Eric Lan's Blog

Thinking back to the first and second assignment, I found that it really opened my eyes to how much work (gathering & analyzing data etc.) marketers have to do before even taking the first step into producing a new advertisement or introducing a new product/service.

The third assignment was my favorite. It was interesting because it was the first video project that I’ve had since studying at UBC. It was quite time consuming so it really tested our team in coordination (much like the real world), getting our own parts done and overcoming the problems we experienced while filming (we had some maaajor obstacles including filming angles, lighting, and camera/editing issues since we shot in multiple cuts). This assignment also allowed us to be creative with very little fixed guidelines (which was good in terms of freedom, but terrible when we first started the project – also an obstacle we had to overcome).

Through the assignments, I believe that actually applying the concepts learned during lectures and from the textbook make it “stick” in my head and the assignments simulated real-life teamwork thus, improving my teamwork communication and coordination skills. Overall the assignments contributed to a large part of my learning and despite this course being a introduction to marketing, I already the various tasks of marketing in a completely different way than what I believed it to be.

As Aino had mentioned in her post about apple adding value such as being able to “take notes in class, play games (many different kinds of game), edit video, etc.”. After reading that post, I completely agree with how Apple brings value with just more than the iPad itself but rather its wide range of applications available for Apple products.

Basically an application can be created by anyone, and upon approval and formalities with Apple, the app can be free or sold! Quite an interesting concept when it first game out and many people who satisfied a want/need made money with it.

But in my opinion, Apple makes more than just programs and technology gadgets. The Apple logo/branding itself adds value because it satisfies the want of people – whether it is the expensive (rich) image, the tech-savvy, or the need to belong.

So…that leads to my question – they’re are many different brands that also make tablets such as Samsung and Microsoft, why buy the iPad? What does the value that an iPad adds to you that the other brands can not?

Just a little while ago Mercedes Benz had announced the production of CLA class that is targeted towards the 20-30 and low 40s ages.

Mercedes had always (at least to me) seemed more of a luxury brand with an image focused on classy and comfort for the 35+ drivers out there but this new CLA car seems like a potential “want” even for me! With it’s aggressive sporty styling and it’s Apple Siri integration (hint hint Apple fans out there!), touch screen display and other cool geeky gadgets it really seems to be wanting a bigger piece of this market that BMW and Audi had dominated for quite some time.

Needless to say, Mercedes had recognized that the younger buyers (approx from our age 20s-35s) actually do hold enough buying power to generate more sales and profits for them. In my opinion cars are (generally speaking) the 2nd most expensive purchase a person will make (second to houses) and if a huge corporation like Mercedes thinks that the market is significant enough…then it is probably a good idea!

Anyone else like this car other than me? 🙂 I prefer the AMG model of the CLA though which sadly is a $15k increase in price tag 🙁

Soooo recently there has been a huge boom in the “meme” sites and some companies have also adopted it and attempted to turn it into effective advertising.During this time some businesses have tried to use it and some have incidentally succeeded in gaining publicity, for example the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Before the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S3, a fanboy had posted on the Samsung Canada’s Facebook page asking for a free phone – and he attached a picture of a dinosaur. The dinosaur didn’t have specific captions on it like most memes would have but Samsung Canada had replied politely and attached a picture of a kangaroo on a unicycle (in my opinion very close to a meme if not one already). This resulted in a ton of positive public publicity that Samsung actually produced a custom Galaxy S3 with the picture of his dinosaur embedded on the hardcover of the back (link at bottom).

Does this look like a permanent/long-term marketing strategy to anyone? Personally I think memes are quite interesting and with the endless possibilities and variations, they are here to stay. Since it is also shared across the internet from multiple sites such as 9gag and reddit, it also has a very high change of going viral. This almost seems like a untapped marketing strategy that has a lot of potential and is inexpensive that many new start-up companies should be considering. Opinions?

According to Forbes, 2013 is going to be an exciting year for marketing where we will see some significant changes in strategy. Some of the top trends include:

– Smarter Social Media

– Simplicity

– Declining Campaign-Based Marketing

– Marketing tied to Revenues

– Mobile

After reading this article I learned quite a few things. First, if social media is becoming ever more important because for 2013 (according to Forbes), larger companies are going to steer away from campaign-based marketing and turn towards real-time strategies on social media. Smaller businesses will also start integrating social media actions that benefit them.

“[A] recent study by Fournaise Marketing Group that cited 73% of executives do not believe that marketing significantly ties to creating revenue.” – What? Really? I was quite surprised when I read that because even in marketing now we are taught to analyze the effectiveness of the implemented strategies. Furthermore, only 20% of global companies have incorporated mobile marketing strategies!?! I would’ve thought more companies would’ve jumped on ship with the recent-few-years smartphone sales.

Since marketing nowadays seem to be crowded with images or subliminal messages, I think Forbes may be right about simplicity standing out among all the complex marketing. For now, we sit, watch, and observe the changes.        🙂

Gas prices are rising and for most/a large portion consumers the current trend is to move towards smaller or hybrid fuel efficient cars. Recently an audit found out that Kia and Hyundai have been found guilty of inflated gas mileage on their advertisements. According to the ctvnews report, the company will be reimbursing the owners of approximately 172,000 vehicles in Canada. The executives have claimed that the inflated numbers are unintentional errors but personally I find that a little hard to believe and the real truth probably lies somewhere closer to unethical marketing in order to sell more cars. These numbers directly affect the customers who purchased the cars having thought that they would save a significant amount of money on gas over the years but at the same time these numbers may also indirectly have an effect on other brands such as Nissan, GM, Ford, Toyota, and Honda just to name a few. For example, since this has been uncovered many users of cars will start to question if their own cars have accurately reported gas mileage numbers.

In the world we live in now where everything can be audited to some extent, having accurate numbers is extremely important not only for the car industries but for every company. Severe penalties and loss of public image usually ensues with “inaccurate reporting” (e.g. financial statements, misleading advertisements etc.) and may very well lead to the downfall of the company itself. With this discovery of inaccurate numbers I’m sure Kia and Hyundai have seen drops in their sales along with the loss of consumer trust/loyalty, and to top it off – yearly compensation to those who had been deceived by the numbers. In order to regain the trust that these two companies have lost from their clients, I think they should probably use an independent service to test their cars in the future and perhaps be associated with various events, companies etc. to help regain their image as a company that does ethical business.

What does everyone else think? Has Hyundai and Kia done enough to earn back the trust of their customers?