Category: Business

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

RE: https://blogs.ubc.ca/hishamismail/2011/10/10/36-orange-mini-dresses/

Ambush marketing. It comes up a lot, but what is it really? I never fully understood the real meaning behind this concept, which is why I thought it would be interesting to talk about Hish’s blog about Ambush Marketing.

Ambush Marketing is defined as a marketing strategy in where companies associate themselves through advertising during a major event without paying a sponsorship fee. Although it is not illegal, it does pose ethical arguments. Several companies pay millions of dollars to sponsor an event to gain major publicity and be able to plaster their logo throughout the event. It’s a “dirty” concept in a sense that when another company comes along that have not gained the rights to sponsor anything – as Hish put it so creatively – the sponsors would “react and try to kick that freeloader to the curb.”

Yet this is what makes Ambush Marketing so effective despite it’s ethical controversies. Some companies that are able to play their cards well will be able to utilize such a strategy without conflicting with sponsors. As Hish said, they can “dance along the line, advertising CLOSE to your event, but not actually “at” it.” Take a look at Nike for example during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The main sponsor was Adidas, yet Nike, a non-sponsor was still able to make an indirect yet significant impact on such a worldwide event through social media. In fact, various sources state that Nike was more associated to the World Cup compared to Adidas! Their “Write the Future” campaign involved major soccer players such as Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Wayne Rooney of England. Evidently, the theme of their advertising video was soccer, with famous players playing for their respective countries and doing their country proud.

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

In one of our marketing class, one of our clicker questions asked us about the number of brands we use daily? The options were along the lines of less than 50, 50, 100 or more than 100. I picked less than 50 thinking that this was the most reasonable; you can’t use a 100 or more brands in one day. It’s impossible!

“Is it?” my friend next to me asked me, “think about it. When you wake up, the blankets you use, the clothes you put on, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo etc; that’s got to total up to more than a 100 in one day!”

“Oh ya, I didn’t even think of that!” I replied.

The point is, brands are everywhere. When you wake up in the morning to when you get back to your bed the number of brands you encounter throughout the day are endless. We may not be aware of it but it’s everywhere. We breath brands everyday, influencing our perceptions of various products, services and companies. Without brands or branding, companies spiral down to nothing.

Why do people choose to buy such expensive products such as those from Chanel, Burberry and Loui Vutitton when there are products that can be bought for a cheaper price but still of good quality? The answer is simple. Branding. Such fashion companies build such a reputation for themselves as a result of creating brand loyalty. They create advertisements based on celebrity endorsements, sponsor high-end-fashion magazines, with simple yet chic images of skinny models. People want the elegant and rich lifestyle, high-end fashion designers provide them a picture of that: buy the product and that’s how you’ll feel. Deceiving? Yes. Ineffective? Abosolutly not.

Furthermore, with companies being able to build such a successful brand reputation, they are able to set prices high knowing that there are thousands of consumers out there still willing to purchase that purse or those shoes for thousands of dollars. I know I have. To be able to beat out competitors and rise up from the ground, marketing must start with building the brand because that’s the key to consumer demand. A brand may be simple yet it’s value can be worth so much more.

First blog post for marketing…where do I start?

I guess I’ll start here. Hello everyone! I am not going to begin my introduction by stating my name since it’s pretty obvious what it is from my blog name. But I will start off by saying that I am an international student, born and raised in the Philippines until I was seven. I then moved to Sri Lanka and had an amazing four years there, then began my next six year adventure in Jakarta, Indonesia, where I spent my High School years. All that moving around…pretty crazy huh? People often tell me that I am very fortunate to be given an opportunity to live in so many countries; and I am blessed to have been given this experience. Yes, I got to travel, yes it gave me exposure to various cultures, and yes I made friends from all over the world. You develop a tough skin to protect yourself from such drastic changes in your life and develop confidence in yourself.

I am now a university student at UBC, and having been exposed to marketing in my High School IB Business class, I realize it’s marketing I want to pursue when I graduate.

Marketing plays a very important part in our everyday life; we see it everyday, working it’s way into our minds, and often wonder why did we purchase this? Why do we choose this brand from countless others? In fact, I believe that marketing is the most crucial aspect of a business as it is the one that launches a business forward, sells products and services. Brand image, company reputations etc, are all part of marketing; it is a combination of numbers, analysis and creativity. Exploring consumer thinking and behavior is what makes it so fascinating. That aspect of Psychology that can be brought to the table, making marketing open-minded and innovative.

Hands down, my favorite brand so far is Apple. It’s innovative designs satisfy our wants and needs and its advertisements are simple yet elegant. One word: inspirational.

Oh and I love Harry Potter, so I guess an interesting fact about myself is that I’ve read the last book seven times!