Bacardi Ad

Why is it that whenever alcohol ads on TV are played, such as the Bacardi ad above, everyone is having fun? Where is the girl that’s had too much and passed out on the floor, and the boys who get into fistfights after a couple rounds?

Statistics show that 28.8% of women and 43.1% men binge drink at least once a year (consume over 4 drinks over 2 hours). How is it ethical for alcohol commercials to exclude  the respective percentages of partygoers who binge drink in their commercials while displaying the effects of binge drinking?

According to Lexicon Financial Times, ethical marketing is “a process through which companies generate customer interest in products/services, build strong customer interest/relationships, and create value for all stakeholders by incorporating social and environmental considerations in products and promotions.”

Realistically, this is not an accurate depiction of the various occasions for Budweiser consumption. The underage house parties, college frat parties, and rowdy football games are all excluded from this image. If Budweiser is selling a substance that has negative effects after extensive consumption, should they not advertise this as well? If cigarette companies are advertising the negative effects of smoking, should alcohol companies also advertise the negative effects of drinking?

Earlier this term, Nordstrom announced on Financial Post that it would be expanding into Canada in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Calgary. Nordstrom is set to open at our Pacific Center Downtown in the spring of 2016. Personally, I’m stoked. I no longer have to wait 2 hours and drive another 2 hours to Seattle to consume my post midterm rewards.

Just as Walmart must watch out for Target Canada, Holt Renfrew and The Bay should start considering strengthening marketing tactics before the upscale retailer crosses Canadian borders. While they are all upscale retailers for, they may want to look over their pricing strategies. According to The Star with John Torella, a senior partner with the J.C. Williams Group, Nordstrom “will be competitive within their segment. They won’t bring U.S. prices. They’ve all learned that lesson from J. Crew.”

Torella also notes that Nordstrom’s “key differentiation will be customer service” and its e-commerce business.  It will be interesting to see how The Bay and Holt Renfrew will increase value for their target market to maintain their sales. It’s time to increase benefits for loyal customers of Holt Renfrew and The Bay for the high prices they pay.

This is just lovely.

Tu Thanh Ha from The Globe and Mail reveals that the Ontario Medial Association “says junk food should be treated the same way as tobacco, slapped with higher taxes and packaged with graphic warning labels.”  Personally, I find this very motivating for people trying to stick to a healthy diet. If I walked into a store with strong craving for pizza and I was trying to get back into shape, a decaying liver on the packaging would most definitely assist me in rethinking my choices. However, I do agree with FCPC vice-president, Phyllis Tanaka, when she states that “a tax on food and beverages …  will hurt lower- and middle-income Ontarians the most.” I think the black liver is more than enough to divert customers from excessive consumption of fatty foods.

Imagine if this was on your chip bag

Imagine if your original Lays bag showed a picture of a dying, obese person with the words “this could happen to you, with the help of Lays.” (Somewhat like the picture to the right) What message would that send to you as a consumer? Talk about post purchase dissonance! The image that is associated with junk food if this law were to be enforced would be downright negative. However, it would be interesting to see the effects of the consumer decision process and junk food sales with this type of advertising.

I love this ad.

According to UBC Blogger, Vicky Wu, Samsung‘s success from their release of the Galaxy S3 was largely influenced by timing the release between Apple’s “gap” period between their iPhone 4S and 5.

The reason why I wanted a blackberry is on the top right corner

So What’s my choice? Currently, I am a proud owner of a while Samsung S2. I love my phone; it’s my source of scheduling and communication. However, there are glitches: my music player freezes a couple times a day, and the speakers occasionally blast even with headphones on. Embarassing, I know.

Despite the glitches, I’ve never been much of an Apple advocate. Banning the S3 is “bad sportmanship” by my definitions. So my obvious choice would be the S3. A couple years back, when the endangered and almost extinct Blackberry was Apple’s main competition, I almost gave in to a purchase of a Blackberry just for their flashing LED light that would tell me who I just got a text message from.

Guess what? The S3 has it!

Best of Both Worlds

In this case, I guess I’m Samsung’s type of consumer that emphasizes on the functional needs of the product (my LED light). As a consumer, I searched internally (experience with blackberries) and externally (playing with my friend’s S3) to recognize my desire for the S3. Since the S3 isn’t cheap, my perceived benefits for research exceeds the costs and I gain an internal locus of control by taking initiative to research. As an owner of the S2, I concentrate on the performance risks of the S3, such as their glitches in the sound system. Although an obvious alternative would be the iPhone 5, I take their brand and price into consideration and would choose the S3 over Apple anyday.

Samsung all the way.

Personalization: making things suitable for your own needs and wants.

Seems to be quite the growing trend. Coca Cola, a Fortune 500 company, has introduced its “freestyle” vending machines  in Toronto, Canada in May. These machines are expected to appear all over Canada within the next while.

Preview of the Newest Vending Machine Technology

According to Susan Krashinky from Globe and Mail, “Companies want to create loyalty by making customers feel special. Allowing them to make personalized choices is one of the easiest ways to do that.”

