Joey Tung's Blog

Having been exposed to countless group projects throughout my high school education and some during my first year of university, group projects are nothing new to me. The introductions, first meetings, getting to know each other–it’s all something I enjoy about working in groups. Not being able to choose our own groups allowed me to meet classmates that I wouldn’t otherwise have met and that is one of the  takeaways from this project.

One of the main difficulties I faced with my team was time. It seemed that no matter how hard we tried to coordinate meeting times, none of us had mutual times that worked out for meetings. Luckily, with technology, we were able to do online meetings and did most of our work through their. We also took advantage of class time that was allotted for the project.

As for the project itself, I appreciated the fact that it was split into 3 sections. I find that having it separated into different assignments really allowed us to delve in and focus on each part. This way, our research was more thorough and our thoughts and ideas were more fleshed out, rather than if we were to do everything at the very end (since university students like to leave things to the very end!).

I’ve always enjoyed doing in-class presentations, but being able to shake things up a bit and do a video presentation instead allowed our team to be more creative and present our ideas in ways we wouldn’t in a traditional presentation. It brought out skills in team members that wouldn’t have been touched upon and allowed us to learn new techniques.

All in all, this project was definitely a worthwhile and educational process that I would recommend be continued in the coming years!

One of my favourite marketing blogs, Branding Magazine, has posted an article on Starbucks’ foray into a new business venture–trains.

And this isn’t just Starbucks deciding to be some train’s official coffee supplier or the sponsor. Oh no, Starbucks has decided it will create a new store…on rails. The new Starbucks train is completely functional and coffee-store styled train, complete with lounge bars, standing bars, and Starbucks’ array of pastries, and, of course, their coffees. So far, Switzerland is the first country to have these trains up and running.

The interior of the train will be reminiscent of the popular Starbucks stores, just re-adapted as a train.

Personally, I think this is a brilliant idea. For me, coffee always seemed like to staple for people who are on-to-go. What else is a better to bring with you when it’s early in the morning and you need to rush somewhere quick?

For those who tend to run a little late, being able to grab a coffee while you’re reaching your destination probably seems like the best idea in the world. And it sort of is. No longer do people have to purposely stop by a local Starbucks to grab their morning wake-up calls, all they have to do is hop on their designated train and let the barista on board of the train take care of that for you.

And lastly, where do people tend to go when they need to get work done? A coffee shop of course. So now not has Starbucks created a space for people to relax and get work done, they can travel while doing so!

Starbucks has taken “on-the-go” to a whole new level.

This blog post is a response to Kristine’s “New Google Ad will make you cry, without understanding a word that is said“:

It seems like nowadays, many advertisements are focused on playing with the viewer’s heartstrings. Recently, I viewed one of Skype’s addition to their “reunion” themed advertisements about two girls named Sarah and Paige who both are born with only one arm. Needless to say, it was hard to get through this video without feeling a tug of emotion and a tear or two.

After watching the Google ad that Kristine posted about, the same tugging feeling happened again. Kristine’s post highlights the fact that Google is constantly reminding us of how often we use their services and how much we rely on them to tell us things like what the weather is, what flights are happening between which countries, and even help reconnect two long-lost childhood friends. She also mentions how Google was able to show their brand without overtly showcasing their brand.

However, what I took away from watching the video is how that by targeting our emotions, the advertisement has made itself memorable, worthwhile, and, most importantly, note-worthy. By note-worthy, I mean that it’s now worthy of being passed around social media. It’s now become interesting to watch. Rather than being one of those ads that appear before a Youtube video that you want to watch, it’s now the video you want to watch. You don’t want to click away from this advertisement–you’re clicking to watch it. And that is the biggest feat of all in terms of advertisements. How many advertisements get overlooked and skipped? Too many too count.

What Google has done with this touching video is a sign of brilliant marketing.

For fellow insomniacs out there who’ve found themselves doing nothing but sitting in from of the television watching infomercials, have you ever wondered if anyone in their right mind actually falls for the exaggerated benefits and supposedly limited time offers?

