Is it the end of term already?
My group chose Groupon for our project because we thought it would be interesting since they rely mostly on word-of-mouth marketing.
In Assignment 1, we researched Groupon using a variety of sources: company website and statements, library resources and online databases, like eMarketer. It was interesting for us to learn how Groupon’s business model works and how many partnerships Groupon has with other companies. It wasn’t surprising to us that an overwhelming majority of Groupon users were women; as a group we discussed heavily our own Groupon experiences :). Because we had all used Groupon before, sometimes we had trouble keeping our experiences separate from the facts about the company and its competitors, but tried to be as objective as possible.
In Assignment 2, we targeted males of the same demographic and lifestyle of Groupon’s existing female consumers. We had to justify the segment by finding data that supports the male segment to be substantial, profitable, reachable, and responsive. An interesting subject that we ended up reading about was differences and similarities in female and male consumer behaviour.
The video or Assignment 3 was probably the most enjoyable experience. Our group came up with many ideas during our brainstorming meeting, and was extremely productive in writing the script, filming, and editing the video. We created an investigative news story, filmed completely at UBC. Somehow, with five group members, we were able to portray 11 characters with the help of disguises and props.
Charlie and Thomas in disguise 🙂
Katarina and Thomas in the paintball scene
Me and Angela as news anchors
Overall, I think the marketing plan assignment was well-designed and got students to apply the frameworks and concepts we had learned in class.
How many of us honestly pay attention to the flight attendants when they demonstrate how to use a life-vest? Like this author from Marketo’s blog writes, Virgin America brings the human element into advertising by making an informative advertisement that consumers can hum, sing, dance, and ultimately, relate to. Virgin had a plan to get people thinking about safety again – they launched the first ever musical safety video, which features notable choreographers and dancers from the popular show So You Think You Can Dance and singers from Idol grooving their way through all the required safety features in a humorous manner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtyfiPIHsIg
It was shocking to most viewers that Virgin is not just using the video as a PR campaign; the video will in fact be aired on flights starting by the end of this month. Personally, I believe Virgin is the only airline that can pull off these unexpected and unusual campaigns. In a highly standardized and regulated industry, Virgin has always been a standout from it’s good-humoured founder to it’s daring, cheeky, red uniforms designed by Vivienne Westwood, renowned British fashion designer credited for making modern punk mainstream. We all remember when Richard Branson dressed in drag as a female stewardess for losing a bet to CEO of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes. Given their eccentric brand image, the #VXsafetydance video was barely a gamble for Virgin and fit within their brand’s culture effectively.
The response to the safety video was practically all positive. YouTube comments stated, “Why can’t all airlines be like this?”. However, I wondered if the flashy video detracted from the safety aspect. If I watched this safety video on a flight, I would be too entertained to know where the safety exits around me are, for example. Despite these issues, the video has become a viral hit, garnering almost 7 million views on YouTube alone with many more shares on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.
