Last Post :(

          As the semester comes to an end students are to be seen frequenting the library (often causing the servers to crash L). But, with the semester ending I would like to look back and note what I have learned in this course. We started the class learning about the 4 Ps of marketing and ended the semester using them in our marketing plan for Country Life Restaurant. I learned a lot about social media this semester, which I find fitting because I we had to make a blog and use this medium to chart what we had learned. Throughout the course I learned about advertising – where and when it is appropriate and ethics in the work environment. By working on an actual company for a marketing plan I learned about non-profit organizations, how to sustain a competitive market and the do’s and don’ts for running a business.

         Even after this course I am considering going into this field. I find the social media to be fascinating and I enjoy creating displays to help merchandise sell. I hope to be able to use what I have learned in this course in real life applications and make an impact on the marketing world. At first I did not enjoy blogging, but I think it is a good application to get my thoughts heard and keep up with the advancements in the marketing field. 

In response to Cameron Drouin...

Cameron posted about Mother’s Day and the commercials that are associated with this holiday. Every year, my sister and I plan a day for just us girls and we bring her out to lunch at her favorite restaurant and normally a manicure. When I go to work at Hallmark all I see is reminders of Mother’s Day and presents that are “recommended” everyday. I have never felt the need to buy things for my mom to show her  how much I appreciate her, but seeing the ads everyday since the beginning of April has made me think that I don’t do enough for her. How do you show your appreciation on Mother’s Day?

How to Choose a Company Name

I was working on Country Life Restaurant’s Marketing plan the other day and was having difficulty deciding what the inside of the establishment should look like. I was considering the foods they offered and wondered why they called themselves “Country Life”. Their menu offers food from around the world such as coconut curry from India, enchiladas from Mexico, Brazil nut meatballs from Brazil, and French Provencal pasta from France. When I think of country foods the first thing that comes to mind is comforting foods such as steak and potatoes or fried chicken. Now being a vegan buffet, this is obviously not possible.

I found an article on how to choose a company name. You can read it here. 

It says that to test out a company’s name, first ask if it posses these qualities:

Simple –- one easy-to-understand concept

Meaningful –- customer instantly “get it”

Imagery –- visually evocative, creates a mental picture

Legs –- carries the brand, lends itself to wordplay

Emotional –- empowers, entertains, engages, enlightens

Then scratch the name if it’s got these deal-breakers:

Spelling-challenged — you have to tell people how to spell it

Copycat – similar to competitor’s names

Random – disconnected from the brand

Annoying – hidden meaning, forced

Tame – flat, uninspired, boring, nonemotional

Curse of knowledge – only insiders get it

Hard-to-pronounce – not obvious, relies on punctuation

If you were going to rename Country Life Restaurant – what would you name it?

In Response to Rachelle Beaudoin...

Rachelle talked about mobile marketing and how companies are using the new smart phones as a way to advertise on a device that most people use constantly. She asked, “What other ways do you think mobile marketing can help?” She had already brought up ads on free apps, but I would like to talk about the advertisements on web pages that show up even on a mobile device.

According to MobileMarketingWatch.com new research estimates that a total of $3.3 billion has been spent on mobile marketing in 2011. 1/5 of this number is contributed by American Corporations. They project that by 2015 that number will jump to $20.6 billion. Clearly the mode of advertising is shifting to our mobile devices, such as a Smartphone, laptop, or the iPad. With the capability to reach masses in such a short time is a powerful tool that businesses are using. Even at Keene State College you can see a trend towards using our mobile device. There is a class offered here called Apple Development that is a course that is all about making apps on an iPhone.

Is anyone considering going into the mobile marketing industry? What do you hope to contribute in that field?

Going "Green"

Professor Johnson had posted an article about the 3 Keys to Successful Green Marketing. They say for green marketing to be effective, a business has to do three things: be genuine, educate your customers, and give them an opportunity to participate. Considering Country Life Restaurant totes being “green” I figured I would read up on the new trend.

Part 1) Being genuine

         This means that you are actually doing what you say you are doing. For instance if you say you are using locally grown foods, but buying from the grocery store you are not being genuine to your customers.

