My initial thoughts about marketing was that the subject was primarily about advertising. Throughout the course, I learned that marketing was more than just advertising. The variety of strategies and structures observed not only showed the depth and breadth of marketing, but also the impact it had on lives.

I feel that what made marketing worthwhile were the discussions held in class. For example, I truly learned the power of marketing when we discussed the story behind Alberta beef, and how long it took for the nation to restore its reputation for beef production. The video clips showing different advertisements really captured the potential of marketing: changing perspectives of people in an instant.

I believe that the most valuable lesson that this course taught me was to be more aware. Much of the marketing tactics and strategies relies upon tugging upon our sub conscience. Many times, we are being influenced without even noticing! Thus, I have committed to becoming more aware and more attentive to the details in life.

One of the more pleasant surprises I had in this course was the energy and passion of the professor. Of all the professors I’ve had so far, Tamar has got to be one of the most enthusiastic professors I’ve ever encountered. The passion made the class so much better, because knowing that your teacher is interested in your learning process is quite encouraging.

One of the more discouraging aspects of the course was perhaps the lack of cohesion with my group members, especially for the last assignment. A lot of times I felt that the projects were just separated into parts and done individually, lacking the chemistry I feel is necessary for a group to be successful. I feel that is partly due to the nature of the projects, where it could be easily divided into individual parts. Other than that, this course has been overall a great experience.

In the new age, one of the methods that electronics companies use to increase sales revenue in the phone department, is through technological advancement with additional features and increased efficiency. In the article, the author mentioned that debut of Samsung’s new phone, the S4, the company emphasizes on how “each feature was designed to simplify our daily lives.” The video highlighted in the article was the introduction of the new S4. Throughout the introduction of their new product, Samsung focused on the new and improved specifications of their new phone to attract potential consumers. This is starkly different from the method that its fierce rival, Apple employs.

As shown in the other (above) video, Apple chose to emphasize on the experience that the user would have during its usage of the phone. The two different marketing strategies employed by two firms also reflects upon the differences in target markets. For Samsung, where it’s Asian roots and targeted Asian customers, features and efficiency are a large aspect of consideration when purchasing the phone. On the other hand, Apple’s approach captures a more Western idea, where the overall experience and emotions felt during the usage is the emphasis.

I also find it interesting that despite adopting different marketing strategies, the products produced by both companies are strikingly similar in terms of the physical outlook and functionality. Both phones offers strikingly similar features as a smart phone, and are at the high end of the specification aspect. Rather than competing directly against each other, they choose to attract different types of consumers with a different focus. This shows how much each firm values and utilizes marketing.

Sources:

Kosner, Anthony Wing. “Galaxy S4 Contrasts Samsung’s Maximalism With Apple’s Minimalism.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 17 Mar. 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2013.

This post is a response to an external blog found here.

Dunbar, is the number of relationships you can maintain, which ranges from 100-250 depending on the person. Within the blog, the author claims that “the more people who know you, the more likely they are to buy from you or refer people to you.” which means she correlates the Dunbar number with success of relationships. This leads to the idea that the better you market yourself, the higher level of success you will achieve.

From a personal standpoint, I tend to believe that the more people you know, the weaker your relationships become. As a result, marketing yourself becomes less effective, as people begin view the relationship through a different perspective. Certainly, as you have more connections, some people may view you as a more credible source. Despite the benefits surrounding building a large network, I believe that people will start to doubt the intentions behind you and the meaning of your relationship as the number of people you know increases. Rather than viewing you as a person who is seeking to develop a lasting relationship, people will begin to see you as a person seeking only to market themselves and make surface relationships in order to benefit themselves.

I believe such thinking is also reflected from the marketing strategies of many successful companies. Big brands such as Nike target specific crowds, focusing on the quality of relationships they have with their customers, as opposed to quantity. A large network without quality in the connections isn’t necessarily a good thing. Thus, I feel the better someone knows you will lead to a stronger network, compared to just an increased number.

