In response to Roland

Is the commercialization of our education system a good idea?

I don't feel like the commercialization of our education system is any worse than the introduction of religion is. When schools teach one religion, to me that's offensive because not everyone believes the same thing and that's the great part of being American!

Research Paper

Upon reviewing my assigned variable and researching it further, I have found interesting facts and methods of calculating price.  The process is a little overwhelming, but with certain resources, it can be made a lot easier to understand as well as to make a possibility.

What methods of computing price have you used?

In Response to Roland

Is price the contributing factor for Ford or is there some other reason that the Focus came out on top?

Im not sure as to why the Focus came out on top, but it could be in part to an extensive marketing plan behind it. By making this model seem too good to be true, it will entice new and old buyers alike to take part in the grand ol' sport of consumerism.

pricing

I came across an article discussing the falling price of Gold. this commodity is expensive because it doesn't tarnish as quickly as other materials, conducts better and has been made popular in the social culture.

it's fascinating to me that such an valuable resource can diminish so rapidly due to inflation. How will this impact our nations currency?
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-15/the-price-of-gold-is-crashing-dot-heres-why

Response to Roland

What else can foreign auto makers do to regain the young car buyer?

I think that young car buyers are looking to support their country and to regain some nostalgia from the America that no longer exists. Foreign car companies could try to reintroduce retro looking vehicles to entice the need to go back in history.  Another idea is that maybe foreign car companies could continue to cut prices and offer more to compete against national cars.

Youtube and Marketing

Watch most any Youtube video, and you will most likely end up waiting through at least 5 seconds of an advertisement before your video plays. This commercial trap is not only annoying, but when you have to wait for the commercial to buffer, it's even worse!

What is your favorite youtube advertisement?

In response to Roland

When you buy stuff, do you follow the crowd like a sheep, and buy what everyone else does?

When I make purchases, I tend to buy things that will make me not only blend in with the "social class" that I want to blend into, but I also buy clothing and accessories that make me feel good about myself. It's weird how when we are growing up we are taught to be ourselves and to accept those who are different, but as we get older, we ostracize those who embark upon their own journeys. I buy to play it safe and to fit in with the world around me.

Brand Sponsorship of Musicians

I play guitar in a band and one of the biggest things next to getting signed by a label, is getting sponsorship from a company. One of the biggest sponsors is Redbull. When you go onto a bands facebook, website or myspace, you can view who sponsors them and then you may be more likely to use those products or services. It's crazy the boundaries that marketing extends into.

Who is your favorite artist sponsored by?
Are you more likely to buy that product?

In response to Roland

But is this type of ad fair to consumers? Does it cross any ethical or legal boundaries?

I think that by trying to get your consumers to sign up for a mailing list when their product is available is not only clever, but also misleading. Now American Eagle can spam them with offers and generate more traffic to a site where people may not normally go. This isn't a very ethical marketing scheme, but it is pretty clever

Movie Marketing

I found an article on the marketing ploys of Major films. While reviewing these pages, I found it interesting just how far a company will go to promote its product and build the hype about it. My personal favorite marketing scheme is placing the characters and their likeness on chilldrens foods.

Here is a link to the article.
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/movie-marketing2.htm

What is the craziest marketing ploy that you have seen?

In Response to Roland

Does product placement make a difference for you?
Is it going to influence your buying decisions if there is a Nike swoosh on your favorite, or not so favorite, college basketball team? 

Product Placement is huge in media. Without labeling myself with free advertising for a company, how else am I supposed to show my allegiance to a brand? While it is overrated and expensive, it is how most 'mericans are raised. the more expensive our material goods, the better we appear. while this whole process is ridiculous, it is how we are brought up to show support for our teams and who we are as individuals.

Target Market

In class we are currently designing a marketing plan for a new line of Gap Inc. called the Keene Kollection. We are marketing inexpensive clothing to college students and town folks in hopes that this will become a successful company. I am in charge of the Price aspect of this project and with this aspect I have to determine how we get our merchandising for the least amount of money and how we then sell our product to generate as large of a revenue as possible.

What would be the most ideal target market?
What would make the Keene Kollection stand out and become a best seller?

in Response to Roland

Does free trade mean fair trade?

I think that since we are a capitalistic society, we should be doing what we can to help our country to prosper, but that doesn't I'm for it. We are living in a country where everyone does whatever it takes to take it to the top and grasp the American Dream by the tail and turn it into a fur coat. 
The fact that we are outsourcing is merely because we are looking to make cheap and sell large. these methods lead to high profits and more money to cover the holes in our gold lined pockets.
the fact that they cannot produce enough crops to sell for cheaper than ours is great. I enjoy eating my American crops and I do so with my silver spoon and a half full glass of Florida orange juice (half full because I am an optimist)

Marketing in America and our Image

I was watching T.V. with my girlfriend when a commercial for prilosec came on. This heartburn medicine isn't anything out of the ordinary, but what did catch my attention was the celebrity endorsement. These commercials are supposed to grab the average American celebrity and of all the famous faces we have,  they chose Larry the Cable Guy. This to me was not infuriating, but more disconcerting that the average American was an overweight redneck. No disrespect towards the comedian, but in my mind the average American shouldn't be some uneducated redneck, but a working class hero. What are your thoughts?

