thebabyperks

A popular discussion especially during this time of year is the idea that you don't need the new year to make a change in your lifestyle. I agree that you have the ability (and should) make a change to your lifestyle whenever you want, but I also recognize that having an official "start" date or point of change makes it easier.

A new year's resolutions last year was to work on my core and arms. This was me still on my 1/2 marathon training program in the fall, I'll update soon with my current physique, but I did make progress!

It comes down to mindset. Do you really want to make the change? Every year that I can remember I have come up with new year's resolutions and most of the time the resolutions are pretty loose: "be more confident," "cherish all of the little moments," and "prioritize fitness." With those I am able to figure out as I go along what I want to do. One that is more specific that I have continuously not accomplished is to stop biting my nails. I have worked pretty hard at trying to be more confident and creating a fitness routine that I love, but when it comes to biting my nails, it's not only a bad habit but an anxious habit (so with finals my nails aren't looking too good). I've gone without biting or picking my nails for months at a time but once it comes to cutting them I freak out because they're short again and the cycle continues.

I don't tell you my failed resolution so that you stare at my nails whenever we talk (please don't), I share it because I think that new year's resolutions are not bad or good. If the flipping of a calendar gets you into the gym for the first time why should I judge you? If you walk into the gym on May 7 ready to make a change (whether it be a forgotten new year's resolution or just something you want for yourself), don't let a random date on the calendar stop you.

If anything, when you set your new year's resolutions set random calendar alerts throughout your year so that you stop and analyze your progress towards your goals. See if the goals you set for yourself January 1 are still things you want to accomplish and if they are make a more detailed plan on how to stay on track.

Somehow the week before finals is almost always worse than actual finals week which is both a blessing and a curse. For the first time in my 2 1/2 years of college I actually have 4 finals during finals week. I'm slightly in the calm before the storm, I have a huge campaign plan book and presentation due to a client next week but at this point it's just putting it all together and making it look good. Before I get completely consumed with school I thought I'd share my advice at managing all you need to do before your glorious break.

Welcome to the final installment of my Campaigns blog post series. Scroll below for more content more directly related to my blog.

Measurement strategies are important in looking at the overall goal or big picture of a campaign. As the article posted on Moodle about measurement strategy talked about, having a strategy leads to effective content creation that reaches your target audience.

A business that utilizes this strategy is Goodreads. Goodreads is a website that "helps people find and share books they love." They have created a media kit that is downloadable so that potential advertisers get a better understanding of the kind of audience that Goodreads reaches. This is important for the advertisers' measurement strategy because they can plan and frame the content around this audience. 

Before an advertiser can decide whether or not Goodreads is a good platform to advertise they should understand what Goodreads is and the audience that uses it. According to the Goodreads media kit over 7 million people on the platform record the books they read and share book recommendations. Some of the demographics include: almost 70% of users are female, 11.4% of users are 13-17, 42.3% are 18-34, 18.9% are 35-44, and 26.9% are over 45. The audience generally views the site two times a day and spend around five minutes a visit on the site. Over 183,000 books are marked to-read and over 30,000 books are marked read, 287,000 books are rated/reviewed.

The best companies/advertisers to advertise on Goodreads would most likely be the publishing companies.

With this user information in mind Goodreads has created a few different packages designed for companies wanting to promote books. These book discovery packages were created to drive intentional purchasing and increase the ability of books to be discovered. These programs are go beyond traditional advertising seen on websites because, while there is side bar advertisements, they also give influential users books for free in exchange for a review and rate. Everyone who follows the user gets a notification in their newsfeed about the users' review and rating of the book. This is a way to increase a publishing company's reach.

Because Goodreads has created this media kit full of demographic information, research, and advertising packages they can easily send this out to interested companies. Companies are able to define their potential reach based off of the information Goodreads provides. Publishing companies can create advertising content that fits the users of Goodreads as well as create a cohesive advertising campaign.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Thanksgiving can be very difficult for people with unhealthy relationships with food. I know that I personally have felt guilty for eating so much or felt like I needed to restrict my eating leading up to Thanksgiving. I participated in 5K turkey trots because I enjoyed them, but it was also nice to know I was "burning all of the calories I was going to eat".

What I've come to learn, though, is that one day (or even a few days) of eating what you want will not ruin your progress. You don't have to get a workout in before you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. If you want to workout, go for it, but it is not a requirement in order to eat the foods you want to eat. And just because you may be eating a lot on Thanksgiving doesn't mean you don't need to eat leading up to turkey day, your body still needs energy.