Part 2) Educating your customer

         This is when the business lets their customers know they are a green business and tells them why it is important. I did not see any signs of Country Life being a “green” business. I probably would have never known if the owner had not told us.

Part 3) Giving your customers an opportunity to participate

         This means that you allow your customers to be “green” as well. This can take form in many ways, the most common being a recycling bin or reusable containers.

I think that going “green” will have a huge impact on a businesses image as the trend continues. Do you think that having a “green” business makes it more appealing to customers to buy your products?

In response to Kelsey Rhodes's post...

Kelsey wrote about logos and asked, "Do you think it is beneficial to change the logo every few years, or do you think if it changes so much, a customer may not recognize it?" In my opinion I do not think changing a logo is beneficial in most cases. It costs lots of money that is then pushed on the consumer who enjoyed the first logo to begin with. 

In some cases consumers boycott items where the logo has been changed. Like for instance, the new Tropicana redesign has been almost universally rejected by designers and the customer base. This redesign was an attempt to make the brand appear simple and down to earth. In the end Tropicana went away from its signature iconic image: the orange with the straw in it – making it difficult for customers to spot the brand at the store.

Do you think changing a logo is worth the cost? Are you willing to pay for a new logo as a consumer?

Reward Cards On Your Mobile Phone

I work at Hallmark and every time before I total a purchase I am required to ask if the customer has a Hallmark Rewards Card. The majority of customers I ask say yes, but have a hard time locating it in their wallet/purse. They complain about how many there are and how obnoxious it is to have to carry them around all the time. Those who do not have a rewards card normally do not want one for the same complaints.

I am not a big fan of Starbucks coffee, but I have to commend them on their genius Starbucks Card Mobile app. It is really easy – all you have to do is download the free app then type in your Starbucks card number. Through the app you can track the stars you have earned through My Starbucks Rewards or even pay for your drink right through the phone!!

With the growing technology we have seen many new progresses. It always amazes me to see what these big companies are coming out with the help their customers shopping experience easier.

Do you think that soon we will have all our information on our phones?

In response to Cameron Drouin...

Many people in and around Keene knew of the "Fiasco" that was coming to Keene State during our Spring Weekend. The concert was getting major press and everyone was excited for the concert featuring Lupe Fiasco and Sam Adams. I was super excited to make my purchase, but I had classes when the tickets were first put on sale. I was not overly concerned because they said there were 2,200 tickets and students could only purchase 2 at a time. Half-way through my 12 o'clock class a student made an announcement that all the tickets had been sold out. The class in general was crushed - none of us had purchased tickets. 

Soon after students began complaining the Social Activities Council on facebook posted "Each year for the Spring Weekend concert we sell the same amount of tickets due to the capacity of the gym. We also sell two per ID each year; there is no way to tell in advance if tickets are going to sell out or not. We are really sorry that we can not allow everyone to attend the concert...if it were our choice we would let everyone come. Keene state doesn't have a big enough venue to hold the entire Keene State Campus. We also do not have the security to manage a concert outside." There have been posts on my facebook feed stating that people are willing to pay 3 times the price that people purchased the tickets at. 

Although I am extremely disappointed about not being able to attend this concert I cannot fault SAC, but I hope they plan better next year by having a concert outside. Who would you like to see come to campus next year?

Dunkin’s + K-cups = Love

I had just recently received an email from the CEO of Dunkin’ Donuts that at the beginning of this summer, Dunkin’ Donuts will offer 14-count boxes of Dunkin’ K-Cups, sold exclusively at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the United States and Canada. Dunkin’ K-Cups, featuring the same great-tasting Dunkin’ Donuts ground coffee served inside our restaurants, will be available in five popular Dunkin’ Donuts flavors, including Original Blend, Dunkin’ Decaf, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and Dunkin’ Dark.

