What? School’s over?! But it just started..!

As unbelievable as it sounds, term 1 is over, and it is time to count the number of mistakes I’ve made throughout the semester! Seriously though, there are so many things I wish I could change in the term, and, as I regretfully realize, of them are things that could have been easily changed if only I put in a little more effort.

So, here is my list of should’ve, would’ve, could’ve-s for the marketing group project:

1. If I were to go back to the very beginning, I would have planned everything ahead so there is little confusion of what to do.
2. I should have contributed more to the group, whether by suggesting more ideas or really doing the work (such as writing the script or editing the video), instead of leaving everything up to certain teammates.
3. I could have definitely spent more time with my group and really get to know each other better, because they are really awesome! (You guys are really awesome!)
4. And lastly, I can’t believe I am saying this, for I am not a huge fan of Apple, but I would have rather used an iPhone than a camcorder to film the video. The video camera our group borrowed was difficult to handle, of lesser quality than that of a iPhone, and always uncharged which always added to our time issue.

Above all, finding the right time that works for everyone in the group was definitely the hardest part of the group project, and I believe everyone could have done better if it weren’t for the time constraint.

There were definitely some frustration and hardship throughout the group project (like when we had to group-call on Skype for literally 12 hours), but we overcame these difficulties not as a group but as a team. For this reason, I can’t say I put in only the bestest of me into the project, but I can say with confidence that there is no regret or shame in the final outcome of the project or the team I could take part in.

As a loyal customer of Holt Renfrew, I found in Xiuqui’s blog post an interesting story about its new promotional acts in response to the emergence of a new competitor, Nordstrom. While Holt Renfrew has been the store to go to for customers in search for high-end luxury goods, the dominance it has held in the market is about to end as Nordstrom is about to open its new store in downtown Vancouver.

In an attempt to retain its loyal customers Holt Renfrew has started taking steps to actively promote its brand. There are more sales and promotions to attract new customers and possibly target new segments with lower budgets. Holt Renfrew has also signed new contracts with a number of different fashion brands that are already held by Nordstrom.

While the appearance of this strong competitor might be a threat to Holt Renfrew, I believe it could as well change this “threat” to an opportunity by positioning itself in the way that is clearly distinguished from that of Nordstrom. Holt Renfrew, a purely Canadian brand, certainly has many business aspects that would appeal to its Canadian customers residing in Vancouver. A personal recommendation for Holt Renfrew is that it develops customer excellence to make itself compatible with that of Nordstrom, for Nordstrom is already very well known for its excellent customer relations.

Nonetheless, the coming of Nordstrom sounds like a good news for a customer like myself. After all, more competition means better quality to provide for the customer, does it not?

When the video titled “Worst Trek Fail Ever” was first released on youtube, it instantly received more than a million views. News outlets reported on the video, and there was an online craze to figure out what happened to the girl afterwards. Then in the following week Jimmy Kimmel Live, an American late-night talk show, released the original form of the video featuring Jimmy Kimmel indicating the clip was a prank for youtube viewers.

While this incident ended as a fun happening, the talk show did receive a lot of attention from all over the world that had watched the video through different online media channels, such as youtube, facebook and twitter. This was a mere example that showed how much power social networking service, abbreviated as SNS, holds in today’s world of marketing. Having more views on youtube means having more ‘power’ in the sense that it could instantly spread throughout the world; and for this reason viral youtube videos are popularized by today’s marketers as a means of drawing attention and advertising different products, services and ideas.

I personally enjoy watching viral youtube videos because they are almost always funny, disregarding the fact that it could contain some form of advertisement to which I might be unconsciously exposed to. Yet, it is important to be aware that any online website can be viewed by anyone, including those who are vulnerable to and should be protected against marketing of any products. If a child watched one of RedBull’s viral videos and felt the desire to buy its high-caffeine energy drink, I would easily classify this marketing strategy as being unethical. That is, there must be restrictions on the extent to which these public videos could be used as a means to reaching the customer.