Tag: Allen & Gerritsen

Jon: Tweetapalooza (AKA Social Media Day 2012)

Hello there future Terriers! I hope you are all having WONDERFUL summers, and getting a chance to go out and enjoy the beach/pond/pool/swimming location of choice. If you’ve seen the Open House 2012 video, you’ll know that I’m partial to the COM lawn fountain. However, I was forced to pull myself away from frolicking on the front lawn of 640 Commonwealth Avenue when I heard that Social Media Day 2012 was coming to Boston!

Ahh, I can hear the ears of all you Facebook fanatics perking up already. But what’s Social Media Day you ask? Well since 2010, social media news site Mashable has hosted Social Media Day, which is an annual event to celebrate and recognize the power of and accomplishments in social media across the world. This year, COM hosted its own meetup in partnership with Mashable.

But what exactly went on? Well, we gathered top social media representatives from major sports teams and businesses including the Boston Red Sox, the Celtics, the New England Patriots, allen&gerritsen, and Startup Health to take part in several panels on the state of social media from the business perspective. Not only was this a chance to hear these professionals speak as well as ask them questions about social media and its business applications, but it was COMPLETELY FREE.

Well as an advertising major, I found it particularly interesting to listen to Tamsen McMahon, Vice President of Digital Strategy for allen&gerritsen, a major agency in Boston. Her frank and often witty insight revealed that your brand, whether that is your brand as an individual, a small business, or an international corporation, should not invest in social media marketing unless you have a strategy and a purpose for doing it. You don’t have anything to blog about? Then don’t blog. Her direct tone was enough to convince this future Mad Man that if one is trying to create a personal connection with a customer, they better know what their brand stands for and what their customer wants.

#smdayBos wasn’t all work and no play. Two lucky winners walked away with Amazon.com giftcards after winning Social Media Buzzword Bingo (multi-platform viral ecosystem anyone?), and the panels were followed by a fabulous reception on the COM lawn complete with music, food, and a chance to hang out with some of my favorite COM people.

Until next time, signing off ~

~ Jon Mayer.

Lauren: COM Events!

Lauren ImageBeing a COM student gives you so many opportunities that you wouldn’t have at other colleges. Our school is always hosting informative and entertaining specials events, panels, seminars or film screenings on campus, bringing in alums and other business professionals to educate their students! On March 30th, I had the opportunity to attend the “New Media: What Comes After the Basics” panel, a FREE event open to all BU students and alums.  It was a truly fantastic experience, despite the fact that the event started at 8:00 in the morning!

The three panelists at the event, Edward Boches (Chief Innovation Officer at Mullen, @edwardboches), Mike Schneider (SVP Digital Incubator at Allen & Gerritsen, @schneidermike) and Todd Defren (Principal at SHIFT Communication, @tdefren) were unbelievably intelligent, witty and hilarious.  They gave those in attendance incredible insight into the ever-evolving world of new media and its role in advertising, marketing and PR.  All three men are also extremely successful!  Edward Booches created the #BrandBowl, and I was so star struck to be in the same room as him!

Moderator Steve Quigley (@stevequigley), a beloved Public Relations professor at COM, was also incredibly entertaining with his sharp remarks and stimulating questions.  The discussion consisted of everything from trends in the new media industry, to ways to connect with industry professionals, to advice for applying for internships!

The entire experience was also very interactive!  In the days leading up to the panel, COM held a contest on Twitter to see which attendees could come up with the most creative and interesting question to ask the panelists by tweeting with the hashtag #AskBUNM.  The winner of the contest was revealed on Friday and received an iPad 3!  How cool is that?!    There was also a live Twitter stream on the screen behind the panelists, so audience members could see their tweets on the big screen!  After the discussion and a question and answer segment, students also had the chance to talk one-on-one with the panelists!  What a great way to network with communication specialists!

The COM Connection has a remarkably long reach, and I am always amazed by the phenomenal and numerous opportunities students have to make connections with industry professionals!  This really sets COM apart from many other communication schools!  I suggest that students try to take these opportunities and attend as many of these special events as they can!  Just another reason why #COMstheBOMB!