Month: October 2011

Today’s consumers are simply looking for one thing: the newest thing. We are continually patient, waiting to seize the next best product that will make us stand out, providing us with the few extra utils that will get us through the day. Alexander Andruzzi’s blog “iPhone 4S: Is it Worth it?” tells us exactly why the iPhone 4S is the next best thing. Apple gave the new iPhone the Core A5 dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and innovative program called Siri, “Combined, [making] the iPhone 4S a major improvement over its predecessor” (Andruzzi par.1). With Andruzzi also mentioning the “iPhone 4S was released just days ago to an unprecedented amount of negative press”(par.1), is this product really a major improvement?

Back in 2010, 1.7 million iPhone 4 units were sold in the first three days of availability. Keep in mind that the iPhone 4 featured new software, as well as new appealing hardware. However, on October 17, 2011, Apple announced that the iPhone 4S had sold over four million in its first three days, contrary to predictions of negative press, more than double the sales of the iPhone 4 during its first weekend.

Re: Alex Andruzzi
“iPhone 4S: Is it Worth it?”

“No one wants to die… And yet death is the destination we all share.” – Steve Jobs, 2005.

Some remember him by his contagiously emotion-evoking speeches, others simply see him as the man behind the iPhone; however, few can pinpoint how he became so successful.

Steve was a realist. Jobs realized that Apple and Microsoft were engaged in a senseless rivalry, when they are in fact targeting different market demographics. Despite the inevitable disappointment of Apple stockholders, Jobs announced that Microsoft would be investing Apple, at the MacWorld Expo in Boston.

Steve could take a beating. Many laughed at the idea of selling music over the Net when iTunes first launched. However, iTunes’s growing popularity gave rise to harsh, but unavoidable criticism. Sharing the perspectives of many other artists, Jon Bon Jovi argued that iTunes has changed the music-buying experience for the worse.

Steve was ultimately a visionary. Despite the overwhelming number of competition and disheartening echoes of disbelief, Steve’s legacy has given us a clear example of what a tightly held idea can become.

Re:  “Steve Jobs’ Legacy“, Emmanuel Samoglou, Blog and Analysis, Canadian Business.

Are maximizing profits unethical?

UBC blogger, Chris Wong, begs to explain that it is not the amount of money made, but how it is obtained. Wong shows that schools are continually exploited by marketers, targeting young and oblivious minds to maximize profits. The amount of junk food in schools are continually increasing, while the absence of regulations endures. Not only do vending machine and food companies make money, but the schools themselves become richer at the expense of the students they are meant to protect and educate.

Children are blank-slates, sponging up whatever comes into their sight – and marketers know it. Although this is a common marketing tactic, that does not justify this method as an ethical practice. Some may argue that social responsibility cannot be achieved because according to Milton Friedman, “only people have responsibilities” – businesses have artificial responsibilities.

Blogger’s URL: https://blogs.ubc.ca/chriswong/
Blog Title: “Let Them Eat Cake“, September 7, 2011 

WE live in a society that is driven by what we see on TV. Mark Healy, Globe and Mail Columnist, advocates that “the deep-seeded anger/frustration of the suburban young male” proves to be a vulnerable and reliable target for marketers.

After witnessing several parking lot brawls that followed an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) “fight night”, Healy concluded that teens will buy whatever they find appealing on TV – and the companies know it. Healy believes that the media falsely teaches teens and young adults that the status symbols of success and independence are money and partying. Stations such as MuchMusic and MTV, are clear examples of how capable TV can corrupts young minds into creating false realities.

Marketers that target teens exploit these paradigms and benefit greatly. Healy shows how “Red Bull acknowledges the need for a release with sponsorship of extreme sports, some of which are very accessible (amateur athletes can participate in Crashed Ice“.

Article: Lessons for marketing to millennials
MARK HEALY
Special to Globe and Mail Update
Published Tuesday, Sep. 20, 2011 6:00AM EDT

BORN a Chinese-Canadian family, I grew up believing that a university education is a necessity to succeed in life, but is that really true?

James Bradshaw, Globe and Mail, states that a university education adds $1 million in earnings over an individual’s lifetime. However, he also says that “almost one in five Canadians with bachelor degrees end up earning less than half the country’s median income – giving us a higher proportion of poor grads than any other OECD country.” So that not only begs the question of how much our degree is worth, but what exactly has driven us to aspire, stress, and pay buckets of cash to attend a university, when a fifth of us will earn less than the country’s median income?

For many, the answer is money. However, faster and larger amounts of money can come from studying at most technical institutes, where students can graduate faster with little to no tuition debt.

Therefore, keeping in mind that these are four nonrefundable years, is this really what you want?

Article: University education no guarantee of earnings success
JAMES BRADSHAW
Globe and Mail Update
Published Sunday, Sep. 25, 2011 10:30PM EDT