Consumer behavior

SCI-ENG-004 Feb23 Discussions Forum: Applying Network …

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This is a graded discussion: 10 points possible due Apr 17 at 7:59am

Forum: Applying Network Theory 5 5

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Applying Network Theory  

Participation in this discussion forum is mandatory and will therefore be evaluated as part of your final grade. Before

participating in forums, you must study the module’s content; section 3 is particularly helpful. 

In this module, we have examined how network theory can be used in marketing. Below are three situations in which we can

apply network theory in a present-day marketing setting. Choose one of the following three topics to discuss: 

Engineer an application of network theory for marketing communications: Choose a brand and design a way to use the

media to get the brand’s message and offering out to its audience, using the network theory concepts of hubs, nodes, and

fitness. 

Reverse-engineer an application of the theory: Choose a piece of content (or an influencer) that has been widely seen

through the internet, social media, or other media—and explain, using the network theory concepts of hubs, nodes, and

fitness, how you believe the content or influencer came to be seen by so many viewers. 

Apply critical thinking to network theory: Are you skeptical about the network theory concept that hubs are the key to

attracting a wide audience in marketing? Or, do you find the theory plausible and valuable? Explain and defend your

position. 

Recommended length: 150-300 words   

Evaluation criteria:  

Relevance: The participant’s comment is relevant to the discussion topic. 

Quality: The participant supported their argument with credible sources that were cited appropriately. 

Engagement: The participant responded to other comments with meaningful contributions to the discussion.  

Keep in mind: 

You can share linked documents, websites, resources, etc. in your post on the discussion forum.

In addition, you must respond and offer feedback to at least two posts from your fellow participants. Click “Reply” below

another participant’s comment to respond. 

We remind you to respect your peers and contribute comments related to the topic at hand when participating in

discussions.  

To comment, click "Reply" just below the instructions. Enter your ideas in the text box, then click "Post Reply." Replies to a

comment are grouped as a conversation thread within the forum.

 

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Mandana Tadayon Saturday

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For this discussion I will talk about a marketing communications strategy that I have used in the past prior to learning about

the concept of hubs. I was creating content for a website about children’s literature. The content included mostly interviews

with authors. When I was publishing the content on social media, I tried a few tactics to help the content, and hence the

website, gain more exposure and audience engagement. One was to tag the author of the book. The authors generally have

decent numbers of followers. I never thought about this through the perspective offered by network theory, but the authors’

social media pages are hubs. Another tactic I used was to post older content that could be related to trending hashtags. For

example, if it was international pet day, I might post an interview with an author about a book that is about a child and their

pet. The trending hashtag was another hub that I was using to increase the number of connected nodes. And lastly, I would

reach out to popular groups on Facebook about children’s books and literacy and ask them to share a video from our website.

These groups have hundreds of thousand followers and are “fit” in terms of attracting nodes. And once they would post a

video from our website, that would create more connections for us. 

Paolo DiMare Sunday

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I think that network theory is indeed key to attracting a wide audience in marketing. You see it every day, how brands that in

“pre-influencer” times would have taken decades to rise to the stardom that they seem to do now overnight, do so because

they have the correct hub.

I will use the example of Logan Paul’s Prime Hydration beverage that became an absolute, sold-out social media sensation.

Though I am not a follower, I can at least say I have heard the name Logan Paul and recognize him as a very popular

influencer, primarily on YouTube and TikTok. It is absurd to think that Logan Paul has close to 1 Billion followers on

Youtube(823,600,000 to be exact) , so not only is his YouTube Channel a hub, he is one himself.

In early 2022, he launched a Hydration drink that in just its first year of sales had sales of over $250 million USD worldwide,

with no signs of slowing down since just in Jan. 2023, it saw sales of $45 million USD. The drink really offers nothing

revolutionary, the taste is average at best, and its comparable nutritionally to Gatorade or PowerAde. So, how did it become

so as sensation?

Simple, it had the correct hub. Every, single one of Logan Paul’s 823 million followers became a node. Think about that, he has

1/7 of the world population as a node, if each one of his nodes talks to or convinces 1-2 of their peers to purchase or try the

product, or even talk to them about it, this means that 2-4/7 of the world will instantly know about your products.

