My Marketing Insight

I was very lucky to become the Marketing Director at the UBC Chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Soceity, which is the world’s largest collegiate honour society that recognizes academic achievement among  university students.

I have received intensive training in how to effectively raise the brand awareness of the UBC Golden Key through a series of campaigns. Our marketing team has been designing marketing campaigns that contain consistent message and common brand and that would educate our potential members. According to our statistics, among the non-joiners, 70% were unaware of Golden Key prior to receiving their invitations. It is, therefore, very important for my marketing team to organize events during the membership drive to raise campus awareness.

I will apply the multiple marketing tools to promote the UBC Chapter and raise brand awareness by approaching student organizations, the alumni association, and the Honors Department on campus. In addition, throughout the year, I would create a campus “BUZZ” about Golden Key by making sure our campus posters are visible, telling professors about the drive, and talking to people about Golden Key. Moreover, I will make sure that Golden Key has an online presence on Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress. It is also very important to have updated and high-quality content on the Golden Key webpages.

I feel that that I can apply a lot of marketing concepts that I learned from COMM296 to my current and future marketing positions. As this would be the last blog for COMM296, I will still keep writing blogs after my final exams because I really like marketing and writing blogs has become a habit of mine!

Nike is my favorite brand of running shoes. I was attracted by Nike’s advertisement in the “responsible marketing” blog’s April 8th, 2010’s post. I think this advertisement is effective because of its building of the brand power. Even though the video itself will not make a person turn off the computer, drive to the store and buy something from Nike, what it will do in many people is stir an emotion. The emotion will be different in each person, but when one is standing at the local sporting goods store with Adidas running shoes to their left and Nike running shoes to their right, one will likely be driven to purchase either by subconsciously weighing price value or emotion.  The person may not associate this spot with the Nike purchase decision but very likely the they will go with the Nike running shoes because they stir some sort of intrinsic reaction, even though it’s not entirely positive. I’ve been thinking about this Tiger Woods Nike video all day. And that, from my perspective, is effective marketing and good brand building.

I am a very up-to-date person and I am planning to buy a iPad for my a gift to myself. I really like the following iPad commercial, which shows the magical aspect of iPad.

Although Pizza Hut’s pizzas have better taste than Domino’s pizzas, I prefer Domino’s Pizza because of the lower price and the efficient delivery service. Last Thursday, I was very sick and I called Domino’s Pizza for delivery as there was no food in my house. I was a bit surprised that Domino’s was open on Remembrance Day and their delivery was exactly on time. While I was enjoying the delicious pizza, I was attracted by one of Domino’s commercials on YouTube. In the advertisement, Domino’s read some actual customer quotes: “Domino’s pizza crust, to me, is like cardboard.” And: “The sauce tastes like ketchup.” Then Domino’s explained that they’ve reinvented their pizza — thrown out their old rule book and made something completely new.

I enjoyed this commercial very much and I think that the Domino’s campaign is brilliant. The advertisement is honest, sincere, novel, and very funny. Domino’s was criticized by being a low-quality product. To reinvent themselves, it is necessary to address their poor image head on, so they can then give credibility to their proposed changes, which is the new recipe.

In general, trashing one’s products is a bad and dangerous idea. The risk is that the customer gets an idea that at some point, some aspect of the product was inferior. But in the case of Domino’s, this marketing strategy works well because Domino’s built its business on convenience based on a delivery promise, not a taste promise. In the past, they were the only national chain in the delivery game. And they grew and grew. Their success awoke the sleeping giant, Pizza Hut, who had a better product and now offers delivery as well. So Domino’s had no choice. They needed to improve the product to compete effectively. And the their taste inferiority makes the credentials and credibility reasonable as they’ve made serious changes to get taste affirmation with doubters.

As the marketplace keeps moving, it is crucial for entrepreneurs to follow it closely and be responsive to being the best at what they do at all times. Domino’s did a fantastic job and that’s why I think Domino’s marketing strategy was brilliant.

It is a tradition for me that the midterm week is usually followed by the shopping week. Last week, after finishing all my midterms, I went shopping with my friends at downtown and we shopped at our favorite clothing stores, such as Guess? , Zara, bebe, and so on. It is always Zara that delivers a view of the latest fashion to me and I am amazed by its product variety and speed-to-market. I firmly believe it is the efficient distribution system, multiple locations of stores, and high quality employees that quickly make Zara one of the most famous clothing brands.

