Blog #7 Ethics of Insights

There’s a lot of buzz about the digital marketing, behavioral tracking and consumer privacy. I think companies need to be respectful of consumer’s privacy.  Although I’m an advertising student, I’m very guarded about my privacy when it comes to advertising. I definitely have the privacy on my iPhone set to “Limit Ad Tracking”, and I clear cookies from my web browser regularly. I know that my data is out there, but I try to have some control over what I share.  

 As someone in the marketplace, I follow brands on Twitter. I rarely follow brands on Facebook. I actually think I recently cleared my likes to just 3 companies that I trust. I recently “liked” a Facebook page and took a quiz for this brand as part of a class assignment. Within 30 minutes of this, I started to be served ads in my newsfeed for this company.  I immediately “un-liked” the company.  I’m okay with being served an ad, but if it’s taking over my newsfeed, I’m done with the company.

 I also won’t use apps or online tools that ask for too much of my information or my permission to post on Facebook or Twitter on my behalf. No thanks! However, I understand the need for marketers and advertisers to gain insights from personal data in order to better target their customer segment. I do appreciate personalization and relevant ads, but I just don’t want my privacy to feel invaded. There’s a delicate balance to maintain between gaining valuable insights while still respecting an individual’s privacy.

I decided to take a Digital Metrics course this semester to become more knowledgeable about web analytics and behavioral tracking.  My knowledge was minimal going into this course, but I wanted to understand how my online and offline behaviors were being tracked. I also wanted to understand how to be a better advertiser because data driven advertising and marketing campaigns provide metrics and insights into the effectiveness of the campaign.  We’ve looked into some interesting metrics this semester, and I’ll further delve into that later in this blog post.

I think marketers can use insights about people if they are transparent about how and where this data is used.  I think most people assume that we are tracked when we make purchases online. However, tracking behavior for insights spans beyond the web to include in-store retailers. This isn’t something people always expect or know about. Personally, I find it creepy if you don’t know you’re being tracked in-store.

We were asked to discuss whether there should be a limit to all of our efforts as marketers or whether it is fair game to gather insights from people who share their information with us through various platforms. I’m going to discuss my opinion by each popular tracking platform.

Surveys

If you decide to take a survey, I think you realize that your personal data is going to be used. I think surveys should be responsible for being upfront with exactly how your data is used and whether your identity will remain confidential. I typically don’t take surveys for companies, but will take them for my graduate friends conducting research. My insurance company sends me surveys, and I actually will take them. I assume they have so much of my information already, but they have given me such great customer service that I want to give them good feedback. I had my phone stolen last year (talk about a freak out over someone else having all your data), but my renter’s insurance completely covered it. My insurance company was also extremely prompt and helpful during this time. I received a check in the mail and was able to purchase a new phone within a few days.  If a company provides a great customer experience, I don’t mind if they have more of my personal data. I think customers will be more likely to share their information if they have a positive experience with the company. 

Social Media

If you are using a platform where your information is public (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), I think this is fair game for marketers to pull this data. On Facebook, I put where I have that I’m a graduate student at UT in my about section. I’ve noticed more UT apparel ads since adding this. If I’m served ads that are relevant to me, I don’t mind them as much.

However, The Wall Street Journal article that we read for class – They Know What You’re Shopping For highlights how Facebook data can match people’s identities with their web browsing activities. This article also stated that the “Like” button can send information back to Facebook whenever Facebook users visit pages that have the button, even if they don’t click it.

Facebook also lets advertisers know how Facebook ads increased sales – whether products were purchased online or offline. Facebook works with a company (Datalogix) that controls a database of information from people’s use of loyalty card programs.

They Know What You’re Shopping For article also stated “Google said it keeps its social-networking data separate from its ad-tracking network and doesn't use the data from unclicked Google+ buttons. Twitter says it analyzes the data from its unclicked buttons to recommend other people a user might want to follow, but not for other purposes. Facebook says it uses data from unclicked "Like" buttons only for security purposes and to fix bugs in its software.”

As an advertiser, I think it’s awesome that Facebook can link online and offline sales to an ad. This is a great metric to be able to provide because it doesn’t seem like many other companies are able to currently do this accurately. As a consumer, this doesn’t seem nearly as awesome. I also don’t think many consumers are aware that their web browsing activities can be paired with their Facebook data.  I think the content consumers provide to social media sites are fair game for marketers to target, but I think a consumer’s activities beyond the social media site seem more personal and invasive to privacy. I believe consumers should always be able to opt-in or opt-out of sharing their data.

