Month: November 2011

RE: https://blogs.ubc.ca/sallycai/2011/11/06/36/

I thought this was an appropriate topic to write about based on the fact that I’ve been on Twiter none stop for the past few days. I think it’s nearly at par with the number of times I go on Facebook! One of the main reasons as to why Sally’s blog on Twitter caught my attention.

So what is Twitter? Why has it become increasingly popular for several people across the globe? In fact, Twitter has grown so much for the past year, thanks to its appeal of being able to quickly share what’s on your mind in an instant. It’s a channel of social media that is now being utilized by several big businesses around the world because of its more immediate interaction with consumers. For instance, customers can tweet a message to a company, and the company can choose to “re-tweet” the message (appearing on the company’s twitter page) or reply to that specific customer. In a business point of view, I would say that Twitter is much more interactive and personal than Facebook. Instead of customers liking the company page on Facebook, Twitter gives them the ability to actually say something with a higher chance of being heard.

Furthermore, its a great marketing tool in advertising new products or even for companies to test new ideas. Avid followers of a particular company can easily tweet their thoughts on a particular idea a company has put out there, and can easily stimulate fast responses. Its a tool for companies to touch base with their consumers, and hence this interactive process can develop the company’s brand loyalty as well as their public relations. Rather than just pushing a product or a service or overwhelming individuals with advertisements, Twitter in a sense pulls consumers in through this interactive process. Just think about it: a company responding to your thoughts about them or acknowledging what you say…isn’t that cool? I think that’s pretty amazing actually. Even celebrities are using Twitter to boost their brand image, portraying themselves as more than just “famous people” but people with lives. It just continues to stress the importance technology and social media has on the business world and in our lives.

Who know? Twitter may be the next big thing. Watch out Facebook, Twitter’s just around the corner.

I once wished that I could one day live in Disneyland so everyday, I could wake up to happiness.

I have been exposed to Disney my whole life and it’s no surprise that it has sustained such a strong presence in the market for this long. It’s a company that has penetrated the minds and hearts of many people across the globe through its association with happiness, dreams and possibilities. The strong impact and the stability of consumer relationship is because of the brand it has built for decades, and the way they have always constantly lived up to it. People don’t just want to go to theme parks or watch Disney movies; they need it. With such a harsh and complex reality, people need to escape it at times and feel like a kid where the world was filled with possibilities and hope.

Disney started off as a basic cartoon studio consisting of its iconic character, Mickey Mouse. Over the years, it grew into something more than just a cartoon, with various product extension strategies  such as movies, theme parks, merchandise, apparel and clothes. It has been first targeted to young children but has now grown into a family-oriented brand. People of all ages visit Disney Land as a means of escaping reality, enjoying the fleeting moments of childhood again before reality comes knocking on their doors again. In fact, Disney’s recent marketing campaign on Disney theme parks focused on well-known celebrities posing as famous Disney characters from Snow White, Pocahontas and Aladdin, illustrating the sense of stepping into these fictional lives when entering Disneyland.

Disney has effectively captured the essence of this through the way they have positioned themselves in the minds of consumers. The constant themes that appear in movies of hope, courage and dreaming big are the concepts that the brand revolves around, further extending its brand to a brand personality; it inspires and triggers certain emotions in people. For Disney, its a mixture of happiness, love and sadness.

I love Disney; always have and always will.

**Picture above: Zac Efron as Prince Charming and Vanessa Hudgens as Sleeping Beauty