In Response to Colin's Post

Companies that deceive customers risk getting found out which means they may have to pay back their customers, lose customers, and damage their public image. Why then do companies risk it? 

Companies like T-Mobile, who have intense competition with the other, more popular wireless carriers, risk these sort of things because they are desperate. They need to think of something that will get them more customers, so they resort to lying to try to win over their hearts. It does however, prove to be the wrong choice. It only gets them into some serious legal trouble, and makes them lose even more money than they would be in the first place. My thought is, T-Mobile should probably get some new employees. 

Twitter Surveys

Recently, when I was scrolling through my twitter, I came across an interesting tweet.

I have seen many companies promote tweets on my home page, but I had never heard of twitter surveys before. It got me thinking about what we had discussed in class about the different ways to take surveys. While I'm sure this tactic has it's problems, I thought it was a very intriguing way to do it. The fact that they select a group of users based on their profiles is pretty impressive. This way, they can cater to the people who would be interested in taking this survey. 

However, this may cause some problems. Not the entire population sees this survey, meaning that the results could be biased, or lean more toward one direction specifically because the people they selected to promote the survey to are part of one "group" of the population. 

How affective do you think this type of surveying is?

In Response to Drew's Post

What do you think about the Boston Strong campaign? Would you wear a Boston Strong T? 

I would wear a Boston Strong shirt. The cause itself is a good one, because the events that took place that day were pretty terrifying. Having friends and family that live in the area, it makes you grateful that they are okay, but at the same time feel sad for the friends and family of the people who weren't okay. I would definitely spend money on buying a T-Shirt that can help to raise money for those who lost so much in the attacks at the marathon. Having grown up around Boston, I was raised with the same persistance and loyalty to the state of Massachusetts and the city of Boston that almost everyone living near there has. That being so, I would definitely wear the shirt, because it symbolizes the strength and unity of the city itself. 

Moms Demand Action Ads

The other night, I was just on the computer doing nothing in particular, and I came across this ad for an organization called Moms Demand Action. With the number of shootings in America increasing yearly, 2013 has so far been "the year" for speaking out against gun violence. Especially since the school shooting in Newtown Connecticut this past December, people's desire to have stricter gun laws has skyrocketed. Or at least, they're making their opinions more known now. Moms Demand Action was founded the same day as the Newtown Shooting, December 14, 2012, as a result of the shooting. These ads that I came across came out recently, and are extremely bold, shocking and strongly stated.

Here are some of the ads:

These ads read "One child is holding something that's been banned in America to protect them. Guess which one." When I first saw these pictures, I got chills. Political views aside, these ads are extremely powerful. The image of a child holding something so dangerous; but comparing the items to Kinder Eggs, dodgeball and a book is a great way to get their point across. One thing that ads are used for is to be memorable: something that people will really pay attention to. One that has a message that is burned into their brain. 

You can find the website for Moms Demand Action here. 

Are there any ads that you remember because of their shock value? What were they?

In Response to Gina's Post

What is your favorite advertisement and why did it catch your attention?

I'm not sure if you meant out of the ones you posted or just in general, so I'm going to go with in general. 

Right now, my favorite advertisements out there are the commercials for AT&T with the guy that talks to little kids. They're always so funny. But to be honest, for the longest time I didn't know what they were commercials for. The ending never really sank in until a few weeks ago. So while I think these commercials are hysterically funny, they might want to do a better job at incorporating the business itself in the commercial so consumers know what it's for. 

Love Comes in Every Shade

This past holiday season, the Gap launched a new ad campaign called "Love Comes in Every Shade". The campaign was created to advertise the bright, fun colors of the holiday collection at the Gap stores. However, it also created a buzz about one of today's most widely discussed issues: equal rights.

The Huffington Post Article 

In the above link, the Huffington post describes the ad campaign in full. It also shows the different photos the campaign used and what they represent. There were eight kinds of "love" depicted in Gap's ads: true love, married love, puppy love, fatherly love, sibling love, modern love, best friend love, and in love. These advertisements showed different celebrities, for example Michael J. Fox and his wife for "true love". What was interesting is that the ad for married love captured musician Rufus Wainwright and his husband Jorn Weisbrodt. In addition to that, they ran an ad for "modern love", starring the cast of NBC's hit show The New Normal, a show about a gay couple and the modern sort of family they create with the surrogate mother and her daughter.

