Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

Marketing has always been about reaching people. For years the method has been to use one sided media to reach the customer. Television, radio, newspaper, magazines billboards and mail flyers have the ability to reach many customers but are only one sided activities. The potential customer reads, views, or hears the marketing and then will either be influenced to start the purchase process or not. The company doing the selling has limited influence beyond the potential customer’s impression of what they saw. Worse the customer may never get the message due to that ability to change channels, disregard the flyer or with the advent of DVR’s just fast forwards.  To help avoid those shortcomings some companies are turning to brand ambassadors. “People love talking about things that make them happy—including their favorite products and brands.”(Kotler, Gary Armstrong and Philip p. 143). With a little training a person who is passionate about a product can become a powerful tool to help market the product.  The internet has had a huge impact on marketing since it became publicly available; now with social media it can have an even bigger impact.  Brand ambassadors have the ability to connect with a much larger audience than was previously possible.  Using social media, blogs and and their friends the circle of influence can be huge.  Another use that social media has besides marketing products is the potential to find employees.  There are numerous large job posting sites on the internet from LinkedIn to Monster, but cost can be a factor.  At the moment  “Facebook hires account for less than 1% of the total hires companies are making, according to Jobs2Web, which helps companies track the sources of candidates and hires.” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903885604576490763) Even though social media is having only a small impact on job posting sites now the projection is for growth in this area for the foreseeable future.

Week 5 EOC: Me x 3

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Although there are many things that define me, here are three items that I have purchased and are good examples of who I am.  

First is my Ryobi cordless drill. I enjoy fixing things and making things. The Ryobi is a perfect fit for me. Although there are more robust drills out there, the Ryobi has a excellent cost to quality ratio that is typical of how evaluate if a product is for me. This is my second Ryobi drill. My first one lasted me 10 years and although it still works it is showing its age. The use and even abuse that my first drill took made it worth every penny.  The cordless aspect defines me as well for I like to be able to do what I want when and where I want.  Grab the drill and go to work, no need for cords.

Another item that defines me is my Polaris ATV. It’s powerful and fast. This ATV Fulfills my desire for speed and adventure. Getting out in the more remote places and facing the challenge of driving over, around or through difficult terrain brings a smile to my face. The 525 has the power to go where I want and gets there fast. Although other ATV's can be modified using aftermarket parts to go as fast, typically they become less reliable over the long term. 

Finally my Canon EOS 7D Camera defines my creative side. It has the resolution to capture images that can be made into large prints and takes pictures at 8 frames per second to capture the fast paced subjects I prefer shooting. The EOS 7D also gives me all of the control I need to capture the images want.  The EOS system has hundred's of lenses available to allow me to specialize for the type of shooting I am doing as well.

Week 4 EOC Business to Bussiness vs Consumer Marketing

Marketing to businesses shares some similarity in marketing to consumers. They are both the customer and desire to be delighted.  However there are some significant differences in the marketing process between businesses and consumers. Where consumers are numerous and very diverse and require potentially numerous marketing campaigns based on how to appeal to differences in region, gender, age or possibly ethnicity,  Businesses are more limited and concise. Another significant difference is the size of the purchase. Consumers marketing is based on typically smaller quantities and is a simple transaction.  however, "Compared with consumer purchases, a business purchase usually involves more decision participants and a more professional purchasing effort."(Kotler, Gary Armstrong and Philip p.160) Due to typically larger quantities of overall cost marketing to businesses needs to address more criteria and undergo much more scrutiny. "Business buyers usually face more complex buying decisions than do consumer buyers. Business purchases often involve large sums of money, complex technical and economic considerations, and interactions among many people at many levels of the buyer’s organization. " (Kotler, Gary Armstrong and Philip p.160) These coplexities make the overall process more involved and involve more back and forth dialog between purchaser and seller. Due to the need for more dialog and the complexities of the process  "The decision-making unit of a buying organization is called its buying center—all the individuals and units that play a role in the business purchase decision-making process." (Kotler, Gary Armstrong and Philip p.160)

