PAOLA SERGO

01.MARKETING CAMPAIGN RESEARCH
Our second group project was about creating a media campaign. The agency me and my group worked for developed a website (ExploreBreda.com) to explore Breda easier. Our assignment was to choose our target audience and come up with ideas on how to attract them to the client’s website. For easier organization, we used Trello. There, I could always see what I must do next and what I was already done with.

After dividing the roles and tasks, I was assigned to work on the research and design. I started off with doing research on Utrecht’s city marketing to have a better understanding of how other cities promote themselves. This gave me, and my team some inspiration on generating the ideas for promoting Breda. I was also doing research on how to generate more traffic for the website and went more in depth about some. This included gathering information on how to promote it with content marketing, throughout social media and using SEO.

02.MARKETING CAMPAIGN CONTENT STRATEGY
After the research and determining the target audience, my team and I started working on the content strategy and designing our marketing ideas. I was assigned to look into marketing via billboards and posters and then design them. I started with doing research and including it in our content strategy document. My focus was on the highway billboards, their importance and why are they be suitable for our client.

Together with another group member, I also worked on the customer journey, to emphasize on certain touchpoints of how would user act and feel throughout certain steps, to ultimately, revisit the website. It provided some useful insights that affected our decision making.

03.EASTER EGGS RESEARCH
For our last group project, we had to develop Easter Eggs to generate more traffic and make the users want to revisit the ExploreBreda website. We divided the tasks among each other for the general research, and mine was to explore different types of Easter Eggs on websites. All the research was done online, and after combining it all together, I delivered a clear explanation about different kinds of Easter Eggs, along with some examples.

I also researched about the importance of including the Easter Eggs on the website. This research was also done online. After gathering all the information I provided a clear and brief explanation of pros that come with hiding an Easter Egg on the website.

After finishing the general research, my team and I focused on conducting a user research. Each one of us came up with a few questions that were included in a survey that was later spread to our peers and friends. The survey helped me to understand how familiar the users are with Easter Eggs and would they prove to be useful if included. The results were positive, providing me with the information that Easter Eggs truly would generate more traffic, especially if there was a reward included.

04.USING TRELLO
Working on the group projects, we mostly used Trello for easier organization. This inspired me to use it personally as well. With the application being user friendly and easy to use, I can manage my tasks more efficiently. It provides me with a clear overview of the upcoming tasks I set for myself, the ones I’m still working on, and the ones I’m already done with. To keep myself on track, through Trello, I also set a “Due” date, so that it reminds me beforehand in case I leave a task out.

05.CMD METHOD AND PROJECT X
For my personal project, I decided to challenge myself in branding field, and create a brand image for my own streetwear brand. At the start, I had to build some fundamentals through research and user testing, so that I can understand current situation better and build a brand identity. For my research, I gathered some crucial questions, to ensure a good flow of the project. This included choosing a method to help me achieve the desired goal. The method I decided to go for was the CMD Method.

The reason why I chose this method is because the CMD Method, serves as a qualitive research approach that focuses on understanding customer needs, behaviors, and experiences through direct engagement. It helped me in conducting a survey, to understand the customer perception of popular brands, the values they look for, and how my project idea can position itself uniquely. It also played a role in observation, so that I could be provided with useful insights on what draws customer attention. It helped me in market mapping, by mapping out competitive landscape and identifying key competitors more effectively. As last, it also played a crucial role in gathering feedback and making iterations accordingly.

View the Project X research docuemnt

06.PROJECT X BRAND GUIDE
Since the goal of my personal project was to make a brand identity for my own streetwear brand, it meant creating a brand guide as well. I decided to do it as a last step in my project, when all of the fundamentals are finished, so that I can include it all at once. To keep it more organized, I wrote all of the content in a separate Word file, while designing the template in Adobe Illustrator. I used the same design elements as I did in the website prototype, so that the brand guide truly represents the Wasted Archive brand. As for the content, I included things such as brands values, tone and voice, target audience,… I also included the visual elements of the brand, and explained the choices behind them.

View the Project X Brand guide

07.MY REFLECTION
Focusing on enhancing my professional standard during the second semester benefited me in many aspects, particularly in terms of communication with my group and clients. In order to create a good project structure, a clear and affective communication was required to ensure everyone’s contribution without encountering any issues. Additionally, I also focused more on improving my research skills during the last two group projects, which taught me the importance of understanding the project’s background. This approach allowed me to begin my tasks with a solid foundation and achieve better results.