It’s 8:54 at night, I just logged off from one of my favorite social sites, “Renren” and am preparing to launch into my “study mode”. Coincidentally, I saw Hao’s blog post about Renren.

In Hao’s blog, he refers back to Kobe’s blog on the website (It certainly is a hot topic). Hao believes that Renren will be obsolete soon and he listed 3 main reasons. However, I think the opposite and I thought of the counters to all his points.

First of all, Hao says Renren will only serve the Chinese internet users and this will limit its development. In fact, the 384 Million internet users in China creates an enormous customer base for Renren. Facebook, on the other hand, does not have the opportunity like Renren due to government censorship and cultural differences.

Secondly, the first generation of Renren users are probably 8~22 when they started using the network. As far as I know, these people grew a special bond with Renren and continue using it as they grow older. Moreover, as an effective promotional tool, many business men and women are attracted to Renren, thus enhancing Renren’s user base.

Last but not least, Renren’s revenue model is similar to Facebook. If Zacherberg can be a billionaire, why can’t the developer of Renren do the same?

Reference:

Chen, Hao,”Marketing Blog 5——Renren“. Hao Chen’s Blog. November 29th, 2011. https://blogs.ubc.ca/haochen/2011/11/29/marketing-blog-5-renren/

This blog is a response to Monica Moran’s posting about “Disney: A Brand People Need”. Monica displayed her passion and love towards the “Disney” brand in her post and how Disney products inspire and trigger certain emotion in people. In the end, she suggests that she will love “Disney” always.

I can totally relate to Monica’s post and I understand why children my age share a special bond with the brand. We all grew up watching Lion King and Mickey Mouse. However, in today’s society, kids have more things to play with other than watching kid’s movies, video gaming for example.

From what I can see, Walt Disney is lacking inspiration and creativity. This year, one of Disney’s main production is its improved version of “Lion King” – “Lion King 3D”. Similarly, Disney screened “Toy Story 3D” last year.

To me, I feel that Walt Disney is trying to lure back those who saw it the first time around. Some of us who saw “Lion King” in theatre are now parents of their own kids, and they would want their little ones to see the film that they used to love. However, I do not think Disney can keep up with the increasingly competitive consumer market without providing the customers fresh idea.

In contrast to Monica Moran, I believe Disney could replenish its competitive advantage by producing a new line of movie series which are equally good as the previous ones, but fresh and intriguing. I believe that brighter days are still ahead for Disney, and I will support the company just like my fellow classmates.

Reference:

Moran, Moran,”Disney: A Brand People Need“. Hi, I am Monica Moran. November 4th, 2011. https://blogs.ubc.ca/monicamoran/