In assignment 3, our team evaluated the current marketing mix of Club Penguin and provided recommendations in a video form. Not only we needed to communicate our ideas effectively and accurately, we were also required to communicate the idea through a 7 minute long video. By completing this assignment, I have gained much more respect for the post production of a film. The process was very time consuming and requires attention to detail. More importantly, it was subjected to a time limit which made it more difficult to effectively deliver our message to the audience. I also noticed the importance of having a background music as it sets the pace and mood of the whole video.

In this assignment, I surprised myself by taking the work of editing the group video and finishing it. Like many other people, I did not have any video editing experiences. As a result, I was clueless in the beginning. However as I started exploring the film making software and planning the structure of the video, I gradually gained a better and clearer vision of what our video could look like. Although the process was long and painful, I enjoyed the finished product very much. I learned to take extra work and followed through my commitment to my team.

There are still flaws in our video that I would do differently next time. For stance, I find that part A was very wordy, especially the positioning part. This was due to the time constraint on the video length. We could definitely have better structured our presentation to meet this constraint without compromising the quality of our presentation.

Overall I enjoyed assignment 3. And I appreciated my teammates’ hard work and contribution.

While I was strolling on the Canadian Marketing Association website, I came across this interesting piece of article called “Marketing Six Feet Under“. In the article, the writer points out how the funeral business is initiating new non-traditional marketing tactics such as producing short films and online advertising.

I guess in this rapid changing economy and its growing technology, everyone needs to change and adapt to survive in the business. As the blog article pointed out, the funeral business is not only changing their marketing strategy but also re-positioning themselves in a more positive angle. Instead of the dark, cold and cruel feelings which are what  funerals used to stand for, the new version of funerals is aimed to celebrate the lives of the deceased rather than mourning for them.

While reading the article, I recalled an interesting conversation with one of my friends who recently had a family member pass away. An interesting fact she told me was that this Shanghai cemetery is thinking of implementing bar-codes on the new tombstones which can be scanned by a smart phone and allow the living to view the bibliography of the deceased. As sorry as I was for her loss, I thought the idea was fascinating.

No doubt, the previously matured death industry has brought itself back to the growing stage. After reading this blog post, I think even I am interested in pre-planning my own funeral.

After reading the blog post “Selling shouldn’t equal annoying” by Drew McLellan, I sympathize with her experience at the store feeling forced to donate. I have encountered many similar situations as well, especially with charities. I often see the canvassers for World Vison or some sort standing on the street, usually one on each side, cornering the people walking by. Not only you need to look at those sad pictures of disabled children and reject them, you have to reject them twice. And sometimes even more as I recall once seeing four canvassers standing on each side in a cross section.In fact, I was a canvasser once for a very short time period. During my training, I was trained to bug and corner people.

Although my trainer told us that the form of street canvassers was a much cheaper solution as opposed to TV advertising, I am not sure how well it works. I mean first of all, people hate street selling. It does not matter what it is that you are selling. Most people’s first reaction is to reject. Additionally, most of these street selling charities’ pricing strategy requires credit card information on spot. The canvassers will have access to all your information and they are stored on a piece of paper that seems really unsafe. I don’t know about anyone else. But I will never be comfortable enough to give my credit information to somebody on the street.

A good cause should not be turned into forced selling. More importantly, they should not take advantage of our vulnerability to sick kids in order to boost their donations.

After reading my good friend and fellow Sauder mate JTao’s blog entry on “Why KFC Is So Successful in China”, as a long term fan of KFC, I just feel the need to write something about it.

I remember I was a skinny veggie only kid back then. However that all changed once KFC entered the Chinese market. As a manner of fact, I became a meat (mostly poultry) lover because of KFC. Trust me, I am not exaggerating at all! I agree with JTao that part of KFC’s success is due to its tailored menu which is separated into breakfast, lunch and dinner ect. However I want to point it out that these are what helped KFC carry on its success but not what made it successful.

From a personal experience and perspective, KFC entered the Chinese market before that McDonald’s did. Its famous Kentucky fried chicken not only captured Chinese people’s taste buds but also established the concept of hamburger in our minds. For a very long time even after McDonald’s entry, me and my family believed that a hamburg should have a piece of fried chicken in the middle. Therefore, even when we went to McDonald’s occasionally, it was natural for us to order the chicken burger instead of beef. Nevertheless Chinese people love chicken way more than beef.

In addition, KFC was smart enough to tailor its menu to suit the Chinese taste buds. If you do a survey among the Chinese international students, at least 95% would tell you that the Chinese KFC tastes way better if not all of them. Here is an example of a regular menu item called “the old beijing chicken wrap” which is a creative combination of a western chicken wrap with famous sweet flavored Chinese sauce.

“the old Beijing chicken wrap”

Lastly, speaking of its target markets, KFC targets many more segments than its North America restaurants.Believe or not, many young people have their first dates in KFC. It’s  a place where you can go for birthday parties and many more.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/jennytao/2013/02/28/why-kfc-is-so-successful-in-china/#more-78

You know sometimes when you look through a magazine, and as you flip through the countless pages of advertisements, you can’t actually figure out what they are for. You always see some breath-takingly beautiful women/men posing provocatively. Until you read the tiny captions at the very bottom then you realize “Ohhh it’s a perfume/underware/etc. Ad!”. I guess this has become a trend in marketing whatever you are selling.

Recently a controversy was generated when a Calgary real estate agent appeared on her own billboard provocatively and with sexually inviting comments “Let me take you home. It’s gorgeous inside:”. The following is a news clip of the story.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/07/let-me-take-you-home-its-gorgeous-inside-calgary-real-estate-agents-sexy-advertisement-stirs-controversy/

I don’t know about you. But when I see the controversial billboard in the video, I thought it was an Ad probably for a dating website or those really sketchy phone call services. Again until I saw the sign of Re/Max, I finally realized it’s for selling houses. A bit far-fetched isn’t it?

Many people demonstrated their concerns with the underlying message in the tone of the Ad. I however have doubts about its professionalism and marketing strategy. What kind of image or impression are you trying to establish in you potential clients? Sure you might lure some male attention, but you might lose a lot of female support as well. And will these attention be the kind that you wanted?

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo promo

The above youtube video is a promo for the network TLC’s current top rated reality TV show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”. The former educational channel TLC, ever since it took a new direction in the reality TV sector, has succeeded in its viewership, however at the cost of deteriorating values.

I believe we all occasionally enjoy our guilty pleasure by watching reality TV shows like “Jersey Shore”. We may laugh, judge, mock or despise the outrageous actions and comments made by the show actor or actress.  However when a reality show uses the same tactics on a six-year-old child such as “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”, I found no pleasure in watching it but guilt.

The show follows the life of six-year-old beauty pageant Alanna Thompson’s family in Georgia USA. Like many other reality shows, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” portrays its cast members in a way as if they are inviting the audiences to laugh at them. The promo clip repeatedly shows the “craziness” in the family.

Despite the successful marketing behind the show, the question of ethic is being challenged. In a market where money is the primary driver for almost everything, the limit for appropriateness in reality TV shows has been repeatedly pushed by producers. To have the child being ridiculed and scorned on a national scale, some praised its marketing strategy, I say it’s a sign of deteriorating values.

http://spectate.com/2012/10/believe-it-or-not-marketing-insights-from-honey-boo-boo/

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