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8| I choose what I am

“You arewhat you eat.” That phrase has been around since the 19th century, and to me, it means that what you put into your body dictates your personal beliefs on health, whether you are highly aware of this position or whether it is a subliminal choice. I have chosen to write on this subject, because this subject describes my personal opinion the best.

Now think about this: Is a brand the product of a conscious positioning or a subliminal choice? If your answer the latter, you could be in trouble. In addition, just like you are what you eat, you’re also exactly who your audience thinks you are.

With so much power in the hands of the consumer, you would be wise to think long and hard about who you are as a company, and the reasons your audience should believe in you. You may have the highest-quality product at the best possible price point, but if you’re not telling the right story, you’re not winning over your audience.

One brand in particular has recently embraced the “you are what you eat” mantra. My opinion on the matter of “awareness in the food industry” has changed due to the latest creative output from Chipotle, a three-minute animated film called “The Scarecrow.” I can’t stop watching it. I have always been sensitive to great animated movies, as they tend bring over certain messages better than real actors could do.

“The Scarecrow” film is in partnership with the release of Chipotle’s new game through iTunes. The game’s goal is simple: “A journey to bring real food back to the people.” This is not a new concept for Chipotle. The brand and its founder, Steve Ellis, have been very vocal in their mission to “change the way people think about and eat fast food.” Something I have never known, as I just thought that Chipotle was just another ordinary Mexican food restaurant. I love this reality-driven approach to branded content. Most of us would probably prefer not to think about where our lunch comes from.

After watching “The Scarecrow” two times more, my interest piqued, and I moved on to the Chipotle channel on YouTube. I watched videos about sustainably raised food; family vs. industrial farms, and the impact these farming choices have on animals, farmers, the environment, and public health. I totally went out and got educated about Chipotle’s business model and beliefs, without even knowing I wanted to know. All because I loved a three-minute animated film, how stupid it might sounds.

At Chipotle’s website there was “The Scarecrow” front and center, quietly staring back at me. The continuity of this multi-channel campaign was refreshing. Instead of a pithy campaign with snappy music and bright colors, Chipotle chose a very different path for “The Scarecrow.” The soundtrack is slightly dark, dissonant, and perfectly complements the warped world being portrayed in the animated film. And the entire thing is appropriately just a little sad.

After watching this video and understanding about Chipotle I am glad to know that the people at Chipotle seem to have a genuine interest in offering their products both responsibly and sustainably. And I’m also a little more concerned about where our food system is headed. So if you ask me who founded Chipotle, I will know his name because I know what his brand stands for.

7| Is a good salesperson born or trained?

“Are top salespeople born or made?” In other words, must top salespeople be born with the prerequisite sales instincts, or can someone learn to become successful in sales without them?

The best test you can perform for testing whether someone is a born salesman/woman is in my opinion the good old “sell me this pen” pitch (look at further research for an example on this), where a sales person really has to showcase his or hers skills in selling this product. When the person persuades you to buy the pen, you can conclude that this person is a born salesman.

However, this does not mean that one cannot be successful in sales without prerequisite sales instincts. It is true that the majority of salespeople are born with these natural instincts, but so there are also people who taught it themselves. According to a post written by Alen Mayer he states that there are four key factors that determine your success. These are; language specialization, “modeling” of experiences, political acumen, and greed.

Language specialization basically means that you have to know what words to say to effectively sell your product. It is like learning and perfecting a script on the product you want to sell. Modeling is that you should be able to adapt past experiences to new cases. For example, you have sold a product to a cynical customer in the past and right now you have to sell another product to a new, cynical, customer – A good salesperson will utilize his experience from the previous sale and apply is to this case, but a ‘bad’ salesperson will just mess around.

Political acumen are adapting to your customer. Each consumer is different, so you should take the human part into account when selling a product. Therefore, a lot of knowledge on communication and human behavior is required when being a successful salesperson. At last, let’s talk about greed. One of my favorite quotes from the movie “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” is the following “Greed is good.”, a famous quote from corporate raider Gordon Gekko. Greed means in this case actually that successful sales people tend to keep pushing themselves by their inward drive to ‘win’ as much deals as possible.

To conclude, we can say that it is possible to train a good salesperson, but it requires hard work and not everyone is destined for greatness (as with everything). The born salespersons will always have an advantage, but hard work (often) beats talent.

The example I would like to give you an example on the fact that a salesperson can be trained when he trains himself at the previous mentioned key factors. The given example is from the movie ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ where Leonardo DiCaprio teaches his ‘disciples’ how to utilize language, political acumen, greed, and in his case experience.

