Melissa Lim

While browsing through brandchannel.com, I immediately got excited when I saw the words “Dunder Mifflin” pop up in one of the articles. Being an avid fan of the famous TV show “The Office”, I was curious to see what the article was about. “The Office” is an American comedy television series that depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional “Dunder Mifflin” Paper Company and “Staples” web site – Quill.com has reached a licensing deal with NBC Universal to create a “Dunder Mifflin” brand of papers based off the popular TV series! How cool is that?

I learned that this kind of marketing strategy carried out by “Staples” is called “reverse product placement”, in which products or brands created in movies, television shows or other elements of pop culture are created in real life by companies.

“The Office” is already on its 8th season, has almost 10 million fans on Facebook alone, and has created a clear emotional connection and attachment with its loyal fans over the years. When people think of the brand “Dunder Mifflin”, they would immediately relate it back to “The Office”. For fans to see their favorite fictional paper brand brought to life and actually being able to purchase it would mean the world to them as it would make them feel as if they were part of the show. Thus, I think that it is a smart move for Staples to produce this brand of paper in order for them to create significant product differentiation and stand out among its competitors. Each case of the paper will be sold for $34.99 which is well below Staples’s higher-priced cases of $70-$80, which is why I think price would not be an issue for its customers. The “Dunder Mifflin” brand will definitely increase Staples’s visibility in the industry which will then translate into positive brand equity for the company.

Can’t wait to get my hands on some “Dunder Mifflin” paper! 🙂

In today’s competitive market, companies are coming up with more and more creative advertising and marketing campaigns in order to win the hearts and attention of the consumers. After reading this article on the Brand Channel, I have to say that outerwear company – Weatherproof has really taken creative marketing to a whole new level.

Allen Cohen, a Weatherproof spokesman, told us that the new 32° Weatherproof® store on West Broadway will be “laid out more like a New York apartment than a store.” Sales associates will be called “residents” while shoppers are “house guests” or “visitors.”

Weatherproof hopes to target and build a stronger brand image with the younger demographics with this new “apartment” like store concept. The Company aims to give the younger consumers more of a social experience, where they get the opportunity to mingle around and meet new people, something that you wouldn’t be able to do in any old regular retail store.

I think that this concept is definitely a great approach for Weatherproof to reach out to the younger generation. The idea of an apartment like store and also the organization of various social events such as “date night” at the store is fun, unique, and a great experience that appeals to the more open and outgoing younger audience. Brands are the strongest representators of any company and we as consumer subconsciously built our own pyramid of brands, based on what we have heard, seen and most importantly experienced. Thus, customers who step into Weatherproof’s “New York style apartment” store will certainly have a long lasting impression of the brand as it is shopping experience that they have never experienced before. I for one would love to visit that store some day!

After reading Robyn Gummer’s blog post on Guerrilla Marketing, I found myself very intrigued with this type of marketing strategy and decided to do more research on it. I have to agree with Robyn and say that guerrilla marketing is definitely very innovative and eye-catching towards the consumers.  I think that one of the main reasons as to why guerrilla marketing can be so successful is that it is unexpected and also unconventional. For me, a marketing campaign that is both interactive and unique is a real bonus in terms of getting the attention of consumers.

I found that there are several types of guerrilla marketing. One of them is Presence Marketing which is communicating the products to the target audience on daily basis in such a way that it raises the recognition continuously.

Another type of guerrilla marketing strategy that i found interesting is Experimental Marketing which allows consumers to interact with the product in order to associate themselves with the product first before purchase.

In my opinion, more companies should practice guerrilla marketing instead of their usual mainstream marketing campaigns like placing an ad on the television or the newspaper, which would be easily forgotten or looked over by consumers. Guerrilla marketing is especially ideal for small businesses who want to gain brand recognition as guerrilla marketing relies more on energy and imagination rather than a big budget. Companies need to start thinking outside the box in terms of advertising and marketing in order for their brand name to stand out and be different.

It is safe to say that social media has become a global phenomenon and the word “tweeting” has become a common lingo among kids, teenagers, adults and yes, even the elderly. Many companies are tapping in on social networking in order to market and advertise their products. Hence, after setting up a Facebook page, the next logical move would probably be creating a Twitter account.

However, how many companies actually succeed in marketing their brand on twitter? let’s face it, if you are not a celebrity, who would actually take the trouble to search for a brand name and click follow.

I found the article “Everything You Need To Know About Twitter Strategy In Two Tweets” to be very interesting as it tells of how two brands uses Twitter in very different ways to market their company, one being more successful than the other.

It is relatively easy for a company to create a twitter account, follow a bunch of random people and tweet about your products every once in a while. I think that companies have to go beyond all that to actually make a profit in the future. It is important for Companies to engage with their followers. For example, take the time to reply their follower’s tweets, at the same time mention about their latest promotions. Besides, they should also take advantage of the other utilities twitter has to offer, like tweeting photos about their latest events and products, advertise their brand name in the promoted tweets/trends/accounts or come up with witty hashtags that will get the attention of their followers.

One of my favorite Twitter marketing campaign was Radioshack’s #ifihadsuperpowers twitter contest, where twitter users had to tweet a picture of themselves with the below pose in order to win some cool prizes

there are several reasons why this campaign was so successful. one, users had to be following RadioShack. two, they had to include the #ifihadsuperpowers hashtag in their post which became a worldwide trending topic. Not only was the contest fun and creative, it was also interactive which i think is key to a successful and memorable marketing campaign.