According to the article above, Gap's Global Cheif Marketing Officer, Seth Farbman, told PR Newswire that "Their [the celebrities in the ads] personal relationships help remind us that every family is unique and often goes beyond just those we're related to--it also includes the people we share our lives and deepest passions with. This campaign celebrates these diverse, optimistic views on family and the many forms love can take."

Personal political opinions aside, do you think it was a smart move for the Gap to run an ad campaign that showed their advocacy for gay marriage, or do you think it is something that will hurt them in the long run. Why?

In Response to Kerri's Post

Do you think these new groups are an invasion of privacy or beneficial to Facebook users?
Why or why not?

As long as the information they're using isn't information the user has privacy settings on, then I think that it's fine that Facebook uses this tactic. For example, if they just use their age and the things they like then it actually is pretty helpful that the ads on their Facebook page would only be ones that were tailored to their needs. 

Pricing a Product

In order to price a product, it's imperative that you understand the target market to which you are trying to sell the product. There are a lot of factors that go into this understanding. For example, if the product is directed towards kids, is it reasonably priced? Will they be able to afford it on the five dollars a week they receive for allowance? If not, is it something their parents will find worth spending their own money on? 

You also need to take into account if the product is something the consumer needs or wants. If there are other competitors out there that the consumer can go to for the same product, and many other factors. 

What do you think is the most important part of pricing? Why?

In Response to Haley's Post

Have you ever noticed what persuades you to purchase a certain movie?

As an avid Netflix user, I find that the thing that makes me chose a certain movie or TV show is the "recommended for you" section they have. Marketing wise, it's a really great idea. Instead of just having the consumer watch one movie that they heard about from somebody, it creates this endless list of movies they would most likely watch. This keeps them wanting to keep coming back for more, and spending more money on them by keeping their account and paying each month. 

Eco Friendly Companies

With today's society being extremely focused on clean energy, recycling, and being eco friendly in general  som companies are now taking a stand and focusing on creating more green ways to operate. Much like Gap Inc's Water Quality Program that I posted about earlier in the year, companies are focusing more on creating a cleaner environment. And many times, they end up using this as a way of advertising.

While there are many companies that practice green marketing, companies that are passionate about a green environment and a green product, there are some companies that may use this as a means of gaining more customers. How many times have you seen an add, or commercial on TV, where a company uses the "green marketing" in a way that made you think they weren't being legitimate? Some car companies use it to get more people interested, even when the specific car they are advertising doesn't help much with creating a greener environment. "Going Green" has become a phrase that some companies think will bring in a larger consumer group, not understanding that the phrase only goes so far.

Do you think there are any companies that use their "going green" attitude as a means of getting more customers?

In Response to Sam's Post

Who is your favorite artist sponsored by?
Are you more likely to buy that product?

I don't think I even know who my favorite artists are sponsored by. I guess that means either I don't pay enough attention, or it isn't extremely noticeable to me. However, with few that I can think of, it doesn't really make me want to buy their items. It's just something I notice and move on from. 

Email Promotions

At most businesses, especially retail businesses, we are often asked to give our email address for coupons and other promotional information. It's a good idea as far as marketing goes. The more coupons or sale information a customer gets, the more likely they are to shop at the business. But how often do we really read these emails? I myself have signed up for a few business email lists, but when I get these emails I usually just delete them before I read them. Part of me thinks that it's great they're having a sale, but I'm sure I'll get another email next week with information about a different sale. These emails usually end up in the deleted folder pretty quickly, so how affective are they really?

Do you pay more attention to the emails you receive from companies? How affective do you think email promotions are?

In Response to Roland's Post

This has probably generated a lot of traffic to their web site and perhaps even some purchases of products that are “in stock”, which is their intent. But is this type of ad fair to consumers? Does it cross any ethical or legal boundaries?

I think it's bad marketing for the company. Situations like that have happened to me, and it always bothers me. Why promote something that you can't keep a good inventory on? It shows bad business skills and will more likely than not keep customers from coming back to shop with American Eagle. 

