Response to Kristen's post, Specials

Specials at restaurants is a great marketing technique to get more customers.  A lot of times I have gone into a restaurant knowing what I was going to get, but saw the specials and changed my mind.  I think it is a great idea for restaurants because people are intrigued with specials in general.  They usually save you money and is a great deal.  I agree with Kristen that the detail which goes into specials, especially at restaurants attracts a lot of people because they like trying new things.  The best part about specials is that it helps the business and the consumer.

Why are specials so attractive and inviting to consumers?

Bud Light Marketing Problem and Solution

Bud Light is one of my favorite beers.  I like how they market their beer through sports which attracts a lot of people.  For me, coming out with new creative marketing techniques isn't a big deal for me as a consumer because I enjoy the product for its taste, so I'm going to continue to buy it anyways.  However, this isn't how everybody looks at this product.  One problem Bud Light has taken some heat for is its flood of options which dilutes the brand.  Last year consumers were introduced to the high-alcohol beer Bud Light Platinum with an ad during the Super Bowl, they saw the launch of the margarita-flavored Bud Light Lime Lime-a-Rita,  and they witnessed the demise of Bud Light Golden Wheat.  The ever-changing product line makes it hard for consumers to know what Bud stands for and apparently a Bud is now just some form of alcohol-based liquid which isn't what management had in mind.

With the Budweiser name standing for so many different things, customers can get confused when standing in front of store shelves. The worst thing you can do is make it difficult for consumers to figure out your brand. Their purchase decision should be immediate, and that's always easier when you stand for something singular.  Too many variations on a brand can come at a cost. To grow the brand, they must forgo their ego. Bud's a great name, but when launching a new off-core brand, like Lime-a-Rita, they should create a new brand rather than hang the Bud name on it, ultimately watering down what Bud stands for.

Does the brand name standing for something affect whether you like and/or buy the product?

Response to Kendra's post, AMA Should John Sell the Information?

I agree with Kendra's post that nowhere in the statement of ethics for AMA does it clearly state John's accepting of the cash for the survey is un-ethical.  I also voted that John should sell the survey which saves his company and delays if not cancels the lay off of members of his business.  Kendra brings up a good point that it would be un-ethical if John told those taking the survey it would be confidential and then sell it which wasn't the case.  Nothing is stating selling the survey is illegal, so it is more beneficial for John's firm to sell it than to not to.  Big businesses want information which leads to more money for them.  If they can pay a small business not a lot of money and get the information which leads them to gain a lot more money, their going to do it.  Small businesses can't say no a lot of times because they don't have the leverage or profits to.  If small businesses were smart, they would realize the information they have is worth something and sell it to the highest bidder.

Do you think companies help each other out like sending information about their customers to each other?

To Sell or Not to Sell?

John Smith should sell the names because his business is about to be bankrupt and this is his only choice if he wants to stay in business.  The AMA Statement of Ethics talks about doing the right thing and promoting the highest standard of professional ethical norms and values for its members.  Their ethics concentrates on three main points which are do no harm, foster trust in the marketing system, and embrace ethical values.  I believe that collecting money for a survey done from a bigger company when in need doesn't go against these ethics.  Good things can come from this transaction for John's small marketing research firm because more bigger businesses can acknowledge this and realize it can help their business out.  Having John's firm do the dirty work and pay them less than you're going to gain from it is a win win situation for both businesses.  I do believe this is a common dilemma because bigger businesses take advantage of smaller ones like John's in which they gain a profit from it.

Could John turn this deal down and stay in business? If yes, how so?

Response to Kendra's post, Producing your own Product Line

I agree with Kendra's thoughts on producing your own product line.  It absolutely takes a lot of risks off the table and does cut a lot of costs you would deal with if you just jumped right into a store.  There are a lot of factors when you're opening your own store which Kendra talked about which can get difficult if you don't know what you're doing.  I do think more people should start out with their lines and work their way up because it prevents them from failing miserably and going into debt which could happen with opening a store.  I agree that when people believe in their ideas they really take off with it, sometimes not knowing when to slow down.  With the economy these days, taking it slow and going from there might be the best decision.  Sometimes you have to gain a little to start thinking long term and gaining higher profit down the road.  Creating a line and opening a store are both tough and it takes a strong person and a lot of money to stick with it, especially when you're not as successful as you expected to be.

Giving up on your dream is one of the hardest things to do, but in the business world when is it clear you need to move on?

Social Marketing

There has been a growing interest among marketers in digital realms like social media, in which agencies in New York are increasingly proficient.  In New York for example, where there's a lot of money and a lot of businesses trying to gain more of it, the whole area of digital, social, and content creation is exploding.  New York is a vibrant market where big things can happen for businesses who market well.  Using stars and celebrities in ads really catch the consumers eyes because we look up to them.  Endorsement deals with these people have become very successful and make it easy to activate the extraordinary fan base of celebrities through social media.  You would think New York which is known for big things, would be the place where the next bright light or the next creative idea would come from.  You're surrounded by creativity and culture in New York making it hard to not be inspired to market your product or service as best and creatively as you can.  The city also offers marketers so many unique ways to engage with the population, whether they want to reach tourists or residents.

Why are businesses so popular marketing in New York?

Response to Kendra's post, Samsung - Apple Fight Moves to Marketing

Samsung - Apple fighting the marketing tactics of the iPhone 5 isn't a smart move because of how popular the iPhone 5 is.  Apple is one of the most recognized technology companies in the world and most successful.  I think brand recognition comes into play when consumers are looking to buy a product and marketing for Samsung and its new and improved phone isn't easy when a lot of people already have the iPhone with little to no issues which Kendra pointed out.  The downfall of not having specific patents like the shape of the phone for example can hurt your company because people take a lot of things into consideration when purchasing a phone or just any product in general.  I do think Samsung's ads will benefit their sales but it won't be as successful as they want it to be just because how popular the iPhone 5 is.  Apple does a great job marketing their products.  I don't believe any other phone will surpass the iPhone in the near future because the iPhone is very popular and keeps coming out with updated ones which everyone wants to get their hands on.  I could see how consumers could get blinded to better/new technology because of being caught up in having an iPhone.

What is it gonna take for Apple and the iPhone to not be the most popular company/product for technology?