but this content can have immense impacts on your organization in the long run (Fredberg 428).

Understanding how to effectively participate in trends, create and curate engaging content, collaborate with influencers, and spark community conversation all while managing crises and protecting the reputation and values of the organization is the game, and to win the game you have to keep up. Going forward I will keep up with current advertising and public relation trends utilizing trade journals and websites such as PR Daily to stay in the know. Building relationships with other content creators is also a priority, as we are seeing that collaborative efforts have incredible potential to reach new customers and clients. I also intend to join organizations such as PRSSA and attend meetings with Ad Club to further involve myself with the Ad/PR community.

Understanding the impact of our current technologies for both the consumer and the company is invaluable to my journey towards a sustainable career in the industry. This course taught me that artificial intelligence is not only here to stay, but it is going to be an advertisers greatest companion. Companies already utilize AI to communicate directly to customers via chatbots (Fredberg 387) and generate algorithmically engaging content with minimal input and time using AI technologies. AI even plays a role in the influencer sphere, with companies creating avatars of sorts that represent their brand and produce content for them.

The future is artificial, and trends are intelligent, leading me to further research how I can utilize AI in my content creation, management, and distribution processes. While algorithms and data can drive more effective results, it ultimately is still up to the judgement of the person to best understand the type of content, the amount of content, and the timing of the content that will best suit the audience trying to be reached. Retaining a HUMAN connection with the audience is also essential to providing the consumer with a personal and engaging experience (Fredberg 415). These tools simply provide new avenues and insights that are key to remaining competitive.

Explaining the impacts of new technologies and communication platforms, as well as being able to measure ROI plays possibly the largest role in acquiring and retaining a job in the industry. Being able to effectively showcase the positive impacts that investing into social media, both paid and unpaid content, has on an organization is the selling point for boards, committees and higher ups. Seeing positive performance on content and posts is one thing, but proving that they are generating revenue is another. Providing measurable evidence via KPIs will prove to be integral to the longevity of my career in the industry.

I’ve also learned that values play the biggest role in the advertising and public relations industry. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the most important focus of any industry currently (Fredberg 86) and are also incredibly important to the progression of humanity as a whole. It’s a relief to know that in a world as divided as the one we live in, the main focus of any brand should be creating a welcoming, inclusive environment that will inevitably foster more innovation, cultural understanding, and simply put, more progress. As an ally and an advocate for societal consciousness and awareness of the various discriminatory injustices that plague our nation every day, it is not only my duty to advocate for what is right, but to ensure that my work reflects my personal beliefs of fairness, inclusion, and representation.

Ad/PR is an industry full of “what’s next”s and “what now”s, and I’m excited to continue my pursuit with enthusiastic “let’s try”s. This course provided a framework that fosters my ability to effectively communicate with an audience of consumers, as well as members of organizations who may need to better understand the importance of e-commerce and social media. While I likely will not be able to solve every problem, I certainly can ask the questions necessary to respond appropriately. Communicating with others has never been more important in this industry, and I strive to remain open to different opinions and perspectives regarding possible solutions to inevitable problems. I am confident in my abilities to adapt to new trends, and to approach new opportunities with curiosity and enthusiasm. Knowing that I will be utilizing new technologies to create content combined with newfound knowledge on navigating the industry excites me to no end, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

This is a pretty cool start to a pretty cool career. I can’t wait to see what I can learn tomorrow.

References:

Freberg, Karen June. Social Media for Strategic Communication Creative Strategies and Research-Based Applications. SAGE Publishing, 2022.