For further research:

http://www.cpsa.com/knowledgecentre/SRCArticleRead.aspx?articleID=414

https://youtu.be/9UspZGJ-TrI

6| Bad advertising

Badadvertising? When is one able to conclude that an advertisement is ‘bad’? Well, an advertisement is considered to be a ‘good’ one, when it is effective, which means that the advertisement is able to produce the intended or expected result. Marketing metrics are also used to measure the success of an advertising campaign.

The metrics used to measure the success of an advertisement campaign or IMC (integrated marketing communication) can be explained as follows: “Because potential customers generally need to be exposed to IMC messages several times before they will buy, firms estimate the degree to which customers are exposed to a message by multiplying frequency (the number of times an audience is exposed to a message) by reach (the percentage of the target population exposed to a specific marketing communication). Measuring Internet IMC effectiveness requires different measures, such as click-through tracking that measures how many times users click on banner advertising on websites.” (Grewal/Levy Marketing 4th Edition)

We know right now when an advertisement is considered as good, but in this case we will focus at an advertisement and conclude why it is a bad advertisement. In my opinion, an example for a bad advertisement is published by Samsung after the release of the iPhone where they released a series of Apple-bashing advertisements that slate the new announcements. As a swipe at Apple, and their personnel, Samsung titled these adverts “It doesn’t take a genius”

(one of the multiple advertisements used by Samsung to bash on the problems Apple had during the presentation of their product)

The advert above was in my opinion the only one that was actually relatively funny. However, Samsung begins to seem a bit desperate. In addition, it is not done (ethical-wise) to poke another company, just to show that you are ‘better’. It is like not being convinced in the success and quality of your own product.. Apple on the other hand, still focuses on its own products, as they should do.

It is not just Samsung that uses Apple mockery to promote its products. Other companies such Microsoft and Amazon has also jumped on the Apple-bashing advert strategy. To me that shows as a lack of belief in your product, or on the other hand a ‘over-belief’ in your product.

(Left: The answer of Apple fans, so not an official advert, to the bashing advert on the right from Samsung)

In my personal opinion the Apple-bashing advertisements have to be considered as ‘bad’. However, let us have a look the criteria to which an advert is considered as good or bad (I will use Samsung in this example, as they make it a tradition to bash Apple’s new products).

Are their message objectives portrayed well? Yes but more likely no, as it could be informing the consumer about their products, persuading as they try to persuade people to buy a Samsung or remind people that Samsung is the best brand.

Is their message strategy good? No, as they are definitely not showing Samsung’s unique selling proposition or stimulating brand awareness. In addition, Samsung’s brand position has been negative after these adverts.

Is the creative strategy well chosen? No, as they fail to make the advert really informative or one of the other aspects.

Message source? They did achieve an objective for communication about their products, but not in the way the hoped for.

Therefore I can conclude that the advertisements Samsung used to showcase their product are bad. Do you agree on this statement? Please let me know in the comment section down below.

For further research:

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/integrated-marketing-communications-IMC.html

http://cdn.gsmarena.com/pics/12/09/iphone-fan-response/gsmarena_001.jpg

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/14/6147301/samsung-ads-mocking-apple-history

5 | Grey market

The grey/gray market? What does that means? At first I thought the grey market was something similar to the black market. However, the black market is all of the time illegal, but the grey market employs irregular but not necessarily illegal methods. The spelling of grey or gray differs as well, but that depends on your preferred style of English. The grey market legally circumvents authorized channels of distribution to sell goods at prices lower than those intended by a manufacturer. Someone told me that the grey market often skips a step in the distribution process to keep the prices low. (Grewal/Levy Marketing 4th Edition)

Most of us are familiar with the camera brand, Canon, and know that their cameras are quite pricy. But what if you could buy these cameras for a way lower price than offered at the stores, would you become suspicious whether this product is authentic or do not believe this offer at all?

I have chosen to focus on Canon, because of the fact that they have written a full page on their page with the question “what is grey market?”. At that page Canon explains that the products at the grey market are most of the time unauthorized products, same goes with the market for shoes in China where you can buy the same Nikes directly from a distributor that works at the factory, instead of buying at your local shoe store. The products bought from the grey market are according to Canon not eligible for coverage the warranty and technical support.

Personally, I do understand why the products bought from the grey market are not eligible for their warranty, but on the other hand the products are exactly the same as the ones bought at their retailers and they are made in the same factory using the same parts and are 100% identical. In addition, Canon already received money from the grey market retailers that bought the products from the factory and the B2C progress is actually exactly the same, but the consumer buys the product from someone different? Therefore Canon should include this products in their warranty and not ‘discriminate’ them, because they are cheaper and from the grey market.