I truly believe that if this product did not have this type of hub it would have never had the success it did which further

reiterates my belief that the network theory can have huge effects on marketing.

Victor Tamayo-Cervantes Sunday

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For this forum I’m going to pick option two about reverse engineering an application, in this case Im going to pick the

Podcast Pardon My Take. This was a podcast that started out with their host being relatively well known but not the level that

they are at today. What they did was reach out and connect to every hub that they could, sometimes in their world of sports

but sometimes completely different. They essentially used their guest slots as a way to bring in more and more “Hubs” which

were in reality just people with large followings. This meant that their fans, or nodes would say “oh Neil Degrasse Tyson went

on this podcast, let me listen to it.” They would’ve never listened to Pardon My Take if there wasn’t a Hub that drew them in.

From here if Pardon My Take could get a small fraction of people to become fans they’ve succeed. These nodes would then go

talk to their friends about this new podcast they listen to and it would continue to grow in an audience that may have never

listened to them in the first place.

Victoria Tseng 8:46am

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I do wonder how these channels sustain in the long-term though. Attracting nodes from unrelated hubs may make the

podcast, in general, a weaker hub. Are all episodes tied to a common theme? I can imagine a node listening only to the

episode introduced by its hub and not most episodes on the podcast. However, exposure to different topics is also good

for the node to expand its horizon!

Victoria Tseng 8:32am

Edited by Victoria Tseng on Apr 18 at 8:32am

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Michelle Phan is an idol and macro-influencer I look up to. With over 8.7 million YouTube subscribers, she is one of YouTube’s

original beauty gurus from the late 2000s who paved the way for today’s generation of aspiring content creators. She is also a

serial entrepreneur, having founded multiple businesses across the beauty, music, and education space. 

Back in the early 2000s, as an avid blogger on Xanga, she was still a node, exploring visual movement and creating gifs. In the

coming years, she created several hubs and strengthened their fitness, giving rise to her success today.

Michelle has always been passionate about storytelling and makeup. While browsing MySpace one day, a comment she saw

linked her to YouTube. Surprised that videos on YouTube could be played without needing to buffer, she started uploading

videos teaching people how to apply makeup for fun. She also cross-promoted her tutorials on Xanga. After consistently

producing videos for two years, her “Barbie transformation video” went viral. It is her most-watched video standing at 68m

viewership today. It also changed the trajectory of her career. Hubs like MySpace, Xanga, and YouTube were critical to the

“broadcast diffusion” of her video content. In 2009, she hit 1 million subscribers. 

Feeling like “a big fish in a small pond,” she decided to “go to the ocean” and moved to Los Angeles. With the vision to start a

subscription beauty business, she hustled and linked with two nodes named Marcelo Camberos and Jennifer Jaconetti

Goldfarb. Together, they founded Ipsy.

Despite Michelle’s hub’s fitness, raising money was an issue for the company. Most businesses at that time did not take

YouTubers seriously. With the help of her PR team, she built credibility by doing interviews at different press outlets and

spotlighting a few magazines overs. By changing her narrative from a YouTuber to an entrepreneur, her hubs with the business

and beauty community became increasingly intertwined. Doors and opportunities were opening up for her. In 2010, she

became the ambassador for Lancome- directing its YouTube content and, ultimately, even co-created her makeup kit with the

French luxury cosmetics company. Today, she is the owner of her own makeup brand- Em Cosmetics. 

Still, despite all that is going on for her, she remembers her root as a YouTube content creator and likes to give back to the

community. In 2015, she co-founded Thematic, a free peer-to-peer marketplace that enables creators to find and use great

songs from real artists in their videos. Her most recent project is a digital course for aspiring creators. 

Knowing that with YouTube, she may eventually reach a ceiling and lose relevance, Michelle continuously reinvents herself and

addresses market gaps by experimenting with different technological solutions. She, in essence, has created her own scale-

free network, demonstrating to me the limitless potential of human curiosity and drive. Michelle is truly an inspiration to me!

 

Resources

https://www.allure.com/story/michelle-phan-the-original-beauty-vlogger-interview

https://girlboss.com/blogs/read/michelle-phan

https://www.racked.com/2017/9/22/16347820/michelle-phan-leaving-ipsy-shopper

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