Category Archives: Comm 101

11/19/12

RE: GoPro’s Marketing and Why It Works.

Oh man, I remember seeing this video. Michael Chang, who wrote the article “GoPro’s Marketing and Why It Works”, is the very person who showed it to me. I watched it with my mouth hanging wide open for the entire five minutes, entranced by the superior quality of the video and, of course, the crazy action sent my senses tinglin’.

Michael points out two major points of difference for GoPro cameras: size and quality. To expand on these claims, GoPro cameras are designed to be light and small for easy portable use, with exceptional resolution as blatantly demonstrated by the video. However, any products could claim these characteristics to set themselves apart from others. What makes GoPro a significant brand to a customer like me is their ability to captivate the audience with a single video.

When Michael first showed me this video, I had never heard of GoPro before. It branded itself into my mind unforgettably, however, as the video stimulated me with beautiful scenery that I certainly don’t get to witness every day. It also captured me with delicious scenes of surfing, snowboarding, rafting and motorcycling – activities that I wish I was capable of. By feeding someone like me, the audience, with wishful thinking about all the blood-pumping adrenaline I’m missing out on, GoPro simultaneously rouses an internal longing for its product. The two areas overlap, causing one to yearn for GoPro to fill the lack of excitement in one’s life. I, for one, cannot deny that I fell for this brilliant marketing approach.

Props for that amazing video, GoPro. Where can I get one of your cameras? And perhaps a surfing board?

11/17/12

Why Social Enterprise?

My most valuable discovery in the past three months at UBC is social entrepreneurship. I first came across it at one of the booths during Frosh – a booth for Social Enterprise Club, which I immediately joined. I couldn’t stop thinking about it afterwards because social enterprise is exactly what I had been looking for.

I’ve always wanted a career that incorporates social issues – a career that carries impact beyond the money I make. To me, success means more than money. Social entrepreneurship is such a rewarding experience because you receive profit for pursuing a social issue that you are passionate about. Working in a charity is an option but it never appealed to me as much because I still want to keep the business aspect, the constantly changing, challenge-filled environment. In social enterprise, I can carry out hands-on work and solve real problems – all for a cause that I care deeply about.

When Jeff Kroeker visited our class and spoke about the Arc Initiative, I knew. I wanted to explore social enterprise but I had no clue where to start. And the answer was sitting right here, in Sauder: a two month trip to Ethiopia, where students, professors and the local community come together to bring their businesses to life. Physically witnessing the changes in people’s lives is so incredibly rewarding, and it would be the perfect launch into my social entrepreneurial career. I have so much to learn, and I cannot wait.I

Fingers crossed that I make it into the team for Ethiopia 2013!

 

Sources:

Video from CMABritishsColumbia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzh07TPqQJA

11/15/12

Entrepreneurship: Young Women in Business

On Friday November 2nd, I attended a business exhibition held by Young Women in Business, a club which supports and builds the careers of young women by providing valuable opportunities through internships, workshops and networking events. The exhibition, named 6Degrees, consisted of over thirty booths displaying businesses owned and managed by young women across Vancouver. At the exhibition I got to meet many many female entrepreneurs who nurtured ideas from random spurts of inspiration into entire businesses that not only provided a source of income but created an entire realm of possibilities to bring their ideas to life. How cool is that?

Katie Jeanes, a UBC graduate whom I met at the exhibition, is the founder of THREE businesses. The first businesses that she founded is a social venture named A Little More Good, which encourages people to create positive in their communities; she then moved onto become a social media coach. Katie is now occupied with her current project HelenJean, which aims to create the perfect dresses for every occasion, from interviews to parties.

Up until meeting these inspiring ladies, I had been convinced that my priority is maximizing  my resume so that I can be hired. It was all about proving myself to others according to their standards and demands, not mine. That aspect had always frustrated me, to know that I was living by the expectations of others and not my own. Learning about the entrepreneurship of all these local businesses, however, opened my eyes to a completely new possibility in which I get to be my own boss. Now all I need is a brilliant idea!

