Elizabeth

As we were talking about the 7C’s of E-Commerce in class, I started becoming more observant when viewing websites to see if they fulfilled the 7C’s well. One website which caught my attention while browsing is JustFab which is an online shoe shopping site!

Context: The site’s layout and design is attractive in bright colours and easy to navigate!

Content: After navigating the website for awhile, I find the pictures very well-taken and eye-catching! Text is kept to the minimal which appeals to more visual shoppers.

Community: For every shoe, the website provides a section for customer reviews on the product! As a customer, I will feel more comfortable buying after reading reviews of the product! Also, for the review section – there is an option for customers to indicate whether the shoe sizes run half size larger/smaller/or is true to the size which is very helpful for online shoppers who have reservations about buying shoes without trying. Knowing that 86% people recommend this product will definitely increase the chances of purchase.
Customization: The tagline of the company used in their advertisements is: “For $39.95, you get a pair of shoes, a personal shopper, and free shipping! ” And this tagline is also represented in their website! On their website, users are easily directed to a quiz that determines your fashion style. After that, their style experts will choose shoes similar to your taste and preferences and create your own boutique where you can shop from a selection specially chosen for you! This customized boutique is unique and I think this greatly differentiates them from other websites.

Communication is key in this company as well as seen from the fashion consultants available through live chats and email which enhances site-to-user communication.

Connection: In addition, the site is linked to other websites like Twitter and Facebook as seen from above.

Commerce: As an online shopping site, they accept convenient modes of payment to enable efficient transactions.
As a whole, I feel that JustFab has built an efficient website that has fulfilled the 7C’s! I really like their way of communicating with users and the personalization done. Customers appeal to the idea of having a personal shopper and having that included in the affordable price of $39.95 per pair of heels, I feel that it is a great differentiating marketing strategy compared to all the other online sites currently.

Here’s a video of how JustFab works if you’re interested!

Following the hype of the new launch of the Apple iPad 3, and a whopping record of more than a million preorders for the iPad 3, beating the iPad 2, I was puzzled as to what is it about the Apple’s branding such that they have such a huge sense of customer loyalty?

The first thing that came to my mind is their advertisements:

From their respective advertisements, I came to conclude that Apple’s brand personality is Simplicity. They thrive on being simple, as illustrated by their simple white advertisements, that come with a strong impact, albeit having minimal words. Apple’s brand strategy puts the customer’s brand experience as their centre of focus. This strategy resonates through their advertisements (pre-purchase), the customer service that is available (as seen from the number of friendly sales staff available at every Apple store), and the user experience (post-purchase). More recently, they introduced the iCloud which seamlessly integrates all Apple products together, making the transferring of data for Apple users much less of a hassle.

As seen from Apple’s timely release of launches and clearly delivered brand messages to the users, Apple is well ahead in brand management. After successfully rolling out their product to the world, Apple continues living up to its name by delivering exceptional user experiences through their user-friendly interfaces. This helps to build their brand equity which in turn increases brand loyalty.

Apple’s carefully thought out brand strategy is part of what makes it such a strong brand, and I hope to be continuously amazed by their innovative products.

Here are more advertisements that I found online that illustrates Apple’s Simplicity at its best!

After reading Ana’s blog post on TOMS shoes (https://blogs.ubc.ca/weradasomboonvechakarn/), she talked about how TOMS became so successful because of the way it showed concern to the world, and what attracts TOMS to its customers. This spurred my interest in finding out more about TOMS marketing strategy; For such a company to be so successful in just a matter of 5 years, distributing worldwide, what is the company’s secret?

The reason for their success: Corporate Social Responsbility. From the beginning, their marketing strategy was simple – you buy one pair of shoes, and they give one pair to a child in need. Founder, Blake Mycoskie, found a need in the society and decided to meet it. TOMS is a for-profit company with a social cause. They are reaping large profits while providing shoes to the world. This strategy also highlights the lack of shoes in third-world countries, that having a pair of shoes on our feet is a blessing and we should share that blessing with others.

