Laura MacDonald's Blog

This video ad created by Evian is definitely not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill advertisement.  The marketing team behind this video decided to take Evian’s slogan of “live young” to the next level. The ad kicks off with a hip beat, nothing out of the ordinary there… except for the fact that diaper-clad babies are the ones grooving to the rhythm of the music.

The advertisement catches your attention because of the absolute absurdity of what is happening (babies doing back flips and dancing in sync with one another isn’t really a normal occurrence).  The little tots are just so cute that once you glimpse the video you have to watch it to the end.  Personally, I find this video to be a great source of entertainment.

I would argue that this video is moderately effective at targeting consumers.  People are drawn to watch it either because they love the cute babies or they just think the ad is bizarre.  And despite its ridiculous angle, the video really does manage to emphasize Evian’s slogan of “live young”.  The babies might be a bit younger than what the public has in mind when we think “live young”, however, this creates an aspect of humor.  Everyone loves a bit of humor.  Clearly, Evian’s goal in creating this ad was to get people thinking and talking about their company.  The company has published this video that has the exact ingredients necessary for accomplishing its goal.

You-Tube has proved itself countless times to be a solid companion for musicians attempting to get their songs out to the Public. However, with the recent release of its album, Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay has gone even further on this video-sharing site. It has launched two different You-Tube videos with several songs from the album on each one.  It is a fantastic way to publicize the album since with one click fans can preview the whole album with thirty second audio clips from each song.  Who doesn’t love convenience? And while each song is playing, the song name is actually highlighted on the video window as well.  This You-Tube technique serves a dual purpose:

1. Conveniently allows consumers and fans to preview the whole album

AND

2.  Highlighting the song name allows fans to search it up themselves seconds later.

The album cover is also very noticeable with its bright explosion of colour and unusual graphics.  Overall, Coldplay has just done a fabulous job of marketing this latest album.  In visiting its website, fans are dazzled by all the neon fonts and bold colours that promote Mylo Xyloto.  I feel that this advertising illustrates a concept we discussed in class.  Consumers buy items from certain brands as a form of self-expression. Coldplay fans purchasing the latest CD are an example of this concept as they view the spirit and vitality of Coldplay’s music and the bold neon colours of the CD art as fitting with their self-image. Therefore, by choosing to support Coldplay, fans are, in a way, choosing how they define themselves.

http://www.coldplay.com/

Several days ago our Comm 290 professor was in the middle of a lecture, when suddenly one of the students put up his hand and informed us all of the death of Apple’s visionary leader, Steve Jobs.  There was a gasp of breath as the 200 students in the room collectively stifled their exclamations.  I found the news of this man’s demise quite startling and almost tragic; I’m sure many others in the class shared my sense of loss.  The general sense of loss stemmed from the fact that the creative force behind Apple is no longer here to provide inspiration or to talk about his new Apple gadgets on technology debuts.  Sure he wasn’t as involved with the company in the last little while due to his increasing illness. However, when consumers think of Apple they often associate it with the innovative genius of Steve Jobs.  This would explain why soon after the news of Jobs’ death the stocks of Apple experienced a temporary decrease in price.

For the days following Jobs’ death, each Mac laptop owner could expect to open their Safari browser to find the face of Steve Jobs staring back at them from the home page of the Apple website.  This was a great tribute to Steve Jobs by Apple.  But according to the marketing site, BrandChannel, http://www.brandchannel.com/home/, Apple even had an actual event to celebrate the life of Jobs, during which it closed all its Apple stores. These actions demonstrate that the company recognizes the large role that Jobs had had in Apple from the very beginning.  By commemorating Jobs’ death, Apple has displayed to its customers that Jobs’ innovation and ideals will still remain an integral part of the company.

With the start of each new school year in September, thousands of students flock to the UBC campus. These students rove from class to class, frantically scribbling notes and trying to absorb every little midterm tip that the profs let slip. Then it comes to break time. And what is it the students want? They want food! And there are oh-so-many restaurants, cafés, and food court counters on campus that would be willing to provide them with this food. So how do the students choose? Obviously, by what they like and what affects their wallets the least. But if food businesses are smart then they will think of strategic ways to attract the students to their doors.

One example of this is the new advertising playing card deck known as Campus Cards. It’s just like any ordinary deck of cards… except for the fact that businesses on the UBC campus have paid to have their logos and brand names printed on to certain numbers in this deck.  Each card actually acts as a reusable coupon for buying food or other items. Pita Pit, Booster Juice, and the yoga center known as Treloar Studio, all offer discounts on their respective products if a customer has their Campus Cards discount card with them.  Students could be playing with their cards during a break, see a familiar logo, and suddenly realize what they want for lunch!

But it’s not just UBC. Campus Cards spans from Coast to Coast! It targets post-secondary students as its consumer market.  University students typically have tight budgets due to their high priced education and hence prefer to save money wherever they can.  By advertising with Campus Cards, businesses can ensure that students notice them and that they attract students through the discounts they offer.  The Campus Cards website also states that businesses can “create a lucrative and loyal customer base” through branding these cards.  It seems like this marketing tactic would be especially useful for smaller businesses on campus who need to grab the attention of more students.

