Came across an interesting blog on Branding Strategy Insider where the author commented on the effect of the human unconscious contributing to human behaviour drivers.

I find this blog particularly intriguing because it is true and happens all the time around us. If it was 30 degrees outside and I came across a McFlurry advertisement, it would be more than likely that I will have one in my hands sooner or later. In fact, any refreshment advertisement will look appealing.

Like the author said, “Successful brands utilize symbolism, the personification of the archetype, to tap into the human emotions that lay buried deep within the collective unconscious and evoke an associated behaviour.” We all can name a few brands that are well-known by practically everyone. According to the article, there is a reason why we can name them immediately without running it through our heads. Their archetype, their original message to consumers, was well delivered and we perceive them as the brand to go after for a specific product or service.

Like the website’s name, this blog is created by various “guest authors” and they each share their insight on how branding is related to various fields. It is a good website to occasionally visit and see the concepts learned demonstrated through actual examples.

In any setting, let it by a job interview, a blind date, a dinner conference, or even passing by in a crowd of people, the first impression that you make to others is very important because it will set up in the other person’s eyes of what kind of person you are. Of coarse, companies are also aware of this phenomenon and they need advertisements that are memorable and stays in the consumers’ mind.

Wendy’s Blog on “Three Little Pigs” criticized the advertisement of The Guardian Newspaper and I would like to put my opinion here as well. Not only did the advertisement effectively communicated its efficiency and vast coverage, it also overthrown “The Three Little Pig” story’s impression in my mind. In this advertisement, the brave and quick-witted little pigs who got rid of the big bad wolf turned into murderers that wanted to escape the huge mortgage payments.

Like Wendy mentioned, “Starting from the wolf’s murder, the story creatively linked to issues such as homeowner’s rights, insurance fraud and mortgages, demonstrating the power of media and technology.” After watching this advertisement, viewers would have the urge to actually go on the website and see what other news are there. It effectively portrayed what people look for in a news article, which is the “undercover story”, or “what really happened?”

When fairytale was given a reality check, there was no happily ever after.

Within the next 24 hours, the hottest buzz around would be about “Samsung Galaxy SIV”. Less than a month ago, it was about “Blackberry Z10”. Then, most likely in the fall of this year, perhaps the “iPhone 5s/6” will take over. Technologies are improving fast, the demand for smartphones are increasing more than ever, all these suggest that the smartphone industry is still on the rise.

“Samsung became the smartphone leader worldwide more than a year ago, according to IDC” This phenomenon came relatively fast considering the smartphone industry. Two years ago, most people around me were using, or wanting, an iPhone. Now, the Samsung users are starting to surface. I think what brought Samsung to its current position cannot be separated from its marketing strategies and tactics.

Unlike Apple whose advertisements are focused on cleanliness and its features, Samsung is focused on how these features operate, especially when celebrities are holding them. From British football players to korean singers, Samsung recognized the power of fans going after what their idols uses.

The second point that I would like to make is Samsung’s pricing strategy. Apple’s iPhones use metal material, while Samsung’s Galaxys’ are plastic. Logically, Samsung should price their smartphones cheaper. Yet, on top of a less expensive price, Samsung did a great job of differentiating, which is a strategy for prestigious pricing. Their new products come out with innovative and interesting features. The balance of pricing and differentiating puts Samsung as the strongest competitor against Apple.

Wonder how the “eye scrolling” technology works..

Dr.John Izzo is “a leading business strategy expert, a best-selling author, a community leader, and an avid conservationist.”And if you visit his website, you would discover that he is much more than that.

Dr. John Izzo recently spoke at the TEDxVancouver conference on the topic of “The Defining Moment for a Generation-In-Waiting.” It was an interesting video to watch and the comments below wrote “motivating”, “inspiring”, “captivating” and many other complimentary responses. It then occurred to me to think why would someone become a social influence, to be admired by others.

For one, I think it is the “experience”. It is not until you have experienced something can you talk about it persuasively. It could be something that others also experienced, it could be something that others does not wish to experience, or it could be something others desire to experience. One occasion or another, experience provide things that books just can not substitute for.

Secondly, I think it is the words that he used to engage with people. Using “us”, “we”, to make the audience feel that they are in the same situation, using words such as “pride” and “our generation” to make the audience bring up a sense of belonging and collaboration.

Lastly, the strong statistics that he brought out at the beginning of this video present to the audience the hard facts that support his argument.

This video gave me the urge to google him and find out more about him. I think being able to persuade others through talking is an accumulated skill that is very valuable to possess. Find out more of the videos from the TEDxVancouver conference here.

The talk of the week is all about Research In Motion (RIM), or their new official name, BlackBerry. The new BlackBerry Z10 has not been yet released but it is already making its appearance on ebay. This new technology has completely abandoned its signature keyboard and switched to touch screen to compete with other smartphones on the market.

Where there’s popularity, there is always fans, and that goes for the people who can wait hours even days for new gadgets in front of retailer stores. Some avid BlackBerry fans cannot bare the waiting queue and started bidding for the Z10 online for more than $3000.00; even when they know that it is expected to sell for $150.00 in Canada with a three-year contract, and Koodo is selling it contract-free for $550.00.

The value that consumers place on a product or service is significant. The higher they value, the more they are willing to spend on it. Whether it being “I want to be the first to have it” or “I’m getting it because it is a BlackBerry”. BlackBerry also fully understands the value-based era and Z10’s selling price is more than double the price of a typical BlackBerry Curve. I would say that the launch of Z10 in a market that is hot for touchscreen smartphones is a bold move because it is moving away from what is it known for, its keyboards, to what other brands are selling. It shows the consumers that BlackBerry are just as capable as any other cellphone company. On the other hand, it also blurs the image of a typical BlackBerry in consumers’ minds.

Post inspiration is here

I came across a research titled “Ethical Problems of Marketing Researchers” published on the Journal of Marketing Research by the American Marketing Association. One of the questions that the researchers posed to 4282 marketing practitioners was “Would you please briefly describe the job situation that poses the most difficult ethical or moral problem for you?” Out of the 1076 usable responses, 33% nominated “Research Integrity”, in other words, one third of the sampled marketing practitioners had difficulty presenting the truth.

What research integrity suggests is that market researchers have the ethical conflict of finding the balance between satisfying what its company wants while fulfilling the responsibilities to a client outside the company. Behaviours often included falsifying figures, altering research results, misusing statistics, and many more.

When a manager of a firm comes up with a proposal, empirical data and persuading numbers are needed to back it up. It becomes the marketing personnels’ duty to provide those data and numbers. This would be a breeze if market research matched that proposed by the manager (which I believe what a worthy manager would propose), but otherwise, it would be a dilemma storming in. “Should I comply my numbers with the manager or find another job?”

As an example from the research, one respondent reported, “We try to bury the mistake and concentrate on the valid parts of the study in those results.” There is nothing wrong with focusing on the valid parts, but I think burying the mistakes would results in bigger issues in the long run. With all being said, the marketing personnel could provide the data and advice the manager that withheld information could pose problems in the future, or they could report to the top management team and notify them of the setbacks of the proposal. I would prefer the latter, and perhaps the top management team could consider the alternative of hiring an external research company.

The details of this article is very interesting and worth further investigation. The research could be found here.