In Response to Kevin MacArthur's consumer buying process

Interesting topic to blog about Kevin. I am all for new technology and the newest and best gizmos, however I will not be waiting in a line to buy a brand new product. I feel that it is always better to wait for the "second generation" product, for example not buying the IPAD, but the next version that is more troubleshooted and that has consumer feedback. Sometimes, you will never win though, especially with phones and computers. Lots of companies like apple, Sony and LG make new products just so people want to be able to be the first one to own this technology. It is always more expensive for a new technology and if it is/was successful then there will almost always be a "second generation or version" of it. That is why I am interest in seeing if the new 3-d TV by Samsung or Panasonic is going to be successful. I would never buy a new technology like this because there is no way to really use it, even though it would be cool to say I own a 3-D TV. So to answer your question, Yes. I plan my purchases to buy a TV or a computer after the first generation has come out or if a slightly different technology is available to lower the price of my purchase.

What would be the single most influencial marketing scheme Panera can do?

After pretty much finishing up our marketing class, we now have the tools to analyze a company and help dissect what their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are. With that information, we can then formulate a plan to help them capitalize on their strengths. With this in mind, I feel that from what I have seen and what I have researched about Panera Bread Co. is that they need to increase their advertising/promotional budget. Their competition, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's and Starbucks all have large advertisement campaigns and they have a stronger brand recognition than Panera. Panera needs to play to it's strengths, promote their healthier food and convince the public that they are better off eating a Panera meal than their competitors. What do you think? If you had to choose one weakness to have Panera focus on what would it be?

What influences you the most?

While reading the chapter, I starting thinking to myself what influences me the most to buy a product. I starting thinking that the product itself is the most important to me but then I looked around my room and at my personal belongings and saw that I had a lot of brand name products. I realized that I would normally spend the extra dollar or so to buy the snack, item of clothing or whatever it was if I felt that it would differ from a different product? Do you do the same or does the packaging or the actual product itself move you the most?

In response to the Blackboard scenario

Questions: Should John Smith sell the names? Does the AMA Statement of Ethics address this issue? Go to AMA website; look at their Statement of Ethics; write a blog posting on what the AMA Statement of Ethics contains that relates to John Smith’s dilemma.


This situation is really a judgment call and it is up to John Smith to choose what to do. If he chooses to sell the names and hurt the consumers then he will hurt his company and the well-being of his 75 employees. Personally, I do not think that it would be very unethical to sell the names to the car dealer, but according to the AMA and their statement of ethics, one point clearly states " Seek to protect the private information of customers, employees and partners." Depending on how John wants his company portrayed and viewed in the Marketing industry he has a tough choice to make. Again, "Reject manipulations and sales tactics that harm customer trust." So by selling the names of the 2,000 people ready to buy a car in the next year, they might give marketers a bad name in the future.
Personally, I would sell the names if I was John Smith, but I would feel guilty doing so. It is clearly unethical, but it could also save 75 FAMILIES economic hardships and I feel that would be enough for me to sleep fine at night. Does anyone know if there could be any legal repercussions for selling the consumers names unwillingly and without their knowledge? Also, if you would not sell the names and let your company go under, how could you justify having a chance at saving 75 jobs and not take it?

In response to Chad Browns Sherwin Williams Target Marketing

I really have no background information on Sherwin Williams other than the fact that they sell paint. I feel that it is good for any company to target the younger generations for the sole fact that they will hopefully be consumers for life. How they will target and attract the younger crowd I do not know. But having a few Facebook groups will do nothing to entice people to buy their products. They need to offer something to younger people that will get them to come back, like maybe on the first of every month they offer a class for a different style of painting and you can receive a free gallon of paint. They need to find a way to differentiate their product and create a brand loyalty that Home Depot or Lowe's can not mimic.

Is social media worth it?

After spending time in class focusing on social media platforms and doing blogging and similar things, I am wondering if any of this stuff really affects anyone? Personally, I feel that all of these platforms and websites are pretty stupid except for the rare occasion. I have heard many horror stories with Facebook and employers and schools, sexual predators on Myspace and now drama everyday with some stupid comment that athletes or movie stars make on Twitter. Do the benefits ever outweigh the problems that these services cause?

