Archive for November, 2008
Black Friday
The Friday after Thanksgiving aka Black Friday definitely was not the same this year as in previous years, it seems like the buzz just wasn’t in the air, maybe its all this talk of a recession.
If anything with, gas prices down and the outrageous sales every one had it should have been a very lucrative day for retailers and it was. E-Commerce was up 1 percent from last year but overall spending is down 4 percent form Nov.1 to Nov. 28. which I think is from the scary recession talk. There is a lot of pressure on retailers for black Friday. It’s the first day after Thanksgiving, many people are visiting relatives out of town, most people who don’t work in retail have the day off, one of the few days we have to sleep in, why must we be coearsed in to waking up before the roosters to catch a deal? Will my money no longer be backed by the federal government after noon? I don’t think it would hurt retailers to extend sales a few more hours, we can call it Black Friday afternoon. This is why we have people getting trampled at Wal-Mart when the doors open. People think that when the sun rises the sales with disappear like vampires. I’m not even asking for the sales to be extended to Christmas eve which would be smart, some people get paid every other Friday and Black Friday aint the one, but at least let it be Black Friday, the whole day, not just Black Friday morning.
1 comment November 28, 2008
Getting dressed…online
Who get’s dressed online? Well, that is what The Limited is asking consumers to do. Log on to http://www.thelimited.com/ultimateoutfit?=blog23f_limited and step into a virtual closet, which allows users to and put together the ‘ultimate outfit’ by pairing pants, skirts, dresses, jackets, tops and accessories. Why? all for a chance to win a $2,000 shopping spree. There are currently 16 days left in the promotion. Of course the underlying theme is promotion for The Limited, in hopes of drawing in new customers. Is this a good idea? I don’t know- I guess it is creative and helps create awarness about the brand.
Actually when you shop online aren’t you doing the very same thing, except you aren’t enetering your outfit in a for chance to win? I saw a poster for this online experience while shopping in The Limited over the weekend and it caught my eye. I took a picture of the poster on my cell phone but I can’t seem to send the photo, to post it here.
If anyone has submitted an outfit, I would love to see your style.
3 comments November 25, 2008
Mobile Marketing: Maxx Style
As I was talking with a friend of mine about my new hobby-blogging, we began talking about marketing campaigns. She mentioned to me that TJ Maxx began a mobile marketing camapign , she saw an advertisement for it while she was checking out, one day at the store. www.whatsin.tjmaxx.com, allows users/shoppers to to share findings in the store, bargains, upload fashion finds, explore and share information about anything TJ Maxx. The interactive Web site lets customers share their shopping euphoria online. Apparently people talk about the great deals they find while out shopping ( I do, don’t you?) So, in repsonse to that word-of-mouth bargain passing talk, TJ Maxx decided to capatilize on this in the virtual world. Alerts from eith a mobile phone or computer can be went to other users to to give each other a heads up when they spot too-good-to-miss finds in stores. Preferences on the What’s In site let members choose exactly what kinds of finds they want to hear about are. Another advantage to this campaign are the fashion moments section, in which, pictures that members upload of themselves to show off the looks they’ve created from some of their favorite T.J.Maxx finds are displayed. Post prices to reveal how much you saved, brag about the brand names you’ve been able to snag and even put up a poll to find out if other members think your look is a major style success.
Do I think this is good marketing on behalf of TJ Maxx? Yes, I do- women love to talk about fashion and designer brands. This type of interaction allows users to
2 comments November 24, 2008
Everyone blogs, Can I?
Is blogging hard? I get fooled all the time into reading blogsites. When I logon to sites to get my daily dose of celebrity gossip, it turns out that I am more than likely reading a blog. This new emerging media thing is taking everyone by storm, from corporate companies to classrooms, to celebrity gossipers, to dedicated fans. There are blogs about everything in the world, whether you love it or hate. Blogs dedicated to fixing things, breaking things, and all things in-between. If this new way of marketing ideas and connecting users from across the globe is so easy…why am I having such a hard time becoming submersed with this new art form of expression, creation, and technique?
Fooled again
It appears everyone is blogging, about anything and everything. Can I?
1 comment November 18, 2008
Bratz: An Ethical Marketing Dilemma
Have you ever seen a young child acting way too grown for her own age? Well, with images portrayed with those such as the Bratz doll, how can you blame a young girl for being confused??? I have never purchased one of these sassy dolls for any of my younger cousins. I personally feel, these “grown-up” dolls present the wrong image to developing, young girls.