Mobile

With the majority of people carrying their cell phone with them at all times, mobile is an attractive place to track people. As advertisers, we talk about location-based advertising and geo-fences as a means of influencing purchases by pushing discounts. I think these types of advertisements should only be used if consumers opt-in. Otherwise, I think it’s creepy and is invasive to privacy. Mobile payments have also become popular, and there are more means of mobile tracking.

Another article we read for class The Economics of Surveillance by Jennifer Valentino-Devries calls cellphones as a personal sensor that you carry with you at all times. iBeacon technology, discussed below, talks more about how this sensor is used for in-store purchases. 

Shopping Online

Whenever I shop online, and abandon my shopping cart, I always seem to get ads that follow me around the Internet. I also get sent emails like “Limited time offer for the item you were just looking at.” As a consumer, I expect to be tracked. Although I may be annoyed that ads follow me around the web or into my inbox, I’m more aware of the tracking that takes place.

As an advertiser, online tracking proves the effectiveness of a campaign and an e-commerce website. Key Performance Indicators such as the bounce rate, unique visitors, conversion rate and time on site are all valuable in optimizing a website. 

 

Shopping In-store

With in-store shopping, I realize that there is in-store surveillance. I also realize that the company has my data when I opt-in to a loyalty program. However, I would not expect to have a mannequin spying on me. As a consumer, I found the Bionic Mannequins Spy on Shoppers to Boost Luxury Sales extremely creepy.  Unless the company is transparent about this, I feel like consumers will lose trust in the company. It also raises ethical and probably legal questions. Consumers don’t know exactly how their data is being used, and haven’t consented to this type of tracking.

Another interesting in-store tracking mechanism that has been in the news lately is Apple’s iBeacon. This technology could replace near field communication (NFC) where consumers could use an online wallet to make a payment in-store. iBeacon uses Bluetooth, and iPhones with iOS7 can use this technology.

Apple’s Secret Retail Weapon Is Already in Your Pocket by Sam Grobart of BloombergBusinessweek further discuses iBeacon technology. This sums up the use of the new technology:

“Now a store could tell if you’ve walked in. Once you have, it could, if you wanted it to, alert you to what was on sale in that location. Not only that, but if you said, “Yeah, that sweater looks boss, and I dig that it’s 30 percent off. Where is that fly garment?” that store’s app, with an assist from iBeacon, could guide you right to it. With stored credit-card information on your phone, payment could also be conducted via iBeacon. Your phone wouldn’t even have to leave your pocket for the transaction to take place.”

This type of technology would really track a consumer both on a mobile device and in-store. Consumers might be willing to give up more of their personal information for the sake of convenience. I’m curious to see what happens when this technology is out in the marketplace. I would probably try to use this if I knew it my privacy and security wasn’t at stake.

Overall

I think consumers and companies (marketers/advertisers) have a responsibility in protecting data. I believe consumers need to protect their privacy by opting-out of programs they don’t wish to be a part of. I also think consumers should be aware of the different types of behavioral tracking in the marketplace. I think that marketers and advertisers bear the most responsibility. Although it is important to track people to gain insights, there must be ethical ways to do so.  Companies shouldn’t be able to sell data to third parties, or use data beyond how they stated they would. Anonymity is still imperative to consumers, and there should be regulations on companies to ensure personal information isn’t revealed. Digital advertising has taken off in the last decade, and I’m interested to see what the next decade brings in terms of standards for behavioral tracking.

References & Interesting Articles about Behavioral Tracking:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-24/apples-location-tracking-ibeacon-poised-for-retail-sales-use

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22508473

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078835/ - .Unm4jyTylWU

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-19/bionic-mannequins-spy-on-shoppers-to-boost-luxury-sales.html

http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2299962/data-is-great-but-the-value-is-in-the-insights

http://www.cmo.com/articles/2013/9/4/privacy_CWTK.html

https://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/article/pr-biz-update/companies-and-consumers-mostly-see-eye-to-eye-on-data-and-privacy-say

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2013/10/23/forbes-insights-companies-and-consumers-mostly-see-eye-to-eye-on-data-and-privacy-says-new-report/

http://adage.com/article/digital/microsoft-cookie-replacement-span-desktop-mobile-xbox/244638/

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324784404578143144132736214

References:

Martinez, J. (2010). Can Marketers Behave Themselves?. CRM Magazine, 14(5), 16.

