Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls Essay Example for Free

Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls Essay I encourage girls to search within themselves for their deepest values and beliefs. Once they have discovered their own true selves, I encourage them to trust that self as the source of meaning and direction in their lives† Mary Pipher, Ph. D. Clinical psychologist Mary Pipher has brought widespread attention to the loss of true-self, experienced by adolescent girls in her critically acclaimed book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. Whitaker, 2006). In her book, Pihper addresses the development issues of adolescent girls, the culture they live in and how their needs are and are not being met. She explains that our failure as a society, is not giving our children good, sound advice on how to become a decent, functioning adults and our unwillingness to do so, is destroying our culture (Pihper, 2002). She also offers insightful advice as to how, we as a society can encourage our adolescent girls to remain true to their authentic selves. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls More than anything, I want to save my children from the pain and self-imposed isolation I experienced during adolescence. As a parent, I want to shelter my children, make all of the hard decisions for them and protect them from any harm that comes their way. As a realist, I understand that the experiences of adolescences are necessary to build character, strength and integrity. As a dreamer, I want my children to magically transcend into adulthood, unscathed from the trauma of their teens years. As a future psychologist, I agree that our children are growing up in a poisonous culture and without intervention; we will all suffer (Pipher, 1994). When I looked up this book and noticed its publication date (1994), my first thought was, â€Å"How relevant can this book be, it’s almost 20 years old? † The issues adolescents faced in the early 1990’s are not the same issues that my children are dealing with in 2013. American cultural has changed significantly in the last 20 years. Society as a whole, has become more aware, more understanding and more proactive; we’re willing to acknowledge the faults of past ideology and we’re eager enact positive change. We’re involved; we’re conscientious and we’re dedicated the betterment of society. Yet with all of our good intentions, our adolescent girls are drowning in vast sea of negativity and losing their true authentic selves, to an over sexed, hypercritical, media crazed culture. The most important message it took from Mary Pipher’s book, Reviving Ophelia, is how damaging and belittling our culture is to the development of adolescent girls. We are living the â€Å"information age† and there is very little parents can do to shield or protect their children from the harmful influences of the media. The internet and social media has taken over society and negatively impacted our culture in numerous ways. Children are exposed to sexual, violent content so often and from such an early age that they’ve become indifferent to it. Even the movies, music and television programs that are specifically geared towards adolescents, often advocates under-age drinking, drug use, defiant behavior and overt sexuality. As a result, our children are growing-up too fast. My twelve year old daughter is dealing with issues that were once considered to be taboo even for adults, such as sexting and posting naked picture online. Parents and the media often contradict one another, which further confuses adolescents (Pipher, 2002). Parents are trying to establish healthy boundaries and instill moral values, such as kindness, respect, consideration and modesty. Their goal is to produce happy, well adjusted, morally sound adults. The media, on the other hand, purely wants to make money by pushing products and opinions (Pipher, 2002). All facets of the media push, sell, and glorify sexuality over newsworthy content. These types of media encourage self-doubt and insecurity in girls by teaching them to worry about their sexuality, popularity and attractiveness (Pipher, 2002). Pipher blames the inescapable influence of the media, in part, for the eradication of self-esteem and loss of true identity among young impressionable girls (Whitaker, 2006). Throughout time, the needs of our children have not substantially changed (Pipher, 2002). They still need love, understanding, protection, acceptance and guidance to grow and thrive. It’s our culture and expectations, or lacks thereof, that have changed; we no longer expect people to do the right thing. Our culture has become much more sexualized, violent and dangerous for adolescent girls; 44 percent of all rape victims are under the age of 18 (Rainn, 2009). Startling statistics like these make it difficult for parents to balance their adolescent’s need for safety against their need for autonomy. These changes have also made it much harder for young women to identify and ultimately get what they need (Pipher, 1994). Our culture encourages adolescent, girls and boys, to distance themselves from their parents (the people that care most and know them best) as a sign of independence (Pipher, 2002). When adolescents are in their most vulnerable/impressionable state, their parents are unable to help them navigate difficult life altering situations. For