Some suggestions for the St. Clair College page would be:

• Insert a video (without the sound) of campus life where the photo of the stadium is.

The video will provide an overview of the facilities and it will show its people working, living, and walking through the different areas in the college.

The video is important because visitors want to know how the life looks at St. Clair College. They want to have a sense of college life here. The video will help connect with the emotions of the visitors and allow them to visualize themselves in St. Clair College. It would be a good idea to add some text with the most important benefits and value that the college provides to its students.

Above the video, the navigation menu must be kept facilitating access to the website pages. The Start Here button can be moved to this navigation bar.

I think it would be more effective to show people in this section. The stadium and sports facilities can be part of the video, but it will not be the main image because students are coming here for different reasons. Sports is not the main reason for all the students, it is better to show how the college offer to each student.

• News and events can be next with vibrant pictures.

It can be divided into two columns. News to the right and Events to the left listed down the three main links for each section and then a button to More info.

This will be helpful for students, future students, and visitors who wants to know what is going on at St. Clair College. It is accessible and shows what the college is doing, it provides authority and the contribution to the academic world and the community.

• Programs, admissions and student services.

Finally, I would add next a section with three big pictures. This will be before the social media embed and the logo button links to career central and college videos.

The first one to access the programs, the second one to access admissions, and the third one for student services. I think this will make them more visible and the access would be easier to these pages. If visitor arrived to the site and scrolled down, they do not need to go back to the nav bar to access the main pages.

Total : 25 Marks

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a. Why did you choose the specific image(s)? (3 Marks)

My business is a yoga studio that offers classes for adults. The studio is new to Windsor and therefore I want to generate awareness of my business, the service, and the brand. I chose the image because I want to communicate to the audience that we exist (name and logo), we practice yoga (name – yoga studio), and the benefits of attend our classes (image and text).

The woman in the image is meditating. She looks calm, relaxed, and enjoying the moment. The background looks like colorful clouds and smoke moving around. It simulates like the energy that is flowing in the space and inside the woman. Around her there are the benefits that she is getting from her yoga practice. The bluish green color creates an atmosphere of serenity, peace, healing, and spirituality. The golden peach color is the inner light that grows within us and guides our practice.

The main message in the visual is that yoga make you feel good. The audience can feel as good as the lady in the visual if they practice yoga with us. I want my brand associated with this feeling of calmness and connect with the audience’s emotions.

b. Explain in detail why the image(s) was beneficial for the post. (3 Marks)

I think that the benefits of practice yoga can resonate with the audience who want to feel better, with less stress, be healthy, and improve their mental health. The visual transmit the message fast to the audience. It is short, clear, direct, and easy to remember. The post shares the benefits of practice yoga. The visual communicate the most important information to the audience fast. They can easily find the key points and connect with the image an emotional level due to the colors and the central image. The information is organized and accessible. It complements the article that explains in detail the benefits of practicing yoga. The information will be associated with the image to process faster, understand the content, stick in the long-term memory of visitors, and resonate with their emotions.

The visual will communicate about the brand and the atmosphere in Pure Emerald Yoga Studio.

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1. Visuals are stored in long-term memory

People are more likely to remember information associated with visuals. The images help to explain the concepts and increase the retention of information. This means that visuals improve comprehension and recall of data.

It is easier for the audience to remember ads or content with visuals.

Yeti’s ad shows the cooler floating on the water, demonstrating the quality of the product and how the food will be kept in good condition. The color is vibrant, the image is striking, and shows how the cooler performs in extreme conditions. The idea is to impact the audience so that they remember the brand when they need a cooler, but it also serves to associate the Yeti brand with good quality products, reliable, that serve their purpose in an exceptional way. That idea will be recorded in the memory of users in the long term.

https://www.taginks.com/work/yetimisadventures

Bose’s bright ad also includes an image evoking the user experience of its noise-cancelling headphones. It is a powerful visual that explains the concept with images. The text used in the ad is very small. The concept is clear and easy to store in our memory. The image is memorable. The association between the use of the product and the activity of the audience is in the message. The woman looks very happy doing physical activity while wearing the headphones. That idea is the one that will remain in the long-term memory of users.

