Sarah Braslow
March 11, 2014
No Strings Attached
The University of Alabama’s co-ed a cappella group
Situational Analysis
1 General Overview
No Strings Attached is a very new organization on campus, so it still has a weak
presence among students. Because this organization was just started two years ago, its
communication and public relations efforts are almost non-existent. It has a memberelected executive council that consists of a president, vice president, secretary and
treasurer. The secretary handles all kinds of communication internally between members
of NSA, but there is no set position on the executive council for someone who provides
external communication and promotions. When it first became an organization, the group
made an attempt to outsource some of its public relations needs to a person not associated
with NSA, but this attempt failed due to the lack of work ethic from the individual (A.
Azar, personal communication, March 5, 2014).
Social Media Presence
The current president of NSA, Allyson Azar, has taken on the task of updating the
group’s social media content all while also completing her duties as the group’s
president. “We’re really focused primarily on the music,” said Azar. No one seemed
interested in keeping the group’s social media outlets up to date, so Azar decided she
would handle it (A. Azar, personal communication, March 5, 2014). NSA has a Facebook
page, Twitter account and Instagram account. NSA posts information about upcoming
performances, pictures and video clips from rehearsal and other fun facts; however, a
variety of things can be done to improve the group’s Internet presence (The University of
Alabama: No Strings Attached, n.d.).
NSA’s social media presence has been lacking since the group was established in
2012. Azar said that it is much better now than it used to be. She made a goal for her
2 group at the beginning of the year to improve communication with their audience through
social media. Admittedly, though, she only updates or posts content in the few weeks
leading up to the group’s next concert or event (personal communication, March 5,
2014). The posts on NSA’s social media accounts need to be more regulated and
frequent.
Key Publics
With the explosive popularity of collegiate a cappella groups over the past seven
years, finding an audience to cater to is not a problem for NSA (Paco, 2014). About 150
students and guests attended their last concert in the fall. Even with the lack of
promotion, a large number of people came out to see the concert, and approximately 80
people tried out for the group last spring. The group has also been invited to perform at
events like the UA Dance Marathon and the campus’s annual engineering banquet (A.
Azar, personal communication, March 5, 2014). One thing is true for most college
students; they like to listen to music. NSA just needs to promote itself more and educate
students at the University of Alabama about a cappella music.
The Competition
One problem the group faces aside from its lack of communication is the
overwhelming number of organizations this campus already has to offer. There is a lot of
competition between the other groups on campus simply because of the sheer number of
organizations that a UA student has the opportunity to join.
3 SWOT Analysis
Strengths
The organization’s strengths are straightforward. The group is very musically
talented, and they put their music above all else. There is a willing audience that the
group can tap into by using the appropriate promotional tactics.
Weaknesses
Although NSA attempts to reach out to the public as much as it can, the lack of
public relations and communications experience within the group makes this task
difficult. In order to create a larger loyal following, the group must improve its public
relations efforts and presence on campus.
Opportunities
NSA has the opportunity to recruit a student from outside of the group to take
over all public relations tasks. Not only does this give the group more time and energy to
focus on their music, but it also provides a student the opportunity to gain some great
experience working with a rising group like NSA. This student could also use the
materials he or she produced to supplement a portfolio. Through this, NSA could work
together with this individual to increase the group’s presence across campus and on social
media. This individual could also create promotional materials for upcoming concerts.
Threats
Other musical groups and organizations on UA’s campus pose a threat to NSA.
Multiple vocal groups, such as the show choir and honors choir, along with bands, like
the wind ensemble and jazz band, could dwindle NSA’s following. These groups, along
4 with the already overwhelming number of campus organizations, could limit the number
of supporters for the only a cappella group at UA.
Problem Statement
In order to reach a vast majority of University of Alabama students and develop a
following for No Strings Attached, NSA must educate and inform the campus about NSA
and a cappella music and utilize social media tactics to create a larger presence on
campus.
5 References
Paco, M. (Producer), (2014, January 10). Pitch perfect: The rise of a cappella.
[Video/DVD] Fuse.
The University of Alabama: No Strings Attached. (n.d.). Timeline [Facebook page].
Retrieved March 2, 2014 from
https://www.facebook.com/TheUniversityOfAlabamaNoStringsAttached?ref=br_t
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