The Edsel - A Commercial Failure

America's most famous automotive flop is the Edsel which was parented by the Ford Motor Company on Sept. 4, 1957. The car fell short of consumers inflated expectations. In the end, even a giveaway of 1,000 ponies — intended to get children to bring parents to showrooms — was a failure.
Despite several features that were not necessarily innovations — a vertical grille, self-adjusting brakes, Teletouch transmission buttons on the steering wheel and a floating speedometer that glowed when a preset speed was reached — the Edsel was panned by the public. Among other things, it was rediculed for having a grille that looked like a toilet seat. Time magazine popularized the wisecrack that it looked like an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon. HaHa...that's funny.
There are a number of factors for the Edsel's failure:
The quality of early Edsels was poor the workers were unaccustomed to the different parts and processes. Some parts ran out; incomplete cars went to dealerships.
The car came out as a recession was starting.

Green Marketing

Everywhere your turn, there’s talk about the environment and how businesses need to be socially responsible to minimize their impact on the environment. Finally, the earth we take so much from is going to be getting some payback.
In the United States today, we are currently in the Age of Green Consumerism, where the consumer is expected to bear almost the full weight of making the right environmental decisions, from using the right recycled toilet paper and replacing light bulbs to driving the right car. But where is the quality assurance of the information that the consumer is to use to make those decisions? First, consider the development of innovations. At the beginning of innovation cycles, products are always more expensive to produce and can be considerably more energy intensive. But as production grows, the kinks come out of the system, scale efficiencies are realized, and the innovation realizes its potential. According to this way of thinking,hybrids will, as they get popular, achieve real energy returns on the energy invested, and reduce dependence on oil.

Relationship demarketing - The wrong customers are wrong

It is often said that the customer is always right, but most businesses know this to be a trite saying. Only the right customers are always right, and that is because these customers fit the company and the company wants to keep them. The right customers are satisfied. They derive value from what the company does and are aligned with the firm's processes and communications. They provide referrals and positive word-of-mouth. They make money for the company. They are the company's future.
On the other hand, customers who are not profitable now and who probably never will be, and who are perpetually and demonstrably unhappy, are the company's past. They are anchors to improvements in future performance.

This Holiday Season, Shop by Personality

Have the men been getting the raw deal when it comes to holiday gift giving? Retailers are now categorizing men to give buyers a better idea of what that special man in their life might just want. Now you can shop by personality, and no more of the Mr. Fix-It gifts. You know not all men can use a hammer without smashing a finger. So you have gifts for the "devoted Dad", the "Guy's Guy", the "Geek", the "Achiever", the "Adventurer", "Mr. Field & Stream", the "Country Clubber", "Metro Man", and so many more personalities.....you know yours.
Click here for some gift Ideas.

Holiday Advertising

The Holidays are upon us once again and it's not uncommon to have a business that relies heavily on certain seasons for increased sales volume. How worried are retailers that a crisis in consumer confidence could cast a pall on Christmas shopping? For most retailers, and other industries such as travel, the December holiday season is a significant time for sales.Timing and preparedness are keys to handling seasonal activities. Often off-season planning is as time-consuming as the actual selling is during the busy season. As soon as one season concludes, some of your staff should be working on the next season. Be careful, however, not to be too hasty in launching seasonal campaigns. Trying to sell people Christmas decorations in late August will be lost on most people who are still in a summer state of mind. Whereas, advertising and selling decorations a week before christmas will put you at a great loss. Consumers are known to decorate way ahead of the actual date of that specific holiday. Plan wisely.

Ouch!!!!!!!

The 4 P's of Motorola

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by Silvestre

'Word of Mouth' biggest influence on apparel buyers - Survey

When it comes to buying apparel and electronics, shoppers are most interested in hearing from their peers about products, retailers and past shopping experiences. In a recent survey, conducted for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association by BIGresearch, consumers say that word of mouth is still the number one influencer in their apparel (34.3%) and electronics (44.4%) purchases.

