Author: sonique

How time flies! I just can`t believe that this is the end of this term and i have already finished my first marketing course in my life! I was, actually, pretty sad on the last day cuz i really like my prof, Tamar, although i didn`t think i`ve done a good job for this course,  i still like marketing and the way she`s been teaching us. And i believe as she says, marketing is everywhere.

I don`t wanna say something to end up my blog, cuz i know i`m gonna continue to post. Just as what i said in my first post, this is my first blog, in my life. I have never ever had a blog before, no matter in English or Chinese. That`s why i love my blog so much and it style. Everytime when i open up someone else`s blogs, i always think, wow, this blog is so fantastic, for its shining pics, moving videos and fansy word styles. I confess that on one hand i`m lazy to do the decorations for my blog, but on the other hand, when i firstly see my own blog, i really like the blue title and the simple style. That`s why i decide to keep it.

I think that`s another way to market, just to keep it simple and straigth forward.

I don`t wanna say good bye to marketing norto  my dear prof Tamar, that`s why i didn`t go on the stage to shake hands with her and give her a hug. Because i`m sure i will see her in the near future and continue my studying with marketing. At this very moment, i really wanna say thank you to her, for all her hard work and contribution for us, and i really learned a lot from this course. I hope one day, i can do as much as her, to stand on the stage, market myself to this brand new world.

Several days ago i read a news. It`s about facebook`s problem. The news said many people who used facebook have already leaked their names, personal information or even their friends names and information to internet advertising companies or other internet-based corporations. Many people said that even if they set up their files with the most strict privacy entrance, they still received unwelcoming emails or even telephones wiht computer voice aiming to promote commercials.

On the other hands, this might rise another problem in organizational behaviour. Since people put their information on line, and they keep diary or write articles to express their feelings or record activities, managers from their own company may get through to their “writings” and to see what this person is really look like. So sometimes troubles come if someone says something bad about their company, complaints, rummors, or even says what`s going on in the company, it`s something organizational managers are not expected to see.

Actually more than 50% people reported that they have the problem with facebook because they worry about their safety of personal information. A spokeman from facebook says facebook team have already taken measures to improve this problem but it`s just a matter of time. In my personal opinion, it`s hard to get this problem solved unless you don`t leave anything personal on the internet.

I believe that everyone knows MSN, which is one of the most popular chatting tools in the world. Created by Microsoft, MSN has accompanied with Windows from time to time. Today, many people use MSN to chat online, share information, keep in touch with family and friends. It seems that Mircosoft has dominated the market of this field.

However, in one of the most potential profit markets, where Microsoft is ever wanting to seize—China, people don`t use MSN. That is because Chinese people have already got used to QQ, which is another online chatting tool, invented by a Chinese company called Tecent.

I wouldn`t say that Chinese people don`t use MSN, but i would agree that most local Chinese, they prefer QQ to MSN. This is probably because decade ago, when internet was just introduced to the world and when people began to use online chatting tools, QQ was the first one that came into Chinese people`s eyes. Then in the following year till now, they have already developed the habbit to use that “particular” chatting tool. I`m in the Generation Y, people at the same age as me, mostly got the same stories and same life experience with me. As time goes by, QQ has become one a part of our life. Everytime we turn on our laptops, we get online, we login QQ. That`s the fact.

There is no way for Microsoft to give up the profitable market in China, with so large population and potential consumers. Therefore the war between Microsoft and Tencent is inevitable. However, compared with Tencent, Microsoft is a world wide known, perhaps the number one known company. So certainly it won`t do something obvious against Tencent, which would bring them with bad impression. But actually, with the advent of Vista system, which would have been a symbol for the end of Windows series, Microsoft made a change to the system that Vista is not compatible with QQ. This change has really frightened the CEO of Tencent because if people use Vista system, they will have to use MSN to take the place of QQ and that would be the last thing Tencent want to face. However, to Microsoft`s surprise, many people found out the fact that they couldn`t run QQ under Vista system, so they reinstalled Windows XP just in order to use QQ! This is really something completely out of Microsoft`s mind, and which made Vista one of the worst systems.

We can see the power of Tencent, no, it`s the power of a habbit. But what i really wanna talk about is several days ago, another free Chinese anti-virus software, 360, has reported in public that QQ is offending people`s privacy by running Trojan in the back of the control board. 360 has cut the pictures and also has recorded the whole process in which QQ is invading people`s private files. No one can really say whether this is true, but Tecent has hit 360 back by clarifying to all the QQ users that unless they uninstall 360, otherwise QQ would not run in their computer!

This demonstration brings huge discussion and fights among QQ users. It`s estimated that due to this clarification, the number of QQ users decreased 1 million in one day. Instead, with this decrease, the number of people start to take MSN to take QQ`s place is hugely increasing. In Chinese facebook, everyone`s message wall writes his/her email of MSN. I think Microsoft must be hold celebration for this somewhere. It`s really funny to see the quick change and i`m looking forward to what will happen later on because some people even say it`s Microsoft who surpports 360 from behind that create this event. However, nobody really knows the truth.