the lack of better option, adolescents turn to their peers and media (Facebook) for advice and guidance: which leads to confusion and loss of self (Pipher, 2002). Mary Pipher explained, the problems that girls (adolescents) are having is not because of dysfunctional families, as much as a dysfunctional culture. I found this perspective refreshing. For many years, family members, especially mothers, have been blamed for their daughter’s (adolescents) unhappiness and emotional issues (Pipher, 1994). Parents are not the only ones responsible. They cannot protect their children from everything and everyone. Our culture and society are responsible as well; we all have an obligation to the youth of our nation. As a society, we are failing to provide a safe, nurturing environment for our children to flourish. As a culture, we are failing an entire generation of young women by allowing the media to dictate the value of external and internal beauty. We are also allowing the media to teach our culture, that it’s acceptable to view children in an overly mature, sexualized manor (Pipher, 1994). Adolescence has always been a time of turbulence and strife but in today’s culture, girls and young women feel overly pressured to conform to society’s unrealistic expectations of beauty, sexuality and femininity. During childhood, girls are praised for their kindness, academics, sports ability and natural talents. During adolescence, their childhood accomplishments and personal strengths are minimized or devalued and their sense of â€Å"self† becomes dependent upon their perceived level of attractiveness (Pipher, 1994). Girls who do not feel attractive or â€Å"normal,† see their bodies as a personal failure and are left feeling worthless and/or excluded. Pipher explains that an adolescent’s lack of emotional maturity, makes it difficult for them to hold onto their true-selves and not fall prey to our over sexualized culture. Girls are encouraged to sacrifice their true-selves and they are expected to mold themselves into what society wants from its young women. In a sense, their identity is strip away so their sexuality and attractiveness can surface. Society has little concern for who these young women want to become or what they’re capable of accomplishing (Pihper, 1994). Our culture doesn’t typically embrace or reward individuality, unless it comes in a pretty, blatantly sexualized, package. Girls respond to cultural or societal pressures by being angry, developing depression, withdrawing and by conforming (Pihper, 2002). Pipher explains that insecure girls often â€Å"lead with their sexuality,† as if it’s their only redeemable quality and all they have to offer. As a parent, how can I help my children navigate a media obsessed culture that I do not truly understand? How do you limit the dangerous influence of the internet and Social media; it’s everywhere, all the time? This is not the culture or society that I grew up in, the rules have changed and the stakes are much higher. I feel like I’m running a never ending race against peer pressure and media influence; whoever wins the race gets to keep my child’s soul and dignity. The idea of losing my sweet, loving twelve year old daughter to title wave of uncontrollable, irrational hormones is terrifying. Like most parents, I fear adolescence. I clearly remember my own â€Å"war path† through my teen years. I needlessly pushed and distanced myself from my family. I was very â€Å"uncool† to get along with your parents. I fought viciously for independence, which really meant doing whatever I wanted. I lied, skipped school, snuck out at night, stole liquor and drank to the point of passing out. I felt misunderstood and disconnected from everything. I deeply craved companionship; so much so that I allowed myself to be used by unworthy, equally damaged people. The peer pressure was so intense and my need for acceptance ruled my life. It was a very confusing time and I tortured myself and my parents. I remember how lost I felt, how hopeless it all seemed, how angry I was and how much I hated my body. I was too short, too fat, teeth were crooked and my chest was too big. I breast developed quickly; in junior high, I was 34 C-cup and by high school, I was a 36 D-cup. I got a lot of inappropriate and unwanted attention, that I didn’t know what to do with. Men/Boys liked me too much and women seemed to be bothered or intimidated by me. Some of my girlfriends were jealous, while others were overly critical. The attention I received permanently changed how I saw myself and how I interacted with the people around me. I went from being a tiny, abrasive tomboy, who was always fighting to be seen as an adult, to being viewed in a completely sexualized manor. The media has taught women, of all ages, that their most revered, important qualities are sexuality and appearance (Pipher, 1994). Adolescent girls are constantly bombarded with distorted, over sexed images of what beauty should look like. You have to be tall, ridiculously thin, wear expensive clothes, have perfectly straight teeth, flawless skin and above all else, exude sex (Pipher, 2002). When young women compare themselves to the images they see on television, in movies and on advertisements, they’re often left feeling inadequate and confused about their own bodies. The media’s idea of what constitutes attractiveness or what beauty looks like is often unattainable, unhealthy and unnatural. The average fashion model is 5’10/5’11 and weighs 110 pound (Pipher, 1994). According to the Center for Disease Control (2007-2010) the average American girl, at age 11 is 4’11† and weighs 104. 