Response to the Two articles

What are some of the benefits of direct mail compared to electronic means of marketing? Bar codes (addressed in one article) seem so promising, but what are some of the possible concerns with their use? Do you think e-marketing techniques will replace traditional forms of marketing (direct mail, phone calls, newspaper ads/promotions)? Besides the types of business and examples that are mentioned in the article, what are some other companies who would benefit from direct mail efforts? How would they benefit?


Personally, I hate to receive electronic mail, and I rarely read it. Direct mail might cost more, but it is much more personalized and if the mail was created properly it will catch someone's eye and let them know that a company is thinking about them and trying to start doing business or retain their business. As William Kapas, president of J.C. Kapas Real Estate Co. said, "I think it's easier to delete the electronic junk mail without taking a second look." Unless I am expecting an e-mail from someone or it is from an e-mail I know I usually delete it. Plus, when people receive mail it usually is unexpected while I know that every day I am going to have spam mail in my in-box that I am going to have to delete and it becomes bothersome.
On the subject of bar codes in magazines to help identify items, those are never going to work. The technology is available, but I highly doubt that anyone is going to take the time to read a magazine and if they find an item with a bar code that they want, take out their phone, buy/download an app, take a picture of the bar code and wait instead of just googling the product or going to the companies website. Remember that Americans are really lazy and desire to do as little work as possible? I do not believe that there are going to be enough people with subscriptions to these special magazines who also have a smart phone and are willing to pay for this new service, because lets be honest this is going to cost money either through the magazine or through the cost of the application.
E-marketing will never replace the good old mail system. Sure, e-mails have taken a chunk out of the bulk and spam shipping's, but having a physical letter or flier will always trump an email, even when companies have a small budget. As said in the second article that we read, Ms. Settle noticed that she "started hearing from customers that they never got their 'reminder' in the mail." People definitely take notice to changes like this and they do not want to be shortchanged or stiffed just so a company can save a few thousand dollars.
Some companies that would benefit from direct mail efforts would be companies like JCPENNY, Sears and Staples where they send out catalogs to their customers and can physically see what the company is offering and what the prices are. Some companies that would benefit from increased mailings would be any graphic design company producing advertisements, any shipping company and any paper or stationary company.
Lets think of this idea from a different angle, with the huge boom in cell phone usage, why have people not switched or turned off their landlines? It is the same idea that they want a physical and direct connection to the source, and what happens if a satellite gets destroyed and there is no more cell phone reception? It all has to do with the paradigm of people liking what they are use to and everyone is use to mail. I'm sure that in the future mail might become obsolete, but it will take a long time for people to get use to their bills being sent through an e-mail as opposed to a letter.

In Response to Chad Brown's Tiger Woods Post

Do you think that by Nike continuing to sponsor Tiger Woods they are making a statement that they approve of what he did?


I do not believe in the crap that is going on with Tiger Woods. The media has portrayed him in a manner that he has murdered someone. Yes, it was wrong for Tiger Woods to cheat on his wife but a lot of people do it and many, many famous athletes and movie stars have done the same thing but never were forced to hold a press conference and go to sex therapy. Tiger Woods is still the most dominant athlete in the world and if I was the president/CEO of Nike or any company with money to endorse Tiger Woods I would still do so. Everyone is human and makes mistakes, the only reason that this ridiculous press conference was covered by 300+ media people shows how popular and widely followed Tiger Woods is. Does it really matter to you or me that Tiger decided to cheat on his wife? Is it going to affect you buying a pair of shoes or your favorite golf balls?

What should Toyota's next move be?

Over the last three or so months, Toyota has been facing the single largest car recall in US history. However, for the last 10 years or so Toyota has been known as very safe, reliable and affordable cars and because of that Toyota has grown exponentially. Now it is up to their marketing, advertising and P.R. departments to save the company and hopefully not lose the safe and reliable tags associated with Toyota cars. What can/should these departments and the management team do to encourage consumers to buy their vehicles and reinforce the ideas that their cars will not kill them?

