Why Marketing

https://blogs.ubc.ca/raghava/2010/11/18/mcdonalds-and-nba/

I referred to this entry by Raghava Gupta’s blog post. He talked about how Mcdonald uses NBA as a advertising tool.

Advertising is a broad-based promotional tool. Mcdonald, as a big company spend a lot on advertising to create their brand image.  Raghava talked about how Mcdonald uses NBA to give themselves a healthy image that eating fast food can be healthy too and that even athletes ate them.

However, is this method ethical? Most of the people know about the documentary “Super Size Me” on the drastic effect of eating Mcdonald everyday. By influencing people to think of Mcdonald as healthy food, won’t it be regarded as lying?

I feel that even though companies are getting more and more creative with marketing and advertising, they should not go to the point as to lie to consumers. Just like how when alcohol companies advertise, they are sure to say not to drink or drive and casinos will have subtitles telling people to play within their limits.

In Singapore, there are cases of slimming pills being advertised by local stars which in the end it causes liver damage and thus causing health concerns. Local stars were being slammed for advertising without using the products. I think ethical advertising is thus very important.

http://www.canadianmarketingblog.com/archives/2010/11/the_future_of_ecommerce_has_be_1.html

I recently chanced upon this marketing blog from outside where-by it is talking about the future of e-commerce. This interest me because I know that a lot of business is going this direction and shops that do not do so lag behind and loses market shares.

I am not sure about here, however online shopping is very very popular in Singapore with the ladies. Normally, it is not established shops that they go online shopping for. Instead, they shop and blog shops established by locals. How these blogshops work is that they will buy nice dresses and clothes and make it theirs, selling and introducing them on their websites by taking photos of models with the clothes looking pretty. This concept is very popular in Taiwan and Hong Kong too. These shops are much cheaper than well-known brands and provide lots of varieties for online shoppers.

The blog talks about integrating the online and offline marketing of shops. Yes I feel that it does help that online and offline shops synchronize. On the other hand, I feel that people shop for a reason, no matter what, online shopping cannot replace a physical shop whereby shoppers and try the clothes, walk around, interact or even enjoy the company of their friends when shopping.

For me, I feel that the online shop only provide as a platform for me to view the clothes and look at whether I will like it or not. I will still wish to go to a shop to see it physical before buying unless it is an overseas brand. Online shopping will never be like social outing in real life.

Buckyball fever is here! This is the NEW geek toy. Who cares about rubic cube. Buckyball is THE new desktoy!

Hey wait, or is it Neocube? http://www.theneocube.com/

Which is the original?

Does it matter?

To some people, getting the original product meant a lot. They don’t want to be seen as someone carrying a counterfeit. Maybe it does not really matter for something small like this whereby you just play with it on your desk.

But been the original does give it some advantage. People trust original to give the better quality for the product especially for innovative product like this. The magnet must be strong enough to hold and will not spoil easily. Even if it will cost them double the price, some people still think that it is worth it.

This is the power of the brand name. Marketers need to let their product be in the evoked set. First thing people think of buying magnetic balls they will think of Buckyballs. Thats the power of marketing. Without marketing, a good product will still be stolen away by other firms to make it theirs.

I just came back from Banff last week taking the long holiday away in the Rockies! I have to admit that Canada is really a place for nature-lovers and that the view at Banff is just exhilarating.

One thing that got me curious is that I found out that the souvenirs around Canada are mostly the same! They are not really differentiated. The t-shirts are the same design but just with different location names such as Banff, Lake Louis, Vancouver and even Whistler. Ilanaaq and totems are also the main souvenirs sold in most of the shops, not just in Rockies but in Vancouver and nearby places.

However, despite this, people still buy the souvenirs even though it just change from Banff to Lake Louis. This is because the meaning of souvenirs is to give to others as a gift to share your experience in the place where the rest do not have the chance to go.

I came to realize that the selling point of these souvenirs is not the originality, but the NAME. People want to buy things that others can tell it came from the place. You go New york, you will buy a something with Statue of Liberty, you go to seattle and it will be something to do with the Space Needle. The benefit of souvenirs is not how practical it is, but that it reminds you of the place.

However, having said all these, I am still not a fan of souvenirs even though people always ask for it when you came back for a trip. I personally find it useless and serve no purpose, this is my own view and there is a reason why souvenir shops are still profitable.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/olivemylove/2010/10/30/what-the-buck/

I was reading one of the blog post by Olivia on Halloween here. I am an exchange student to UBC from Singapore. In Singapore, Halloween is not as big there and most of the event is partying in clubs. There is not a culture of treat or trick and collecting candies for the kids. It is mainly a reason for people to dress quirky to go to party.