https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/bose-wireless-headphones

2. Visuals transmit the message faster

The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than words. In the digital world, people are scanning and filtering messages and content very quickly all the time. Marketers have a few seconds to grab their attention and get the message across. That is why visuals help to get the information that they want to transmit to the target audience in less time. The people can sense the scene they are visualizing in 1/10 of a second. This is really fast. It is what we do every time in everywhere, we asses quickly what is going on around us. We scan the room or the space to find cues that communicate danger, happiness, tension, calm and so on.

The visual can tell the audience the story in seconds. It is the same when people find a billboard when they are on the road. The billboard must be able to share the message as soon as possible. The car will not be back to see the message. It has to resonate with the audience right away and provide the key points that the billboard wants to communicate.

Wayfair for example uses visuals to access its departments. The images communicate to the audience where to access their products categories. It is easier and convenient to access. This will provide a better experience to customers.

https://www.wayfair.ca/

In this digital ad Domino’s Pizza let the audience know about its deal and how the food look. The audience in a couple of seconds know that the company has a deal that includes more than pizza and more than one product. The text is minimum in the ad. As customers we are aware about the promotion now. The food looks tasty and ready to eat. The message is transmitted and decoding fast by the audience.

https://www.eviabeler.com/project/dominos

3. Visuals improve comprehension of the message

The images provide key information about the message, making it easier to understand what the content we are seeing is about. It helps us make sense of what we see and better understand the content in the visual.

For example, in this Quaker ad is the woman eating Quaker oatmeal for breakfast to have enough energy to do all her daily activities. There is not text explaining all these details, but the images tell the story. Make it easy to communicate the message without words.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/86778353/QUAKER-OATS-PITCH-WORK

The Athleta ad also provide a lot of information without words. The product is for all women, no matter their size, color, style, personality and so on. All the women in the image have a power pose. They have a strong presence in the ad, and the brand wants to associate with this feeling, concept, women power, self confidence, inclusion, and diversity.

https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/athletas-new-body-positive-campaign-aims-build-its-skyrocketing-growth/2319721

There are also visuals that make it easier to understand the information such as graphics, infographics, mind maps, diagrams, and organizers among others.

https://cocacolaunited.com/blog/2015/12/09/relationship-local-bottler-coca-cola-company/tcc-infographic-portfolio-4/https://www.aircanada.com/content/dam/aircanada/portal/documents/PDF/en/infographic-cargo-en.pdf

RBC uses calculators to promote products. Here there is an example of the Tax Free Save Account Calculator. The company shares the results with a graphic to make it easy for users to understand the data.

https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/investments/tfsa/tfsa-calculator.html

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I reorganized the information and rephrased the sentence to make the message more clear, concise, and direct. The first thing I changed was headlines because let the audience know what information can they found. Next, I worked on the introduction. In the previous version the location was in the third paragraph. I thing this is relevant for the audience because they need to know if the yoga studio is close to them. If not, they are not my target audience. What the business offers it is in the first paragraph like in the previous version because is part of the most relevant information.

In the second paragraph, I wrote new content thinking in the audience and what they want to know about the classes. There are not more details because in the website there is another to pages explaining the programs and the schedule. In this section, I also decided to mention about the benefits of practicing yoga because this is one of the top searches in Google about the topic. It add also more context to the message to make easier for Google to understand about what is the this site.

The sentence about the community I decided to move it to the third paragraph and grouped with the products. This is what we sell. The audience can be part of a community of yoga lovers, they can buy a membership or classes packages, they would be able to attend special events, and have access to incentives like promos and discounts. I had the intention to move this paragraph next to the first one, but I do not like when people start selling me something without to know more about the customer experience and the benefits. I think that in the second paragraph I am offering a solution to the audience problems. This is more important for my clients than my memberships, discounts, and the community, for that reason the information was organized in the way that is in this assignment.

