Emotional Assurance from a Puppet

A Happy Customer Says:

"I just want to thank you for the fastest shipment and best service I could have ever gotten. When I placed my order with you I was a first time customer but I will not be a last time one."-Toby C., Feb 20, 2008

From a no-name online shoe company in 1999 to grossing $800 million dollars to being purchased by Amazon for $1.2 billion, Zappos.com found success in an ultra-competitive market. With so many companies competing online, Zappos.com had to find a way to separate themselves from other companies like Overstock.com. Instead of focusing on pricing, Zappos focused all its energy into 100% customer satisfaction.

The effort paid off. Zappos earned strong customer loyalty with their customer service, 24/7 call centers, price guarantees, free shipping and returns, and a 365-day return policy. Unparralled by any other online site, Zappos built their success on word of mouth and customer referrals.

With familiar campaigns of “Powered by Service” and “Happy to Help. 24/7”, Zappos began advertising in 2008. It wasn’t until we were introduced to the Zappets, puppets modeled after customer service reps, in March of 2010 that we saw a in spike in brand familiarity. The ads featured Zappets dealing with real life scenarios showcasing their customer loyalty team in action.

The Zappos commercial “Emotionally Ready” plays on the purchase dissonance that a lot buyers, specifically women, often feel after making purchases. A woman calls about an order that she receives over night and has not talked herself into committing to yet. She hides her order in the garage and calls Zappos for help. The operator relieves her of her anxiety and everything is okay.

The commercial found a niche that hit home. “Emotionally Ready” played on the emotional connections that consumers associated with purchases. It gave shoppers the power to enjoy their shopping choices and the drive to seek out Zappos’ branded service.

These Zappos commercials were so successful that they received the 2011 Effie Award. They surpassed one of their objectives (“Connection: Increase brand affinity and emotional connection by at least +15%”) by an overall 10% with “an increase in perceptions that ‘ Zappos.com is a brand that makes me smile’”. This emotional indicator reinforced the whole Zappos philosophy and proving the ad campaign effective.

Who said Starbucks is expensive?

I personally think this Starbucks commercial was very effective. At the beginning, they started with the interesting story with unique cartoons. Stories were about the rumor that people believed as a true story long time ago. The ad says, for example, people used to believe the earth is flat or that when you eat orange seed, the orange tree will grow out of your ears. After gathering people’s attention with these stories, they talk about their new product that they are promoting “Iced Brewed Coffee” in the end. They continuously talk about the rumor, but this time, it is all about the Starbucks, which is there are some people who think they cannot buy a coffee at Starbucks for under $4. Indeed, this is what most people think about Starbucks. In my opinion, via this commercial, Starbucks Company is responding to their customers with reasonable priced coffee.

One thing I liked the most was the way a person talks in commercial. He talks in a friendly manner as if he is telling an interesting story to us and when he moved to Starbucks’ story, he sounds even more familiar as he says ”Don’t be silly~.” At the end of the commercial, he warns us “Don’t believe everything you hear,” which is quite direct but it is so humorous at the same time. I think this last word would be the one that Starbucks wanted to say to their customers and I believe they managed it successfully!

CLICK to watch Starbucks' "Iced Brewed Coffee" Commercial

World at War?

Ever since I was little and can remember, I have been in love with video game entertainment. I can remember my cousin's Atari in the basement of my grandmothers house and us playing it for hours. Video game entertainment has come a long ways from the archaic Atari to the eye poping graphics that comes with systems like Microsofts Xbox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3. Its also big business now with 48.9 billion in sales and is on pace to outsell musical content by the end of 2012.

With that being said, we now look at one of the most popular games out rite now, which is the Call of Duty franchise series. These games are like the Iphone of the video game industry which sets sales record with each new installment. The latest game, which was released November 8, 2011, set a sales record of 6.4 million copies in a 24 hour period in just the US and UK alone. It was said to have made close to 400 million on the release day alone. As this game became popular and popular, they started to run commercials with popular athletes and stars. The commercial in this clip is of the Call of Duty:Black Ops, and has the stars of NBA star Kobe Bryant and late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel in it. The commercial shows Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel shooting guns and rocket launchers in a field against other people. The commercial is trying to show how there is a soldier in every one of us and this game is how you can pull it out. As in terms of marketing, I thought it was very effective because you appeal to the target audience with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel and a chance to gain new markets with the commercials being a bit violent and controversial. Some people believed that the commercials are disrespectful to those fighting across seas and too violent for children to be viewing. Also with the stars of Kobe Bryant, people believed he should have been removed because he is more of a role model to little kids.

I think these commercials are effective and reaches the right target group it is trying. With many stars asking to be in these commercials, I believe the Call of Duty franchise will be around for a long time.

Eddie Miller http://youtu.be/LwOHX9gQ7Z8

It's Back!

I believe this is a very effective commercial, especially for its 30 second run time. After all, it got me to buy one. I had never tried a McRib before, then I saw this commercial and i just felt like I had to get one.

