Just received the peer feed back, I am very appreciate for everyone’s suggestions and criticism, giving us a lot useful suggestions and will really help us to improve in the future.

However, it seems that  many people don’t realized that our video is made by STOP MOTION!!! Many of them thought that our video was choppy by accident.

We are not that good at making a very professional stop motion video, but we really want to use this style to improve our video, and sorry for confusing others by the slow moving pictures.

Overall, still very appreciate for every feedback!

Picture: http://image.zcool.com.cn/43/28/m_1262510247766.gif

I never thought at the beginning of this semester that we would having a video project as a final project for COMM296, instead of a group presentation. This is a really excellent and useful practice in second year study. It seems would be a hard time for us to do a video related to marketing, actually we did have a hard time with the technology at the beginning. However, this  provided us an opportunity to  learn how to do a video and experience more about marketing during making a video.

As the video progressed , our skills are progressed too. During  finishing the written paper for WestJet (company our group chose),  I learned that  a clear classification  of a company’s marketing mix can help us to  analysis deeper and build a complected analyze for the company. During working with my team, i found that having a plan at first will help us schedule the time and work, also make sure we can finish on time.

I really enjoy the part that we through out many creative idea when start doing the video. This help expand  on our idea and learn how to  consider ideas whether it can be implemented. It is really challenging for us to make a little professional and creative video, but this also increase our skill.

I was really enjoy working with my team. Every member was engaged in group discussion and meeting and ended with a wonderful video project!

For the peer video reviews,every team seems have worked very hard and did a good job for their video project. I have seen a lot of creative idea during watch other teams video. And during watching others video, I  realized what our team could improve and which part is better. This is a good way for us to  learn more from others and also reflect ourselves.

Last, I really enjoy this course and appreciate our marketing professor, Elaine Williamson,gave us lots of useful information could uesd in the future!

Picture: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/goodwork.html

After reading the blog post by allison wu, i find that social media is a very effective way for small businesses to promote their businesses and i totally agree with the original writer;s opinion that “using social media to open small businesses is low-cost and low- risk”.

Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, is becoming more and more important in our life, not only social life but also used between family and academic area. Because of this, small businesses can promote their companies through social media with low cost and fast spread. Social media also give a large space for small businesses to show their personalisation, which could be an important competitive advantage for them in the market. Small businesses could also attract more customers through the existing customers online by social media.Social media also create a useful way for business direct communicate with their customers, and feedback for products and service return to the companies very quickly.

“Call action”  is very important for online advertising. Small businesses should add the direct web link or obvious brand name when they are doing advertisement. There are lots of information come out one time when people go open the website, an obvious name and link is very effective for the advertisement.

resource: Picture from google.com.

Christopher Ratcliff, How small businesses can make the most of Twitter

http://econsultancy.com/ca/blog/63850-how-small-businesses-can-make-the-most-of-twitter

Shopping online has became really popurlar in China. The biggest online shopping website is Taobao Mall, which change their name to Tmall recently. The sales for one recently activity on the website is over 10 billion in 13 hours.  The traditional commercial mode is challenged while the internet developed rapidly.

Taobao Mall was established by Alibabab Group in 2003. The website business includs C2C and B2C two big parts. Its market share  in chinese market is 80% in 2008 and still increased these years.

Taobao Mall is kind of a social enterprise. Taobao Mall not only makes profit itself  but create a platform for the individual business and the customers. It creates a large number of sales and also provides the job opportunities for the people who want to strat their eassily online. There is a group of people making money through open online stores on Taobao Mall. In China one third of the Chinese express delivery every day is because of online shopping. The online shopping gives the express more chance to make money.

As the internet developed, IT system seems more important for companies. It helps to improve business innovation and provides the connection between customers and companies. Although not every company is like Taobao Mall that specialized doing the online shopping, every company needs their own website to introduce their company or sale their products online. This will introduce their company to more potential customers and get more infomation about the industry quickly.

Apple released the new iPad, iPad Air, on October 23^rd. Besides, apple gives away the mac software with new iPad Air for free, which Apple never did before for its products. Apple announced that there is another surprise offer: there will be a new line of Mac notebooks and computers unveiled on Tuesday and its Mac OS and iWork software suite will now be offered free to all users.

Apple started the tablet computing market with the first iPad in 2010, however, as the technology developed very quickly, apple is now under increasing pressure from other companies with cheaper devices, such as Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s Note.

Every time when apple releases the new product, there must be a long crowed line up outside their door, but this promotion, giving free software with new iPad to its users, is effectively consolidating its customers’ loyalty. While the market is facing an intense competition, Apple inc. really need an effective promotion or a program to keeping its existing market share and this new iPad Air brought them a really good opportunity and its actually worked very well for attracting more customers.