In-store analytics. Double standard online offline.

Shelton, D. (2012, September-October). Online behavioral advertising: tracking users: gold mine or land mine? Landslide, 5(1), 26+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA317596852&v=2.1&u=txshracd2598&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=391d757940a3ba0005ab1f56774de38b

Blog #6: Thoughts on Creativity

Creativity is such an interesting topic. I think creativity is finding a unique solution to a problem, and it is usually the simplest idea that works best. 

After reading the articles for class and using my previous knowledge, I’m going to attempt to address the topic of creativity and innovation as an individual and within organizations. 

1. What are you personal experiences with individual creativity? Have you had times when you felt especially creative or, even, especially uncreative?

As a graduate student in advertising, we are all expected to understand and embrace our own individual creativity. Advertising is known for being a creative industry and field of study. We have “creative” and “account” people who are often thought to be at odds with each other. The creative sequence of our program is full of graphic designers, idea generators, copywriters and art directors. I’ve always been on the account side – the job that interacts with the client to streamline the creative process. However, I think these department labels don’t define who is a “creative.” I think each individual can experience creativity. We had to create “idea journals” as part of a semester long process in the Creative Strategies class I took last fall semester. They weren’t meant to be advertisements, but just creative visual thoughts. During this process, I realized you can’t force creativity…or at least I can’t. I had to think on ideas, and take time to execute them. Sometimes “mistakes” are the best part of finding something original to present. Below are some of the entries from my Idea Journal. 

I only feel uncreative if I’m in a judgmental environment. Within group projects, I find myself saying “Sorry, if that was an out there idea. Is that weird?” If a group is receptive, I feel free to share whatever ideas I come up with. If I get shot down, then I feel less creative because I start filtering what I say. Creativity can be killed in a close-minded environment, but can thrive if people are open and willing to it. If I feel strongly about something, I won’t let the idea get killed as quickly.

One of the times I felt most individually creative was when I graduated with my undergraduate degree without a job lined up. I knew I always wanted to get a master’s degree, but I was determined to work for a short time first. I hadn’t gotten much luck through online applications, and I didn’t have many strong advertising connections to help get my foot in the door. I always heard that you couldn’t work for your dream company right out of school, but I was determined to try. I decided to start my own personal branding campaign. I made a simple website (using a template), and made a Facebook campaign that targeted my dream companies. It was a fun learning process! It didn’t directly result in a job, but I did have numerous people compliment me on my creativity. Former employees of each company reached out to me with advice about how to craft a cover letter to that company, and several people offered to be a reference for me. I also got a call or email from every company that I targeted. It resulted in several great interviews, and a great talking point for future interviews. I accomplished what I set out to do – some of my dream companies noticed me! 

2. What are your personal experiences with organizational creativity? Have you worked at companies that felt or behaved in ways that made them more creative or, even, especially uncreative?

In the advertising industry, most companies pride themselves in organizational creativity. Since June, I have been an intern at GSD&M. This has always been one of my dream places to work, and I love the culture here. There are so many nice people who work here! Below is a collage of my work environment. There is creativity oozing from the walls. For example, you can see walls covered in AstroTurf, a shark jutting out of a wall, artistic conference rooms, and creative concepts tacked up on the walls. I love the layout of this office. In my team, there aren’t any cubicles. We have long desks where we all sit so it’s easier to be collaborative. As an intern, I was able to sit right next to the SVP of our account. 

 
Additionally, the company believes in community activities. During the summer, the interns put on a pARTy for the agency. We were able to design and plan the whole event. Check out the creativity of our efforts below: 

I think the most creative companies inspire open communication, and provide an environment that facilitates sharing ideas. I think closed offices and cubicles can hinder creativity. I still think there is so much value in face-to-face communications rather than using email or text. I believe more organizational creativity happens during in person brainstorms. Companies that isolate people in cubicles are uncreative.