Confusing our youth
These dolls display woman like figures, while wearing makeup and diva-like clothes. Dressed in furs, diamond-studded jeans and heels these “dolls” should be named something else.
The internet has become a haven for both the young and the old and many websites market to young children. Educational websites, websites for fun and games, and interactive websites to name a few have come under speculation for its role in ethical responsibility. What constitutes ethical marketing? When marketing to children is deemed unethical? Children do not make purchasing decisions for households, but are very impressionable. Toys are marketed to children, and chances are the child will want every toy that he or she sees. With that said, there are certain toys that I feel should not be marketed to children. Ultimately the parent has to take responsibility for their children the toys that they purchase for their children. However, parents cannot shield their children from all of the advertisements that are geared towards marketing to the young. Advertisers market things such as toy guns and dolls with unreal and unproportional body measurements just to name a few. Where are the ethics in marketing a toy gun to young a child? What kind of message does this send to our youth? What about the marketing of popular dolls such as Barbi and Bratz dolls? Are these dolls creating body image issues in the minds of young girls? Where the regulators in regards to what ‘s allowed and what should be allowed when it comes to what should be exposed to the impressionable youth.
These Bratz dolls have just as much style as the very adult, stylistas on Sex and the City
2 comments November 16, 2008
Yes, Kids are a TARGET
They have no jobs, don’t bring in the bulk of the income for the family yet they spend approximately $23 billion annually and marketers spend about $ 15 billion annually to target darling little kids.
Kids have a desire to be entertained and this entertainment value brings in major cash for major companies. Should my 11-year old little brother be marketed to? Marketers have children right where they want them, they provide children with colorful advertisements showcasing the best qualities of their products and children love it. Advertisers leave it up to the children to have the battle with parents to purchase these toys and entertainment trinkets. The advertisements feature kids with products for kids…kids are a target! Bullseye!
1 comment November 13, 2008
Official and Unoffical Company Blogs
Blogging has become a popular way for companies to reach consumers in a more personable way. Blogs allow users to interact and connect with corporate leaders. This type of communication allows users to feel more connected as companies issue statements and solicit feedback about their company and products. Large corporations have also jumped on the blog bandwagon with good reason. Bloggers are somewhat like constantly circulating guests at a very large cocktail party: They don’t all talk directly with one another, but each of them talks to many others, thus forming a richly interlinked network. This ability to engage with others is what gives blogs their power. According to David Sifry, founder and CEO of blog-focused search engine Technorati, “Blogs are all about conversations.” A corporate blog allows a company both to keep an ear to the ground to hear what’s being said about it and, if necessary, speak up with a correction.
There are sixty-plus blogs produced by large corporations—and many more if, for example, you count the approximately 2,000 individual blogs written by Sun Microsystems employees that are then aggregated into one group blog at www.blogs.sun.com. Besides General Motors and Sun Microsystems, companies that encourage blogging activity include The Boeing Company, Google, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Red Hat, Edelman, Stonyfield Farm, and Yahoo. These blogs are part of a constantly expanding blogosphere that, as of the end of 2004, had some 32 million readers, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
What Lutz and other executives recognize is that a blog is an incredibly effective yet low-cost way to:
- Influence the public “conversation” about your company: Make it easy for journalists to find the latest, most accurate information about new products or ventures. In the case of a crisis, a blog allows you to shape the conversation about it.
- Enhance brand visibility and credibility: Appear higher in search engine rankings, establish expertise in industry or subject area, and personalize one’s company by giving it a human voice.
- Achieve customer intimacy: Speak directly to consumers and have them come right back with suggestions or complaints—or kudos.
Google along with many other companies such as GM, introduce new offerings and ideas via company blogs.
This You-tube video is shown on the google blog demonstrating the new google custom search engine. What are some of your favorite company blogs- official or unofficial?
“The Blogosphere Beckons: Should Your Company Jump In?” Harvard Management Communication Letter, Vol. 2, No. 4, November 2005. Retrieved November 12, 2008 from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/5111.html
Add comment November 12, 2008
Blogging is buzzin
Both official and unofficial company blogs are becoming ever increasingly popular. Merriam-Webster defines blogging as a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer ; also : the contents of such a site. I agree with this definition, blogs can also contan widgets, rss feeds, podcasts, and short films just to name a few. I personally, have found blogsites to contain useful information for consumers as well as marketers alike. Consumers gather data about products that they are interested in from a third-party. Markets can monitor these exact same sites to review information submitted by consumers who use their company’s products and or services for improvements and for an understanding of the market.