8 pounds; an average American girl, at age 15 is 5’4† and weighs 139. 6 pounds; the average American women over the age of 20, is 5’4† and weighs 166. 2 pounds. These statistics are mind-blowing and sad. How can we expect adolescent girls to have a healthy understanding of beauty and body image, when the average 11 year old girl (at the beginning of adolescence) is just 6 pounds shy of the average fashion model? How, as a society, do we expect our young women to develop positive attitudes about weight, height and appearance when we continually glorify an unrealistic and often unattainable standard of what beautiful is? When the media portrays â€Å"beauty† in such an unnatural way (being supper skinny) adolescent girls will do unhealthy, extreme things to be thin; which often leads to eating disorders (Pipher, 1994). Bulimia Nervosa is the most common eating disorder among young adolescent women, ages 14-24 years old (Duke University, 2010). People with bulimia will binge eat or consume large amounts of food in a short amount of time; an average of 3,000 – 5,000 calories within an hour (Smith amp; Segal, 2012). After binging, the bulimic feels compelled to purge or rid the body of the recently consumed food by vomiting, excessively exercising, or abusing laxatives and diuretics. Approximately 1 out of every 50 American women will suffer from bulimia at some point in her life (Duke University, 2010). Bulimia Nervosa can become all-consuming and take over the adolescent’s entire thought process. Every decision, in one way or another, is about food. In the beginning, bulimia makes them feel powerful, in control and invincible. For the first time in their life they can eat whatever they want, it doesn’t count, the calories don’t matter because they can get rid of them. No harm, no fowl! Slowly, over time, they come to realize that they are not in control, they’re eating disorder is. The uncontrollable compulsion to binge and purge interferes with relationships, daily routine and their life in general. In an attempt to hide their eating disorder, adolescents may isolate themselves from friend and family, which only exacerbate their illness. Pipher offers some great advice on how, we as a society, can encourage and effect positive change in the lives young women. She list 6 essential things that all adolescent girls need. First) Physical and Psychological Safety: Girls need the ability to thinks clearly and the permission to feel what they feel, without fear of punishment or ridicule. Second) Love and Friendship: Girls need the love of their parents. They need to develop lasting relationships that are based on mutual respect, love and understanding. Third) Useful Work and Skills: Girls need feel useful and purposeful by develop skills that promote personal accomplishments and success. Fourth) Opportunity to Grow: Girls need time, compassion and guidance as they develop into total functioning human beings. Five) Self-Defense Training: Girls need to feel empowered; they need to know that they can take care of themselves, that they are not passive victims.

The Everglades :: Personal Narrative Writing

The Everglades â€Å"We have to be careful. We have a slough slog virgin in the back.† When one of my professors said this, I said to myself, â€Å"Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?!† In the previous class, I had to miss the second of half due to family vacation plans, making me miss the slog in Pa-Hay-Okee. I was a little upset I had to miss it just because I did not want to be different from anyone else in the class, but I must admit I was a bit glad because I hate water. So when we were having lunch and find out that we would do a â€Å"minor slog† at the Clyde Butcher studio I had a conniption. Where is this photography studio that a slog is actually possible? Surprisingly enough, it was one of the best times I have had in class all semester. I could not help but remember Ranger Maureen’s interpretation speech. How when you undergo events differently, sure, it may seem odd, but it allows you to experience it in a way you normally would not, which hence enables you to construe things in a unique way. Going to class every other week, people often ask me where I am going, and I normally just answer, â€Å"going to the Everglades.† We drive, meet, discuss, interact a bit, and go home. Granted, we have done some interesting things, but never did I imagine that I would literally be in the Everglades. We were sticking to the ground beneath us, in the wilderness, nothing surrounding us but nature; I felt so outdoorsy. But what of puzzled me a little still was â€Å"normal† people who would actually do this every day of their lives. When we got to the Clyde Butcher studio, and met the receptionist, I was surprised to see her. Someone who looked as pretty and trendy as her, you would not expect to see out in the middle of no where, let alone actually living there! You would expect to see biologists, ecologists, and other such scientists, but not some dainty young lady. A few of us actually made a joke about her, correlating to the Matthiessen book, saying that she was trying to run away from her past and just hiding out. I mean that place does The Everglades :: Personal Narrative Writing The Everglades â€Å"We have to be careful. We have a slough slog virgin in the back.