These thoughts of mine got put to the test this week. I haven't worked out in 3 days and I almost forced myself to go to the gym with my parents this morning but I realized it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in my pjs and enjoy my breakfast. As someone who regularly goes to the gym and ~tries~ to eat healthy, taking a few extra rest days is okay. The gym will still be there for me this weekend. I am going into tonight's Thanksgiving dinner with one side of my family and tomorrow's Thanksgiving with the other side in a much more aware mindset.
I've grown a lot over the past year with my relationship with food. I'm eating foods I enjoy and feeling a lot less guilty. I've learned that food isn't "good" or "bad" it's just energy. By eating more and eating what I enjoy I've actually been able to gain muscle and my physique is better than it has ever been. I know other people have much bigger struggles with food than I have experienced and my advice won't fix your problems, but I thought it would be helpful to share what helped me overcome some of those guilty feelings associated with food.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, don't feel guilty for eating the foods you want to eat, and make memories with those you love.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Fast forward to summer 2018. I had some time in between tasks at my internship and I was looking at the PDF file of course needs. I had more check marks of completed courses than Xs of what I needed. Then I pulled up my Google Doc entitled "My four year plan lololol" where I keep a master sheet of what semester I took classes and when I want to take others. I could fit all of my required classes in, it would just be a matter of getting in my 36 hours of 300+ level classes and 124 total credit hours in to qualify for a Bachelor's degree.

I talked with my family about it and thought long and hard. This semester I'm in 16 credit hours, I plan on being in 16-17 next semester, taking 9 over the summer (three of those credit hours will *hopefully* be an internship), and 14-15 credit hours next fall.

Trust me, I would love to stay in college forever (I mean who wouldn't it's basically adult daycare). But college is expensive and if I'm finished with my required courses I'd rather not rack up more debt just sitting around in the spring semester. I saw a lot of my friends who already graduated take 12 credit hours their senior year spring and they were bored in class, having to do pointless assignments, and stressed out by the job process. I talked to someone who graduated early and she said she'd never have gotten the job she currently has without graduating early. If I could cut out the thing that's costing me $15,000/semester and solely focus on my job hunt that would be cool.

The only other hesitancy I had about graduating early is that I didn't want to walk in December because I'd be sad without my friends. I reached out and got confirmation that I could walk in May with the rest of my class even if I technically graduated in December.

Finally, with the money I'm saving I plan to do a bit of traveling. The planning for that is still pretty open but I'm hoping to make it happen.

I'm thankful for my family and friends who have supported my decision. It's wild to think that in a little over a month I'll only have a year left at Drury. If the phrase "last one, best one" is true, I can't wait to see how the next year turns out.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Hi everyone here is another blog post for my Comm 413 Campaigns class. Go read my latest post about starting your morning right.

You may have great ideas but before you can make a solid plan you need to look at your resources. How are you going to create, produce or provide your idea? Budgeting does not just consider total cost but labor and who is going to pay. In our reading on budgets it said to be aware of the organization's business plan, budget strategically and measure the return on investment (along with a few other things). 

Advertising can be an effective tool to get your product out into the public eye but it can also be costly. One example of an advertising campaign that was costly upfront and then very successful is Coca Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign.

According to the Wall Street Journal Coca-Cola saw sales rise over 2% after they had been falling for over a decade. While falling soda consumption could be linked to trends in healthier eating, more awareness towards the dangers of sugar (& artificial sugar) and obesity, Coca-Cola had to adapt in order for the company to survive. The WSJ reported that Coke increased their advertising budget by $1 billion in recent years.



When coming up with the idea of the "Share a Coke" campaign there was the risk of it failing. Would printing people's names onto bottles really make them buy more sodas? They obviously would have to consider the cost of redesigning the packaging to include names and phrases. The departments working on this campaign also needed to think about different indirect costs like employees time to gather data around different names in different geographical areas.

Ultimately this campaign saw success through user-generated content. People were talking about the soda cans and "sharing a Coke" online. This created interest among consumers to go hunting for their name on a soda can bottle. Maybe a consumer quit drinking soda but they found themselves in the soda aisle looking for their significant other's name on the bottle. They just spent an extra $2 that they usually didn't spend. Then maybe they see a friends name on a bottle and buy it for them to. The idea of connecting with people on a personal level is very successful. Investopedia also discussed that Coke was able to adapt their strategies from the initial campaign to remain relevant years down the line through creating a shop for people to personalize names onto the soda bottle wrapper, and the company even began including pop culture references/song lyrics on cans.

When an organization successfully budgets for a campaign and has the funds to support it they can create an interactive platform. It's even better when a company encourages their customers to keep the conversation going through sharing their stories on social media.

Coca-Cola took a leap with personalized soda bottles. Through successful budgeting and strategy they produced an innovation idea that lead to a global phenomenon. By preparing and sticking to a budget that was realistic, they were able to improve sales for the first time in a decade.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

I have to admit I'm a bit hypocritical. I was practicing what I was preaching up until this week and then I stopped. Guess what? What I was doing really did help and when I was trying to identify why I felt off this week I can almost guarantee this is why.

My Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule is a bit different from my Tuesday/Thursday schedule. On MWF I get up very early to open the gym. On Tuesday/Thursdays I don't have to do that so I have a slower start to my morning. On most Tuesdays and Thursdays I try to sleep in a bit but still get up early enough to workout, shower, eat breakfast and lay in bed. 

