Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary Celebration

Written by: Rinni Finley

It is an exciting time for Walt Disney World right now with the celebration of its 50th anniversary! After opening the gates to the Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida on October 1st, 1971, the magic has only grown. From the time of the park’s opening to now, Disney has released over 640 movies including the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. With the constant production of content for fans as well as the ever-evolving parks, Disney and its resorts are one of the most influential companies in the world. As they celebrate their 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney World theme park, the company has introduced some new and redesigned features in the park to honor its semi-centennial celebration. 

Evolution of the Walt Disney World Park Over 50 Years

When the park first opened, Walt Disney had already passed away. Therefore, the responsibility and overseeing of the park fell to his brother, Roy Disney. The park opened with a fully functioning monorail system that took guests to and from the Transportation and Ticket center as well as the hotels. Once inside the park, there were attractions such as Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, it’s a Small World, and more. Over time, Disney installed more attractions like their rides, as well as more hotels and resort portions allowing for a more overall inclusive experience for guests. Currently, Walt Disney World has 4 parks inside including Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. Between all the parks, there are just over 50 rides and over 100 attractions. 

Redesign of the Annual Pass and Special Merchandise

In homage to the 50th year of the park’s success, Disney has reimagined their annual passes to have an “EARidescent” finish complete with an iconic character in full gold color on the front of the pass. To go along with the “50” theme, there are 50 different characters that will be featured on the new passes, from Mickey Mouse to Olaf. There are also new golden statues of the same “Disney Fab 50” characters spread throughout the park which create more magic and more photo-ops! Disney has added in some smaller details as well such as 50th anniversary cups in their restaurants. On top of details added to the parks, there is a new line of 50th anniversary merchandise as well. With multiple collections that dropped in the park’s stores on October 1st, the exact 50th anniversary, guests can find merchandise in themes of Celebration, Disney Castle, The Vault, EARidescent, and more. 

From annual pass designs to new statues to new, limited edition merchandise, Disney has thought of it all to honor 50 years of the happiest place on Earth.

The Met of Masks: The Met Gala and COVID-19

Instagram x Met Gala Class of ‘21 Photo. PHOTO: RAVEN B VARON

Written by: Wyatt Whitaker

What is The Met Gala?

The Met Gala is an annual star-studded event that occurs historically during the first Monday in May. The gala is a fundraiser benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. To say that this is a very see and be seen kind of event would be putting it mildly to say the least. A ticket back in the days of the gala’s inception cost around $1000. Today, tickets boast a whopping $30,000 price tag. Even if you pay the money, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be in attendance as Anna Wintour, Gala Chair and Editor in Chief of Vogue Magazine, has the final say on who will be in attendance. 

A Year on The Sidelines

Last year's Met Gala was sidelined due to the global Coronavirus pandemic as well as New York City’s Covid-19 regulations during May of 2020. This year however, the gala committee decided to host two separate events. The first one took place on the evening of September 13, 2021 and the second will be taking place during its normal slot on the evening of May 2, 2022. 

For the sake of this blog post, I will be discussing the first Met Gala hosted just last month. An important thing to know about the Met Gala is that it’s theme changes every year and no two themes are the same or are even remotely close. This year's theme was, “America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and in short, emphasizes American independence according to Vanity Fair. There was a star studded list of attendees. Both newbies and veterans hit the red carpet sporting some both classic and questionable looks. Stars like Karlie Kloss, Timothee Chalamet, and Kendall Jenner were voted among some of the best looks of the night. While stars like A$AP Rocky, Kim Kardashian, and Pete Davidson sported some jaw droppingly questionable looks. 

Covid-19 

This year's event was different in comparison to Gala’s of years past, with a number of celebrities who are notoriously in attendance, not present. According to event organizers, “All attendees at The Met Gala on September 13 must provide proof of full vaccination and will also be expected to wear masks indoors except when eating and drinking” (People, 2021). With these policies in place, some stars opted out of the event. Nicki Minaj, for example, used her platform to question these practices tweeting, “They want you to get vaccinated for The Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t be for The Met…” This turned into political chaos as people began to disapprove of Minaj’s skepticism towards the Covid-19 vaccine, as well as masses accusing the star of spreading misinformation.