I think that they have done a good job listening to their customers wants and needs although I feel like this has taken a long time in coming. The Kurig was created in 1992, but it was not really popular until 2006 when Green Mountain Coffee Roasters became a subsidiary. According to their statistics there are:

• 2.5 million beverages dispensed per day
• 200,000 office installations
• 6% of all coffee brewed every day 

You would think with statistics like that Dunkin’ Donuts would have entered that market a lot earlier. According to the President of Starbucks they plan on entering the market in Fall 2011.

Why do you think the major distributors of coffee have taken so long to distribute k-cups to the masses?

In response to Chris Kurylo's post...

Chris found an interesting video from CNN that introduced the viewers to an app that shuts off texting and phone calls when a person is in a car. The app automatically turns on when the phone is moving faster than 15mph. There is a flaw in the app because even passengers cannot use their phone because the app cannot differentiate between who is driving and who is just a passenger. 

I think that this app is a really good idea. There been many accidents caused by cell phone distraction, which has already created laws prohibiting the use of a cell phone while in a moving car. According to a study by the University of Utah found that the impairment a driver experiences using a cell phone equals that of a person driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent (above the legal limit in some states). Some people need this app to not be distracted by its presence. 

Would you put this app on your phone?

Social Media Marketing Mix - Videos

I recently read an article about social media marketing and how videos can be a powerful asset to selling the company's product. It said that to have a successful video it must be:

1. Engaging - In addition to being informational, often want to leverage humor, or do something to make the viewer smile (if not outright laugh).
2. Memorable - If the viewer does not remember it, what's the point?
3. On-brand - Must be consistent with the product's brand attributes and brand marketing messages

The article goes on to say that to be effective at all you need to know your audience and have a clear approach for each target groups. With the above guidelines (and with knowledge of your audience in hand), successful video types for social media might include: an interview from a client, a clever stunt, staged interactions between the product and a consumer, humorous traditional commercials, or musical spoofs. 

This article was clearly focusing on the consumer market (B2C). Because I work at Hallmark, a retail card store, I know that commercials and videos really bring in a customer to purchase a specific item. Bug 'Em is a lady bug that has a zipper pouch that parents or grandparents can fill to surprise a child. We had this item in the store before the Christmas holidays and we didn't sell any. When the commercial for this product came our right before Valentines day we could not keep them on the shelves. At Hallmark there is definitely a correlation between the commercials they air and how much product we sell.

What types of videos/ commercials make you want to buy?

In Response to John DeMunda ...

John talks about how when customers go into a store and they see a red sale sign there are automatically drawn to that section. Customers automatically think that they are getting a better deal and do not feel as guilty about making a purchase they otherwise didn't necessarily need. John bring us the issue of mismarked items and how employees should deal with the mess-up. I think that you need to keep the customer happy, but make sure that the issue is resolved right away. Where I work there is a section where everything is 50% off, but nothing is marked. So if you are an employee that only works 2 days a week and things get moved around you can have some angry customers when you enter something in wrong. I think the best solution is to politely ask the customer where they got the item and then proceed from there. If it is actually 50% off normally they are happy because 1. they got the item for cheap and 2. they were right.

Do you get annoyed when a cashier messes up your transaction?

In Response to Taylor Griffin...

Taylor makes statement that I think many people can agree with. He says that "Sometimes when i fill out surveys, I think one of two things. I am going to fill this survey out with giving my honest opinion or I will fill out this survey just to get it done with and out of my way." I can't argue with that logic. 

Recently there was a survey on my KSC account that continued to pop-up every time I logged in. I knew that it would not go away unless I filled it out, so I took as little time as I could to fill it out. The survey was for campus housing - the problem: I have never lived on campus. I couldn't answer anything honestly because it did not have the option for students who have not lived on campus. The creators of surveys need to be careful about how they word questions and who they have them out. 

How do you think Keene State should have administered the survey?

A Clearer Image: Supermarket

For our 331 Principle of Marketing class we were asked to critique the methods of a study including what questions I would ask if I was a hired consultant, providing alternatives. Study: A supermarket was interested in determining its image.  It dropped a short questionnaire into the grocery bag of each customer before putting in the groceries. 

I immediately though of a bunch of questions.

