Week 8: Subliminal Advertising

Shell has been around for decades, if anything its the fathers of all fathers in regards to gasoline. Being around for so long will make you believe that they have established a huge relationship with its customers and are able to continue business with them. But that is not the problem, the problem was to figure out how to appeal to a newer generation with new brands coming out. Dr. Sam Cohen, president of PsychoLogics, a New York-based brand consultancy. “I don’t think the market has ever been so flooded with brands. Companies realize that if they can’t own a piece of the
consumer’s mind, they won’t make it today.”  Shell did something interesting and i believe it was very smart, they decided to put respondents in a trance, and as they awoke, they had realized that they chose a specific gas store not by convenience, but through emotion. The respondents said that it reminded them of their fathers when they were young sitting in the back of their new vehicle. We begin to understand the archetype, and to ‘break the code.’ There is another important difference between today’s captains of consciousness and the psycho-probers of yesteryear.According to Packard’s account, the sociologists, anthropologists and clinical psychiatrists who toiled for the agencies were conflicted, even tortured about their place in his rogues’ gallery of persuaders. They brooded constantly about the implications of their endeavors, and claimed to be wracked with guilt over the morality of using social-scientific methods to manipulate mass audiences.“But I really do believe that advertising can do a better job at providing communications that offer an anchor point and an uplifting to the Volk, as I would call them respectfully.” There are now different ways to make subliminal messages, there are things about it that will remind you of love and your childhood. The way of advertising has drastically changed and will probably continue on changing.  

EOC Week 7 Retail Pest

No brand exists in a vacuum, and a PEST analysis helps a company determine the political, economic, social and technological environment the brand will live in.

POLITICAL: Some products have state and local fees or taxes imposed on them, based on the type of product and where you live. Some fees are subject to sales tax; others are not.
Marketplace items are sold and shipped directly by third-party Sellers who are responsible for the remittance and reporting of applicable sales taxes. Each Marketplace Seller has different sales tax collection obligations, depending on their business policies and location of their operations. Best Buy Marketplace collects sales taxes on the Seller’s behalf according to their instructions. Best Buy competition are Apple, Amazon, and WalMart http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=BBY+Competitors they do have the ability to take over, they are a higher electronic store.
ECONOMIC: Pay no interest¹ on all purchases $429 or more if paid in full within 18 months. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-13/best-buy-profit-trails-analysts-estimates-as-television-sales-decline.html
SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHICS: 
TECHNOLOGICAL:

 

POLITICAL: 5 Point Action planning,  Macy’s uses nearly 300 million hangers each year in its stores. The new black hangers can be manufactured using recycled plastic materials, saving on the new petroleum-based resins used to make clear hangers. In 2008, Macy’s replaced the primary

handled shopping bag used in its stores with one made from kraft paper. The bags are 100 percent recycled with 50 percent recycled material.
ECONOMIC:  Macy's has credit card agreements. http://www.macys.com/service/credit/agreements/index.jsp Macy's Vendor Development Program is a corporate-wide initiative designed to foster the promotion, growth and development of minority and women-owned businesses. As a retailer with more than 140 years of experience, Macy's considers the program a sound business commitment. By supporting local and regional businesses, we believe we can strengthen and expand while contributing to the economic growth of the communities we serve. This goal will continue challenging us to seek new sources of ideas, creativity and quality.
SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHICS: Macy's really has been able to maintain whats popular and whats not within their customers. Since it is a department store they are able to achieve fashions fads with children, teens, and the older crowd. The lifestyle has always been the same, they appeal to home goods as well as personal needs.
TECHNOLOGICAL:   Macy's Inc. is launching a series of new tech-driven initiatives in its stores, including free Wi-Fi, digital receipts and cosmetics kiosks. It will also begin using computer tablets for product demonstrations and furniture deliveries.Macy's will begin testing Beauty Spot, a custom-designed cosmetics kiosk that will be installed in a handful of stores. Customers interested in lipstick or foundation, for example, can use the kiosks to look at product details, and a dedicated associate will be available to process credit-card transactions using a hand-held mobile device. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/09/macys-adopts-new-technology-in-stores-and-online.html 

 

POLITICAL: The Apple Online Store accepts a variety of payment methods.You can also combine payment methods to pay for your purchase. Most debit and check cards have daily spending limits that may substantially delay the processing of an order, even if there is enough money in an account. When using a debit card, funds are immediately reserved in your bank account at the time you place your order. Please consult your card-issuing bank for information about your daily spending limits if you are having trouble placing your order. Apple provides multiple ways of being responsible, they provide educational resources for workers throughout our supply chain from training on their rights under the law to free college classes in language skills, computers, and other subjects. Many workers also have the opportunity to earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. To reduce the risk of hazards in the workplace, suppliers must provide proper protective gear, guardrails, safety harnesses, and other safety equipment, as well as comprehensive, up-to-date training for workers.

