From the Marketing Plan assignments, I learned that teams work best when there is a lot of open dialogue and disagreement.  With each disagreement, we were able to grow more certain that we were going down the path we wanted.  Regarding myself, I learned I am more comfortable not being the initiator in the group.  I also learned that gaining a deep understanding of your target segment is extremely important.

Because of this project, I was able to enhance my teamwork skills and business writing skills.  I always find group decisions and editing 5 voices into 1 to be interesting.  This experience has made me a better business writer and team member.

For the future, I would like to be more proactive and create a clearer timeline of when tasks are to be done to facilitate the functionality of group work.  While these were not major problems, these adjustments make doing projects easier.  If I could redo this I would also try and make better use of resources such as the Digital Media Lab experts’ office hours to create a clearer vision for the end product.

Overall, my top takeaway is to enjoy working with groups of people you genuinely like and complement.  There are always going to be times when you’re not thrilled with your group, but that just means we have to appreciate the good group experiences that much more.

While Joyce raises a good point that the sheer volume of free advertising the teams of students did was almost overwhelming, I disagree with the idea that it turned off a large volume of potential consumers.

Personally, a week after seeing all of the teams advertising NESTEA throughout my timeline on Facebook, I was compelled to buy a NESTEA.  I am not a person who has ever gone out of his way to drink NESTEA or even soda in general.  However, these ads placed NESTEA in my evoked set, so when I went was choosing a drink to go with my meal at McDonald’s (another brand I rarely deal with) the first thing I thought of was NESTEA.

In relation to the AIDA model, “The Recruit” made me think about the last time I had NESTEA and led me to realize that it had been a long time since my last NESTEA, so I bought one when I got the chance.  The spam of videos on my newsfeed may have in fact sped up the lagged effect (the delayed response to marketing communications campaign).  It can take several exposures before consumers process the message of the marketing campaign, but because of the immense volume of exposures, I may have processed the message more efficiently.

Overall, I like the idea of “The Recruit” as a good PR activity because it allows NESTEA to access students’ social groups better than say commercials directed at students.

Joyce Li’s Post

Free Coffee – McDonald’s

Recap:  The 17 second ad consists of an empty McCafe coffee cup being filled.  Five seconds in, the cup is filled to the max but more coffee is poured in, implying that the cup is bottomless.  At the end, the times of the promotion appears and the McDonald’s logo is shown.

Liked:  I liked the simplicity of the commercial.  The promotion was easily communicated.  The promotion can build some customer loyalty to McDonald’s.  McDonald’s brand equity allows them to offer a free product without consumers questioning the quality.  The free coffee promotion (which is basically a sample) also allows McDonald’s to get their coffee to more people.

Disliked:  I disliked the simplicity of the commercial at the same time.  Even though McDonald’s is a household name, the ad left me wanting/wishing there more.

For example, I thought the commercial could have been improved if the coffee cup couldn’t be more than half-full.  Rather than seeing the cup as half-empty, viewers would see the cup as half-full.  If the coffee is 1) free and 2) bottomless then a customer would still be getting more than they would have otherwise.  By adding the wrinkle of always having a cup half-full, I think the ad would offer a slightly different take on/presentation of the brand.  The commercial would say that McDonald’s offers fast-food of good quality.  Additionally, the cup half-full reference would be indicative of how consumers have their cups [metaphorically] half-filled by going to McDonald’s.  Whether it is the value menu, the sociable atmosphere, or something more, consumers have their cup half-filled.  The cup half-full reference would hopefully communicate that to potential consumers.

Conclusion:  I like the commercial and the promotion because of how it gets more people (potentially) to try the McCafe coffee, hopefully building some customer loyalty in the competitive “morning coffee” market.

After reading this blog post on “Twitter as a Customer Service Channel” and the benefits of using it (speedy customer service, building a community etc.), I naively asked myself “Why don’t all businesses use it?”   After further reading, I learned that there are several cases where the use of Twitter is a flop because companies were not committed to Twitter by not responding to tweets within 24 hours.