In addition, their unique stance on giving is part of their positioning strategy. As a company that actively gives back to the society, they have an edge over competitors (other sneaker brands like Converse, Keds, etc), garnering consumer support, which is what differentiates TOMS from other shoes. They understand how consumers think, consumers like to feel good about themselves after buying a product and they get this satisfaction when they buy a pair of TOMS shoes and are able to help others at the same time.Its a win-win situation!

Recently, I discovered that they have even launched a TOMS Eyewear line which has the same One for One strategy! http://www.toms.com/eyewear/our-movement/ With every pair you purchase, TOMS will help give sight to a person in need, One for One. TOMS recognizes the different needs for sight and they don’t just limit themselves to giving glasses, they provide medical treatment and sight-saving surgeries as well! Isn’t that amazing? I love this concept that they are so passionate about giving. I believe that they will continue meeting more needs in the future, their opportunities are endless in terms of markets they can expand into once they have built up their reputation.

While we were on the topic of Markets and Media in class on Monday, this advertisement came to my mind and it striked me how such a simple advertisement aptly catered to and addressed the target market. It all started with a video that went viral on youtube,which gathered 41 million and counting views. Visa then took the opportunity and rode on the popularity of this video – together with simple taglines “In Singapore without a dollar, In Japan without a Yen, etc” it conveyed the message that they wanted to give their viewers/target audience so clearly! At the end of the commercial – you know that Visa allows you to travel freely without having to worry about currency exchange. With such an advertisement which appeals to everyone, the young, the old, business people, families, it vastly increases their target market. In addition, since travelling is becoming commonplace in this globalised world, having a Visa card aptly addresses the needs of the people today. To me, I think a good advertisement must fulfill 2 objectives: 1) The message must be conveyed clearly across to the audience, 2) It has to appeal to the audience, and in my opinion, Visa did a great job on this one.

Through this, I’ve also learnt the importance of knowing and understanding your target market, doing the necessary research on them, as it will have an impact on the effectiveness of the advertisements, promotions and marketing strategies of the firm. The choice of advertising medium plays an important role too. Since their target audience is basically everyone who is of age to own a credit card, they showed it on television and uploaded it onto the internet which has a greater outreach as compared to newspaper ads/magazines.

Ending this post with the original video of “Where the Hell is Matt” – Matt Harding in 14 Months, 42 Countries

Hello!! Its strange how I’ve had this blog since last year but I haven’t formally introduced myself! My name is Elizabeth Zhang, 2nd Year Commerce student studying in the Sauder School of Business in UBC. I’m from a sunny island called Singapore, which is 10000 miles away from Vancouver! My hobbies include playing squash, iceskating, and shopping! The reason why I’m taking Marketing is simple, I want to learn more about it and what it requires, the brain behind all the advertisements we see on print media, how do we reach out to our target audience with an impact etc. If we take a closer look, we find that marketing has a strong presence and impact on our daily lives – the television advertisements, newspaper ads, posters we see all around campus. Being a consumer, I have been a victim of guerilla marketing strategies which urges me to buy things that I do not need. Apple’s marketing strategy intrigues me. Everytime Apple introduces a new product (eg, the iPad2), the way they market their product implants this “NEED TO HAVE IT” seed in the minds of their consumers and thus, their products sell like hotcakes. I hope to have a better idea of marketing at the end of this course and understand how consumers tick 🙂

Having attended comm299 for a year, I’d confidently say that it has been a wonderful opportunity for us, business students, to prepare ourselves for the working world entails. It has been an utmost beneficial journey through this course. Pushing our limits and overcoming our fear of speaking in front of an audience about anything and everything. At the beginning I felt all jittery and nervous about public speaking, but now, I feel that having been given sufficient training for the term, I overcame my fear and I know that all it takes is to be confident, smile, and have eye contact with the audience to give and engaging speech. Hand gestures would help in conveying what we’re trying to say. In the second term, this course brought us up to another level. We were first taken away by all the resume and cover letter training, and it definitely came into good use while applying for jobs for summer. A good resume and cover letter will definitely go a long way, and it is the first step for making an impression. Next, we were given training for interview. Going through an actual mock interview was a really good experience, as I finally know what it takes for an interview – the background preparation- research on companies, portfolio as well as the actual presentation of yourself on the day itself. I strongly recommend all business students, in fact EVERYONE should take this course in university because going for interviews/writing resumes and cover letters is an essential skill for everyone. Public speaking is a bonus.

