Looking through my classmates’ blogs, I came across Natalie Cheung’s blog about logos and slogans. I really agree with her opinion that the logos and slogans are two extremely crucial parts of a marketing campaign designed to increase brand awareness, as has been demonstrated by the likes of McDonalds, Nike and Apple.  This prompted me to think more about the qualities of good slogan.

• Mcdonalds: “I’m lovin’ it”
• Nike: “Just do it”
• Nokia: “Connecting People”
• American Express: “Don’t leave home without it.”
• Alka Seltzer: “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”
• Delta Airlines: “You’ll love the way we fly.”

All of these have a common theme: they’re very brief, memorable and they connect well with the company and what they do. This short statement reflects your vision, image and professional pride of the company. Much more than telling the clients that they provide great services or products, these slogans can successfully attract our attention, makes a strong impression and creates sharp market distinction. They increase brand recall  

Although the proper combination of logo and slogan may not determine market positioning of the firm, they have a great influence on how we, the consumers, perceives their image and competence.

[Thank you for reminding me last time. I posted an additional blog linking to my classmate’s blog. Can you plz look at it as well? Thank you :)]

This blog is in response to Andy Mao’s blog.

For starters, modern world marketing has “no boundaries” as success can be achieved when one applies the right strategy in the correct way. Many believed Apple had gone nuts when it chose to enter the smart phone industry, facing intense competition from specialists and adored brands such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, HTC, and Samsung.  However, Apple had keen eyesight and captured the weak spot of its enemies. While other products may be top-notch in terms of technology, almost all of the big brands were suffering from “marketing myopia.” By stressing purely on technology, the big brands forgot the mission of its products which is to make people’s lives simple and convenient. Complex operations and constant malfunctions of smart phones had users fed up yet no one bothered to clean up their mess and instead made matters worse. Apple on the other hand, came in and saved the day. With a simple home button and everything else operated at the desire of the fingertip, the iPhone (and iPad) offer consumers nothing but simplicity and the feeling that everything is within control.

Original Post by Andy: https://blogs.ubc.ca/wailungmao/2012/01/16/this-is-marketing/

The fashion company Zara has a marketing strategy that is quite unique. Zara only spends about 0.3% of their revenue on promotion. This would be the reason Zara does not appear on television or poster advertisements. Zara focuses heavily on their product, place and pricing as opposed to promotion. Zara rarely advertises any store sales or  have sales promotions other than sale items unlike other retailers.  It is also interesting to note that Zara never places their brand or logo on their products. In contrast to local retailers like J2 Clothing, Zara’s sales associates do not need to focus on personal selling. Their customer service within the store is rather weak. It is their innovative products and affordable pricing that keeps customers returning to their store. Their products seemingly advertises itself.

In addition, Zara has remarkable logistics and they are able to get a product from design to the shelf in just two weeks. With such efficiency, they are able to produce thousands of new designs a year. In fact, Zara produces new products every week as said on their website. Zara is known for their fast fashion, which means popular products may disappear off the shelf within days, forcing customers to constantly check for new items.

Zara also markets it’s brand through rapid expansion. With more than 1,500 stores around the world in over 70 countries, they open around 150 new stores every year. With the brand becoming world renown, the company is also focusing on sustainable marketing by opening stores which consume 30% less energy compared to the average conventional store. The new stores also save 50% of water consumption and maintains their CO2 emissions below 150 toms a year.

It is no wonder a Louis Vuitton spokesperson described Zara as “possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world”.