Here are some of my key questions for businesses deciding whether or not to use Twitter:

Are you going to be committed?
One of today’s cultural trends is that people are time-poor and the customers on Twitter value how quickly they get a reply.  Twitter is still customer service, and it is crucial to respond to customers in a timely manner.

Do a significant number of your customers use Twitter?
I have never understood why Realtors use Twitter and tweet about listings.  Do their potential customers even use Twitter for that purpose?  In order to use Twitter effectively, a company must know if/how their consumers use Twitter.

Can you grow your community through Twitter?
One of the main benefits of using social media is the ability to create a community.  Community can put a company into a consumer’s evoked set and influence purchasing behaviour.  According to the CMA blog post, Twitter “is a great, easy way to create online brand advocates out of your fans” and attract new customers.

Is your content going to align with your values as well as your corporate partners?
While engaging customers with tweets, it is important to always keep your identity in mind and know who you are aligned with; failing to do so can lead to disaster.

Being in Canada, we (fortunately or unfortunately) miss out on some Super Bowl ads.  This year, we missed out on an ad (it was only aired in a few cities nationwide) by Old Milwaukee starring:  Will Ferrell!  The commercial features the “Anchorman” star necking with a middle-aged Asian woman on public transit while, after a disturbing moment or two, the camera zooms out to a 6-pack of Old Milwaukee and then back to the couple.

Personally when I first watched the ad, I was disturbed by this commercial (although that may have had something to do with Ferrell’s moustache).  However, I started laughing a couple seconds in because Will Ferrell’s basketball uniform reminded me of his stupidly funny movie “Semi-Pro”.  Eventually though, I started to feel sick and physically cringed.

Consequently, this commercial is now a psychological factor in my attitude towards Old Milwaukee, the discount lager (which I’ve never had before).  The ad didn’t leave me with the greatest impression of the product.  Furthermore, if the social reference group the ad depicts is that “obnoxiously affectionate couple” then I would probably try to dissociate myself from Old Milwaukee as quickly as possible.

But then again, it is just a Will Ferrell ad, and the product itself isn’t necessarily aimed at me.  It’s aimed at people who want to buy beer at a lower price.

If I ever find myself wanting cheap beer though, I’ll probably pick Old Milwaukee because even though I won’t be able to get that disgusting image of those two anytime soon, I’ll still laugh every single time I imagine Will Ferrell.  It’s unfortunate that more people didn’t see the ad.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/will-ferrell-smooches-his-way-through-another-old-milwaukee-super-bowl-ad-147019

Apple’s Flagship Store

Recently I went shopping with my sister, but because she’s recovering from a concussion, she had to wear earplugs so that she didn’t get a headache due to the loud environment.  This led me to question whether some stores are too loud in general.

According to an article, Apple’s flagship store in Palo Alto is “WAY TOO LOUD” (1).  The cause of the issue is the flawed design of the store.  There “isn’t a square inch of sound-absorbing material in the entire place..” (1).  At the time of opening it was louder than “the EPA-identified maximum to protect against hearing loss” (1).

The store’s volume has led to some customer complaints.  However, the question is:  how does Apple fix this so that the flagship Apple store can allow its customers and employees to work in an environment where they don’t have to worry about their health?

Ethically, Apple must resolve this issue.  It is the right thing to do.  That’s factoring in that this particular location is seen as a “communications channel with its customers” by Apple (2).  It is not like Apple doesn’t have the financial resources.

Even though Apple’s brand is strong and users wouldn’t switch over to PCs, customers could switch over to its direct competitor, the nearest, smaller Apple store.  However, the situation is exacerbated by the store’s location in (one of the most expensive cities in the United States) Palo Alto, which is 17 minutes away from Apple Inc.’s headquarters.  As the flagship store, Apple’s actions should be guided by the fact that it’s the flagship store they are dealing with.

If I was a resident of Palo Alto and my sister needed to buy a new Mac though, I know I wouldn’t be taking her to the flagship store.

