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One sales promotion is to give out free samples when a new product comes out to create awareness. Following the AIDA model, the first step is to create awareness; the word that people love a lot is “FREE”; therefore, giving free samples will stir up brand awareness. The example that I will talk about is Secret’s body spray line. I remember that it first came out about six years ago. The first time I ever encountered these body sprays was when I was with a friend at Oakridge. There was a woman with huge, HUGE bags of these body spray samples (which were miniature versions of the actual size of the body spray cans.) She was just handing out the cans of body spray to everyone who walked by. Since there were four different scents, some people asked for 2 or 3 cans. It didn’t take long until that woman finished handing everything out.

The appealing designs and the refreshing and new scents of these body sprays gradually created brand awareness for Secret. After people got those free samples, they would at least have aided recall of Secret the next time they are at a grocery store shopping for body spray. Since the designs for these body sprays are young and active, it definitely created interest for younger people, who thought these body sprays were desireable. Eventually, these body sprays’ sales took off. This is one example of a successful sales promotion using free samples!

Reading Cindy’s, one of my classmates’, blog post \”Sex Sells\” reminded me of all the sexual innuendoes in a myriad number of advertisements. From fashion (Tom Ford) to movies (EuroTrip) to food (PETA), there are ads that are sexually suggestive. The aspect that I want to analyze here is not whether sex sells or not (because I totally agree with Cindy it does); rather, I want to talk about how ethical (or unethical) it is too put these ads out in public, where seniors, adults, teenagers, tweens and even toddlers can be exposed to them.

In terms of sexuality in fashion, the first designer that comes in mind is the one-and-only Tom Ford, who is never afraid to put out some of the most provocative ads that challenges the bottom-line of sexuality in fashion. An example is this Gucci ad, in which the model’s pubic hair is shaved into a “G” shape to symbolize how branded and label-obsessed the world can be today. This ad was published in all sorts of fashion magazine targeted for higher-income adults; however, there are still chances where young people can see this. Thus, the question is, should these ads be allowed? Of course, people who are for the ads would appeal to the laws on the freedom of expression. Yet, people who are against this would appeal to whether it is ethical or responsible to put such provocative ads out to merely attraction attention to the brand.

In my opinion, I think it is okay for these ads to created. The reasons are: (1) parents are responsible for “protecting” their children from these types of “bad influences” if they want to; just like J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, you can never completely shield “evil” from children. (2) This Gucci ad, for example, actually provides a very important lesson – people are too obsessed with brands (especially high-end brands) and it might be a bad thing (although Tom Ford is a leading man in the fashion industry.) If offers a lesson to teenagers/adults who aspire too much to buying expensive brands.

From a classmate’s blog, \”Word of Mouth\”, I was immediately attracted and deeply impressed by of post, “Loubs”, on the high-end shoes of Christian Louboutin. The blogger talks about the pschological need for consumers to satisfy their innermost desire to feel good, beautiful and satisfied. The value of the shoes, therefore, are much greater than the actual price itself. Keeping this notion in mind, this type of psychology pretty much works for every other luxury brand. These luxury brands – Chanel, Tom Ford, Christain Louboutin – usually engage in exclusive distribution so as to guarantee and manage their own images. Since they have images of being expensive, classy and beautiful, women (or men) who own them earn themselves a certain status.

Yet, there’s another type of shopping that can also be completely satisfying, wallet-saving entitled with the extremely amiable wording – “SALE”. A lot of women cannot resist that single, yet immensely powerful word. In the wake of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., stores of encouraging consumers to shop online by offering more specials than ever. With things like “30 – 50% oFF,” who can resist but to sit and browse around to find the best deals. This creates a very advantageous start for the Black Friday rush. Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a holiday when all stores are closed; however, American retailers have changed the game this year. By offering great online deals, they are getting revenue even when their stores are closed! In this case, the value of the product is still greater than the price because being able to find the best deals (the value) is so much more important than the price or even the product itself. Target, JC Penney, Macy’s, Kohl’s…get ready for your myriad numbers of online orders.

Often, when we travel to a new place (be it a country, a town, a city) we see that the entire place is summed up in a souvenir shop. Not that souvenir shops are bad in any sense (at least I’m not the in position to say that they have any flaws), but I feel that souvenirs are so important, yet also misleading. Walking into  a souvenir store in downtown Vancouver, most of the things you see have a polar bear or maple leave or even beaver resemblence. However, we could all agree that Vancouver (or Canada) has more than just polar bears, maple leaves or beavers. Sure, those things are sort of like the national symbols (just like other cities have their own national “symbol” – eg. the Eiffel Tower in Paris); yet, it is quite frustrating for me to see how souvenir shops market an entire city or country.

