Ch. 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1939

Advertising industries had long holding the cards in consumers’ decision making. Marketers are realizing that offering more copy, complexity, and more information – isn’t working like it once did. With estimates that the average American sees anywhere from 250 to several thousand ads or marketing messages every day, there’s simply no way to keep pace if your strategy is to be ‘bigger and louder’. Instead, brands need to think strategically about how to stand out among the clutter. Apple is my favorite example of simplicity in marketing. Take their Mac versus PC ads: 2 guys just standing and talking, set against a white background. No lengthy list of product features, no mention of price, no professional voice actors with emotional voice-overs, or even information on how to buy a Mac. Each ad aims to make one point, and one point only: one way in which Macs are better than PCs.

Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making

 

After Reading chapter six from “MKGT 10”, and watched “The Merchants of cool” from Frontline in PBS I was stunned. I could not believe how far both the media and marketers would go to win the teens markets. The documentary was very informative. As a mother myself, I never taught corporations and advertising industries had any interest in our teens / youth. Chapter six describes the importance of consumer behavior which the documentary did an extensive research on teens as well. My conclusion is that culture and trends plays a significant role on our decision making. Their impact on society have made it the ultimate target for lunching any new product. An example of that would be the release of the I-Phone 7.   Whenever Apple sets a new dates for the I-Phone 7 or a new product it always boil down to consumers camping out the night before in front of the main store.

 

Ch. 14 - Retailing Post on customer service and atmosphere at Apple Store in Oculus

Retailing - Customer Service and atmosphere at Apple Store in Oculus

I recently visited the Apple store, at the Oculus in the World Trade Center it was a different type of experience for me. Let’s just say my expectation was way over my head. It was late, maybe 9 or 9: 30 pm I stopped there to conduct my research. When I came in a sales representative, who was already engaging a customer approached me. He said: “Can I help you with something? I answered I am here for a project to find out how Apple's customer service worked. He was a bit hesitant and he walked away. I was left on the floor on my own. I looked at most of their product. Like many places I made various observations. For instance, their prices are not listed comparable to other electronic store. Another thing I noticed you can actually play or try their product instantly.  A prime example was, I tried their MacBook air it I wrote a sentence on it. Some of their iPhone has live cameras in which I took a picture with.  No one seems to care about a new customer. No one approached me anymore. All my excitement flew out the windows. I taught living the store I would feel like another person….like I am big or something….In the end it was just a dream. Will I go back again? NO.

Ch. 5 - Developing a Global Vision - Is Walmart Good For America?

My answer is no.  I will not pretend nor sugarcoat my opinions about this retail giant. Walmart business practice is unfair, and bad for the American consumer. Their main focus is to keep everything at a lower price. How did they do it? How can a small company can expand so fast yet keep their customers happy? It does come with a price. Their strategy is that Walmart buys and exports goods at lower cost which allow them to sell these items in the US at lower rate than other competitors. They won’t stop until they get their goods at the desired price.  If you are one of its suppliers you either agree to its betting price or else you’re out. When factories or plant like Rubbermaid could not keep up with their bargain price they auctioned their companies, which resulted in thousands jobs lost. Walmart saw an opportunity with China trade by having their plant at cheaper labor they took advantage of it. This business move has cost us billions in trade deficit.  In the end this partnership is more beneficial to China and Walmart than the US. It has also destroy most competitors big time

 

Ch.18 - Social Media and Marketing

One of the most significant advantage that companies have is promoting their business through marketing. Traditionally marketing was done through T.V. ads, newspaper and posters. All that has change with the spread of Social media taking over our world. Marketers had to step up their game, get on board or else they will miss out on great opportunities. With Social media marketers and Companies have created new approach on how to address the consumer’s needs. Social Media has made it easier for companies to target and provide the product directly to its customers. An example would be during live Super Bowl 2017 Pepsi was trending big on Twitter. The ad that was promoted had reached its audience. It brought Pepsi to the number one trend during the half-time show. This type of marketing has become very successful as social media is very popular among different generations. However, not every business chose to use social media for marketing, or even marketing at all. Apple for instance, they just keep it simple. If they have a billboard ad it is basically a picture of the product or the I-Phone and no words at all.

 

Their  message is simple! “Evolution in every dimension.” In order words: Transformation in every way possible.