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?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
"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
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
Saturday, January 29, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, January 24, 2011
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.
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.
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