 

Sources: Photo

Young Women in Business: http://www.ywib.ca/

YWiB 6Degrees Business Exhibition (photo): http://www.ywib.ca/beyondpink2012/the-conference/exhibition/

Katie Jeanes: http://katiejeanes.com/

A Little More Good: http://www.alittlemoregood.com/

HelenJean: http://helenjean.com/

11/9/12

The Success Recipe of Tagga

Even though Amielle Lake visited the class as a part of entrepreneurship, I think her work strongly ties together with informational technology, which Carson Woo spoke about in a previous class. As interested as I am in marketing, which is why I was captivated by Amielle’s story, Carson’s lesson brought out some very essential things to keep in mind when operating a business.

To describe Tagga as a marketing company would be doing it injustice. Tagga goes beyond simply advertising products – it strives to transform how companies can advertise products in such a way that they can measure the effectiveness of their marketing strategies. As impossible as this sounds, Tagga brings this idea to life through technology. By fusing marketing with technology, this Vancouver-based company is paving an entirely new path of bridging a connection between the companies and their consumers. It’s starting to receive some major spotlight – from Adidas to Red Bull, companies are starting to be intrigued by this new software that provides precise data about the behavioural patterns of their consumers and their responsiveness to advertisements and products.

Both classes were huge eye-openers for me because up until that point, I had happily neglected the importance of technology. Trying to understand all that jargon seemed impossible, so I never considered bothering to learn about business-affiliated technology. It seems, however, that major breakthroughs cannot happen without the technology to support it if not be the breakthrough itself. Without doubt (and perhaps choice, as well), I am intrigued!

A cup of marketing brains, another cup of innovative technology and a bucket of courage to take the leap  – and there you have it: Tagga, one of the most promising upcoming businesses on the horizon.

 

Sources:

Business Week’s article “Life Lessons: Amielle Lake”: http://www.biv.com/article/20120904/BIV0201/309049935/life-lessons-amielle-lake

Carson Woo: http://mis.sauder.ubc.ca/carson-woo/

Tagga: http://www.tagga.com/

Tagga – Case Study of Adidas: http://www.tagga.com/portfolio/adidas/

Tagga – Case Study of Red Bull: http://www.tagga.com/portfolio/a-youtube-video/

Photo from here.

11/2/12

Supply Chain + Sustainability = Walmart?

On October 25th, 2012, retail giant Walmart announced new plans to increase the sustainability of its supply chain, located in U.S., China and various other places around the world. Why did I find this interesting? Because it explores two classes of content: supply chains and sustainability.

Considering the international scale on which Walmart operates, it is no simple task to manage the supply chain of millions of products to be manufactured, collected and distributed to twenty-seven countries across the globe. This is no new commitment from Walmart, who previously began focusing on emission reduction since 2005. Launched in 2009, the Sustainability Index aims to maximize the environmental friendliness of its products and suppliers.

To carry these operations out, Walmart has awarded a $2 million grant to The Sustainability Consortium, an independent global organization which strives to build the bridge between the production of goods and environmental sustainability. The TSC has recently announced its  expansion into China, where large manufacturers for global supply chains are located. There,  the TSC will assess the current systems, form relationships with Chinese manufacturers and retailers and accumulate information for future improvements.

So what does sustainability mean for the supply chains? According to the Global Responsibility section of Walmart’s website, the company will focus on environmental sustainability – which focuses on three major goals: 100% renewable energy, zero waste and sustainable products – and ethical sourcing – collaborating with governments, NGOs and other retailers to provide dignity and respect for its workers. Ideal goals for an ideal world.

You said it, Walmart. Now all that’s left is walking the talk.

 

Sources:

Official Walmart website: http://corporate.walmart.com/

Walmart locations around the world: http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/locations

Walmart – The Sustainability Index: http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/environment-sustainability/sustainability-index

The Sustainability Consortium: http://www.sustainabilityconsortium.org/

Walmart – Global Responsibility: http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/

Walmart – Environmental Sustainability: http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/environment-sustainability

Walmart – Ethical Sourcing: http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/ethical-sourcing

Greenbiz’s article “Walmart commits to scale sustainability of global supply chain”: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2012/10/25/walmart-commits-scale-sustainability-global-supply-chain

TSC’s article on expansion into China: http://www.sustainabilityconsortium.org/consortium-news/the-sustainability-consortium-continues-global-expansion-plan-operations-begin-in-china/

Photo from here.

