Today, Nike unveiled their new jerseys for the NFL in New York City. The most attractive one in my opinion, and the one that got the most attention was the Seattle Seahawks. There is a good article online on CBS Sports talking about the design behind the new uniforms and what Nike wanted to accomplish with them that can be found here :

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/18280940/nike-nfl-uniforms-biggest-impact-is-in-unseen-details-and-technology

This was a good idea for Nike to come out with the new jerseys now as there is usually a down time in merchandise sales during the off-season and before the draft. The Nike website has a good promotion of these jerseys.

http://nikeinc.com/news/nike-elite-51-uniform#/inline/9566

David MacFayden has an interesting blogpost that talks about the uniforms as well. He says, “This is part of a plan for promoting themselves, while also providing teams with a sleeker, tighter, and more modern jersey design,” about the new Nike uniforms.  David’s blogpost can be found here:

Nike’s New NFL Jersey’s (Promotion Strategy) Blog 5

Nike has recently signed a deal that gives them exclusive rights to be the provider of authentic NFL jerseys to all teams. They had been uniform providers in the past, but hadn’t had exclusive rights. These jerseys are giving a buzz about Nike and the NFL. It is creating hype among fans, as well as the teams (players and coaches) who can’t wait to wear these  new ‘digs’.

An interesting blog on this topic can be found here: http://newmovementmedia.com/blog/new-nfl-uniforms/new-nfl-uniforms-by-nike-new-business-marketing-by-you/  discussing the business side to these new jerseys. It brings up some interesting points.

The constant debate over apple and rim, iPhone vs. Blackberry, which side are you on? I wanted to bring this issue up because, one, it has been a popular topic of late, and two, I am sick and tired of my blackberry.  The other day, my phone froze, so I pulled the battery out and put it back in. Then re-starting up it froze again after about 5 minutes of start-up. This happened 5 times!!! I was so mad that I went on craigslist and actually contacted 3 people about their iPhone for sale. I have had both the iPhone and now, the blackberry, and can definitely see pros and cons in both. For the keyboard users and lovers, the blackberry is for you. It’s easy to fire off emails, and keep track of everything you need. If you are more of a gadget and app person, the iPhone is more likely the better fit for you.

iPhone has come out with the iMessenger app recently, which is sort of copying BBM as it has done very well and has great popularity among blackberry users. It enables the two people messaging to see when the other person is writing a message, as well as seeing when it is delivered, just like RIM’s BBM app. This was a smart move for apple as now blackberry users who didn’t want to give up their blackberry’s because of BBM, now have and easier decision. Apple has seen numbers go up, while blackberry continues to drop. Here is an interesting article on this topic:

Apple’s iMessage vs. RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger

Celine Groote’s blog, found here https://blogs.ubc.ca/cgrootes/2012/02/07/apples-edge-of-glory/  shows good examples of the RIM vs. Apple controversy and shows some interesting ads that both companies have made. It is definitely a good idea to check them out as they sort of ‘bash’ one another.

This week in class, a topic of discussion has been sustainable marketing. What is it? What are some practices of it? What companies have used ‘unsustainable’ marketing? What companies have gone against this in the past? Well here I will attempt to provide some answers to these questions, as well as some insight into the topic. Firstly, sustainable marketing can be defined as building and maintaining sustainable relationships with customers, the social environment and the natural environment. It is about protecting the environment and having ‘ethical’ practices. The 4P’s of marketing also tie into the argument as well with certain questions being asked for each section. Product- Does it pollute the environment? Is there counterfeiting involved?; Price- Are there mark-ups? Is there high costs? Is deceptive pricing used?; Place- Is there a restricted supply?; Promotion-Is there false wants? Is there high pressure or low service? All these questions can be used in answering the question if a company/product is using sustainable marketing or not. In class we saw some great examples of companies that exemplify some unsustainable practices. Greenpeace showing how KitKat is unsustainable… shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BCA8dQfGi0, Nike using ambush marketing during the FIFA world cup when adidas was the official sponsor. Another example is schools starting to sell locker space for advertisements to make a little bit of extra money. Also, the Heineken ad showing over 1000 fans missing a game because they were lied to. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK-deK6B9g4. These are just a few examples of the numerous amount out there. These are just some thoughts on the subject and some insight into it. Hope you enjoy.

The Stop Online Piracy Act is a bill introduced by the US to broaden the ability of the law enforcement so that they are able to fight online trafficking and copyrighted property and counterfeit goods more effectively. This topic was discussed in class the other day. On Wednesday the 18th, Wikipedia held their ‘blackout’ day, where they shut down their website for 24 hours. They did this in support of SOPA. This got the attention of a great number of people as wikipedia is one of the most common visited sites daily. They did this to raise awareness for the ’cause’. They did raise a lot of attention in doing this. The bill is only effective in the USA, but one has to question how long it will be before a bill like this will be in effect in Canada. From a marketing stand point, what wikipedia did, is a great way to get people to look up the bill to see exactly what it is, as well as to get them more aware. Personally, I didn’t know what the bill was until Wikipedia started advertising their blackout date; which all of my friends started talking about as well. The penalties of violation aren’t exactly clear and should be made more apparent.

— Spencer Goodman

Hello world, my name is Spencer Goodman, and I am a second year commerce student studying at the University of British Columbia. I enjoy playing sports, a lot, and it takes up most of the time outside of school. I play a lot of soccer. I tore my ACL in February 2010, and am happy to say that it is finally back to where I can play competitively again. I am currently in a marketing class, COMM 296, that requires a blog to be written, so here I am. I have a general knowledge in marketing as I took it in high school in grade 11 and 12, and was probably my favourite course both years. Something I find interesting about it is the constant change in ‘tactics’ and strategies of companies, and how each company has to adapt to the consumer. My favourite line of ads have to be the ones put out by Nike. I like how they target different audiences with different messages. Sometimes the message will be motivation, how failure leads to success, telling the story of different athletes growing up, etc. Here is an example of one of my favourite ones from Michael Jordan… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zSVu76AX3I&feature=related. I have already touched on some things about myself, but another thing about me is that I am a part of the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta where we pride ourselves on being the top philanthropic fraternity on campus.

— Spencer Goodman