Last week i finished my first marketing midterm in my life. It was not too bad, i hope. I didn`t read any journal last weeks to continue my research of the card game market cuz i didn`t have much time. But what i found was marketing is really about application of the theories. I think the midterm is really practical cuz i felt i was solving  “real” problems for company.

Anyway, i will keep doing my research on the card game market. I really wanna post some pictures and video clip on my blog but it takes time for me to figure out how to do it.

This week i have been looking for the information of the sanguosha card game company(named YouKa Game Company), which i mentioned in my last post. I found one report in Beijing Newspaper, saying that “the total profit gaining from this game last year was almost 300 million dollars!” This is a really big number for a new born company, especially which was just founded 3 years ago. Actually, though this company makes many new card games, none of the other games has brought so much money. The You Ka Game Company CEO said that on one hand they were pretty happy with the profits the game brought for the company, on the other hand, they were feeling quite stressful because this is probably the first card company in China and right now there is no obvious competitor, which means they are leading a direction for this new born industry. “We are creating this new industry, with great hope and responsability.” Says Dubin, the CEO.

Dubin tells the journalist that now there are tons of hundreds of the game sold each month, with last year 3million dollar profit. It`s not a really fantastic figure, but taken into consideration that the company has just founded for 3 years, with all the company inventory and investment of only less than 100 million, and this is a completely new industry, this number can be really satisfied.

Dubin mentioned that although they have created many card games, none of the other games is so successful like sanguosha. Actually there have been some other new born card game  companies which are trying to imitate and copy the success of the game sanguosha but they just all failed. According to a market report, the Card game Sanguosha has dominated more than 90% in this new born game market.

People start to think the factors that make the game sanguosha so popular and successful. Youka company CEO Dubin says that to be frank, the company`s success is due to the success of sanguosha. That`s quite true. And the report in Beijing newspaper even point out the reason why the other companies failed to compete with Youka is that most of those companies they saw the success of Youka and they are so eager to earn money that they are just copying and pasting what Youka is doing. This is called copycat.

Dubin also says it took almost 3 years for the game creation teams to create, perform and try out the game before they put it into the market and that`s another reason why it is so popular right now.

The next plan for Youka Company is that they are trying to make Card Game Pub. Unlike the traditional pub where people sit down drinking or dancing, game pub is a place for people to relax and play card games with their friends and collegues. The company predicts that the most potential consumers are white collar young workers, who like to get together with their friends during spare time.

This is a really new industry and there will be many following market chains. I think Youka company is trying to put this new “phenomenon” into many aspect of the market. I hope they will make more success and i`m gonna search for more information to see whether card game has a potential international market.

Several days ago, while i was celebrating a birthday party for one of my friend,  we played a card game called sanguosha. There was nothing new for me cuz i`ve played it for almost half a year and actually it`s been so popular in China among young people and teenagers that even there is a club for that game in UBC. I was really shocked about the influence of such a small card game. I think one of the reason that made the game so successful is it`s not just simply a game; it`s a history-based game, which is about The Romance of the Three Countries. One can learn a lot from the game.

Anyway, what i`m really thinking about the game is whether there is an international market for it???

As far as i`m concerned, the biggest potentional problem for this game is culture difference. Because all the figures and details about the game is based on a Chinese novel, people from other countries who don`t know the story may not feel it that interesting. However, my point is that this is a real good way to develop something new from old,  ordinary stuff.

What really attracts people when they play this game is not the story, not the figures in the game, but the new RULES, which is completely different from traditional poker game. Though it`s a little bit complex because there are many rules and details in this game, but once you get to know it, and you understand how it goes, i think you will really love it. Maybe i`m not quite right, but it really depends how you play and with whom you play.

So i`m gonna do some research for this game and try to introduce it to my canadian friends to see how they like it. Meanwhile i will do a market-mix and swot analysis of it.

I really look forwad to the potential market of this game.

When’s the last time you wanted to use a body spray, huh? It’s really not something a guy tends to use – so when Axe came out with a body spray for men, it seemed like it should have been an uphill battle to convince men to use a product that (in the United States) is more often than not associated with women.

When Axe first started to flood the TV waves with their body spray adds, I remember seeing commercials directly targeting high school and college males (and their often disregard for hygiene). Let’s face it. Us guys really don’t care sometimes. Wear the same jeans four days in a row? No Problem. Wear a shirt a couple of times before washing? Check. It’s amazing what a bachelor lifestyle is capable of permitting. Axe perfectly singled out two segments of a young male’s life: his disregard for hygiene; and his desire to seem credible to the opposite sex. Axe commercials presented a solution to this conundrum. Axe told high schoolers that it was ok to be a guy, but remember that girls want you to smell clean and their product can help. Take a shower before your date? Nah, just use Axe body spray and all will be well.

