I’ve found it quite enjoyable working on the marketing project with my group this past semester.

In terms of marketing, I learned that a lot of thought has to go into all aspects of the product/service before you can start saying “you should buy my product!” which is the part of marketing that everyone is most familiar with. It makes sense, too, as all those steps you take with making decisions for each P in the marketing mix helps you maximize your sales/profits and makes your product as successful as it can be.

This is probably the first assigned group that I have been in where there were no real conflicts and everyone got along with each other.  I’m really happy about that 🙂 Because of this, I got to experience how well a group can work together and also had the opportunity to develop and enhance my teamwork abilities.

We began working on the first assignment quite late; that would probably be the one thing I would hope to do differently next time. Communication was not a big issue in our group, however on the day that we scheduled to meet to film our video project, we did not manage to meet at the scheduled time. Myself and Michael thought the meeting was at 10am and so arrived at the filming location at 10am; somehow Philip thought the meeting time was different and arrived at 11am. Alex had misread the scheduling and arrived at 12pm (this was probably because Jennifer had notified us she would arrive at 12 instead of 10). I’m still not sure if we had postponed the meeting to 11am but in any case, I would ensure that next time meeting dates and times were clear!

My group members have been fantastic and have set a new standard for my thoughts of an ideal group; I am very proud to have worked with them!

Just as Derek had noticed in his post regarding this Starbucks ad, this sounds much like the positioning statements which we had learned in class. That is what makes me remember this ad.

But for those who didn’t take COMM296, they’ll probably just remember it for being straightforward and to the point: If you don’t like Starbucks, you’ll like it now. Also, since Starbucks doesn’t roll out that many advertisements, it’ll be remembered because it is rare.

So what is this “Blonde Roast”?  Is it named as such because they’ve found the majority of Canadians to be blonde, or… what? (haha) What is unique about this roast that Canadians will like? This ad is not that informative except to say “We’ve got a new blend out”!

How is this coffee different from all of Starbucks’ current blends (which you supposedly don’t like)?

Don’t you have this question in your mind?

Consumers, now curious about this “Blonde Roast”, are compelled to do some research about this product… It turns out that the Starbucks Blonde Roast is a “subtle and soft [coffee] with mellow acidity”. It “deliver[s] an approachable and flavourful cup with slight hints of roast”. It is targeted at Canadians because apparently “[m]ore and more Canadians are enjoying [coffee with a] mellower, easy drinking taste”. One thing I’m curious about is if this roast is available in America and other countries.

Starbucks’ locational excellence promotes the company by itself without further need for advertising.  Though this ad is promoting a new product, it also serves as a reminder to non-regular customers that Starbucks has coffee available for them and even a new roast to try.  As well, this ad is effective because while customers may choose to purchase other products along with their blonde coffee during their visit to Starbucks.