Steven (C.H.) Chiang's UBC Blog

There are some really good marketing related topics that I would discuss about but, I haven’t met the requirement for linking to a classmates blog so that will have to wait for later. As I was looking around at my fellow classmates blogs I stumbled upon Laura’s Facebook rant. Seems likes a legitimate argument but I couldn’t provide any input on it any further. Then I found Megan’s post about the rise and fall of Google +. I agreed with her argument throughout the post, but at the end, I felt differently about the future of Google +. Even though the majority of the population hasn’t transitioned over, that doesn’t mean that Google + can be thrown in the background! I feel that inevitably, Google’s grasp on our cybernet lives will (despite how it sounds) come full circle simply because of the convenience of its service. And because they are so developed, and they’re revenue seems to see no end, Google will have the ability to competitively price their services instead of all the other pricing strategies. Everyone uses Google, and I feel that its only a matter of time before people turn away from Facebook (no company is perfect) and jump on the “fresh ideas” bandwagon. a.k.a. Google +.

So I’ve been trying to get this out in class but it seems I’ve been less than successful. So apparently, IKEA is unleashing a whole new section to its stores, called “Manland”. And YES! It’s exactly what it sounds like. Basically, when a couple or family go to IKEA to shop for furniture, the “man” of the family heads over to the Manland section and cries in happiness over manly heaven – or that’s what IKEA wants men to do anyways. It’s interesting how IKEA actually allowed this to carry on, maybe because they realized that cocooning was becoming more and more popular, maybe because men are becoming hermits after work. Whatever the reason, I think the real issue here isn’t that IKEA is selling flatscreens and foosball tables in a mens-specialty section – the real issue is that culture has shaped the average man enough to force IKEA into such lengthy measures of advertising!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/news-and-views/katrina-onstad/why-ikeas-manland-is-swedish-for-emasculated-baby-men/article2192853/

So I’ll be honest, I totally forgot to do the blog before the correct date, but there was just too much going on. I still feel that I have to get my message out for something that ties in to marketing though. Something that I feel that I’ll be more conscious of after leaving the class in December, and that would be the profound impact of brands. While we were talking about how companies want to sell the experience to customers to create value, I realized that my daily life is basically shaped by brands. I wake up, grab my Oral-B tooth brush, dress in generally Hollister Clothing, open my Apple iMac, and get in a Toyota Sienna to get to the skytrain station. Without these brands, the way I do things and the way I live my life would be dramatically different. Yes, I really wish I could climb in a Audi any day! But it’s somewhat scary to think how many other people do the EXACT same things as I do, as they interact with the products that make up my daily life. It’s no wonder “being different” is so important these days!

http://www.madisonavenuejournal.com/2006/07/26/brands_make_us_lose_our_identity/index.php

Facebook. It has become one of the most sensational objects in history. It’s even got it’s own verb: Facebooking. People go there everyday to check out what their friends are doing, saying, and thinking, and posting what they are up to as well. This gives many firms the opportunity to market their products to the millions of people who check Facebook everyday. This is the main reason why founder Mark Zuckerberg did not sell Facebook in the first place, because of the potential gains from companies desperate to get their product out to the world. But is this really a place where companies can certainly reach the masses with their marketing pitches? Do the millions of users of Facebook actually care what new denture cleaning formula is available? Sadly, according to the blog Econsultancy, it turns out that this is not the case. Apparently the Click Through Rate (CRT) is currently so low on Facebook that firms and companies that are advertising on Facebook are actually wasting money on presenting their ad on the sidebars of Facebook. According to the blog, this is mainly due to the fact that there is no incentive for Facebook users to click these ads, because there is no interaction between the ads and the users.

http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/8028-is-facebook-a-black-hole-for-brands

After reading up and looking around the Seventh Generation Website I realized that there are so many companies out there in the current market they tell consumers about how innovative their products are, but lack the ability to tell their consumers the fine print of it all. Then there are the few companies out there that stand out and say “Hold on, we’ve done research on these big corporate enterprises…there’s something you should know.” and strive to be different from everyone else. Seventh Generation is one of these (on top of that they have a brilliant marketing team, so they’ve progressed quite well).

Where is piaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……………………..?

Well, as there really is no extensive story behind what I have learned about myself, I keep this one way more concise. Hm…I guess the biggest thing that I have learned about myself over the course of 299 would actually be a flaw, which is in itself, good! I realized throughout the resume and the interview process that I was lacking in something very important in business: confidence. I understand that being overly confident can also be a liability (oh look i’m speaking in accounting!), but during my time in 299 my confidence just didn’t EXIST. I fretted for hours (not that many but still) on whether or not I had a error on my resume or cover letter, when I had already gotten 3 other people to check it over for me. It was during the interview process that my lack of confidence truly became apparent. Despite walking into the interview really “confident” about the interview, it was totally hollow, when it came time to actually talk with my interviewer, the fake confidence vanished, and I was left stammering and constantly trying to keep from head in front of my interviewer (oh and apparently, you can lose marks if you bring a plastic PORTFOLIO. seriously.) I pulled through, but the interview helped me realize what I lack, and what I am trying to build now (I went to ME INC. for the sole purpose of the networking).

Well let’s see…what did I learn from someone else? Hmmm… The person I’d probably pick would be…A family friend, named…let’s say “jane”. I remember when she had to go to Eastern Canada to study for university because she hadn’t been accepted to UBC. Everyone around her told her that she shouldn’t bother going to Mcgill, and that she might as well just stay here to study arts or something. The hassle of moving seemed to high a cost for a better to others. She moved to Montreal nonetheless. A couple years passed, and a family dinner is arranged. The buzz of the evening was that Jane had come back from Montreal for vacation, and her situation was totally unclear. As I was applying for university at the time, I went up to Jane to ask what happened after she moved to Mcgill. It turns out, she not only graduated from Desautels, but she had gotten a CA designation only 2 years after graduation! And so I asked her what kept her going even though there were so many problems in her way. “If you really want something, not simply for its material rewards, but for true personal acknowledgement of accomplishment, then nothing, be it physical or mental, can stop you.” Even though I knew she meant this personally in my context, I believe in that phrase applies strongly to anyone that is on a rough patch of the road right now.

…wow that got wayyyy too formal HAHA

In English…with Ben! 😀 No one even reads this…..

Hmm…No more Comm 101… oh well I’ll keep blogging though, just not a extensively as the previous entries (duh). First day back to class and its already back to the old dreariness…plus it was snowing quite a bit. english teacher is very….unique…I’m really curious on how she managed to learn English on the grammar and vocab side without improving it on the pronunciation side…very impressed. That was basically the entire day…wonder how Financial Accounting and Econ will turn out…hop it doesn’t snow tomorrow….gonna go for a walk perhaps…