Steven Paul Jobs - Apple

Beginnings of Apple Computer
In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, created one of the first commercially successful personal computers. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher education and business markets. In 1996, Apple announced that it would buy NeXT for US$429 million. The deal was finalized in late 1996,[28] bringing Jobs back to the company he founded. With the purchase of NeXT, much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, notably NeXTSTEP, which evolved into Mac OS X. Under Jobs's guidance the company increased sales significantly with the introduction of the iMac and other new products; since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. At the 2000 Macworld Expo, Jobs officially dropped the "interim" modifier from his title at Apple and became permanent CEO.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733758_1736089,00.html

St. Lucia, Simply Beautiful

We've talked of place marketing, and I have noticed that a lot of people talk of the Caribbean, but do they really know the islands of the Caribbean? Well, I am originally from one of the beautiful islands called St. Lucia. St. Lucia's physical features are striking. Dominated by high peaks and rain forests in the interior, the 616 square-kilometer island is known for the twin peaks of Gros Piton and Petit Piton on the southwestern coast. My island is surrounded by white sandy beaches which shimmers in the warm Caribbean sun. St. Lucia has the world's only drive-in volcano. The night life is great, and festivals are held all through the year. One very popular festival is the Jazz Festival which hosts a number of artists from all over the world and also our very best right out of St. Lucia. And don't get me started on the food. Yam!!!! I miss home :) From the north to the south, you will always find something to see or do. Next time you plan a trip or are undecided on where to go on your next vacation, ask your travel agent about St. Lucia. Take a peek of St. Lucia in this video, wouldn't you want to be there too? I know that times are tough, but some stress relief will do some good. Hey, did I mention that India Arie wrote a song about her experience in St lucia called "God is real"

The History of Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola was invented back in 1886 by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. His bookkeeper, Frank Robinson gave the beverage its name by combining the recipe's two most distinctive ingredients, the South American coca leaf and the African cola nut. Pemberton had originally intended to mix his new syrup with ice water when he first brought a sample of it over to Jacob's Drug Store in Atlanta. But, by mistake,the druggist had prepared the fountain drink with soda water instead. Pemberton was delighted by this accidental substitution -and, as a result -a soft drink legend was born!
Take a look at these vintage Coke ads on the following website.
http://coca-cola.tin-signs.net/

The American Package Museum

It's funny how things present itself to you when you least expect it. While doing a search after a class discussion, I stumbled upon a website which displays products packaged in their original uniform from the early decades of the 20th century. Ian House, the curator of The American Package Museum stated: "Each package in this collection has been permanently removed from general circulation to avoid further physical degradation." Wow!, someone who seem a bit disgusted with the transformation or development of product packaging throughout the years. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the original packaging of products, take a look at this website and you will be amazed at how far packaging has evolved throughout the years. http://www.packagemuseum.com/index.htm

Product Placement in TV Shows - GM

Even in a fictional world, it seems General Motors cannot catch a break. The struggling car company’s deal to integrate two vehicles into the NBC drama “My Own Worst Enemy” hit an obstacle when the network confirmed that it was canceling the series after only four episodes had been shown. The partnership represented a big push for both G.M., which has sought new ways to market cars and trucks in a troubled economy, and NBC, which has aggressively recruited advertisers to underwrite some of the production costs of its shows.
Product placements in television shows and films have always existed, but they have become more elaborate in recent years. The newest forms of brand integration now make cars into characters and insert insurance company messages into story lines, and automakers like G.M. are driving much of the innovation, lending their vehicles for scenes and signing expensive partnership deals with Hollywood producers.

The New Chrysler

In this recent Chrysler advertising campaign, called “The New Chrysler: Get Ready for the Next Hundred Years,” features three babies in car seats, representing Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep; they’re meant to suggest that the automaker is ready for a new generation. To assure consumers that the company is focused on quality and reliability, Chrysler is also offering a lifetime warranty for engines and transmissions for as long as its cars are owned by their original buyers.
Marketing experts say that these efforts still might not be enough to turn skittish consumers into confident buyers of domestic vehicles anytime soon. Once a brand diminishes in the eyes of consumers, it can take years to bounce back.

Product Positioning

Product positioning and marketing: Aloe cool and fresh lotion soothes and energizes skin with Aloe Vera and cucumber extracts. Aloe cool and fresh lotion caters to those with tired skin or those who just want a lotion with simple moisturizing effect instead of for example, evening out skin tone which is done by Healthy Body Complexion.

Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion’s slogan is: ‘Every drop is a promise to your skin’ and ‘Promise to keep your skin in the best shape of its life’

Usage instructions: Apply daily as necessary

Cautionary or warning statements: None

Fragrance type/Classification: Aloe Vera, Cucumber

Brand Image: Vasline Intensive Care has an image of having the ability to cater to a wide range of customers, Aloe cool and fresh lotion proves this ability by catering to a particular range.

Target Group: Women of all ages

Why Apple iPhone is a failure in India

Lost Opportunity. IPhone’s launch in India has been dubbed the biggest failure of a top-notch brand from a well regarded company in recent times. Besides a very high price tag, one main reason behind iPhone’s failure in India is that there was a very weak link as far as consumer confidence was concerned. Flawed sales and distribution model and communication failure were the biggest reasons behind iPhone’s debacle. The company failed to strike a connection with Indian consumers. Apple refused to share its future strategy for India. Analysts, however, say the company will have to plug many gaps in its distribution and marketing and most importantly, open a direct communication channel with consumers, if it wants a meaningful presence in India.

As Water Sales Dry Up, Nestlé Pans Soda

Concerns that bottled water is a bad choice for the environment have cooled sales of the hot-selling product. But Nestle, the world's biggest bottled-water producer, is trying to persuade consumers they should worry more about another drink: soda.

The company recently began showing TV spots for its Nestle Pure Life on U.S. Spanish-language channels such as Univision and TeleFutura touting water as a healthier alternative to sugar-filled soda drinks. Nestle - which also owns the Perrier, Poland Spring, Vittel and Aquarel brands - plans to expand the campaign into English-language TV and print ads across the U.S. in the first quarter of next year

Brand Loyalty Becoming Serious Business for Automakers

This person is definitely a Mustang lover to have the logo tattooed on his arm. Thats Brand Loyalty for you.

Thanks to the current state of the economy and plummeting sales in the automotive market, it’s no secret that the luxury car market has nearly come to a screeching halt. When you include Mercedes Benz, BMW and Lexus in that list - all reporting huge losses in September and October - we’ve got ourselves one severe crisis in the automotive industry. In a climate where competition is king and advertising budgets are under pressure, auto makers are now targeting customers who have not yet decided whether to stay or stray from the luxury brand they currently own and drive. There are basically three types of vehicle owners - the defectors, the loyalists and those that are undecided. Which ones do you keep?

Goodbye broke, Hello Coupons

As the economy rapidly deteriorates from flourishing to floundering, marketers are scrambling to remake their advertising so products seem affordable and sensible rather than indulgent and fabulous. For many big marketers, including automakers, retailers, consumer product companies and even financial services, a major shift in consumer psychology spells an end to the aspirational advertising that has dominated their campaigns for the last decade.

How Subway overtook McDonalds

Subway is one of the UK's fastest growing major fast-food chains and has just sneaked past McDonalds to hold the largest number of outlets in the UK and Ireland, yet Subway remains an underground success. The privately owned US company, which operates through dozens of franchisees around the country, has seen exponential growth in the past three years, opening 800 stores to reach 1,300 outlets in the UK and Ireland.
Its ambition is to have 2010 stores here by 2010 as it ramps up advertising spend in a bid to draw in new customers and franchisees.
Although it is a sandwich shop, Subway's locations, customer profile and operating style, such as late opening hours, give it more in common with fast food chains such as McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Subway, which sees 15-25 year olds as its core customers, is now trendier among teenagers than McDonalds in certain sectors of the country. No doubt that's helped by its relatively cheap and large sandwiches, assembled to order on the spot.

TQM

TQM is a set of management practices throughout the organization, geared to ensure the organization consistently meets or exceeds customer requirements. TQM places strong focus on process measurement and controls as means of continuous improvement.
Quality is the key to competitive advantage in today's business environment. As more organisations opt for Total Quality Management (TQM), the choices open to those wanting to set up a quality system are becoming increasingly varied.

Store Brands vs. Brand Names

At the Supermarket Checkout, frugality trumps Brand Loyalty. When my friend visited her local CVS drugstore recently, to save a few dollars she bought the store-brand facial scrub rather than the Olay version she normally uses.
"I thought I'd be able to tell the difference, but I couldn't....I looked at the ingredients and they seemed almost the same," says my 26 year-old friend. "On my next shopping trip, I'm going to buy the store-brand moisturizer and cleanser...it's less money."
Many Americans are changing their everyday purchases and abandoning brand loyalty, prompted by the persistent financial pressure of rising food, gasoline and electricity prices.