† When one of my professors said this, I said to myself, â€Å"Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?!† In the previous class, I had to miss the second of half due to family vacation plans, making me miss the slog in Pa-Hay-Okee. I was a little upset I had to miss it just because I did not want to be different from anyone else in the class, but I must admit I was a bit glad because I hate water. So when we were having lunch and find out that we would do a â€Å"minor slog† at the Clyde Butcher studio I had a conniption. Where is this photography studio that a slog is actually possible? Surprisingly enough, it was one of the best times I have had in class all semester. I could not help but remember Ranger Maureen’s interpretation speech. How when you undergo events differently, sure, it may seem odd, but it allows you to experience it in a way you normally would not, which hence enables you to construe things in a unique way. Going to class every other week, people often ask me where I am going, and I normally just answer, â€Å"going to the Everglades.† We drive, meet, discuss, interact a bit, and go home. Granted, we have done some interesting things, but never did I imagine that I would literally be in the Everglades. We were sticking to the ground beneath us, in the wilderness, nothing surrounding us but nature; I felt so outdoorsy. But what of puzzled me a little still was â€Å"normal† people who would actually do this every day of their lives. When we got to the Clyde Butcher studio, and met the receptionist, I was surprised to see her. Someone who looked as pretty and trendy as her, you would not expect to see out in the middle of no where, let alone actually living there! You would expect to see biologists, ecologists, and other such scientists, but not some dainty young lady. A few of us actually made a joke about her, correlating to the Matthiessen book, saying that she was trying to run away from her past and just hiding out. I mean that place does

Identification of Metallic Ions

Ocean County College Department of Chemistry Identification of Metallic Ions Purpose: The purpose of this lab exercise was to perform and observe the flame tests of some alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. When electrons in metallic ions are grounded, their configuration is stable. In other words, the loosely bound electrons in the valence shell of the atom are satisfied at their â€Å"low† energy state. They do not require to be balanced by emitting any type of radiation or receiving any additional electrons.However, these stable, grounded electrons in the metallic ions become excited to higher energy levels due to the presence of heat, thus losing their stability. They absorb heat energy, but counteract by releasing the absorbed energy to become grounded once again. This released energy comes in the form of electromagnetic energy. Some of the released heat energy is in the visible light region. The metallic ions being heated disperse unique colors which are characteristic ranging from a lower energy (red) to a high energy (violet) and some colors in between.We can learn much about the element we’re working with by simply observing the color flame that is produced. Flame tests are a common confirmation test to identify specific elements. Procedure: I began the lab by preparing a safe work area and the required metallic ions. The ions used in this lab were as follows: Barium Nitrate, Calcium Nitrate, Cupric Nitrate, Lithium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrate, Strontium Nitrate, and an unknown solution. I placed 0. 5 mL of sodium nitrate into a well on the 24-well plate, recording its location.I placed 0. 5 mL of the other 7 solutions in 7 other wells on the plate, recording their locations as well. I soaked the tip of a cotton swab into the solution of sodium nitrate and passed the soaked end through the flame several times until I noticed a color change. I recorded all observations in the Data Table chart below. I repeated these steps f or the other 7 solutions. Data Table: Observations Column1| Column2| Metallic Ion| Flame Color| Sodium Nitrate| Orange/yellow| Strontium Nitrate| Deep Crimson Red|Potassium Nitrate| Violet| Barium Nitrate| Green/Yellow| Lithium Nitrate| Deep Crimson Red| Calcium Nitrate| Orange| Cupric Nitrate| Blue/Green| Unknown (Lithium)| Deep Crimson Red| Conclusion: The flame test was a success and satisfied my learning objective. Since every metal gives the flame a different color, I was able to identify most of the given elements with a slight room for error. The unknown solution gave off a deep crimson red glow which could have been either strontium nitrate or lithium nitrate.I went with the latter after doing the test several times, comparing the glows. Dimming the light in the room helped tremendously to get a better idea of the true color of each flame. Although this method isn’t perfect to identify more unknown ions due to the slight variations of colors, it does the job. The low energy metallic ions include were Strontium and Lithium. The moderate energy ions were Sodium, Barium, and Calcium. The higher energy ions were Copper and Potassium.

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Inglorious Fruits And...

