Jessica Malinab's Blog

Doing research on Lululemon for this semester’s mareting course, I’ve gotten to know the company really well. Lululemon isn’t just an ordinary retailer; Lululemon promotes a lifestyle. Although the company actually does not spend a whole lot on its marketing, Lululemon has effectively influenced consumers to adopt the west coast active lifestyle. Something as simple as displaying manifesto on their reusable shopping bags such as “Creativity is maximized when you’re living in the moment” can pull anyone in to search for Lululemon and stimulate curiosity about the brand. Especially in a busy city like Vancouver, everyday people are living in fast forward and consumed in stress. With the increasing popularity of the brand and the adoption of yoga clothing as everyday wear, I’ve definitely noticed a growth in yoga studios around the city. More and more people are realizing the importance of slowing down the pace of their lives and having a balance between life and work. Is this just a coincidence? or Is it Lululemon? …I believe that Lululemon has developed into one of the strongest clothing brands, making a real impact on our lifestyles.

This week in marketing class we looked at advertisements as part of the Promotion P of the 4Ps in the Marketing Mix. One advertisement that always comes up in my mind is the Got Milk? campaign. They feature celebrities and athletes with a milk mustache holding a glass of milk and a simple quote saying how milk benefits each of them. These ads are the perfect example of reminder advertising; milk is a commodity which has been around for ages. Everyone knows what milk is and its benefits, however people need to reminded that milk is still important in their daily life and these ads give that little reminder and push to consumers to go out and purchase milk again. Additionally, America’s Milk Processors do a great job in making milk hip and cool again using celebrities for their campaign to appeal to the younger generations. Now milk mustaches are in and here to stay. Do you Got Milk?

Recently, a new type of television has entered the market…Internet TV. Since hearing about this new Internet TV I’ve realized that myself and my family have the habit of being on the Internet via laptop or smartphone while watching our favourite shows on TV. And now these two activities are captured into One convenient package. Another Comm 296 buddy of mine, Angel also talks about this new category and how the additional Internet aspect to this TV provides a relative advantage over satellite and cable TV. She mentions how the consumers are able to watch shows and talk to friends about it through social media (Twitter and Facebook), forums, blogs, and reviews that can be found on Youtube. I definitely agree that the convenience and new enhanced entertainment experience this new product provides will draw consumers into purchasing the Internet TV. For cable and satellite providers like Bell and Shaw to stay in the game, they will have to step up their competition and consider perhaps a variation of this product. And maybe now I won’t have to use my laptop while watching TV because the Internet TV allows me to have the best of both worlds…

Consumers are starting to get excited! Here is one excited Youtube vlogger ShayCarl who says that the Internet TV is the “Wave of the Future.”

Go to 3:24 to see the excitement

As it is a cliche for retailers that the most important aspect for success is “location, location, location,” I believe for the apparel retailer Forever 21 it is “promotion, promotion, promotion.” In almost any region this retailer is located, it has a dominating presence occupying large spaces and bright lighting in its stores. Not to mention its use of simple but highly distinguishable yellow and black signs. Forever 21 is clearly bold and grabs attention from any person walking by its stores. In addition, the retailer regularly holds a Yellow Tag deal promotion, and as a firsthand witness, this without a doubt attracts more and more consumers increasing traffic to the stores as well as increasing purchase sizes. Customers leave these stores with multiple full Forever 21 shopping bags. So how do competitors beat this promotional master? Even their bags are bold and yellow screaming deals deals deals.

This past winter OPI introduced their new Katy Perry collection of nail lacquers. The collection includes four lacquers unique to Katy Perry’s style and personality including the new Shatter lacquer which adds an edge to the girly sparkles of the four colours. (Also, the four colours are named after her songs!) When people see this collection, they not only see the OPI brand but also the Katy Perry brand being marketed.

OPI to the nail lacquer or (nail polish) category is like the Lexus to the car category. Essentially, OPI has brand equity which in last week’s marketing lecture is defined as the added value in a product from a well-known, respected brand. Now without having brand equity, OPI would not have been able to co-brand a collection of nail lacquers with Katy Perry. And vice versa, if Katy Perry did not have brand equity, she would not have been able to have a collection with OPI. Both being “powerhouses” in their industries, they are a cobranding match! Who knew my two favourites could be captured in one.

Images from www.bellasugar.com

Although the weather has been cold, I’ve noticed the sun come out to play more often in the past week. And as this month winds down and I see March coming around the corner I can’t help but think about the Spring season heading our way. Now with Spring comes the thought of new things…especially new clothes being the shopping lover that I am… Recently I came across the news of a new Aritzia SOHO store opening which to me was really exciting. I guess you could say that I take pride in this local Vancouver grown fashion retailer. Its rise in popularity and impact on the fashion industry has been amazing considering that Aritzia was founded not too long ago in 1984. Making it to SOHO New York, the Big Apple equals making it BIG in the industry. By segmenting geographically through urban areas and major cities in Canada, Aritzia has been able to grab the attention of the young, fashion-forward, big-city driven crowd. The company’s strategy is working wonders This local business is definitely going global.