Part of what has helped me accomplish this is not grabbing my phone right when I wake up in the morning. I have a terrible habit of turning off my alarm and then scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and then Facebook again. I've listened to so many people talk about being on their phones less and the benefits so I decided to try it out. On the Tuesday/Thursdays I don't workout I go straight downstairs to make myself coffee and breakfast. I bring it back to my room and really just enjoy waking up. I noticed that when I did this I felt a lot more at peace and ready to start my day. Sure, I still end up scrolling through social media but I have an intentional block of time in my morning to let myself be. Even when I do go workout in the mornings I have been trying to just get up without scrolling on my phone until I get to the gym. Once I'm doing my warmup incline walking on the treadmill I begin to look at my phone.

Starting your morning right sets the framework for the rest of your day as well as your productivity. I am the most productive in the mornings and early afternoons. I love giving myself that 20-30 minute span to enjoy the process of making breakfast, journaling and drinking my coffee. Then I can hit the ground running by working on papers or reviewing assigned readings. This week, though, I threw that by the wayside and spent a lot more time scrolling on my phone than I did giving myself "me time." I noticed a shift in my attitude and productivity. Luckily, I recognized this shift and next week I'm going to focus on being mindful in the mornings again.

It can be hard to remain mindful especially in times of stress or busyness. I'm really working at reminding myself that it's okay to take time for myself beyond just working out, sometimes I need to rest and that's okay. The best way I can give myself that rest time is by starting my morning off slowly.

What do you do to start your morning off right? I'd love to hear about it!

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Hello everyone, this week for my Campaigns 413 class I'm going to be discussing influencers and how they have revolutionized the industry of advertising.

It's been very strange growing up in a time where being an "influencer" is a career. I started reading fashion/lifestyle/beauty blogs in high school and then started my own blog my sophomore year of high school. I also watched a lot of YouTubers, but at the time they were all just doing it for fun. Sometimes they were sent products from companies to try, but mostly it was girls just like me posting content online. 

What is an Influencer?

Before I jump into more information about influencers I want to define the term. Influencers are people that are able to produce a compelling impact on the actions, behaviors, or opinions of others. This generally comes in the forward of sponsored posts on social media. The appeal of influencers over celebrities is that influencers are more closely related to us "every day" people. Celebrities have this air of exclusivity about them whereas influencers could be that girl in your communication class with 500,000 followers on Instagram getting brand deals. Even if an influencer is not someone you personally know, the idea is that they have a substantial enough following online but they aren't what we would call traditionally famous. We like to see content from influencers because we feel like we know them and can trust them when they recommend us products.

Examples of Influencers in my Life

The pictures sprinkled throughout this post are examples of #ad or #sponsored content I see on my Instagram feed. The first photo about EcoTools was posted by Katy Bellotte. I love Katy because she's honest and real. She is that big sister you've always wanted. When I was in high school I heavily relied on her boy advice and confidence tips. She built her following throughout high school and college, and now she's living in NYC with a job at Loreal. Watching her grow up and seeing her reach her dreams has inspired me to continue to push myself. Her partnership with EcoTools was smart because she works in the makeup industry. Her followers see her as a trustworthy source for product recommendations. She has established herself as honest and genuine which furthers her audiences' trust of her sponsored content. If you want to learn more about Katy I would recommend her blog, Instagram or YouTube channel. Katy recently started a podcast called "Thick & Thin" and it's incredible, too.

To the right you will see Brooke Miccio's post about Olly Nutrition. I don't remember when I first started following Brooke but I know it was on YouTube. She is a senior at University of Georgia studying business and is a Kappa Delta. I probably began watching her videos before college because I binge-watched every single "recruitment advice" YouTube video before going through sorority recruitment. I relate to her because she also is the VP Public Relations of her KD chapter. She doesn't have as many followers as Katy or Danielle (who I'll talk about next). Brooke is relatable, she's so driven and she seems to always have her life together. Out of the three influencers I'm talking about today I think I am most like Brooke (based off my assumptions from them from social media). She works hard and is always busy. I trust Brooke's sponsored content because I know she only picks companies to work with that she really supports and believes in.


The final influencer I want to talk about is Danielle Carolan. I just recently began following her because she's also a Kappa Delta at UGA. She has more followers on YouTube and Instagram than Brooke which is still strange to me because I started watching Brooke first. Danielle and Brooke just started a podcast called "Gals on the Go" so that was how I first discovered Danielle. I'm fairly new to her content so as an audience member I'm still learning what Danielle's interests and passions are. I would be least likely to follow up on her sponsored content because I don't "know" her that well yet. So far, though, I have really enjoyed listening to her thoughts on her podcast. I think that naturally when you first start following someone you aren't going to just jump on and support every product they post about, you have to learn more about their style and interests.

Competitive Environment

Something I'm very interested in studying is how the market for influencers will change over time. This is the first time advertisers are really experimenting with influencers and not using traditional celebrities to market products. One complaint I'm seeing is that there's too much sponsored content. When this happens audience members stop liking or engaging in posts online. Obviously, companies are paying influencers to promote their products and they want to see that influencers are getting more likes not less. In the next few years I don't know how influencer marketing will transform but I think changes are likely to happen.

Katy Bellotte  is a YouTuber, blogger, podcast-er, and runs the social media for Loréal Paris. As a high schooler I followed her blog and YouTube channel and viewed her as the big sister I never had. She went to a small, liberal arts college, joined a sorority, was super involved and ended up landing her dream job in New York City post-grad. 