I agree. There have been too many times when I’ve stood in front of a food stand wondering if I could order a chili hamburger instead of the typical chili dog, or mull over two almost identical looking shoes for too long. I would love for all products to be customized for me at no extra charge. Hence, I think Coca Cola’s got it right with their new vending machines. Not only does this “freestyle” machine bring a new experience to consumers when fiddling around with a vending machine, but Coca Cola’s brand also expands product knowledge, especially with the lesser known brands such as Fresca.

I’m looking forward to having “freestyle” vending machines at UBC soon. I’m sure our students will love products that are geared “just for them.”

According to UBC Blogger, Iris Zhou, companies are resorting to the use of social media as a means of communication. Of course, thinking about it from a logical point of view, social media spreads information. Fast.

For example, the uprising in Egypt has been coordinated on Facebook and various forms of advertising are also located on Facebook. After Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com’s CEO, discovered the importance of social media to corporations, he warned executives that “they would face a ‘Corporate Spring‘” unless the implement the social revolution that is presently occurring. He proposed that the companies either have to make their companies social, or the company itself will be disposed.

However, Tom Austin, Gartner’s collaboration expert, created a law that basically stated that instead of having the social collaboration tools disrupt the hierarchical organizational structures, the structures itself will prevent the power of the social tools from growing.

There are two sides of the argument, and they both make valid points. Which do you think portrays companies and social media the best?

Is it possible that the two most used online functions are being joined together?

Wall Street Journal’s Live Blog revealed that Facebook now has 750 million users due to the partnership of Facebook and Microsoft, Skype’s new owner.

Facebook: an extremely popular online social networking site created by Mark Zuckerberg

Skype: a program that can be downloaded to call or video call other users

Facebook and Skype are now operating together to launch video calling on Facebook chat. With a new button between the ‘Message’ and ‘Poke’ buttons, you can now ‘Call’ your Facebook ‘Friend’! 

The benefits of this two in one function is that users of Facebook don’t have to “create new Skype accounts to make calls” and it also offers minimal set up.

Some suspect that this partnership is somehow linked to Facebook’s biggest competitor of social networking: Google+ and its ‘Hangout’ feature which includes group calling.

For me, this is pretty great. Skype uses up lots of memory on my computer so when I video call on Facebook chat, I don’t have to run Skype on my laptop so it doesn’t slow it down.

With Facebook constantly changing its layout and adding new functions, who knows what Google+ has in store to offer?

We all thought the only attempt Starbucks took to becoming “green,” or environmentally friendly, were their recyclable cardboard sleeves. However, Starbucks is now focusing on the 50$ billion Health and Wellness sector.

With Evolution Fresh Inc, Starbucks will be selling “nutritious, on-the-go options.” These options include a “unique, premium juice product.” That means that Starbucks will no longer be known for its expensive coffee, it will eventually be known for its healthy juice. This new juice will be known for its “premium quality” and nutrition. Starbucks believes that this new line of products will “attract new customers as well as meet needs of existing customers looking for nutritious beverage and food options. ” By opening up its product mix, Starbucks expanding its target market from just caffeine lovers and sleepy students to they health conscious members of society. 

Evolution Fresh was founded by Jimmy Rosenberg and it used a technology called High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP). HPP keeps the nutrients in the fresh fruit as it is being “juiced.”

I guess we have something to look forward to as this new change in the Starbucks’ line of products starts selling in 2012. Starbucks specializing in juice, who would’ve known?

In Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter’s definition of entrepreneurship, he emphasizes the NEW PRODUCTS that a company offers. The first thing that came to mind for me was Lululemon, a brand of yoga wear for men and women. Lululemon’s signature fabric, luon, hasn’t been invented of offered at any other athletic wear brands. Along with luon, luxtreme and TechFleece are all special fabrics that Lululemon uses for their clothing products. Luon doesn’t permanently stretch, but stretches temporarily 4 ways, and is preshrunk to offer what most other athletic products don’t: a great fit without sagging in the product.

Lululemon identified a problem in the market which was the lack of athletic wear that would fit the body shape without permanently sagging. To solve this problem, they offered a unique fabric to solve consumers in this market for once and for all.

Luon

Starbucks used to be the place where everyone met up for long chats or study sessions with tall white chocolate mochas and caramel macciatos. However, we just might see a migration to Tim Horton’s this winter. With its newest renovation including “wireless Internet connections, bench seating,” a new floor layout, an open kitchen, and  “arm chairs and soft lighting,” Timmy’s is now an ideal place to hang out. With its previously wooden/plastic chairs and florescent lighting gone, our Starbucks crew just might be enticed to Timmy’s.

Why not? Tim Horton’s offers smaller drinks and cheaper prices along with TIMBITS! Not only do the new and improved Timmys’ look and feel more comfortable, but it caters to students of all ages and people in the business industry with it’s free wireless Internet!

CEO Paul House said that the renovation’s goal was to “encourage customers to come inside, sit and perhaps spend a little more money rather than zooming through the drive-thru.” This renovation expands Tim Horton’s market to not only the people grabbing coffee in a hurry from the drive through window, but also the people who wish to sit or study at a newly renovated coffee shop.

Timbits anyone?