Month: October 2012

In response to Janice Leung’s blog post, I would agree in saying that LinkedIn may not be the next big thing in the social media industry. When I first heard of LinkedIn, I thought it was exactly a mix of Twitter and Facebook, but with a professional twist. If they propose to have a feature where people can follow others as well, then on one hand, it would almost be exactly like Twitter, and also turn into a social hub for advertisements and promotions, or on the other hand, it would turn into Facebook; but since both these networks already exist, it seems as if LinkedIn would not be as popular as anticipated. Even though one could post resumes online, I would say that services within our own university could do that for us, such as COOL, and if not, is it really that hard to send a resume over the a desired job position? However, I think that there has not been an analysis of brand positioning for this new network and may have an impact on the social world. I also realized that the logo for LinkedIn resembles that of Facebook’s. LinkedIn has a long way to go…

(Source: http://www.executionists.com/blog/blog/battle-of-the-social-networking-sites-facebook-vs-twitter-vs-linkedin/, https://blogs.ubc.ca/janiceleung/2012/10/03/linkedins-tactics-to-increase-users/)

The ongoing competition between the two brands of Coca-Cola and Pepsi has simmered down over the past few years, and though there have been commercials in the past with hurtful messages directed towards their nemesis, those have ceased to air and now the respective brands just appeal to the loyalty of their customers. Every brand has competition, and even though Coca-Cola and Pepsi have extremely similar products, they differentiate mostly in consumer preferences. Though they advertise that one has less calories, or they rejuvenate brain cells, or anything else they may say to promote their own product, consumers soon forget which advantage is to which drink: so they pick the one they like best, or have been recommended. I feel like over the years, especially now, there has been a lack of uniqueness from both drinks, and that is why they are virtually the same product.

In response to a blog I read, Avoid the Overlapping Value Proposition, the author wrote that the two competing brands appeal to different customers: Coca Cola to older mature people, and Pepsi to the youth. He also said that both were able to avoid the rut of overlapping value proposition because they have different styles and marketing approaches. Personally I would predict that Coca Cola would always be the classic drink that everybody loves while Pepsi is always going to be living in that shadow, at least for the next while. What about you?

Here is also a comparison of the two brand logos over the years:

(Source: http://www.valueprop.com/blog/2010/08/avoid-the-overlapping-value-proposition/)

In the past month, the province’s new Parti Quebecois government has given into the relentless student led rallies protesting the “high” tuition costs that they must pay, which is a total of approximately $2000. The amount of typical Canadian universities is at least double that price. Just last Saturday, the a student body organized a march through the streets of the city claiming that free post secondary education is completely achievable. This ongoing and aggravating dispute is a prominent topic in the news, and it is now starting to hurt the city’s reputation and business revenues, especially in the tourism department.

Local businesses had gained less revenue in the past few months due to the riots and protests in the streets, which discourage people to roam outside as much. Tourism is also declining in profit rates because the province gained a bad reputation. Even with world inflation rates, the Montreal student body still insists on achieving free tuition. Personally, I’d like to ask if they have never heard of an opportunity cost: if you want to gain someone, you will have to give up something of value to be able to attain it. If this dispute goes on for too long, then the GDP of the province and even country will continue to decrease.

(Source: http://www.westerngazette.ca/2012/03/27/montreal-students-protest-tuition-hike/)