Sure, we (Canadians) are proud of our national treasures, but sometimes, I just think the marketing of an entire country facilitated by souvenirs can be very, very misleading. Just looking at the four items above, those souvenir receivers will not have any idea what Canada, particularly Vancouver, is really like. The awesome shopping on Robson street, the beautiful scenic spots, the somewhat exciting night life and etc. (You get the point.) Thus, next time, when you are in a new city or place, don’t believe everything you see in a souvenir shop. Perhaps, souvenir shops should have signs saying, “Selective marketing!” Hey, just an idea. 🙂

First social gaming is a fairly recent term. They are games that are played on a basis that also allows players to socialize. For instance, games on Facebook, or game apps on an iTouch or iPhone that a friend as recommended another friend to play. Or it can just mean games that allow for social interaction (eg. sharing scores with friends online, or spreading the word to real-world friends.) Despite a stereotypical view that males (espeically teenagers) are the main demographics for gaming, the leaders in social gaming are middle-aged (40+) moms!

\”Women are masters of social gaming\”(from Ed Lee’s blog)

From the blog post above from blogger Ed Lee, we can see how substantial the middle-aged women demographics is in the social gaming arena. Perhaps, it’s a way for them to interact with friends while unwinding from a day’s work; or it may be that stay-home moms are more eager to interact with friends online through these casual games (popular games are Bejeweled, and Plants vs. Zombies.) From a game developer’s point of view, they must cater differently to these moms than to male gamers (who are a more substantial demographics in video games.) For example, the games (perhaps) should be more friendly; for instance, the images, the language, the music, the color schemes, the very nature of the game (eg. Cooking Mama is a very suitable that’s involves zero violence, is mellow enough for women to play, although this statement is a bit sexist.) Nevertheless, the more these middle-aged women engage in social gaming, the better off the game developers are as they increase their user base by encourage users to use their online friends connections to urge their friends to play as well. Increased user base most likely means increased revenue. Thus, everyone’s happy.

Some of the biggest blockbusters of all time (“Avatar”, “Titanic”, “The Dark Knight”) has enjoyed immense publicity through the effective uses of marketing (be it the media frenzy, the attention on the leading actors and actresses.) An excellent story line or unbelieveable technology are only starting points; what is more important at times is…how marketers take advantage (or even exploit) these speical selling points is the key. Each blockbuster has its selling point (“Avatar” = mindblowing technology; “Titanic” = most romantic movie of all time; “The Dark Knight” = the late Heath Ledger’s last movie and best performance to date) Marketers will use these sellings points and blow them up on their advertisements (eg. posters, website) Furthermore, the trailer is another marketing tools. Some movies have 4 or 5 different versions of trailers; while some movie might not even have one. No matter how many trailers a movie has, the important thing to keep in mind is that they must be enticing. Sometimes even a bad movie (with an excellent trailer) can entice some audience.

Of course, there are times when an excellent, excellent movie (that gets little publicity) can still do well. Take, for instance, A Single Man directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, and Nicholas Houlte. A Single Man only played in a limited number of theaters in the U.S., and in Vancouver it only played in Fifth Avenue Theatre. The two times that I went to see it, there were about 20 people each time; most of them were elders. However, it still enjoys a worldwide box office of $24,9191,346. Not a bad number for a movie that was shot in 21 days with a $7,000,000 budget. It also received great reception as it was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, where Colin Firth won the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor. He also won a BAFTA for his performance, while being nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscars. These were probably its selling points…the achievements the film attained within short period of time since its release. And I must applaud on the aesthetics of the film; it was truly stunning. The trailer below will give you a sense of how the film is.

Buying houses can be a big deal for many peopel, and real estate is all about marketing. Examples: (1) if the builder used expensive/high-quality materials, then the house calls for a higher (or extremely high) initial selling price, (2) even if it’s a mediocre house in terms the quality of materials or the planning of the house, with good marketing tactics, the house can still be sold at a substantial price.

Real estate commercials are usually targeting different markets; however, they all aim at one objective…making their houses (in the commercials) look glamorous. No matter what price range people can afford at, they want to live in a glamorous home or apartment. They want or even need to know that the value of their homes are worth a lot more than the price they paid at. Glamorous can mean a multi million dollar situated on a cliff above a beach, an enormous patio to enjoy the view, designed by a famous architect, spread over 1000 square foot, and a mind-blowingly beautiful master suite OR it can mean a convient location with a nearby supermarket, clubhouse, and public transit. Whatever price the consumer pays for and feels that they are getting way more out of it is successful real estate marketing.

