Case Studies
How does the bandwagon effect bias affect work processes in small teams and how can you overcome it?
Bias is a common barrier in communication that stems from our personal experiences and who we are as people including our values, background, and ambitions. One common bias type is the bandwagon effect. The bandwagon effect is when team members refrain from sharing new ideas or pointing out flaws in processes to avoid straying from the crowd or “rebelling.” For many, it is easier to conform to others' opinions, or the majority vote, rather than share their own recommendations, ideas, or judgment. The reason this can be so detrimental to group processes is that it allows projects to become bland and stagnant, rather than innovative and growing in a positive direction.
One recent internship I participated in was consulting on the online presence, marketing plan, and branding for a startup company in the Philippines. I was working in a small team of 5 members total. Our goal was to actively improve on each of these aspects and compile recommendations for the company to execute to further improve. In order to come up with effective strategies to implement, we had to perform extensive online research, use trial and error, and strategize as a group to compile our ideas into constructive proposals. Early on, I noticed our team was not progressing due to most members simply agreeing to ideas and reaching a consensus without group discussion.
One specific example was when our team created a website analysis and recommendations report. This was our first deliverable to complete. In addition to recommendations pulled from primary and secondary research, we also needed to contribute our own ideas and perspectives on what the company should alter in regard to its online presence. There were many instances when group discussion did not take place and it caused our work process to slow down significantly.
With a deadline to reach, I began asking friends and mentors for advice on how I could overcome this challenge. I was then able to assist our team in overcoming the bandwagon bias by taking on a leadership role. In this role, I encouraged open discussion, asked thought-provoking questions, called members by name to ask their thoughts, sought out diverse perspectives, and ultimately avoided premature consensus in the group. By doing this early in the project, I noticed a drastic positive shift in team morale and work efficiency as everybody's contribution began to hold a higher value.
By creating a positive and open atmosphere on my team at the start of the project, we were able to present a cohesive marketing plan (linked), grow social media engagement by over 250%, and collaborate with the company's sales force to further increase revenue.
How can you identify a need in the community and work to solve it?
According to the World Population Review, Laie, Hawaii, home to Brigham Young University–Hawaii, has a population of just under 5,000 people. Laie is a beautiful community, but one challenge for many who live there is that it is a 45-minute-1-hour drive to reach a city that provides donation centers and environmentally-conscious shopping options. Even with the drive, there is still a lack of low-cost and affordable choices due to inflation and the high cost of living in Hawaii, which is about 88% higher than the national average. With the town being largely domestic and international college students, it is difficult for them to afford and easily access donation services and sustainable wear in their price range.
My student colleague and I started an entrepreneurial project to repurpose clothes for students and families in the Laie community in order to eliminate the concern of driving to a donation center and not having the money to invest in new clothes. We began by posting on community pages to increase awareness of our new brand: North Shore Sift N’ Thrift (NSST).
The purpose of NSST is to encourage people to recycle their unwanted clothing items in the local community to provide easy access for others to buy at a low cost. After collecting donations, we would sort all of the clothes into storage containers and do a quality check on each item to make sure it did not have holes, stains, or was too worn. Following donation collections, we hosted several sales at accessible locations for students and community members to attend. We promoted our sales through social media, printed flyers, and word of mouth. Working locally, we were able to keep our prices low, and all of our products ranged from $1-$20 for high-quality tops, pants, dresses, swimwear, shoes, accessories, outwear, and more for men, women, and children in a range of sizes.
Within the first two weeks of starting the project, we reached over $1000 in revenue and developed an effective process of acquisition, warehousing, and distribution of goods to countless members of the community. On our social media accounts, we were able to establish a platform of followers where we raise awareness of our brand, sell inventory, and organize events such as clothing sales or donation pick-ups. For community members, we were able to save them time, energy, money, gas, and storage space. We saw a lack in the community and provided an opportunity for people to have a convenient way to donate their clothes and buy something else that they love without spending a fortune.
How can you increase brand awareness for a department on campus?