She recently joined many others in starting a podcast and I've been hooked. It can be walking to class or working out in the gym, I love hearing Katy's stories. One of her most recent podcast episodes was about "ghosting." If you are unaware of what ghosting is it is basically cutting off communication with someone without explaining why. Social media makes it easy to ghost someone, you could be carrying on a conversation via text and get left on read, you could be Snapchatting and get left on open. You see this most in the college hookup culture but it's increasing in popularity in the job field as well. Candidates for jobs are beginning to not show up and not tell the hiring manager ahead of time.

Katy talked about how she has been ghosted by plenty of guys but admittedly has ghosted guys, too. Now the reason this is relevant to me is a little different. I see ghosting increasing in popularity because people fear commitment. The "what if" on the other side terrifies us. By constantly letting the potential negative "what if" rule our lives we miss out on the chance to experience something so incredible. 

That's where my story comes in.

I'm a chronic overthinker. I want to analyze each and every situation thoroughly before making a final decision. This can be a weakness at times because I can change my mind (I do have to say that I'm working on being more decisive). 

As I think back to the past (almost) year of David and I dating I think about how it could have easily been over our one year by now if I would not have let my hesitant-self rule over what I knew I really wanted. I was so scared of being a bad girlfriend, that I wouldn't be able to balance friends and a relationship, that I almost missed the chance of being with someone who has enhanced my life 110%. I still think back to how awkward the car ride was when he asked me out because I was so nervous. I'm so thankful I said yes and found out that 1) I'm a pretty good girlfriend and 2) I can balance a relationship and friends. If I would've let the fear of what-ifs rule my life I wouldn't be here 11 months into the best relationship.

Leadership positions also do the same thing. When I considered applying for VP PR for my sorority the doubt and what-ifs began to creep in. What if I wasn't good enough? This is my major I should  be able to do it, but what if I can't? I applied, was slated and got elected. If my fear of not being good enough ruled over my desire to get involved I wouldn't be here a year later looking back at what I've helped accomplish through my position.

If you knew me from 8th grade until 11th grade you knew I was set on going to Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. My mom saw that Drury had a public relations program and basically forced me to take a tour. I really didn't want to go visit. I didn't want to go anywhere near Missouri State University and I definitely didn't want to be located in Springfield. The moment I walked on campus I knew I wanted to go to Drury. I tried convincing myself I didn't want to go. Was I really going to give up four years of being obsessed with Truman State to go to this super small school in Springfield? What if I hated it? I visited again and realized Drury truly was the place for me. It's wild to think how vastly different my life would be if my desire for consistency ruled over the opportunity for me to find my home away from home.

Take the jump, be bold. You only have one life to live so you may as well make the most of it. In every situation I'm so glad I took the jump, I think you will be, too.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

On Saturday I completed my second half marathon in Kansas City. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was incredible. I completed my first half marathon in April and my training was a little different than this time around. I still did a 12 week training program, but I found that I wasn't enjoying running 3 times a week like I was back in the spring. I made the decision around week 5 to only run 2 times a week while also focusing on strength training 3 times a week. During my first running session I would do a short or medium length run and my second run of the week would focus on increasing my mileage. This was so helpful in getting me to actually complete my long training sessions because I had the flexibility of choosing what day fit my long training session the best.

I completed my first half in 2 hours and 13 minutes but I knew I could get closer to the 2 hour mark which is honestly why I ran the KC race. While I wanted to run in under 2 hours, my times when training were around the 9:30-10:30/mile pace. With this in mind my goal was to finish in 2 hours and 5 minutes. I lined up with the 9:30/mile pace (2:05 finish time) and began running. Miles 1-10 had some hills and challenging points but I honestly felt so much better than I did when running my first half (probably because the weather was significantly better, my nutrition was also a lot better). Miles 10-13.1, though, felt like 6 miles. It was so hilly. The race had so many spectators which really boosted everyone's mood, but what wasn't great was them at mile 10 saying it was all downhill from there because it wasn't. Not even close. Miles 10-12 were excruciating, but finally at mile 12 the spectators were right and the last mile was downhill. I flew down that hill toward the finish line. When I crossed I was just a little bit behind the 2:05 pacers and I thought I didn't meet my goal (which would've been fine, I was just proud of myself for doing it), but when I got my ticket I saw that I finished in 2:03! I seriously beamed with pride.

The KC Half Marathon was just what I needed to celebrate what was a tough week of classes before fall break started. I love being a part of the running community, everyone was so encouraging the entire race.

With my race recap being done, though, what are my future plans?

I love running, I always have. I've been running on and off since elementary school in a variety of Turkey Trots, 5Ks, relay races, etc. I've decided that I'm going to take a bit of a break from running and work on getting my strength back to where it was this summer. I saw a lot of positive changes in my body composition and I would love to make even more progress.

I've ran for 24 weeks out of the year and I am so excited to switch up my training. I am going to give myself a few rest days to recover from my half, but then I'll be ready to hit the gym. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on how my training goes!