So thank you all the wonderful professors and TAs who led us in comm299, it has been an incredible experience.

The most inspirational person in my life would have to be my mom. She’s been a great role model, a wonderful mom to our family and she is able to take care of us so well despite being so busy with work. In addition, she never fails to be there for me whenever I need her. Though life gets tough at times, I admire her strength and perseverance to be able to pull through difficulties of all sorts, coming out unscathed and even stronger than before. I’m more than lucky to have her as my mom, and words can’t even begin to describe how thankful I am for her. She inspires me to be strong, teaches me the right values, and loves me regardless of all the mistakes I make.

I love you, Mom <3

In this highly virtual world we live in, we are able to access emails on our Blackberries, hold video conferences over Skype, the location of a company becomes seemingly unimportant. Anyone can make a business out of nothing, some even create their own businesses in the comfort of their bedrooms.

Well, the truth is, location does matter especially when it comes to the area of technology. Silicon Valley is where all the technology experts gather, and where innovation, ideas, multibillion dollar companies like Google, Paypal are born. I strongly believe that we don’t just get “lucky”, we make our own luck. We go out, look for like-minded people with the same drive and ambition and create something amazing. In order to increase your chances, the easiest way is to look for hubs like Silicon Valley when you are surrounded by all these talented people centralized all in one place. Who knows, the person you meet at a bar may just be the next Bill Gates.

Does the location of the company matter? In my opinion, the location of the company plays an important part in determining the size of your target market, the ability of being successful, the available resources around you in helping you to achieve your dream.

Such is the essence of Entrepreneurship, we don’t just sit and wait for things to happen, we make things happen.

References

Location is everything: Tech hubs thrive in a supposedly virtual world

Jamie Oliver is the perfect example of a social entrepreneur.

I find that social entrepreneurs are the most admirable because firstly, they give back to the society and secondly, they fix or try to solve a social problem. In this case, Jamie Oliver hires disadvantaged young people who wants to start a new life and this restaurant, provides them with a job and a chance to start anew. However, this is not all. All the profits from his restaurant in Cornwall go to the Cornwall Foundation of Promise, established to help youngsters make their mark in the restaurant industry. Besides this restaurant, Jamie also has a registered charity foundation : The Jamie Oliver Foundation and its mission is to raise awareness of the importance eating healthily with the right nutrition and the impact it will bring about. Jamie Oliver has the passion to cook, having hosted a variety of cooking shows and the way he is able to utilize his passion and talent in an innovative way such that he is able to help the society is amazing. People like him are good role models to the society.

Credits:

The Official Website : Fifteen

BBC: Jamie’s restaurant opens its doors

The true spirit of entrepreneurship evolves from trial and error, the courage to try new things and not being afraid of adversity. It is about doing what you love, and what you strongly believe in, and sticking by it. It is about putting all your ideas into action and do the impossible. Letting your dreams take flight.

One entrepreneur that truly inspired me is Lyn Lee, owner of Awfully Chocolate. The search of the perfect chocolate cake was a great disappointment, and as a chocolate lover, she decided to create her very own chocolate cake, her definition of perfect. And what better way to turn what you love into a business, something profitable, and to be able to share with everyone. Initially, they started out small, with a small shop that only served one chocolate cake. This may seem like an unusual marketing strategy. But it is the uniqueness that make customers wonder what is so special about their cake? Their business has been growing ever since.

She also opened Everything with Fries, a restaurant inspired by the young staff. Having worked under her before, I feel that despite her success, she listens to ideas from everyone and empowers her staff which is essential in helping the company to grow.

Credits:

A recipe for success?

How Awfully Chocolate Founder went from Connoisseur to Entrepreneur

Awfullychocolate