Matthew Morrow's blog

Marketers have to be conscious of the age-cycles of their consumers, as different age categories look for companies to add value to them in an assortment of ways. As  pointed out in James Shaw’s blog,  the thing that separates our generations from others is the need for consumer customization, that is the ability  to provide a product or service in ways that customers cannot only customize but also personalize the product. After personal buying experience in this area as well as recognizing a placed emphasis on this marketing tool throughout our course, I came to the realization that customization could be a point of differentiation for the company to which I am employed. I am the production manager for a locally based skmiboard company called Kayotics Skimboards. The company has been around for 11 years, retails at major board shops throughout Vancouver and the US, and also participates in a market place with only a few competitors. While my position entails several core tasks, my boss has emphasized participation in idea creation initiatives for the company. With reference to customization we have been looking for ways to separate ourselves from competitors and also allow customers to find value in our company through personalization. As our main product is skimboards we found several measures which could accomplish this task and serve as a point of differentiation. Most board companies size and product weights are  given, however sizing for the individual often is only presented by salespeople rather than right on the product. Therefore I suggested for our upcoming season not only will we present a range of suggested weights and size options for customers but also clarify the exact weight of the board as a supplement to the product info card. In this way customers will not have to adhere to common product practices which entail the rider adapt to the board, rather this tactic will allow consumers to have the product adapt to them. Hopefully this will prove to be a source for competitive advantage for our company in the upcoming season!

See you at the beach!

After having read several classmates’ blogs, I came across a familiar post one of which reflected an image revealed to us by none other COMM 290’S own Brian Graham. While the image initially enticed me I was more intrigued by my cl0ass mate, Andy Mao’s reflection on apple’s ongoing marketing tactics. The post itself reflects how successful marketing can be in taking the simplest idea and developing continuously to provide customers with a product/product line unlike any other. While apple has maintained its position at the forefront of consumer technology innovation, its success lies not with the creation of original ideas but rather in the identification of other original ones to allow for the creation of its own innovative products. As best time seller Malcolm Gladwell mentioned at a conference I attended, Apple has been able to be so successful through “tweaking” new technologies to make them consumer friendly and provide the utmost simplicity. Take for example the iPod. This mobile music device was certainly not the first of its kind. However by taking this initial idea apple was able to provide consumers worldwide with a product unlike any other, whose vast storage capabilities, sleek design and transportability has provided more value to customers than any other mp3 on the market. While this product has certainly gained position in the mobile music industry, apple marketers have been able to continually maintain and dominate the market by taking the original iPod and extending its line to develop products such as the iPod Nano and shuffle with simple if not minute changes. Undoubtedly Apple has shown the marketing world that success lies not only in creation but also in “tweaking “original ideas and innovations.