I found it interesting that Zara does not advertise in the traditional sense. If we want to find out what’s currently available at the Zara stores, we have two options: go to the web site or go to the store. The fast distribution system is a key factor in Zara’s success. I heard from the staff that Zara puts 10,000 different items on the store shelves in a single year. It can take a new style from concept to store shelf in 10-14 days in an industry where nine months is the norm.

The location of Zara stores also makes an influence on the brand. In its primary European markets, Zara locates its stores close together. Visitors comment that Zara in Madrid is like Starbucks in a major U.S. city—you see another store on every street corner. The stock changes often, with most items staying on the shelf for only a month, so the customer often finds something new and appealing. By the same token, if the customer finds nothing to buy this visit, the store’s regular customers know that tomorrow or next week—sometime soon—new goods will be on Zara’s shelves. That makes it worth another visit.

Last but not least, Zara relies heavily on store employees for market information. Last year, when I looked at a sweater and commented, “That would look really nice with a cowl collar,” an employee may relay that information to Spain where managers decide whether or not to produce the suggested item. If they decide to make it, they can put it on the shelf in Vancouver in two weeks or less, partly because they ship by air. Ocean shipping would add at least another ten days to the time it takes to get the product in front of the customer, undermining the speed-to-market and product variety strategy.

All in all, I like Zara very much. Do you want to keep up with the fashion trend, too? Try Zara!

Coffee is my best friend during the midterm weeks and the coffee at Starbucks is my favorite. I like Starbucks, not just because it has perfect coffee with rich, delicious taste aroma, but also because it creates a unique, relaxing, and cozy experience and atmosphere at every store. I enjoy the smile on the barista’s face, and I appreciate the customer service there. It makes me feel that I am an important customer to them.

The Starbucks’ marketing strategy has led the company to its current success. The company has created greatly individualized marketing techniques to fit the promotion of the Starbucks brand as it applies to the unique concept it was built on. I totally agree with Oliver when he said that the Starbucks Mug has a profound marketing effect on Starbucks consumers. From what I have observed, besides the “Mug Marketing”, Starbucks carries out “Brand Marketing”. The Starbucks marketing strategy has always focused on “word-of-mouth” advertising and letting the high quality of their products and services speak for themselves. Moreover, the Starbucks marketing strategy has even expanded to create a community around their brand. On their website, individuals are encouraged to express their experiences with Starbucks history, and the company strives to “personally” join in the discussions.

It is important for a company to have products with premium quality. However, it is the marketing strategy that a company uses makes it more successful. This is what I have learned from Starbucks marketing strategy.

I have been a Google Chrome user for a year and I am very inspired when I saw the new advertisement of this web browser in Derek Li’s Blog! I totally agree with Derek when he said that Google used a lot of creativity in the video clip to present the web browser’s features. Google Chrome is fast and has a simple, clean, clear, minimalistic user interface. I really feel that Google has a clear understanding on psychology of perception of the users and recognizes how the interaction between eye and brain works, while the bigger direct competitors didn’t.

I would like to introduce some of the Google Chrome’s features that I really like. First of all, Google Chrome reopens website tabs that one closed by mistake. This saves users a lot of time to reopen every website tab by remembering how they initially opened those tabs. Also, compared with Firefox menus, Google Chrome has super clean contextual menus. You right click a hyperlink on a web page and you get only five relevant options to deal with that link. The design is very user friendly. Last but not least, Google Chrome enables the users to search their favorite websites from the address bar This is brilliant. If you visit a website that includes site search (for instance:search.labnol.org) – Chrome will automatically recognize and add that search engine for you so the next time you can perform a search on that site via the Chrome address bar itself.

Google designs the web browser to stop Microsoft from Balkanizing the Internet in ways that favor its own services. Google Chrome  conceals most of the functions and doubles up on operations where possible. It is is really about technological innovation.

Want to download the Google Chrome Browser?

Here you go! http://www.google.com/chrome

I am a chocolate lover and Ferrero Rocher is one of my favorite brands. Ferrero Rocher is a praline-filled hazelnut and chocolate shell, wrapped in golden foil packaging that has instant consumer recognition. Today the product comes in number of specifically targeted pack formats, including a seasonal cube and Christmas tree shaped box, an Easter egg format and various sizes to meet consumer needs all around the year. A new diamond format is also introduced to further enhance the premium value of the brand.I really like this commercial as it depicts the perfect combination of nuts and chocolate by using the pleasant music and beautiful models.

