In Response to Ashely Guidi's post "Bottled Water, for better or for Worst"

I drink probably 4 water bottles a day times 31 days. Yeah, thats a lot of water. Someone people even drink more then me. It is crazy what americans can get tricked into buying. Who would have thought that Americans would buy case after case of expensive water where you have tap water (which some bottled waters come from) that is protected by your local goverment. It is crazy to think that people would do that but they do, and im a fan of bottled water myself because of the convience of it mostly but still, it is amazing how someone can take something so blah like water and turn it into a billion dollar industry.

Easter- Marketing Masterpiece

When you think of Easter what do you think? Bunnies, eggs, candy. Thats all marketing for you. Easter is a holiday celebrating the rise of Jesus yet when you think easer you don't even think of how the holiday started, just how it has become. That is all because of Marketing. Someone one day took the idea of easter and fliped it on its head for massive massive profits. All the cards and candy and little kids and girl friends wanting cute little stuffed animals and easter baskets. This is the perfect example of someone taking something so boring and turning it into a cash cow where people spend crazy money making there families happy. Can you think of any other situations where a holiday is explotied by marketing?

Marketing to a new generation

What do you think about cigar smoking? I know when i think about it i think about old men hanging around laughing about the past enjoying a cigar. While i am writing this i am sitting in a cigar store in nashua nh enjoying a cigar myself and im looking around. I notice that most of the people in here are in there 20's. Why is this? They don't market to younger people. You never see an ad on tv about cigars yet there are younger people sitting in here spending there money on cigars. Why is this? I think its from two sources. One potential source is from watching sports stars enjoy them after winning games. Also i think it is from word of mouth. I know my dad introduced it to me and it is now seem as cool to younger kids rather then cigarettes that now seem not to be so cool. Do you know of any products that don't need marketing to get new young customers?

In Response to Ashley Guidi's post Green Marketing; Whats Green and Whats not?

"How many companies do you think are actually "going green"?"


When you think of green you think of cars and energy saving things in you're house. Many items now are trying to be marketed as green but i dont think that they really should. They now even have "green" cell phones but when you read the reviews of them they feel cheap because they use less plastic and all the plastic is recycled. When someone is looking for a phone they need a solidly built one so a green cell phone i'sent exactly the best idea.  Americans need quality in what they buy. I can understand having a green bag like with sun chips because you threw that away anyways but for big purchases i think that companies are much better making something solid then "green"

Packaging, Important or not?

I was shopping the other day and noticed how many different packages you can have for the same thing. You can have cookies in a bag, a box, a plastic holder thingy. If you think about it they are all cookies so why do companies choose to put them into such different packages? The answer is marketing. When you go shopping your eye looks around at everything. Its kind of overwhelming but when you really think about it you don't really notice labels or names, you look at shapes. Everything comes in bags and boxes. This is where pringles and other companies have came up with new ideas to make you want to but something. If you see a sea of bags and then chips that come in a upright container you will tend to pick that up with you're eye on the shelf. This is very important when thinking about how to market your product in a store setting. Can you think of any other products that have different packaging and do you think that its an important marketing strategy?

In Response to Chris Kurylo blog on the Samsung Tab

"do you think its smart for a division VP to admit that their product is inadequate compared to the iPad??"


I think that it is smart. If you think about it we are now talking about how bad the Samsung tab is  and how much the I Pad is better. What the VP is saying though is that yes ours is bad but when we come out with a new one it will be better and cheaper because you are over paying for this technology. As long as we are talking about a VP of Samsung then it is good publicity because when they come out with their new one more people will be inclined to buy it because the VP knows that people are over paying and knows that the IPad is better but he is willing to make a new better one cheaper. 

Marketing Jobs- Important yet Risky

When i look at the world of marketing in this economy it really scares me. If you read any article that has to do with marketing it is always said to be one of the most important part of corporations. Yet, when you look at what jobs are being cut right now its the marketing jobs. This is because it is the most expensive part of any organization. Yes, it is very important to have a large group of marketers to make sure you can get plenty of ideas of how to market your product but if its time to cute jobs companies turn to the marketing department. So if you are in college right now and looking to become a person in the marketing field you have to make sure that the economy will recover in time for you when get out of college or you might have a very hard time finding a job in this current economic situation. Do you think that the economic situation will improve soon and there will be more marketing jobs out in the work force for college graduates.