Week 4 BOC There's an app for that

If I were to design an app I would crate an app that unlocks the doors to my car. With this feature you would never have to worry about locking your keys in your car again. I know what you are thinking. "What if I lock my phone in my car as well?" Well having your significant other or a d close trusted friend with your vehicle's code loaded on it would allow them to open your car by connecting to your phones app that is in the car. After your significant other or friend runs the app on their phone it connects to your phone and unlocks your doors Built into the app would be timer and an automatic lock out of remote apps. The timer would be set to relock the doors after a set amount of time if you don’t acknowledge the access fro a remote user.  The purpose of the timer is that way your car isn’t just sitting around unlocked either as a prank or if you get sidetracked on your way to your car. The auto lock out of the remote app would also set to lock out a remote app if the attempt to unlock your car more that a set amount of time without your acknowledgement on your phone.

WEEK3 EOC: Making Money for Good

 
Many companies out there work solely for their own profits and make as much as they can to keep for themselves. Although these companies aren’t what you would necessarily call "bad" companies, there are some companies that give some of their profits to worthy causes. These companies could be considered "good". Proctor and Gamble is one such company. From the sales of several of their products the use some of the profits to help people in need.

One product that gives something back is Pampers. "Each year, approximately 140,0002 infants and 30,000 women in developing countries die from tetanus, which can be contracted during childbirth. That’s one death every three minutes." (http://news.pampers.com/fact-sheet/about-one-pack-one-vaccine) in response Proctor and Gamble will give on vaccine shot to UNCEF for each package of specially marked diapers are sold.

Anther product that gives back to the community is Tide. The Tide Loads of Hope trucks Proctor and Gamble assist people in areas of natural disasters. In coordination with the Red Cross they assist people in the hardest hit areas. "The Tide Loads of Hope truck spent the last week in Eatontown, New Jersey and washed over 1,800 loads of laundry. We also donated 10,000 bottles of Tide to be distributed to those in need throughout New Jersey and New York through our partner the American Red Cross."(http://www.tide.com/en-US/loads-of-hope/index.jspx?tm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=tide%20loads%20of%20hope&utm_campaign=Tide_Search_Desktop_Brand+Advocacy&utm_content=sJ78FAxtu_16715145556_e_tide%20loads%20of%20hope)

These are just two examples of why Procter & Gamble were chose by The Cause Marketing Forum’s 2012 Golden Halo Award Winner. "Procter & Gamble focuses its corporate social investments on supporting disadvantaged youth and providing relief when disaster strikes."(http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhessekiel/2012/01/31/cause-marketing-leaders-of-the-pack/ ) A well earned award for a "good" company.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

Generation X. The baby boom was followed by a “birth dearth,” creating another generation of 49 million people born between 1965 and 1976. Author Douglas Coupland calls them Generation X because they lie in the shadow of the boomers and lack obvious distinguishing characteristics.

Generation X
The 45 million people born between 1965 and 1976 in the “birth dearth” following the baby boom.
The Generation Xers are defined as much by their shared experiences as by their age. Increasing parental divorce rates and higher employment for their mothers made them the first generation of latchkey kids. Although they seek success, they are less materialistic; they prize experience, not acquisition. For many of the Gen Xers that are parents, family comes first—both children and their aging parents—and career second. From a marketing standpoint, the Gen Xers are a more skeptical bunch. They tend to research products before they consider a purchase, preferring quality over quantity, and they tend to be less receptive to overt marketing pitches.
Once labeled as “the MTV generation” and viewed as body-piercing slackers who whined about “McJobs,” the Gen Xers have grown up and are now taking over. They are increasingly displacing the lifestyles, culture, and values of the baby boomers. They are the most educated generation to date and they possess hefty annual purchasing power. However, like the baby boomers, the Gen Xers now face growing economic pressures. Like almost everyone else these days, they are spending more carefully.

