Features and…
December 3rd, 2010 • marketing (296) • No comments
In response to Evan Standerwick’s comment:
Also, even though the samsung Galaxy S has all the same features for the most part, I dont think that the perceived value is the same as the iPhone. It appears to be another copy of the iPhone.
It is important to remember that the specific functionality of the device is only one dimension upon which people base their decisions/attitudes. You also need to look at the user experience, the quality, the post-purchase support, reliability, brand equity, exclusivity, originality, availability of add-ons/accessories, and about a million other criteria that people base their decisions on. Add into that mix other influences on the decision making process: social factors (reference groups, family), psychological factors (attitudes, lifestyle), situational factors (maybe to a lesser extent), and the marketing mix. These are not typically well represented on spec-sheets.
Consider all of these factors and I am sure you’ll see that, to the typical customer, these devices are more different than you might think.
Studio Update
November 24th, 2010 • dee studio (486j) • No comments
It was interesting to hear from every group in today’s session. Unfortunately due to time constraints each presentation felt so rushed that it was hard for me to really grasp what each group was trying to do. As a result the quality of feedback suffered.
The “go further” advice that was given out today seems like it would have been useful a few weeks ago, when we could have ample time to adjust. Now we are just a week from presenting and it is a little late to start making big changes.
Pare it down
November 17th, 2010 • dee studio (486j) • No comments
Perhaps this would have been a good topic to discuss in class – principals for selecting the best ideas among many. I imagine a number of other groups are going through this process now.
As this project is so open-ended, and little has been done in this area that we can see, it is tempting to try to take it on all at once and produce a completely polished product. We’ve really blown up our project, we’ve come up with a number of good ideas that we can see being implemented together – incentives, ways to display information, connecting the individual to the community.
Now we face the reality that we cannot cover all of those ideas well given our time constraints. It is time to focus on a few key ideas.
What you can’t copy
November 17th, 2010 • marketing (296) • No comments
I’ve been thinking about this with regard to a business proposal project I am doing for Business Writing (COMM 486W).
My team members proposed introducing a unique food item from Japan. For the longest time, it seemed silly to me. So easy to copy, unoriginal. Does anyone remember the first establishment in Vancouver that started serving sushi? Does anyone care? No.
Yet they persisted. People will really like this food.
As I thought more about restaurants it occurred to me – for many it is not really about the food at all. Food is too easy to copy. Sure, good restaurants need to make good food, but I think (for the majority, not the true foodies) it only has to be good enough.
If you have ever read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, he wrote about how truly great violinists were only good enough, and once they passed a certain “talent” threshold what really separated them was practice. Similarly, Nobel Prize winners typically come from good schools, not the greatest schools as they only need to be “smart” (IQ wise) enough, and they win their Nobel Prizes with things like creativity.
So once you pass the “taste” threshold, it really comes down to the atmosphere, decor, service, location – the brand really. And that’s a lot harder to copy than a recipe.
Connections, part two
November 12th, 2010 • dee studio (486j), marketing (296) • No comments
As I continue to work on the Pulse/AMS project for the d-studio (486J) I’ve noticed a number of other marketing connections.
Our idea is basically an interface that informs you of the energy consequences of the food-related decisions you make in the Student Union Building (altering the shopping experience). Clearly anyone can use it right away, but what segment should we target as we introduce it?
As we are introducing something new, we need to first focus on the innovators: the sustainability-minded individuals that frequent the Student Union Building. Perhaps the same type of people who frequent Sprouts.
In order to accelerate diffusion to the early adopters and the majority, we need to ensure that the system we design is compatible, visible, easy to use, and provides some sort of advantage.
Going forward
Survey/focus group people in Sprouts in order to get feedback.
Go through our proposal so far in order to ensure it meets as many of the diffusion requirements as we can.
Drawing connections
October 26th, 2010 • dee studio (486j), marketing (296) • No comments
As the term progresses I keep seeing strong connections between 296 and the d-studio (486J). This became quite evident over the past few days, when I began considering our next project for the studio working with Pulse Energy, AMS Catering and the new SUB.
We have been given quite a bit of lee-way with defining the scope of our project, so in order to frame the project in my head I began to write, draw and color. I began with a question:
What does energy monitoring enable?
