Assignment 1 was my first group project at UBC and although we didn’t get a perfect score, it was the best I’ve ever felt about a school team. For written assignments, we would have an initial meeting, divvy up the work and then work through the assignment together via Skype and Google Docs. I’d never used either tool for school before but I’m now a total convert. Typically, I find with group projects either everyone does their own piece and then the final product is patched together, or one person ends up writing the whole thing to put in one voice and ends up doing an inordinate amount of work. Skyping and using Google docs really helped ensure the work was one piece and that everyone had an equal input into the assignment. I found it more effective than an in-person meeting because everyone was relaxed and we were all working on the exact same document. It also allowed for much more flexibility than more traditional group meeting methods. When I contrast this to how a group project in another class this semester was handled, I feel confident in pushing the Skype and Google Docs method.

The video assignment was different (and I’m honestly very glad I didn’t have to do another presentation!), and I especially enjoyed the peer review aspect–not really for the feedback we got but so that I could see other examples. Viewing others’ work really helped me gain a better vision and sense of where I’d want to go in the future with a video project. I think video-making is as important a skill as traditional presentation and we get little chance to practice it. In the future I would love to see a single class devoted to video editing much like we had a class on research. Something that covers what makes a good video, how to edit, filming techniques etc.

As far as I am concerned, Alex was right when he said this innovative solution to the common problem of a bloated wallet is little-known. I’d never heard of it nor had anyone in my household, yet it is an obvious progression in our increasingly computerized world.

I initially wondered about the Coin’s future. Why have a separate electronic device for this task, when the overarching trend seems to be to hand over all digital tasks to our smartphones? That was shortsighted on my part as the Coin, while a computer, still functions as a card would, as explained by this commercial. Users select the card they wish to use from a menu on the Coin, and then swipe as they would any other card. So the Coin would not be made obsolete with the next generation iPhone.

I agree with Alex’s sentiment that people will be skeptical of the Coin’s security. The linked advertisement did little to pacify those fears, merely stating that the Coin has sense when your phone is near. As credit card theft has major implications and is at the forefront of public consciousness, Coin might have been better off giving more detail into this aspect of its product. And what happens if you forget your phone, or your phone’s battery runs out? Does the Coin still function? Catering to an American market, the coin utilizes swipe technology instead of chip. In Canada and Europe, we are told chip cards have increased security—how does the Coin address this?

It will be fascinating to see where the Coin and similar technology take in the next few years!

Debenhams, a UK fashion company, has recently released plus size mannequins, an extension of the company’s efforts to promote non-traditional models. This isn’t the first time the company has been in the news for this reason: its April 2013 ad campaign featured women of all walks of life, including amputees, plus size women and older women. In fact, the company credits itself as being “the first high street retailer in the UK to promote its latest fashion collections by using models in a diverse variety of ages, sizes and looks.” Catering to all women increases Debenham’s market size, brings it publicity and engenders an positive affective response in many people—all of which should help increase its consumer base and thus its revenues.

Why then, aren’t all companies following in Debenham’s footsteps? Perhaps these companies prioritize exclusivity, as demonstrated by Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mark Jeffries’ statement: “A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.” Which came under scrutiny last spring.

Or perhaps they are just slow to change their ways—as Mingchi asks in her blog on the pasta company Barilla’s derogatory comments toward gay people, “Is it more important for a company to stay true to its own values, offensive as they are in the eyes of many groups, or should they focus on gaining the approval of the general public?” It seems Abercrombie & Fitch have decided to add plus sizes in an effort to quell the backlash against them. Will the rest of the fashion industry eventually follow suit? Or will companies offering plus sizes forever be in the minority?

This find of a subway-car meat market by Adfreak’s David Kiefaber is the ultimate example of the Place “P” of the marketing mix. Although it isn’t clear whether this car is part of a moving train or perhaps a stationary one, it does open up a world of possibilities. Public transit stations—at least in Vancouver—seem to be an underutilized resource. Even train stations that are not in commercial locations still  serve many people, especially in the mornings and afternoons when many crave a snack or beverage. This is an opportunity for a fast food restaurant or grocery store to operate with little competition—Jugo Juice franchises have in fact taken advantage of this at several locations along the Canada Line, such as at Oakridge 41^st. It’s interesting that this isn’t taken advantage of more—TransLink would earn some apparently much-needed revenue by leasing the space and could even stipulate that businesses on Translink property operate bathrooms to make the Canada Line more user-friendly.

One drawback to this setup in terms of selling to consumers it that many people using the train stations are in a hurry and thus not inclined to wait in line. That’s where in-train stores are particularly ingenious. Busy urbanites could grab dinner as they commute—a perfect solution in our time-poor society. The compromise, of course, is that a train car would have to be permanently sacrificed in order to make room for food prep and storage equipment. For the Canada Line, perhaps an extra car that extends beyond the platform—and thus would be unsuitable for passengers as it does not allow boarding or disembarking—could be added for food cars.

David Kiefaber’s post on a new GoPro ad touches on an interesting point regarding the advertising of video cameras—the advertisement, in addition to simply raising awareness of the product and trying to keep it in the customer’s evoked set, demonstrates the product. The ad itself shows the quality of the camera—its high definition, stability, wide-angle, light weight, small size, durability—in other words, its suitability for the job is a direct reflection of the quality of the advertisement—it’s up to the consumer to decide if it’s up to par.

On the internet, more than anywhere, it is important for advertisements to be stunning, memorable and worth watching in and of themselves. This is for two reasons: firstly, there are numerous programs—like Adblock for Firefox—which enable users to block almost all forms of advertising from their internet browsing, including popups, YouTube advertisements. The web is not a medium where you can pay a fee for the attention of thousands of people for the duration of your ad, as with cable TV. Secondly, instead of choosing from amongst the city’s 10 papers or the 100 channels available on TV. There are millions upon millions of websites. The internet does have great possibilities for advertising by way of viral videos. Viral videos are characterized by voluntary sharing by the public. According to YouTube statistics of the GoPro ad it has been watched over 6,000,000 times—by people who were intrigued enough that they watched of their own volition, as opposed to people tolerating it as background noise. While the internet has introduced a number of advertising methods that are unsurpassed in their obnoxiousness (pop up ads come to mind), it has also brought the most consumer-friendly form of advertising, in which the advertisement’s success depends more than ever on its ability to captivate consumers.

Welcome to UBC Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!