In Response to Diana Schaller post on How Much Can PR Cover?

"I question how much help PR can be for this person of status. How will this affect him in the long run? Public Relations nightmares can be really long lasting. He's been fired, but how much damage will he have to deal with at this point?"


I think that PR can be only good. Yes PR can show to be very bad on the surface. But look at people like Charlie sheen and Mel Gibson. They had PR nightmares yet they are played on TV more and more. Tiger Woods hasn't won anything in 16 months yet he is on sports center every single night. There is no bad way to get into the news. People love stories of people doing something wrong and as Americans we love to forgive and forget so there is no reason to worry about it if you get in a PR "nightmare" because you will wake up and be more popular then ever. 

Marketing Online- The future of Marketing

There is no question that the internet has taken over the world. More people are on the internet at a certain time then are watching TV. This proves to be a different world for marketers. It was always the way of marketers that you would have to find someway to market to everyone on billboards or TV or newspaper. Now the focus has to be mostly on the internet. As the internet gets faster and faster and the phones are now getting new faster and faster internet it is really time to put most of the money and research into internet adds. I see in the future that most TV is going to be ran of the internet and why not? Its cheap to run and can be sent out with little problems and easy to use. This means most people will be using the internet more and more so its time to really make sure that your firm has the most information into the world of online advertising and you will have a really good shot in the future. Do you agree with this or do you think that there is limited future in online advertising?

In Response to Brittany Maheris

Do you think the uniqueness of a store will attract more customers?


I do believe that the uniqueness of a store does help them in some aspects but also hurts them. If a store is too unique you will not get that many customers outside of the clique you are trying to get into. You need to have enough uniqueness to attract a cretin clique but still be broad enough to get other people to come and try your store. 

Brand BLINK

I read this article on Marketing Today about the concept called Brand BLINK. Darryl Travis suggests that we make decisions before we even realize that we are making a decision. This would be a very useful thing to understand because if marketers could understand what triggered this fast decisions then they could design their ads around it. This would change ads as we know it. The one problem with this is if a company could figure this out then would it be ethical. What do you think?

In Response to Laurie Whalen post: Celebrities: Harmful or Beneficial?

"Do you think companies should think twice before signing an endorsement deal with celebrities?"


I do think that companies do really need to think twice before they sign a celebrities to their ads. So many people follow celebrities and their lives minuet by minuet and if something goes wrong in their lives then that will effect your product. It can be a great thing if you get a good celebrity for your ads then that can be a major boost because so many people obsess over celebrities but you better be careful because if you get a bad egg, then that could kill your marketing plan. 

How does the NFL market if there is a lockout?

With a pending lockout by the NFL owners what will this do to the image of the NFL and how will the NFL market to fans with no games being played?

This is a tricky situation even for the most watched sport in the United States. If the owners lock out the players over money issues this is going to pose a terrible image for the NFL. Everyone already looks at the NFL owners as very very rich people and now that they are holding out for more money people are going to be even more sick about the whole situation. The NFL will have to find someway to market to these fans so that they can keep as many fans interest in the NFL for when games start playing again. The NFL makes most of its money from the fans. Selling merchandise, tickets, and most importantly viewers on the TV. The NFL might want to consider to continue to maybe show games on Sunday. Maybe showing all time great games on TV to keep interest in the NFL while the owners and players work everything out. If the NFL does not do anything they will most defiantly lose out when the NFL comes back after a year because less people will watch and the NFL will be making less and less money. They need to make sure they have a good marketing strategy in place during the lockout or there will be even darker days ahead.

In Response to Diana Schaller post on MTV's new show "Skins"

"I guess my big question is what would you do if you were being pressured to remove your commercial from the air during a show? Is it worthwhile to submit to the pressure of parental groups? Why is it so necessary to respond to them and do they really have enough power to hurt your business?"


