The era of Selfie Marketing is here to stay

We are diving head first into the era of selfies. The selfie phenomenon has taken the younger generations by storm, but older populations are taking part of the movement, too. The rise of Instagram has created the perfect platform for selfie placement. 

Who can Participate?

Anyone with a camera-phone. 

-Younger Generations: 

Pre-teens and teenagers love their selfies. They are the biggest drivers of this movement. These kids either love to show off their braces, or crave peer engagement but have nothing better to take a picture of.

-Baddie Winkle: 

Baddie Winkle has defied age boundaries. She has been dubbed "World's Coolest Grandma," and her fame has stemmed purely from hilarious selfie content. Her selfies have paved the way to 355k Instagram followers and appearances on ABC News and Australia's Today Show.

-Celebrities: 

As crazy as Miley Cyrus might be, she knows how to reach her fan base. At concerts, she takes a break from her performance to pose and snap a selfie with fans in the crowd. Later, she posts them on her Instagram and Twitter accounts. This is an easy, yet highly effective way for her to connect. 

-Rising Techno Stars? 

I am unsure if "The Chainsmokers" group actually qualifies as techno stars. As annoying and catchy as their single, "#Selfie," has proven to be, it was played on all the mainstream radio stations and made its way into the 16th position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

What's the draw? 

The truth: Selfies are rarely quality pictures. They are not artistic or significant. They clog Instagram timelines, and will often lead to an "unfollow" if an individual posts too many. 

HOWEVER. There are several striking features to the art of a selfie. 

1- Convenience. 

No need to pester and recruit a stranger off the street to become your personal photographer. 

2- Bonding Aspect. 

I once fit 11 people into one selfie. In that context, selfie-taking became an "event" as a crew squeezed together to fit into the shot.

3- Individual Expression

There has been a spur of creativity in the selfie realm. The "donut selife" is a recent trend. 

Business Value? 

High potential. Individualism and consumer customization is the buzz in the marketing world. Dove's "True Beauty" and Coca Cola's "Share a Coke" campaigns have shown major success because of the emphasis on the individual consumer. The selfie, the ultimate form of individual expression, should be integrated into the content mix of a company's social media strategy. 

The NFL has a Soft Spot, too

Over the past year, there has been an appalling amount of negative limelight surrounding the NFL. The Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal dominated the news in September after TMZ publicly released a video of him slugging his then-fiance. That same month, the Viking's star running back, Adrian Peterson, was reprimanded for beating his four-year-old son with a tree branch until he was bloodied and bruised. These stories are shocking to hear, but unfortunately, are not uncommon within the NFL community. Player arrests, failed drug tests, and lawsuits make headlines frequently.

Adrian Peterson mugshot & son's scars

A new story has developed over the current pro-season, gathering explosive awareness and support since August. This story stands out. It does not have any association with violence, law-breaking, or abuse. This story means more than a 60-minute football game, and more than a win or a loss. This story is about a father, his four-year-old daughter, and a national effort to fight for her life. 

Leah Still was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, in June. In late September, she underwent almost six hours of her fifth surgery to remove the tumor. Fortunately for Leah, her father is the defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals...and he brought the entire NFL to her side. 

The Bengals franchise and fans have shown overwhelming care for Devon and Leah since her diagnosis. The team gave him permission to take as many paid absences as he needed, then went above and beyond to support their player by spreading national awareness. The franchise posted his story on the team's official website and spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

It wasn't long before Leah's campaign went viral. The Bengal's marketing department created the hashtag #LeahStrong, which has been trending on Facebook and Twitter over last two months. After her surgery went well, the campaign continued with the hash-tag #StillStrong to further create awareness and funding for cancer research.

Major news sources took hold of the story. ESPN, The Today Show, Fox News, and The Ellen Show were just a few mainstream outlets that had something to say. 

In response to the awareness generated, millions of dollars of donations have poured in from across the country for pediatric cancer care centers and research initiatives. Support has come from an array of unlikely sources. The New England Patriot's Cheerleaders all wore Still's jersey during their game against the Bengals on October 19th. Ellen DeGeneres donated $10,000 for cancer research. The Indianapolis Colts franchise matched her $10,000 contribution. Devon's jersey sales have exceeded $1.2 million, and the revenue will be donated back to support Leah's cause.



With all the scandals saturating NFL news, this story gives the league a refreshing new light. It allows the league to become more than just the touchdowns, million dollar contracts, and Sunday night entertainment. This story places family, community, support, and love at the forefront of the entire NFL.   