         1. Did you inform the customer that there was a survey in their grocery bag.

I would ask this because customers might throw the survey away without even looking at the paper.

         2. Was there any incentives to filling out this survey in an alloted amount of time?

I would ask this because some people don't go out of their way to fill out a survey that doesn't help them. An incentive might create a higher answering rate. 

        3. What questions were asked? How are they graded?

I would ask this because there are many definitions of image. It could mean physical image like how clean there store is. Or social image like what people thought of their company. Also, was they survey yes no answers or range of 1 - 5 or comments. All these factors could change the outcome of the survey. 

Some alternative ways to get feedback:

• Have them fill out the questionnaire while the teller is ringing out the groceries.
• Have a wider range people (customers and non-customers) by placing the questionnaire in the local newspaper.
• Have the survey table right before the exit to generate data. 

Do you have any other suggestions?

Marketing Research = Money in My Pocket!

According to our textbook marketing research is the systematic design, collection, interpretation, and reporting of information to help marketers solve specific marketing problems or take advantage of marketing opportunities. This can take forms such as polls, surveys, and focus groups. Today I want to tell you about E-Rewards, an online opinion panel.

E-Rewards is free to join and they give you a small incentive to try to qualify for surveys and you collect your awards in the form of gift cards or discounts. The surveys are not very long taking my 20 minutes max and with all the points I receive I am able to cash them in for American Eagle or Borders gift-cards along with other great promotions. 

Do you feel as if you need a promotion in order to fill out surveys?

In Response to Chris Kurylo . . .

As an owner of Mac I was interested in Chris's blog post. He wrote about an article on CNN wrote about an Apple employee that tells about his experiences working for Apple. You too can find the article at http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/18/an-apple-store-employee-tells-all/. After reading the article I have a very different look then my peer. Chris asked, "Do you think employees should change who they are just to do well at there place of work?" 

I found the article to be more about how one works hard at a job he enjoys. The anonymous worker said, "I wanna work my way up, get promoted and eventually get to the Genius Bar—which is where you want to be. Who doesn't want to be a genius?" The worker did say that he changed his personality when we was working to "sell, sell, sell." Apple pushing their employees to sell is nothing new, they are in the retail industry. If you don't think that every company trying to sell products do not push a particular item or promotion on the customer, then you are naive. 

Do you think that pushing products on customers is an effective way of selling a product?

Ethics and WikiLeaks

This week in our marketing class we have been talking about ethics. The textbook definition of ethical issue is "An identifiable problem, situation, or opportunity requiring a choice among several actions that must be evaluated as right or wrong, ethical or unethical." One of the ethical issues that I am passionate about is WikiLeaks and the impact they are having on the United States' security. 

One of the largest government leaks in history was on November 28 posting more than 250,000 diplomatic documents on WikiLeaks. These documents strained relations with some countries, influencing international relations. Dallas news posted that "Most of them [documents] are from the past three years, provide an unprecedented look at backroom bargaining by embassies around the world, brutally candid views of foreign leaders and frank assessments of nuclear and terrorist threats." Some documents named diplomats and their sources. This put the United States government in a panic. 

In a poll done by NPR, 55% of Americans agreed that the public has a right to the knowledge leaked, while 45% thought that what was posted was wrong and put lives at risk. I think that the government needs to be able to keep secrets. They are what is keeping us safe. What did the knowledge leaked gain us? After 9/11, the showdown of terrorism still dominates the US as seen through Obama's struggle with Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran.

Do you think that having government secrets is worth the risk of putting people in danger? 

In Response to Jackie Bunker . . .

In Jackie’s post about Amazon’s shipping service called Amazon Prime that guarantees every product purchased will be shipped within two days maximum. The cost to the shopper is only $79, but is supposed to be free for the first year for students. While shopping for textbooks this semester I went through Amazon and wanted to use this new way of getting faster shipping for free. But, when I tried to sign up I was unable because you needed a .edu email address for students and keene’s email is @ksc.mailcruiser.com.