It shouldn’t come as a surprise though, that infomercials are still airing because they do work!

An article by Rohit Bhargava simply sums up why infomercials are so effective. According to him, there are 5 core lessons to be learned from watching these half-hour long commercials:

1. They have a backstory
2. They show the product in action
3. They use real testimonials
4. They make a specific offer
5. They give a reason to act now

By providing a backstory, they are able to pique interest in the product in customers who weren’t even aware they were interested. They suddenly find themselves curious as to how the product came to be and why it was invented. Once they’ve hooked the customer in, the show the product in action. This proves to potential customers that the product works. It shows off how easy it is to use, how convenient it’ll make your live be, and so on and so forth. They do so until you’re convinced you might actually need this over-sized blanket with holes for your arms and head.

To reinforce that, they provide testimonials of people who gush about how great the product is and how it changed their lives. Finally, they give you an amazing offer, a special pricing or discount, and for the finale, they give you a reason to act quickly.

How many times have we heard “pick up the phone now” or “call within xx minutes” for such and such limited time offer? Too many times to count.

This tried and true method has proven to be gold as the infomercial industry is currently a $4 billion one.

What was the last thing you saw? Was it an advertisement? Chances are, it most likely was. Chances also are, you probably can’t recall what that particular advertisement was promoting.

Why is that so?

In the world we live in today, it’s hard not to come across advertising in one form or another. Be it on our mobile phones to signage on the street, advertisements surround us like the air we breathe.

Companies around the world spend hundreds of millions of dollars investing in marketing. This is so that they can have a constant stream of advertising that keeps their product and their company relevant. But in all honesty, are they harming themselves by shelling out so many of these advertisements?

But have we reached a saturation point where we’ve become so numb to the constant buzz of advertisement that it’s simply become white noise? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines white noise as “meaningless or distracting commotion, hubbub, or chatter”.

I certainly believe, to an extent, that the constant attack of advertisements we come in contact with every day has allowed us to become better at avoiding them. Now, when I sign up for any memberships or promotions, I make sure I un-tick the mailing list newsletter to avoid the email “ad-a-thon”. Also, with technology nowadays, there are so many applications that help block ads from showing up.

It seems like a never-ending cycle where the more innovative and harder to avoid the advertisements are, the harder we, consumers, try to avoid them and block them out, letting it fade into the background.

It’s no shocker that obesity rates are on the rise. It’s also no surprise that the blame for obesity has fallen on the soda and fast food industry. So why do these companies like to depict healthy and physically active people on their television commercials and advertisements? What happened to truth in advertising?

One particular soda company that comes to mind when it comes to promoting a healthy lifestyle: Coca-Cola. Over the years Coca-Cola has been an active sponsor in major sports competition such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. They have also hosted healthy lifestyle initiatives to help get people get off their bums and on their feet.

Does this take away from the fact that their product is one of the main components of an unhealthy diet?

This method of depicting an image that is so vastly different from what we know to be true seems to be  the company’s subtle way of diverting attention away from the non-nutritious aspects of the drink and shifting the blame from them to the consumer. In a way, they’re trying to say that if the drinker gains weight, it’s not Coca-Cola’s fault; it’s the drinker’s. 

On the surface, Coca-Cola seems to be proud supporters of reducing the obesity trend. In truth, they are using such marketing methods to detract attention from the unhealthy downside of the sugared drink while also increasing their product sales and target market.

Links:

• Healthland

With so many new ways to connect with people such as through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, it is interesting to know that none of these new social networking platforms can replace regular emailing.

Forty-two per cent of executives that were surveyed claimed that emailing was their primary source of professional networking. It is simple, easily accessible, and widely-used.

In the business worlds, hundreds of millions of emails are sent. Many contain corporate secrets that would cause damaging effects if it landed in the hands of a competitor.

So exactly how secure is your email?

With the recent scandal revolving around David Petraeus, the CIA Director, it leaves one wondering. If even the director of the CIA can have his online activities exposed to the world, how easy would it be to have your business emails leaked to others?

