A recent Globe
and Mail article discusses how Blockbuster Canada’s financial situation is
circling closer to the drain and how unsecured Canadian creditors are likely to
walk away with nothing. The receiver made the decision to liquidate the company
to pay back secured creditors, unfortunately according to the balance sheets,
Blockbuster Canada has no money left and the company is left to face the dark
hole – bankruptcy. Blockbuster’s crisis is a good example of what happens to a
company which is not sustainable. Socially, Blockbuster was unable to adapt to
a changing market from DVD’s to online viewing and that issue was the catalyst
which has lead them to the brink of bankruptcy. If Blockbuster had paid closer
attention to the shifting market, and adapted to the shifting market, then
their situation today could be much different. Blockbuster also failed to focus
on their economics. With the increased substitutions on the movie rental
market, Blockbusters economic situation was changing and it seems as though
Blockbuster Canada had no sustainable economic plan. Poor planning and an
unsustainable business plan have lead Blockbuster to a bust.

Is it a surprise that the big television networks are seeing a decrease in ratings? A Financial Post article describes how broadcasting stations such as Canwest Global and CTV are seeing a drop of viewers in their primetime slots weekdays from 8pm – 11pm. I don’t believe these new numbers should be a shock for anyone in the television industry. There is a very simple explanation for a drop in ratings – viewers hate watching commercials. Commercials are annoying to watch repeatedly and naturally, people prefer to watch an hour long program in forty-five minutes commercial free. Consumers now have multiple substitutes of watching their favourite shows without commercial. Most people have the ability to PVR shows and fast forward through advertisements. Those that don’t own a PVR can simply find their show on the Internet for free and indulge in the latest shows. Consumers also have the option to purchase an entire series of their favourite shows after the season is over. With all of these options, consumers can spend their evenings working, with their family, or watching other shows. They don’t need to worry about missing that new episode because they can find an alternate mean to watch it.

Devan Wiebe’s blog indicates that Apple is playing up Steve
Jobs death by setting up store shrines to lure grieving consumers into the store
– this is an appalling way to do business. After reading the article posted on
Devan’s blog I came to the following conclusions.

I understand that many consumers may purchase Apple products
because of Steve Jobs death. This consumer behaviour was seen after the death
of superstar Michael Jackson – after his death, there was a massive increase in
sales of his music. The fact that consumers choose to purchase goods because of
Job’s death is out of Apple’s control and I don’t believe that is unethical.
However, when Apple is setting up ‘shrines’ in store windows with the hopes
that it will ‘lure’ consumers to purchase Apple merchandie is crossing a line.
The word ‘lure’ has the connotations of enticing and trapping people into
something, and that is exactly what Apple is doing. They are embellishing the
death of Steve Jobs to entice consumers to buy more Apple products. Using the
death of a visionary is not the way to honour a man who has done so much for a
company.

Word Count: 195

Paying for expensive commercials and cheesy radio ads have
certainly been the norm of marketing. However, similar to the evolution of music
and technology, the tactics of marketing are evolving. Currently, large corporations
have a massive marketing advantage as they can afford expensive commercials to
pull customers in. While outbound marketing methods are still being used,
everyone is incorporating inbound marketing methods into their marketing plans.
The idea of inbound marketing is that consumers are smarter and have a
different mindset when purchasing products. Businesses are noticing that
consumers are responding more towards search engines, user friendly websites,
and social media like Facebook and Twitter. The obvious advantage to inbound
marketing is cost. This certainly levels the playing field between smaller
businesses and large corporations. On the flip side, the huge risk involved
with inbound marketing is that there is no guarantee that consumers will
actually find your website or ‘like’ your Facebook page. I believe in the
importance of evolving with trends whether they are technological or about marketing.
Large businesses who can afford commercials hold the upper hand, any businesses
who don’t incorporate inbound marketing are making a critical mistake!

Word Count 192

Sammie Chan’s blog post about a consumer who lined up for the iPhone 5 a month before its launch date provokes some interesting thoughts. There are some products, whether it is a movie premier, a bestselling book, or a new model of a fancy toy that will
cause consumers to line up for hours. The iPhone line certainly fits into this prestigious
category. However, I think it is silly to waste hours on end just too impulsively purchase a product which could be bought a week later line up free. Rob Shoesmith is exaggerating that point by waiting outside an apple store for a month awaiting the iPhone 5. I heard on the radio that 33% of consumers would purchase the iPhone 5 without even looking at it! That statement alone shows how the apple brand dominates our culture. Consumers need to wake up and realize their time and money can be spent much more effectively. Shoesmith is making this point while getting publicity for his app development firm as well as heaps of donated swag from companies sponsoring his stakeout. Genius!