Americans tend to have standards for the food we eat. For example, it must be clean, the right size, and not bruised just to name a few. Yet, we all waste food daily as if it were meaningless to us. However, if we saw someone kill an animal and just leave it without making the most of it, it’s considered a cruel and possibly even a criminal act. So I am asking you what is the difference, if there is one? France launched an advertising campaign that was created by Intermarchà ©, entitled â€Å"The Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables†. I chose this particular video because it utilizes many, if not all of the rhetorical tools. In this rhetorical analysis we will take an in-depth look at the rhetorical appeals, the triangle, and the canons that this advertising campaign forgoes. Intermarchà © is the third largest supermarket chain in France. They support their argument with statistics to begin with. Later, they conduct an experiment that they filmed with the unwanted fruits and vegetables. A grocery store gave the â€Å"Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables† their own aisle and marked the prices 30% off. In order to prove to consumers that these fruits and vegetables are no different than the â€Å"perfect† ones, they created soups and drinks out of them for taste testing. There was an average of 1.2 tons sold during the first two days of just imperfect fruits and vegetables. These results show that previously, consumers were judging based on outside appearances, when they could have been enjoying the

My Experience At Lambertville Academy - 1537 Words

I did my summer fieldwork at Lambertville Academy in Lambertville, NJ, where I observed a Pre-K class. All of the students in this class will be moving on to Kindergarten in September. I’m grateful for the things I learned and the time I spent in this placement. My time at Lambertville Academy allowed me to better understand the theories taught in the early childhood education class I took, as well as myself and my goals as a future educator. This fieldwork gave me the chance to actualize the role of child development in early childhood education, a central topic to the class I took. I saw this when observing the varying levels of development of the children, cognitively and socially. One particular memory that sticks with me was when I†¦show more content†¦She was also well spoken and could follow directions well. It was interesting to see such a stark contrast in the development of the children in this class. There were students like Brooke in this class, and there were also students like the girls who played the memory game with her, students who could not control their bodies or their actions, and students whose speech was nearly incomprehensible. The importance of the hidden curriculum of school and learning social etiquette stuck out to me in this placement. Though there was a range of development in the class, and some students proved to understand proper social etiquette more than others, many children were not aware of social etiquette and were not fully able to control their bodies and emotions. I noted that many times the children would try to run around or move however they like and talk out of turn without realizing that that is not socially acceptable and that there are consequences for doing so. The teacher would often say, â€Å"no thank you, ______† to the student that was displaying behavior that was unacceptable. I liked that she would praise students publicly for good behavior, saying things like â€Å"I like the way that Maggie is sitting up, looking at me, and keeping her hands to herself.† Something else that stuck out to me when examining the social environment of the class was the emergence o f a clique that my cooperating teacher pointed out to me one day during outdoor play time. She

The United States And Latin America - 1362 Words

When looking at the history between the United States and Latin America, you see many interactions between them, all that aided the relationship that they have today. Despite that the United States and Latin America are in the same part of the world, the beliefs in which they govern may differ. This difference has often been seen playing a major role in the disputes that have occurred in past. The United States and Latin America have faced many social, economical and governing barriers in forming a strong and positive relationship in the early twentieth century, this is due to the differences that the two had between cultures and the constant demand for power. However, the two countries have found ways to meet in the middle of their cultural differences, to form an equally fair relationship. At the start of the 19th century, just a few years prior to the end of the Spanish-American War, Latin America was left with a poor economy and in debt. The United States believed that they could help Latin America, while helping themselves out at the same time. The â€Å"Dollar Diplomacy† was introduced in 1904 by the United Sates and went into place in 1909. It was used mostly during presidency William Howard Taft’s from 1910 to 1913 The â€Å"Dollar Diplomacy† had the United States pay the debts that Latin America had to other countries from previous loans. In return the United States had an opportunity to sell American goods in the Latin America market, which would unknowingly expand AmericanShow MoreRelatedThe United States and Latin America Essay2618 Words   |  11 Pagesattitudes towards Latin America can be summed up as an extension of larger global directives, and the exclusion of foreign powers in the region. This was highlighted especially during the Cold War as US involvement was essentially in competition with the USSR. 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In order to realize current objectives, this paper will proceed as follows: Part 1 will define the Monroe Doctrine, Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 will concurrentlyRead More Training Ground For Murderers Essay1749 Words   |  7 PagesTraining Ground For Murderers Continued U.S. support for the School of the Americas, an institution that has trained dictators and political assassins, is completely unjustifiable. At seven o’ clock in the morning on December 11, 1981 an evil force entered the small El Salvadorian village of El Mezote (School of Assasins). With painted faces and army fatigues, the guerillas carried machine guns and automatic rifles into the peaceful village. As survivor Rufina Amaya recounts, â€Å"At ten o’clockRead More US-Latin America Essay1400 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the United States was the most dominant power in the Western Hemisphere. European nations conceded to the United States their right of any intervention in the Western Hemisphere and allowed the United States to do whatever they wanted. The United States took this newly bestowed power and abused it. The United States intervened in many Latin American countries and imposed their policies on to these countries against their will. A perfect example

Integrated Marketing Communication Strategy- My Assignment Help

Question: An integrated marketing communication plan needs to be developed for a company which i have selected. They have provided a brief of the company overview and the product in which is focuses on. The report format has been created but content not completed. Some notes have been made which can be used in the assignment. Answer: Introduction This report is about Blackmore Limited which manufactures and markets the diet and vitamin supplements. Blackmore Limited is mainly based in Australia but currently provides its services in various countries in all over the world. Currently, the market of Blackmore Limited is decreasing continuously, thus, this report is basically for developing an integrated marketing communication plan for the Blackmore Limited. Does The Intricacy of The Topic Intimidate You? Tame Your Fear with Unmatched Assignment Help Services from Professional Writers. This report discusses about the current situation of Blackmore Limited in the market. The current situation of the market helps in developing the objectives for integrated marketing communication. On the basis of objectives for ICM, a master plan is developed. This plan will help in fulfilling the objectives of the ICM for the Blackmore Limited (Forbes, 2014). The evaluation of the campaign is also necessary as this defines the efficiency and success rate of ICM plan in the market. The budget of the total campaign is around $340,000. Situational Analysis Summary Blackmore is a company that manufactures Vitamin supplements as well as the Dietary supplements. This company works in various countries all over the world. The company basically works only in the Vitamin supplements. It also manufactures and provides the Dietary supplements. The products of the organization are adopted by most of the people in Australia. But there is a high competition in the Australian market for Dietary supplements. There are various companies which provides these supplements in the market (CFA Institute, 2012). The main Dietary supplement provider companies in the market are Swisse, Blackmore, Cenovis, Natures Way, Berocca etc. These companies are most popular companies for the Vitamin supplements in Australian market. The following diagram shows the competitive situation in the market. Figure : Market Analysis of Dietary and Vitamin supplements in Australia (Retail World, 2012). According to the report published by the Retail World, in 2011, Blackmore Limited covered 20% and was on the first position in the market, but in 2012, it went down by 3% and was covering 17% of the overall market in Australia and fell down to the second position in the market. The next competitors in the market are Cenovis and Natures Way which covered 14.6% of the market (Retail World, 2011). According to the Readers Digest magazine of 2014, Blackmore is the most trusted brand in Diet and vitamin supplements. Figure: Revenue By Geographic segments (CFA Institute, 2012) The above figure shows a pie chart of the geographic segments of Blackmore in the year 2012. In year 2012, 76.9% of the market of Blackmore was covered in Australia, 9.4% of the market was covered in Thailand, 5.8% of the market was covered by Malaysia, and 5.1% of the market was covered by Asia and 1.9% by New Zealand. Thus, the above report provides the market segmentation of Blackmore Limited. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis of Blackmore is as follows . Strengths Weaknesses 1. Blackmore has strong brand name in Australian Market. 2. Blackmore is the most trusted brand of Diet and Vitamin Supplement according to the Readers digest. 3. The Prices of Blackmore supplements are not too high. 4. Blackmore is one of the oldest brand of diet and vitamin supplements in Australia working from last 80 years. 5. The supply chain of Blackmore is highly efficient (CAAD, 2014). 6. Customers can directly deal with the warehouses of the Blackmore. 7. Currently, it is the number 1 brand in Malaysia and Thailand for vitamin supplements. 1. The operational strategy of Blackmore is not defined clearly. Blackmore uses the common operational strategies. 2. The distribution channel of Blackmore is very limited. Only three retail stores sell 57% of the Blackmore products. Opportunities Threats 1. Blackmore has opened online retail store which may result in increase in sales for the Blackmore. 2. Blackmore has expended in Asia also. It has launched its products in the Mainland China. 3. Blackmore also launched the products related to the pet care. 1. There is a very high competition in the Australian market for Diet and Vitamin supplements. 2. Competitors have increased their marketing market activity in the market. 3. The chemists may ask for the lower prices for adopting the discount strategy (CAAD, 2014). Thus, the current situation of the market is described, which shows the current situation of Blackmore in the Australian market. This also describes the SWOT analysis of Blackmore in Australian market. Communications Objectives According to the current situation of the company, it can be clearly said that the market position of the company is really well in the market but it decreases from the previous years. Blackmore mainly covers its most of the market in Australia. So, the company needs to develop some strategy to its market in Australia. From the SWOT analysis it can be clearly said that Blackmore is a well-known brand in the Australian market but if the marketing strategy is not clearly prepared than it may cause various problems for the company as it is clear from the SWOT analysis that the operational strategy of Blackmore is too common and not well structured. It should also be noted that the competition in the Australian market is increasing every year for diet and vitamin supplements and competitors in the market are actively participating in making their marketing strategy perfect (Retail world, 2012). Thus, Blackmore should also concentrate on their marketing strategy and should set their commu nication objectives by considering all the above points. SMARTT Communication objectives According to the current situation analysis of Blackmore communication, the SMARTT communication strategy should be as follows: At the end of year 22% of the Australian market should be covered by Blackmore with its Diet and Vitamin supplement products. This target audience should consider Blackmore products for some benefits. According to the above objective, it can be said that it uses the learn- dofeel effect hierarchy (Retail world, 2011). In this hierarchy model, the consumers develop their belief in the brand. This is done by searching information about the product and brand. This also develops the attitude of the customers towards the purchase of the products. 15% of the people from the market should prefer Blackmore products as Diet and vitamin supplements. This uses the Liking- Prefer hierarchy effects as these, in this type of hierarchy, people already like the products but they prefer it by experiencing the product. Success of this hierarchy depends on the effectiveness of the product otherwise the results may be seen opposite (Retail world, 2011). The other objective of Blackmore should be attracting new users which never used the Blackmore products. This objective is also related to the learn-do-feel hierarchy. As the consumers dont have any interest in this product, thus, the advertising should be done by repetitive messages and various offers should be provided to the users so that the users get attracted towards the product. The final objective of Blackmore should include outstanding starting of the new pet caring product (Retail world, 2012). This objective also uses the strategy learn-feel-do hierarchy as this product will also be new in the market. Thus, for getting attention of the people, the repetitive message marketing should be performed and various types of offers should also be provided to the consumers. Thus, the above communication objective should be set by the Blackmore Limited for the next year to retain its position in this competitive market. Creative Strategy Creative strategy actually is the strategy related to determination of what information should be provided in the advertising message. The tagline of this campaign will be the Stay healthy, Stay strong as this tagline suits the products of Blackmore Limited. Overall campaign will be based on the above tagline as this tagline is according to our objective which will attract new customers as well as help in retaining the old customers (Forbes, 2014). The campaign is created to increase the awareness of the Diet and vitamin supplements products for the Blackmore Limited. This campaign will result in the improved brand image of Blackmore. This will also result in the increase in the market covered by Blackmore. This campaign will basically target the people of age more than 20 years old as these people use the diet and vitamin supplements mostly. According to our assumption, 10% of the people in the overall market prefer the products of the Blackmore. According to those people, Blackmore products are highly effective and efficient. 7% of the people think that these supplements can be used when other better options are not available in the market. 2% of the people in market have the negative experience about Blackmore products and remaining people have never used the Blackmore products available in the market (Sullivan, 2012). We would like customers to think that the Blackmore supplements as the best Diet and vitamin supplements available in the market. People should prefer the Blackmore products more than any other products. The main idea behind this campaign will be to connect more people with the Blackmore products through various online and offline events. The customers should believe in the products of Blackmore as Blackmore is one of the oldest diet and vitamin supplement provider of Australia. The organization has provided its best services in the market with highly satisfied consumers (Retail world, 2012). The products of the organization are highly trusted by the consumers. The advertisement of the campaign will include the overall information about the organization, details of the products related to the organization, effectiveness of the products, speciality of the products. A special attractive column for the new pet care products will also be provided in the messages to create awareness about those products in the market. The main marketing tools that will be used in the campaign will be the Advertising, public relations and direct marketing. Advertising will help in creating the awareness of the product among the people. This will create a raw image of product among the people. Public relations will be used to popularise the brand in the market as well getting the feedback about the product so that the product can be improved every time to increase the trust of people in Blackmore products. Direct marketing will be done for two purposes (Sullivan, 2012). This will help in getting the people response towards the products of Blackmore and secondly, it will help in increasing the trust of people. Media Strategy Online Media The main promotional tool that should be used in campaign will be the online marketing. Currently, online marketing is the most effective and affordable way of marketing. Online social media covers half part of the world. The main online tools that will be used for the campaign will be the social media marketing. The main channels of the social media marketing will be Facebook, YouTube and Twitter (CFA Institute, 2012). The following table provides an image of the market covered by the different social media Social media Platform Market Covered (%) Facebook 55% Google+ 25% YouTube 22% Twitter 22% Table: Market covered by different social media platforms (Forbes, 2014). All the above social media provides both paid and unpaid marketing facilities. 2% increment in the market will be performed by paid services and 0.5% of the market increment will be performed by the unpaid marketing. Email marketing also comes under the online media. 1% of the market increment will be targeted through the email marketing. These ways can be used for both side communications. Broadcasting on Channels and hoardings These are the most expensive methods of marketing but are also very effective way of marketing (Sullivan, 2012). These marketing methods include the broadcasting of advertisements on the various television channels which are more popular in the market and are mostly seen by the people. This is also a great way to reach most of the people in a country. Hoardings also attract the people on road. The best way of performing hoarding marketing is to put the hoarding on most busy circle. People stuck in the traffic used to see these hoarding very carefully for time pass (Retail world, 2011). Thus, these ways of media communication will also be used. Nearly 2% of the increase in market will be performed by these ways of marketing. These ways can be used by only one side communication. Printed media The printed media that will be used are the most read newspapers, magazines, templates etc. These can also be used to cover large amount of people and can also be used for the one sided communication. Nearly 0.35% of the market will be increased using these tools of marketing. Events Various small events in which the customer executive will directly communicate with the people will be used as these media. These events will be basically organized in the shopping malls, fairs and any other crowded place (Retail world, 2012). This will help in knowing the customers perspective directly and the attitude of the customers towards the product can be identified more effectively and efficiently. This will cover fewer people but is a most effective way of both side communications. 0.15% market will be increased by this way. Samples- two mock ups The following are the two mock up samples for the Alive brand of Blackmore (Retail world, 2012). Figure : Stockist Incentives for Alive Campaign (Sullivan, 2012) Figure: POS activity for Alive (Sullivan, 2012) The above figures are the two sample mock ups for the integrated marketing communication. These mock ups are clearly describing the objectives of the marketing campaign. Campaign Evaluation The campaign will be evaluated both before the campaign, while the campaign and after the campaign. The first step of evaluation includes the concept testing. The effectiveness rough idea that is going to be the brand or campaign concept will be measured (Sullivan, 2012). This will help in assuring that the concept is appropriate for the campaign. There are three steps in concept testing. Testing concept and Creative strategies Copy testing to predict effects, and Testing for persuasion measurement. First step of concept testing is performed by intercept surveys and focusing on groups. The second step of concept testing is performed by attention, Emotional responses, brand awareness and physiological responses. The third step of testing is performed by Theatre test, Test marketing and tracking various studies related to integrated marketing communication (Retail world, 2012). Theatre testing is one of the effective ways of evaluating the concept. In this testing, various people will be invited to the location and the campaign sample will be shown to the people to evaluate their responses. In test marketing, a research test will be organized. In this test, the IMC campaign will be run in 2 to 4 markets and the response of the people will be examined. All the above evaluation will be performed before the campaign (CAAD, 2014). The tests which will be performed during the campaign is concurrent testing. Concurrent testing is a test that will track the performance of campaign and messages used in the campaign. For concurrent testing, various surveys will be performed for getting the performance of the organised campaign. These surveys will help in getting the users experience in the campaign (Sullivan, 2012). Various interviews will also be performed for testing the response of the campaign. The testing which will be performed after the campaign will be the evaluative testing. In evaluative testing, the end result of the campaign will be examined. Whether the end result will be fulfilling the objectives of the campaign or not. The success of IMC program is evaluated using this test. This testing will help in improving the next campaign (CAAD, 2014). Thus, the above evaluation is necessary for any campaign to be successful. These evaluations help in enhancing the performance of any campaign. Evaluations before and during the campaign will help in present campaign while the evaluation after the campaign will help in making the strategy for next campaign (Forbes, 2014). Budget The budget for the above described campaign is as follows: Budget for online Media Social media marketing Facebook Campaigning $5,000 Google+ Campaigning $2,500 YouTube Campaigning $2,000 Twitter Campaigning $2,000 Total Social media campaigning $11,500 Email Marketing $1,000 Google Ad words $750 SEO marketing $2,000 Other online marketing Campaigning $2,000 Total budget required for online marketing $17,250 Budget for TV channels broadcasting and Hoardings V. channel broadcasting $100,000 Hoarding $75,000 Total budget required $175,000 Budget Required for Printed media Newspaper $10,000 Magazines $10,000 Templates $500 Total budget required for printed media $20,500 Budget Required for events Total Budget for events $100,000 Other Budgets $20,000 Total budget required for full campaign $332750 Thus, the budget required for the full campaign is around $332750. Conclusion The above report is the result of various studies and research. According to the above report, it can be concluded that Blackmore Limited deals with the products related to diet and vitamin supplements which can be taken as medicines for fulfilling the essential components like Vitamins. By seeing the performance of the company for year 2011 and 2012, it can be said that Blackmore popularity is decreasing (Forbes, 2014). Thus, it is very necessary to build an integrated marketing communication campaign for Blackmore Limited which will help Blackmore in gaining the market again. The IMC campaign for Blackmore will be done by performing the proper planning of campaign. The planning of IMC campaign will include the various sources like online media, T.V. channel broadcasting and hoardings, printed media and various other types of events which will create the awareness about the Blackmore products among the people (CFA Institute, 2012). Thus, this campaign will aim to create the awareness of Blackmore products among the people so that Blackmore can gain its defined objectives. References Sullivan, A. (2012). Blackmore Alive! Trade Presenter [online]. Retail World (2011). Annual Report 2011, retail world Vol. 64 23(4) pp. 81-82 Retail World (2012). Annual Report 2012, retail world Vol. 65 23(4) pp. 81-82 CAAD (2014). Integrate Marketing evaluation [online]. Forbes (2014). Watch out Facebook with Google + #2 and YouTube at #3 [online]. CFA Institute (2012). Blackmore Limited [online]