Target Markets

Target markets are an important part of selling a product or service. It's important to understand your target market in order to be able to sell a product. Much like packaging, you need to really know what will catch that person's eye. Marketers pay really close attention to things like this, and if you pay really close attention yourself, you'll be able to see what kinds of tactics they use to reach the target market they're aiming to reach.

 It's interesting to watch commercials on different T.V channels. You never really think about how tailored they are the you as a viewer, but the companies paying for those commercials put a lot of thought into which channel they will advertise on. If you're watching a channel like TLC, you're not going to see a lot of commercials for Nike's new running shoe for men, or the latest sports gear for sale at Sport's Authority. It would be more likely that you would see commercials for make up, skin care products or products for young families.  While if you were watching the SyFy channel, you most likely wouldn't see those types of commercials.

Advertisements on television are extremely catered to the target market of the channel. The ones that air not only have to be made in a way that will catch the target market of the product itself, but also in a way that will catch the eye of the other viewers watching, so it does not seem too out of place.

Which target market do you see things advertised to most often?  Have you ever though a commercial seemed out of place compared to the channel you were watching?

Packaging

Packaging can be one of a product's most powerful factors. Price, obviously, is important. If something is too much money than no one is going to buy it. But packaging has the ability to draw a customer in and convince them whether or not to buy the product. Packaging designers have to think about not only how to best protect the product inside, but also the flashiest way to present it. Packaging involves a great deal of understanding people. Once you pick a target market, you have to know what will draw that targeted group of people in. If the target market is seven year old girls, would you expect that dark, muted colors to draw them in, or bright, fun colors? Do you use mature language to describe it or a more basic vocabulary  Questions like that might seem pretty obvious, but the decisions made about packaging are a key role in whether or not the product will sell. We're always taught to not judge a book by its cover, but in reality almost everybody judges things by how they look, even if it's just a subconscious decision.

What do you think is the most important part in designing a product? Why?

In Response to Kerri's Post

I too am a huge fan of Naked juice smoothies. The Rainforest Alliance, I think, is a great way to market a product. Much like Kerri said, it's not always a factor in people's decisions to buying a product, but similar fads like Fair Trade and Equal Exchange are really starting to take off with today's society, and products that use methods like this as a marketing tool I believe will help in future sales. Not only are these methods better for the environment and the economy, but they're a way to reach a growing number of people who are extremely interested in the environment.

Gap: The Water Quality Program

After looking into the Gap for the Marketing paper due this week, I got really into the idea of how different companies use their business to help the environment. Gap, for example, has a lot of different ways they help the environment, including steadily conserving energy and keeping water clean.

One of the biggest parts of the research involving their environmental responsibility was their Water Conservation Project. In 2012 Gap was named one of the most ethical companies in the world. This is a huge deal considering the problems some global, factory-based companies have with ignoring human rights and the environment. The Water Quality Program is the Gap's way of ensuring they they don't just build a factory in a foreign country and leave all of their waste behind. According to their website, making jeans requires washing with a lot of chemicals and dyes. These chemicals can seep into the water in the areas around their factories, and the Gap makes it their mission to make sure that doesn't happen. 100% of their factories participate in this program. They all send their used water through treatment so that they don't pollute the waterways.

Have you heard of any other companies forming or participating in programs like this? If so, who?

For more info on the program, click here.

In Response to Heather Young's Post

In Heather's post, she talks about Target advertising swim suits to women in a Sports Illustrated issue. She brought up the question would you be upset if there was an ad in a magazine you read that was directed toward a different gender.

I'm not sure if I would be upset about it, but I would definitely find it confusing. Now that I think about it, I can remember seeing an ad in a women's magazine that advertised both men and women's fragrances. So while I did find it odd in a fashion magazine for women, I think the fact that they are sort of blurring the lines of gender roles is refreshing. Because we can't say that there are no men out there reading women's fashion magazines, and the same goes for Sport's Illustrated. As an advertising issue I don't think it's the smartest choice, but from a personal standpoint I don't find it bothersome at all.

Technology in Marketing

Within the past twenty years or so, technology as a whole has really changed how we perform everyday tasks. With things such as email, texting, cell phones, pagers and iPads, people can be connected to each other no matter where they are in the world.