However, the biggest threats today, in terms of privacy, are search engines. Search engines “knows the things you wouldn’t ask your friends. It knows things you can’t ask your spouse. It knows the things you haven’t asked your doctor yet. It knows things that you can’t ask anyone else”

Sources:

• http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Executives+prefer+email+networking
• http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/14/tech/petraeus-email-privacy/index.html?hpt=te_t1

During the midst of commotion surrounding Hurricane Sandy, warnings were made and evacuation orders were placed. Even U.S. President Obama had urged Americans to follow the directions saying, “If you don’t evacuate when you are asked to evacuate, you are putting first responders in danger”.

Yet, did people actually listen?

Days after the disaster, there is a troubling amount of deaths and injuries that could have been prevented if citizens had heeded the warnings. There is a huge issue for officials where people do not take their alerts seriously and take in as a suggestion rather than a “must-do”.

Most would think that staying indoors in their own homes is a lot safer than evacuating and leaving a familiar place. What happens is that people have the mentality that nothing that bad could ever happen to them. Obviously the officials are exaggerating the seriousness of the issue. Why should we leave our homes?

They prefer to think about the expenses it will cost to live in a hotel or how much of a nuisance it would be to live at a friend’s.  They might be worried about how looters will steal their valuables.

“I would never have imagined something so devastating,” she recalled later, after at least 4 feet of water rushed into the newly refinished downstairs apartment in her split-level home. “Nobody would have convinced me to leave. … I wanted to be here to prevent anything if it was going to happen. But that was senseless.”

No one really gives a thought on how their lives are in danger. How they are putting other’s lives in danger.

Sources:

• http://www.vancouversun.com/news/After+Sandy+officials+wondering
• http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/10/29/obama-romney-us-presidential-campaign.html

Photo:

• Looters
• Flickr

After reading Nick Rimmer’s blog post, I have a similar sentiment. For a long time now, I have always set a goal to go to post-secondary. It has never crossed my mind that I would not go. But it was not until a year or two ago that I started to worry whether universities would want me to attend their institution.

I was always made aware of the costs that come with post-secondary and my parents never pressured me to attend. But there seemed to be this underlying rule in life where no degree equals no job. If I did not continue my education, how would I get a job? Who would want to hire a high school graduate?

Just a few months into university, I have realized that not only is university a financial investment but a huge time commitment as well. Some people try to get a part-time job to help lessen the burden on families but with the amount of work that needs to be put in into school, finding time to have a job is difficult.

So going back to Nick’s blog, is a degree worth all the costs and time commitment? You see examples of successful people who climbed their way up without anything more than a high school certificate and it leaves you wondering if this is the better way to go.

Personally, I would still pursue a degree. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Sources:

• https://blogs.ubc.ca/nickrimmer/2012/11/08/the-cost-of-your-degree/
• http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1065515–steve-jobs-from-college-dropout-to-cult-hero

Photo:

• Flickr

Throw aside the old 15-20%. The new norm in tipping is to give 25-30%.

Tipping after a meal is a common practice. But paying an extra 30% for a good meal and a good service seems a bit extravagant.

It is a known fact that servers get paid less than minimum wage here and so the tips that consumers leave make up for the difference. That being said, a $100 meal would now be $130.

But while tips have gone up, so have server’s expectations. While tips used to be a way to thank your server for their service, there have been instances where customers were prevented from leaving because they refused to leave a tip.

So when tips are an essential part of a server’s income, is it really a sign of gratitude from the customer or is it a way for restaurant owners to pay less and have the customers pay the rest?

“Tipping was also in the news when a Pizza Hut employee in Des Moines, Iowa, became so upset after a woman didn’t give him a tip that he allegedly pulled down his pants and urinated on her front door, a local TV station reported.”

I personally leave around 10-20% tips when I dine out, depending on the service. There has not been a time where I refused to give tips but for those who can barely afford the luxury of restaurant dining, do they really want to be forced to give a hefty 25-30% tip?

Sources:

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/pizza-hut-delivery-man-urinates_n_2078748.html
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/tipping-15-percent-25-30_n_1900559.html

Photo:

• Flickr