An infographic produced by IgnitionOne indicated the rapid growth of online sales over the past four years. Many people still think of physically browsing in a mall when they think of shopping, but it is projected that in 2012, only 32% of sales will be in store.
IgnitionOne’s infographic on e-commerce
With all the recent fuss over Target stores opening across Canada, putting local businesses such as Zellers and Wal-Mart at risk, I naturally assumed that the opening of the famous American conglomerate would be bad news for Canadian business.
Target will hit the Canadian market by 2013
In a recent blog post by a fellow Comm 101 student, Austin Feltham, he discussed the new marketing campaign for Maynard’s Wine Gums.
Maynard’s chooses to differentiate themselves in their new campaign by portraying wine gums in a classy way, as if it were a fine wine. By essentially parodying themselves, Maynard’s makes their product more memorable and unlike other candy on the shelves. Innovative marketing that grabs the attention of a target market is always essential, but their latest campaign targets a different market. Unlike other Maynard’s products such as Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Berries, or Fuzzy Peaches, which are marketed towards children, Wine Gums are being advertised to an older, more adult audience with the hopes of expanding their market in a fun and silly way. The youtube ad ridiculously depicts a self-proclaimed wine gum expert offering wine gums to taste at a wine tasting convention. By doing this, Maynard’s emphasizes their main point of difference – they are WINE gums, not just any gummy for a child. At the same time, the fun spin of the campaign removes the seriousness and reminds the audience that Maynard’s Wine Gums are fun candy, just like the aforementioned Maynard’s signature candies.
Sarah McKinney recently wrote a blog on the large influx of interest in social entrepreneurship over the past decade and the reasoning behind it.
She claims this social revolution to be a result of a more conscious society as a result of 24/7 access to media, a lack of job availability, and the lessened role of government as a result of increasing debt. According to LinkedIN, there has been a 41% increase in social venture interest over the past year alone. Not only that, but with more citizens attaining higher education, where most institutions attempt to create social and environmental awareness by instilling stronger values and green thinking amongst students, change is inevitable. Forbes is even claiming that 88% of millenials will choose an employer with similar Corporate Social Responsibility Values, and 86% would leave if the company’s values clashed with their own.
It seems that values and social awareness are now more prevalent than ever, which is why I can’t help wonder why there are so many Wall Street Scandals and corporate giants obsessed solely with turning a profit. I do, however, see this change towards embracing social entrepreneurship as a step in the right direction, and can see Sauder offering SE as a concentration in the future. The classes we had in Comm 101 about SE may not have even taken place 10 years ago, yet it is so important now.
Read PwC’s report on sustainability – and learn about their claims that 1/8 of money invested in professional management is for sustainability and social ventures.
It is no secret that Samsung has been doing exceptionally well in the smartphone department over the past year, making it Apple’s biggest competition with 31% of the global smartphone market.
The innovative S3 is the iPhone’s biggest competition
Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant responsible for drugs such as Viagra and Zoloft, recently made it public that it will be cutting over 300 jobs – or 11% of its Canadian workforce.
Pfizer, the pharmeceutical giant responsible for laying off 300 workers
Click here to read more on the job cuts.
It was just released that Honda Motor Company is recalling CR-Vs sold between 2002-2006 as there is a higher risk that the car may catch fire.
The Honda CR-V has been recalled due to safety risks
In a safety oversight, models between these years could catch fire if liquid gets through the window and contacts the car’s power switch. Honda is beginning to contact owners and will install a guard free of charge to reduce the risk of this. Cars are not products like soda where a person can easily purchase multiple goods and change their preferences often; they are long term investments which greatly increases customer loyalty. Personally, in my extended family, 6 Toyota Camrys have been purchased over the past decade. In fact, my own mother drives a 2004 Honda CR-V and has claimed that she will never buy a different car. With customers who have a great deal of loyalty, how will this affect Honda’s sales? Not only that, but how is it that Honda was able to be marketed as a safe, family car while this went unnoticed for 5 years? One of the main target markets for Honda, and especially the CR-V, is mothers with children who are looking for a safe and comfortable suburban car. I can’t see how many mothers would want an unreliable car that needed to be recalled. Honda is also under fire regarding unsafe Honda Pilots, Accords and Odysseys. Click Here to learn more about the recall.
It is no secret that large oil companies often are a source of controversy for environmentalists because of the way their actions effect the environment.
Recently, Shell sued Greenpeace for holding protests against Shell’s $4.5 billion Arctic Drilling Project. Shell lost the case in Dutch court and will have to put up with the protests as long as they are conducted in a fashionable manner. Greenpeace is outraged over the consequences this drilling project – which will only provide three years of oil – could have on the Arctic’s fragile environment. Shell isn’t the only company trying to get in on the Arctic Action; companies such as BP, Exxon, Gazprom and Rosneft have also expressed interest in the Arctic’s oil.
While Shell insists they are being environmentally conscious as they explore the Arctic, it is clear that this is a risky move that could have serious negative impacts on the environment and that the damage could be irreversible. So with this risk, why does Shell insist on going in? Profit. It’s the age old business problem; how does a company that does not help the environment justify spending billions of dollars on harmful endeavors? Does Shell value stomping out the competition more than being ethical and environmentally friendly?
To see more information on Shell’s ethical dilemma, Click Here.
In a recent article on CBC news, it was discovered that the number of wineries in BC is growing rapidly.
In fact, the number of wineries and wine producers in the BC area seems to be increasing on a monthly basis. The issue that arises with this runs deeper than increased competition. With optimal land running at about $40 000/hectare, wine producers are forced to either settle for cheaper land that may not be up to par, or raise the prices of their wine. Currently, it costs about $3-4 to produce a bottle, but that could increase with the battle for good land.
The question I am beginning to ask is why the sudden increase in wine producers? BC is full of excellent wineries and there are over 200, so why do people believe it is a good decision to establish a business in an almost saturated environment? Although there are many different wines that can be produced, what are these wineries’ PoDs and how can they manage to stay afloat when there are 100 other wineries producing similar products?
While it is a risky path to make wineries in expensive areas as prices will potentially surpass the price of imported wines, BC is still a generally small wine producing area, and producers hope that the influx of activity will put them on the international map.
For more information, Click Here.
In an attempt to get rich quickly, John Alexander Allen, a mutual funds salesman and stock broker, was charged with stealing over $14 million from his clients.
Allen, charged with 21 counts for stealing over $14 million from clients