Ziqi's marketing blog

First of all, I’m very blessed to have Tamar’s marketing class this year, the in-class activities and marketing plan assignments are great supplement to the course content, especially, the group assignment enables me to gain a deep understanding when applying the knowledge in real world as well as develops my team-working skill. For example, in the assignment 1, each group member was in charge of one part of the immediate and macro environments analysis, and in the meeting we complied each one’s research and came up with SWOT analysis. I certainly enhanced critical thinking skills through researching and valuing the importance and reliability of information.

In addition, I also learnt that efficient communication within a group is crucial in a successful teamwork. We made a mistake in the assignment 2 that there were many similarities between each market segments. I think it is definitely avoidable if we had sufficient discussion. We’ve should started the assignment early and not wait until the last minute. In the beginning, we believed this small assignment shouldn’t take us too much time, so we started late and turned out, we were very rush in decision- making and made mistakes. Reflecting to daily life, I learnt that it’s important to take initiative and commit to what are we doing, and never despise a small beginning. Often times, it is a cornerstone that provides a foundation to the future work.

Fortunately, in assignment 3, through a constructive discussion, we adjusted of our target segment. Each of us contributed various point of views, which absolutely enable us to reach a well thought-out decision. Overall, I believe through this project, I’ve enhanced my marketing skill, my teamwork and interpersonal skills, which I could carry on in the future. Most importantly, we formed great friendship through this fantastic group work!

It’s hard for me to associate the Tiffany &Co. with Costco Wholesale, so the posts with a title of “Tiffany vs. Costco” brought my attention. The post talks about Tiffany &Co. accused Costco Wholesale Corp. for using “Tiffany” name in the sale of engagement rings at Costco retails and thus misleading customers; on the counter side, Costco defended that “tiffany” is used to define a generic diamond setting rather than the brand name.

I have a strong feeling that the prestigious Tiffany brand has been damaged. The two companies provide two different types of products: Tiffany provides specialty products while Costco provides convenience products. Their company’s objective is different as well. Tiffany & Co. is consumer-oriented; its premium price and limited sales offers are aimed at enhancing the company’s reputation, and eventually, increase its value in consumer’s mind. Along the history, Tiffany brand represents a sense of prestige and cherish, which is an asset for the firm. Undoubtedly, its brand image and awareness are ruined when it appears in a low-end wholesale retailer, and perhaps the tiffany-blue box would no longer be pure and unique. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to protect the iconic image and remain the company’s position of luxury and prestige. And in this case, it is essential to protect its landmark by suing Costco for infringing its name.

On the other hand, I believe Costco’s conduct is lack of business ethics, since its internal knew that it is an error of using the “tiffany” word to describe the engagement ring. However, the company continued implementing this strategy to attract customers and boost profit. This one-time transaction will be ended sooner or later. To retain customers’ trusts in the long run, what Costco really needs is to balance shareholder interests and social needs as behaving ethically. After all, it’s hard to build trust but way too easy to destroy it.

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2013/03/21/Tiffany-Costco-Ring-032113.aspx#continue

When I read the post from fellow classmate Mille Wu, I was quite surprised of the marketing strategy of “Powerful Yogurt” that targeting at male customers. Like Mille mentioned, yogurt has been considered as a feminine product and companies has always been targeting at women: different companies has been launched a variety of products one after another. Now, we can see that the market of yogurt products is becoming saturated.

Not until I saw the “Powerful Yogurt”, have I truly experienced that innovation is the secret of successful marketing. The company offers “Powerful Yogurt” with high protein and zero fat, which perfectly overlaps with male customer needs of “building muscle, burning far, and improving digest health”. It brings the firm to a valuable position without overlapping with competitors’ offering, since competitors haven’t tapped at men before. The company’s positioning statement is effective: it states their targeted segmentation (“for men, by men”), benefit (“health and nutrition need”) and their competitive advantages (“first yogurt designed for men”).

Powerful Yogurt

In addition, the company effectively     uses label to communicate the product’s benefits by highlighting the nutrition contents of high protein and zero fat; it satisfies male consumers needs in building muscle through a healthy and nutritional diet. The “bull head” logo also attracts to male consumers as it sends consumers a message of strength and power. People can easily connect to the well-known Red Bull, and subconsciously relate to energy drink.

Nevertheless, under the competitive environment, the company is going to face challenges of maintaining its value position sooner or later, once competitors launch the same kind of products. As such, it becomes crucial to maintain and further increase the firm’s value proposition, and I believe constantly communicating and promoting the products “benefits” to their consumers is one of the effective and efficient approaches.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/milliewu/

http://www.powerful.yt/

The previous post talks about how Coca Cola localizes their market campaign and make people feel happy when drinking a Coke. Back to NGOs, in contrast, they made a false assumption of people “should” want health development, which leads to ignorance of making people “want” in health development. Often times, NGOs promotions only focus on avoidance, for example “use condom, don’t get AIDS”. However, in the real world, people living in remote place are lack of the knowledge about either the sanitation or the implementations on health development.

Coca Cola’s successful reach to remote places

It is ironic that the locals use new-build public washrooms as storage and even hen-houses, simply because they don’t know how to use the toilets. Apparently, the large amount money NGOs spent brings little payback. Like it said in class, I think health care service is right now in the “introduction stage” in the Product Life Cycle. NGOs need to take initiatives to educate the public about their “products” and demonstrate the “benefits”, not only just “features” to the local communities. In this particular case, NGOs can explain the reasons behind using public toilet in avoidance of disease (benefit) and get local communities use the toilet.

