Blog — Kylee Muir

The Challenge

During the summer of 2015, I interned with Brains On Fire, a Word of Mouth Marketing agency in Greenville, South Carolina. The Brains On Fire's team boasts a slew of coveted keynote speakers, successful business book authors and bloggers, and brilliant minds that offer a service most agencies can't. For my first project, I was asked to manage the agency's Instagram account, with the challenge to create engaging content that builds and sustains the fan base (yes, the agency actually has a devoted and passionate fan base!).

What I Did

After speaking to employees, reading the published content, and getting a better feel for the agency's brand and story, I chose to make this assignment into a bigger project. I wanted to showcase the greatest asset that Brains On Fire has: the people who work there. I began by sending out a short survey with quirky questions to everyone in both the Greenville and Los Angeles offices. I used the answers people gave (along with some ad-libbed facts and jokes) to create clever short bios for each employee. I then scheduled times to photograph each person in a unique, personal way. Using a social media calendar that I created, I scheduled content to be posted consistently every week at peak engagement times. Naturally, I left many open slots for more spontaneous posting so that the account had a variety of interesting content.

The Result

As a result of this summer long project, I increased the agency's Instagram following by at least 20% and increased engagement (likes + comments) by a substantial amount. By featuring employees from their new Los Angeles office, I was able to include both teams in my project, increasing company unity. I also utilized and further developed a strong brand voice, which earned me praise by management and a chance to write copy for several other projects.

Below you will find screenshots of the Brains On Fire account and the visual content I created for it.

The Challenge

In September 2015, Ritz Carlton redesigned its logo and updated the Ritz Carlton brand for the first time in 32 years. They are attempting to modernize the brand and reach a somewhat younger audience: the “affluent tribe” of young, modern travelers that value luxury and status. We were given the task of creating a marketing campaign that targeted customers before, during, and after their stay. We were not given a budget, but asked to provide a campaign that could reach all potential customers and increase bookings through RitzCarlton.com. For this project, I worked with four other marketing majors that I met through the National Student Advertising Competition team at Clemson.

Consumer Insights

The insights we used to build our campaign were the result of both primary and secondary research. Most of our secondary research was done using a variety of online resources. We also contacted representatives from specific Ritz Carlton locations to get accurate information about room sizes, hotel costs, and current technology used. While the majority of our research consisted of understanding and solidifying the Ritz's brand identity, we gained valuable information by interviewing consumers from the target demographic. All of these insights came together and created a foundation for our ideas.

The Big Idea

We called our final campaign "The Ritz: Revolutionized". Our big idea was to create a luxury brand partnership with Apple that integrates the iWatch throughout each Ritz Carlton property to develop and enhance guests' experience. Whether it’s for unlocking a guest's room, booking a dinner reservation, or setting up a tee time for the golf course, the Apple iWatch would provide convenience that exceeds expectations. To supplement the iWatch, we proposed a redesign of the current app to better align with the recent rebrand while focusing on mobility, simplicity, and relevance. We also wanted to create a more personalized experience by sending tailored emails after booking that encourage guests to reserve an iWatch, download the new app, and begin planning their vacation using suggested events and activities that will take place during their stay. After their stay, guests would receive a customized gift box to remind them of their stay at the Ritz Carlton. Our team also proposed targeted ad spending on Instagram, Youtube, travel blogs of digital influencers, and relevant websites using digital bidding. We planned on utilizing the hashtag #RitzOnYourWrist to start a conversation about the Apple partnership through the appropriate social media channels.

Our team had the opportunity to present these ideas to Ms. Lisa Holladay, Ritz Carlton’s Vice President of Global Brand Marketing. She and Ms. Jamie Kerr, an Account Director at Team One, loved our ideas and were extremely impressed with our work.

This is a mockup of the iWatch with the Ritz logo that I designed.