As I study for my exams, it is hard to believe I have (almost) finished another term. Let’s reflect:

What did you learn about teams, yourself, and marketing?

• There is definitely no set team structure to follow. The first thing we did as a team was to grab food/drinks and bond. I have seen the positive correlation between teams that have bonded and the resulted project grade (yes there are outliers).
• I am very witty. I take on a mediating role as I rather cohesiveness to minimize major group conflict.
• Our group challenged ourselves by picking the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. We were crazed in the beginning because, though GVFBS has a service to the needy, the product for the assignment was not overly clear. Using the tools we learned in class and selecting our target, we understood that we had to market the benefits of feeling good to donate and tax credits in our assignment.

What skills did you enhance or develop, if any?

• Better team skills. This was my first team without a slacker, so the divide and conquer method worked well because we each had something to bring to the table. Though not all teams will function this well, I know how to adapt.

What would you do differently next time?

• Definitely would have attempted to meet up earlier to film for assignment 3, felt a bit rushed. But our team managed to pull it off.

What are your top takeaways?

• Marketing is not just an option at Sauder; you are exposed to it every day when you shop, interview, network, etc.
• Teams can turn out better if they bond in the beginning

Well folks, that’s a wrap. Let’s pass this final with shooting stars. Thanks for being a solid guide, Tamar!

We’re leaving together
But still it’s farewell
And maybe we’ll come back,
To earth, who can tell?

As Tamar has brought up in class before, you do not have to be entering the marketing field to use marketing tools.

I really enjoyed reading Drew’s Marketing Minute Blog. Posts are simple, straightforward, and relatable. One post that caught my eye was “Make the most of any conference you attend.” This is a very relevant piece for any business student to read.

Drew breaks down items to follow when on a conference but uses marketing terms. He implies that when we are presenting a project/assignment/product we think things through from communication to wardrobe. Yet when it comes to conferences and such, we forget that we essentially sell delegates on our features and benefits.

• One the first things I remember learning in business all the way back to high school: location, location, location. How will you get to the conference? When? Is it a new place? Plan ahead and take into account contingency plans.
• You are there to meet people at a conference. You will not have time to hit up everybody so create a hit list of the few people you must absolutely meet. For September CPA Recruit, I know I should aim for a mix of recruiters, staff accountants, and partners. Planning for that, I know how to market my qualities to them.
• Conferences are jammed packed with luncheons, workshops, speaker series, and more. It is better to go to the things that excite you the most and will be the best benefit. Like when marketing a product: if you’re target market is extremely limited in a rural area, perhaps you should venture in a more profitable and growing region. Pace yourself.

Thanks Drew! I am definitely confident to attend conferences with these tips in mind!

In the usual commercials, Axe makes me giggle from the ‘Bom Chicka Wah Wah’ to the ‘Astronaut vs. Fireman.’ But in this commercial, it took a different approach. Katherine describes Axe’s move in deepening its target market by going after ‘head over heels’ in love men, the real men who admittedly or not have a sensitive side. These are not the teenage boys who overdo it on the Axe no matter what time of day. These are men; men who found perfection in brains, beauty, and personality, the men who found their Susan Glenn.

In the usual ads, using Axe makes the male character irresistible to several women. There is automatic AXEttraction. But here, the one woman is the central focus. You are back in your school days, you see her. But yet, you did not make a move. Axe would have given you the confidence to approach her. Unlike other commercials, she doesn’t automatically fall for you. She is almost untouchable. Susan Glenn is the one who got away.

Google Images

This ad taps into the emotion that the most macho of men to the shy sensitive types will all tend to hide and yet share. Susan Glenn may be gone now, but you still get your confidence. It still holds true to the product’s essence, confidence with each use, but showcases a different side.

Cologne is in maturity and Axe made a smart move in attempting to gain market share with a more mature crowd. This segment has the money and the emotion to connect with this product. But Axe knows it has work to do. By launching a nationwide road trip to help guys with their Susan Glenns and using its social media platforms, Axe may successfully gain market share.

Fear no Susan Glenn.

Bombarded with billboards, newsprints, and social media everyday with consumer products, something interesting caught my eye last month. Let’s Talk campaign by Bell. From intense commercials to endorsements like Olympian Clara Hughes, Bell’s support to raise awareness for mental health was everywhere.

But why not just donate x amount of dollars? Why the need to invest even more in promotion and an event?

You hear about large donations made to charitable organizations quite frequently and you forget the next day. Very commendable donations in fact, but truly only people involved will continue to feel for and appreciate it.

Relating to the Obama Campaign video, rather than one entity, albeit large entity, involved, Bell got millions of people involved. I shared a Facebook photo that day and I am not even serviced by Bell. It took a risk by investing support for the sole cause that was (in my consumer POV) shadowed. But that made consumers intrigued and wanting to learn more. Yes this can come down to a marketing ploy as most community efforts will be categorized as. But I admire how it was done. By getting friends of friends and families and extended families talking/tweeting/sharing/texting this one day, each one of these people is personally affecting this cause. Knowing a corporation led you to this, lightens Bell’s image across the board. Mental Health awareness and Bell awareness, win.

Bell took a leap along a different path towards company community initiatives by focusing its beliefs through risk and involvement.

After all that jazz, did it work?
As quoted from their website:
Canadians talked like never before on Bell Let’s Talk Day.

• 96,266,266 tweets, Facebook shares, texts, & long distance calls.

• $4,813,313.30 additional dollars Bell donated to mental health programs.

I’d say solid results. Oh, the BCE stock is doing pretty well, too.

Courtesy of Google Images