Month: December 2010

Wireless companies are coming under pressure from legislature and consumer pressure to make plans less shady and easier to terminate. As well, with new wireless carriers offering no contract services, there are less barriers stopping consumers from moving. In turn, it is becoming harder for consumers to differentiate each carrier, as they will move to the brand with the best deal. However, Telus is one step ahead of other carriers, particularly the top telecommunication companies, Rogers and Bell, because they have started to change their wireless contracts to become much more consumer friendly.

In the new year, Telus plans to eliminate contract termination fees, lessen the charges for consumers exceeding their monthly caps, and allowing customers to “unlock” their phones, thus letting them to use their phones on other wireless networks. All of these tactics have formed a strategy, which is to be more transparent and have consumers friendly contracts. This in turn differentiates Telus as a trustworthy brand. Consumers will be much more willing to buy into a contract that they perceive to be clearer, more transparent, and ultimately fairer. The future is friendly, for both consumers and Telus.

Burger King had a string of innovative advertisement ideas that have been drawing attention. The most memorable form of advertisement was the “Whopper Sacrifice“. By adding this application on Facebook, users are able to delete 10 friends for a $3.69 Whopper at Burger King, hence valuing each friend at 37 cents.

Although it seems counter intuitive campaign, Burger Kings new marketing campaign is ingenious. With the fast food industry being so competitive, consumers are constantly bombarded with various stimuli that try and entice them to buy a certain brand. Burger King saw that Facebook has a vibrant community of users, and utilized Facebook to create an unique way to grab the consumers attention. While deleting their friends, consumers take in the visual stimuli of the Whopper and Burger King in general. This could also create a snowball effect, as deleted friends are notified of that they were sacrificed for a free burger, and might in turn sacrifice 10 of their friends. To top it all off, this form of advertisement is cost efficient, as there is a great amount of exposure compared to the cost of producing a free Whopper. If Burger King keeps on thinking of innovative ideas to differentiate themselves from their competitors, they will most likely enjoy increasing sales.

WikiLeaks, an international whistle-blowing website, is once again under fire for releasing controversial material. After releasing many correspondence logs between US State Department and embassies around the world, the US government condemned WikiLeaks, stating that the site is “not just an attack on America’s foreign policy interests, it is an attack on the international community.” On the other hand, many argue and that people have a right to know, and it is beneficial for freedom of information and democracy.

Although releasing the information is within the scope of WikiLeaks’ freedom of information rights, is it ethical? The release damages global trust, and in turn puts operatives in danger. However, the US government partially brought this debacle upon themselves, as they tried to cover up information that they had no right to hide. As well, the lost in trust between countries might have financial implications, as trading relations are strained. In order to avert future embarrassment, the US government should take steps to make their past communications more transparent so they can be the first to inform viewers and in turn have better control on managing their perceptions. WikiLeaks should also review the information they are publishing, as it is much more beneficial to keep certain information classified.