It's interesting to think that even in my lifetime (being part of a generation that relies so much on technology) that something as important as the internet wasn't even a common, household luxury when I was younger. Now, we use the internet for everything. Need to know how to bake a chocolate cake? Google it. What is the state bird of Georgia? Google it. What movie was the top box-office hit of 2012? You can google that too. And with the constant use of the internet, comes an entire new way to advertise products. You see ads everywhere on internet pages. One of the coolest things I've noticed with my browser specifically, is that most of ads are centralized around interests of mine. For example, I was browsing the website of Chamilia Jewelry for charms for a bracelet  and since that day I notice most of the ads being centered around companies that sell charms for that. The internet can not only advertise products to you while you take care of other work, but it's smart enough to specify the ads based on the places on the internet that you've shown interest in. So unlike newspapers or magazines, where many of the ads have no relations to your interests, the internet can advertise products to you that you may be more inclined to click on.

How else do you think technology has changed the way products or services can be marketed? Do you find internet advertising more successful or less successful?

Response to Gina's Post

In Gina's post (here), she talked about ethics in business, and how people's definition of what is ethical differ; which can cause conflict about what is right and wrong when it comes to operating a business. This means that if a company has an ethical issue, some people might not agree that it is an issue at all.

Gina asked: Do customers notice when a company makes bad ethical decisions?

When certain businesses makes the news for ethical reasons, anyone watching can interpret the situation depending on their own, personal code of ethic. Some of the businesses' customers might notice the bad ethical decisions made when they watch the news, but because other's might not consider them unethical, they don't notice.

Product (Red)

When the Product (Red) campaign started getting big, I remember a lot of kids walking around with those Inspi(red) shirts. They were everywhere, especially in the art community of the school. And I remember thinking how cool they looked. So, because I was a freshman high school and desperate to follow trends, I went out and bought one myself.

The one thing I remember most about wearing that shirt was that I really felt like a good person for wearing it. Not only was it a cool looking shirt, but it was going toward a good cause. And if there is one thing I learned from being in college, it's that everybody loves t-shirts. If there is an event on campus more people will go if they are giving away free T-shirts. I used to have people that were going to events pick me up shirts if I couldn't go just so I could have the shirt. I'm not really sure why people think it's so cool to have these shirts, but for some reason they do. And for organizations like Product (Red) it's a great opportunity for advertising  If you can come up with a cool logo for a shirt and you can get people to want them, you can not only make money off of selling these shirts (in this case money that can help fight AIDS) you can also get free advertising. This T-shirt design has become iconic in a way, and it was kind of like a win-win situation for them. For organizations like Product (Red), it's really important to get the word out there. This is just one way to do it.

Do you find yourself with a massive amount of T-shirts from functions? Do you think businesses using T-Shirts as advertising is a good idea or a bad idea?

Response to Sean Cowles Post

Sean's Question: Although customer satisfaction and customer value are interdependent, which one is more important?

For me personally, I think customer satisfaction is more important than customer value. I focus a lot on how I'm treated as a customer, so when I'm looking to purchase a product my overall satisfaction will go up or down depending on how the employee of the business treats me. If I'm satisfied with the overall experience of purchasing the product, then I will most likely do business with them in the future, and if not I wouldn't. 

Customer Value and Customer Satisfaction

Customer value and customer satisfaction are very often interdependent. When a customer walks into a business, they expect a certain level of customer service, as well as a certain price for the item they are planning on purchasing. If you walk into a wireless carrier, such as Verizon, there are a few different things you consider: the pricing of the phone you're going to buy, the quality of said phone, the helpfulness of the employees, and the way these employees treat you while you're in their establishment. If you're treated poorly by the employees and you still walk out with a phone, your satisfaction with the purchased phone will be less than it would be had they been friendly and polite, because you'll look back and remember their behavior. If you are in need of a phone and have to choice but to pay a higher price than you would normally be willing, your satisfaction would go down because you might not think the phone is worth what you paid.

While it is very possible for satisfaction to occur with low customer value, more times than now a customer will base his opinion on the value he sees fit.

Do you base your value of a product more on the physical product itself, or do you find yourself grading it based on service more? Are there any situations where you would find the service insignificant in the purchase of your product?