Sources:

“Improving Your Dunbar.” Shaping the Future of Marketing. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

In Shanghai, China, there has been accusations of IKEA selling “furniture for kids that fails safety standards”. In the children’s sector, there were chairs and tables found that were too sharp, and could potentially harm children. However, nothing was done to IKEA, as the furniture was not specifically classified as children’s furniture, given that the standards only applied to children’s furniture.

After browsing through this article, a question arose in my mind: are companies supposed to be held responsible to the specific target segment that they market their product towards? In this case, the table that defied the specification wasn’t classified as a children’s product.

Personally, I believe that a company shouldn’t be responsible for the product being harmful in such an obvious way to a potential user. For a situation such as the table where the edges are visible, aren’t the buyers themselves responsible for determining whether the product meets their safety requirements? If the reports or standards violations were regarding an unknown or not as visible feature such as hidden sharp features, it would be understandable. However, sharp edges are clearly visible and buyers are able to judge for themselves.  Buyers are responsible for the products they choose to purchase. There are many products out there that could be potentially dangerous, depending on how it is handled or used.

Companies are allowed to market their product in any way, as long as they do not forget social responsibility. In this scenario, IKEA’s lack of specifics regarding the users allowed them to sell their tables to a larger target segment pool.

Sources:

“Ikea Accused of Selling Furniture for Kids That Fails Safety Standards.” — Shanghai Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar . 2013.

This post is a response to a blog from another student. Within the article that the author discusses, a new concept of liquid breakfast is being explored as the new on-the-go breakfast. This is an example of increased product depth, where the company adds a new product line in order to capture the new market for on-the-go breakfasts.

Within the blog, the author classifies the new liquid breakfast as product innovation, being able to provide nutritional value but consumed in a package  Despite the seemingly fresh idea, I believe that this idea is actually introducing a different way of consuming food, as opposed to a different, newly discovered product. In this product, what stands out it is how the food is consumed on-the-go, rather than the quality or mixture of the food. Therefore, packaging becomes a vital aspect of this project.

Distinct packaging and designing in this product allows the company to target consumers that seek to consume breakfast on the road , rather than those seeking to eat a nutritious breakfast at ease. Through my experience with individuals who care about nutrition, they are firm believers of solid food; therefore no type of liquid breakfast would be able to replace a solid breakfast. Rather than fulfilling the breakfast “need” as the author mentioned, I believe that this product is just a temporary alternative, thus going back to my main belief that this product will not revolutionize the breakfast foods industry.

Sources:

“Oatworks Enters Liquid Breakfast Trend on Big Food’s Coattails.” Oatworks Enters Liquid Breakfast Trend on Big Food’s Coattails. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.

In the given age, the marketing campaigns for the alcohol industry has expanded, including the younger crowd within it’s advertisements. To improve sales, many alcohol brands have started advertisement their products using campaigns that target the younger generation, more specifically the college community. However, a large majority of the target audience is of college students, and a high percentage of college students are underage. Thus, this raises an ethical issue regarding the marketing of alcohol. Understandably, the alcohol brands are attempting to improve their sales, but the encouragement of students to consume alcohol is an ethical problem.

For this issue, a large source of this problem ties back to the college environment, where socializing comprises of drinking activities. Therefore, the alcoholic brands are not fully responsible for this problem. However, encouraging college students to buy their brands does not help the issue, and thus do play a part in the students’ growing desires to consume alcohol. Although the alcohol brands do not cause the underage drinking, they are still part of it. By changing their target audience in the advertisements to an older crowd they wouldn’t lose their sales by a significant amount as students are still going to purchase alcohol. However, the companies would be able to adhere to the ethical limitations of marketing.

In order to regulate the marketing activities and strategies used by the alcohol brand, the government should intervene and set regulations or rules regarding the marketing of items that possess an age limit for purchasing. Thus, alcohols would be able to market their products without overriding ethical issues.

Sources:

“Alcohol Industry Deny Immoral Marketing Tactics.” Alcohol Industry Deny Immoral Marketing Tactics. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.