Month: September 2011

[Personal + Creative= Ingenious]

Maybe my equation is a little exaggerating, but I think Coca Cola’s new marketing experiment is a great idea because it provides a customer with a very clear message- buy our product, its named after you! While, this can be called the brand’s new “point of difference”, it can also be considered their most impending marketing tool. Business is often focused around customers because they are the buyers and the promoters of the product. Coca Cola’s goal is to create a trend and a community with their brand. While the marketing director says “it is all about connecting people, mainly in the real world, but also digitally as well”, the notion of ‘bringing people together’ and stirring conversations between strangers, is promoting their product all along. Also, by using social networks such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, Coca Cola appeals to the new generation and presents itself as a company that constantly innovates. I think this gives the consumers a great combination of individuality and community. So, why is Coca Cola “experimenting” this campaign rather than releasing it worldwide?

While sweatshops and child labour have become common words in most developing countries, can such rigorous labour conditions be found in American companies?

An ex-employee of America’s automaker- General Motors (GM) stated that the company “expects workers to do too much”. As the physical work and health risks are increased, employee lunches have been reduced by ten minutes, and the two 15-minute breaks have changed to 10 minutes each- in correspondence to the terms issued by Obama’s administration Auto Task Force in 2009.

The insecurity produced by the current economic times has pushed GM to discuss a policy of “pay-for-performance”. This scheme will allow the company to push their employees to extremes to get the most efficient results. Even though, the GM website claims that “[their] mission is to create a culture and a business environment based upon inclusion, mutual respect, responsibility, and understanding”.

This is an unethical approach to tackle the economic dilemma because GM is abusing its employees and risking their health by providing wages at an unfair demand of physical efficiency. Such treatment for the people, who make their product, raises serious concerns about how they value their consumers and their community.