http://thriftytexan.com/2013/10/hot-21-listerine-coupons-99%C2%A2-at-walgreens/

Marketing and the positioning of a company intrigue me, as does the approach of Listerine over the years. Listerine has the first-mover advantage, as is proposed by Ries and Trout. The evidence also shows that their market share is significantly greater than competing brands, which is a representation of the company’s recognizable brand in the market, especially in the US. However, the Great Recession in the US in 2008 seemed to become a threat for the company, as people are not willing to buy products that are not considered the best amongst the others in the market. Although this seems to be a threat to Listerine, it is interesting to see that the company takes action by establishing labs, and discovering new functions that mouthwashes can bring. This is an accurate example of what Ries and Trout proposed – it is important to always manipulate changes in the market to your advantage rather than resisting it. In addition, Listerine has also been doing its best to differentiate itself, as well as broaden its audience, or its customer segments. In this 2014 Listerine ad, there are many varieties that the company offers, in attempt to capture all audiences, increase its market share once again, and maximize profit by offering a variety of products that solves their customers’ problems.

Read more about it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/business/adapting-listerine-to-a-global-market.html

BC Hydro’s $8-billion hydroelectric megaproject is a development plan that cannot be easily executed due to the macro-economic, political and other factors prohibiting the project from going forward (O’Neil).

Since constructing this hydroelectric dam involves flooding a vast area of First Nations land in BC, these stakeholders are doing whatever it takes to preserve their monumental land. However, to promote partnership with the First Nations, the Canadian government and BC Hydro must first understand the ultimate concern of the First Nations. If the land is flooded for the development of a hydroelectric project, they will not be able to hunt or fish, which are activities that they do daily as a living, and have become part of their culture. Furthermore, the First Nations are also concerned about the negative impacts that the project will bring to their bands, as the dam will be of close proximity to their living compounds.

To resolve these issues, possible strategies can be to offer and guarantee employment for the First Nations on this project. This can alleviate their concerns on the inability to make a living through fishing and hunting from the area. Investments in research and development can also allow for the population to be more supportive and trusting of this advancement, allowing many stakeholders and industries to benefit.

BC Hydro’s Proposed Site C Dam

http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/E2/A965259139F5CE15930C791E2254D_h243_w430_m2_q80_clDPdRDfv.jpg

Work Cited

O’Neil, Peter. “First nation chiefs to stage Site C showdown.” www.vancouversun.com N.p., 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/blackberry-launches-passport-phone-blend-app-1.2775674

In response to Tianye Guo’s post on “The Come Back of Blackberry”, I would like to create further connections to what she suggested.

I agree with her view on how Blackberry utilizes the strategy of focused differentiation. As mentioned, the smartphone is unique compared to the preexisting smartphones in the market, but I believe this approach also shows how a company can successfully respond to a threat by listening to what their customers has to say, and perhaps repositioning the company from there. A year ago, Blackberry was losing customers to aggressive competitors, but CEO John Chen battled the obstacle with his customer-first repair strategy (CBC). As Chen highlighted, what the company is doing is the right thing to do, as long as the customer likes it (CBC). I believe this strategy puts an emphasis on the importance of value propositions, and how a company can approach business problems by understanding their customer segments, and the problems they would want a company like Blackberry to help them solve. Their new product with the tangible keyboard targets business professionals, which separates Blackberry from the crowd of competitors. Like most smartphones, Blackberry strikes the points of parity, but creates value in their product by creating points of differences, allowing them to be more successful in the industry.

Works Cited

CBC News. “BlackBerry CEO John Chen on his turnaround strategy.” CBCnews.             CBC/Radio Canada, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Oct. 2014.