In the closing, I kept the last line and added a line that was in the second paragraph in the previous version. It works better the closing in this way because it reminds the audience about the benefits and it is complemented with the promise to help. This our attitude of service towards the target audience.

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The intention of this introductory content is to inform the audience of Pure Emerald Yoga Studio:

• who we are.
• what we do.
• what is the benefit for customers.
• what we offer.

It provides to the audience a first brief overview of my business and starts to build brand awareness. This content uses plain English writing. It short and direct, uses common words, active voice, and a conversational tone. The audience has to be able to:

1.Find what they need.

The introduction provides the basic information that describes the business, in two minutes the audience will be able to know who we are.

The headlines show the topic and let the audience know that they are welcome, this is the tone to start the conversation.

• Pure Emerald Yoga Studio
• Who We Are
• Welcome to our community!

In the first paragraph there is the most important:

Who: Pure Emerald is a yoga studio

Where: In Windsor, Ontario.

What: The business offers yoga classes and meditation sessions for beginner,  

             intermediate, and advanced students.

In the second paragraph the message provides information about:

• what to expect.
• why the audience should come, what is the benefit.

In the third paragraph there is a call to action and extra relevant details, because the audience now know who we are and what we do. It is the time to provide the list of our products, what we have for them.

• We are a community.
• We have memberships and classes packages, special events, and meditation sessions.
• We also offer promos and discounts.

The call to action is: Visit Us.

In the last paragraph there is a last call to action: Try our product, have the benefits.

There is also a promise: We will help you.

These is all the information that the audience needs to know about us to start our relationship. It is like to say “Hi, my name is …”

2.Understand it

The message is clear, concise, and correct for the audience. There is not extra words, every sentence has a purpose. The words are familiar for the audience, the information is organized, there are bullets and short paragraphs. It is easy to read.

3.Use it to fulfill their purpose

The audience can use the information to be aware of our brand, compare with other yoga studios, to know what to expect if they decide to come, to visit us, to connect with us, to feel the vibe, to ask questions about our products, to find a possible solution to their problems, to explore more about Pure Emerald.

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Pure Emerald Yoga Studio

Who We Are

Welcome to our community!

Pure Emerald is a yoga studio located in Windsor, Ontario. We offer classes and meditation sessions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students.

Our programs involve yoga postures, breathing techniques, and meditation. Each class is designed to improve flexibility, strengthen muscles, calm the body, and reduce stress. Yoga and meditation provide physical and mental health benefits for those who practice them. 

Visit our studio, we would love to share with you more details about:

Find the balance, relax, and restore your body, mind, and spirit practicing yoga with us. We are here to help. 

Enjoy the experience!

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a. How would you explain to someone what “Plain English writing” is? (3 Marks)

Plain English Writing means to use plain English language when we create content. This is writing a message in a clear, concise, and organized way. This helps readers easily find what they are looking for, understand the information, and use it to meet their needs.

The message is easy to read, short, relevant, positive, and save time.

Plain English Writing

• Know the audience
• Use common words
• Use active voice
• Use clear formats

The use of clear formats facilitates the organization, visualization, and understanding of the content.

b. What makes plain English writing different? (4 Marks)

Plain English writing creates content for an audience that knows and understands. It focuses on writing messages that are easy to read and understand. The way of writing is direct, uses a conversational tone, incorporates words that the audience uses every day, and eliminates all information that is not necessary.

Messages using plain English writing have a clear purpose. They strategically place and present information for the audience. The most important goes first. The use of headlines, infographics, bullets, and visual resources makes the information accessible, organized, clear, and concise.

The writer understands the readers, their needs, motives, and behaviours to consume the content. It makes things easier for them and gets better results from the message than those who do not use plain English writing. This is a effective and efficient way to create content.

c. What is plain language writing for the web and in detail and in your own words, why is it important? (4 Marks)

Plain language in the digital world means create clear, concise, and appropriate content for the intended audience. It makes it easier for the reader or viewer to find what they need, understand it, and use it for their own purposes.