As the competition become more and more intensive, Apple, but not only apple inc. will promote more, and more importantly, will making more value for their customers.

Resourse: Poornima Gupta and Edwin Chan.Apple gives away Mac software, unveils iPad Air.October 22, 2013.

http://www.bnn.ca/News/2013/10/22/Apple-gives-away-Mac-software-unveils-iPad-Air.aspx

Google’s revenue has risen by 36% recently when it’s average ads price becoming lower and lower compare to its competitors. Google’s stock surged by more than six per cent after this result released. Google Inc. earned about $3 billion US at the end of September, which is much higher than the same time last year, $2.2 billion income.

Advertisers are not willing to pay so much for mobile ads, because the screens are smaller than on laptop and desktop computer. However, as more and more people use mobile devices to connect to internet, it’s making the average ads price going down.

But why Google can earn more when the price is going down? Google is facing a large opportunity that is there are more customers. More people will see the ads on its website and this increasing the frequency that people click on the commercial pitches.

Google’s target market is increasing by the technology increase during these years. Although the average price for per click on ads is decreasing, Google still is increasing its revenue because of the increasing customers. The improving of technology brings more opportunities for the companies and which company can catch it, then who will earn more many fist.

resource: Google earnings up 36% despite cheaper ad prices. The Associated Press. CBCNEWS.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/google-earnings-up-36-despite-cheaper-ad-prices-1.2101730

VIDEO: Energy Drinks Not For Kids

Do you know that sometimes caffeine does not have to be listed on labels in Canada? Are you aware of how much caffeine is contained in your or your children’s energy drink?

According to Dr. Richard Haber, director of the Pediatric Consultation Centre, children under the age of 12 should not be consuming energy drinks, and teens should be strongly encouraged to limit their intake of the sugary beverages. However, many teenagers are always attracted by the slick packaging of energy drink.

Recently Health Canada has received several reports about cardiac events of students which linked to energy drinks. Dr. Hébert, who is a critical care physician, says that acute caffeine intoxication can cause a multitude of symptoms. According to the fact, energy drink companies should make it clear for customers that how much caffeine is added to their drink and it is not healthy for young teenagers to drink energy drink. But actually, most energy drink do not has any reminder on their brand about this, which they should do to protect their customers’ health.

From the perspective of business ethics, not only energy drink, companies should remind customers what ingredients do they have in their products and what kind of customers are suitable for their products. Energy drink could also write reminder on their labels and have a more clearly target market.

Resourse:

Energy Drinks: The Fact Behind Fizz, McGill University Health Centre, Oct 9, 2012,

http://muhc.ca/newsroom/article/energy-drinks-facts-behind-fizz

Video: Energy Drinks Not For Kids, YouTube, Jul 21, 2011,

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

After came to Canade for a year, I found that KFC is not really popular in Canada. However, KFC is really popular in China. KFC and McDonald can be seemed in the same position in Chinese fastfood market, even KFC is a littel higher than McDonald. This suitation happened because of several reasons.

KFC and McDonald used differentiation strategy when they first came to chinese market. KFC is more concern about the porfit and the sales these years,but McDonald is focus on lower the price to competited. Although McDonald is cheaper than KFC in China, KFC catches more chinese people’s attention. KFC changes its food to be more suitable for chinese dietary habit and tastes.KFC also has a advantage that its products are more about chicken, however McDonald has more foods made by beef. Chinese eat more chinken than beef since before. Also for the supply chain, KFC is more perference for using chinese local suppliers to reduce the cost. McDonald gets it’s most supply from American producers. KFC uses different promotion method to cover a broad audience, such as giving free toys with the set meal to attract children, promoting the family set meal for family, geting the second for half pricing for friends……which can get a large number of customers.

Different stratgy make the companies get different level of development. Choosing the right stratgy is important for company’s development

McDonald’s monthly sales fell 1.8 percent in October, the first decrease after 2003. Although there is a financial crisis in U.S. which can be a reason for the sales decrease, competition is a more important reason for this. The competitors of  McDonald have advertising their new items recently.For exampl, Burger King Worldwide Inc. (BKW) is promoting a gingerbread cookie shake and a Wisconsin white cheddar burger while Wendy’s Co. (WEN) has a new bacon portabella melt. Although McDonald is promoting their new items too, these not make a difference to others while people all doing the same thing. Making a point of difference is very important to the company. Competitions are fierce these days, a prominent feature is required for the companies to keep their position in the market.  In fast food business,products are not that different, so it is more needful to make a difference.

Work cited:  Leslie Patton -,Nov 8, 2012 1:08 PM PT, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-08/mcdonald-s-monthly-sales-fall-first-time-in-9-year.html