In Response to Caitlyn Croasdale

An article found through Google news talks about how Walmart, the world's largest retailer, sent out a memo saying that February's stocks were a total disaster. Do you think this could be the start to a new beginning? Less emphasis on buying foreign over local?


A) Just because Walmart's stocks were a disaster for a one month period does not sound like a new beginning to me. This poor performance may have been instigated by the weather in the recent weeks taking a toll on delivery or maybe it's just a fluke after the holiday seasons. 

I think that if Walmart stopped buying foreign than their low price guarantee would cease to exist. This would lead to higher prices, less purchases and worse stock situations.

Self Regulation

Do you believe self regulation is more or less effective than governmental regulatory agencies?  Why?  

I think that self regulation helps, but government regulation is more effective. Government regulations such as the Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890 are placed into action to help our country not only develop and continue to thrive, but they also help even the playing floor for other companies. With the Anti-Trust act, it prevents the creations of monopolies and helps to save us, as the consumer, money.

With self regulation, groups such as the NAR (national association of realtors), have large lobbying power which can help to sway elected officials.

Depending on how their powers are used, both forms of regulation can be incredibly helpful to the success of our country.


What would you lobby for if given the opportunity?

In response to PHayes

Do you think it is worth it for a company such as GoDaddy to spend 4million dollars on a 30 second spot, where 20 seconds of it is the sound of kissing?

I think that if a company can produce a commercial so gross that it initiates the curiosity of people who do not watch the Superbowl, then they did in fact spend a worthwhile 4 million dollars. This idea of creating a commercial that will only further provoke television viewers to research their product will drive a lot of hits on their website as well as spread their company name for them.

Merchandise and the Pursuit of Idolatry

I play in a southern hardcore punk band called Help Me Kill My Ex.

Often lumped into the metal genre, we share the stage with bands ranging from cover groups to death metal so sticking out in the sea of music is essential. We not only write music that stands out both technically and visually, but we also have to tackle the one main money maker in the music business: merchandising.

Some bands can survive off of their logo alone (ex. The Rolling Stones with their tongue logo or anything Gene Simmons can brand with KISS), but others have to work hard to sell even one shirt at a show. In a tough scene to garner respect, we have been able to push merch and make a profit by choosing to cut down colors used in the design, where on the shirt the text is based and even the color of the shirt itself. We shopped around multiple sources both local and distant until we found the one dealer who can make our shirts for a cost beyond reasonable enabling us to sell our shirts for prices lower than other bands sharing the booths around us. This leads to more attention and sales for us as well as more free advertising when customers wear our label in public.

What is the most clever advertising you have seen?




Full set from Saturday's show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhFC12y4EK0&feature=player_embedded

In Response to Caitlyn Croasdale

Hola!
I too work in the food industry as a waiter and from my experience the quality of the product does in fact play a key role in their overall satisfaction. I have seen firsthand people go from enjoying their time with family and friends to shouting for a manager because their meal is undercooked. I've even had an old woman yell "Bullshit!" when I told her that dessert was not included with her meal.

If the product is not 100% correct to the guests standards, then they will feel like that are not only unsatisfied, but that the amount of money they spend is outrageous and not well invested regardless how nice the atmosphere is.

Do you pay more for food or atmosphere when you go out to eat?
I pay more for the food than the atmosphere. If I could have a delicious bowl of soup- a soup so profound and enlightening that I would disregard my own girlfriend for a bowl, than I would be more than happy to not pay for the atmosphere and to deal with the abuses of a misunderstood soup cook.

Customer Satisfaction

Q) Are customer satisfaction and customer value interdependent or mutually exclusive?  Can satisfaction occur simultaneously with low customer value?

A) While most everyone who participates in the activity of buying goods is looking for the best deal possible, there is also a small percentage who would rather shell out extra money for the advantage of having a brand attributed to their product. This line between customer satisfaction and customer value will sometimes cross into each others boundaries leading towards an interdependent relationship.

In class and in our reading, we learned that customer satisfaction is defined as how pleased consumers are with the goods that they have received. When positive, the consumer will be more likely to return to that store or brand due and the reverse is true when the customer is displeased, but how do these two ideas come together?

When a customer feels that they have "netted" a good deal on a product, already their satisfaction level has increased. If they are looking for dependability in a product and are willing to pay a higher price for a more reliable item, then again, their satisfaction will rise and they will feel like the amount they received was less than the amount that they had to give.

What products do you feel deliver customer satisfaction as well as a great customer value?