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Recently I've been trying to write more in a journal that I keep. Sometimes I let myself ramble and write down life updates, but other times I start drafts of blog post ideas. Here's one I began working on this morning:

I've been saying that I've been trying to focus on myself for a good portion of this year and I've definitely made some progress. When I began this journal at the end of April my skin was at its worst. Throughout the summer I really focused on lowering my stress, eating properly and working out. Part of me was honestly terrified to come back to school-- I didn't want my skin to revert back to the way it was. I had made a lot of progress with my body composition, too, I was scared I'd lose it all. I definitely have seen some of the redness return along with acne but it's not where near as bad as it was last semester (even when I wrote my "Skin Woes" blog post I didn't upload photos of my face because I was too embarrassed).

With all this being said and with me trying to adjust to this semester being different than previous ones, I'm declaring this next year the year of me. I have some more announcements to make soon once everything is set in stone, but I'm ready to live the next year truly embracing every moment of my college experience. I know that as I advance each semester that my classes will become harder, and while I still want to focus on my grades, I want to make the most out of my time in college. By focusing on myself I will no longer let the worry of what other people think or want me to do consume me. I will do what I really want to do.

Over the past three years I've really grown into the person that I one day hoped I would be, but I don't want to stop there. I don't think there is ever a time where we should stop learning or challenging ourselves. I went from a shy, quiet girl who had never been to a party to someone who isn't afraid to vocalize her feelings. I have come so far but I'm not going to stop now.

I'm looking forward to spending more of my time figuring out who I am and what I want to do. I really want to work on expanding my writing and pushing myself. I want my blog to reach more people and to engage in discussions with other college students like myself. The excitement I have toward this next year really cannot be put into words other than "I'm ready."

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Hello everyone, this week for my Campaigns 413 class I'm going to be analyzing Love Your Melon's brand personality, voice and tone. In class we discussed how we categorize a company influences our perception or idea of the brand. Here's my take on Love Your Melon.

Over winter break my family attended a New Orleans Pelicans game (we obviously got there very early, I promise those seats filled up). Brand Personality LYM definitely fits the brand personality of sincerity. Across all of their social media platforms they are cheerful, honest, wholesome and down to earth. Something really unique about LYM is that they let you in to the production of their products, too. If you look on their YouTube channel you can see how the hats are made and learn more about childhood cancer. Cancer is a tough to talk about but Love Your Melon does a great job at easing into the discussion by providing a talking point. It also is heart-warming to know that Love Your Melon is so invested in donating hats to children with cancer and raising funds (approximately $4.7 million according to their website). This authenticity reinforces the sincerity of their brand. Brand Voice A brand's voice is its distinct and clear style. This is seen through Love Your Melon's theme (specific filter) on their Instagram feed that translates through the rest of their social platform. I think that the brand voice really reflects the brand personality if the company aligns with their values. It is clear with LYM that they are passionate about the cause they support. The style of posts is bright and cheerful. The content LYM creates is all very well written and welcoming. They have created this warm and welcoming platform to shed light on a hard issue.  Brand Tone The brand tone is a subset of the voice, it focuses on the mood and attitude of specific content a company publishes. The mood of Love Your Melon's posts are all pretty positive and joyful. This fits within the brand voice of being clear and cheerful. LYM's content wants to show that cancer sucks, but the kids they feature on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are so strong. Instead of focusing on their cancer diagnosis they really highlight how incredible the kids are. This is important for creating an uplifting mood across social media platforms and their website. It is also seen within the business' interaction with customers. Overall, Love Your Melon has created a business that aligns with its values and has a strong social media presence. The content that they have created has generated a warm, welcoming and clear brand voice on something that is usually hard to talk about. The brand mood is very joyful and positive. Love Your Melon has continued to grow and I think they will continue to grow if they continue doing what they are doing.

Since moving back to school I've been pretty open about adjusting to change. At one point I became frustrated with myself because I realized that I had to accept my new normal and I was okay with that, I mentally just wasn't doing it.

Then I tried to stop putting pressure on myself to be happier and embraced every each day as it happened. This week I finally felt good again. Tuesday I hosted a PJs and Pancakes event for Kappa Delta's International Women's Friendship Month. Yesterday chapter members wrote letters with alumnae members to mail out to other women who have made a difference in our lives and that event was also successful. To round off the day we had a sisterhood at a pumpkin patch here in Springfield.

It may have taken a bit to get here but I'm really happy with life right now. I'm forever thankful for the people in my life who have motivated me and surrounded me with love, even when they didn't know I needed it.


Going into October there are so many exciting things: I'm going home for a wedding this upcoming weekend, Kappa Delta initiation, running my half marathon and celebrating 11 months with David, Halloween and a KD date party.

There will undoubtedly be challenges in between these good moments, but I will not let them consume me with negativity. I'm trying to make a long term impact on my attitude and mindset, especially as I go into mid terms and the holidays.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Hello everyone I'm backing with my biweekly blog post reflections for class. Over the past week we have been learning about quantitative content analysis. For the sake of this blog post though I'm going to be recreating the mini quantitative content analysis over a website. I will be analyzing the website's design and navigation, content and interactivity.