Sub-culture ad - Gay version

To finally prove my point, this is a similar ad to the previous post - a Levi's commercial with a man who pulls up his Levi's jeans and up pops a phone booth, but this time, it's not a woman who is in it, it's another man....you get the idea. But this ad is not aired on "public" television.

Sub-culture ad follow-up on my observation

As promised in a previous post, this ad proves that marketers are still stereotyping consumers who could be potential buyers. In this Levi's commercial, a "straight" man pulls his jeans up, and a phone booth comes up with a woman in it. They walk away together. This ad is shown on "public" television and not the other version. I will prove marketers stereotype with another follow-up ad which is similar.

American Specialty Cars knows manufacturing

2007 Chevrolet Silverado 427 Concept

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world (THE SEMA SHOW IS NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC). It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of the AAIW, the SEMA Show attracts more than 120,000 industry leaders from over 100 countries for unlimited profit opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV, and RV markets.
General Motors flexes american muscle at SEMA with all-new pickups and SUVs, celebrity cars and hot new accessories. Enthusiasts seeking the perfect vehicle to personalize will hit the jackpot with this year’s GM portfolio at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, which features all-new, full-size pickups, SUVs, crossovers and cars tricked out for the streets to the slopes and every conceivable surface in between. They include a one-of-a-kind Chevy Silverado off-road concept designed in conjunction with NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. – a successor to Junior’s “Big Red” Silverado – and a low-riding Orange County Choppers Silverado hauler concept inspired by the styling cues of the famous bike-building Teutul family.

President Obama

I knew you cared about the kittens....You Voted Smart.....President Barack Obama is now the 44th President of the United States. Change is good....This song's for you President Obama.

And the Winner Is........

If the wrong person wins, you might as well have voted for Patrick.  Then we'd all be living under a huge rock and our best friend would be a yellow sponge.  Think of the kitten, Vote smart.

Detroit takes sharper aim in Marketing Cars to Women

The days are fast disappearing when car-makers appealed to women primarily as housewives who influenced their husbands in the family’s choice of a new car. As more women achieve financial independence, Detroit is increasingly targeting its messages to them as consumers in their own right.

"More and more ads are coming out targeting women," says Cynthia Marshall, media supervisor at Chisholm-Mingo Group in Detroit, which places ads for General Motors. "Women now support themselves and have discretionary income. Most ads highlight women without any men in the picture at all." 

Much of this change is recent, reflecting the increasing voice women have in buying cars. Women make half the car purchases in the U.S., and more and more women are buying cars for their own personal use as well as for family use. The recent trend for auto advertisers is to treat women the way they used to treat men, targeting to their unique needs in a car rather than to their gender.

Customer service is the new marketing

There’s a lot of buzz these days about the value of customer experiences. The gist of it is that your brand is not what you tell consumers it is. Your brand is made up of all the millions of micro-experiences customers have with your brand. The implication is that companies not only need to attract new customers and make sales, they have to be aware of what existing customers are saying to them or about them, and be able to respond quickly, in a personalized manner. This has the potential for creating positive experiences, which contribute to brand health. One effective way companies are doing this is by providing great customer service.
There is no end to the stories about angry, unhappy, dissatisfied customers (that blog about it) distressed about not receiving the support they need from customer service. And there’s nothing like bad service to damage a company’s brand. However, companies that surprise and delight customers with authentic human interactions, satisfying real or perceived needs, become beacons for best practices in customer support. Satisfied customers will communicate with their friends and loved ones, or broadcast across multiple online communities their satisfaction with a product or service, becoming brand evangelists. The flip side is that dissatisfied customers can and will widely broadcast their unhappiness with your brand, and they have the tools to do it quickly and easily.”

Deceit and Marketing

“Yelling with gusto used to be the best way to advertise your wares. There was plenty of media and if you had plenty of money, you were set. Today, of course, yelling doesn’t work so well” Seth Godin, best selling author of Permission Marketing.
Marketing as a function has run through the range of communication options that have been available through the ages—from yelling, advertising on walls, print, radio, television, direct selling, Internet… and then coming back a full circle to sell the old engine on a new body. That's why, looking back from time to time is a good way of moving forward. And recounting the marketing story through ads and the four Ps of marketing (product, price, promotion and placement) is a good check.