2. Do you think you, as an individual, are even capable of being creative by yourself? And, better yet, do you think a group within an organization is capable of being creative?
I definitely think I am capable of being creative by myself. It’s nice to have someone to brainstorm with, but I think I can go through the creative process solo.  You have to put yourself in an interesting environment, somewhere stimulating and unfamiliar in order to get the creative juices flowing. It's not always an 'aha' moment when arriving at a creative answer. For me, it's usually a series of ideas and hard work to find the best way to approach a problem creatively.   I love this visual of left brain and right brain thinkers. I try to have both qualities, but I know I lean more towards the right brain description. 

I definitely think a group within an organization can be creative – especially in advertising agencies. I think smaller to medium size companies have an advantage to going through the creative process because they have more creative control. Recently, I’ve heard more advertising companies have new “beta” groups. Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco has such a team. Learn more here.
 


I think if the company has an environment that fosters creativity, it’s definitely possible for a group within the organization to be creative. However, I also think creativity can be found in unexpected places. Sometimes, open-ended challenges can be daunting. If organizations have limits in place, people will be inspired to find ways to work around barriers to make the creative solutions happen.

4. What do you think about the idea of different creative types of problems and, thus, different creative processes? Should we trust ourselves just to know or sense when we need one type of approach versus another? 

I definitely think there are different creative processes and different creative types of problems. Creativity is about originality, so I don’t think you can limit yourself to one process. Creativity isn’t like a math problem; there isn’t always one clear-cut answer you can work towards. I think you can trust yourself to know what type of approach to take. I have a sense of which direction to go when working towards different problems. Sometimes persistence and an open mind are really just what you need. To me, creative advertising is often witty, surprising and delightful. Creative work should be inspiring.

In the creative strategies course I took a year ago, we read some great books that discussed the creative process. Steal Like an Artist was an easy ready that simplified these steps. Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit is a look at creativity as a product of effort and preparation. You can make a habit out of your creative process. Her book demonstrates that creativity is achievable by everyone who really observes the world. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! by Luke Sullivan and Sam Bennett is also a good read to understand how come up with great ideas for advertising. The excerpts from the books below also provide insights into creative approaches.

Blog #5: Visualizing Insights

Since moving to Austin, I have developed a love for visiting food trucks. Chi'Lantro is one of my favorites! So, I chose the Mintel report topic US Food Trucks because I found it interesting. My goal was to represent data from the entire report. I wanted the reader to see the four main issues and insights at a glance. Then, I pulled in quantitative data with visuals for each point. I have basic Adobe Illustrator skills, and used that program to craft my visualization of the Mintel report. I have never created an infographic, but that format was the inspiration for my design.

Blog #4: Personalized Topic Report

As I started to research topics for my paper, my dog Bentley kept nudging me for attention. He’s my three-year-old poodle-mix that has been a big part of my life since my senior year of college. I love my pet. I’ve written about him in previous blog posts, but these visuals show what a big part of my life he is. I bring Bentley everywhere!

So, I started thinking about all of the pet owners that are probably like me – or are a more extreme version of me. My dog is a part of my family, and I worry about his health. I want him to have a good life. I’ve tried various ‘healthy’ foods for my dog, he has at least ten toys and he gets exercise regularly. I also am always conscious about planning my schedule so that either a friend or I am able to let my dog outside during the day. He’s my buddy, but I also felt safer living alone when I had a dog. What do these behaviors mean for marketers and advertisers?

Advertisers seem to have picked up on this growing market segment because I’ve seen more advertising involving pets the last few years. There are also all kinds of pet contests! I just came across this WholeFoods contest today. I also see advertising for Walgreens pet meds every time I get on the bus to school.

There must be a strategy and interesting insights behind why these advertisements were created, and I would like to learn more. I’m interested in learning more about this demographic and the key customer insights for pet owners. So, I decided that my topic is about understanding America’s Pet Owners and the innovative ways brands are trying to reach this market segment. After further research, I would like to be able to give recommendations about what brands could do further in this space. I will use the Mintel report (America’s Pet Owners – US 2012) in addition to current articles to examine this type of customer. This Mintel report gives an overview of the market size and forecast, market drivers, segment performance and issues in the market. This report also gives insights into the consumer’s spending habits, perceptions of a pet’s primary role, attitudes toward treatment of pets, the social and entertainment roles of pets vs. technology and shift in spending on pet-related items. The report also goes into further details about this consumer. This report also touches on marketing strategies and innovations/innovators from a brand/company perspective. An example given for innovation in pet products is DogPacer’s MiniTreadmill. Pet owners that are concerned about their pet getting adequate exercise can buy a dog treadmill. I didn't realize this type of pet product was on the market!

