I came across an article discussing the top ten marketing trends that companies need to be aware of this year. This article was written in January of 2011. There are two main trends that I feel really encompass the whole article.
1. Quality is better than quantity. Where as in 2010 it was all about how many Facebook friends or LinkedIn connections you had 2011 is more about quality. Don't just accept connections so you have more of them, accept and build connections that mean something to you and your company. Not only in the media do you need to be concerned with quantity, but in regards to your product as well. Every part of your company needs to be focused on quality.
2. Stay on top of new "technology". Your company needs to be aware of what is happening with social media as well as mobile marketing-media. It seems that everyone has a Facebook account and a smart phone. Companies need to try and connect with customers utilizing these two options. You carry your cell phone everywhere you go and with smart phones you can now be connected no matter where you are. Companies need to plug into these two options in order to reach their market effectively.
These two trends were what companies needed to do back in January. Do you think they still apply today? Only three months have gone by, but have those three months changed the trends at all?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 04, 2011
Response to Kristen
Do you see this road campaign as being successful for Silk? Are there any disadvantages for organizing such a campaign?
I do see this road campaign as being successful because they are not only gathering information on their customers, but they are educating them as well. Once customers who enjoy Silk products already are educated about it's other uses they will use it more and thus have to buy it more. Also by having such a campaign you are also going to be bringing new customers in simply out of curiosity.
One obvious disadvantage to this is the price. Road campaigns are often expensive and don't necessarily bring in any additional profit at least right away. Do you think that the advantages will outweigh the disadvantages in this campaign?
I do see this road campaign as being successful because they are not only gathering information on their customers, but they are educating them as well. Once customers who enjoy Silk products already are educated about it's other uses they will use it more and thus have to buy it more. Also by having such a campaign you are also going to be bringing new customers in simply out of curiosity.
One obvious disadvantage to this is the price. Road campaigns are often expensive and don't necessarily bring in any additional profit at least right away. Do you think that the advantages will outweigh the disadvantages in this campaign?
Focus Rally America
Once again this weekend I was catching up on my TV shows on Hulu.com and a commercial caught my eye. This commercial was for the new show Focus Rally America. Ford has teamed up with Emmy winning producers to create a show like no other. Six teams of two will compete against each other in a cross country race... and what will they be driving? Brand new Ford Focuses of course! The prize is $100,000 and a Ford Focus.
Through this show Ford is trying to expand their target market. Not only are the people in the show exposed to the brand new cars, but everyone watching the show is as well. This show is also viewer interactive. Viewers can register online and join one of the teams on the show and at any point may be "called" in to help the team. Whether it is showing up at a specific location or just helping the team over the phone decipher their next clue. The important thing is that the viewer is no longer just a viewer, but a participant.
Ford has a really great and unique idea here by not just simply supporting a show, but making it their own. Do you think this marketing approach will work? Will people even be inclined to watch the show let alone be inclined to buy a Ford?
Monday, March 28, 2011
Response to Aubrey
Is marketing to blame for this increase in consumer spending and increase in personal debt? Or should we hold people accountable for their own decisions whether that is to spend their money or not?
Both are to blame. People who are acquiring debt in order to purchase items they don't need have to be held responsible. However, marketing needs to take responsibility for their part in it as well. Turn on your TV for five seconds and you will see large priced items being pushed at you... but for a "sale" price of course. Marketers are using sales to try and convince people that if they don't buy this item NOW then they won't be able to get it for the price they want. But regardless of whether the item is on sale or not certain consumers can't afford it. It is a vicious cycle that needs end. I agree with Aubrey that marketers are targeting consumers who don't have the income knowing that they may buy it regardless of whether they can afford it. This is both the marketers fault and the consumers fault for allowing themselves to spend money they don't have.
Can you think of a solution for this issue? Perhaps government regulation?
Both are to blame. People who are acquiring debt in order to purchase items they don't need have to be held responsible. However, marketing needs to take responsibility for their part in it as well. Turn on your TV for five seconds and you will see large priced items being pushed at you... but for a "sale" price of course. Marketers are using sales to try and convince people that if they don't buy this item NOW then they won't be able to get it for the price they want. But regardless of whether the item is on sale or not certain consumers can't afford it. It is a vicious cycle that needs end. I agree with Aubrey that marketers are targeting consumers who don't have the income knowing that they may buy it regardless of whether they can afford it. This is both the marketers fault and the consumers fault for allowing themselves to spend money they don't have.
Can you think of a solution for this issue? Perhaps government regulation?
The Cool Kid
This weekend, like most college students, I watched a few TV episodes on Hulu.com. For those of you who don't know on Hulu your episode is interrupted a few times by advertisements. The advertisement that caught my eye was one for the Toyota Highlander that starred a young child in nice clothing completely dismayed at what he had to drive around in, an old mini van. It then shows him jumping in a brand new Toyota Highlander that one of his friends' parents owned and him exclaiming how classy it is compared to his own family vehicle.
This is an excellent example of how marketing is some what responsible for "competitive spending". They are constantly feeding consumers this idea of "bigger is better" and "keeping up with the Gates'". This is affecting each and everyone of us. Especially if we are direct victims of competitive spending. I know I have purchased certain items that I didn't need simply because I was pressured into doing it. We are spending money we do not have and borrowing money that is simply not necessary to borrow.