10/28/12

Red Bull, You Genius Son of a Bull

I was intrigued by the brief mention in class about the diversity of Red Bull’s activities. After some investigation, I have to say… I am quite impressed.

As a hopeful future marketing consultant, Red Bull was a very fascinating case study because it takes its marketing strategies outside of the box – innovative marketing tactics that are so innovative that hardly anyone minds the Red Bull propaganda. Which is awesome, because there is nothing more that customers hate than advertisements.

For example, instead of sponsoring an event like brands typically do, Red Bull hosts its own events – extreme sports events that embrace the energizing theme of its product. Previous events include Red Bull Joyride, which is featured in the photo at the top, and Red Bull Air Race, where world-scale pilots perform stunning stunts (ha!) before an audience of thousands. Such events captures people’s attention, hence raising overall awareness of the brand.

Another approach that Red Bull takes is engagement with its customers. And by engaging, I mean individual, word-of-mouth promotion. Red Bull Wing Teams are composed of students driving around in a Red Bull marked van, offering Red Bulls to people on the street. The company also supports young musicians through Red Bull Bedroom Jam and aspiring writers through Red Bull Reporter, appealing itself across the spectrum.These are only a few activities that I’ve come across in my research of Red Bull. The local scale of these projects build personal relationships with people, familiarizing the product for all the great opportunities it provides.

I’m gonna be honest here… Red Bull sounds like heaven for marketeers. Who else wants to apply with me?

 

Sources:

Red Bull International Official Website: http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Red-Bull.com/001242745950125

Red Bull Joyride: http://www.redbull.ca/cs/Satellite/en_CA/Red-Bull-Joyride/001243006065584

Red Bull Air Race: http://www.redbullairrace.com/cs/Satellite/en_air/Official-Red-Bull-Air-Race-Homepage/001238611393596

Red Bull Wings Team: http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Red-Bull-Wings-Team/001242965768603

Red Bull Bedroom Jam: http://www.redbullbedroomjam.com.au/

Red Bull Reporter: http://www.redbullreporter.com/

Business Case Study: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/red-bull/engaging-consumers-through-word-of-mouth-marketing/word-of-mouth-wom.html#axzz2Ce1cE8tX

Photo from here.

10/9/12

RE: Ethics: Sexism in Advertisements.

Ava Zhang’s article, “Ethics: Sexism in Advertisements”, caught my attention not only because of the photo of boobs looming over it, but from my fascination  in how sexism plays a role in marketing.

In order to capture the buyer’s interest, a business must emphasize a feature of its product which connects with the buyer. In Nando‘s case, it was the word play from the new Double Chicken Breast Burger. The South African advertisement, released in 2008, featured a “dumb blonde” who struggles to reach the french fries concealed by her gigantic boobs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0atgOxcxqwE

Nando’s isn’t the only business who used sexism to enhance their advertisements. Then how about sexism against men?

When I searched “sexist advertisement” on YouTube, all videos discriminated against women and none against men. Yet I recall advertisements that portray men as horny beer-drinking hooligans or monotonous working fathers – practically mirroring the dumb blondes or cranky nagging mothers. Are such portrayals of men approved by society, whereas these portrayals of women are not? Advertisements have an undeniable influence on the perspective of sexism, indicating that businesses must take caution in how they portray each gender in the eyes of the buyer and, consequently, society as a whole.

 

Sources:

Ava Zhang’s article “Ethics: Sexism in Advertisements” (photo included): https://blogs.ubc.ca/avazhang/2012/10/09/ethics-sexism-in-advertisements/

Nando’s website: http://www.nandos.com/index1.html

Nando’s advertisement in 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0atgOxcxqwE

YouTube search results for “sexist advertisement”: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sexist+advertisement&oq=sexist+adv&gs_l=youtube-reduced.3.0.35i39j0l3.65457.66616.0.67710.10.10.0.0.0.0.135.740.8j2.10.0…0.0…1ac.1.UMlRwJuCCNk

10/8/12

Social Media 101: jeffbullas.com

Owning and using an iPad is almost like driving and parking a BMW in your driveway. Being able to talk intelligently about Facebook and Twitter now means you are invited to cocktail parties.