However most reputable eBay (an example for a grey market location) retailers will provide their own warranty, similar to the one Canon offers, but this may not be identical in duration and sometimes in coverage.

In my opinion, I tend to buy the hardware of a certain product (the camera, laptop, tablet itself) from an authorised retailer and buy the accessories like chargers, lenses or other things from the grey market retailers. Why would you pay more when you can get the same product for less? The reason for not buying the hardware at the grey market is that I have more faith in the warranty policy of a respectable company then from a retailer on eBay, for example. Below you can see another one’s opinion on buying electronics locally and from grey market sellers.

For further research;

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/gray_market

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyUurVGJGO8

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Gray-Market.aspx

4 | New Product Innovation

Innovation, the process oftranslating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay (business dictionary, 2015). This will introduce the subject of this week. In addition, few three-letter words are more exciting than ‘new.’ It brings forth an image of freshness, adventure, and excitement. However, ‘new’ also is a complex term when it comes to market offerings, because it might mean relying on different packaging that provides added value, or adding something new to an existing product, introducing a flavor never offered before (Grewal/Levy Marketing 4th Edition). The latter is the case with Tesla. In my opinion, the next technological world force next to companies such as Google and Apple.

Issues with plugs, cords, charging station, concern over distances above 65 kilometers; the image of the ‘battery driver’ was that of the so-called ‘world savers’. However, Tesla makes the electric car attractive. With the Tesla Model S with a maximum range of 480 kilometers, Tesla has changed the market for electric cars.

(source: wikipedia)

The owner of Tesla, Elon Musk, has as the company’s goal to disrupt mobility. And as of right now, Musk has what he wants. Tesla’s stocks are one the most wanted stocks on Wall Street, sending the stock price up to around 230$ a share.

A quote I have heart in my surroundings on Tesla was that the first time they drove away with one, it was like stepping into a new era. It was similar to the moment when you got your first cellphone.

And look around in the glamour-shopping street in Amsterdam’s PC-Hooftstraat and hear the conversations on Tesla. The oft-heard words are ‘clean environment’, ‘tax’ and car brands such as Aston Martin. Tesla is able to combine these three words into one, in the form of a car. It is interesting to see how something is ‘green’ and for ‘idealists’ can also be sexy for the happy few, often young, innovative entrepreneurs.

The emergence of Tesla has many aspects of the dawn of the automobile industry, when imagination and pioneering produced the craziest vehicles. Like then, the current morale is: everything is possible if you believe in it, but only what proves itself will remain on the market. Tesla could be the iPhone among cars.

Where do you see Tesla end up in the upcoming years? I would recommend you to read some articles on Elon Musk’s plan with his future plans, such as the plans with his company SpaceX. If you are interested in the future of Tesla and/or Elon Musk's plan, I have included a link to another article on this matter.

References for further reading:

https://www.ihs.com/articles/features/tesla-motors.html

http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/columns/casey-research/3822/what-is-tesla-motors-worth-3822.html

3| Market Research: Balance and maximize your profit

Two weeks ago, Super BowlSunday has brought us the usual barrage of clever soda, beer, and car adsfeaturing everyone from former Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston promotinghealth insurance to the cute lost dog from Budweiser (love the music, btw). It might be 'too late' to use this as a subject for my blog on market research, but that does not take away what I want to tell you guys.

But at the price of $3.9 million per 30-second spot, perhaps it's time for advertisers to question whether ads, including the over-the-top Super Bowl spots, have become too entertaining. I do think that the commercial with the lost dog is really charming, but they are not selling a product or a service and that was the original use of a commercial, right?

Following the results from certain researches determine that the level of entertainment increases the viewer’s interest in watching an ad. Therefore, entertainment is useful to get more customers. After a certain amount, however, that persuasiveness starts to decrease and advertisers lose the link to the brand and the power to influence buying. In other words, too much entertainment can actually reduce viewers' desire to buy.

Ideally, an advertiser that seeks acquiring customers should entertain initially to capture attention, but also introduce the brand early on, and follow up with a moderate amount of entertainment. Entertaining and then introducing the brand does not work well. A good commercial, in my opinion is the commercial from esurance where they bring over the message in the end and still sell their service.

In addition, advertisers should consider the stage of the consumer purchasing cycle they aim to impact. Do they want to create/increase interest, or spark a purchase? If the goal is to simply create a buzz, then entertain as much as possible, as most advertisers did during the Super Bowl. If the intent is to convert consumer interest to purchases it might be time to reduce the volume on talking babies and dancing monkeys and up the attention on brand.

