Looking back I really enjoyed the video project and thought it was very useful. What I found to be most valuable from this video project was, how it got every team member involved equally, how it allowed me to better grasp the ideas of marketing and how it taught me useful tools in video production. This project got every team member involved equally because it allowed everyone to take on a certain distinct role in the video. By doing this each member had to gather information for each section and create that portion of the video, therefore making it clearly visible who was responsible. In the situation of a standard presentation this responsibility would not be as visible therefore allowing for some team members to not put in as much effort. This video project also allowed me to better understand marketing because it gave me a chance to find information and put it into action rather then just putting it on a piece of paper to be graded. The hands on experience from this video project was definitely very useful something that I would not have got in an ordinary presentation. Lastly, this project taught me the how to create and put together a video project, starting from the planning phase all the way to the editing. I have never been a part of some an extensive video project and for that I am glad I had this opportunity because the techniques I learned will be very valuable to me in my future endeavours. Overall, this video projected was very useful and I learned a lot. It was an great final assignment and I know that what I am taking away from it will be an asset to me in the future.

In recent news two major airline companies have just been granted approval by a judge to successfully merge. American Airlines and US Airways are now operating under the same wing as one company. As seen through previous mergers such as United and Continental airlines last year the merging of airlines can be a bumpy road. Nevertheless, the merger of American Airlines and US airways will see success as they have officially created the worlds largest airline with estimated revenues reaching about $38 billion. The areas that this “New American” company will see its advancements besides its increase in revenues are as follows. The merged company will now have an increased overall market segment taking both companies target market and combining them into one. The airlines will benefit because due to the merger it eliminates the risk that comes from reaching out to new target markets. In terms of the service that these airlines offer this merger extends the life of US Airways because their planes were getting older and out of date where as American Airlines planes have just been refurbished. There is a downside for some customers because of this merger. US Airways now leaves Star Alliance to join OneWorld, therefore all customers who fly on the Star Alliance program will no longer be able to fly on US airways using their frequent flyer miles. However, on the other side of things if you are a member of OneWorld you now have US Airways as an option. Lastly, this merger will have great benefits for the companies brand images. Their brand images will now have the chance to be represented to many new customers in many different countries across the world. This merger is a decision that will reap great benefits for its customers, its shareholders, and its employees and acts as a great step in creating a “New American” way to travel.

American cleared to merge with US Airways

American Airlines

I commented on Eric Abravanel’s blog post: “Mcdonalds and Children”

https://blogs.ubc.ca/ericobon/2013/10/15/10/#comment-5

Buffalo Wild Wings’ New Pricing, Service Model Build Brand Confidence

The price at which a product or service is sold in most cases has a crucial impact on the success of a company. When deciding to set a price a company can use several different strategies. The restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings has been in the process of developing a new pricing strategy to improve their margins. Buffalo Wild Wings is a profit orientation company that uses a target profit pricing strategy to meet certain levels of sales. Their previous method of selling chicken wings was to price them according to the number of chicken wings per-serving. However, this method reported a insufficient return on profits and a continued growth in costs, which is not the company objectives. In response Buffalo Wild Wings changed their pricing strategy for wings to prices per serving size (snack, small, medium, and large). This method returned the results the company was looking for and reduced costs by 1.2% at the end of the quarter. I look at this change in the companies pricing strategy as a good decision for them so far because not only did it return ideal results but it put them back on track toward accomplishing their goals. This pricing strategy however could potential have its drawbacks. For instance it is not very customer orientated because their portion sizes (quantity) may not fit all customers wants and needs therefore decreasing the value of what they are getting. Reflecting that price is just half of the value equation and benefit is the other, if the customer does not receive the benefit they once did from the chicken wings then this new strategy has the potential to decrease the overall value of purchasing it. All this being said it is still early in the implementation phase and before any affirmed judgements can be made more time needs to elapse.

Disney’s Planes: spectacular pre-screening on board of a KLM plane

Branding is an important part to a companies success, and can provide several advantages. In my opinion, the marketing ploy of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines pairing with Disney provides advantages to KLM by building on their brand. However, I do not see the same brand improvement apply to Disney, only an increase in awareness of their new movie, “Planes.” The concept of creating an in-flight entertainment with full effects drives many aspects of KLM’s brand in positive directions. First and for most this conglomeration between KLM and Disney is a perfect example of how brand association can add certain emotions and personality to a company. I feel by associating Disney, a company directed toward family orientated fun and entertainment, with KLM has embedded this same genuine emotion within KLM’s brand. Furthermore, KLM’s association with Disney has also created the personality characteristic of being a kid friendly brand, a quality competitors do not appear to possess. In reflection, this brand association impacts a couple branding advantages. It slightly reduces competitive pressure because it differentiates itself from competitors, and it increases its value by adding new assets to its brand. Aside from brand association, it also increases KLM’s brand awareness in the eyes of youth by directing the ploy towards them. This increase in awareness to youths may not seem to be of any value but due to children having an increasingly larger input on parents decision making, it does add value to their overall awareness. This increase may result in a new considerations or creating an easier decision making process for consumers (adults with families) when deciding which airline to fly on. I see this attempt by KLM to focus on highlighting their brand in a new light as a positive marketing tactic, that will add to their success.

Over the past five to ten year’s healthy living has become an increasing concern across North America and many other parts of the world. Improvements in scientific research have proven many negative side effects in living an unhealthy lifestyle. As everyone has noticed due to this escalating issue, fast food restaurants have added many healthy options to their menus. Giving credit where credit is due, these large corporations attempts to abide with societies demand of healthy living is a step in the right direction. That being said, their unhealthy products remain on their menu and are still advertised in the media. My underlining concern with this is these advertisements do not address the health consequences of consuming these products. Instead they advocate the consumption of their products by manipulating their audience into ignoring the health concerns and focusing on their new creation. Take Burger Kings new french fry burger for example. The commercial focuses on several components, one being the low price of the product, second the concept of their product–putting french fries within a burger–and lastly the targeting of young kids. However, not once do they mention the harmful consequences from consumption of this product. How is it that Tabaco products are entitled to address the health concerns with consuming their products, and alcohol products are to promote safe and responsible use? But fast-food restaurants such as Burger King are not induced to provide any such information. I believe that no matter the product, both negative and positive issues should be reported in order for the advertisement to be considered ethical. Therefore, the entire audience has a better understanding of the product they are purchasing, and are doing so based on reason and not manipulation.

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