In addition to this Mintel report, I will use current articles to add to my research. Pets Are Serious Business for Marketers is an interesting Forbes article that came out in April 2013. This article opened with “Pets are serious business. A recent American Pet Products Association report revealed that spending on pets hit a record $53 billion in 2012–a three-fold increase since 1994. Will we break another record this year? Probably. Because today nine in 10 pet owners see their pet as a member of the family.”

If spending in the pet industry is continuously growing, it would be valuable for marketers to gather and identify key customer insights for this segment. Even if the brand is not necessarily in the pet industry, it could be valuable to engage with customers that show loyalty to their pets. Perhaps this level of loyalty is also applicable to other areas of their life.

This Mintel infographic (from the report cited above) is an interesting look at America’s Pet Owners.

This infographic has many noteworthy points. Pet owners are interested in “innovative technology that promote, or better yet improve, their human-pet interactions.” Additionally, “almost half (47%) of pet owners believe that having a pet is better for your social life than social networking sites.” Again, the sentiment is reiterated that most pet owners consider their pets to be part of their family. Another noteworthy insight is that “The pet services segment is the fastest growing portion of pet related retail and, though only a relatively small percentage of pet owners use these services, pet owners have proven price-insensitive and eager for innovation.” If pet owners are eager for innovation, this could be a great opportunity for brands that are playing in and entering this space.

According to the Forbes article mentioned above, IKEA Germany built “dog parking lots” which is an Astroturf space for your dog to hang out while you shop. “This move not only bakes the idea of pet-friendliness into the core service, it adds real value to people’s lives.” I think this is a brilliant and innovative way to engage with pet owners. IKEA found a way to give pet owners a better shopping experience, and further differentiate the IKEA brand.

Additionally, the Forbes article stated, “Americans’ deepening identification with their pets creates a big opportunity for brands. While today most of the money spent on pets is for food, veterinary care and boarding, trends suggest a willingness to indulge our pets in other ways. Today’s pets travel and exercise with us, have their own social-media accounts, require stimulating day care, eat organic food, doze on luxury fabrics and even quaff doggie beer. The opportunities for brand extensions seem almost limitless. Like Travelers, Subaru and Toyota, brands that recognize pet love can make stronger connections with their customers.”

If there is a big opportunity for brands to cater to pet owners in the US, I want to be able to analyze this from a design thinking process. I want to do a deep dive into this topic to see the full potential for brands targeting these consumers. The purpose of this blog post is to layout my preliminary thoughts and research that will act as a guidepost for this paper. I want to further understand what is making this industry grow, and what consumers value most from the companies that are advertising and marketing to them.

Blog #3 Generative Research

Close to Me

What I can’t live without

My family – My parents are divorced, but I still have a really good relationship with each of them. My mom and I are incredibly close, and I can’t imagine life without her! She’s my go-to person for advice and support. I also am so fortunate to have my two younger brothers living in the same city with me now! I’m so appreciative to have such great siblings. As the oldest sibling, I always felt like I looked out for them growing up. Now that we’ve gotten older, they equally look out for me. Just in the last week, this has happened: “Megan, want me to grill you dinner? Megan, you have a nail in your tire and you don’t have time to get it fixed? Don’t worry, I’ll go! Megan, need me to walk your dog?” I’m so loved, and I’m so lucky! I would do anything for my brothers.

My dog – I come home everyday to this sweet, cuddly and perpetually cheerful dog! Bentley leaps into my arms each time I walk into my apartment, and it makes me so happy! Bentley is three years old now, and he’s my buddy. When I moved out of the dorms and finally into an apartment my senior year of college, I really wanted a puppy. Bentley came to every college tennis match that I played in, and he thoroughly enjoyed college life. Bentley was loved by so many pet deprived college students (we were required to live three years in a dorm on campus). He’s a big fan of graduate school and life in Austin because there are so many dog friendly places.

Coffee – My addiction! In the last ten years, there has probably only been a few days that I haven’t had a cup of coffee.  A caramel macchiato is currently my favorite drink. My mornings feel so much brighter once I’ve had my caffeine fix.

Having good health – I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve never had any major health issues. I used to play tennis competitively. I unfortunately was plagued with minor injuries (a stress fracture in my foot and seemingly chronic tennis elbow). Luckily, these occurred separately but both lasted for over a year each. It made me appreciate playing a sport so much more when I was healthy. Playing without pain is such a good feeling. I want to be able to stay active! I never take my health for granted, and I want to always be able to live my life to the fullest.

What I care about

Exercise – This is an important part of my life. I don’t consider myself naturally very athletic, but rather I am disciplined when I want to learn a sport. My family plays tennis, and it was something I started doing at an early age. I played competitively for most of my life, and the last two years I have taken a break. I really want to get back into it! Now, I practice yoga four times a week at a nearby Austin studio. I enjoy exercise that provides a mind/body connection. I exercise because I think it’s fun! I have always enjoyed individual sports, but also like being part of a team!  

Travel – I wish I could travel more! I had never been outside of the United States until I decided to study abroad. While working towards my undergraduate degree, I was able to take a two-week business course in Europe. Then, I was able to spend an amazing semester in Sydney, Australia.  I was also fortunate enough to work on my language skills while spending a summer in Madrid, Spain. Every opportunity to travel has been such a learning experience for me.  I enjoy learning about different cultures, and gaining an understanding for how people live in different parts of the world. I also like the sense of adventure, and the feeling of accomplishment after trying new things (i.e. food, watersports, skydiving).

Education – Speaking of learning experiences, I always want to challenge myself to learn more. Maybe it’s a little nerdy, but I really do enjoy it.  It’s always been my goal to earn a master’s degree, and I’m less than a year away from achieving this.  Although this is probably the last of my formal education (not doing the PhD route), I want to continually be a student. I could see myself taking a cooking class, trying an online course outside of communications and getting a Google analytics certification.

Digital Ecosystem

Web search: I search the web as my main source of news and information. If I have a question about something, I will immediately look it up. I use Google to search for relevant news related to class topics, and often look up news during my internship. I frequent AdAge and Adweek on a daily basis. I prefer searching the web from my computer, but find myself looking at mobile websites because I am on the go.

Social media (Facebook/Twitter): I use this all the time! I’m always commuting somewhere, and Twitter is such an easy way for me to get quick snippets of news. I often scroll my Twitter feed when riding the bus to campus. I don’t tweet very much content. However, I do like following business people, my friends and news sources that interest me. For example, I follow:  Ted Talks, Fast Company Design, Forbes, E! News, Advertising Age and Freakonomics. I check Facebook more out of habit rather than as a news source. I rarely post status updates, but I do like sharing and viewing pictures of my friends.

Blogs: Since I’ve been trying to learn web analytics, I’ve been trying to read more blogs relating to digital insights. I’ve been trying to read more of Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik. I also try to browse relevant advertising blogs. I think it’s interesting when brands create blogs that are a combination of noteworthy content coupled with subtle promotions. I like reading blogs that reveal a personality about a brand or company. I contribute to my company’s blog, and often read an array of thought-provoking content posted by my coworkers.

 My typical weekday

1) Wake-up/Getting Ready for the Day.  I wake up to the sound of multiple alarms going off, and my dog is nudging me to take him outside. I never want to wake up, but I force myself to get out of bed between 7 to 7:30am each day. I try to wake up by using my phone as a source of information. First, I check my email. Then, I look at my social media feeds (Twitter and Facebook) to read local and national news. I also look at my calendar for any new event notifications applicable to my internship. There are numerous new daily calendar-meeting invites! I also check the weather to see how I should dress for work. It’s also nice to know it’s not raining before I walk outside with my dog! I definitely take in a lot of information as I’m trying to wake up and prepare for my day!

2) Internship. I’m at my computer most of the day.  I’m checking my email and calendar to stay up to date with the meetings scheduled for the week. I often browse the web, national news, entertainment activities, and community activities as they pertain to my job and client. I try to keep up with current industry trends, and send my team a weekly email with relevant articles that I’ve come across during the week. I use different databases to access advertising information for certain periods of time. I also check social media campaigns of competitors of our client, and synthesize this information for my team. I access a lot of information during this time!

3)Making dinner. I’m not much of a chef, but this gives me the chance to unwind from the day. My best friend from high school and his girlfriend now conveniently live in the same apartment complex as I do. We make dinner (also with my brother) at least once a week together. Sometimes, we’ll go grocery shopping together as we plan our meal. We swap new recipes that we’ve found online; we talk about our busy schedules, and discuss interesting news.  I usually like to talk about news pertaining to the advertising industry, and they like to discuss public affairs and financial news.  It’s an interesting information swap! We’ll have the TV on as background noise, and sometimes we’ll put on a movie.  If our dinner looks really good, one of them will snap a picture to post on Instagram or Facebook. After dinner, I usually am back on the web to start doing homework for the rest of the evening!

Blog #2: Journey Mapping

Louis is a tall slender man, starting to bald, who is approaching his late fifties.  He has a quiet disposition, but is passionate about things he cares about (his job and his kids). He has been a workaholic his whole life. Finally, in his fifties, Louis has seen the importance of exercise (as he enjoys Pilates twice a week) and tries to eat healthier (a salad whenever he can).  He has a love for the outdoors. He kayaks, sails and hikes on the weekends.  Louis spent much of his life working hard at his job to provide for his family. His career has involved only working for a handful of companies. He values education (he is an engineer and has an MBA) because he can take on leadership roles with confidence. He believes that an education is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Louis earned his Executive MBA (with a 4.0) while working full time and starting a family. He quickly learned the value of time management. He is also an optimist, and approaches every problem like he will find the best solution. He isn’t usually ruled by emotion, and is a very analytical person. Louis likes to stick to his plan, and prefers timeliness. Louis enjoys crunching numbers, creating spreadsheets to weigh the pros and cons of a decision, and reading reviews before making high involvement purchasing decisions.  Louis likes to feel like he is making the smartest decisions with his time and money. Louis dresses professionally, but is not concerned with the latest trends and fashions. He doesn’t care about what is ‘cool,’ but buys both clothing based on comfort, functionality and quality. He also tries to stay up to date with technology because of his profession, and because he considers himself a first mover in terms of both hardware and software programs. Louis has all the latest gadgets because he thinks they provide utility to his life. He sees no use for social media, and doesn’t want to take the time to understand it. He does find value when looking at online reviews and uses Yelp, Zagat, Trip Advisor, Priceline, Kayak, and Google reviews among others when planning a trip. Despite his love for a routine, Louis is still open to new experiences and adventures that enrich his life. He is always motivated to learn something new.  His children jokingly tell him that his theme song should be the Indiana Jones theme song.

In December of 2011, Louis decided he wanted to give himself and his children the ultimate Christmas gift – a family vacation.  His three kids range between the ages of 18-25.  His objective was to spend quality time to bond with his children, make memories and provide an educational experience.

The first journey milestone was inviting family to travel. Louis knew he only wanted to invite his three children because it had years since a family vacation. Louis rarely took time off from work, and since his divorce, he really wanted to prioritize being a dad. Although his children were older, he still wanted to make memories with them and be influential in their lives. Louis’s children no longer lived with him, so he made a point to communicate with his kids through email, phone calls and text (he learned for them) on a weekly basis. He wanted to invite his children on this trip to provide an educational experience for his family. He also didn’t know when else the four of them would be able to take a trip together, and Louis wanted to seize the moment.  This holiday time seemed like the perfect opportunity. It makes Louis feel good to act as a leader and provide the opportunity for his family to have new experiences.

Once his three children agreed to go on the trip in December, Louis started looking for available dates that worked with all four schedules. A main factor for making this trip happens was the availability of all four travelers. It was stressful to coordinate school and work schedules. Once the dates of December 16 to 21^st were locked in, Louis was thrilled and relieved. He was glad the schedules matched up. It is important to him to have a good relationship and make good memories with his children. With less than a month to plan, Louis began to research places within the United States. He felt that it would be more economical to stay within the United States, and there were so many places he hadn’t been. His primary influence was picking a place that the whole family could enjoy. He looked at travel sites, and top cities in the US to visit. Since it was around the holidays, Louis narrowed the choices down to snow skiing (he last took his children when they were too young to remember) or New York City (because his children had never been, and he had gone once in the third grade). He opened up the decision to his children, and New York was the top choice. Louis was excited that he could really start planning. He felt that NYC could provide an educational opportunity in terms of culture, restaurants and activities. The price for airfare also influenced selecting the destination location, and the flights to NYC were priced better than the flights to Colorado.  However, after Louis purchased the plane tickets for his family, he worried that he might have been able to find a cheaper deal. He felt like he got better prices through browsing multiple travel sites, but he also worried that better deals were always coming up. He didn’t have too long to brood over this decision, because there were more parts of the trip to book. Ever the optimist, Louis knew he would find a way to make it all work out.