While these events are a star studded affair, these guidelines were implemented for the safety of all attendee’s. In a year like last year, there was no social season. Taking a risk by cutting the size of the gala in half and having it twice in one year was a good decision on behalf of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vogue Magazine. I can’t wait to see what takes place in May!

Instagram Shopping

Written by: Hannah Stedman

The popular photo-sharing app is making a transition into a shopping and video platform. Instagram’s recent updates have introduced more shopping specific features that let users buy directly from the app from corporations and small businesses. 

With the introduction of Instagram shops, there is now a designated section that users can visit to buy products. Instagram allows the user to save their card information and shipping address, so shopping can be done in as few as two clicks. Products can be tagged in posts so users can see them  on their home feed. When users select the product, Instagram directs them  to shopping pages where they can buy the product with just a couple of clicks. 

Many small businesses are taking advantage of Instagram live to do product demonstrations and give a more in depth look at the quality and specific features of the product. Some businesses have also utilized their stories and highlight reels to show their products for sale and let users purchase off of these features. One example is how users can purchase products off of Instagram stories. Users  comment  on the story of a specific  item they  want with their information, and the seller then can put aside the item to ship after the user pays for it.

These changes to Instagram’s platform have led to a significant increase in spending. Instagram’s business account says 50% of people that they've surveyed have gone to a website to buy the product or service that they saw on Instagram stories and 58% of people have become more interested in a brand or product after seeing them in stories. As more businesses utilize stories, the more easily accessible the products will become and the more users will be accustomed to purchasing items off of the platform. 

Users are drifting away from Instagram as a social media platform and are openly embracing it as another form of shopping. It’s getting harder to tell the difference between a normal picture post with a product tag and a sponsored post, and one day there may not be a difference between them at all.

These types of features are what separates Instagram from other social media platforms like TikTok or Twitter. Instagram has been easily able to adapt to the new trends and they listen to what the consumers want. It has evolved so much since its start in 2010, and it will continue to evolve to stay relevant for years to come.

Brand. New.

By Guest Blogger Hunter Lees

As a student at ACU, I’ve had the unique opportunity not many college students get to experience. I’m a senior in the Ad/PR department. I keep busy working at Morris+Mitchell, the student-run Ad/PR agency as well as playing Wide Receiver for ACU football.

Recently, our school made history as it brought ACU football back to campus. The excitement could be felt in the air as fans, students, and alumni experienced this momentous event. All ACU sports are now played on campus. This hasn't happened since November 27, 1958! This is something that has boosted morale not only for ACU athletics but for the university as a whole.

One highlight of the new stadium has been the marketing associated with the event. While the branding doesn’t change year to year, there are new marketing campaigns each season. The name for the campaign for the 2017-2018 sports season is “This is Home,” a theme which encompasses the feeling of so many athletes as we are able to compete on campus for the first time in our college careers.

The marketing team ensured a cohesive look and message to its audience.  Marketing also chose to highlight former athletes in the design of the new stadium. Giant murals of ACU football legends line the home side of the stadium, which gives the area a unique feel. The inside of the stadium was also carefully decorated with posters placed throughout the different levels honoring specific ACU football greats and their respective positions.  Continuity is key to a great marketing campaign and the ACU team attended to every detail accordingly.

Fortunately, I have been able to experience the student/athlete dichotomy. While guests can see most stadium details, the locker room is reserved for players and coaches. The locker room is an intimate place for players and this new facility is the nicest I’ve experienced in my sports career. This locker room impresses players who have transferred from larger universities such as Cal Berkley and The University of Arkansas. There are so many unique details, from the walls being covered in players from the 30’s and 40’s, to recent NFL player like Daniel Manning having his own area designated in honor of his number 11 jersey.

The stadium is a wonderfully built structure but the hard work and thoughtfulness of the ACU marketing and graphic design team have really set the facility apart. I think I can safely say that the entire 2017 ACU Football team feels like the sky is the limit with what we can accomplish during this special Wildcat opening season.