As we all know now, the body spray was only the beginning. Soon we had Axe shampoo with commercials about “girl approved” hair, and Axe shower gel commercials about all-night partying. These commercials are true testaments to the male libido, and the effectiveness of marketing on that base desire.

The final nail in the coffin of Axe’s ability to manipulate the male population, however, come in the form of the Axe Detailer Shower Tool. It’s a loofah! Men don’t want to shower while using something called a loofah though. It just sounds too feminine. But you don’t have too when Axe sells a “shower tool.” It’s even shaped like a truck tire. The Axe Shower Tool not only keeps guys “girl approved” when it comes to hygiene, but it also squashes any homophobia, since you’re now washing with a “tool” instead of a loofah. Simple amazing.

Axe has been so successful that it’s spawned an imitator in Blade, and even has Degree stealing the color scheme off of them.

Without a doubt, those that run Axe’s marketing campaigns deserve an award for being able to take an area of hygiene products dominated by females, and making to seem cool and desirable for men to use them. They understood their target market well and executed proficiently.

Now if you’ll excuse me… I’m off to shower with my snake peel shower gel.

Reference:http://michael.szul.us/blog/post/91-axe-genius-in-marketing

Recently i have been doing a market research and customer analysis based on “Axe”, a world wide known brand for men`s body spray. But to tell the truth, i have never ever heard this brand before. I think probably that`s because i don`t use the product, neither do i wear any man perfume. After collecting the info about this company for 1-2 days, i just realised how well-known this brand is and how powerful effection the “Axe effect” generates.

As a brief introduction, Axe was founded in France, 1983, as many other luxury brands. And 24 yrs later, this brand has become the best selling brand of Unilever. It`s hard to judge whether 24 yrs is long enough for a brand to grow up. But at least Axe made a very successful model for its competitors to follow and undoubtly today Axe conquered the market in this field. I advocate that there is close relationship between Axe`s success and its marketing strategies.

1. Customers. Axe body spray is mainly aimed on young men, especially age from 15-25. This is very appropriate because it seizes the heart of its consumers. Young men are usually dynamic, fashionable, and really want to be attractive to girls. Therefore there are more possible chances for them to buy and consume men perfume.

2. Ads. Ads is really important for all products, brands, companies cuz it is usually from where people get to know your product and your brand. Axe makes it Ads very special and seductive. It tries to catch young men`s attention by using pretty hot girls in its ads. What`s more, the idea it conveys in the ads is that if you use Axe, the “Axe effect” will go over all of your body, therefore you become so attractive to girls that they will make the first step, instead of you. This idea is very different from traditional because usually it`s guys who first make the move. So through the ads Axe makes a scene that girls seduce guys just because they are affected by the Axe effect. And also there is a poing from one article that i read i find very reasonable is that in Axe`s ads, they don`t use Hunks, instead, they use ordinary guys or even skinny men seduced by girls. I think this detail is very important as well because it makes the ads more realistic and approchable. The meaning of doing this is to link men`s confidence with Axe. So people will feel like pretty confident when they are wearing Axe, making them feeling more comfortable dealing with girls.

3. Price. Price is always the considerance of people when shopping. In terms of Axe, the price is very acceptable, especially thinking that the potential consumers are usually students or people with not very high-paid job. Compared with cologne, it`s so much cheaper. Although it`s a little bit more expensive than anti-sweat.

4. Brand monopoly. This may be the most important point that makes Axe so successful. Axe has the absolute competitve advantage that it makes the idea that when thinking of seductions, girls make the first move. That`s the power of Axe effect and that`s why many people love this brand and even tried many different fragrances just because they prefer Axe. And i think this can lead Axe to go longer and probably stand out of the other competitors in the competiton.

However, Axe`s marketing is meanwhile an adventurous marketing because the theme it uses and the contents in its ads may not be recognized by everyone and even some people may feel unappropriate. Since it`s sexy-aiming orientation, probably parents and school teachers will oppose to it.

But so far, Axe is successful, and so successful. I really like the way it does the promotion and marketing because it completely gets the attention and seize their thoughts of its potential consumers.

I wish Axe could do better in the future.

Reference:  MarketingPrctice.”Axe: The Axe Effect”,july19.2007. October03.2010.<http://marketingpractice.blogspot.com/2007/07/axe-axe-effect.html>

Today i created the first Blog in my life! It`s in English, in Canada which is abroad, and most important, it`s about a course-Marketing! I have never ever thought that before! I`m actually excited about it! Cuz i know i`m gonna wirte a lotttttttttttt of staff here. This is a wonderful moment lol so i`m just gonna record it!