After the airfare was purchased, Louis started researching hotels. He wanted to find a quality hotel in the center of the city. He also wanted a reasonable price, and he did price comparisons on sites such as Priceline, Kayak and Travelocity. Louis was trying to adhere to a budget, and assumed they would barely be in the rooms for all the activities they were planning.  Louis also wanted to pick a hotel close to the activities of the city so that they could walk to all the activities rather than rent a car. He also wanted to experience the subway system in New York and the art of hailing a taxi. Louis felt like this would add to their trip. In the end, he booked their hotel rooms at the Sheraton. He liked the convenience of the location, and the quality of the rooms. Although it was a little more expensive than he had planned, he reminded himself it was a vacation after all.

Once these details were established, Louis started inputting trip details into a TripIt app. In case the group got separated, everyone on this trip to know what activities were scheduled per day. Louis planned all the tours in advance, and even chose the restaurants prior to arriving in New York. He used online reviews to base his decisions, and wanted to maximize their time.  Since everything was planned, he thought it was help his family pack accordingly for each activity. The weather was another consideration to what clothes were packed, and for which activities were scheduled per day. For example, Louis said he scheduled the Statue of Liberty tour on the day least likely to rain.

As the trip approached, Louis and family strategically packed gloves, hats and long coats. The flight from Texas to New York went seamlessly, and Louis was happy with the travel arrangements he had made.

Since it was such a short trip, so Louis worked to incorporate activities that would be capture the essence of New York. Louis initially found Real New York Walking tours on Trip Advisor, and was influenced by the thousands of positive reviews.  Louis thought, all these people can’t be wrong; I want my family to have this much fun seeing New York. He liked the uniqueness of seeing the perspective of a “real New Yorker” rather than just getting a complete tourist experience by self-guided tours. Louis selected the tour guide Ben because he seemed to identify with his family – he had a love for food. Louis thought to himself, I’m really proud that I was able to find this; my children are going to be so surprised by this experience. Louis recounted what a great time they actually did have on this walking tour. He tried dim sum for this first time, and had a real New Yorkers’ view of the city. This activity far exceeded Louis’s expectations.

Louis had never been to a Broadway show, and his children hadn’t either. His youngest son begged to go to The Book of Mormon over Wicked, so Louis relented. The Book of Mormon had received numerous awards, and was written up as a great comedy. Although very expensive, Louis purchased the tickets to make his son happy. His children laughed hysterically at the show, but Louis felt uncomfortable during parts of it. Louis didn’t appreciate all the lewd jokes, and said it wasn’t anything he would have picked to see. He did enjoy the experience of attending a Broadway show, and he was glad his children at least enjoyed it. Louis maintained a positive outlook about the whole experience.

On the following day, Louis and his family took the ferry to an iconic US landmark. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were highlights of the trip. The Statue of Liberty was under renovation during the time, but nevertheless very impressive. Louis was overwhelmed by the history and significance of these places. So many families immigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island, and Louis wondered if any of his relatives were among them. Louis and his youngest son were fascinated with history, and this was a highlight of the trip for them.

Since Louis and his family loved trying new food, this became a main component to the trip. They learned of more restaurants from the walking tour than had been initially selected from online reviews. Louis made it a personal mission to find the best pizza places in the city – his two sons supported and appreciated this greatly. Di Fara was a hole in the wall pizza place located in Brooklyn. Zagat, New York Magazine and New York Daily News ranked it #1 Pizzeria in NY. So, this was a restaurant the family didn’t want to miss. In order to get to this pizza place, the family had to navigate a subway from the hotel to make it to Brooklyn. Louis remembered the long trek, but it was well worth it. It was the best pizza he and his family had ever tasted. To this day, they still reminisce about Di Fara’s pizza.

Louis also took his family to Rockefeller Center, the Rockefeller Christmas tree and the American Museum of Natural History. Although he enjoyed all of these activities, he mainly spoke of the previous listed activities during our interview.

Once the New York family trip ended, it was time to pack up and head back to Texas. The family was exhausted from all the walking and sightseeing, but Louis thought it was an overall successful trip. They accomplished all the activities he had planned to see and more. After the family returned home, they shared photos from their vacation. Louis was happy that they could all share these memories.