The reason I believe that this commercial works is because it stresses the fact that it is only a limited time offer promotion, and that you have to act now if you want to get one. The grown man acting like a little kid worrying about something that doesn't matter, especially when he is about to go off on his honeymoon, makes it look like the McRib returning is a pretty big deal, when in reality its not, well i guess to some people it is. then he goes on to say hes going to miss it, while it shows all his friends eating it, this makes you not want to be the odd man out. So since the commercial made me laugh I figured I would try it the next time I went to McDonald's, I was not disappointed.

So basically thecommercial tells you to get the McRib or you will be left out. I enjoyed it, it made me laugh and made me feel like trying one, and after all thats what they were going for right.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDgCbK7qD2Q

Keep Your Hands Off My Doritos and My Mom!

I feel this advertisement does an excellent job persuading consumers to buy Doritos within the 30 second time frame of the commercial. This commercial incorporated a plot, showcased the product, and showed the brand name all in half a minute. The commercial starts out as a women answers the door for her date. The woman then introduces her son to her date and leaves the room for a moment. While the son and mother’s date are alone in a room, the date tries to schmooze with the child, but makes the mistake of grabbing one of his Doritos. The little boy slaps his mother’s date, motions for him to put the Dorito back, and tells him to keep his hands off his mom and his Doritos.

The little boy hitting his mother’s date conveys to the audience that Doritos are superior to other snacks because not only is the little boy not willing to share them, he will fight for them. By showing that Doritos are superior to other snacks, this advertisement’s message conveys that Doritos are not a homogenous shopping product, but a heterogeneous product to the receivers who are the potential consumers.

The competitive environment for the snacks market is extremely aggressive because not only are there a lot of snack products in the market, there are also a lot of off brand products that are almost duplicating brand name products. The actors in the commercial lead the customer to believe that Doritos are a delicious snack because the boy is as protective of his Doritos as he is his mother. The commercial also ends by showing the Doritos logo; both of these tactics used together gives the product gratification and the brand recognition.

This advertisement packs a powerful punch for the small time slot given for the commercial. While it is necessary for any commercial to influence the customer to buy their product, it is especially important for this commercial to be successful because it was aired during the Superbowl in 2010 and the cost of getting one of the coveted commercial spots is extremely high. Doritos deserves a pat on the back for not only for successfully marketing their product, but providing their potential customers with a good laugh.

Click here to view commercial!

Brawny Never Lets You Down

Brawny flexes his muscles to show us how effective his paper towel works. With many other competitors in the market, it would be unwise of them not to demonstrate in their commercial the strength and durability of their product. It shows an indecisive woman debating between buying generic and Brawny, ultimately choosing the latter of the two in the end. She probably made the right choice depending on her budget and what it was exactly that she wanted out of the product.

Personally, I thought the music to the commercial was very corny. After watching it, I don’t think that I could take the product seriously anymore. Sure, the song “Lean on Me” might come into mind when walking into a store, reminding me that I need to buy more paper towel, but that doesn’t mean that I will be picking up Brawny; I most likely won’t, because paper is paper to me when it comes to wiping up messes. I would just assume save a buck and go generic.

For Brawny, I feel like they have a long way to go as far as commercial advertising is concerned. Their mindless ditty to try to get the attention of their viewers is simply appalling and outdated. The commercial is also very short, which might be explained by the lack of funding for it. Well, in this day and age, you get back what you put into something. Maybe their aspirations were not that great, or they were focusing on simplicity, which is perfectly fine. Either way, Brawny may have reached their target market, but they must seriously consider aiming for another commercial for their product if they want to stay updated and in the game.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljUciFgLArA

The Smell of Disappointment

Febreze air, carpet, and furniture freshener has as always tried to have funny yet convincing commercials. They usually consist of a skit of a family smelling unpleasant areas in their home, and the mom coming to save the day with Febreze. People have often complained that these commercial are too “corny” and unreal, which is a surprise to me because I didn’t know Febreze affected people’s lives so deeply. To make their product more believable, Febreze has taken a different approach.

Their new commercials consist of them approaching real people on the street and putting them to a smell test. Each commercial takes different people to an extremely filthy place including a gross kitchen and a dirty apartment. Febreze is sprayed throughout the place attempting to disguise the real setting of the place. The people are blindfolded and ask to describe what they smell. Most of them describe the smell as fresh and inviting and they are unpleasantly surprised when they are un-blindfolded. The people are completely thrown off by the appearance of the place and can’t believe that Febreze made it smell so great.

I personally like the commercials, I find them entertaining. The reactions seem believable. The only thing that bothers me is that real people agree to be blindfolded and taken to an unknown location. The fact that they trust complete strangers makes me wonder if it’s real or not. But some people are not worried about whether the commercial is real or not, they are just plain offended. In one of the commercials when the people are un-blindfolded, their response to the disgusting place is “Oh my God.” Apparently this has offended some Christians. They were very upset that the people in the commercial were “using God’s name in vain.” One blogging site encouraged people to write letters to Procter and Gamble urging them to change the commercial. Febreze did put out a new commercial where the people’s response was not “Oh my God,” but I don’t think they ever stop showing the other one. Either way, the Christians were relieved and unaware.