Comm 299 has been a valuable tool in preparing me for success in my career and also for other aspects of life. For instance, in first term a large amount of time was dedicated to improving public speaking techniques.  The feedback and constructive criticism which I received from my TA was very helpful to me.  I became much more confident speaking in front of people and I learned a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses with speech giving.  The second part of comm 299 focused on career-related subjects.  I am so glad that we had specific lectures and tutorials centred around resume and cover lettering writing.  Through this section of the course I learned numerous useful tips which allowed me to upgrade my resume and make it more professional.  As well, the cover letters which I had written prior to Comm 299 were quite simply inadequate.  The cover letter format to which I was introduced in Comm 299 has allowed me to more fully express myself to potential employers.  Another useful aspect of Comm 299 has been the content regarding interviews and other career-related subjects.  The practice interview which we had as a part of the course was my first actual interview experience.  Having the opportunity to practice my interviewing skills, has given me more confidence in my ability to succeed in real interviews.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a single inspirational person; there are just so  many individuals whose selfless, kind, and  regal actions have graced my life.  So in this instance I will talk about my Grandma Doyle.  I have always been amazed by my grandma’s perseverance and high level of diligence. When she was growing up on the prairies of Saskatchewan as a teenager, my grandma had the aspiration of attending a higher level of education.  However, in grade 11 and 12 she faced many obstacles in trying to continue with her education.  She did not let anything deter her from her goal though.  In fact, my grandma was willing to go so far as to move in with  her uncle’s family (otherwise she would have been too far away to commute to school).  She went to school during the day and took care of her uncle’s kids the rest of the time.  Being isolated from her parents and siblings at that age must have been very hard on her, and I am so impressed that she valued her education so much.  Another reason that my grandma is such a role model for me is because of the wonderful artistic skills that she possesses.  Although it has been a few years since she actually sat down to paint a canvas, she still has the same level of excitement whenever I ask for her advice on random art projects. To me, her passion for painting is evident in every canvas of hers that I look at. The canvases with beautiful spring flowers and detailed landscapes on which she laboured for hours truly captivate me.  My love of painting pictures of bold, colourful flowers stems from my grandma’s love of flowers.

As we have learned from both our O.B. and Comm101 classes, the presence of a strong corporate culture can definitely be an asset to a company. Employees who feel valued and enjoy working for the company will be more motivated to perform to the best of their abilities. Meaning that intrinsic motivation often trumps extrinsic. But how do companies create a positive work environment that can foster this type of employee sentiment?
1. Parties! (or any other types of fun bonding)

In a recent article in the Vancouver Sun, one business manager stated, “People still want to go out and still want to celebrate, because in harder times where people are giving more of themselves in order to support the company, it’s actually more important that they recognize the value of those employees”.   This quotation explains it all.  Parties and other social events are a great time for employees to deepen the connections that they have with their co-workers.  Especially during periods when the company might be suffering financially, it is imperative that management organizes events that can facilitate cheer and a sense of camaraderie amongst their employees.

2. Sponsorship

Companies who sponsor huge sporting events like FIFA or the Olympic Games often notice an increase in their employees’ levels of commitment to the company and their general satisfaction with their job.  In fact, my dad commented that when his firm decided to support the 2010 Winter Olympics, all the employees felt so excited and proud to be involved with this international event.  Supporting the Olympics seemed to actually improve the productivity of my dad and his colleagues.

There are various methods by which an organization can create a positive work environment. This goal should be of the utmost importance to the top executives of any given company.   Without the employees, an organization would not be able to function properly.  Basically, employees are the bottom line.

Check out:

http://www.vancouversun.com/Holiday+parties+making+modest+comeback+economy+recovers/3928356/story.html

Entrepreneurial companies have the capacity to develop new products, create new production methods, utilize new markets, and foster new forms of organization. All these factors contribute to the innovation level at which the company operates. Apple Inc. demonstrates this kind of innovation in many aspects of its company. For instance, the firm constantly comes out with new products such as the ITouch, the IPad, the IPhone, and numerous other technologies. Customers are drawn en masse to Apple’s stores and website by the arrival of these new products that can not be paralleled by any other technology. As well, Apple exhibits an intriguing structure in its stores that contributes to the attractiveness of its organization. The structure of its stores is very distinctive and has become a signature trait of Apple Inc. As well, the company’s commitment to having a full set of employees on hand to answer customer questions has lead to positive perceptions of Apple’s customer commitment.

It seems to me that everywhere one turns in the present day, there is an ongoing conflict between the need to conduct business (make profits) and the need to preserve the environment. These two concepts just don’t go together very well. Even when a company joins the “green wave” by becoming involved in conserving the planet’s resources, it still has a primary commitment to generate profit; meaning that if necessary, “green” ideas will be scrapped.
For example, Taseko Mines Ltd. applied to develop a copper-gold mine site in British Columbia. However, they were shut down by the federal government because this project had the potential to destroy Fish Lake. The company and the provincial government (who supported the mine) are distraught that the project was rejected. It shows that their main concern is for the economy, which is rather sad. Because when you think about it, if they had their way, another piece of wild, free land would become a victim of our society’s pollution and waste. Another natural resource devastated irreparably.

If the world wants companies to engage in more green initiatives, then we, as consumers, need to be willing to pay the extra costs that will be associated with these measures.

Read more:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Canada+blocks+development+Taseko+Mines+project/3766168/story.html

Caya or Come As You Are is the latest retail brand from Telus which caters specifically to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. In fact, its first store was opened Friday, October 22nd 2010 in downtown Vancouver. Caya sports fancy new phones and accessories in addition to a stylish set-up in the store. The furniture and displays can even be moved off to the side to create a community meeting place. Wait was that a “community meeting place”? Yup. Unique is the only word to describe this phenomenon.
Basically its a phone store that has gone way past the traditional role of providing phone services. Caya is actually creating a place where certain people can connect and bond over their common values. It could be a very smart move, strategically, for Telus. It could be seen as good positioning. On the other hand, Telus could potentially alienate its previous customers with this move. Why did this company find it necessary to make a special brand for its LGBT clients? Were they not equally as able as everyone else to purchase phones at regular Telus stores? Caya is evidently an innovative idea, but in specifying its target group, it seems to be inadvertently segregating Telus’ customers.

Read more:
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Telus+sales+outlet+aims+inclusion/3726252/story.html