What good are theories if we don’t know how they apply to real life? What good are new emerging media tools if we don’t know how to use them? And what good is this blog if you can’t read it and immediately use it in real life?
Stay tuned as I explore these questions and others in Integrated Marketing Communication In Real Life aka IMC IRL.
Over the next 9 weeks I’ll post weekly, if not more frequently, sharing the hot topics burning up the discussion boards in IMC 619: Emerging Media & The Market graduate course at WVU.
To give you a quick feel for IMC 619, here are the course learning outcomes extracted straight from the syllabus:
- Identify the role emerging media plays in an IMC campaign.
- Compare, contrast and experience the emerging media organizations are using to build relationships with consumers.
- Recognize the ethical issues involved in using emerging media as a marketing communications tool.
- Understand how marketers are using emerging media to reach youth and minorities.
- Define the role of creativity and design in emerging media.
If any of these issues seem interesting to you, I encourage you to follow along, participate, and discuss. I promise that while we will discuss theory and throw in the occasional 3-syllable word, we will always discuss marketing communication in real terms for real people in real life.
Enjoy!
IMC ... in real life 
Point #4 is interesting. While social media is versatile, you also have to understand your online demographic. The link below highlights some interesting technology usage statistics among people of color. Kudos to your professor for adding this facet to your course studies!
http://pewinternet.org/Commentary/2010/September/Technology-Trends-Among-People-of-Color.aspx