Go Wildcats!

Pitch Perfect

What Makes a Great Capabilities Pitch?

No matter the product, location, or goal of a business, prospective customers must be aware of what that business has to offer. Advertisers make that happen.  Advertising agencies are no different in their need to promote themselves effectively in order to obtain new clients. This is where a capabilities pitch comes in. A pitch is a way of letting the client know exactly what an agency has to offer. A well-crafted capabilities presentation will play a vital role in landing the job every time. So, how do agencies take the pitch from average to outstanding? It’s as simple as these four steps.

Step One: What we do.

Research. Research. Research. Research everything the potential client has ever done and learn all their strengths and weaknesses. An agency will never want to be caught off guard in a meeting. Highlight the agency strengths and align them with the job the client needs.  Know your agency’s weakness as well and don’t be afraid to admit a service that isn’t offered.

Step Two: Who we do it for.

Success is tangible.  Prove the agency’s core strengths with concrete examples.  Create a bulleted list that describes the talents and strengths of the agency.  Clients are visual.  Links, pictures, and case studies are specific examples of what may be used on a website in order to effectively communicate agency work.

Step Three: Why we’re different.

Don’t just sell yourself, listen, then sell the client.  Regardless of the talent the agency possesses, the needs of the client must be understood in order to gain their business.  Understanding the unique selling position of the client is the best way to begin the process of learning what the client needs.  An agency must know what makes their client stand out among their competitors. In order to advertise for a client, you must always keep in mind why they’re different.

Step Four: So What?

It’s the final countdown.  The last step is communicating why the client should choose your agency. This is accomplished by combining the previous three steps into one final message.  Taking special care to highlight the specific ways in which the agency is equipped to fulfill the client’s needs.

We’re going to get to work putting what we’ve learned here into practice. What about you?

Cover Letter 101

Job hunting is a skill in and of itself.  Whether or not one can perform a job is almost irrelevant if they are unable to obtain the position in the first place. Writing an incredible cover letter is something that will make job seekers stand out from other applicants. This is a chance for applicants to make their skills and compatibility with a company shine. 

Beforehand

With any good piece of writing, research is key. Before pen is put to pad...or more realistically, fingers to keyboard, you’ll want to gain as much knowledge about the company to which you’re applying as possible. The first place to start is the company website. It may sound like a lot, but read the entire site… then maybe even read it again. You should know what the company prides itself on, its values, its strengths and possibly even its weaknesses. If possible, glean the name of the hiring manager or someone to whom you can address the cover letter. Including a specific name gives the impression that you’ve done your research and are serious about getting the job.

List all of your information in the upper left hand corner. This includes your name, address, phone number and email address as well as the contact information of the employer you’re sending the cover letter to.  

Paragraph 1

The first paragraph should be all about you. Make this information count! This is where you get to highlight things about yourself and show how you will fit into the big picture of the company. This section should be thought of as a place to show personality and talent, which are particularly useful to the hiring organization.  

Paragraph 2

Use the second paragraph to highlight specific skills and expertise in relation to the work the company is doing.This is where you really sell yourself and explain why you would make such a valuable employee to the hiring organization. Again, the research you did earlier will prove invaluable for this section.

Paragraph 3

If needed, add a third paragraph as a continuation of the second. Three shorter paragraphs are oftentimes easier to read than two lengthier ones. It can also serve as a great way to break up information.          

Lastly, wrap it up with a “call to action.” Be confident and express your request for an interview. Be sure to thank the reader for their time and conclude the letter.  

Following Up

After sending your initial email and cover letter, reaching out once more can make a big difference when it comes to getting that job. A good rule of thumb is to email the company a couple of weeks after you send out your resume and cover letter to make sure they were received. You can also make a good impression by sending a handwritten thank you note after an interview to thank the interviewer for their time. Even if you don’t get that specific job, there may be positions available in the future that you’ll be a better fit for, and leaving a good impression is always a step in the right direction.