The Gateway to the Digital World

Attending the annual AEJMC conference always signifies the end of the summer and the beginning of a new academic year. Every August, I look forward to learning about cutting-edge research, the latest news from the industry, innovative teaching ideas, and of course connecting with friends and colleagues. As programming chair last year, I had the privilege to represent one of the most vibrant AEJMC interest groups and to look behind the scenes of what it takes to organize and stage a conference with 2,192 delegates, 355 sessions, and a record of 896 papers. The ad division contributed 113 papers with an acceptance rate of 48.7 percent, which were presented in four research panel presentations, two poster sessions, and one high-­density research session. In addition, we had five co-­sponsored panel discussions and, of course, our highly popular full-­day pre-­conference teaching workshop

The Process of General Education Reform from a Faculty Perspective: A Grounded Theory Approach

The purpose of this study was to develop a theory that explains the process and implementation of an outcomes-based general education program at a public, doctoral/research-extensive institution from the perspective of twenty-nine faculty. The theory that emerged from this qualitative study explains how different causal, intervening, and contextual conditions interact with and affect the phenomenon of general education reform at a public, doctoral/research-extensive university. The model portrays change as cyclical in nature with a limited life cycle. Internal and external pressures, such as assessment mandates and accreditation requirements, motivated faculty and administrators to consider changing the previous general education program. The phenomenon itself consisted of five distinct phases. Intervening and contextual conditions provided specific circumstances in which the new program was developed, adopted, and implemented. The level of faculty involvement combined with the power of key individuals were important strategies in the process to generate ideas, negotiate solutions, and implement a new general education program. The process also included several consequences, such as the new program’s impact on the quality of education, the extent to which it is accountable/assessable, sustainable, and marketable. Eventually, the consequences will become causal conditions that will again start the cycle of reform

From Techno-Weenie to Tech-Savvy: The Advertising Teaching Workshop Showcases Uses of Technology for Everybody

Sheri Broyles and Jan Slater organized another very successful teaching workshop at this year’s AEJMC Conference in Boston. The theme: Innovations in Teaching Advertising. Every year, this highly anticipated all-day pre-conference event provides members of the advertising division with effective tips for the classroom and this year the focus was on technology. The workshop started with two technology experts, who showed us the possibilities in advertising and marketing that technology provides, and ended with five specific examples of how technology can become a learning tool in the classroom even if you don’t consider yourself a technology expert. Overall, the workshop was once again a huge success. Some of us have used technology in our classrooms for a long time while others are just getting started. This workshop provided something for everybody and reminded us that we don’t have to be technology experts to use it effectively to improve our students’ learning

A case for case studies; The effective use of case studies in the college classroom

Instructors often use case studies to bridge the gap between theory and practice while also bringing research into the learning environment. Case studies allow students to participate actively in the learning process by helping them learn how to think, plan and reason by studying the actions, thoughts and decision-making processes of real people and companies. Educators also often choose case studies in their learning environment because they can accommodate different learning styles, including inductive learners, who learn from examples as opposed to logical development (linear learning). Case studies from this journal are well suited for use in the college classroom because they are generally written by practitioners for practitioners. This paper includes a list of practical insights when teaching students about digital and social media using case studies from this journal or others like it

The Gateway to the Digital World

Attending the annual AEJMC conference always signifies the end of the summer and the beginning of a new academic year. Every August, I look forward to learning about cutting-edge research, the latest news from the industry, innovative teaching ideas, and of course connecting with friends and colleagues. As programming chair last year, I had the privilege to represent one of the most vibrant AEJMC interest groups and to look behind the scenes of what it takes to organize and stage a conference with 2,192 delegates, 355 sessions, and a record of 896 papers. The ad division contributed 113 papers with an acceptance rate of 48.7 percent, which were presented in four research panel presentations, two poster sessions, and one high-­density research session. In addition, we had five co-­sponsored panel discussions and, of course, our highly popular full-­day pre-­conference teaching workshop