This commercial also is an excellent example of "new consumerism". New consumerism is the idea that we no longer just want comfort, we want luxury too. The little boy couldn't simply be happy that his family owned a vehicle he wanted the next step up... luxury a.k.a a Toyota Highlander. Marketers are continually pushing this concept at its' consumers in hopes that they will spend more and more.
Are you a victim of competitive spending and new consumerism? Do you think that marketing can be held responsible for these ideas and issues?
This commercial also is an excellent example of "new consumerism". New consumerism is the idea that we no longer just want comfort, we want luxury too. The little boy couldn't simply be happy that his family owned a vehicle he wanted the next step up... luxury a.k.a a Toyota Highlander. Marketers are continually pushing this concept at its' consumers in hopes that they will spend more and more.
Are you a victim of competitive spending and new consumerism? Do you think that marketing can be held responsible for these ideas and issues?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Response to Paige C.
Have you ever been to Goffstown, NH and thought differently? What does MyBestSegments have to say about your town?
I have never been to Goffstown, however when I looked up my home town we were also put in the upscale income level and I disagreed. Rindge is tiny (I blogged about it below) and I would never consider the residents upscale definitely middle class, but not upper class. Rindge is just a small town filled with average joes who are looking for adventure in the great outdoors. Definitely not full of people who have extra cash to just throw around.
It seems to me that MyBestSegments has a lot of accuracies, but they continually get the income levels off. What do you think? Is your town placed in the right income level based on the people you know?
I have never been to Goffstown, however when I looked up my home town we were also put in the upscale income level and I disagreed. Rindge is tiny (I blogged about it below) and I would never consider the residents upscale definitely middle class, but not upper class. Rindge is just a small town filled with average joes who are looking for adventure in the great outdoors. Definitely not full of people who have extra cash to just throw around.
It seems to me that MyBestSegments has a lot of accuracies, but they continually get the income levels off. What do you think? Is your town placed in the right income level based on the people you know?
The 899
I live in Rindge, NH home to a grand 6,206 people and counting. I graduated in a class boasting just over 100 students and if you are looking for small town atmosphere... look no farther. Rindge has everything a small town could possibly want. There are a lot of locally owned businesses that are balanced by Walmart, Hannaford, and Market Basket. There are no malls within 15 miles of the town and everyone carries a sense of pride for being part of such a community.
I used Prizm as a market segmentation tool to see what it would think how Rindge is broken up. The two main groups found were Big Sky Families and Mayberry-Villes. Big Sky Families are "a segment of middle age rural families who have turned high school educations and blue-collar jobs into busy, upper-middle-class lifestyles. Residents enjoy baseball, basketball, and volleyball, as well as fishing, hunting, and horseback riding." These families are definitely a presence in Rindge. People enjoy going out and enjoying the nature that surrounds the small town. Rindge is a great place to raise kids and that is one of the main reasons why couples who have a family are drawn to it.
Mayberry-Villes are described as "upper-middle-class couples who like to fish and hunt during the day, and stay home and watch TV at night. With lucrative blue-collar jobs and moderately priced housing, residents use their discretionary cash to purchase boats, campers, motorcycles, and pickup trucks." Again these older couples and individuals are extremely interested in staying fit and active and enjoy the natural surroundings of Rindge. Campers, trucks, and boats can be seen almost every Friday and Sunday in the summer... camping is an extremely popular activity.
Overall I would say Prizm did a fantastic job describing the more populated segments of Rindge. The families and the elderly with no children definitely seem to be two of the major population sources. However, I disagree with Prizm that most of them are upper class. I feel as if the population is mostly middle class with a few upper class spread here and there.
Do you think that you would want to raise a family in a small town or a big city? How could Rindge market towards a different target market?
I used Prizm as a market segmentation tool to see what it would think how Rindge is broken up. The two main groups found were Big Sky Families and Mayberry-Villes. Big Sky Families are "a segment of middle age rural families who have turned high school educations and blue-collar jobs into busy, upper-middle-class lifestyles. Residents enjoy baseball, basketball, and volleyball, as well as fishing, hunting, and horseback riding." These families are definitely a presence in Rindge. People enjoy going out and enjoying the nature that surrounds the small town. Rindge is a great place to raise kids and that is one of the main reasons why couples who have a family are drawn to it.
Mayberry-Villes are described as "upper-middle-class couples who like to fish and hunt during the day, and stay home and watch TV at night. With lucrative blue-collar jobs and moderately priced housing, residents use their discretionary cash to purchase boats, campers, motorcycles, and pickup trucks." Again these older couples and individuals are extremely interested in staying fit and active and enjoy the natural surroundings of Rindge. Campers, trucks, and boats can be seen almost every Friday and Sunday in the summer... camping is an extremely popular activity.
Overall I would say Prizm did a fantastic job describing the more populated segments of Rindge. The families and the elderly with no children definitely seem to be two of the major population sources. However, I disagree with Prizm that most of them are upper class. I feel as if the population is mostly middle class with a few upper class spread here and there.
Do you think that you would want to raise a family in a small town or a big city? How could Rindge market towards a different target market?
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