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A recent blog post in ADWEEK’s AdFreak outlined a “customer-service triumph for Chilli’s”. The story goes that an autistic girl refused to eat her burger as it was cut in half, and believed it was “broken”. The server was incredibly sympathetic and not only gave the little girl a new burger, but took the time to kindly explain to the little girl how she was going to solve the problem. The little girl then proceeded to kiss the burger several times, and her sister, touched by the server’s compassionate nature, posted the story on Facebook.

This generated nearly a million likes for Chilli’s Facebook page.

I was struck, not by the kindness of the server (although it was a remarkably nice gesture), but the way the story spread through the media like wildfire. In this day and age, using technology is essential as a means of connecting to all consumer segments- not just those who are ‘young’ and ‘tech-savvy’. Social platforms are becoming their own form of media, and are an excellent tool in making stories ‘viral’.

This is an example of just how effective good PR can be in promoting a company. Not only does it serve to spread the name of the brand (I confess to never having heard of it before, prior reading this post), but it reflects well upon the company’s core culture of excellent service. It is amazing what one instance of kindness, to one consumer, in one chain, can do for a company- an accomplishment that a planned marketing campaign costing a significant amount of money probably could not.

Fascinated with the concept of entrepreneurship, I attended VEF Momentum Connect: Entrepreneurial War Stories, representing the UBC publication Global Ink. Dr. Ali Tehrani, the speaker at the event, is the President and CEO of Zymeworks- a Vancouver based biotechnology company which has recently landed a multimillion dollar deal with Merk.

Dr. Tehrani talked about his trials and tribulations in finding and negotiating with investors and potential partners to start his business. During the talk he offered a few golden nuggets of advice (each of course, supported by a hilarious anecdote):

• When establishing a relationship with someone, do it in person- it reflects poorly if all interaction is done via email
• First impressions last a lifetime
• Be open to new ideas- don’t be defensive
• Passion must fuel your goal, or no one will be passionate about your goal

He was a confident and witty speaker, and while I won’t say he was inspirational, he was definitely charsimatic.

Another point I would like to note about the event, was the networking opportunities afforded. As my first time networking outside of Sauder, I was extremely nervous. One particularly amusing trend I found, was the way some would tactfully excuse themselves, after realizing I was completely useless in terms of helping them find jobs.  On the whole, however it was an enlightening experience.

In the weeks to come, I have been appointed by my club, to go “sponsor hunting”. I will have to approach businesses such as Coast Capital, develop relationships, organize face- to- face meetings and present advertising opportunities, all of course, armed with the arsenal of tools I have picked up in Comm 101.

END OF COMM 101 BLOGS!

Sources:

http://vancouverenterpriseforum.camp9.org/widget/Default.aspx?pageId=247904&eventId=401576&EventViewMode=EventDetails&fb_source=message

http://www.ibclub.ca/global-ink/

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Lead+Canadian+biotech+spokesman+lauds+deal+between+Zymeworks+Merck/5347282/story.html

It has been over a month since Steve Jobs’ death, and while many of my classmates have put in their two cents regarding his death, hailing him a hero and a prophet of the technological generation, Joanna Zhu chose a different tact in viewing Steve Jobs’  death in her post “Cult Fanaticism for a Technocrat”. She questions the devout following that Steve Jobs’ has cultivated over his lifetime and (in her opinion) the overreaction to his death.

And indeed why did his death have such a major impact on people? What did he do for the Apple brand name that justifies such cries of despair? What makes him great leader?

Whoever you are, you have at least some basic knowledge of Steve Jobs. Or you’ve heard him talk. Since his death, I have been ambushed by an influx of Steve Jobs information- all positive of course, as no one likes to talk ill of the dead. But Joanna makes some good points- he was no Mother Teresa. In fact in watching various documentaries (and Pirates of Silicon Valley), I found that Jobs has been involved in some scandals- namely he has been accused of stealing from Xerox

Steve Jobs was an innovative entrepreneur. As CEO helped pull out a dying corporation from the dust making it into the 24 billion company it is today. A company which has ranked first among the 20 Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine. However placing him on God-like pedestal? I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with Joanna in saying that it’s a bit much.

