“@#$%^ FINALLY I’M DONE THE GROUP ASSIGNMENTS!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!”  -Inner Joe as soon as he walked out of the last meeting.

So… I remember Tamar telling us that students used to write an entire Marketing Plan with 30 pages as a group assignment back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, so no matter how I look at it, this is an improvement. Especially with Assignment 1, I thought that was an effective learning tool to study for the midterm. It forced me to think of examples using the Marketing Mix etc and apply it to a designated company. I was in charge of summarizing and editing so it made sense that I had a more complete perspective of the assignment, which made studying for the midterm much easier.

Since this is an introductory course, I believe the series of assignments give students a great opportunity to apply the material taught in lectures and the textbook to a real company. The assignments offered the same critical thinking process that is vital to making any marketing plan, but without actually having to grind out the entire 30 page report .

“Some people enjoy working in groups. Some do not. But this is Sauder , so you better get used to it. ”   -Chapter 3 from the bestseller:  Chronicles of Joe Ip

The “invaluable” learning experience that I so “cleverly” alluded to in the title refers to the teamwork aspect of the assignments. I’ve actually had a relatively cohesive team last term in OB (yeah I took OB last term as a transfer student from Science :O )  , but… we got horrible marks… perhaps because no one would bother to criticize one another, even when mistakes were blatant.. In other words… group assignments can be all “gumdrops and ice-cream”.. but if we come out with a low mark, then.. perhaps it is better to have a group riddled with conflicts? THAT is the conclusion I established after my experience in Comm 296. Communication is vital to team cohesiveness.

“Another battle, another day. When there is a fray, what more is there to say?”
Dec. 11th, 2008 ( Joe Ip)

“Sauder strife? Sauder life” – Joe Ip circa. 2012

15 year-old  Joe made an interesting observation.

That being said, without the group assignments, marketing class would not be marketing class. What is one without the other? If anything, this is one of the few classes where I got the opportunity to apply in class material to the “real” world (There is no spoon -Matrix) . The lectures were extremely engaging , and the examples were relevant and easily relateable. Participation came naturally , created by the warm environment.  All in all, Comm 296 was a great class, and it is no less thanks to the dedication of Tamar that I am considering taking marketing courses in the near future.

This blog post is in response to my friend Samantha Yam’s Adidas Badminton: The Next Yonex?

Since I have played the sport competitively, I think it is appropriate for me to jump in and give my expert opinion along with Sam’s in the matter.

She is blogging about ADIDAS’s decision to enter the badminton market ( Adidas article )  . Her assessment does have merit; currently, Victor and Yonex are the widely recognized frontrunner brands of badminton.  I have never used a racquet that isn’t Yonex and that speaks for itself, since I’ve been playing from age 13- 19  (competitively from 15-17). Ironically, in high school at the same time, Adidas was my favorite brand, and I wore Adidas EVERYTHING . Yet, i never questioned the absence of Adidas in badminton, having just accepted that Yonex = badminton, period.  I did, however, wear Victor badminton shoes for the longest time, and found the performance satisfactory.

I have used carbon graphite racquets for a long time(for they are durable), the performance of the racquet (unfortunately, not the player) improves dramatically once you introduce Nano technology  (and to show you far along Yonex is)… here is the science behind Yonex’s innovation and reason for their sustainable competitive advantage:

Yonex has expanded over the years to fill every niche of the badminton racquet market, from Asia to Europe and North America. Their ability to cater towards recreational beginners and international competitors is nothing short of admiration; they have racquets at every price range and skill level possible!

The blog Sam wrote on does not specify where ADIDAS is manufacturing their racquets, and I agree with her ; JP(Japanese) versions are priced the highest . Singapore made racquets are nearly just as good. The success of ADIDAS would depend on the location of their production… That being said, I have NEVER owned a racquet that is made from Japan; in fact, when I was playing competitively, I always took pride in using the cheapest ($60 carbonex from SportChek) racquets to conquer my opponents using $200 + Arcsabers and Armortec racquets.

If ADIDAS can sign BETTER sponsors from the badminton world as opposed to these young guns, they would stand a better chance operating against Yonex.

Should ADIDAS enter badminton? Why not? With the rise of the middle class in South East Asia (China) where badminton is most popular, players will be looking to recognizable international brands like ADIDAS to fill their badminton needs. Yonex may be dominant in badminton, but ADIDAS has products in various sports; they can do well to capitalize on their brand.

This is in response to the external blog : http://web2.sys-con.com/node/2581205

Soo, with the historic  “Resignation” of Pope Benedict XVI , many normally indifferent Catholics and tourists are suddenly interested in the Vatican’s affairs and the culture/historical monument of the Catholic Church. Might as well take advantage of this historic moment to add more money into those coffers eh? Then again, businesses are also taking advantage..

Yes, you heard right. Pope key chains, flags,  mugs, t-shirts being in high demand with the first Pope from Latin America. These Pope merchandises are being sold along side star icons such as Bob Marley and Mcjagger. Really now.

As a kid, I remember my fellow classmates expressing their fantasies of one day becoming.. the president, the prime minister, a police chief, a pop (rock) star, firefighter, pilot, doctor, or astronaut. I have NEVER heard of ANYONE saying : ” When I grow up, I want to be the Pope ! 😀 ”  How interesting, to witness this historic moment and feel the joy of the people over the “election” of the new Pope. I mean, honestly, this should be a career path that should be taken more seriously : Who wouldn’t want to be the ruler of the Catholic world? Vatican City is officially a country as well.. soo in essence you would be a “president”.

Marketing is extremely important even in the Catholic world due to new social trends deviating away from archaic Catholic traditions. Coffers grow when there are more Catholics around the world, and right now, about 40% of the world’s Catholics reside in South America (as opposed to Europe).. so.. (demographics, geography market segmentation) why not have a Latin American Pope ? Breaks the status -quo (suggesting reformation and progressiveness) , shattering the preconceived notion that only European Cardinals can be Popes.

Now, if only they allowed WOMEN to be Popes. No? What about.. cardinals.. ? No? What about Archbishops? Still no? Bishops? Priests?! Well okay, good luck staying relevant in the 21st century discriminating against women. Then again, Catholicism wouldn’t be the first religion to do that, nor would it be the last.

Of course, (Catholic) women who may wish to obey the scriptures but insist on a more progressive course on Catholicism are finding ways to express their opinions. I can’t imagine how even 20 years ago, any business would dare to launch a Catholic Pope related pleasure toy for women and expect it to sell.

“Francis I may be against contraception, women priests, gay weddings and even sex before marriage, but so far he has said nothing about alarm clock vibrators worn in the panties.”

Finding loopholes, best to just relent on some obsolete traditions if I were running the Catholic Church.

Then again, maybe that’s why I’m not Catholic.

http://www.euronews.com/nocomment/2013/03/17/argentina-pope-francis-rivalling-bob-marley-and-mick-jagger/

Starbucks is widely known for its upscale coffee and a level of corporate social responsibility rarely found in a for-profit corporation of its magnitude. With its successful campaign raising awareness of their exclusive use of fair-trade coffee beans, consumers know they are purchasing from a socially responsible company. Furthermore, Starbucks have been using recyclable cups, further appealing to millennials and progressive consumers. However, they have recently been exposed of paying ridiculously low taxes in the UK.Over the course of 14 years ever since Starbucks penetrated the UK market 14 , it has only contributed to 8.5 million pounds. Campaign groups such as UK Uncut raised this issue, which resulted in a series of consumer backlash.

In response to the public outcry in UK, Starbucks has agreed to pay an additional 20 million pounds in tax over the next 2 years. Unfortunately for Starbucks, this did not douse the fire ; their twitter account was hacked. This resulted in a series of offensive tweets abusing the hashtag #spreadthecheer had messages like : “tax avoiding MoFo’s [sic]” and “Pay your F****ing taxes”  appearing on the giant screen of the National History Museum in London.

The full measure of the loss in sales and brand appreciation is still unclear, as these events occurred in December of 2012. Regardless, Starbucks appears to be struggling in the UK.

Of course, this is a result of UK’s spending budget cuts as a result of the economic recession. Many citizens are looking at large corporations to pay their fair share to reduce the deficit as an alternative.

