In response to Nancy Lu’s post about Abercrombie’s exclusive marketing, I completely agree with her view on Abercrombie’s disrespectful marketing strategy. As a customer of Abercrombie myself, I enjoy shopping at its stores, however Jeffries’ tactic to limit Abercrombie’s customer segment by removing all XL and XXL is insulting to women and redefines what the company’s view of “beautiful” is. I believe this is highly rude to plus-sized women who are hopeful customers of Abercrombie & Fitch. However, this method of marketing does create some type of exclusiveness to those who are able to fit into Abercrombie’s clothes. I think Jeffries’ strategy to sustain a “cool” brand name is attainable, as customers today are all about “fitting in” and becoming a part of a trend. Abercrombie’s main target audience being teenagers, its strategy to create a brand name where only the good-looking and popular kids can wear is brilliant.

This unique method has definitely gained attention from people all around the world, however, I hope that Abercrombie could re-evaluate its marketing strategies and not risk its potential customers.

Sources:

Nancy Lu’s Blog Post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/nancylu/2014/10/05/abercrombies-exclusive-marketing/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/not-available-in-xl-abercrombie–fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-accused-of-only-wanting-thin-and-beautiful-people-8608022.html

BC Hydro’s Site C hydroelectric megaproject is facing conflict with the First Nations due to ownership of land. As a result, the First Nations are urging the government to reevaluate this situation as starting the project will result in serious economic damages, and in particular, First Nations’ activities.

BC Hydro is proposing to perform an extremely costly project in the First Nations’ territory. BC Hydro is willing to undergo an $8 billion hydroelectric megaproject despite the damages that will occur to farmland and wildlife habitat. I believe this highly costly activity is not the most effective way to create energy for the community. The project will cost Canadian tax payers to pay parts of the $8 billion. Tax collected by the government will be used toward this incredibly costly project, and as a Canadian resident myself, I find it inappropriate for such actions to be used toward flooding valleys, destroying wildlife, and limiting First Nations’ future land activities.

Furthermore, though the region’s growing population is steadily becoming more in need of “relatively clean hydroelectric,” I believe the risks of nature are much more serious. The disruption of natural habitats should not be tolerated, and the First Nations’ rights to their land should not be neglected. For those members of the First Nations tribes who lived in these communities for generations and practiced their traditions as well as developed their culture, it is unfair for BC Hydro to develop a dam “flooding 83 kilometres of the Peace River Valley”. Such environmental issues should definitely not be overlooked and safety regulations should be taken into consideration.

Sources: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/First+Nation+chiefs+stage+Site+showdown/10215965/story.html

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Premier+urges+cooperation+more+litigation+government+natives+reach+fork+road/10194776/story.html

Blackberry has made a comeback in the market recently by releasing its new smartphone, the “Passport”. With its new sleek design and appearance, Blackberry is targeting consumers again in hopes of regaining market share. The new “keyboard smartphone with a 4.5-inch screen” is once again competing with rivals Apple and Samsung.

Blackberry is desperately trying to regain attention through its release of the new smartphone, meanwhile its rivals Apple and Samsung have steadily been doing well. It is for certain that these companies are Blackberry’s biggest rivals in the market. The Passport is available for $699 without a contract, while Apple’s iPhone 6 is being sold for $749, and Samsung’s Galaxy S5 $700. With Blackberry’s new release, it is evident that the company is not focusing on gaining customers through price, but through a different focus strategy. Blackberry’s CEO John Chen has released his plan in “shifting [Blackberry’s] focus away from consumer devices towards software and enterprise clients”. Blackberry’s comeback with a narrower market segment is hoping to achieve greater sales and near-term profitability, while the company’s business model shifts with new hardware.

Sources: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/blackberry-passport-priced-to-take-on-apple-samsung-1.2775003

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/blackberry-launches-passport-phone-blend-app-1.2775674

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/09/22/blackberry-ltd-charts-different-path-with-passport-as-apples-iphone-6-smashes-records/?__lsa=a221-7e06

http://store.apple.com/ca/buy-iphone/iphone6

http://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Products/Samsung-Galaxy-S5

Netflix’s decision to screen the upcoming sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on its website has caused uneasiness among numerous cinemas. The ability for viewers to stream the movie on Netflix has led to the objection for top movie theatres’ to release the movie in theatres. As a result, the movie will be available for the audience to watch on any smartphone or computer, and be able to watch whenever, wherever.

Movie theatre chains are obviously furious about Netflix’s decision. Top cinemas such as Regal Cinemas and Cinemark in the U.S. and Cineplex Entertainment in Canada, have refused to play “any movie ‘day and date’ in [their] theatres with any other windows”, as this action could negatively affect their business. Due to the first movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, doing extremely well, movie theatres were probably looking forward to playing its sequel in theatres. However, they believe that by releasing the movie online and in theatres on the same day, fans will most likely watch the movie in the comfort of their own home. Consequently, those who enjoy the theatre experience are also being affected by such monopolistic behaviour.

I understand the movie theatres’ reason to be upset as they are reducing their chances to gain more profits and attention from the audience through their screenings, especially for such a highly-anticipated movie. However, I believe Netflix’s choice to stream the movie is a good way of creating value for customers. Those who are already loyal customers of Netflix are gaining satisfaction as they are able to view the movie without any additional costs, thus making it unnecessary for fans to buy movie tickets. In addition, for those who greatly want to watch the movie but do not have a Netflix account will be forced to create an account and pay the $8 fee. However, once they have registered, it is likely for customers to keep the monthly subscription if they enjoy the streaming service, and even if they do not, they will most likely keep the subscription in hopes of watching movies in the future. Therefore, Netflix is maximizing customers’ satisfaction in both ways, while increasing their own profits.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/netflix-deal-to-screen-crouching-tiger-sequel-slammed-by-theatre-chains-1.2782265