From being able to exchange or refund your purchased items, to only getting store credits, marketers have created ways for people to be less concerned with buyer’s remorse after purchase. The step, after-purchase, is one of the most important factors of the consumer buying process; thus, martketers must find news ways to alleviate those concerns. GAP came up with “Sprize” about a year ago. Sprize is a system that gives back to its consumers in Sprize money; for instance, if a consumer buys a sweater at its original price of $40, if the sweater goes on sale to sell for $30, then the consumer gets back $10 of Sprize money to spend at GAP. Furthermore, consumers can enjoy advanced purchasing events, or sometimes Sprize just gives them more discounts (like 30% on the entire purchase if the consumer shops at GAP on a certain day.)

I thought that Sprize is quite a genius idea. Not only does consumers get back the sales discount they missed, it also creates a smokescreen that they are saving money; thus, they can spend it on other items. That way, GAP can entice continual purchase from the same consumers; gradually, GAP builds a more loyal consumer base. Furthermore, when consumers return to GAP to spend their Sprize money, they often pick up – unintendedly but undoubtly – pick a few more items. Therefore, Sprize is a brilliant idea in that it not only helps consumers “save money”, but it also lures consumers back to spend more money! Just brilliant.

As I walked down the isle labeled “shaving needs” in Safeway, there was  a distinct way the products were placed: wax strips or wax-related products on one side, and razors or razor blades-related products on the other side. Be it Safeway’s choice to do so or whatever cosmetic forces that made it that way, wax strips and razors are direct AND indirect competitors.

These two types of products are direct competitors in the sense that they both provide the same need, women’s need to have smooth, silky legs. I will analyze some of the pros and cons of each type of product that make it popular with different target groups:

1. Price and usage: wax strips (eg. Veet, Nair) sell for about $10-13 per container (or 20 wax strips) that are one-time usages; thus, consumers must purchase new strips when they run out VS. razors (eg. Gilette, Schick) sell for about the same price but allow multilple usages for multiple months; easy to replace buy just buying the razor blades
2. Length of hair removal process: wax strips take more effort and time because of more steps (warm up strips, separate strips, stick strip on hair, pull strip) VS. razors are much faster and more convenient tools because you just need to go up and down your legs with the blades
3. Quality of hair-shaving: wax strips provide a longer-lasting effect (smoothness up to 4 weeks) VS. razors only cut surface hair so hair shows after a couple of days

With these pros/cons in mind, consumers choose what is most valuable to them. Those who favor longer-lasting results might choose to use wax strips that take up more time; those who favor convenience may just choose razors; those who have less budget limit may choose wax strips since they run out quickly; those who have a smaller budget would perhaps choose to use razor, which could be used multiple time.

Wax strips and razors are indirect competitors in that they offer similar service but in different product forms. Therefore, they are substitutes for each other, and can (technically) be interchanged! Therefore, each product uses its strengths to attack the othe product’s weaknesses.

I think some of the most interesting marketing tactics emerge in the fashion industry. Since the fashion world is constantly changing, evolving, innovating, the marketing team must embrace that change and innovation in their advertisements. There’s a new line for every brand each season, and there’s a new campaign for every one of them; therefore, to be able to stand out amongst its so-called competitors, a campaign must be…well, outstanding.

The fashion world is congested with attractive models wearing luxurious or inexpensive, albeit still enticing, attire. Women, especially sexy, charismatic and successful women, are often featured as the focus of those campaigns. Although there is an increasing trends that women aren’t the only avid shoppers, many ads are still targeted to women. In the recent GAP Black Magic campaign introducing a premium black pant line, 7 very well-dressed women are featured in each of the seven types of black pants. It seems that dressing well is the first step to looking and being charming and succesful. The GAP pants cannot be compared to a pair of Prada; however, the high standard of the Black Magic campaign made the pants really look premium and very, very desirable. A lot of fashion bloggers have given the campaign great reviews.

GAP Black Magic is so successful because it utilized an extremely powerful word: feminism. The 7 featured models are all very attractive, strong, career-driven, and well-dressed. The new age of feminism isn’t about being equal to men, it is about setting up women’s own rules in the realms of being a woman. Women don’t compare themselves with men anymore, they are beyond that point; they are exploring what it means to be a woman in their own realms.