ECONOMIC: For a short time, Apple is providing new cardmembers to get special financing for up to 18 months on qualifying purchases including iPhone, iPad and Mac at the Apple Store made within 30 days of account opening. Apply now for the Financing Visa Card from Barclaycard.

SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHICS: In my honest opinion, i believe Apple has multiple changes in lifestyle. Apple is constantly appearing with new products that are being used in our every day lives. We can use Apple phones for everything, we have become so attached to our phones that we are able to do everything on them. Wors the same with computers, laptops, and for music like Ipod and Itouch.

TECHNOLOGICAL:   Since Apple is up to date on technology, that are very informed on what is the best next thing, hey are able to maintain their customers happy. Their research is amazing if they keep on coming up with a new Iphone every year.

BOC Week 7: Largest Retailers

The largest retailer in America is definitely Wal-Mart, with over 100 stores worldwide its no wonder why Wal-Mart will be number one.  http://www.stores.org/2012/Top-100-Retailers Wal-Mart's first store was opened in 1962 Rogers, Arkansas. The company has employed 2.2 million associates and serves over 200 million customers each week at more then 10 thousand stores in 27 countries. Wal-Mart has been on top because its a very convenient store that provides food, supplies, and clothing. Wal-Mart is the number one store where people find it easy to purchase everything they need.
When is comes to fashion, the largest retail store is Inditex known as Zara. Zara was created by the 3rd richess man in the world, Amancio Ortega Gaona. Inditex now makes 840 million garments a year and has around 5,900 stores in 85 countries, though that number is always changing because Inditex has in recent years opened more than a store a day, or about 500 stores a year. Right now there are around 4,400 stores in Europe, and almost 2,000 in Spain alone. Inditex’s main rivals are way behind. Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop, among others, has about 3,000 stores worldwide; H&M, based in Sweden, has 2,500 (when you include its smaller lines of stores); and Mango, based in Spain, 2,400. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/magazine/how-zara-grew-into-the-worlds-largest-fashion-retailer.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

As a grocery store, Kroger gets the spot. Kroger moved up one position to become the fifth largest retail chain in the world. While this may not seem like much of a significant improvement, it is no small feat to overtake Germany’s largest discount store chain and widen the lead with the Costco Wholesale chain, which also sells a significant amount of groceries and food. The grocery store has made more than $92 billion in sales, and the company operates entirely in the U.S. and saw a 6.6 percent increase in sales from 2011 to 2012. products.http://retailindustry.about.com/od/worldslargestretailers/a/us-2013-worlds-largest_biggest_best_retail_grocery-stores-supermarkets_chains_ranking.htm

Week 6 EOC: Rocky Ford Restoring the Brand

Rocky Ford Melons have been around since the 1880s, when early pioneer G. W. Swink came to the Rocky Ford Crossing along the Arkansas river to build a trading post. When the railroad came Swink moved his trading post to the present Rocky Ford site. He experimented with growing watermelons and by 1881 he was growing and shipping as much as 300 tons a year.
When word was out that the melons were coming from Rocky Ford more and more farmers started coming to Rocky Ford to take up a homestead. They plowed the dry prairie sod and used water from the Arkansas River to irrigate farms. Before 1885 Swink had been growing a type of muskmelon, this melon was larger than a cantaloupe of those days. The Netted Gem Cantaloupe was introduced in about 1887. These cantaloupes were sold to miners in Leadville, Colorado and were packed in previously used wooden shipping barrels and used shipping crates. In 1895 the first train car load was shipped to St Louis as an experiment. The following year 1896 several train car loads were shipped out East, marking the beginning of the shipping Rocky Ford Cantaloupes to out of state markets. Within a short time Rocky Ford Cantaloupes were being shipped as far a New York and started appearing on menus of New York’s finest restaurants.  http://www.rockyfordgrowersassociation.com/our-history/ In the wake of Colorado's Rocky Ford melon listeria death toll of 33 persons, the state launched a massive campaign to restore confidence in produce from the Rocky Ford region, site of the farm where the disease originated.Now, the Colorado Department of Agriculture is the recipient of an Award of Agricultural Marketing Excellence form the North American Agricultural Marketing Officials conference for helping Rocky Ford revitalize.Following the 2011 outbreak, CDA and Rocky Ford farmers launched a massive proactive campaign to redefine the region as a dependable resource of safe food.With help of private local and branding companies Mulligan&Co. and BrandWerks Group, a PR campaign offered the public information it wanted from the region and its cantaloupes. http://farmprogress.com/story-big-effort-restore-colorados-rocky-ford-melons-wins-prize-9-101426

