Business. Communication. Enrichment.

The biggest news in the summer time in the world of professional basketball revolves around Lebron James, one of the most recognized basketball player. During the summer, he was a free agent, which means that he has the ability to sign with any team that offers him a contract. Being that year’s reigning Most Valuable Player of the NBA.com, he garners most of the attention of the summer in the basketball world. He could have resigned with current team where he is clearly the leader. He was everything to his basketball organization. He holds the record for the most number of jerseys sold under his name. He is one of the most popular sport icon to date. But when he made his “Decision” to switch team, the basketball world went berserk. People from his old team’s city burned his jersey in the public. They took down his posters around the city and some bar even made an offer to whoever that brings in his old jersey gets a free beer. In Lebron James’ next commercial with Nike, he asked the question what should he do throughout the commercial and there were numerous response to the video. Michael Jordan even publicly made a response video to his. All this antagonism toward Lebron James subconsciously helped Nike get much more exposure in the public. No publicity is bad publicity. 🙂

After leisurely browsing through Daniel Kong’s blog ( http://www.xn--6rvs3i2wa.com/), something struck me: how does fashion play a role on men’s daily life. Although I am just an university student, I am quite fortunate to own many designer clothing and accessories. Since Christmas is coming up, I do have many things on my mind that I would like to invest in. Apparently this winter in Vancouver would be the coldest in 50 years, it would only seem reasonable for me to invest on a nice scarf. I really like the plaid scarf from Burberry in navy color as below.

http://us.burberry.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3926759&cp=2119969.4471680.1862184&parentPage=family

But as I was looking through the Marc Jacobs website, I came across this plaid scarf also in grey.

http://www.marcjacobs.com/special-items/view-all-special-items/922bbdda-2e49-48f7-a0a3-71e8ecbe445d/cashmere-plaid-scarf–55

I did a comparison between the two product using the concept of the 4Psand this is what i have come up with:

Price:

Burberry scarf: costs 345 CAD without tax

Marc Jacob scarf: costs 55 USD without tax

Place:

Burberry scarf: Holt Renfrew in Downtown Vancouver, Burberry in Downtown Vancouver (flagship store), Harry Rosen in Vancouver (multiple outlets)

Marc Jacob scarf: no flagship store in Vancouver, available in the US flagship stores and other department stores

Product

Burberry scarf: top quality cashmere in dark blue background with light grey and dark red lining

Marc Jacob scarf: cashmere scarf with dark grey base with light grey and dark orange lining

Promotion

Burberry scarf: not strongly advertised through the media or ads but gained many exposure from the brand establishment

Marc Jacob scarf: no advertisement seen in Vancouver and only exist in limited stores with limited selections and quantity

Conclusion: Although Burberry has a higher quality of cashmere and is a bit more well known to the general population, the price tag on the product is indeed a little bit too high for me as an unemployed university student. A scarf from a highly respected designer under 100 dollars is suffice to satisfy my little desire for designer items. MJ here I come 😉

Upon entering the 21st century, our world and our life have been changing drastically. Innovative entrepreneurs came up with groundbreaking ideas like the creation of Youtube and Facebook. These things are changing the way we approach our daily life. Many of us wake up and go check our Facebook first thing in the morning. Due to the uprising trend of social media and its exposure in the world, many companies are trying get on the bandwagon and utilize mediums like Twiiter or Flickr to their advantage. Operating and maintaining such websites may be hard for the baby boomers since these things did not exist in their times. You and I are all potential candidates for operating social media websites for such companies. These websites are great marketing tools for websites, but sometimes it can also be effective indirectly. I am sure whenever a new movie is released, and the people who went have come back commenting the film on Facebook. Something as simple as updating one’s status “Avatar is sooo goood” can act as great marketing. Friends will see the updated status and perhaps try the movie solely based on your simple comment. The marketing team of Avatar did not pay you to do such a thing, but in a way, you are indirectly helping them to advertise their movies and generate future revenue for them. I recall the owner of Macromedia Flash trashes its own product and creation on sites to receive candid feedback. Methods mentioned above are just some of the ways that companies can benefit from social media. I think social media is a revolutionary tool and the faster companies use it to its advantage, the faster the company will grow and prosper.

On a Sunday night, I decided to watch a comedy named “Morning Glory” with a couple of my friends. Even after watching the trailer, I was still quite interested and confused of what to expect from the movie. The movie had a good balance of senior actors like Harrison Ford and upcoming actors like Rachel McAdams. Throughout the movie I had a great time laughing and enjoying every bit of humor presented in the movie. Just as the movie is about to end, a random song started to play. The song started at its chorus, and it immediately caught my attention. The song is a great match to the happy ending of the movie and it greatly captured the mood/tone of the movie. The combination at the end kept me happy and joyful for the rest of the night. I think the combination of songs and movie scenes acts like great marketing for both the movie and the song. In my case, the movie inspired me to find out more about the song and I ended up purchasing the song from iTune. Enjoy 🙂

ps. notice toward the end of the trailer, the song gets played 🙂

My carbon footprint number is 3.678. Clearly, I have not been aware of my energy use which is something that is not good due to our current environmental crisis. However, is this number going to change any of my usual habits? No. Am I going to change my lifestyle just because I have a slightly high rating in carbon emission? No. First of all, I have a big family and it is inevitable for me and my family to use large amount of carbon emission. Also, we love to travel to world class entertainment events like the Olympics and World Expo. Plane is only transportation that can get me from Vancouver to events around the world. All these emissions are necessary; therefore, it would be hard for me to reduce that number drastically. Also, I do recycle regularly and I use recyclable bags when I do grocery shopping. Off course I know maintaining a friendly environment is important, but if it requires me to change my lifestyle significantly, it would be a disappointment. I would love to help the environment in as many as ways as I can, but if I were to not drive or take the transit everyday, it would be difficult for me to contribute to the greater cause. As people say, “Changes start small”. 🙂

As the NBA season is about to open, I, a die-heart basketball fan, feel the intensity and the fierce spirit of playoff basketball. NBA has been exploring interesting commercials for years to attract sport lover to follow the sport of basketball. This following commercial is played last year during the 2010 NBA playoff season.

The video started off with two renown celebrities, Jamie Foxx and Justin Timberlake, dressed nicely in a limousine perhaps going to a grand ceremony. They started talking about the topic of NBA basketball. As they bring up individual teams and players, the highlights of such teams and players will accompany their entertaining comments. I find the commercial very effectively as it incorporates the idea of basketball and fame together. The use of famous celebrities obviously garners much attention which is great for attracting the general public. Also as the Jamie Foxx and Justin Timerlake argue with each other on their views of NBA Playoff, it creates a heated tension much similar to the intensity of the games. Toward the end of the commercial, the basketball duel between both celebrities along with clips of NBA highlights brought the atmosphere to another level. Overall I think this commercial took a special approach in putting together both basketball and celebrities. I liked that way that it portrays the true spirit and passion of playoff basketball in the NBA.

Weight loss has always been the “hot” topic that has been around for many years. People, including myself, always have their vision of a perfect body that we always aim for. People are always looking for the “best way” to get slim. Eager entrepreneurs obviously will recognize this as a golden opportunity to make a profit. The competition will obviously be aggressive and marketing will play a major role in attracting buyers’ attention. I came across an effective way of advertising diet pills.

First of all, this advertisement uses the power of celebrities to promote their product. A simple gossip on Britney Spears, a well known pop artist, can bring so much media attention regardless if its good or bad. Zantrex-3, the advertised slimming pills, are exposed to the public and it may be regarded as the “pills” celebrities take to be slim. The target market for this product is evident: teenage girls who want to look like celebrities. Teenage girls will be easily convinced on the strength of Zantrex-3 since “Britney Spears” uses it. They made the advertisement look like a newspaper article, so it feels like the story of Britney Spears is the main focus while the marketing of the diet pill can have its presence under the radar. It allows readers to create a connection between celebrities and diet pills. In a way, it is a form of ambush marketing because the diet pill is well in disguise in such article that it feels like they are not really advertising.

Overall, I think this advertisement have captivated the main focus of marketing diet pills. It provides proof of the validity of the pills and it also gives the company an edge in the market share of such product. Generally, people should not use unnatural methods to lose weight because our body do not work like that. Many side effects like diarrhea and cramps may occur frequently and it often requires one to take multivitamin supplements daily. Also, these pills often requires patience, and more often than not, once one stop, the weight will come back eventually. The best way to lose weight is to drink more water, eat balanced meals, exercise regularly, and stay positive. Once you can consistently do all these things, you will finally be satisfied with your body. Here you go 😉

As the NBA regular season approaches around the end of October, I, a die-heart basketball fan, feel the excitement and the expectation gradually creeping in. As I was surfing through YouTube, I came across this exclusive commercial for the new NBA video game, NBA 2K11. Although this commercial is merely two minutes long, it spurted many things in terms of marketing as I watch it.

The advertisement starts with current NBA stars sitting in front of the couch playing the newest video game. They are going through the incredible feats of Michael Jordan, the worldwide icon of basketball. With each new feat being introduced, a quick video of Jordan was played immediately. As each feat is being introduced and brought up, the players are in awe of what the “basketball god” has done for the sport. They not only admire the sport, but also pay a great due of respect to Mr. Jordan. I find the commercial very effective as it incorporates the idea of basketball and fame together. The use of famous current basketball stars obviously garners much attention that is great for attracting the general public. They used players from the USA national team that has recently won gold medal in a renowned international basketball tournament; therefore, the video is not only exposed in the North America, but also worldwide. The players are constantly cracking jokes on not only the subject of basketball, but also to one another. This creates a joyful atmosphere within the commercial and it also portrays the real purpose of the sport, entertainment and zeal. Unlike other video game commercials, which often make the commercial their time to show off their technology advances and such, this commercial effectively uses the nature of the sport to its advantage and attract audience with the adventure and excitement of playing this game. Overall I think this commercial took an unusual but unique approach in advertising their video game with style and creativity. This video represents the true spirit and excitement of basketball. I am definitely getting this game on the day it releases. 🙂

To sponsor an event, regardless of types, there are many aspects that a company must take into account. First of all, the company should do a thorough calculation on Return on Investment (ROI). ROI will be great indicator of whether the investment that the company made was actually profitable or not. If ROI is lower than the projected value, much portion of the investment may eventually result as sunk cost, which will be detrimental to the company’s financial position. The degree of the event is also critical, because company needs to make keen judgment on if the scale of the event is worth the investment. The events can be categorized as local, regional, national, and international. The more renowned the event is, the more market attention and coverage the company shall receive. Therefore, the company should aim for world-class events because these events will garner maximum media attention as well as consumer exposure. Reputation and popularity is also important because the brand of the event can have plenty hidden implications that can be either advantageous or harmful. Last but not least, the financial position of the company is also very important. The company needs to figure out if the company can withstand the investment into the unknown future since marketing generally yields long-term return. The solvency and liquidity of the company should be closely calculated as well. These aspects are definitely something that the company must examine before making any immense investment in events of all sorts.

Recently, the Canadian Dollar has surpassed United Dollars. Is it actually beneficial for Canada? In terms of consumers, it is indeed favorable. People who travel often around North America will feel like spending right at home. Especially for Canadian who live not to far from the border, they will pay more trips down to United States for shopping. It may sound like it is beneficial, but it is actually not a good sign for the Canadian economy. Superficially speaking, stores in Canada will likely have a decrease in sales, but nation wise, it is a big loss for Canada in terms of imports and exports. Canada trade with Japan, UK, and other members of EU, but Canada trade predominantly with US. Canada exports appoximately 222 million and imports 180 million with US. With the increase of the Canadian dollar, export will most likely drop, because global wise, US still have better recognition than Canada. Countries will obviously trade with countries that has a lower cost; therefore, indirectly the US economy will be aided by the increase of the Canadian dollar. Although a strong dollar is a lucid indication of a prosperous economy, I still think that the Canadian government should try to maintain CAD at a optimal rate where it is will be beneficial for the country.