To answer the question, Yes!. One of the worst things you could ever do when marketing you're product is to get it associated with something bad. This is especially true for companies that have close competition. Take Coke for example. If Coke played an ad during this show and the Mothers of America group found it offensive these people would just turn to Pepsi or some other product. Even if you think people won't care if you're product is on during a certain show you can not risk it. In todays environment you have to be extra careful with how people view you're product because there are groups out there with very strong followings that can really make a dent in you're market share if you are not careful. 

Marketing- The Most Critical Area for Next Generation of Business Leaders

I read in article on marketing today that talked about how executives rank marketing as the most crucial are for the next generation of business leaders. The article talks about how 31% of executives surveyed believed that marketing is the most important are to focus on. This was followed by operations and finical expertise. When asked about why this is Seth Gobin said that "being good enough is no longer good enough." and I agree with him. In today's economy so many ads can be sent out in so many different forms that every person is getting hit with so many different products during the day that its so much harder to get a new product into the heads of consumers. We need new ideas and new faces to come up with the ideas to get products into the heads of the consumers. Thats why it is so important for the next generation of business leaders to really focus on marketing and make it priority because if you don't then you won't have a very easy time trying to get what ever business you're in to do well. Do you agree with this article or do you believe something else is more important?

In Response to Nikki Perry blog What is right – compete or not?

"There may not be any rules in business but morally there may be.  Do you think this stealing strategy is right in your mind?"


I think that if you're a business in this economy and you're not trying to steal market share then you aren't really trying. He said he was trying to steal school away from his competitors because thats what he has to do. He cant just sit back and play nice and hope that you can survive. You don't think coke and Pepsi don't go out into the market and try to change businesses minds about caring there product? It's just how the world works and you have to go out there trying to get every customer you can from you're competitors or you wont be around for long. 

Super Bowl Marketing

Since the Super Bowl was last Sunday i thought i would share some thoughts about the marketing that takes place during the Super Bowl. I was sitting there watching the commercials and thinking to myself about if it is worth millions of dollars for you're 30 seconds of TV time. This is one of the few times that people actually look forward to the ads. People look for the commercials to be funny and it a good break up during the game. One thing i noticed, however, is that all the products that actually had ads were very well known. Coke, Dotritos, Go Daddy, and Budwiser all had long ads during the Super Bowl but why? We all know these companies, and ad during the Super Bowl won't bring them any more customers, especially enough to cover the 3+ million dollars that it cost for the ad. So why do they do it? One of the only reasons i can think about is that they want to stop other companies from getting their commercials on. There is an advantage to having you're commercial during the Super Bowl but in order to afford it you need lots of money and only the biggest companies we all know and love have that type of money, so what is the point? Any Ideas?

Response to Abby Hajec I-Phone Post

Abby talked about how the I-Phone was taking over the market with its reasonable price, great service, and great apps. I agreed with some of what Abby said. She was right when she said Apple has a great marketing model. I disagree with some one the things she pointed out though. I have a HTC Android phone ran by Google and i find it to have the same, or even more features then an I Phone at a much better price. An Apple I Phone will cost you around $350 while an android phone will probably cost you $100 less. Both phones have similar apps yet you can buy an android phone on an carrier for less money with the same features, so why does the I Phone out sell them all? The answer is popularity. It is way cooler to have an I Phone then anything else. Apples marketing strategy has put them in a place not a lot of companies are in. Apple is the coolest thing you can have. People fight over new releases of I Pods, I Pads, and I Phones. Verizon just can out with the I Phone today on their network and already there are talks of shortages of phones. It is not because they are superior phones but because they have carved their way into the worlds top products list. If you say apple I Phone probably everyone in the world knows what you talking about and that is one place where most companies want to be. Apple is there.  

5 Deadly Sins of Presentations

I read this article on Marketing Today about the 5 Deadly Sins of Presentations. There is no doubt that if you have anything to do with marketing you are going to have to make a few presentations in you're life to get you're idea or product across. This article went over 5 sins of presentations you should never do. I'm going to list the 5 sins and then give my own idea about them.

1. Don't rely on bullet points- This is probably one of the biggest ones. I think if you just read off a screen you're just showing the people you're talking to that you know absolutely nothing about what you're talking about. If you have a presentation with bullet points you should make them only a few words. Just put the main points on the screen with a nice clean look and it will bring you a lot father then a busy screen. If you can try to stay away from power points, think outside the box.

