I have always had a knack for talking to people. It may seem simple, but the most challenging part is grabbing their attention, maintaining it, and ensuring that they are truly listening to you. Growing up in South Florida, I’ve always been told that I speak very proper English “for a black girl”. At first, it was weird, and it made me uncomfortable. But then I claimed the title, and I saw it as my identifying feature, something that I knew could take me far, which it has. I spent my childhood trying to find something meaningful to do with my voice. Unfortunately, I would sometimes silence myself to bring comfort to others. One thing I have come to realize is that powerful voices are meant to make people uncomfortable. I could use their discomfort to empower them not only to listen, but also to take action.
As a Public Relations staffer on the Marquee Yearbook, I found a way to use my voice. The Marquee Yearbook is a student-led, collaborative effort. My specific role was crucial in ensuring that my peers' efforts to distribute the yearbook successfully reached every student at school when it came time to purchase the book.
My goals for the year were to build ad sales, encourage recruitment, and serve as a liaison to the student body regarding information. I focused on building engagement with the Marquee and increasing sales and participation overall among the student body and staff. As a first-year staffer, I brought a new perspective to marketing due to the experience I gained over the summer from attending Camp Orlando. I was awarded 1st place for Best Marketer due to the initiatives I proposed for the school year. I gained valuable experience and knowledge in advertising, which I was able to apply effortlessly to the yearbook. I planned to create a marketable brand for the book, making an easily recognizable product that would capture people's interest. I knew that a yearbook has a natural appeal as a keepsake of memories. This idea easily sways the freshman and senior classes. However, the sophomores and juniors are in this odd middle ground and need something that will pique their interest in buying the book. At the start of the year, I redesigned the Marquee Instagram logo to make it more distinct. Our primary method of advertisement is through social media, so I knew that to establish the Marquee brand, I needed vibrant colors and a design that would be easily recognizable. We also wanted to be more proactive in producing information-based content that is still interactive and creative. We spent whole class periods brainstorming and recreating trends that would be more engaging and relatable to the student body. Another thing we did this year was to make more purposeful face-to-face contact with the students, as we realized from previous years that there was a disconnect between them and the Marque. This caused students to refrain from interacting with our social media or engaging with any of our other content. Our solution involved hosting lunch events and school-wide contests. These ended up being very popular, and students would get excited to participate. An example of one of these events was our first lunch. We had a game show where the winner would receive a discount on their purchase of a yearbook or advertisement. We also offered entry into the game if you purchased a yearbook and/or ad at that time. This allowed us to gain insight into who bought a yearbook or ad, and also boosted sales because people wanted a discount and the prize. We experienced a significant increase in purchases following this lunch event, which also boosted morale surrounding the yearbook. The positive attitude created around yearbook sales means it will be much easier to promote sales for next year and prevent a rush before the deadlines.