Sources:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/contemporarynostalgia/2011/10/08/oct-6-2011-cult-fanaticism-for-a-technocrat/

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0802/gallery.mostadmired_top20.fortune/index.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20124720-37/jonathan-ive-steve-jobs-stole-my-ideas/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEyrivrjAuU

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal were both employees of Amazon.com, when in 2007, they left the multinational e-commerce company to start their own. Flipkart is now the biggest online bookstore in India and is still expanding, working to go beyond just books and start operating as a major player in the e-commerce market.

According to QuickMBA’s article, a company which exhibits entrepreneurship must place an emphasis on innovation, create substantial wealth quickly and take risks. By this definition, these two men are the epitome of entrepreneurs- what with Flipkart’s quick rise to success in amassing wealth, not to mention the risk these two young men took in quitting a reputable firm.

How did they do it?

Flipkart has managed to hone in on the upward trend of online buying in India, making customer service their key goal.  The real key to their success, however, lies in their innovative supply chain which efficiently operates with the local book dealers and  postal services in the country. This has helped them to cut costs, thereby allowing them to provide an excellent online shopping experience.

Binny Bansal said: “We found that e-commerce hadn’t taken off in India because no one had done it properly. Everything was wrong from the websites’ usability to product delivery.” They identified a major gap in the e-commerce market in India and they worked to fill it.

Sources:

http://www.flipkart.com/about-us

http://www.quickmba.com/entre/definition/

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-09-09/news/30135779_1_flipkart-internet-users-sachin-bansal

www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/06/top-10-entrepreneurs-of-2010/

Companies today must be aware of the increasing potential for technology in every facet of their business- whether it be internal management, accounting or marketing. QR codes have emerged as an important tool in a ‘marketing team’s arsenal’.

Thus the Home Shopping Network (HSN), has attempted to feature first ever on-air QR codes as a part of a three day experiment. This move involved broadcasting hundreds of products each with their own QR code, allowing viewers at home to scan their TV screen, access information about the product and have the ability to purchase the product from the comfort of their own homes. Being the first retailers to incorporate QR codes, HSN has definitely taken a giant step forward in innovative thinking, but has this seemingly brilliant move paid off?

In short, the answer is no.

HSN’s three day TV special has ended, with not very satisfactory results. Although HSN was correct when doing market research, that a majority of people use their phones/notebooks while watching TV, they failed to comprehend their viewers’ comprehension of using QR codes. A majority of HSN’s viewers are women aged from 30-40, a consumer group which, although aware of the concept of QR codes, are not adept in using their smart phones to access the information linked to QR codes.

In addition to this hurdle, I would imagine many viewers being frustrated in scanning a TV. Its all very well and good to scanning stationary items, but scanning something which constantly changes is another matter entirely.

Sources:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hsns-innovation-weekend-features-first-ever-on-air-retail-qr-codes-world-launches-of-top-brands-2011-10-07

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lydiadishman/2011/10/10/why-hsns-qr-code-experiment-wont-sell-more-products/

When first seeing the advertisement for Buckley’s Cough Syrup, I was struck by it’s frank and direct nature. Not being from Canada, I was unfamiliar with the Canadian brand and its advertising technique in using the slogan “It Tastes Awful. And It Works.”, but when first seeing their commercial on TV, I was immediately intrigued by their ingenious marketing strategy.

This unique marketing campaign is able to effectively position itself into the mind of the consumer using a variety of shocking slogans such as:

• People swear by it. And at it.
• How bad does it taste? That depends. How bad is your cough?
• Since 1919, we’ve been leaving Canadians with a bad taste in their mouths.

It is very different from other cough syrup brands like Dimetapp and Robitussin which market themselves by only focusing on the effectiveness of their products, while ignoring the universally known truth- cough syrups taste unpleasant. By embracing the nature of cough syrup, consumers are more liable to believe Buckley’s more positive claims. The psychological thought process of the consumer goes: “Well if they’re that brutally honest about the taste, why would they lie about it working?” Whether it is actually any more effective than other brands cough syrups is inconsequential- this marketing campaign renders the Buckley’s brand name extremely memorable, as I know from firsthand experience.

Sources:

http://buckleys.com/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeVQxuTwduI