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By: Julia Robinson  Source: Free PNG Logos TikTok was launched in 2017 after Musical.ly the app was discontinued. TikTok ended up gaining popularity quite fast due to the large following its similar predecessor Musical.ly experienced. “The Musica.ly connection is key to understanding the TikTok platform, since the app rose to popularity with users posting short lip-synch videos and offering a community of users tackling trending songs” (PR Daily). Over time, TikTok has become one of the most used apps in recent years.  Source: Oberlo Statistics
There are a few specific factors that have led to TikTok’s immense success. One factor is Generation Z’s tech-savvy skills and how Gen Zers have grown up with similar apps, creating a familiarity with TikTok. TikTok’s user demographic in terms of age ranges from 16-24, and Gen Z is right in the middle that. Another aspect that has helped TikTok grow is its song association. Within the past few months, I have heard people say, “This is a TikTok song,” due to its repetition on the app. By connecting certain trends whether it be a song or a dance with the app, people will only think of TikTok when that sound is played, growing the app’s influence. When compared to other apps, TikTok differentiates itself by providing an outlet for teens and young adults to express themselves. “Properties like TikTok are supporting and creating new forms of self-expression, and brands want to tap into that,” Williamson said. “It’s an experiment for many marketers. In many ways, TikTok is where Facebook was in the late 2000s, and where Snapchat was three or four years ago” (eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson). TikTok separates itself by giving its users the ability to create trends that most often happen naturally. Anyone can create a trend, end up on the “for you page” and dance in front of their phone camera. According to Data Reportal, TikTok has 500 million users worldwide, placing it 9th among social network sites. Its competitors include YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram, some of the most used social media networks. The availability and relatability of the app make it very attractive to users. If people cannot relate to a platform, what is the point of the app’s existence? TikTok has created an empire of both creative expression and entertainment, expanding itself into the hands of millions of teens. What will be the next TikTok?
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 By: Hannah Banas Public relations is a quickly growing field, and the demand for jobs and education in the field is rising. More and more college students are taking an interest in studying public relations, so many colleges are adding it as a major. With this increase, the demographics of the field are also changing. Public relations used to be a male dominated area of expertise, but has shifted to employing more women. 70 percent of public relations professionals are women, but they are in the technician roles. Men are mainly in the executive roles, while women are still stuck in the lower level positions. There is also a need for more diversity with the increasing globalization of public relations. Having more diversity will help public relations companies be able to better communicate with other countries’ firms. Public relations is changing, but there is still room for improvement. There are income discrepancies between men and women, and while it may be partially caused by different amounts of work experience, it is still an issue that needs to be addressed. In the upcoming years, it is expected that there will be a shift in the demographics of the public relations field, and it will be interesting to see how that affects yearly earnings and promotion potential for public relations professionals.  By: Sydney Nelson
One of the largest trends in social media today is the creation of “Stories”, which is a feature that compiles a slideshow of the things you have done throughout any given day. This trend began with Snapchat and brought huge success. Instagram quickly hopped on the bandwagon and made a feature on their app also called “Stories”. YouTube wasn’t so quick to act, however last week on November 29th, they announced that they will now be launching “Reels”. YouTube’s senior product manager, Roy Livne, claimed that “Reels” will essentially be the same thing as “Stories”, however they will be designed specifically for YouTube creators. Reels are unique to YouTube because they will be available to view beyond the 24 hour time limit, unlike the Snapchat and Instagram feature. Reels will also link YouTube videos and “YouTube-y” stickers to “Stories.” After Snapchat and Instagram had huge successes, YouTube is also expecting Reels to become a huge hit.  By: Kiley Harris
Public relations is a constantly evolving field. With new advances in technology and social media, public relations has had to adapt in order to stay current with the trends and continue to reach target audiences efficiently. With each year that passes, there are new trends in PR to look out for. Forbes published an article this year about 6 PR trends to keep an eye out for in 2018, that all aspiring PR students should educate themselves on in order to get ahead of competition in future classes, internships, or potential jobs. We have mentioned below three of the most important trends from this article for students to know and use to their advantage in setting themselves apart in the internship and job market. 1. “Personal branding and thought leadership will go beyond executives.” This PR trend is especially beneficial for those working in a company, but who do not hold a top position. This trend implements a more companywide approach that allows for greater reach due to more people working on a brand. This is beneficial both for the workers, and for the ability to reach a larger target audience. Since this is a growing trend, getting experience with branding and thought leadership as a student, will help you set yourself apart from your peers. 2. “Owning your digital landscape will never be more important to attract followers.” Developing a strong digital landscape will be very important in PR for 2018 because it is getting more difficult to attract followers with an abundance of content. Being able to maximize SEO so your landscape comes up first, as well as having a good grip on the digital landscape in general can help set students looking for jobs stand out from their competitors as this trend continues to grow. 3. “PR will need to understand business goals besides its own.” PR professional will need to be able to understand the goals of other areas that can use PR as a tool such as marketing, recruiting, investor relations, etc. This will allow collaboration between these areas with PR for more successful communication within a company. As PR students, it would be very beneficial to take classes in these related fields and expose yourself to them in order to put yourself ahead on the job market as this trend becomes more important. PR students must be curious individuals. Being curious and researching up and coming trends, and then acting upon them by gaining experience in those trends can help you really stand out from your peers, elevating you in the job market. Educating yourself on these trends above, the other 3 trends, which can be found in this article posted by Forbes, and on any other trends you research is an extremely beneficial and smart thing to do. This shows initiative and can help you gain experience you need to land your dream job.  By: Kaya Speros
Advertisements have taken on an entirely new role as of the past few years. Instead of hoping to reach the desired audience and attain the needed sales goals through TV commercials or print, social media has made advertising a much more prevalent part of our everyday lives. You want to reach a mass audience? All you have to do is post on your social media account and boom, 1,000 people see it within 24 hours. Companies have adopted this idea and developed the role of Brand Ambassadors. A Brand Ambassador is generally someone hand-picked by the brand who embodies the imagine they want to portray to the public. That individual then instantly becomes an advertiser for the company. Social media has made it possible for brands to constantly have their products in your feeds. If you are a retail store and your target audience is young girls, what better way to engage them than with someone they can relate to? Someone they look up to within their own group! According to oncampusadvertising.com, people are four times more likely to make a purchase if referred to by a friend. Brand Ambassadors are successfully bringing the brand to the level of their audience through people they trust. |
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