Week 6 BOC, Tylenol Scare of 1982

In October of 1982,Tylenol was the leading pain-killer medicine in the United States at the time, faced a tremendous crisis when seven people in Chicago were reported dead after taking extra-strength Tylenol capsules. It was reported that an unknown suspect/s put 65 milligrams of deadly cyanide into Tylenol capsules, 10,000 more than what is necessary to kill a human.The tampering occurred once the product reached the shelves. They were removed from the shelves, infected with cyanide and returned to the shelves . In 1982, Tylenol controlled 37 percent of its market with revenue of about $1.2 million. Immediately after the cyanide poisonings, its market share was reduced to seven percent. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall02/susi/tylenol.htm Tylenol was headed back to the market, this time in tamper-proof packaging and bolstered by an extensive media campaign. A year later, its share of the $1.2 billion analgesic market, which had plunged to 7 percent from 37 percent following the poisoning, had climbed back to 30 percent.What set apart Johnson & Johnson's handling of the crisis from others? It placed consumers first by recalling 31 million bottles of Tylenol capsules from store shelves and offering replacement product in the safer tablet form free of charge. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/23iht-mjj_ed3_.html  Johnson & Johnson chairman, James Burke, reacted to the negative media coverage by forming a seven-member strategy team. The team's strategy guidance from Burke was first, "How do we protect the people?" and second "How do we save this product?" The company's first actions were to immediately alerted consumers across the nation, via the media, not to consume any type of Tylenol product. They told consumers not to resume using the product until the extent of the tampering could be determined. Johnson & Johnson, along with stopping the production and advertising of Tylenol, withdraw all Tylenol capsules from the store shelves in Chicago and the surrounding area. After finding 2 more contaminated bottles Tylenol realized the vulnerability of the product and ordered a national withdraw of every capsule. By withdrawing all Tylenol, even though there was little chance of discovering more cyanide laced tablets; Johnson & Johnson showed that they were not willing to take a risk with the public's safety, even if it cost the company millions of dollars. The end result was the public viewing Tylenol as the unfortunate victim of a malicious crime. http://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02C2/Johnson%20&%20Johnson.htm

Week 5 EOC Fashion Trend Production

How do trend projections play a role in branding?
When numerical data are available, a trend can be plotted on graph paper to show changes through time. If desired, the trend line can then be extended or "projected" into the future on the basis of the recent rate of change. Such a projection shows where the trend should be at some point in the future assuming there is no shift in the rate of change. With that being said, in branding trend projection can show where they will be in the near future.


How are people interacting with brands and incorporating them into their lives?
People are interacting with brands on a emotional level. People have become more attached to who they wear and what they  wear. Not only does it matter who they wear, but its a lifestyle.

More brands are collaborating to create new products and designs. What significant trends do you see in partnering among brands?
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669718/in-innovation-today-the-smartest-companies-collaborate-with-enemies Not only are there a huge variety of brands that are collaborating, but also i read that they are collaborating with their competition.  http://luxurysociety.com/articles/2012/04/for-and-against-luxury-brand-high-street-collaborations Whether or not luxury brands have compromised this ‘exclusivity factor’ remains to be agreed upon, but it proves excruciatingly difficult to find but one example of a luxury brand high street collaboration that hasn’t been a roaring success.

How do you advise companies to look out for trends?
I believe that companies need to be up to date in everything. Whether its fashion or drinks. They need to know what is the best next thing. The Iphone and Galaxy have been able to maintain their respect with customers because they are coming out with new things.

Week 4 EOC: McDonalds Response to SuperSize Me

In a news post I had read, McDonalds response to the movie Super Size Me was an eye opening I would say. In my opinion, they didn't take the negativity and drown it. McDonalds actually did something about. If you look at their menu, they now have salads, smoothies, and yogurts. McDonalds decided to speak up to Super Size Me by adding healthier choices in their menu. For the latter half of the 20th century, television advertising was the mainstay of the brand – the guaranteed medium to hit its audience. Super Size Me did a pretty good job on getting McDonalds information out there because we are a new generation and we find out our info thru the internet or the TV. Brand building and brand strategy are also based on marketing techniques and models. McDonalds was able to achieve this goal thru media, they broadcasted commercials and magazine ads to let the public know about the healthier choices on their McDonalds menu.