With the recent release of Apple’s iPhone 5, the fight between Samsung and Apple is not ceasing anytime soon. Samsung decided it was time to revive their famous “Next big thing is already here” marketing campaign and I recently caught the latest commercial on TV. As an Apple user, I still love the commercial, which I find extremely witty.

This commercial relates back to our lecture on positioning as a part of marketing. Samsung is doing what the QuickMBA article refers to as “repositioning the competition”. The tight competition between the Samsung Galaxy and iPhone makes it perfect for Samsung to air this commercial as a way for consumers to consider the iPhone in a different way. In the commercial, the many Apple customers are made to look ridiculous for spending countless hours lining up for the new iPhone when the supposedly better Galaxy S3 is “already here”. Even if you’re not a Samsung fan, I’m sure you will be able to appreciate this amusing commercial.

After being fascinated by the corporate culture of Zappos, I wanted to learn more about other companies who use their culture as a competitive advantage. I came across Southwest Airlines and an article discussing the airline’s focus on developing a thriving organizational culture.

Southwest Airlines CFO, Laura Wright, is quoted in an article saying:

You must take time to celebrate and recognize employees if you want to keep them engaged and productive.

This is the reasoning behind Southwest’s fun and engaging work environment, which includes events such as costume parties and “Finance Olympics”. Southwest even has a specialized “culture keeper” department that helps to maintain its unique culture. In an industry where customer satisfaction is key, Southwest Airlines first targets its own employees. Employees who are happy will be motivated to keep customers happy as well, and even go the extra mile to help them. As a customer, the service I am given is definitely a major factor for me in deciding whether I want to go back to the company or not.

When considering the profitability of a company, corporate culture is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. However, customer satisfaction and employee turnover rate are both directly related to a company’s culture. Companies such as Southwest Airlines are proof of what a developed culture can do for success.

Article: Pushing 40, Southwest is still playing a rebel

Today’s lecture about social enterprises definitely widened my perspective about the business world. I never really thought about the significant impact companies can have in creating revolutionary social change, whether it be on the small scale or large scale.

I was reminded of a local social venture near my home in Surrey. Price Pro is a retail store in the Newton area that opened a few years ago in 2009. Its founder, John Volken, was the former CEO of the successful United Furniture Warehouse before becoming a social entrepreneur. Price Pro’s slogan is “Save Money, Change Lives” and that’s exactly what it’s dedicated to do. Men and women who struggle with addiction and find themselves in and out of jail are given the opportunity to work at Price Pro. By working at the retail store, Volken teaches these men and women skills they would otherwise not receive, and helps to rehabilitate them from their addictions.

One employee sums up his experience at Price Pro by saying:

Here, you don’t get fired if you lose your temper.

It’s inspiring to see the type of social change capable by social entrepreneurs. As I pursue my degree in business, social entrepreneurship is something I will be keeping in the back of my mind.

Article: Newton store strives to change lives

As a fan of frozen yogurt, Joanna Huang’s blog post about a new brand called Yogurty’s Froyo caught my eye. Recently, the market for frozen yogurt has become more and more competitive as the popularity for the ice cream alternative has spiked. With an increased concern for healthy living, as well as endorsement from celebrity sightings such as Justin Bieber and Britney Spears, frozen yogurt has become a new trend.

As noted by Joanna, I think it’s a great idea for the company behind the original Yogen Fruz to come up with a new brand as a fresh start in today’s competitive market. Yogurty’s Froyo will be able to keep up with the new “self-serve” model set by other yogurt shops. With regards to brand positioning, Yogurty’s must establish itself not just as another frozen yogurt shop, but it must distinguish itself from other leading brands. Currently, with frozen yogurt still on the rise, there is yet to be a clear brand leader. Pinkberry, Menchie’s, Qoola, and now Yogurty’s Froyo are all very similar and are all fighting for the top brand position in the consumer’s mind. Which one will come out on top? It’s going to be a fierce battle.

While reading up about market research, I stumbled upon a blog article by Jessica Vascellaro of the Wallstreet Journal concerning Apple and its stance on market research. A few years ago, former head of Apple, Steve Jobs, was famously quoted:

We do no market research. We don’t hire consultants…

But recently, during the ongoing Apple vs. Samsung patent lawsuit, a document titled “Apple Market Research & Analysis, May 2011” was discovered. It seems as if the circulating story about Apple not doing market research is just a myth after all.

Steve Jobs must have either hated conducting market research, which is why he never admitted to it, or Apple felt it was necessary to keep its details a hidden secret. The latter makes more sense to me. Each company will probably have differing views about the appropriateness and the extent of market research, but in the end, results could be very valuable. Even companies who are against it could benefit from asking consumers the right questions. The fact that one of the most successful companies, Apple, does indeed carry out market research should be an indicator on how vital the tool really is.

Link to blog: here