I feel very grateful to be given the opportunity to attend a class such as Comm 299 which is not offered in most other Business schools. This class is very beneficial as it guides university students through the process of getting a career. Through Comm 299, I have learned a lot about myself and have achieved personal growth as well. I was introduced to Strengthsquest which helped me learn and understand further about my personal strengths that includes Developer, Empathy, Achiever, Adaptability and Positivity. The classes and assignments only made me realize how true these strengths are for me and now I know which areas of my skills and personality that I need to focus and further enhance on as well as which areas that needs improvement. I have gained a lot of insight into the process of getting a job, from preparing resumes and cover letters to how to present oneself during an interview. Besides my strengths, I have also learned about my weaknesses, for example not showing enough enthusiasm during the interview. It is important for me to learn more about my weaknesses as it motivates me to want to work harder and improve myself so that I can present myself better in the future.

Throughout my life I have met countless amazing people that have influenced me and taught me many remarkable lessons that I will forever cherish. However, the one person who has truly inspired me is my mother. I know it sounds cliché, but if it weren’t for my mother, I probably would not be the person I am today. The greatest lesson that I learned from my mother is Courage.

I believe that my mother is one of the bravest people I know. She has been through so many hardships and has survived numerous obstacles. About 2 years ago she was diagnosed with Carotid Artery Disease and required immediate surgery. The chances of her getting a stroke or any other complications during the surgery were very high but despite all that my mother remained optimistic. Although she was going through a lot, she never failed to put other people’s needs before hers and was always there to lend a helping hand when required. I knew deep down she was worried about what might happen during the surgery but no matter what she would always put up a brave front for her family as she did not want us to be afraid. I admired her for that.

Through my mother, I learned that we have to be strong when facing a challenge in life and not get easily defeated. To have courage is to take risks, go out of our comfort zone, learn from our mistakes, and always be optimistic. Life is not always going to be smooth sailing and if we let our problems get the best of us we are never going to be able to live life to the fullest.

oh and her surgery went well by the way 🙂

When Mr. Masao Ogura started the Swan Bakery in Japan, he had only one vision in his mind which is to do something good for the society. Through the Swan Bakery, Ogura employed and trained people with disabilities to work for the bakery’s factory and it’s associated cafe’s. He wanted disabled people to be able to live a normal life and to be accepted by the community for who they are. He provided the disabled with steady incomes and empowered his staff by giving them the responsibility of making their own decisions. He made sure that each employee was given a position that suited their skills and needs. Furthermore, Ogura even established neighborhood programs where Swan staff volunteer in their local neighborhoods, maintaining strong relationships with the residents.

I think Mr. Masao Ogura is a great social entrepreneur. He wants to provide job opportunities for the disabled and ensure a better life for them. He shows great commitment to his vision which goes beyond a profit motive. Through the bakery he created a long lasting  impact not just to disabled people, but to the society as a whole as well. The effort that he put into setting up the bakery business shows how passionate he is in wanting to improve society and changing people’s views on the disabled. He shows immense support to the disabled and portrays a good role model – proving that citizens who channel their passion into action can do almost anything.

From its first shop in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1998, Swan Bakery now has 26 franchises nationwide providing employment to more than 280 disabled people.

The 2008 subprime mortgage crisis has led to the global meltdown of the economy. People lose confidence in the growth of the economy and are spending less, firms everywhere have impended huge layoffs and there has been a sharp rise in unemployment over the years.  One of the many ways to help bring the economy out of recession is to increase the employment rate. Recently i read an article, US new jobs figure beats expectations, “the US unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.6% in October, but 151000 jobs were crafted”

Although the employment rate has not shown any significant change, the increase in the jobs available gives hope that employment will rise, stimulating economic growth.  With more people getting jobs and earning an income, consumer spending will rise,  leading to higher Aggregate Demand and growth rates. The government would also be able to cut back on unemployment benefits and focus on other sectors that could help boost the economy.

However, we should maintain a cautious view on the jobs available as not all the jobs are fit to the people’s skills and experience. Thus, I think that we should also focus on other effective strategies and ways that could improve the financial crisis.

Home Depot has recently implemented a new curriculum in to their organization – Customer FIRST, “an acronym for five steps we ask associates to take with all customers to ensure they leave satisfied”. Home Depot made the right move to shift their attention to improving customer service and incorporating this trait in the company’s Organizational Culture.

Organizational Culture  is the pattern of shared values, beliefs, and assumptions considered to be the appropriate way to think and act within an organization.

For Home Depot, employees are given a set of clear expectations for specific roles and behaviors while their on the sales floor, and they share a common belief and goal  that aims to increase customer satisfaction. I personally think that a strong organizational culture are building blocks in improving and maintaining quality customer care. In order to develop a strong and positive organizational culture, companies need to focus on building on employee strengths, empowering them, providing feedback and making sure that their accomplishments are rewarded. This creates a more motivating work environment that ensures a person’s job is more enjoyable, engaging and meaningful. When we are engaged in our jobs, we feel more committed, and become more productive and willing to satisfy our customers.