If you have been following my blog for a while you will already know that the reason I started blogging is because of a blogger and YouTuber named Zoe Sugg. Zoe, also known as Zoella, was so relatable and inspiration to me back then as a thirteen year old but also to me now. She's authentic, she's personable and she is not afraid to talk about the difficult stuff (like anxiety). As a teenager just trying to figure it all out it was reassuring that someone else "famous" understood how I felt. She now has over 11 million subscribers on YouTube, 10.5 million followers on her personal Instagram account and 1.5 million on her brand Instagram account. Today I will be analyzing her website/blog in the areas of design and navigation, content, and interactivity.

Zoella said in a tweet that her main demographic is 18-25. I would say that her demographic would be more focused on 15-25 because she does have a lot of very active, younger fans. These are girls who are interested in lifestyle and beauty tips. Her audience is looking for a "big sister" or someone to encourage them. With that in mind let's jump into the quantitative content analysis.

Design and Navigation 

Content 

Interactivity

I enjoy Bread Co., but I enjoy Bread Co. even more when it's free. Drury hosts "real world discussions" led by professionals within the Springfield community and they are always catered by Bread Co. I went to one my freshman year and loved it because I got a free lunch out of it (the discussion was good, too). For the leadership program I'm a part of we're supposed to attend 2 sessions but I started having classes when the department held them. This semester, though, I have a small lunch break and I was able to attend a session all about saying no. 

It was really interesting to have someone I don't know have us discuss why we say yes to things. I've had this discussion before with friends but it was interesting to have an "outsider" come in with a different perspective. A lot of students at the session talked about how Drury is a small school and how we feel obligated to help out especially if the person asking is someone we know. We also talked about the fear of missing out and regretting not getting involved enough. 

She then had us write down three reasons why it's hard for us (individually) to say no. My three reasons all come down to being a people pleaser (shocking). On my paper I wrote that I can't say no because I...
1) Feel guilty
2) Feel like I'll disappoint people
3) I'm afraid people will think I don't care enough

I feel like I talk about this a lot but I think I need this reminder often. In society today it's deemed good to be busy all the time. If you aren't busy you should be adding on something else. I found myself almost doing that this semester. I work at the gym from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. every weekday morning, I have class from 10-3 or 10-4 most days. I then almost added on a second job working from 4-6 and/or 6-8. While it would've been nice to have some extra cash I realized that by saying yes to that second job across town I would be saying no to opportunities to go to Kappa Delta sisterhoods or get coffee with my friends. I realized that having 13 hour days wasn't going to be beneficial to my academic performance and that I wouldn't be as connected with people as I wanted. 

Just because I have a few hours a day to myself now doesn't mean I need to fill it with things to do. Now that I have the time I can properly allocate it to studying but I can also make dinner plans with friends or go to an intramural game.

I've also learned that sometimes you just can't make people happy. You can try as hard as you want but sometimes that isn't good enough and you have to give yourself the opportunity to say "no". 

Saying no is a powerful tool, when you say no you open your world up to a lot more yeses that you want to be doing rather than committing to something you don't enjoy.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Hello everyone, you may have noticed my content between blog posts is a little different-- that's because I'm in COMM 413 Campaigns this semester and I'm using my blog to reflect on concepts we've talked about in class. If you want to read them you can search my blog using the #ducomm413. I'll still be trying to post new, original content as often as possible but if you get email notifications to my blog I wanted to explain my posts. 

When engaging in social listening organizations learn so much about their audience. Words are powerful-- what consumers say but also within the advertisements companies create. This couldn't be illustrated better than with Nike's "Dream Crazy" ad.

Colin Kaepernick continued his controversial career through his feature in Nike's advertisement. Originally, I thought his ad was a singular print ad but I later found out it was a part of a promotional video with many more athletes.
Kaepernick's "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything" blew up on social media leading people to burn and destroy their Nike apparel. Through social listening companies can observe consumers' feedback to further develop campaigns.  Nike knew to capitalize on the controversy already around Kaepernick and ultimately it worked. Even if you are mad or upset that he's featured their advertisement worked because people are talking about it.

Nike was prepared for the backlash before the company released this advertisement because of social monitoring. The company most likely studied top influencers and trends amongst their target audience. By studying patterns in interests or conversations Nike was better able to create an advertisement through data and analytics.

Through social listening Nike has been able to observe the comments and feedback about the ad (and there's been a lot). From the comments they get in return the company can continue to create advertisements that generate conversations. Nike is a secure enough company in that they are able to take these risks.

Nike used an influencer to make a statement and it ignited a conversation about what to do when a brand you support use someone who is seen as a "political figure." Do you continue to support the company or do you cut the Nike symbol out of your socks?

I've started and stopped writing this post over three times because each time I get to typing I'm at loss for words. I know what I want to say but everything becomes jumbled. Today in class I had the opportunity to talk it out with some friends and I finally said it in the way that makes sense (I think).

So enjoy me rambling about how I need to suck it up and deal with the present.

In high school I was obsessed with going to college, I so badly wanted that getaway and fresh start. Coming into college it was exactly what I needed.  I got connected, I found friends and I have continued to grow so much.