In whatever medium, the trick remains the same: strike a balance that holds consumer attention optimally in both media. "If you entertain too much on TV, you're wasting an expensive opportunity to sell."

What would be a commercial you know that showed a misbalance, and how was there a misbalance?

2 | Conformity & Consumption: A bucket full of love (and money)

"Allmarketing decisions are based on assumptions and knowledge of consumer behaviour,"(Hawkins and Mothersbaugh, 2007)

Consumer behaviour differs worldwide. Therefore certain formulas work in a specific country or region. A company that really does understand their target consumer behaviour is Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut. By utilizing their knowledge on their customers ‘Yum! China’ outperformed McDonalds’s and became the largest restaurant company in mainland China.

KFC found the perfect answer to the question “how to implement the rollout of a fast-food chain across such a vast and regionally different country?” and the answer is just as easy as A.B.C., adaption. If KFC offered their delicious bucket full of lovely deep fried chicken in their beautiful golden coloured colour they would probably not be this successful in such a difficult market as China. For the people who do not know, the chicken at a Chinese KFC is only available in dark meat.

After all the success KFC had over the past years in China they are still being humble in their goals. “China does not have the same individualism culture as the United States”, showcases KFC’s adaptability to adjust to their customers.

In my opinion KFC succeeded in China both because they were not trying to ‘be’ McDonald’s and because in many ways it did not wanted to be KFC either. This success story looks so easy, so it surprises me that are so much companies that just not analyse their customers as they should do. KFC Basically offers their customers a big bucket full of love (for chicken) and they get a bucket full of money in return.

A question that arises to me is “If McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC were start over in the United States, with the knowledge they currently have, how would their model differ?”

#kfc china #kfc #chicken #marketing #customer behaviour #love #bucket

Ethics in Marketing

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This is my first post on this blog and I am looking forward to make the best out of it. My first post will be on ethics in marketing, as you already read in the title..

To start off we will have a look at what ethical marketing means. Ethical marketing is about whether the marketing decisions from a firm are morally acceptable or not. Another meaning is the relationship between doing the right thing and making money. This discussions has become more popular over time regarding products such as superfoods, tobacco, fastfood and the low-budget gyms. I will focus on the fastest-growing gym franchise in America, Planet Fitness.

The ethical dilemma that Planet Fitness creates by offering unhealthy meals like pizza and bagels to its members once a month. With this service Planet Fitness is actually hindering the health goals of their members, which is to be healthier.

Planet Fitness focuses on mixing fitness with fun to make it more appealing to a larger group on the market. To increase Planet Fitness' market share they could also put some weight-lifting machines into a McDonald's restaurant if they want to keep their members unhealthy. That might sounds ridiculous, but it is another way of translating their concept. The 'right' or 'ethical' thing a gym should be doing is helping their members to achieve their goals and live a healthy lifestyle. However, Planet Fitness is creating an environment where they let their members think that they are being healthy, but in fact they are stagnating in their process of making progress.

How can Planet Fitness improve their ethical marketing appearance then?

This could be a question you are asking yourself after reading the first part. The answer to this can be found in an article from sparkpeople.com where they give tips for helping others make healthy lifestyle choices (hopefully Planet Fitness is reading this). By offering healthy meals such as a healthy rich-of-protein lunch Planet Fitness keeps the fun part, the eating part, mixed with working out. Another possible solution could be offering simple Q&A seminars with people who adapted the healthy lifestyle. In addition, Planet Fitness could change their advertising strategy by stating that "fitness is fun and that you will get healthy if you go to Planet Fitness" These are just two of the possible solutions to change the unethical character of Planet Fitness.

But as you know. All of this is just advice, do whatever you want to do with it and do not forget to follow my blog. :)

Sources:

Ethical Marketing, Explore the Strategy of Ethical Marketing, n.d.. Retrieved 03 Feb. 2015 from http://www.marketing-schools.org/types-of-marketing/ethical-marketing.html

Helpin others make healthy lifestyle choices, n.d.. Retrieved from http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=931

How Free Pizza Helped Make Planet Fitness The Fastest-Growing Gym Franchise In America, Alison Griswold. Retrieved Mar. 17, 2014 from http://www.businessinsider.com/free-pizza-propelled-planet-fitness-gym-growth-2014-3#ixzz3QuJpu000

#ethics marketing Planet Fitness Business Pizza Bagels

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