To combat this I signed up for the 30-day trail for the Amazon Prime and tried upgrading my order, but I was unable to get an updated shipping time because I had ordered all my books used (because they were cheaper.) In the end I was just frustrated and did not get any better deal on shipping. I think that shoppers need to be wary of signing up for “bargains” like this one because do you really save more than $79 for getting your purchase a day earlier? Do you think that this is a good marketing ploy to get shoppers to waste their money? 

Advertising Through Teaching

As I was scanning a list of recent articles, I came across one titled "Attract More Clients By Teaching". Automatically I thought of Country Life Restaurant and how they want to teach people about eating healthy. As I read the article by Peter George, I was intrigued to see that he considered the best way to "getting your name out there" is to teach by holding seminars, workshops, teleseminars, or webinars. Something that George made very clear was that you have to teach consistently, because it only takes one bad night to ruin a bunch of good ones. 

I think that Country Life Restaurant could gain a lot of good publicity through teaching about veganism and making tasty vegan food. What would you like to learn from a vegan restaurant?

You can read more at: http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/marketing/attract-more-clients-by-teaching.html

How Do You Advertise?

Since I am taking a marketing course I was wondering what kind of advertising there is out there. At entrepreneur.com I found this list:

• Outdoor advertising/billboards: These reach more people for a dollar than any other media, but are limited to a picture and no more than eight words.
• Radio: Reaches the second most people for a dollar, but cannot be targeted geographically and can only be loosely demographically targeted. But if people will drive significant distances to buy your product, or if you're selling a "we come to you" service, this is likely your best bet.
• Cable television: Offers the impact of moving images as well as spoken words. Can easily be geographically targeted. But your ad will likely look homemade.
• Broadcast television: Big prestige. Big bucks. But able to target psychographic profiles. Buy specific shows; never buy a rotator.
• Newspapers: Reach customers who are in the market to buy today. Unfortunately, people not currently in the market for your product or service are less likely to notice your ad than if it had appeared in another media.
• Magazines: Expensive, but high-impact with tight targeting. Little waste. Weakness is infrequency of repetition.
• Direct mail: Highly targeted, all the way down to the level of the individual. But shockingly expensive to do right.
• Yellow Pages: Essentially a service directory for the customer who has not yet made up his or her mind. Very foolish for retail businesses.
• World Wide Web: Very inexpensive, but sometimes hard to reach target audience.

Is there anything else you can think of to add to this list? Do you think that any of these methods have gone out of style is rarely used anymore?

In response to Cameron Drouin. . .

Way Too Many Valentines Day Commercials! For someone who works at the corporation who created this holiday, Hallmark, I completely agree with your statement. Even from a woman's perspective I think that Valentines day is ridiculous. I don't like the message that this holiday entails. To me, people should be caring and loving 365, not just Valentine's day. I guarantee that a woman will find it more romantic and thoughtful if you bought her flowers on some random day, just because you care. Instead, we get these awful commercials telling the general public how much to spend on their loved one - and beware, if you don't get him/her the perfect most expensive gift, then they will think you don't love them. Come visit me at Hallmark on <3 Day, I'll be there selling $5.00 cards and cheap chocolates to the last-minute shoppers. Do you celebrate Valentines Day?

Not-For-Profit doesn't have to equal Not-Making-Money

After visiting Country Life Restaurant in Keene, I was curious what a not-for-profit business entails. According to business-law.freeadvice.com, "A 'not for profit' corporation is one specifically formed for purposes other than operating a profit seeking business, such as a charitable, religious, education, or scientific purpose. There is, however, a mistaken belief that all "non-profits" cannot make money." This definition was what I assumed, but I was surprised when Peggy told us how much money they were loosing. I thought it would make more sense to create some revenue to do more events or help out those who might not be able to afford to eat healthy. With all the free technology in the world today I would think that they could easily find ways to help create more revenue or find out where they are loosing the most money. What do you think Peggy should take as a first step in helping turn her failing business around?

