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Sometimes I catch myself saying: “Oh wow I getting old, this is brilliant” as a new application or website makes its way to my computer. I was fascinated by the latest update of Google Hangouts, which I had used previously only for the purpose of calling my best friends or school group meetings. Google Hangouts can now do so much more than this and as we have seen in class it has the potential of making one conversation viral.  What is great about Google Hangouts being “On Air” is that now anyone in the world can see what you have to say, of course not everyone is going to watch you but if you are an astronaut, Obama, or a soccer player then it is another story.

Customers questions are answered by a real-person and the person who they mostly want to hear from. It positions them as an expert who is accessible, human and takes the time for its consumers or fans. Hangouts are fairly easy to use, the only thing needed is a webcam, computer and internet connection which a fairly costs for a the visibility it gets. When setting up a Google Hangout on air an event is created through Google +  the date, time and time-zones are crucial and must be clear.

Here are few examples on how it can help a brand and a person gain awareness and improve personal branding.  The Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe, hosted a digital autograph signing Google + Hangout. During the hangout the player had the opportunity to see his fans and sow them his gratitude, answered questions and using an ipad signed digital photos.

For Garance Dore’s Google+ Hangout, she had asked her fans to post questions on the event wall and on twitter. This brought much engagement from the part of her fans which didn’t hesitate a second to see her live on their screens. Because is it live, she was natural and everyone was now with her and saw her personality. The hangouts are then recorded and put on Youtube so that consumers can re-watch them. Cadburry has done a few as well with their Chocolate tasting hangout.

An approachable brand, is a caring brand and through live hangouts like those blogers, astronauts, soccer players and music stars can listen, interact and show they care about their fans.

What is great about Comm299 is that I am sure I will use in the future everything that I learned in this course. I not only learned how to professionally write a resume and cover letter, I learned a lot about the business world and how to act in it. From CAR statements to professional attire, Comm299 covered many of the “must know” in performing well in an interview and writing about yourself in resumes. I also learned so much about careers and the professional path I want to take. The most important is not how much money you will make (although it is a factor to be considered when choosing what to do) but about what you actually want from life. Sharing their experiences with us, the TAs and Philippe made me realize how important that is. As a follow up, I believe my TA was helpful in making us realize how important experiencing different kinds of professions is, because the more you experience the more you will know and the better the decisions you will be able to make.

There is no need for me to think too much about the person who has inspired me the most and who continues to inspire me every day: my grandfather. Since I was small I always thought of him as an example, as someone amazing who I was proud to have as a grandfather. The stories of his life are the most beautiful. Since he went through so many hard times, they always make me tear and admire him even more. My grandfather moved from Italy when he was 10, he had already lost his father and his mother who needed to work sent him and his younger brother to France where they could start working and have a better chance of being successful. He not only had to work very early but also had to take care of his brother. He was working and living in such terrible conditions, having a very difficult childhood. But he learned a lot from it, and today we learn from him. He has inspired me to use as much as possible all the opportunities given to me. At school to work hard because I am lucky I can go to school and get a good education. He inspires me to do my best, because if I am here, it is thanks to him.

Even though the due date for blogs has passed, I wanted to share this video with whomever will see it.  Maybe it is because I will go home soon, or maybe it was just the singing, but this video made me very emotional. Please take the 3 minutes to watch it, it is worth it!

This is not just a group of people singing in an airport, it is marketing. T-Mobile, located in England, decided to perform another kind of marketing. Could be considered Guerilla? Maybe, if we compare it to Heineken’s Champions League marketing. They want to reach the feeelings of many, and impact their life with their product. Of course they are still selling their product, but it is an amazing way to show their image and tehir brand to their customers.

Happy Holidays!

Wearing their beret, eating their cheese and walking with a baguette under their arm through beautiful streets covered with cafes and fancy restaurant. Could it be possible that this typical image, or should I say cliché of French people be accurate enough to be part of consumer behaviour? Last summer, my three best friends visited me in France, and as I heard them telling about their experience in France, they explained to me that what they’ve seen from France was exactly like they imagined it. “They eat bread at every meal! And cheese twice a day!”  said Malin (from Sweden). And it is true…

As we say in Class 15 (COMM101), what affect consumer behaviour are cultural factors, social factors and personal factors. Is it part of our culture to eat fresh bread every day, therefore how much bread will be sold entirely depend on demand, which is affected by the society and the decisions made by consumers. Consumer behaviour will affect marketing strategies of companies, as well as how those might be structured or organized, because according to an Harvard Business article: “the company’s mission is to serve customers and employees”. In Brazil, service in general is cheaper and more popular. At a gas station for example a person will pump the gas in your car. IKEA is not present in Brazil either because people are not used to building their own office desk, and it is not because they are lazy, but rather because it is in their culture and social factors to have someone do it for them. How a company will sell its products, advertise and increase its image is based on demand. It’s about people’s choice, costumers’ willingness to pay for what they need, it’s all about culture, location… but most importantly people.

Axcess Sport Consulting is a consulting agency specialized in the management of athletes’ carriers in the development of sports marketing projects. Focusing mostly on soccer (football) and rugby, Axcess has been able to help soccer players in expanding their career and is already sponsoring the Rubgy team in Curitiba, Brazil. It is important to notice that Rubgy in Brazil is increasing in popularity. In a country like Brazil, who has the best soccer players in the world, it might make more sense to focus on this sport. However Axcess is thinking ahead by being one of the first sponsors of the CRC (Curitiba Rugby Clube) which has the potential to grow significantly in the upcoming years. The agency is preparing itself for the FIFA World Cup of 2010, and the Olympics of 2016, which will both be in Brazil during those years. Since it is a great opportunity for Axcess to increase both its brand image and its profit, Jean Claude Malgarini (the founder) is taking the risks necessary to make  Axcess a stronger agency. With their website, their blog, their twitter and facebook accounts, Axcess is ready to be viewed as a powerful sport consulting company. Having two divisions: one of sponsoring sport events and one sponsoring players, Axcess follow the model of most Sport Marketing agencies, allowing them to expand not only on one area of sport sponsorship. As seen in case 3 and class 23, companies such as Bell used sport marketing and sponsorship during the Winter Olympics of 2010 to increase their brand image and their market share using a worldwide sporting event. With the Wolrd Cup and the Olympics approaching in Brazil, Axcess has started to prepare the field for a great success in promoting sport and its sponsors.

w w w . A x c e s s -S p o r t s . c o m

U M  N O V O  I N C E N T I V O  A O  E S P O R T E !

At the age of 20 years old my mom drove her Mini Cooper, today, I want it as my future car. BMW’s Mini Coopers are what we can call vintage innovations. They have been redesigned to fit the latest automobile technology, while keeping their cute model and design. The production of the new Mini Coopers has been a great success; I honestly see them around a lot. BMW, the German automobile and engine manufacturing company, took the risk of redesigning Mini Coopers and put them back in the market again. Such a great idea would not have been made if the company didn’t have the characteristics that describe entrepreneurial. Innovations and risks are key words that BMW certainly understand and not only implement but master. It is also known for its great performance and its luxury vehicle. Entrepreneurship is not only about creating a new product and taking the risks necessary to make the opportunity actually happen, it is also about knowing how to make a substantial wealth rapidly. It is about making a company more alive, making it stand out in this business world. BWM was able to show its entrepreneurial abilities, with its wide market ranging from formula 1 cars, motorcycles, luxury cars, to its latest success: Mini Coopers.

Usually change occurs when something is not going well. At least that’s what most of us think when we think of change. We associate it to a negative source/reason. Two articles in the Harvard Business Review have illustrated different kinds of change in an organization. The first kind I have encountered is the one is “motivated by misery”. The need for creation of a new structure, a new product or even a whole new company comes from the lack of an important factor. The first article uses Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook as an example. Because of his lack of friendship, Mark was driven to create an easy way to make friends everywhere. This idea could be applied in the organizations as a new strategy(class 9): “To motivate employees, managers could look for what’s missing in someone’s life and steer him or her toward activities that help them fill the void.” Dissatisfaction will lead to innovation. Changes will want to be made.( http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2010/11/mark-zuckerberg-and-misery-as.html)

The second article showed that even when nothing is going wrong, changes are needed. Changing the structure of the organization will make the company even better. A company may fear change, but   “restructuring gets people to start forming new networks, making the organization as a whole more creative. It also disrupts all the routines in an organization that collectively stifle innovation and adaptability.”(http://hbr.org/2010/06/change-for-changes-sake/ar/1)

Rather it is from positive or negative reasons, change can increase the motivation and productivity of employees and result in a stronger company. So why not change? Take the risk, do what you need to do and what you want to do.

Why do you buy this product instead of this other? Rather you are shopping for clothes, food, or IT products; you will have to decide on which brand to choose from.  But how does this affect the companies selling the products? Does it mean that if the brand is not well positioned, as we have seen in class, or not strong enough, it won’t sell? Well, kind of. And Rogers understood that. The article in the Financial Post here, illustrated the company’s goal: “Keep customers faced with a growing array of choices glued to Rogers media.”  They want to offer what customers want.  And most of us want BRANDS. We want the quality at a good price. We want what was seen recently on TV or commented as the most popular.

With media assets, Rogers is able to “catch” its customers with the use of “shining” brands. Therefore just as we have seen with Zara’s marketing and supply chain, the way they move fast, produce less but produce frequently is what attracts consumers. Customers want differentiators, Roger’s HD TV channels, or the newest phones at their stores! They feel confident about what they are selling, and it is working. Indeed it may be all about brands, but mostly, on how good they are at getting customers to choose them.

Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/news/about+brands/3760914/story.html#ixzz14ICvItIY

Check out those 2 Rogers commercial: How are they influencing people’s choice?

Rogers Wireless

On the go

Have you ever wondered what will be used as advertisement in the future? Probably not newspapers, right? Mainly because most newspapers have moved on the internet! How will the marketing of a company be affected by that?

Although television still remains as the leading advertising location, many firms have been exploring the internet, on social networks and other websites where people are more engaged. “Companies are beginning to see social networks as an alternative means of building brands through discussions, which makes them a threat to TV advertising. Mr Weed of Unilever forecasts a drift from paid advertising to “earned” media, including Facebook.” (article: http://www.economist.com/node/17149050?story_id=17149050). Online advertising has been growing more and more each year making the internet one of the best ways for a company to invest its marketing budget on.  Facebook and other social networking websites have given companies the possibilities to appeal to people in engaging ways. Thus, gaining more customers as well as improving/ increasing sales. An example would be the famous “like” on Facebook, that result in sending the person updates and information about all their “likes”. If you like a brand on facebook you will receive coupons and weekly news from that company. Other medias such as Google might feel threatened by the increase in Pages and ads Facebook has been building up but social networks seem to be the fad! After all, who doesn’t like a nice tweet?

Article:

http://www.economist.com/node/17149050?story_id=17149050

Perhaps we are addicted to social networking websites… Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5TI3gzx3JA