According to blogworldexpo.com:
- over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog
-over 57 million Americans read blogs
-89% of the companies that were surveyed think blogs will be more important in the next five years
-Over 120,000 blogs are created every day
-There are over 1.4 million blog posts every day.
A few advantages of blogs from an organizational perspective as listed by gerrymcgovern.com include:
1.The consumer and citizen are potentially better informed and this can only be good for the long-term health of our societies and economies.
2.Blogs have potential to help the organization develop stronger relationships and brand loyalty with its customers, as they interact with the ‘human face’ of the organization through blogs
3.Blogs can be a positive way of getting feedback, and keeping your finger on the pulse, as readers react to certain pieces, suggest story ideas, etc.
The statistics are startling and provide insight that blogging is a taking over in a major way. Blogging is just like talking, we talk about things we like and don’t like- Blogging is the same thing but through text on medium that the whole world can view if they so choose. Infact, individuals have created their careers from blogging and blogsites have made certain people famous- such as Perez Hilton (http://www.perezhilton.com/) and Necole Bitchie http://necolebitchie.com/) This type of attention shows me that blogs are effective forms of communication with the world.
http://www.blogworldexpo.com/General-Information/Important-Statistics.html
.
Add comment November 8, 2008
Extra, Extra Read all about it- where?
How do you find about what’s going on in the world? Do you wait for the morning paper- turning page by page to find out what is going on in the world around you? Personally, I think that many Americans (myself included) are looking online for news information. Besides, who has time to wait for the morning paper and flip through it to read? We live in a fast-paced society where everyone is on the go. Sitting at the breakfast table, while having morning coffee and reading the newspaper just doesn’t seem ideal to me in this age. I remember a time when I was growing up- sitting at the breakfast table and reading the paper was an important part of the day. Nowadays many working adults barely have time to eat breakfast in the mornings let alone read the morning paper.
I found an article that dates back 2 years- Jan, 2006, titled “Are newspapers going extinct?” Some of the key features of the article support the question that newspapers are facing troubling times. As stated by Alan Rusbridger( The Guardian Editor- British newspaper)…“something similar is happening to newspapers in the developed world with more and more younger people reading online, and by and large what they are reading is free,” he continued. The end result: “There is a sharp decline in the newspaper circulation, which has resulted in the revenues also coming down. Now, they want to charge more from the advertisers because less number of copies are sold, but the advertisers are not impressed with the circulation.” He goes on to say that in situations such as this newspapers must rethink their business models. I agree with the statement. The whole newspaper industry is affecting the way marketers and advertisers do business.
There are many websites where you can view the local news as well as national news for free. There is a convenience with online news- you don’t have to wait until your paper is delivered to read about what is going on, you can get the news 24/7 from sites including: www.nytimes.com; www.latimes.com; www.msnbc.com; www.msn.com to name a few. These sites are always available, full of news and information with a simple click of a button. According to a Weber State University freshman and business marketing major, he does use newspapers. “I go more online for news,” the freshman said. “I’d say nowadays with Wi-Fi, and as a college student, its just easier to access news online.” Our world is ever-evolving with increases in technology. I find it interesting that fewer newspapers are sold today than in 1960, despite a 50 percent increase in US population. Those kinds of statistics lead me to believe that newspapers may not survive in the midst of all of this modern technology. The newspaper industry is constantly losing consumers and advertisers due to the migration of the internet (Associated Press,2008). Newspaper readership really is declining. According to The Economist, Philip Meyers, author of “The Vanishing Newspaper,” calculated that newsprint will die off completely by the year 2043. The Newspaper Association of America shows the number of employed people in the industry fell 18 percent between 1990 and 2004 (Barker, 2008). According to Philip Meyers will still have 35 years before the newspaper will become extinct. I wonder what will replace the newspaper by year 2043, or better yet what will have replaced the internet by that time. Truth is, only time can tell. But if I were someone used to reading the newspaper, I would begin migrating to another form of news. Newspapers are losing ground.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003849918&imw=Y
http://media.www.wsusignpost.com/media/storage/paper985/news/2008/10/10/News/Industry.In.Decline-3481846.shtml
http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/19spec1.htm
2 comments November 1, 2008