Women's Services and Resources at BYU–Hawaii is a department that acts as a referral network for students, staff, and faculty. WSR is centered around a mission and several values that promote positive interactions and opportunities on campus. WSR was established in the Fall 2022 semester and since then has been working to build up the department. Their two main goals right now are to spread awareness of its purpose and familiarize their target audience with its location. WSR has a lot to offer to the students at BYU–Hawaii, but needed a strategy implemented to reach their target audience of single women effectively.
As a B-digital intern, I was able to construct an IMC plan to help accomplish this mission. My IMC plan includes detailed concepts such as posters, banners, implementing SEO and keywords, promoting helpful web content, including internal and external links, planning and carrying out enticing events, printing event flyers, raising awareness for the social media page, creating social media posts, sharing interactive Instagram stories, staying active on with a variety of content creation, and giving out WSR merchandise.
To further expand, one idea I proposed was to pass out free merchandise to students on campus. This strategy is especially effective on a small campus, such as BYU–Hawaii, because word travels fast, and students are likely to share their experience about getting a free t-shirt with their friends on campus. By wearing the t-shirts to school, the gym, campus jobs, the beach, etc. students become "walking billboards" for the purpose, location, and brand of WSR, ultimately raising awareness and connecting more students with the department. In my IMC plan, I created t-shirt design ideas and descriptions, evidence of how this would be effective, and a plan of action to implement the popularity of WSR merchandise on campus.
By implementing my IMC plan, WSR will be able to achieve its two major goals which are raising awareness for what the service provides and where the service office is located. This will be measured quantifiably by an increase in followers on social media, an increase in appointments set, and a larger percentage of students that know what WSR is and recognize their branding. When all is said and done, by increased awareness, WSR will be able to better serve the unique needs of women on campus and expand their reach to provide specifically catered solutions for each student that comes to them seeking help, advice, or support.
Building a Brand: Growing a Social Media Account from Zero
Sizzle Reel
At the beginning of this semester, I set out to tackle a new challenge: growing a brand-new Instagram account entirely from scratch. With zero followers, no content history, and no existing audience, the main challenge was visibility. I needed to find a way to make my content stand out, especially in a niche as saturated as food and beverage content. My goal was to organically grow a following, post relatable and high quality content that people actually engage with, and connect with a community that shared my enthusiasm for drinks. I planned to accomplish these goals by taking my followers with me as I tried trending recipes, explored local spots, or created unique beverages.
I decided on the username @ellies.bevs (linked), to create a brand for myself. My bio explains the purpose of an Instagram account dedicated to drink reviews, recommendations, and creative recipes. To build momentum and connect with my target audience (drink lovers and local community members), I implemented a multi-layered strategy. The first part of my strategy was to take advantage of trending reels and audios as they are prioritized by Instagram’s algorithm. I also utilized local hashtags and niche drink hashtags to reach my target audience. The next part of my strategy was to make relatable or share-worthy content. This included humorous videos for followers to send to friends as well as unique recipes and drink spotlights people may want to try on their own. Lastly, I worked to get involved with the community in order to get people talking about my page. I worked with local companies and would highlight their place in positive light, which most of the time allowed me to be featured on their story or their feed. Being able to be featured on pages with large followings, some with over 20k followers, I was able to receive a significant amount of views. I also tapped into this strategy by inviting my friends to be featured in my videos and reviews, which in turn would help me get reposted on their pages with thousands of followers.
In just around two months, @ellies.bevs has accumulated about 43,000 views and grown steadily in engagement. One of the most exciting outcomes of this project was being offered a marketing consultant position by Soda Bomb, a favorite local beverage business. They discovered my account after fans of the page shared my content with them. They appreciated the way I communicated with the Gen Z audience and saw potential in my creative approach to digital marketing.
Moving forward, I plan to continue posting consistently on @ellies.bevs to keep building community engagement. I’m also thrilled to be working with Soda Bomb, not only to help with their social media strategy but also to collaborate on new drink menu items that speak to their growing audience.