Response to Bob's Shiny Suds Blog

I agree with what Bob said. The advertisement/spoof got the point across well, however even to me it seemed overdone and a little creepy. I can see why some people are upset by this, and this is where I feel that the marketers should have been especially sensitive to the viewers. They could have dialed this down and still get their point across well. Do you think that the producers of this ad chose to make it racy and provocative like this so that hit would increase the talk about this?

Superbowl Marketing

One of the largest events and oppurtunities for marketing companies has just passed; the Superbowl. It was the largest telecast ever and there were over 105 million captive viewers for marketing departments of large corporations to showcase their product/service. The commercials are almost just as anticipated and talked about the next day a the watercooler as the actual Superbowl. I also find it interesting that most "regular" commercials are usually hated, but these are not. Do you believe that it is worth the ourtrageous amount of money to have a commercial even when they are made more to entertain rather than market/advertise their product?

Type B- Response To Kevin McArthur's Environmentalism post

I like how you brought a real life event into the the discussion of the question whether environmentalism is a threat or an opportunity to marketers. I agree with what you have said, however I am a skeptical person by nature and I feel that marketers are deceptive.
To answer the question that you asked at the end of your post, "Do you think that the world will ever become a completely "green" planet, and can marketing have an effect on that decision?" No, I do not believe that the world will ever become a completely green planet because not everyone will buy into the idea of recycling or treating mother nature with respect. Marketing is however moving to the forefront of starting/increasing the speed of the "green movement". They are contributing to this movement whether they are trying to save the planet or marketing a product to people who embrace this idea.

Is environmentalism more of an opportunity or threat for marketers

In my opinion, environmentalism is more of an opportunity for marketers than it is a threat. I believe that this is true because it is easier for marketers to promote a product as "green" or "organic" than it is for a consumer to prove them wrong. I'm not saying that every time a product has that kind label it is bogus, but I also do not believe everything I see. People are more apt nowadays to buy a product that is a bit more expensive if it is "100% recycled" or "certified green" or "organic" and that gives marketers a chance to capitalize on this growing trend. For instance, British Petroleum recently changed their logo, to a green and yellow sunflower to try to change the face of their company a little. They noticed the growing trend that the public stands by companies that are aware of their impact on the Earth, and are now trying to act like they care. Do you feel the same way as myself and do you think that it is immoral to play off the feelings of consumers?

(Type B) Response to Chad Brown's 4 P's blog

I also decided to address the 4 P's of marketing and came up with the same general answers as Chad did. The four P's seemed pretty straight forward and most people related our "job search" situation well to the marketing mix. It was an interesting approach to get a real life example and it helped reinforcing the "marketing mix" idea. To answer the question Chad posed: "Could this be useful for us, as many of us are approaching the job market?" I believe it will help put our job searches into perspective, with the idea that we need to market ourselves to the "consumers" to the best of our abilities, but I do not believe that it will ultimately help us find a job.

Out of the 4 P's of marketing, which do you believe will be the most influential in helping us find a job?

4 P's of Marketing

When it comes to finding a dream job, the 4 P's can be applied in the same manner as they are used in marketing. The four P's are; product, place, promotion and price and each has an important role in the aid of selling aproduct.
The first P, product, would be the person that is applying for the job. You have to "sell" your good qualities and promote yourself to an employer as the most qualified and best person for the job.
The second P is place, which I believe is where the job would be located. Most people look for jobs in their community or surrounding area so they do not have to commute long distances every day. This can sometimes hinder job searches if they are in a specialized field and there are not many opportunities for a worker in their field.
The third P, promotion, could be a few different things for example, a resume and a cover letter, a recommendation through a colleague or fellow employer or just a first impression . One way to promote yourself is through first impressions. A first impression, could be influenced by appearance, background, your resume, and by general demeanor. If there is a poor initial "promotion", then you can kiss your dream job goodbye, it will be very tough to change that first impression. Sometimes it can be very valuable to know someone in a company, because if they are a good employee, they can give a recommendation through a letter or word of mouth.
The last P, would be would be price, which in this case is the salary, benefits and training. The employer would agree to "buy" your time, experience and knowledge, through the salary and benefits, and depending on how well the "product" is, the "price" will vary too and someone might believe you are over valued while you feel you are undervalued.
Overall, the four P's of marketing can be applied to our own life and even simplify a process that many of us will need to perfect in the near future.