Overall I really enjoyed the Marketing Plan Assignment; it was a fantastic learning experience.

The entire project correlated with the material we were learning in class, so this made the project clearer, as well as helped solidify the class material. I learned the concepts much better than I would have if we weren’t applying them to a project.

The first part of the assignment was the hardest as we didn’t know each group members’ strengths and weaknesses, so this made it a bit more challenging. We divided the work up so that each person did one part. I did not like this approach, as although it made it faster to get the material together, each section repeated previous ones, and I didn’t have a clear vision as a whole for the first assignment. This also left us in a position where tying it all together at the end was quite challenging and nobody really knew how to do this, so it created some tension in the group with people not helping out as much as others.

By the second and third parts of the assignment, the group was able to work together and accomplish things more smoothly.

What I noticed in myself is that I work much harder in a group environment, as I don’t want to let the team down. I feel that group work is a very important part of the business school as it is necessary skill to have in the real world.

I also really liked how we created a video, as I am more comfortable in front of a camera than the whole class. It allowed us to be more creative, and I just wish my group would have liked to edit it with more cool effects, but everyone wanted to get it done quickly as they had other stuff to do.

Knowing that my peers were going to review me, made me push that little bit further to be a strong and helpful group member. Regardless, I always try my best so it didn’t affect the quality of my work much.

It was a great term and I thank my peers, my teacher and my group members!

If you’re looking for everyday hipster clothing (the on trend clothing of teens and 20 somethings) Urban Outfitters is the place to go. I have been a loyal customer since I discovered the brand in my early teens. I have tons of clothing from the store, as well as jewelry, shoes and bedroom decor. Urban Outfitters promotes a lifestyle that its target market completely relate to.

http://www.saleamp.com/blog/entry/1914-translation-by-h-rackham

Resalin Rago’s blog explores Urban Outfitters’ online marketing through its own blog.

http://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/

Rago outlines three key reasons as to why Urban Outfitters has strong online marketing:

1. They appeal to their target market.

They are aware of the demographics that shop at Urban Outfitters, but not only that, they blog about the music this group is interested in, the clothing the love (high waisted shorts is a prime example), the shows they watch, and even the lingo they use.

2. They publish like a media company.

Urban Outfitters Blog post often, and the content of the blog is presented like a glossy magazine. This appeals to the artsy culture of Urban Outfitters shoppers. Furthermore, they advertise their clothing through cultural posts that their target market are interested in, such as music festivals and road trips.

3. They add value.

The visitor to the blog site will enjoy the blog and be able to relate to it, which will encourage them to buy from Urban Outfitters. The blog acts as a source of information to attain the Urban Outfitters lifestyle.

Rago’s blog post emphasizes that Urban Outfitters’ blog is effective in satisfying their target market and creating need/ want for their products. Just browsing Urban Outfitters’ blog makes me want to online shop their for their newest, trendiest clothing.

In this post I will be adding to the conversation my classmate, Ashley Anderson started with her “Lululemon Losing Balance” blog post.

Lululemon Loosing Balance

Ashley’s blog post questions the core values of Lululemon as the founder, Chip Wilson explains in an interview that some women’s bodies are just not suited to fit into yoga pants. The pants that Chip is referring to are the classic black yoga pants that Lululemon has built a company from. In March this year, 17% of them were recalled due to the fact that they were too see through when women tried to workout in them.

I agree with Ashley, in that instead of confronting the manufacturing issues associated with the see through yoga pants, the CEO insulted many of his loyal customers by blaming their bodies as the issue.  This made me question the brand that I had always been an advocate for.

Chip Wilson later apologized for the hurt he caused customers and employees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeFMeBtNRp8

This interview seems sincere, but the damage has already been done and many customers are still upset. I don’t think Chip meant to make people feel bad about themselves or question his brand, I believe he worded it the wrong way. For example, when the clothing rubs on bags/ backpacks or against the the body it causes thinning of the fabric, especially with leggings; I’ve seen it happen on mine from my backpack. Chip should not have mentioned that some women’s bodies just don’t work with the pants.

Lululemon will have to show their support for their customers, as one of their core marketing strategies is empowerment and positive thinking, and Chip’s comment does not support his idea.

Blackfish is a documentary that explores the psychological damage that killer whales face in captivity. What many people do not know, is that killer whales have a larger emotional portion in their brain than any other animal, including humans.

In the 70s, killer whales were captured in the wild by illegal hunters who targeted the young calves as they were easier to train. The baby whales were then taken from their families and transferred to Seaworlds around the world.

Tilikum was kept at Sealand Victoria in the 90s. It shut down after Tilikum attacked his trainer and killed her during one of the shows. At night, Tilikum was kept in a very small enclosure with two other female whales, in which they couldn’t move. Tilikum was abused every night by the females, which resulted in emotional damage to him.

Seaworld purchased Tilikum at a very high price from Sealand. Trainers at Seaworld were not informed about Tilikum’s aggression.

Seaworld’s killer whales die when they are 25-35 years old. They tell customers who come to the parks that whales will die even younger in the wild, when really they live to 80 years old.

In 2008, Tilikum killed a trainer at Seaworld Orlando. The experienced trainer, Dawn was following all procedures correctly, however Seaworld made multiple press releases saying the trainer was performing incorrectly, as Seaworld didn’t want to make themselves look bad, so they blamed the trainer.

What the truth is, is that Tilikum and many other killer whales kept in captivity are emotionally scarred and this leads them to act out aggressively on trainers. Seaworld markets itself as a fun-filled and educational company. But ethically, I believe it is harming these animals who have more emotional capability than humans, and taking risks on employees lives, just to make a profit.

