Guido Martinez's Blog

Throughout this semester I worked on different projects that somehow were related to marketing and its funny because I’m studying industrial engineer back in Mexico and never had in consideration to study marketing. Thanks to this class I started to find very interesting how marketing works and all the different strategies marketers used to promote a new product. During this class I learned many things regarding consumer behavior such as: what companies do in order to promote, design, place and even price their products.

Working with this team, in the Zara project was a very interesting experience. I never realized what influences and drivers a brand could have and how each of these creates an effect in the consumer. When we started making the video, we had a very different idea of what came out as our final product. We take into account various aspects, ideas and opinions of all the members; and somehow incorporate them in a seven-minute clip. At first it was a bit complicated and somehow a slow process, however, it was all worth it.

 There are a couple of things I’ve learned working with this team. The take-ways that I think are the most important is that we all manage to understand each other and work together effectively even though we perceived the international brand very differently. Another thing that I really enjoyed is that we recorded the audio s

eparately form the video and all the editing was really fun. Some people consider this boring but as a musician is always fun to try different things.

I don’t even buy in Zara and after all the in-depth brand analysis in their marketing strategy; somehow I feel more attracted to the brand might start to take Zara as one of my considerations when shopping. So it all leads to this, will working in the project affect the way consumer see a brand? In my opinion, yes it does.

The act of gay marriage has caused lots of controversy in many states in the United States. President Barrack Obama is the first American president who has expressed openly that he supports gay marriage.  The US government still defines the act of marriage as one taking place between a man and a woman. Since some of the states have accepted gay marriage this has caused great controversy with all the conservative population.

During his inauguration speech Obama stated that he strongly believes in gay marriage. The  American president strongly focuses to change the definition of marriage so that gay marriage will be accepted in all the country and that the act of marriage is no longer a heterosexual act, but homosexual as well.

Being a current multinational brand and having a worldwide gay diversity, needs to see this as an opportunity to speak to their consumers. To support this cause, more than 250 companies react to the Supremes’ court reaction to redefine the act of marriage.

Companies such as: Apple, Microsoft, Google, Intel, Amazon.com, Facebook, EBay, Starbucks, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley are some of the supporters of this cause. These brands have started advertising their products supporting the gay community and even have readapted their brand’s logo for the cause. Some of the logos have been changed showing the gay flag, others have added gay humor to their TV advertising and so on.

These brands have opened their doors to their gay consumers and made them feel comfortable and accepted by them. This market segment will appreciate their support and will end up being more brand-loyal. This is a strong controversial marketing technique that can backfired if they do something wrong in their advertisement campaign but still it has been really successful to show the gay influence to the world. So with this, I encourage the brands to continue the support for gay communities.

In response to Brand channel post

Eastman Kodak, commonly known as Kodak, is an American multinational imaging and photography company.  Kodak has been well known for their film products and during the 20th century. Kodak was one of the most dominants brands in the US market by having a 90% market share and was consider one of the world’s most valuable brands. One of the remarkable question is how a multinational company having the majority of market share in their market ended bankrupt?

Some consider that Kodak failed because they did not anticipate how fast these digital cameras became commodities, with low profit margins, as more companies entered this market in the mid-2000 but this is a lie because Kodak ended up inventing the first digital camera in 1975.

Others argue that their marketing strategy was not the correct one. The marketing failure was that Kodak did not invested in new technology, instead they held back because they thought that their revenues could be affected even though they new that the digital camera market was increasing exponentially.

“Kodak thought that its new digital technology would cannibalize its film business.” (Dan).

Companies like Sony and Canon saw an opportunity in this market and went ahead with their digital cameras. By the time Kodak wanted to enter the market it was too late. Kodak market share was declined and the digital imaging was dominating the market (Zwick, and Mui).
One of the key factors of marketing is to determine “what business are we in?” and not “How do we sell products”? (Dan). This was one of the main reasons why Kodak failed, simply because they were asking the wrong question.

Taken From:

Dan, Avi. “Kodak Failed By Asking The Wrong Marketing Question.” CMO Network. (2012): n. page. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.             <http://www.forbes.com/sites/avidan/2012/01/23/kodak-failed-by-asking- the-wrong-marketing-question/>.

Zwick, Steve, and Chunka Mui. “How Kodak Failed.” Forbes Leadership. (2012):            n. page. Print. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/chunkamui/2012/01/18/how-  kodak-failed/3/>.

The influence that musicians have worldwide is unbelievable. Musicians create tunes and melodies that can create and affect consumers’ moods and emotional responses to everything including advertisements. A major component in advertising is music or also known as a jingle.  Jingles are used in radio and television commercials and can also be consider as the brand image or self. Since music is everywhere it is important, as a marketer, to avoid any problems with musicians because they can write a song than can annihilate you product or even your brand.