These are the wise words of Jeff Bullas, writer and marketing consultant, on the power of social media. Along with rapid advancement in technology came social media, which share information and network with people around the world through online communities. Social media has become a popular and instantaneous marketing method, and play an essential role in today’s instantaneous and globalized community. And it’s all laid out on jeffbulla’s.com, a blog based entirely on social media.

Jeffbullas.com incorporates case studies to investigate the role of social media, from branding strategies of Google+ features to a how-to package on making a promotional media kit. The part that caught my eye, however, was Grade Your Marketing – a clever online tool in which you enter the urls of your website and two competitor websites to be “graded” based on traffic, leads and anlytics. I now know where to go for the tips and tricks to forming an effective marketing environment using social media.

 

Sources:

Jeffbullas.com (photo): http://www.jeffbullas.com/

Hubspot’s Marketing Grader: http://marketing.grader.com/?s=wsg

10/8/12

The Rising Power of Barriers to Entry

Porter’s Five Forces suggest that “barriers to entry” prevent the successful  emergence of businesses into a certain industry. One of the barriers to entry is expected retaliation, which is becoming increasingly problematic for many industries as our generation evolves.

As one of the largest industries in the world, oil manufacturers are faced with persistent retaliation from environmentalists. Unless oil manufacturers are able to juggle environmental friendliness with profitable extractions from Mother Earth, they’ll be having one tough time going about their business – just like Shell.

Last week, Shell’s lawsuit to ban the protest of Greenpeace environmentalists against Shell’s Arctic drilling program was rejected by a Dutch court. This acts as a setback to not only Shell for its future plans but for the power of the oil industry. Nowadays, oil manufacturers must consider the consequences of their actions beyond the aspects of business – there are a variety of environmental and social expectations that determine the reputation of the industry, under the sharp judgement of the entire world.

The outcome of this tug-of-war between Shell and Greenpeace will signify many things. Which emerging power has the greatest influence  – the industry or the voice of the community?

Sources:

Porter’s Five Forces: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml

Shell loses suit against Greenpeace (Photo): http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/10/05/shell-greenpeace-protest-suit.html

Shell website: http://www.shell.com/

Greenpeace website: http://www.savethearctic.org/

Shell in the Arctic: http://www.shell.com/home/content/future_energy/meeting_demand/arctic/?gclid=CPPltqad8bICFURxQgodQA4Alg

 

10/6/12

Oppa Product Positioning Style!

Product positioning targets customers by distinguishing the business within the market. Now let’s examine it through this year’s biggest hit: Gangnam Style by Psy. Despite it being Korean, a foreign language and culture to most, it ranked #1 on iTunes in 31 countries and received the most Likes in the history of YouTube. As a Korean, I couldn’t believe it when hundreds of students at Frosh were doing the trademark galloping dance together.

How did brand positioning create such remarkable results?

Initially, Psy didn’t expect any international success. He simply wrote a song that combines catchy music with funny, applicable references to the dynamic lifestyle in Gangnam, an urban district that has flourished recently. Instead of emphasizing a polished image like other Korea artists who have attempted to break into the American market, Psy’s points of difference lie in his crude character and shameless antics, providing pure entertainment and arousing curiosity about the Asian music industry. Although he’s not the first to create funny and catchy music, Psy distinguishes himself with a trademark dance which is easy to learn and recognize.

Now the question that remains is… how will product positioning play a role in the continuation of Psy’s success?

 

Sources:

Gangnam Style music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

Gangnam Style ranks #1 in 31 countries: http://www.allkpop.com/2012/09/psys-gangnam-style-ranks-1-on-itunes-in-31-countries

Gangnam Style breaks Guinness World Record for most YouTube Likes: http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/21/3370336/gangnam-style-youtube-likes-record

UBC Sauder Frosh 2012 Recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmzG2Z-oLtI&feature=player_embedded#!

Tour The Ritzy Seoul District That Inspired Viral Hit Gangnam Style: http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-seouls-district-of-gangnam-gu-2012-9?op=1#ixzz28WfKOwOo

Psy’s dance lesson for Britney Spears on Ellen Degeneres: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZmkU5Pg1sw