Whether you love her or hate her, Miley Cyrus has been a constant hot topic since her twerking on Robin Thicke in a nude bikini VMA performance. Everybody is shocked, which is exactly what Miley Cyrus’ marketing team wanted.

Miley Cyrus frankly seems like she’s lost it, with her constant tongue sticking out, wearing close to nothing, risque shaved hair cut, and ending her engagement with fiance Liam Hemsworth. Globe and Mail points out how this was all set up, and Miley is really the cleverest one of us all, causing everyone to go into frenzy as she rakes in the dollars.

What Miley is doing appears to be not so uncommon, comparing her to Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, who were all in the spotlight at a very young age. Selena Gomez for instance played a controversial role in the movie Springbreakers, where many of her younger fans parents complained about the image she was portraying. However, Selena Gomez has become more popular than ever after her transition from childstar to grown up woman.

Miley Cyrus is showing everybody that she has grown up since her days of Hannah Montana, and this is creating major profits and an increasing fan base for her. Miley Cyrus’ changing image essentially represents her changing her brand from “goody-goody young country girl,” to “rebel urban chick.” This also correlates with her fan base who are no longer young, and are growing up just like Miley.

Miley Cyrus is playing up her “I don’t care image” to capture fan base and make a profit through branding, and for now, it is definitely working.

Source:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/congratulations-everyone-weve-let-miley-cyrus-and-her-marketing-team-win-this-controversy/article14004199/

The tobacco industry has had major restrictions on their marketing techniques for decades. They are required by law to state the dangers of smoking and the damaging health effects. These companies have ethical dilemmas; they are trying to sell and market a product that they know is bad for people.

Blu eCigs has come out with a new product and a new marketing technique. The company has ads featuring celebrities like Stephen Dorff and Jenny McCarthy smoking electrical cigarettes. These e-cigarettes have no ashes, no smell, and no negative health effects for people around the smoker. However, they contain the same essential ingredients as cigarettes, including nicotine, making them highly addictive.

Lucky for Blu eCigs, there are no restrictions yet on marketing these electrical cigarettes. Essentially, Blu eCigs has created a new product in hopes of squashing the stigma attached to tobacco products. The product is still unhealthy, but less so than the original cigarette.

I think that it is a better alternative to regular cigarettes as it causes no second hand smoke. Blu eCigs is definitely inventive in creating more of a “morally correct” product that may not be so frowned upon by society.

Is it okay for Blu eCigs to appear appealing and safer than regular cigarettes, or is the company just as wrong as other cigarette companies that make a profit off of a product that is harmful to one’s health?

View the Blu eCigs ad below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZishwAt_RM

Over two decades ago, IKEA used political prisoners in East Germany to manufacture products. IKEA apologized on the 15^th of November for using forced labour. They stated that they were aware of the possibility of prisoners being used at the time, but blame it on the control system that was lacking in that time. They also state that it will never happen again. Many wonder whether IKEA is really sorry, or just sorry they got caught. IKEA is a well-known company, and I doubt this news of them using forced labour will effect their sales. Moreover, because it was prisoners doing the labour, many will overlook this as they may see it as fair work for people who committed crimes to do. This is an ethical dilemma, and emphasizes that businesses must be careful with what they do as it may come up as an issue in the future.

opean-business/ikea-regrets-use-of-forced-labour-in-east-germany/article5363079/

On November 8th, our COMM 101 class had the pleasure to meet the owner of Energy Aware, Janice. She is a Sauder graduate who put her passion for sustainability to use and became an entrepreneur in this field. Her company, Energy Aware creates hardware, software and firmware. The Power Tab is one of the products Energy Aware makes. It is a very interesting product as it shows the amount of watts you are using in your home. During the Vancouver Olympics, the Power Tab was featured to emphasize the sustainability of the Olympic Village.

I love the idea of the Power Tab. I think it is a simple product that creates not only awareness, but change. We only have one world, and we should do everything possible to sustain the environment.

In reply to Ryan Taggart’s post “Good-Bye Twinkies” on November 18th.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/ryantaggart/2012/11/18/good-bye-twinkies/

Hostess Brands Inc. went out of business recently. It is not a surprise as they have been close to bankrupcy since 2004 as well as are an unhealthy food choice in today’s health aware society. Hostess Brands Inc. produces the infamous unhealthy snack, Twinkies. Ryan makes a solid point in that the company has been liquidating its assets since the 80s, and it was too late to change their brand image or create healthy products. The consumer would be confused by this move and would likely not purchase the company’s products.

I personally, have never eaten a Twinkie before. I believe people are becoming more aware of what they eat and the demand for Twinkie’s was just not there anymore.

http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/small-business/canada-be-your-own-boss-country

On November 13^th, Tony Wanless wrote a blog post for BCBusiness online, identifying the increasing rate of entrepreneurs in Canada. A recent study by CIBC discovered that half a million Canadians had begun their own business in June. Nearly half of the businesses in BC are soloist or self-employed. Because there are so few big businesses to employ people, Wanless suggests that many are choosing to employ themselves and be their own boss. The flexibility of being your own boss creates an opportunity for those who like having freedom. For instance, after my father, Mike Weedle retired from his work in Talisman Oil Company, he decided to create his own consulting business, Markets Matter Inc. This allowed him to have full control over when he wanted to work and what work he wanted to do. He then went on to consult at Nexen 3 or 4 days a week. Creating his own business allowed him to achieve the employment he wanted after retiring.