Storytelling Through Marketing
Following our research regarding perspectives on mental health throughout campus, we were able to bring our findings to class and to our client to receive further advice and instruction. From where we were to where we are now, our mission has been adjusted and we have more information on how to move forward in order to properly produce a product that will be mutually beneficial for the group and the client. For my Individual Project, I have landed and expanded more on my topic, and am waiting on responses so I can properly know how to move forward. As a result, in this blog I will be mainly focusing on the group project.
Group Project
Soon after we presented our findings to the class and our client I began to brainstorm ways in which we can move forward with this project. Due to the fact I was not able to attend the first meeting held, I was a bit lost in the mission statement.
That's when our group soon sought to hold a meeting to go over putting together our proposal, and what our deliverables would look like. From the information we received, we just knew that the Trone Center for Mental Fitness mainly wanted a video to be shown within pathways for people to further understand what the center is all about.
When hearing this, I knew that we had to prepare a little more than just a video, so that's when I suggested we throw in a flyer and a few instagram posts, so the video was not to stand alone.
The group decided to meet on Thursday, so we could lay out a plan for the weekend for our presentation. We followed the given rubric, where Garrett was assigned to work on the deliverables and mission statement of the presentation, Cole was to work on the timeline slides of the presentation, while I addressed the introductions and delegation of responsibilities. We were in steady communication with each other regarding the presentation throughout the weekend, making sure each one of our delegated responsibilities was taken care of by Monday morning.
The group decided to meet on Thursday, so we could lay out a plan for the weekend for our presentation. We followed the given rubric, where Garrett was assigned to work on the deliverables and mission statement of the presentation, Cole was to work on the timeline slides of the presentation, while I addressed the introductions and delegation of responsibilities. We were in steady communication with each other regarding the presentation throughout the weekend, making sure each one of our delegated responsibilities was taken care of by Monday morning.
As soon as we completed said responsibilities, Cole was able to submit our presentation that morning. Although we submitted and presented our pitch draft to class, our work for the day was not close to being over. A few hours following class, we were looking to take the suggestions and advices we received from class and present our pitch draft with Dr. Allyson B-Gardner.
This was my first meeting with her, so I was glad to finally meet her and get some inquiries and more information regarding the mission we were assigned to execute. The meeting ran about an hour long. During this meeting we really dove into what exact deliverables we can bring to the table for the center. We were also able to throw around ideas and received opinions and thoughts from other group members our and client about how we help the center reach their goals.
I was glad we were able to actually meet and talk, because here while I was meeting with other creatives and my client, we were able to bounce ideas off of each other and reach new ideas and conclusions. Moving forward I really would like most of us to be present at meetings so we properly bounce ideas off of each other. I also found it to be a lot easier to come up with creative ideas, as before I was in the dark.
I was glad we were able to actually meet and talk, because here while I was meeting with other creatives and my client, we were able to bounce ideas off of each other and reach new ideas and conclusions. Moving forward I really would like most of us to be present at meetings so we properly bounce ideas off of each other. I also found it to be a lot easier to come up with creative ideas, as before I was in the dark.
Focusing on the Deliverables
At the conclusion of the meeting we had many ideas in which we communicated with Garrett. Dr. B-Gardner enjoyed the idea's we presented, and also requested that we work with what is most comfortable with us according to our schedule and emotional capacity. As it stands right now, we are looking to make our video to be focusing on redefining the word "fit" with the concept "Fit =/= Perfect" through our video. We are looking to center the lives of students within different communities and backgrounds, such as athletes, students within leadership positions, student workers, and more.
Outside of our video, we are looking to create 3 flyers, one with the concept emphasized in the video "Fit =/= Perfect", another with describing how students can access the counseling center, and another flyer advertising more of the telehealth side of the counseling center.
Our 3rd deliverable will be regarding social media, as the group meets this week, we will decide on whether we create a new instagram account for the counseling center or if we create social flyers that can be posted via Paladin Peer Support or through Furman libraries. As it stands right now, those are the Counseling Center's means to social media communication.
If we do chose to go down the new social media account route, we are looking to create introductory posts for the counseling center staff. Sandwiched between the introductory posts will be posts either showcasing the flyers that will be created and put across campus, or informative posts addressing the stigma of mental illness and providing more information to students regarding facts about the Counseling Center.
For example, I did not know that the Counseling Center had an adjunct nutritionist. We could aim to create a post addressing that if students want to access adjunct services, to make an appointment with the next available counselor.
Individual Work & Closing Thoughts
In regards to my individual project, I have a solid idea of what I want to execute within the my mini-documentary. I have reached out to the potential interviewee's and am now waiting responses. These people typically are in demand, to which I understand a slight delay in response. If these two interviewee's fall through, I know many black performers I could chose to center instead. If I do not receive a response within a week, I will look towards that avenue. Within this documentary I did not want to completely reference people here on campus, but rather people who have had a different experience rather than the Furman experience, and how that has shaped their performances as a black performer. Once I have an idea on who exactly will be present in my video, I will know what stories to implement to go along with my project and complete a storyboard.
Through this process I mainly learned the importance of working together within a room of creatives, because honestly the group project was a bit difficult to navigate without actually meeting our client and by mainly receiving information through text. In this instance I was not able to properly present ideas or have a proper conversation on how to move forward. When working with clients in the future, I am now notable of how to be accessible with my client and team, and how to have proper conversations when doing creative brainstorming. For the individual project, once I know who's exact story I'm sharing, I will be able to have a proper storyboard and get to shooting the needed footage.