2. Don't make the presentation relentlessly sober- This means don't make it boring. Who wants to sit through something they know is just going to be the most boring 30 minuets they ever had to live through. I worked at a huge company for an internship during my junior year of college. I sat through plenty of boring presentations that i forgot as soon as i walked out the door. If you're trying to capture attention and make people remember what you're talking about MAKE IT EXCITING. Make jokes, play videos, don't be afraid to look outside the box. Chart after chart after chart is not going to get people to remember you're idea. Shake it up a little bit, don't be afraid.

3. Don't showcase the self-evident- Don't state the obvious. People don't care if you can remember some facts that everyone already knows and just recite them in front of them like some fifth grade presentation. Make sure you have something new an exciting to say if you want to catch attentions. Try to look at things in a new light, in other words, don't be as obvious as this article. =)

4. Don't use clashing graphics- This kind of goes along with the first point. Try not to make you're presentations all messy with images and words. It's hard to listen to what you're saying if you can't keep you're eye off the the bright flashing lights and colors coming off the screen. If you really want to get people to pay attention try something new and exciting that no one has seen before. Think outside the box.

5. Don't forget to proof read it- I know i said the first one was probably the most important, well this one is the most important. Not to say that I'm great at spelling because I'm not. In these busy times who has time to worry about spelling and looking up in the dictionary how to spell things, there is just not enough time in the day. Oh, wait, this isn't 1979. There is a thing called SPELL CHECK. There is no reason not to hit F7 at the end of you're presentation to make sure everything is in order. Just a quick read through and you should be good. If you're presentation is filled with errors no one will give you the time of day.

What do you think are the biggest sins of presentations?

Getting You're First Job Using the Four P's

Product

Place

Promotion

Price

Those are the four P's of marketing. You can apply these four principles to help yourself get a job that you want. But how?

Product- You are the product. You have to show you're potential through what you have to offer. You have to show what qualities you have, what "features" or skills you have to get the job done. If a potential employer knows what kind of skills you actually posses it will help you stand out of the crowd.

Place- You need to show where you will be most useful. One of the worst things that you can is get employed in an area of the company where you will not be as helpful and not shine. Let you're employer know where you're skills will be the most useful to the company. 

Promotion- You need to promote yourself of course. Advertise yourself to the employer. Make yourself shine because the reality is you're not going to be the only one looking to get the job. Try to make yourself look good. Maybe talk about some hobbies and how you have helped you're community or maybe some personal achievements. 

Price- You need to be realistic, you're probably not worth $100,000 a year. When you are first getting out of college you probably don't have a family and the last thing on you're mind is saving for retirement. Be realistic with how much you're worth at you're position you are trying to get. Maybe sneak in there that you can do the job for less. You never know, it could help. The most important thing is to just get you're foot in the door, you can work you're way up the ladder from there. 

After reading this, do you agree with these ideas about how to get a first job out of college? 

The difference between Marketing, Advertising, and Propaganda

When you think of marketing, advertising, and propaganda they all have the same idea behind them. They are all trying to get an idea across to someone but they all have a difference between them.

Marketing- When you market someone to someone you are trying to find the best way to get someone to buy something. This includes the what price an item should be set at or who the item should be marketed to. An example of this is when you're trying to market a new brand of cereal you need to think what taste kids would like but also what parents would be willing to pay for the product and if the product will be liked by a large enough group to make the brand popular.

Advertising- Advertising is a part of marketing but is a little different. When you think of advertising you think of TV, newspaper, or internet ads. Advertising is how you are going to get your product out there to be viewed by the public so that they can go out to get the product. To go with the cereal example to advertise you're cereal you might want to get a little cute mascot for you're cereal so that kids have something to attach the cereal to when they see it in the store. You might also want to think of some kind of jingle to go along with your commercial.

Propaganda- Propaganda is a whole different thing. When i think of propaganda i think of trying to get you're idea across by using emotions and radical ideas to make people change their minds about things. An example of this is during campaigns. Different commercials for different politicians usually talking badly about there challenger.

What do you think the biggest difference between Marketing, Advertising, and Propaganda is?