Last Monday, I finally decided to sign up for a three-year contract with Fido for an iPhone 4. When I lined up at the Fido Store & Kiosk at the Oakridge Center, I was very excited when I found that iPhone4 was in stock. I saw a customer walk away happily with the iPhone4 and I imagined that I would leave the store with content as well. Unexpectedly, when there were still five people lining up in front of me, the sales representatives announced that iPhone4 was out of stock and they would not put customers on a waiting list by taking names and addresses. I was very disappointed and upset when I left the mall and I kept thinking: Why could not Apply supply more iPhone4?

I called Sally, my best friend, and I complained about the insufficient supply of iPhone4 to meet the expected demand. Surprisingly, Sally held a totally opposite opinion. She called Apple’s marketing strategy genius marketing as she thought that the hype of now and the power of wow are the magic combination of Apple marketing. I learned that Apple channeled the energy of the new iPhone 4 by pre-launch reservations, extra early store openings, and exclusive day-of-release purchase at Apple store locations only. The secret ingredient is exclusivity by holding back product details from store employees and the marketplace until Steve Jobs himself reveals the masterpiece. This strategy controls the channel of communication and builds focused energy which Apple can then leverage.

I was confused by the words that came out of Sally’s mouth. As a customer, what I felt was only disappointment and inconvenience when I cannot get the iPhone. It seems that the shortage is due to unexpectedly high demand for the phone. However, I am not an iPhone fan and waiting is one of the last things I want to do. If I do not get an iPhone 4 the next time I visit the store, it is very likely that I would think of switching to other smartphones, which are readily available and have comparable features.

The Apple brand is almost synonymous to marketing. There is absolutely no reason other than marketing (i.e. creating an artificial shortage of units) why people would need to line up to buy a cell phone, especially days after its initial release. From my perspective, Apple’s marketing strategy will backfire. It’s great to have a product full of mystique, but if it’s not available to the average buyer, he or she will look elsewhere. This is because, at the end of the day, it’s really no fun to camp out in front of a store, even for hard-core enthusiasts.

I totally agree with the analysis of iPhone Marketing Strategy in the Vertygo Team’s blog. (http://www.vertygoteam.com/iphone_marketing_strategy.php) These marketing professionals analyzed that Apple has done some serious mistakes in the marketing of the iPhone.

What do you think about iPhone4’s marketing strategy?

Bubble tea is my favorite drink. Today, I went to the Pearl Fever at the UBC Village and bought a Honey Green Milk Pearl Tea. When I was getting to pay as usual, I saw the gift card promotion at the store. It says, “Buy a gift card for $25 and get one free drink!”

Before I made the decision on whether to buy the gift card, I compared the benefits and costs that it would bring to me. I found a lot of benefits by purchasing the card. First of all, I am a regular customer at Pearl Fever and I feel it would be easier for me to make a purchase by using the gift card rather than other means of payments. I also like the card design because it is fashionable! Secondly, each Honey Green Milk Pearl Tea costs $4.14, and I usually buy at least one bubble tea per week, so I am sure that I would use up $25 by the end of the term! The card does not expire and thus I can use the card whenever I want. Last but not least, I can get one free drink immediately by getting the card! The cost is obvious! It’s the prepaid $25! Also, I need to make sure that I put the card in a safe place so that it is not lost or stolen!

Pearl Fever implements the gift card program for a reason. There are a quite a few advantages that the promotion brings to the store. Firstly, the marketing promotion helps the store increases its customer base. If I buy the gift cards and give them to my friends who have never been to Pearl Fever, they are very likely to buy the drinks from Pearl Fever with the cards and even become regular customers by recharging the gift cards after they fall in love with the bubble tea! My friends would see the value on the cards as “free money” or “found money”. This is the most basic psychological benefits behind gift cards. By taking advantage of consumer psychology, Pearl Fever would increase loyal customer base and hence would increase its average sale amount.

In addition, Pearl Fever’s gift cards give it a competitive advantage over other competitors. The gift card is like a walking billboard by being a walking advertisement. When the customers see their cards in their wallets, those cards remind them to shop at that store! Gift cards not only create a bond between the customer and the store but also enhance a business’s image by giving the company an image of “modernity”.

Are there any costs involved in implementing this gift card program? There are some disadvantages to consider! Gift cards can cost the Pearl Fever for 50 cents to $3 per card, depending on how many cards are ordered. There are also implementation costs that cover all start up fees related to producing and tracking of gift cards.

Since benefits outweigh costs for me, I finally decided to buy the gift card and get my favorite drink for free. On the retail side, card loyalty marketing programs can provide a powerful way for smaller companies like Pearl Fever to compete. These programs can be a powerful way to grow sales and retain customers. Smaller companies can take advantage of these benefits, but they must consider the costs before implementing them aggressively.