A Canadian musician name Dave Carroll and his band Sons of Maxwell had a really bad experience when he was flying to Nebraska in 2008. All their instruments were arrange to travel in the same plane as them, so that they weren’t any surprises or delays during the show.  Arriving to Nebraska, he realized that his Taylor guitar was damaged caused by poor equipment handling. The airline he was traveling with, United Airlines declined any responsibilities for this issue and they did not offer any guarantees.

A few months later, in 2009, the song “United Breaks Guitars” was broadcast on YouTube. The song became a hit on YouTube and created a huge embarrassment for the airline company. After this, Carroll was invited into numerous of shows explaining the reasons for writing a song like this. Among these shows and interviews was TIME, CBC/CNBC, among many others, and in 2012 Carroll even publish a book regarding the power of social media. This is a successful example of online protest and has been used in television companies and news channels to exemplify a new kind of thread facing corporations. Customer service is one key factor in marketing and now, United Airlines knows better on how to deliver a good service.

Song:

Statement:

United Airline Reaction:

Taken from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Breaks_Guitars

http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=6949

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle

In 2012, IKEA and Marriot hotels decided to form a long-term partnership with the ambition to introduce a new hotel chain to the European market. Partnership is defined as a legal contract entered into by two or more persons in whom each agrees to furnish a part of the capital and labour for a business enter­prise. IKEA and Marriott, two companies that both hold extensive expertise in their sectors, soon release their new hotel chain Moxy. The new venture between a famous furniture retailer and a global hospitality provider has captured much attention, especially since IKEA has not intended to furnish the hotels using any of their own products. So, is Moxy an idea worth consideration?

IKEA is one of the largest international furniture retailers in the world, and their customers are very familiar with the concept. People go to IKEA and expect to find well-designed furniture at a reasonable price, a playful environment, variety, as well as comfortable furniture. On the other hand, Marriot Hotels is an American hospitality provider that manages hotels and lodging facilities. With more than 3,800 hotels in over 74 countries in their portfolio, there is no doubt that their experience with customer service and quality is impeccable.

The decision where to locate the first Moxy may have a great impact on how these brands are perceived. Out of all the places they considered, IKEA and Marriot finally chose Milan, Italy. Generally considered the fashion capital of Europe, this shows that the company emphasizes design over other values. Was this a coincidence or they are trying to relate their consumers into a more “stylish” mood? Would naming the hotel Moxy affect the impression that IKEA-Marriot customers have? Will this brand extension work? The best is yet to come.

Taken from:

http://www.moxyhotels.com/en/

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/about_ikea/the_ikea_way/index.html

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/about_ikea/facts_and_figures/index.html

Four Rooms We’d Like to See in IKEA’s New Stylish Budget Hotels

Marketing always tries to attract consumer to a specific product. As a marketer, you always want to make effective ads that will capture consumers’ attention into your product.  As consumers sometimes we see ourselves in the ads either using the product or eating it. We always think about how would the shirt look on me, how would that taste if I ate it in this moment, but have we thought about how would it have a effect in our most closest friends?

Brazil’s Cesar Dog Food Company made a really effective marketing campaign targeting a specific segment: pet owners. An Extended self is any external object that we consider a part of us. Our pets often become a part of our extended selves. People who loved their dogs or cats, for example, often identify themselves with them and consider them a part of their life. Many people cherish these possessions as if they were part of them and Cesar’s Dog Food Co. decided to look further into this.

The advertisements that Cesar’s marketing campaign used were a series of ads in which they portrait owners and their pets resembling each other. This was very effective method because it attracted the consumer’s attention and created a connection with them by making them feel related to their message.

This created a breakthrough in the company’s history because after this campaign was released, their sales increased significantly. This is a great example of how can marketing be original, creative and effective. Who of all pet-lovers would not relate with this ad, seriously?

Source:

http://www.cesar.com/Splash/checkCountry.aspx

Marketing ethics, as it is defined“ is the area of applied ethics which deals with the moral principals behind the operation and regulation of marketing. Some areas of marketing can be considered in promotions and advertising.

In 2006, Sony decided to come out with a new marketing tactic that would capture consumer’s attention. Their target goal was acquired but in the way they expected. A huge advertising billboard was revealed, in Holland, promoting the new PSP (Plays Station Portable) color. The billboard was depicting a “white PSP” model violently holding the mouth of a “black PSP” model in a commemoration of the launch of the ceramic white PSP. It is clear that the ad reveals straight racial discrimination between the white and black race.

Of course the reaction of the consumers was not the expected and Sony went into some legal issues by publishing it. Instead of confronting this issue they decided to defend themselves with the following statement: “The marketing campaign for the launch of the White PSP in the Benelux focuses on the contrast between the Black PSP model and the new Ceramic white PSP model” and “A variety of different treatments have been created as a campaign to either highlight the whiteness of the new model or contrast the black and the white models. Central to this campaign has been the creation of some stunningly photographed imagery…”

So how did a well known international company decided to take this kinds of risks by advertising this billboard? What where they thinking? By violating the ethical norms during advertising can actually “backfired” when applied in a marketing strategy.

Taken from:

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/04/ad-critic-sonys-racially-charged-psp-ad/