Serena, Inc.: Using Instagram to build brand equity after a crisis

Serena Williams is one of the most successful athletes of all time. In addition to dominating the professional tennis circuit for decades, she has also built a massive business empire while becoming a first-time mother and wife. During this time of transition, Williams experienced a significant crisis moment during the 2018 US Open. Williams did not publicly acknowledge or apologise for the crisis and instead focused on a new sense of direction after living through the experience, much of which is documented and promoted on her Instagram account. This exploratory case study focuses on Serena Williams’s use of Instagram as a crisis communication strategy to repair her reputation and protect the value of her brand. The study centres on reputation repair in post-crisis communication, in particular on the rhetoric of renewal, which concentrates on the positive view of an organisation’s future instead of ongoing discussions about crisis and responsibility. An analysis of 421 of Williams’s Instagram posts over a two-year time span revealed that Williams used Instagram primarily to share private family moments, remind audiences about her legacy, and to build a business empire. The six themes that emerged suggest useful lessons for practitioners looking to use Instagram not only to mitigate a crisis but to build brand equity at the same time

Von Star City Sports bis #GBR: Reflektion von Qualität und Leistung der Lokalen Sportberichterstattung im Mittleren Westen Amerikas

Good local sports journalism reflects the community it serves and thereby develops society. This essay discusses local sports journalism in the context of collegiate athletics in Nebraska in the Midwest. It is particularly important to produce good, solid journalism in the context of sport. This reflection of local sports journalism of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses the following themes for analysis: context, critical media work, diversity, representation in the newsroom, and the role of owned media and branding. The essay also describes the American collegiate athletic system and a new, innovative undergraduate major in „Sports Media and Communication“ at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Zusammenfassung Gute lokale Sportberichterstattung spiegelt die Gemeinschaft wider, der sie dient und entwickelt somit die Gesellschaft. Der Essay diskutiert Sportberichterstattung im Allgemeinen und lokale Sportberichterstattung am Beispiel des Hochschulsports in Nebraska, im Mittleren Westen der USA, im Speziellen. Gerade in diesem Bereich ist es besonders wichtig, dass guter, solider Sportjournalismus praktiziert wird. Die Reflektion von Qualität und Leistung der lokalen Sportberichterstattung der University of Nebraska-Lincoln wird anhand folgender Themen analysiert: Kontext, kritische Medienarbeit, Vielfältigkeit, Repräsentation in der Redaktion und die Rolle von Eigenmedien und Branding. Beschrieben werden außerdem das amerikanische Collegesportsystem und ein neuer, innovativer Studiengang „Sports Media and Communication“ an der Universität von Nebraska-Lincoln

Generation X and Generation Golf: What Advertisers Need to Know When Targeting German and American Thirty-Somethings

While most of the academic research currently focuses on defining and analyzing Generation Y, trade publications in the advertising and media field are publishing more and more articles about Generation X, primarily because this segment has been extremely difficult to reach for advertisers (Overington, 2005). American companies have conducted business in Germany for many years (and vice versa) and need to understand the next generation that is going to drive global business in a new system that replaced the Cold War and reveals the interdependence of economies: globalization. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast what is commonly known as “Generation X” in the United States and now labeled “Generation Golf” in Germany by analyzing the literature that is available in the United States and Illies’ (2001) book “Generation Golf.” Global advertising practitioners will benefit from this paper because they will be better prepared to target Generation X in Germany by having a more complete psychographic description of their target audience

Review of Consumer Behavior and Culture: Consequences for Global Marketing and Advertising by Marieke de Mooij

A book review by Frauke Hachtmann of Consumer Behavior and Culture: Consequences for Global Marketing and Advertising by Marieke de Mooij

Promoting Consumerism in West Germany During the Cold War: An Agency Perspective

This historical study attempts to explore how advertising, from the perspective of the J. Walter Thompson (JWT) Agency, contributed to the development of consumerism in West Germany during the Cold War (roughly the early 1950s until the late 1980s). The article describes how West Germany rebuilt its economy and eventually developed into the largest exporting country in the world. It also illustrates how advertising as an institution contributed to a functioning consumer society and chronicles the agency’s development in the U.S. and expansion to Germany. Finally, it explores the agency’s insights into consumer behavior in West Germany during the Cold War