Tag: marketing

Do you Want Shoes with That?

Post author By lizzy
Post date November 17, 2013
No Comments on Do you Want Shoes with That?

According to blogger Jason Del Rey, H&M and Zara are to haute couture as to what Triple O’s tries to be to fine dining: cheaper but still high-quality alternatives that get you the product faster and more conveniently.

First consumers wanted fast food and now we have fast fashion, where JustFab is charging ahead, mostly uncontested, in the shoe market. I think it’s obvious why they’re successful . It takes much less time and energy to buy shoes online than it does to pick them out in person.

But this isn’t a unique service. You can buy shoes online in many other places and for cheaper too. What is unique –and controversial– is their subscription policy where customers are automatically charged $39.95/month for a pair of shoes. A subscription is genius because it reminds the customer every month and keeps them coming back while the buying process is made easier with the “personalized boutique” that shows products the customer will likely prefer.

JustFab is merely taking advantage of the trend towards faster living — consumers want what they want and they want it now. In the future, will we want to buy homes online? Or Completely shift to opensource online university education?I just wonder what entrepreneurs will speed up next.

Sources

Jason Del Rey – “Is JustFab the Next H&M, or Direct-Marketing Black Magic?” (http://allthingsd.com/20130923/is-justfab-the-next-hm-or-direct-marketing-black-magic/)

JustFab.ca (http://www.justfab.ca/how-justfab-works.htm)

Tags ecommerce, fashion, marketing, sales

Uncategorized

All Brand New

Just like my classmate Natasha mentioned in her blog, it seems that nowadays getting ahead in business is all about being different and not necessarily being better. I agree with her on the point that brand image has become even more important lately in an age where image is all about being first on the scene. People pay more attention to who is innovating, especially in the technology sector.

Take, Hewlett-Packard for example. I’m sure their PCs haven’t gotten any worse since they started making them, yet their name doesn’t even come up when you’re talking about the top tech movers-and-shakers. Whose names do come up? Google & Apple.

Apple didn’t invent the PC obviously, but they made it cool. While Microsoft and HP were waxing on about functionality, Apple created products designed like no one had ever seen. And everyone hurried to catch up.

: This is exactly the problem.

Unless HP starts reallocating funds back into R&D and either produces something new or puts a shiny, new exterior on something old, then they’ll forever be playing catch up. The game isn’t about functionality anymore; you can buy a decent laptop/tablet/PC anywhere. I truly believe that quality isn’t as much a point of difference with average tech consumers anymore. They just want something new and different that’ll make them stand out, which explains why people will buy generations of products when there’s little functional difference between them.

Image from Syracuse.com at http://blog.syracuse.com/technofile/2007/08/why_apple_isnt_worried_about_h.html

Tags apple, HP, innovation, marketing, technology

Uncategorized

Why Marketing Isn’t Always About You

Post author By lizzy
Post date November 16, 2013
No Comments on Why Marketing Isn’t Always About You

First, watch this Budweiser ad:

Touching, right?

Scott Stratten discusses the brilliance of this ad on his blog, UnMarketing. This post is incredibly useful because it demonstrates an important rule of marketing that Cole Nakatani explained in class on November 12: When marketing your company, focus on the WHY and not the WHAT.

Why does your company make this product/offer this service? Because people need to know what your values are to form a connection. Stratten’s post highlights why Budweiser resounded more with consumers than any other beer company could simply by showing that they’re a brand of the people. They made it seem like the “Big Game” was just as important to them as they knew it is to millions of Canadian hockey fans. The crucial part of this advertisement was the fact that it wasn’t even about Budweiser; they didn’t ask you to buy their product, they simply unfurled the banners and let their name speak for itself.

Tags brand, marketing