Sources:

1 – http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/11/apples-new-palo-alto-store-is-way-too-loud/

2 – http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/11/12/new-flagship-apple-store-in-palo-alto-a-jobs-legacy-is-cool-but-unbearably-noisy/

A survey carried out by Advertising Standards Canada “found that only 50 per cent of Canadians believe that most ads are truthful,” (1).  However the same survey discovered that “only 49 per cent say [most ads are] accurate,” (1).

Because we are bombarded by advertising every day, this quantitative analysis should raise some concern for people trying to market their product/service.  For advertisers need to not only convince people to buy what they’re selling, but they must also convince them of their legitimacy.  However, this data should not be too concerning for companies that have a brand image that consumers trust such as Tim Hortons or Apple.   Usually consumer behaviour is influenced by cultural, social or personal factors, but when firms do not appear to be legitimate their brand image is hurt.  And once the image of a brand is hurt, the company is bound to take a hit (such as Nike’s involvement in sweatshops).  Consequently, the value of a major firm’s stock will be likely to decrease. In order to thrive, legitimacy in ads is a necessity.

1. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/persuasion/just-half-of-canadians-find-ads-truthful-honestly/article2239932/

Blog post #9

Food prices have risen in the past year with some goods (such as potatoes) increasing by as much as a dollar (1).  This increase can be attributed to such things as higher fuel prices, a decrease in supply (due to drought, floods, fires etc.), and an increase in demand (1).  However, as the supply of these goods is expected to increase, prices are expected to decrease slightly.

As a student with little to no income, it is important to account for expenditures.  A significant part of these expenses are groceries as they tend to take up a large chunk of monthly purchases.  Soon, I will be living on my own and be required to cook for myself.  In order to monitor my spending and ‘stay within my means’, it would be wise to budget my grocery money wisely.  However thanks to this blog, I can better understand why food prices change.  And if I follow and understand how commodity prices affect grocery prices then I may be better able to allocate my money.

1. (Blog) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/home-cents/is-your-family-grocery-bill-soaring/article2229472/

rigaudio is a company with the purpose creating music for “eco-friendly, portable solution, for listening to music while on the go,” (1).  The name It is an entrepreneurial venture because its products are innovative, such as the “Rock-It” which can turn practically any object into a speaker.  Origaudio has created products that have taken over or even have revolutionized the segment for portable speakers.

O

Origaudio relies heavily on their ability to innovate.  Although there are other portable speakers out there from electronic giants such as apple, the mobility of Origaudio’s products remains unmatched.  For as long as this happens, the company can retain a monopoly on its market.  Eventually though, there will be better competetion that can compete with Origaudio, but until then Origaudio is able to reap the benefits of its target market.

Source (s):

http://origaudio.ca/about-us

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Today, people are “splitting attention more than ever between old-fashioned network TV, specialty channels and, increasingly, video-on-demand and online viewing windows” (2).  Less TV is being watched during prime-time hours (8pm-11pm) on weekdays.  Evidence supporting this is that the “key 25-to-54 demographic has fallen to 23.8 hours from 25” (2).

I agree with Michael Bean that “viewers hate watching commercials” and they will find other means (PVR or online) of watching their favourite TV shows (1).  I, myself, do exactly that and PVR so I can avoid commercials.  Viewers are also watching their desired programs at their convenience.  For example, it is not uncommon for people to binge and watch several episodes of a show over a weekend ( 2).  As viewership shifts to watching shows online, we will see an increase in revenue from selling online advertising.  However, this does not mean that TV commercials are going anywhere as ad agencies are “largely unfazed” (2).  For cable giants such as Rogers and Shaw, there will be a trend towards diversifying how they offer programs such as how Rogers is trying to “secure rights to back catalogues to popular TV series, either for online or video-on-demand” (2).

1. https://blogs.ubc.ca/mikebean/2011/10/24/where-have-tv-viewers-gone/
2. http://business.financialpost.com/2011/10/24/where-are-tv-viewers-slipping-away-to/