In Response to Dan's Post, "Sun Drop"

Dan, I too found this commercial to be very comical and interesting. I feel as though Dr. Pepper has a good idea with this soda. Not many people have heard of it and I believe that this curiosity will help drive sales initially. How ever, as we discussed in class the other day Coke products rule the beverage market. With Coke and Diet Coke as the top sellers and Sprite not too far behind. In order for Sun Drop to succeed it will need to be completely differentiated from the products already on the market. Certainly their marketing campaign is portraying this differentiation. I am interested to see how this soda competes in the market.

Stumble Upon

We all love to scour the internet when we are bored. We love shopping online or reading up on the latest world news on our home page before we start working on what we set out to do. Not too long ago I discovered a new online addiction, Stumble Upon. This website brings you to a random web page with the click of your mouse. You can choose to filter results with a multitude of categories. It is the ultimate boredom tool.

I have mine set for the many personal interests I have, including sports, education, business, science and more. I feel as though Stumble Upon is the ultimate marketing tool. The sites are selected based on other users "liking" or "disliking" them. Many sites have buttons that say like me on Stumble Upon. The more "likes" the more their site will show up. Stumble Upon, although almost random, is better than search engines. It shows pages that wouldn't normally come up in a search, at least not in the first page. Mastering the ability to use Stumble Upon is a very valuable tool for Marketers. Check it out. Do you agree?

http://www.stumbleupon.com/home/

Tweet Tweet.... BOOOOMMM

Everyone is talking about our new social networking era. Whether its Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Blogger, or any of the countless other sites out there, almost everyone is a user. The media uses it to research trends, along with make them. People use them to make friends, and lose them. Businesses uses them to advertise and keep people informed. And some people, like myself, use them just for the hell of it. I don't need Facebook or Myspace to make friends. I don't need to follow Jersey Shore cast members on Twitter. I use them because it makes communication fun. We live in an extremely technologically advanced society. We are beginning to move away from interpersonal dyads and moving into an age of conversation in which we are almost fully disconnected from one another. We text, email, IM, and post. The days of phone calls are dying, along with meetings in which every one is in the same room. The "Social Networking Bug" is taking over. It increases efficiency indeed, allowing us to multi-task and have time to think over our responses. Face to face communication still exists. Yet, I feel as though with the next generation it will whither even more. And the next, more. And the next, more. And so on. Until finally, every bit of communication is conducted through fiber-optics or cellular signal, or even the next unimaginable means of data transport.

I have always considered myself a pretty simple person. I don't need most of what I have. Stick me on a river with a fishing pole and I am a happy guy. The "Social Networking Bug" has hit me just like everyone else, but I believe social networking has greater meaning than just another way for people to meet, advertise, or follow stars. Do you agree?

In Response to Eric's "College Basketball Games & Advertising"

I do believe this tactic is very effective. I feel as though this not only occurs during sporting events but during all types of shows as well. I am sure that Nike doesn't advertise their new line of basketball shoes during the commercial break of "The View". I believe that understanding program scheduling is key to reaching target markets. This sometimes drives up prices on advertising slots (i.e. super bowl commercials).

Diner Ads

Today I had the pleasure of dining at one of my favorite locations in Keene, The Pub. The Pub is a local diner with great food, great service, and amazing prices. It is a local hot spot and the meeting place of many group outings.

As I wait for my meal to come I look down at the place mat before me. It is your usual paper place mat with ads covering the whole thing. How ever, this one is very different. On the left hand side of the mat there are trivia questions. Most being very obscure questions which I am sure not many know the answer to. How do you find the answer you ask? They are hidden on each companies ad with the corresponding number next to it. In order to find the answers you must search up and down the place mat, thus looking at every advertisement. I found this to me a very clever marketing idea. Do you share the same opinion?

In Response to Erica's Post "New, 'Skinnier', Diet Pepsi"

I agree with The National Eating Disorders Association. This marketing campaign pretty much says skinnier is better. I do not believe this to be true at all. Pepsi did not make a smart decision in marketing this way. I feel as though it will have a negative on sales. A better way of marketing the new can would be to offer it as a "healthy" option. In that, it holds less thus allowing you to consume less.

In Response to Kristen's Post "Will Television Advertising Be No More?"

I agree that with the introduction to DVR the viewing of commercials have gone down. Personally, I hate waiting for commercials to be over. Companies should continue to spend on TV ads how ever, rather than commercials focus more on sponsorships. When a company sponsors an event it has an opportunity to show its face while they have the viewers attention. Also, they should continue to seek out alternative ways of reaching the public, but without being too intrusive.

"Fit" Gaming

Over the years video games have become overwhelmingly popular. The industry has come a long ways since pong and Pac Man. The main systems in the market now are; Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft XBOX 360, and Nitendo Wii. They market to a wide range of people and have for many years by offering a variety of genres.

As popular as video games have been, they have also gained a bad reputation. They have been linked to obesity and a reduction in health of users. This has become a serious problem for gaming companies. How do you market to those who believe video games are unhealthy? First, they began to offer educational games rather than mindless "zombie killers" or "magical fantasies". Yet still, this was not enough. After Nitendo realized they could not beat Sony or Microsoft for market share, they came out with a revolutionary gaming system, the Wii. Wii offers a gaming experience in which you must physically move your body in order to play. It involves hand motions, arm movement, hand-eye coordination, and sometime even leg movement. Wii gave gamers an experience of not only gaming but also exercise. It expanded its "fit revolution" with Wii Fit. Wii Fit puts gamers through workouts at various degrees of difficulties.