The message is appropriate for the digital platform where it will be displayed. The content created considers how the audience interact with digital media and the information.

The content uses resources that make it easy to view, understand, and consume the message. The information is organized so that the user has a better experience when consuming the content and meets their expectations. The message is relevant, connects with the audience, uses a conversational tone, is clear, digestible, uses active verbs, and only includes the information that is needed.

The content must provide value to the users, it is useless if the audience can not understand the information and use it to meet their needs. This is why plain English writing is a must in the digital world. The only way to connect with the audience is by tailoring the message to its needs and considering its behavior on each digital platform. We should know the audience and make easier for them to consume our content.

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Headline:

7 tips to succeed in the digital classes of 2^nd year in the Advertising and Marketing program at St. Clair College: Top students share their secrets

I think first year students wants to succeed in the digital classes, they want to know how to do it. They hear about the courses, the professor, and the students and have expectations about the digital classes. It is also a plus for their careers, if they are successful then they will be prepared to do the job.

The 7 number was chosen because it attracts the attention of the audience. Numbers in headlines increase the reading rate, but the number 7 has showed the best results.

The Advertising and Marketing program at St. Clair College provide context, this is important to get the attention of first year students. This is happening in their program.

The top students that share their secrets create authority of the information in the article. They are sharing their “know how”, the best practices, and the things that made a difference for their performance.

This headline is direct, provides context, offer benefit, and gives a promise. These tips will guarantee the first years students’ success in the digital classes.

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Headline

“Start Your Advertising and Marketing Journey with St. Clair College: The Best Choice for Recent High School Graduates”

I went to ChatGPT and created a prompt to generate 3 headlines for an article targeting high school graduating students. The goal it was to promote the Advertising and Marketing program at St. Clair College. I tested different prompts, and in the last one it was indicated that the program had to be promoted like the best option for the target audience. Finally, I obtained 3 headlines for this assignment.

The headline that I chose for question #6 promise that the program at St. Clair College is the best option for recent high school graduates and provide a call to action: “Start your journey in the best choice for you”. The idea is to get the audience attention. In the headline it is claimed that the program is the best option, the article has to convince them that this is true. If I tell the audience that this is the best option for them they would like to know why I say that. They will be looking for evidence about what I am saying in the headline. The subhead line can provide more detail and reinforce.

It is direct and focus in one thing “start your career here”. I think the headline talks to the audience, they want to know what the best option for them and their future is. It is clear and direct. In my opinion, the word “journey” reflects the process of building a career and for me talks about adventure as well. This what I am going through as student. Every project, assignment, trip, or event is part of this adventure. This is my journey in the Advertising and Marketing industry.

The headline says the most important, what the audience needs to know. This decision will impact their present and future in multiple ways. The message has to be strong and clear.

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• Reduce your risk of dementia: A 10 year-research has the answer

This is a “how to” headline. It is short, direct and gives a promise of reduce the risk of dementia. Try to get the audience’s attention by offering information on what to do to prevent future problems with the memory. It tells that the solution has been proved.

• What can you do to prevent memory loss? This 10-year research has the secret

This headline offers proven information on what to do to avoid losing memory. It promises to reveal the secret. It is short, direct, with a promise, and authority. The headline has a solution for a future problem than can be in the mind of the audience.

• A study shows how to prevent memory loss by changing your lifestyle

The headline explains that making changes to the lifestyle people can prevent future problems with their memory. It is a promise and offers a benefit with a direct and short message. It looks to talk to the audience who knows about the possibility of experiencing a decline in memory in the future.

The three headlines are trying to get the audience attention focusing in one thing at the time. They have a call to action like “reduce your risk”, “prevent memory loss”, and “change your lifestyle”. All the headlines are digestible, provide a promise, and talk to the audience who needs to take care of their memory now to avoid future problems.

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