Junior year is tough because a lot of "my people" have graduated. I still have friends and social events to attend but it's extremely different from my past two years in school. It's week 3 of school and I feel like I should've adjusted to that change by now. What I found when I was talking this out with my friends is that I've always been so focused on the future. I'm so excited to graduate which is exactly how I was in high school. Once a major happens I get comfortable but then quickly move on to the next thing.

So this is my Bitmoji and honestly it's a real mood

My feeling that I haven't adjusted comes from the fact that I'm always so futuristic but recently I've had a mix of living in the past and the future. I've been reminiscing on how great my semester was last year socially but longing for the future where I can settle down.

All in all, life is weird. I love Drury, I love the program I'm in, I love KD. I'm just learning to embrace each day and make the best of it.
I guess I wrote this blog post to share that it's okay to be in the in-between stages of life-- life isn't always going to be incredible or the worst. This blog post is also a place to remind myself to suck it up and enjoy the present. No good occurs from trying to live in the past or fixating on the future.

As I go forward into the remainder of this semester I'm going to remind myself to be present in the moment and make the most of it.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

Going shopping always sounds like a good idea, you get to buy new clothes, window shop and most likely stop by the food court on your way out. As you go through the stores, though, you're a size 6 in jeans at one place, a 12 in another, a medium in another store and then an XL in the last store you go to. Instead of feeling confident you feel a confused and upset. It doesn't help that the models showing off your potential wardrobe don't accurately reflect what anyone looks like in their clothes.

Aerie decided to do something about that feeling a lot of women have when they go shopping- #AerieReal. Aerie hired realistic models for their lingerie and sleepwear. They also promised no retouching on photos. Through their ad campaign they have shown women that there are other women that are like them.
The key elements for executing a successful integrated marketing campaign include: transparency, authenticity, influence, mobilization, practical value, storytelling, emotion, and triggers. In Aerie's #AerieReal campaign the company uses elements of authenticity, mobilization, influence and emotion.

Authenticity

The key elements outlined in running a successful campaign were put into practice with Aerie's campaign. It stands out among other marketing campaigns because Aerie has truly integrated this idea of "being real, being you" into their brand image. They are authenticate and consistent with that authenticity across their social media platforms, in their print publications and in their stores.

Companies looking to reshape or refine their brand image should take notes from Aerie.

I, like most people, thrive on routine and during the summer I was in the routine of all routines. I got up at the same time every day, ate breakfast, left the house by 7:28, worked 8:00-4:30, drove to the gym, drove home, repeat for 10 weeks.

Coming back to school, though, any sort of routine disappears until classes start. I was doing fine the weekend I moved in but going into Monday I was super anxious and didn't know why. It got better by Wednesday but I was still struggling. I was working on some PR things for KD in the evening after Spirit Week and when I finished them up I went home to reflect on what was wrong.

It was the first time it really hit me that Allyson Penner and David wouldn't be back on campus "permanently." Obviously, I'll still see them and we will visit each other, but they won't just be a two minute walk away.

I think it was so hard because Allyson has been there for me at all times from the beginning of my freshman year. This past spring specifically there were so many times where we'd sit in David and Matthew's room talking about everything and anything while they played video games. I miss that a lot. Allyson is the most down to earth and passionate person I've ever met. She is ALWAYS willing to listen and she helped me so many times by just talking out my problems with me. She doesn't judge you and she is able to put aside her opinions to offer the best advice for you. So Allyson, if you're reading this I love you more than I could ever possibly express. I am so grateful for our friendship and you will always be a huge inspiration to me.

I knew long distance would be hard but honestly it wasn't hard over summer. Selfishly, it helped knowing that a lot of people were in their hometowns and away from their significant other. But coming back and seeing everyone together again mad me sad. David, however, is the best and reminded me that it wasn't like we were never going to see each other. He visited this past weekend and it seriously made everything better. Then I'll see him again for Labor Day weekend. He also plans on visiting again in September. We'll still see each other a good amount and that makes me happy.

What I've learned from this week is that my routine is going to be different this year. It's not just my class and work schedule, I won't spend every moment in Sigma Pi hanging out with David, Allyson and Matthew. But I've also learned that it's going to be okay. Just because life is a little different doesn't mean it's bad. I'm still going to miss them more than anything, but I also know that it's going to be okay.

Okay honestly this post was kind of a mess but I wanted to share how I was feeling because life isn't always perfect. As the semester begins I know I will get into a new routine which will ease some of my anxiety. I still love Drury and I still have so many people here, it's just adjusting to two of the biggest people in my life being away.

Thank you for listening to my ramble and I hope to be back with new content soon.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

At my high school it seemed like everyone who graduated ended up going Greek. They attended Mizzou, Missouri State or other large state schools and (honestly) I spent the summer of my junior and senior years watching the girls at Mizzou go through over a week-long recruitment process.

Bid Day 2016

Bid Day 2018

1. Believe in yourself. I was so nervous to apply and interview for the VP-PR position in my sorority but I convinced myself that it doesn't hurt to try. I am so glad I did because I love the role I have and I'm proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and doing it.