I would have to agree with most of the criteria that is used to describe Gen X also describes me. For me my family is a top priority and was the key factor in my retirement from the US Air Force right at 20 years instead of trying to stay longer and make more rank. Experiences drive most of my recreational lifestyle. I continuously look for new "adventures" from ATV riding to trips down slot canyons to rock climbing, I am always looking for new experiences. I will spend large amounts of time researching and comparing purchases to the point that my wife( in Generation Y) gets frustrated adn tells me to just buy it. Although I don't fit in the category for pay check with mine being only my military retirement, overall I fit the definition of a Gen Xer.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

Console video game companies are being hurt by a decline in sales. “Total video game sales fell from $1.11 billion in September 2011 to $848.3 million last month, a decline of 24 percent(http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410940,00.asp)” The drop in sales is due in part by the economic recession, as well as gamers switching to cheaper formats for game play. Mobile devices, such as cell phones and tablets, which are more portable and have lower initial cost for games are having an impact on the market.  “Games are the number one category of sales at Apple Inc.’s App Store; tablet users spend 67 percent of their time on the devices playing games, according to the mobile analytics firm Flurry, while smartphone users dedicate 39 percent of their time to games.” (http://www.boston.com/business/innovation/2012/11/01/mobile-apps-upending-video-game-industry/UnPw0t2ZBnyLJ83Iz6uHjK/story.html) Nintendo has seen a significant drop in sales for its Wii console so far this year, selling  only 3,270,725, making their sales less than half of the 6,847,893 they sold all of last year(http://www.vgchartz.com/article/250537/2012-year-on-year-sales-and-market-share-update-to-november-3rd/).  Although Nintendo will be releasing a new console for the holidays, it is difficult to say if their sales will even come close to last years. this puts nintendo in the dog category.  Sony’s PS3 sales so far this year puts them on course to sell roughly the same as last year, however, no growth in sales is to be expectedmaking them a cash cow for now. Microsoft’s sales are on track to be slightly lower than last years, and without a significant upgrade or enhancement to the console system are likely to continue to diminish for the foreseeable future putting them in on thier way from being a cash cow to a dog. . With increased usage of mobile devices as gaming platforms the market share for game consoles has decreased, as many part time gamers see the benefit of gaming on their phones, tablets and other hand held devices while on the go. Mobile devices are currently the star in the market due to growth and lower cost overhead for game makers.   Even though console game systems sales are slow due to the recession, many gamers have decided to convert to different gaming formats, and potentially will stay there even after recovery for this current recession. There will continue to be a market for console games in the future because many serious gamers will continue to be attracted to the format, but the market looks like it will be a smaller segment than in the past.

Week1 EOC: Great Custumer Experience

When I had trailer tires that when bad…

While driving my travel trailer down the highway I heard a loud thump.  I pulled over and checked what had happened and found the entire tread surface had separated from one of my trailer tires.  After switching to my spare I continued my trip.  After my trip, I went back to the dealer I purchased the tires from. I purchased an extended warranty when I had bought the tires originally, and expected to get the tire replaced. When the technician and I went and looked at the tire, he was concerned about the way the tire had failed. He looked at the other three tires on the trailer and noticed two others with what looked to be a similar problem beginning to happen. He said he would replace those as well under warranty. As he was filling out the work order the Manager came over to see how everything was going and showed concern about the situation. He then directed the technician to go ahead and replace all tires under warranty, to ensure there would be no further problems with the tires, and it would keep all the tires the same. This is a great example of one definition of marketing. “[P]erhaps the simplest definition is this one: Marketing is managing profitable customer relationships. The twofold goal of marketing is to attract new customers by promising superior value and to keep and grow current customers by delivering satisfaction (Marketing an Introduction, p.5).” The technician and the manager both did everything they could to ensure I left satisfied.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

As the owner of KBDrake Photography, I have over 20 years experience taking pictures. I started in film photography before the digital format was available. When digital cameras became sophisticated enough to compete with the film format, I quickly saw the value in the format and switched over. By continually increasing my skills over the years, I have transitioned from taking basic snapshots to taking high quality photographs. Years of self taught knowledge combined with an Associate’s Degree in Digital Photography from the Art Institute of Las Vegas have given me the skills and experience needed to be a professional in the field of photography. As a professional photographer I don’t settle for good enough, I am always driven to capture the best photograph possible.  My motto for this business is “Enjoy yourself, we’ll capture the memories”, and that is the value I provide you by hiring a photographer for your event. I will melt into the background and capture the invaluable photographs that will last you a lifetime, while you get to relax and enjoy the event, rather than multitasking and missing out on once in a lifetime activities.