Just like Olivia, I am not someone who is willing to pay $80 just to get a costume for Halloween. It is not valued as much to me due to the fact that it is not a well-celebrated event in Singapore. However I felt that in Canada, it is very common to see people spending a lot of effort for their Halloween costume.

“The spirit of Halloween” is very clever to be targeting this market here in Canada because every teenager and young adults party during that day! Costume ARE NEEDED. It is a NEED and not a want by the people here. There are countless party on Halloween and even Halloween’s eve. You will be deemed a loser for not having a costume and attending the party. “The Spirit of Halloween” have its main revenue from this holiday itself and therefore have the need to jack up the price in order to have a profit.

Quality is surely not in the mind of the shop. What they need is fresh crazy ideas that will interest the consumer. That customers find of interest and value. Giant penguin, bananas, Barney, Marios. They have to come up with all the designs to suit different consumers during Halloween. No longer is the days where people just want to be a pirate or bunny.( Alright there are still lots of bunnies during Halloween but is too common) They want to be something SPECIAL, and “Spirit of Halloween” target just these kind of people.

I don’t feel is strange for people to value these costume due to the culture here. I have seen during the last day how many people are in the UBC Village dollar shop searching for suitable last minute accessories and costume for the Halloween night. I admit I am one of them cause I am not prepared for it. Haha.

If the shop is to open in Singapore, I don’t think it will be able to sustain as that segment of the market just does not value the costume as much as young adults in Canada who is having hell lot of fun on Halloween. Too bad for the Singaporeans back at my hometown that missed all these action here. 🙂

http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1693703/print

This is an article about Starbucks Cup dilemma. On one hand, Starbucks is trying to be green by using recycled paper cups. However, Starbucks is also responsible for 3 billion of paper cups been thrown into the dump as 80% of its customers take out their drink.

Starbucks integrate ethics into its marketing strategy by setting goals and targets such as free-trade coffee and using 100% recyclable cups but has problem making people recycle them. How far should a company go and is it really their responsibility to do this?

On the other hand, I do believe that Starbucks stand to gain some benefits from going green due to the increasing number of people with green initiatives now. Whether a company is genuinely doing it or for the sake of profits we do not know.

Continue on viral marketing, this is a  case of marketing gone wrong. It seems that there is a limit to this marketing strategy and the need to inform related personnel. This is a viral marketing in Singapore for a shaver. From what I see, I think they are trying to say a man not shaven for days that it looked like a bear. Creating this not knowing it cause fear in the public and resulted in search by zoo and police for this animal that is not supposed to be in Singapore. read more here:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1086997/1/.html

Have any of you guys recently see your girl friends putting facebook or tweeter status as ” I like it on…(somewhere)”. This got many of us guys that do not know anything about it thinking what is this. Seems as if it has some naughty element in it.

To our disappointment, this meme is actually created to increase awareness for breast cancer in this awareness month. Well it actually got us interested and sure is effective in getting our attention. This is actually a kind of marketing called viral marketing.

link: http://www.inquisitr.com/86746/why-is-everyone-posting-i-like-it-in-their-facebook-status-updates

There have been many viral marketing happening around us and they actually don’t tell us where is it from and make us find it or get us interested in it. This channel of communication is sure effective for youth and tech-savy people who uses facebook or tweeter everyday to communicate.

Back in Singapore, there is also this video posted on youtube on ghost sighting in Raffles Hotel which is actually also a viral advertising created for Raffles Hotel.

Enjoy:)

I will be going to Seattle Premium outlet this weekend for some shopping! I feel that this is an interesting place to talk about. Why? Because it is a place far from convenient and is even to the extent of out of the way.

However, people flocked to the place to shop(including me) due to the irresistible offers made by the outlets. This prove to show the power of the marketing mix. Even though Place is not good, as long as you have good products which for this case is branded goods and good price which includes up 30% off normal goods pricing and promotions. People will still come and your shop will still cater to a huge range of crowd.

This is a video of Coke Zero new advertisement.

Coke as a carbonated soft drink is always under attack of reducing the health of the people drinking it. Sales of its soft drink are reaching a stagnant stage. Therefore it seems that right now coke is trying to go into Coke Zero which will attract more people with its zero sugar content.

This advertisement induce consumer to believing Coke Zero being a wonderful invention comparable to a time machine whereby it is actually just changing sugar to artificial sweetener. Coke has always placed a huge emphasis on marketing due to the fact that what they are selling really is just soft drink and it has many substitutes to it like coffee or milk. What marketing help Coke achieve is that brand loyalty and making Coca-Cola more than just a soft drink. Maybe a way of life, or things you must enjoy in life.

There is a reason why Coke has so much capital to spend for its advertisements and why they are spending so much on it. It means marketing works.