It's A Social-Media Frenzy

Social-Media Frenzy

By David McCann – CFO Magazine

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14550777/1/c_14551704

This article talks about company’s use of social-media, such as facebook, twitter, and YouTube as a way of marketing to today’s society.  In the article he quotes “A 2010 study by communications firm Burson-Marsteller found that 65% of the largest global companies had Twitter accounts, 54% had Facebook fan pages, and 50% had YouTube video channels. And research firm Gartner predicts that by 2014, social media will have surpassed e-mail as the primary communication vehicle for a fifth of business users.”

Being a college student with accounts in most of these social media outlets I have to agree with what McCann was trying to convey. I have ‘liked’ many businesses, both local and national, to follow the trends as well as learn about sales and promotions. I have more than once purchased an item because of an ad on facebook.

YouTube is also a big place to market. In my MGT 301 class we watched advertising clips through YouTube. Although I do not use Twitter, I know many people who do. My friend once told me she had horrible customer service at a Starbucks and instead of filling out a comment card she tweeted her experience. Later that day she got a tweet back offering an apology and a free shot of espresso in her next coffee. Companies seem to be using Twitter to gain insight to their customer’s preferences and inform their fans on what is to come.

With TiVo and online T.V. viewing, do you think marketing is going to become more social-media driven?

In response to Cory Secore. . .

Cory brought up the fact that companies spend far too much money getting celebrities to advertise their product instead of creating a product that will sell itself. He questions, “Is this method of using celebrities really selling the product?”

I don’t think that celebrities really make an impact on sales. When I see a commercial with Peyton Manning in it, for example, I try to avoid what’s trying to be sold to me because I hate the Colts. I think choosing a celebrity could be detrimental to the company’s image, like when Tiger Wood received all that bad publicity over his affairs. I like Cory’s idea about giving away free samples to create customer loyalty and wish companies would take this approach more often.

That question led me to thinking about celebrity clothes lines and fragrances. In today’s market more celebrities are coming out with their own product and in my mind the prices are extremely steep. For instance, Vera Wang’s new fragrance is $70 for a tiny bottle.

Have you ever purchased from a celebrities clothing because just because you liked the celebrity?

If I Were the Product . . .

In my marketing class we discussed marketing principles such as the marketing mix. I was asked, "If I were the 'product' trying to obtain a position at a company, how would I sell myself?" Initially I would create a resume to demonstrate what I have to offer the company and the experience I can bring to the working culture. Here I would put my past jobs, my school degrees, and the extra curricular activities I participate in (like community service). Assuming my resume fits the criteria the company was looking for I would be called in for an interview. Here I would promote myself as a good fit to their organization by carefully choosing what I wear and how early I show up. I could show the interviewer some examples that I have done relating to the position, like a portfolio. I could bring up the fact that I live close to the company and own a car to assure them that if there was ever an emergency I could make it to the establishment quickly. Once they offered me the position [because you know they will ;) ] we would determine the price. I could offer to work on a trail period of 3 months on a lesser salary to insure they hired the right person or I could argue that because of my experience I should be paid a higher starting salary. There are a lot factors involved when trying to market yourself to a company and the marketing mix starts to break down what you need to do to obtain your dream job.

What do you think is the most important component of the marketing mix when you are interviewing for a position?

Marketing, Advertising, and Propaganda. OH MY!!

Marketing, advertising, and propaganda are closely related because they all help promote and sell a product or service for a target market. Marketing, to me, is the process of promoting and selling a product or service. When considering how to market a product a company has to consider the labels, packaging and logo to represent the company and the new product. Advertising is a way to allow a company to sway its target group into purchasing their product. Advertising can take on many forms from TV and radio commercials, sponsoring teams or charities, or billboards. Propaganda generally has a negative connotation, but in my opinion propaganda is an opinion of someone outside the company. If a food critique writes an article singing praises about the new bistro that opened up in your town then the new bistro is receiving positive propaganda. Negative propaganda tends to be synonymous with slander. An example of negative propaganda would be the commercials during election season where they bash their opponents to make them seem better.

Marketing, advertising, and ‘positive’ propaganda play a large roll in a product or services success. Likewise, with poor marketing, advertising, and ‘negative’ propaganda will hinder the companies ability to be profitable. Am I on the right track?