No Microsoft and Sony are catching on with their own "fit" accessories for XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3, respectively. These take it a step further by using infrared to capture body movements, thus forcing one to stand up and move around even more. The industry has adjusted to the demands and needs of customers, while still maintaining its original customer base. Can you think of any other companies in other industries that have done this as well?

"Super" Marketing

There are two reasons people watch the Super Bowl. One is obviously to watch the game, but the other is one some wouldn't expect. Marketing owns the Super Bowl, just as the NFL does. Super Bowl ads have gained the reputation of being the most creative and controversial ads of the year. Many people tune in to the game only to see the commercials. As I sit here watching the game, my girlfriend insists the only good part is the commercials. I look at her, laugh and walk to grabs some food during the break.

Over the years there has been enormous amounts of money dropped into marketing campaigns. The big campaign this year is the Ford Focus Rally America campaign. It involves six teams of two racing across the country in the 2011 Ford Focus in an attempt to win a 2011 Ford Focus and $100,000. The coolest part of this campaign is that the public can get involved in the race. You can join a team, help them make game decisions, and potentially win a 2011 Ford Focus yourself. I believe this campaign is Ford's way of raising awareness to their own gas saving vehicles. Toyota and Honda own almost all of the "gas saver" market. Ford is showing their presence in the market with their much sportier Focus. I think this is an interesting campaign and I am curious as to how many people catch on.

Would you join a team? Ford Focus Rally America

Marketing Mix: Selling You

When pursuing a job one must realize that employers look for qualities in you that they would benefit from, much like the products we buy. Understanding how to sell yourself is very important in today's competitive job environment. Marketing yourself involves four parts; product, place, promotion, and price. These four P's of marketing all revolve around the customer (employer).

Product: In this case the product is yourself. You must show the employer that you are of higher quality than any other candidate, as well as offer skills necessary for the position. This may involve a full resume, showing interpersonal qualities that fit the job, or even that you have a fast learning curve. An over looked part of product is support services. These services include, friends, family, former employers, or mentors, anyone that can be listed as a reference to show that you will continue to hold the value you started with.

Place: When considering place, you want to address three major areas; location, transportation, and costs. Given the choice you obviously want to work close to where you want to live. The location of your work is very important. Transportation links with costs and are potentially the most important factors. Whether transportation is private or public, there will be some costs. The costs depend on distance and means of transportation. You want to work at a location that makes sense financially.

Promotion: In general, promotion is selling yourself. You must educate your potential employer on why you are a good candidate and why the qualities you posses will benefit their company. As far as advertising, you might say that your resume and cover letter are your personal billboards. They are the first impression of you to the potential employer (customer).

Price: Depending on the situation price can vary. You may be able to give a set price depending on the demand for you is. How ever, in most cases you must take what is given in order to make it in the market.

Overall, understanding how product, place, promotion, and price can be used to market you as a job seeker. Getting your foot in the door is half the battle. Once inside you can prove yourself, but with out good marketing you may go unnoticed.

Response to Eric's Type A Response

Eric's First Entry

I agree with what Eric says about marketing and advertising. In using Fenway Park as an example he creates a good visual. How ever, I disagree with what he has to say about propaganda. I believe propaganda is very similar in style to advertising. It differs in the sense that it is based around untrue facts. Say that Ford sign said, "Buy a Ford because Chevrolet is racist" Yes, this could be true (though extremely unlikely), but there is no evidence to support it. Yes, it may pull customers away from Chevrolet (those that believed the statement to be true), but clearly their advertising slogan of, "Built Ford Tough" is much more truthful and potentially more effective.

This may be an extreme example but I hope you may be able to see what I believe to be the difference more clearly.

Marketing, Propoganda, and Advertising

In their book Marketing Express, William M. Pride and O. C. Ferrell define marketing as, 

      The process of creating distributing, promoting, and pricing goods, services, and ideas to facilitate satisfying exchange relationships with customers and to develop and maintain favorable relationships with stakeholders in a dynamic environment.

Essentially, marketing covers all areas of making a product or service ready and available for sale, as well as, making them well known. I believe that propaganda and advertising fall under the promotional part of marketing. They both get the name of the product of a good or service out there, but in very different ways. Propaganda tends to be a more direct assault on the opposition or a tactic for personal benefit (Merriam-Webster.com). It can be as simple as an idea or complex as an elaborate rumor. Propaganda is usually seen in poor light because it is typically built upon lies or unproven facts. My first thoughts of propaganda are those of Hitler's during his reign. Usually we think of it as promoting a bad idea but this isn't always the case. Many times propaganda is used for the greater good but can still be built upon lies regardless of the motives. Advertising, on the other hand, is a marketing tactic that has grown tremendously over the years. There is a sickening amount of money spent on advertising each year. It is all around us. You can not go a day with out being subjected to some sort of advertising. Advertising basically shows off a product or service and tries to convince you to choose their product or service over someone else's. It is built on more truthful facts. Rather than trying to get you to think poorly about the opposition, they typically just flood you with immense amounts of cues leading to their product or service. Think of how many McDonald's or Dunkin Donut billboards you pass on a long stretch of highway. 

In the end, I believe that both propaganda and advertising fall in as part of marketing. They are two distinct tactics of promotion. Marketing is its own entity in its self.