BCM 302 Peer Reviews – Part 1: The Pitch

Peer Review 1: Charlea Schembri

The first pitch I reviewed was ‘Colossal Culture’ by Charlie Schembri. I was super excited by her project as, like my own, its primary objective is to enhance her employability in the near future in a brand management capacity. Specifically, she will be continuing her existing role as social media coordinator for fitness fashion brand Colossal Culture via the brand’s official Instagram page.

I really enjoyed watching her pitch presentation as I found it to be well presented and visually appealing, particularly through her use of images and videos in line with the brand’s aesthetic. She incorporated a number of headings throughout the video to clearly distinguish each of the three primary elements, and showcased an existing prototype of Colossal Culture’s Instagram page. Her identified problem was also explicitly communicated as being a misalignment between the brand’s current and desired audience, which she supported with the use of Balmer’s Multiple Identities diagram. In terms of the presentation itself, my primary recommendation is simply to ensure future videos fall into the required duration of two minutes, as hers fell just under three and a half.

Concept

The concept was well discussed as she identified a clear problem to address, and proposed a solution in the form of her digital artefact, influenced by her current passion for brand management. While she announced a disinterest in Instagram, the platform chosen as her sole focus this semester, she recognised the value and opportunity this presents the brand, and how it can contribute to her overall goal of furthering her skills and experience in brand management.

Methodology

Unfortunately, while she explained her platform choice, purpose and success metrics well, I felt a number of important details were lacking, particularly in how she intends to ‘experiment’ with Instagram, and her role in producing, aggregating and curating content. It was not clear whether this entailed incorporating Instagram features previously ignored, such as Reels, IGTV and Guides, or whether she meant more traditional methods such as engaging with users, implementing calls to action within post captions, and including hashtags in posts to reach a wider and more targeted audience. Currently, while the Colossal Culture Instagram page has a considerable following of six thousand users, engagement is at just 0.57%, and so I think it would be most effective to experiment with a mix of each.

Similarly, her project’s alignment to the #FIST principle was not addressed in depth. While it was certainly mentioned throughout her discussion, no time was dedicated to breaking down the elements in relation to her project; the associated financial and time expenses were unclear, and the speed, simplicity and size of content produced were disregarded. Further, I’d recommend including a project timeline to highlight the frequency of posts and how she plans to invest her time and attention.

Utility

Peer Review 2: Julia Farrington

The second pitch I reviewed was ‘The Tin Knees’ by Julia Farrington, which was much more aligned to my own project as it specifically focused on digital marketing within the music industry. Like Charlea’s, her primary focus was on boosting the brand’s Instagram page through her existing role as The Tin Knees’ social media manager.

I loved watching Julia’s pitch presentation as it featured a vibrant collection of graphics, videos and prototype stills that reflected the band’s niche audience. Her passion for the local music scene and social media management was extremely clear, as was her two-fold problem of the difficulty in producing content due to the ongoing impact of COVID on the music industry, and her lack of relevant experience to support her nearing entry into the workforce. While her pitch was engaging and enjoyable to watch, it was reasonably over the two-minute time limit, and so I would recommend she keep this in mind for the upcoming beta presentation.

Concept

Julia’s concept was presented well as she clearly identified a problem to address, her relevant interests, and a solution that allowed her to combine the two, being the continued management of The Tin Knees’ Instagram page. Further, she supported this decision through the momentum this would build for the band’s upcoming releases, which will have a long-term, positive impact on their social media presence.

Methodology

I think Julia also did an excellent job with her methodology, particularly with her inclusion of a content calendar that detailed her proposed posting schedule, platforms and content themes. While her primary focus is Instagram, she also touched on how the band can incorporate TikTok, Twitter and YouTube Shorts while reusing existing content. This is a great example of #FIST in practice, however, I would have liked to see this more explicitly mentioned and discussed in her presentation.

One of my recommendations for Julia would be to establish the Twitter account and encourage The Tin Knees to regularly ‘take over’ the page. This raw and unfiltered content would add more variety to the band’s digital presence, and would encourage fans to follow and interact with them on more than one platform. While Instagram and Facebook are more structured, Twitter would be a great avenue for showcasing each member’s individual personalities in a way that is quicker and easier than solely relying on TikTok and Instagram Reels (#FIST). Additionally, while she’s demonstrated extensive research into the types of posts that have been successful with the band’s existing fanbase, I think these insights could have been further enhanced through a discussion of their target audience in the form of a starter pack.

Utility

Finally, her project’s social utility was explicit. The Tin Knees would benefit from the management of and boost to their social presence, followers would be able to connect with the band and one another, and Julia would be able to enhance her employability while networking with local creatives.