5 Things the Road to Success is NOT

My experience as a University of Georgia cross country and mile runner has shaped my character in more ways than I can count. Like the majority of athletes, I have always been driven to reach success. However, my definition of success has dramatically transformed over my past three years at UGA. Through victory, defeat, heartbreak, and breakthroughs, my road to success has been an evolving journey, and it will continue to be that way. 

For an outsider looking in on my track career, it might appear that my path has always been full of blue skies and podium appearances. They might be surprised to hear the real story behind the medals, and I have been even more surprised to discover that the road to the medals has not been exactly what I envisioned it would be.   

5 Things the Road to Success is NOT:

1. A STRAIGHT SHOT DOWN THE HIGHWAY

There are those perfect times when the journey is like a road-trip with your friends: windows down, perfect weather, great music, clear roads. 

Anyone who has driven through Atlanta at rush-hour knows that this is not always the case. You will get stuck in traffic. You will get bored with the drive, and wonder if the destination is really worth all the trouble? You will get lost. You will get back on the right track, then wind up lost again. You will hit an occasional pothole that slows you down, or get involved in a serious accident that changes your destination completely. 

I have fallen in races. I broke my foot the week of the SEC championships. I have been slowed down by anemia, mono, strep, food poisoning, the swine flu, the regular flu, strep again. You name it. I have been disqualified. I missed qualifying for a national championship by less than half a second. Twice. The truth? As rough as all of these experiences were at the time, I am thankful for those struggles and potholes. They make the victories and clear roads sweeter. 

2. CONSISTENT 

Coming out of high school with list of accolades, including a state championship title, I assumed that my triumphs would carry over into immediate collegiate success. I was wrong. I ran slower times in my freshman year of college than I ran during my freshman year of high school. By the time the SEC cross country championships rolled around, I felt so weak that I could not physically finish the race. I was confused and humiliated with my performance. I later learned that I had become severely anemic, and learned a bigger lesson that the road to success has its peaks and dips. I was clearly in a dip, but I had a choice. I decided to let go of my embarrassment, overloaded on my intake of iron, and get back into training with a new fire (and raised hemoglobin levels). At the SEC championships one year later, I had the best race to that point of my career and captured a 4th place podium finish. 

No matter how consistent I am with my diet and supplements, I can still get sick. No matter how consistently I see the trainers, I can still get injured. In the unpredictable world of track & field, the only thing I have complete control over is my attitude and behavior. Although the road to success is not consistent, attitude and work ethic SHOULD be.

3. EASY

You've heard the phrase, "If it were easy, everyone would do it." Cliche? Yes. Overused? Yes. True? Yes. I've been knocked down more times than I can count. I've accumulated a leg full of spike scars. I've woken up before the sun comes out every day to get my miles in before class. The road to success can be lonely. If you are the very best, you might look around and notice that few others have hiked to the same "above and beyond" level. It's all fun and games until you reach that point in the race where you can't tell which burns worse - your lungs or your legs - and it takes all of your strength not to collapse before the finish line. In my case, going that extra mile is not just a metaphorical phrase, and it makes all the difference.

4. GLAMOROUS 

My freshman year at Georgia, I was nothing more than a mediocre college runner. My goals were mediocre, my work ethic was mediocre, and as a result, my performance was mediocre. I looked at the girls grabbing the top spots at NCAA meets like they were a foreign breed of humanity. In my head, they did not put in the hard work; they were simply born fast. In my head, I did not think racing was painful for them. I did not think they had to give anything up to reach that level. They lived in a perfect world of speed, glamour, and awards. 

One year and 14 seconds shaved off my mile PR later, I found out that I was completely wrong about those girls. I had worked my way to the "All-American" status that I had previously gawked at, but realized it required all of my mental and physical strength, plus some. Unfortunately, races never became any less painful. In fact, they hurt like hell. I traveled to compete almost every weekend, so my "glamourous" Friday nights were replaced with carb-ing up on pasta dinners and watching HGTV in a hotel room before calling it a night at 9:00pm. When I was actually in town, numerous tears were shed walking around UGA's hilly campus after grueling workouts. 

The awards are glamorous. Getting there is not. 

(Completely worth it though).

5. ENDING

The road to success will never end. You might reach your goal. You might exceed your goal. What does that mean? Time to go find yourself a new goal. 

I have learned that the road to success is not always what it appears to be from the outside, but the journey itself makes it worthwhile.