Spring Break, Alas.

This may come as a bit confusing to everyone not in NMD 499,
so please bear with me.
Here are the answers to the questions asked in Jon's post to the folder:

1.)
a.) My target audience will have to start with the Youth. I plan on putting forth good habits upon the children in Ludlow, Vermont, and hopefully they will spread these good habits onto their parents. So in retrospect, my target audience will have to be small communities, with a strong emphasis on the children of these areas.

b.) I am "soliciting" myself to the Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow Vermont, where I will be holding a canvas bag decorating segment during a Harry Potter party. I stated the date in class, but would rather not post it on the internet, due to not knowing every individual who will have access to this information. My contact there is M. Emery who is the children's librarian.

I will also be making an appearance at Cavendish Town Elementary School the following day doing a similar project, without the Harry Potter reference. I have been cleared to do this through M. Emery's landlady Jess, who is a member of the school board, and also has a child in the 3rd grade.

2.) My deployment method will be a hybrid of the performance and immersive marketing methods. My physical presence during the bag decorating will be considered a "performance" in some odd-angled manner, while the bags going home with the children will be considered immersive marketing. I consider this immersive marketing because the canvas bags will be noticed when the child is out shopping with the parents, and other individuals take heed to the lessened need for plastic bags which clutter up your kitchen (short term obviously.)

3.) I have been promoting my capstone through the use of "snow graffiti" where I have been spraying a mixture of food coloring and water through a stencil onto the snow. I have done this in three waves across the University of Maine campus thus far. After the snow all melts, I will be chalking the stencils onto the sidewalks and roads for a slightly more long term piece of advertisement (weather permitting.)
I have also been advertising my capstone through the residence hall that I am a resident assistant in, and amongst the RA staff folder on Firstclass. I will also be extending my project to the University Forum on Firstclass. Of course my advertisement is not limited to these options only.

4.) For a feedback mechanism, I will be taking this to the interview level, as I feel this is a very hands on project to begin with. I feel that my advertising methods should invoke some sort of emotional response from people, which is not easily captured through text on a screen.

5.) My feedback summary will obviously be gathered interviews, seeing as to how that is how I would like to receive my feedback on this project.

Milestone 2.25.08

I will be working directly with the Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow, Vermont over Spring Break. My initial plan is to pass out canvas shopping bags to the kids at a Harry Potter overnight party the library is having. Over that night we will be integrating the shopping bags into part of the schedule, and having the children decorate the bags for their parents to take shopping with them. The idea behind decorating the bags, is that parents often take their children shopping with them, and they will remember to bring the bags if the design on them is appealing. Here is the website for the Fletcher Memorial Library Youth page, including the Harry Potter party listed: http://www.fletchermemorial.org/Youth.htm

Here is my confirmation email:

Poster

I pushed more contrast in the piece, and tried to create more of a cryptic poster that draws you to the website. I will be purchasing the domain and figuring out how to maintain a website this weekend. It will mainly be a front page and a forum for organizing movements.

Milestone Review 2.10.08

(The above picture is my new poster idea)

(Spray bottle used)

(Union on Shibles side)

(Union Library side)

(Union Shibles side again)

(Stencil Positive)

(Stencil Negative)

(Innovation center walkway)

(DTAV/Patch)

(First try, botched attempt)

(DTAV grass)

Tomorrow is the next Milestone review for my capstone.

I have started my advertising campaign regardless of how much snow we have been receiving. I took a bunch of pictures tonight of the stencils I sprayed into the snow. Instead of using spray paint, I created a mixture of water and food coloring, which is environmentally safe, and edible if any children so desire to take a bite out of global warming! (I intentionally avoided yellow)

I have also gotten free reign over using a blank WMEB slot time to do some on air advertising which I am very excited about. 

(This post will be a work in progress until tomorrow morning, so I will be updating as I upload photos.)

Also, due to the snow last night, I have to spray a few more images tomorrow morning. No worries, except for the fact that it is supposed to be bone-chilling cold)

Here are the email confirmations (copy and pasted) from Thomas Grucza (WMEB station manager)

William Emery on Wednesday, February 06, 2008 at 2:33 PM -0500 wrote:

Am I all set for using the WMEB studio for some on-air promotion time Tom?

Yes, yes you are.

Tom Grucza

Station Manager ++ WMEB 91.9 FM ++ 164 Memorial Union

Office Phone: (207) 581-4340 ++ http://wmeb.umaine.edu

William Emery on Wednesday, February 06, 2008 at 1:30 PM -0500 wrote:

How do I schedule a quick 30 minute slot for like 2 days?

Hmm, well, go ahead and email James MacKay. He's our current Program Director, and he can set you up with whatever time you need. Just tell him you are a returning DJ and you don't need any training or anything.

Tom Grucza

Station Manager ++ WMEB 91.9 FM ++ 164 Memorial Union

Office Phone: (207) 581-4340 ++ http://wmeb.umaine.edu