The way I see it, energy monitoring supplies information so that we may change our behaviour. Whose behaviour are we looking to change with this project? The Catering department’s, or its customers’? And what behaviour specifically?
Catering’s energy intensiveness seems to be determined by 3 things: the efficiency of their equipment, their processes and the types of food they prepare. The move to the new SUB means all new equipment, and they have been working to improve the efficiency of their processes for the move. Of course, monitoring could help further improve Catering’s efficiency but it seems that Pulse has already developed, or is currently developing, many solutions for the business side of the equation.
For me, framing the problem around the consumer seems more open and interesting. The consumer determines what food is prepared by Catering, so if we can influence their purchasing behaviour we can lower energy consumption.
What determines their purchasing behaviour? Recall: Consumer behaviour.
1. Psychological factors (needs/motives, attitudes, lifestyle, learning, perception)
2. Social factors (family, reference groups)
3. Situational factors (purchase situation, shopping situation, temporal state)
4. Marketing mix (product, price, promotion, place)
The decision making process: Identify need -> Search for information -> Evaluate alternatives -> Purchase -> Post purchase
Where can Pulse monitoring fit in?
It seems obvious that by presenting information to consumers (while purchasing) would affect the shopping situation. Assuming the information is well presented, it could also affect the consumer’s temporal state, and their attitudes (particularly the cognitive, and perhaps the affective portions) through learning.
We can also assume that monitoring may affect price, as it provides Catering with more accurate cost information.
Further questions
What specifically does the decision making process look like for Catering’s segment? What type of information will resonate with them the most, and what is the best way to present it to them?
I’m a victim
October 18th, 2010 • marketing (296) • 1 comment
I have never liked Diet Coke. My wife drinks it – she calls it DC.
But ever since Coke Zero came out, I’ve been a fan. “Wow, this really does taste like regular Coke,” I’d find myself thinking. And zero calories, what’s not to like?
When I’d drink one, I’d think to myself why they didn’t just get rid of Diet Coke altogether and replace it with this obviously superior blend. It must cost quite a bit to maintain three Coke products as ubiquitously as they do. It seems silly, I am sure if they tried it all the die-hard Diet Coke drinkers would be quite happy..
Until Thursday’s class when Tamar lets us know that Coke Zero is targeted at young males. The black can, the bold graphic, no “Diet” anywhere to be seen.
I’ve always thought of myself as impervious to such marketing ploys. When I found out, all I could do was laugh.
I wonder about all the primary research that goes into a release like this. Far more than surveys, I’d assume.
Johnny Bunko
October 17th, 2010 • dee studio (486j) • 1 comment
Dan Pink should sound familiar to those in the d-studio. An excerpt from A Whole New Mind was assigned reading, and we’ve talked about him briefly in class. He has a great TED talk about workplace incentives.
This book is a fun read, perfect for anyone at Sauder thinking about what they want to do when they graduate. Its the first business manga, and you’ll zip right through it. Don’t let it fool you, there are some good lessons in here.
1. There is no plan
2. Strengths, not weaknesses
3. It’s not about you
4. Persistence trumps talent
5. Make excellent mistakes
6. Leave an imprint
I’ll leave it up to you to fill in the blanks. Highly recommended.
Stupid simple drawings
October 14th, 2010 • dee studio (486j) • 1 comment
It was flattering to hear how well the visuals for our presentation went over with the guest panel. And they were designers!
While they may have looked “stupid” it really took a lot of time to narrow down what the key ideas were, and how to visually represent those without any excess noise. I Sharpie’d through many sheets of paper before I was able to come up with sketches that clearly represented the main point we were trying to get across.
The process also helped inform the content of the presentation. As I began sketching we only had discussed a rough outline for our presentation. Given that guideline I was able to experiment with many different ways to communicate our ideas, each opening up new avenues for exploration. Each different visual representation also had a slightly different verbal representation, so it was really a matter of selecting the combination that would be most effective especially given the tight time constraints.
In the end I think it was right to cut out all of the unnecessary details out of our initial presentation in order to make it more understandable for everyone. Given that everyone had a strong handle on our proposal right away, we had lots of time to discuss the finer details during the discussion session which followed.
To use Don’s analogy, we tried to throw one ping pong ball at a time.
Whats your signal to noise ratio?
Exit Bike Kitchen, enter assignment 5. From the limited information Ron and Moura disclosed today, it looks exciting.