This past holiday season, I was introduced to a revelation in my gaming lifestyle…I became Kinect’d! The experience was non like I expected considering that my family owns the first motion sensor gaming console, Wii. Contrary to Nintendo dominating the market for motion reading responsive gaming systems see Introducing: Graphics Level Up to 3D, Microsoft is also making its footprint in this market. As a market in the growth stage there is much room for entrants. What may be in store for us in this rapidly expanding industry?

Image taken from www.fyresite.com

My friends have an obsession with the Beats by Dr Dre headphones from the company Monster Cable. And just to put their obsession into context, these friends of mine are music fanatics. They all own ipods, have a new favourite song every week or so, and when driving with them the sound volume in the car is always at its highest. There was not one day that I spent with them without hearing the word Beats.

These headphones were strongly marketed in a way that my friends were influenced psychologically as well as socially.  Psychologically, their attitudes toward the Beats were shaped by affecting all 3 components of their attitudes: cognitive, affective, and behavioural. When Dr Dre – record producer, rapper, and actor – talks about the Beats he emphasizes the point that “Sound Matters” and “Sound is Power.” As a well respected veteran of the music industry, his comments alone make people believe that these headphones deliver that power of sound. And in store, consumers are able to feel this power of sound before deciding they really do want to purchase them. My friend’s comment of how she felt using the Beats, “zone out of the world in your own bass heaven.” She not only heard the music but she felt the music (and later on after not being able to resist, bought them).

One last thought I want to discuss is the social influence of a reference group that my friends may or may not have been aware of although I’m sure played role in developing their obsession. The Beats have a feature Artist Series which include P.Diddy, Lady Gaga, Lebron James and Justin Bieber. They each have a set of  uniquely designed Beats to reflect themselves. These big names in the sports and music industry definitely form an aspirational group that many people look up to admire. As another friend of mine says, “I love them, NOT just because their Justbeats…” But really, I know because they are purple and named after Justin Bieber is why she loves them…

The most distinguishable feature BlackBerry smartphones have over all other smartphones and Iphones is the BlackBerry Messenger application. Some may say that this application is just as much the same as the Windows Live Messenger  application which both BlackBerry and the Iphone carry or like the regular text message service all cellphones provide and in a number of ways yes BBM is the same; but the way BlackBerry markets this app makes it a “need” for consumers.

This past summer while flipping channels on the TV I came across the newest BlackBerry Messenger commercial at the time and just having got my own BlackBerry I was interested in seeing this commercial. The commercial featured individuals from different walks of life living very different lifestyles but the one thing in common amongst these individuals was their love for communicating through BBM. During the commercial each individual briefly describes the benefits they reap from using BBM and why they love it. With this commercial, BlackBerry influences consumers through the lifestyle psychological factor. Whether someone is a minimalist when it comes to technology, a business person, a socialite, or a car club member, BlackBerry emphasizes that BBM is useful and convenient for any lifestyle. To compliment this, the commercial also makes BBM a need or a motive to consumers by capturing the need for love (our need to interact with one another). Through BBM we are able to share pictures, keep a list of contacts and create special chat groups, and share personal messages. So by marketing these aspects of the BBM app to consumers, BlackBerry shows that BBM is more than just instant messaging or text messaging.

It is a unique service that will fit into any lifestyle and can be everything you love…

Take a peak at the BBM commercial – Everything You Love!

Want to know more about BBM? Here’s a link that shows you how it works!

http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/blackberrymessenger/

Some of the most distinguishable brands worn by the young women of Vancouver are the brands of the clothing retailer Artizia. I remember most of the time in highschool, if a girl wore TNA or Talula (brands carried by Aritzia) she was considered to be fashion forward. This store and its brands has had a major impact on the style women strive to pull off today. But any average female consumer as myself knows that the price point of their products are rather high for any ordinary highschool or post secondary student.

Now because of the popularity of the company’s products, other companies have created “knock-offs” of some of their items for a much lower price; sometimes the average consumer may not even be able to tell between the original and the “knock-off.” If this is the case then why are so many women wearing the Aritzia brands when they can actually get something that looks the same or similar for a lot cheaper at almost any other store at the local mall? And I must say I am guilty of being that Aritzia consumer also. The answer to this, Customer Loyalty. Aritzia has gained loyal customers by adding value to their products from how they are presented in store to their packaging when an item is purchased. The company makes customers feel their purchase is special. The sales associates are well trained in customer service and educated about the brands. Also, the store carries a variety of styles to suit any women from the career focused to the active to the sustainably conscious. Aritzia is aware of the diversity of women today and makes sure to capture each style. Not to mention the celebrity sightings in Vancouver of celebrities wearing Aritzia items. So we know products from this store may be a bit expensive but because of their value to us we think whatever and go ahead to make the purchase.