In Starbucks’s defense, no company would willing pay more taxes than legally required unless pressured to do so. This event was an unforeseen circumstance that resulted from the public dismay with the government. By paying additional taxes, Starbucks attempted to restore their public image in the UK. Will this be effective enough? I believe it will.

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/starbucks-twitter-campaign-hijacked/4005161.article

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/starbucks-tax-move-a-wake-up-call-for-other-brands/4005112.article

One Does Not Simply Walk Into A Denny`s (Mordor) (The origin of the famous meme)

In the Land of Denny`s , where the Calories Lie. Denny`s has partnered up with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to bring forth a Hobbit-themed menu.   Being a Tolkien Fan at the age of 9, I was all geared up to watch “The Hobbit“ when it was announced to be released in December of 2012. It was not long before I saw a Denny`s ad  being satirized by The Colbert Report (Stephen Colbert is a Tolkien fanatic).

“Eat like a Hobbit, because at Denny`s`, you cant eat like a human“ -Stephen T. Colbert

With that, I decided to YouTube Denny`s `The Hobbit`ads and came upon this:

Fair enough, it looks `relatively legit` . So as a Tolkien fan, I took it upon myself to further investigate this `so-called` Hobbit-menu , released by Denny`s (with a touch of skepticism in the back of my mind; Another marketing ploy? This is gonna be bad) The entire menu was designed with a `Middle-Earth` touch, and I was impressed by the thoroughness of the menu designs. The Hobbit menu consisted of 10 items :

-Hobbit Hole Breakfast

-Shire Sausage Skillet

-Frodo’s Pot Roast Skillet

-The Ring Burger

-Gandalf’s Gobble Melt

-Dwarves’ Turkey & Dressing Dinner

-Lonely Mountain TreasureRadagast’s Red Velvet Pancake Puppies

-Bilbo’s Berry Smoothie

-Lone-Lands Campfire Cookie Milk Shake

After carefully examining the menu, my skepticism did not ease, YET, ironically, I was so hyped up in anticipation of the movie, that I was tempted to allow my taste buds to go on an Unexpected Journey .. to Denny’s ..  There have been mixed reviews of Denny’s campaign as of today, and it is still too early to tell whether it was successful from a marketing perspective(although I suspect that it was). Relating one’s product to someone/ something else is usually a good idea, as I have recently learned 🙂 Having never tried the menu items myself, I confess to being immune to Denny’s marketing ploy, perhaps  19 year old University students with healthy diets in mind were not a part of Denny’s target segment?

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2012/10/29/Dennys-The-Hobbit-Movie-Tie-In-102912.aspx

Coca-Cola is easily one of the most globalized and easily recognizable brands today, so perhaps you would expect them to go to great lengths to preserve their good name by advertising “ethically”. Unfortunately (for consumers mostly), Coca-Cola is now being sued by a non-profit organization known as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, for making “deceptive and unsubstantiated” claims. As it turns out, Vitaminwater, heavily marketed as a healthy beverage, is found to contain water with nearly as much sugar (33g) as a soft drink with only a penny’s worth of vitamins added in.  Needless to say, Coca-Cola’s Vitaminwater product line is further aggravating the obesity problem found mostly in America. While profit is generally a main concern for most corporations, fooling consumers is hardly a suitable method, and as Coca-Cola will find out.. there will eventually be consequences.

Coca-Cola has spent billions of dollars on making Vitaminwater a successful and profitable product line. By paying NBA stars like Kobe Byrant and Lebron James to appear in ads, Coca-Cola is suggesting that Vitaminwater is a nutritional drink, as approved by professional athletes. The absurdity of this debacle comes from the Coca-Cola’s defense to these allegations. The defendants claim to not have partaken in false advertising because ” no could possibly believe such a ridiculous claim.” They are likely to draw examples from Red Bull, stating that its obvious Red Bull does not give you wings, just as how it is “obvious” Vitaminwater doesn’t contain vitamins. If Coca-Cola manages to win this case, it would mean that it is unreasonable to think that Vitaminwater contains a healthy dose of vitamins. If Vitaminwater had less sugar and more vitamins, perhaps this entire PR mess would have been avoided in the first place.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/the-dark-side-of-vitaminw_b_669716.html?ref=twitter