Through people’s learning process regards to health development, their attitudes and perceptions will be affected followed by a change of thought process, and eventually they will seek satisfaction of sanitation by using public washrooms.

Local Entrepreneurs’ Coke Handy Cart

Coca Cola’s success also benefits from tapping into local entrepreneurial talents. After the company found the abundant keen locals trying to set up businesses, it starts to target at B2B business with local resellers to reach the rural market. In the B2B interactions, Coke motivates and trains them, and in turn, the businessmen help to deliver the value of the products to local consumers: transporting Coke into interior villages via hand carts, while making coke available in every remote places.

In addition to make people “want” clean water and sanitation, NGOs can also learn from Coke of using local support. I think the local business can not only promote the health care services which increase the public awareness, but also distribute the services that ensure they are available at right places and proper time. In short, If social enterprises are able to unlock the potential of the community, the problems will be solved with a long lasting social impact.

Marketing is indeed around us; it not only changes people’s lifestyle, but also, saves people’s lives. I believe if the NGOs are succeed in marketing the health care products, the chance of failure will be little.

Resource:

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/008319.html

People in deprived communities don’t have sustainable access to safe drinking water, electricity, basic sanitation and etc.; however, “they do have Coca- Cola” – Melinda Gates, a well-known philanthropist shares lessons learnt from Coca-Cola’s in doing Non-Profit business in the TedTalk.

I am very impressed by how Coca Cola engaging people. Simply but importantly, Coca Cola makes people “want” coke by associating the product with a kind of life that people “want” to live.

LOCALIZATION— a vital secret behind Coca-Cola’s success Ms. Gates mentioned. For example, Coca Cola localized campaign slogan “Open happiness” into various meanings in different places. Through research, Coca Cola understands the macro environmental factors such as culture – “shared meanings, beliefs, morals, values and customs of a group of people”; for instance, Latin Americans associate happiness with family life, while South Africans associate with community respect”.

Wavin’ Flag by K’NAAN

The company not only segments the market on geo-demographic base, but also on psychological base. Acknowledging people’s self-value or goal of attainning happiness, Coca-Cola communicates with the potential consumers who experience extreme poverty through the promotion anthem “Wavin Flag“, depicting a image (self-concept) they ideally have — “singing song underneath the sun and rejoicing in the beautiful game”. It shows that people who drink coke are happy and carefree. Coca-Cola defines a lifestyle that people want to achieve happiness. Through the song and advertisement clip, the company delivers an appeal of unity and celebration to locals while defining happiness as “Freedom, just like a wavin’ flag”; truly, the company does bring hope and aspiration to people who suffer from poverty. 

Coca-Cola “open happiness” 

Surely, Coca-Cola’s approach will influence consumers’ decision making process; being aspired by coke’s belief, locals now have motives to seek out the products that fulfill their lifetime goal; in other word, they “want” coke in their lives to embrace happiness.

No doubt, Coca-Cola’s success drives us to think about how NGO can do for the needy people, and what an appropriate way is to reach the goal in health development. (To be continued) . 

Source:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yfapBARs1pA/TB9Va7P3aHI/AAAAAAAAA3I/HBmwcVGqH1s/s320/Wavin’_Flag.jpg

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/print/2009/1/coca_cola_bubbles.jpg

http://www.worldchanging.com/2698611499_042ee16c13.jpg

Welcome to UBC Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

It draws my attention that only half-of UK employers are aware of the Bribery Act reported by Ernest & Young. I can easily think of a bribery case in China or Russia; however, I haven’t noticed that bribery is also very common in UK until I saw this post.

Half of businesses ‘unaware of Bribery Act’

Surrounded by a bustling and fast-paced environment, people nowadays are craving to get succeed in a short term, so the eager goals drive them away from an ethical track. Some entrepreneurs take advantage of bribery to make easy money. As such, they gradually lose consciousness and integrity, and  step onto a wrongful path, but sooner or later, the business will fall into a risk.

As scandals disclosed, business will lose trust and respect from their customers, and once the trusting relationship gets destroyed, it is less likely to be rebuilt.

Johnson & Johnson settles bribery case

I’ve been taking Tylenol extra-strength pills these days to stave off fever, and it reminds me of the Tylenol recall case decades ago, as well their bribery scandal in recent. In 1982, Johnson & Johnson was renowned for its immediate ethical decision of recalling millions of bottles Tylenol; even though the company suffered a loss in the short run, it earned their consumer’s trust in a long term which enabled J&J to go through crisis smoothly and quickly. However, in recent years, several J&J bribery scandals in Europe and China have been revealed, and they seriously hurt the company’s image. Has J&J lost their credo as time passed by?

I believe the prime cause of the common bribery issue around the world is that firms weigh too much on solely “profit” and gradually lose attention on their customers; however, business is all about PEOPLE. To run a successful business, one is certain to truly take care of one’s “people”, act with integrity and honesty, and build a long-lasting trustworthy and healthy relationship with them.

Source:

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/02/01/2013/59109/half-of-businesses-39unaware-of-bribery-act39.htm

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/04/johnson_johnson_settles_briber.html