2. Sometimes you have to stop doing things you once loved. Life is too short to be unhappy, don't feel bad about clearing your plate and prioritizing the things that make you happy now versus things you enjoyed in the past.

3. The free weight section really isn’t that scary. I was so terrified of all the huge guys lifting that I limited myself to dumbbells and a yoga mat for a long time. I found that you just have to start and eventually the fear wears off because honestly no one really cares. You may think people are watching, but at least you're doing it. I've learned that you just have to not worry "if" people are watching you and just own your workout.

My previous skin post was a look at my skin at its worst and if I'm honest I had little hope that it would get better. I've had a roller coaster relationship with my skin since around seventh grade and an equally frustrating relationship with past dermatologists.
1) Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
It doesn't strip my skin but still leaves it feeling clean. I used a small amount in the morning when I wake up to wash my face and I use it at night in the shower after I work out.

2) CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
I thought it had a funky smell when I first started using it but now I don't even notice. I apply this on my face and neck every morning and night. I also use it on my arms and legs.

My dermatologist had also prescribed a strong hydrocortisone cream for the inflammation on my neck but she said that once it cleared up to not use it every day so now I only use it around once a week and then the rest of the time I use CeraVe.

3) Dove Bar Soap
I haven't ever used bar soap before but I love this one. Just like my face wash I don't feel like it strips my dry skin, but it still leaves it clean and fresh.

4) Significantly Less Stress
I seriously believe that chronic stress played a role in my inflammation this past semester. I'm nervous about going back to school, especially because the first 3 weeks are insanely busy. This summer I've worked really hard to practice meditation/mindfulness and journaling. While I've always journaled, I'm hoping to continue to give myself time to unwind and decompress while at school.

5) Better Diet
I was extremely broke the last two months of school and I had a good amount of my school meal plan left. What does that mean? I ate a lot of french fries and ice cream at the Commons (Drury's cafeteria). When I wasn't eating there I ended up eating a lot of pizza or going to Sonic. Obviously this isn't good for anyone, especially someone like me who is used to eating healthy.

I bring my lunch to work every day, 80-90% of what I eat every day is whole foods during the week. On the weekend I'm a bit more relaxed but I still try to eat whole foods a majority of the time.

David's mom got me a Crockpot and a recipe book this summer so I've been highlighting recipes that are easy to make on a tight budget. I'm hoping meal prepping will help me maintain the balanced diet I've had over summer.

6) Vitamins
Recently I've been getting a lot more headaches than I'm used to.  I drink ~100+ ounces of water a day so I know it isn't dehydration, so I blame the Missouri heat and humidity. I began taking magnesium supplements at night and a women's multivitamin in the morning. I haven't done this long enough to notice any long term effects but I'm hoping that over time I will.


I go back to the dermatologist in August and in the meantime I hope my skin maintains how it is or continues to improve. At this upcoming appointment she will look at the acne I do have and create a plan on how to treat it without irritating my skin. Overall I'm pretty satisfied but I'm excited to see my skin improve even more over time.

Until next time,
Taylor xx

There are a lot of factors that make college a challenge: picking a major, taking general education classes you don't care about at 9 a.m., getting involved on campus, maintaining a job, juggling physical and mental health, the list goes on. 

I'd like to think that I balance a social life and schoolwork pretty well. My success in managing the two comes from me keeping my priorities at the forefront of everything I do. I chose to go to college for two main reasons: to further my education and push myself outside of my comfort zone (aka be social).

When it comes to education, though, nothing frustrates me more than when I see people consistently disengaged and not trying. There are so many people who would love the opportunity to pursue higher education but not everyone gets that chance. I understand that you can't be "on" 100% of the time and that's okay, especially if you're trying, but to me you at least need to be attempting to put effort in.

Obviously balance is important, too. It's not healthy to dedicate 99% of  your life to your studies and 1% to your social life or vice versa. This past semester I had a lot of intensive projects and I'd say that at least 6 out of 7 days of the week I was doing homework. Was I working on homework all night? Not always. But I was opening up a notebook, editing a draft, or working on a spreadsheet almost every night. I was working hard but I still had a social life. I went to Kappa Delta formal and our date party, I still attended concerts, I still went out, but I also knew how to accomplish everything I needed to get done.

This is Mackenzie, she's one of my roommates next year and she's super cool. I'm grateful we do fun things like dress up and go to formals but also just get coffee and study

College provides you with so many unique opportunities that you shouldn't always say no to because you feel like you have to do homework. At the same time, though, you have to be willing to ask for help and push yourself when you're struggling. My accounting class was a challenge and I could have easily just blown it off because I didn't really need it and I'd never use it again. Instead I met with tutors and asked my friends who were accounting students for help.

Trust me, I get that life is busy. Most days I felt like I was averaging 12+ hours day, but at the end of those long days I'd reflect on how happy I was. I have some incredible people in my life because I chose Drury. I have learned a lot, challenged myself, and had some really memorable, fun nights with a lot of people I care about. I pride myself on my hard work and I've seen the results pay off. My biggest advice for college freshmen is to make those social connections, have fun, but also be willing to put in hard work.

Until next time,
Taylor xx