Febreze tried to change their “corny” image to please some, and ends up offending others with their “real” image.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btyzuCEPc9M&feature=pyv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0mXHph1-gc&feature=relmfu

Amanda Sturges

"Cheesy" Commercials Pass Away

Most of the time, when you want to get people to buy your product, you us advertisement. A good advertisement will attract the consumers attention, and inform them of the product and the pro's of buying the product. It will try and convince them to switch to the product, and stick with it. Most commercials follow this rule of thumb, except for the CANCELED Super Bowl XLII 2008 Bud Light commercial “Cut the Cheese”.

As the commercial starts off, we are immediately aware of why it wasn't aired on TV. The actors of the commercial start of by informing you what the product being advertised is, but that's about as far as they goes. The commercial doesn't continue by showing the actors drinking beer, informing you of the taste being better than another brand, or any other pro's of drinking a Bud Light. They don't even acknowledge the beer after the first mention of it. No, it's just a bunch of “cutting the cheese” related jokes, followed by the Bud Light logo during the last 3 seconds of the video.

I'm not sure exactly who this commercial is directed at, as the age group that finds this the most funny isn't old enough to drink a Bud Light, let alone be their target market. They also risk insulting those who are old enough to drink but don't enjoy the humor of the “immature” commercial. Many people don't enjoy that kind of humor or topic forced upon them when their watching TV. This wasn't the best idea Bud Light has had, as it can leave a bad impression on some people, as well as lose some potential customers.

The Most Interesting Man in the World

New beverages are coming and going in our society all the time, but one that will always be around is beer. People will be drinking beer whether they have the money to spend on it or not, so beer companies do not have to worry about that. What they do have to worry about is how they are going to get the consumer to choose theirs over the many other competitors. One of the biggest ways of doing that is using television commercials. Dos Equis uses a very clever and effective way to market their beer in using "the most interesting man in the world" commercials.

When they are putting their commercials together they are mainly focusing on the men of the world because it is natural for "men to drink beer". By using the most interesting man in the world and all the catchy things that he is capable of doing it attracts a lot of men, including college students who are a large part of the people that are buying beer. It is a great idea because they basically can tell us that he can do anything so the ideas are never ending.

I think these commercials are great marketing ideas for Dos Equis. They hit their target market on the nose and had great success with it. Who doesn't want to be like the "most interesting man in the world"? He does awesome things none stop and drinks beer while he is doing it, can't beat that.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J8oJ0oEN70

IMPORTED FROM DETROIT

The auto industry has been in a free fall for a while now and companies have been trying to find a way to bring up those sales. Chrysler has stepped there game up in the ad campaigns by targeting the “tough, hardworking individual who remembers where they are from.” This attracts your everyday person that may not have the money to afford a brand new Chrysler to at least look into it as an option.

They are trying to make a connection with Detroit which no ad campaign would have ever thought to have done considering the high crime rate, bad school systems and high unemployment rates. They are going against the grain and so far it couldn’t have worked better. The recent bankruptcy by Chrysler has caused them to go to the extreme and rejuvenate there whole product line and whole ad campaign, a lofty goal but if done correctly can bring them out of the dumps. They have featured celebrities such as Eminem, Ndamukong Suh, and Dr. Dre. By featuring these celebrities they are bringing a fresh bold look to a sputtering industry. They represent a brand of determination that Detroit has come to stand for. These are true stories of people who worked hard and are now able to enjoy the luxury they deserve, and luxury feels better earned.

Even though none of these ads are actually filmed in Detroit besides the Eminem commercial they all symbolize Detroit and the hardworking nature of this great city. They are trying to show that you don’t have to go overseas to find great luxury that it is in your own backyard. Failure is not an option for Chrysler, the creative and BOLD ad campaign has shown that and a rejuvenated company should be proud of what they’ve done. They have put Detroit in a good light and have promoted there new product line which is why I strongly believe this is a great Ad Campaign.

Dr. Dre
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERYuK3WTWeM
Suh
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eImJkzPza40
Eminem
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc

"Free" is not as free as it seems

We have probably all seen the Freecreditreport.com commercial, its a very catchy commercial. I'm sure if you have seen it, you can remember the jingle. The creators of this commercial came up with a very good way to get everyone to remember the name of the website. Also, the commercial makes people very interested in finding out their credit score.

What most people don't realize about freecreditreport.com is that there are differences between a credit score and a credit report. What the site offers for free is a look at your credit report, which shows your credit history. For example, it shows whether you have been paying your bills on time. It also shows things like what kind of credit you use. But this site will not show you your credit score, which is the number they assign to you between 300 and 900. They get this number by looking at your credit report. They will only show you your credit score if you pay them for a membership. They try to get you to come to there site so that you will buy a membership, but what most people don't know is that you can look at you credit report for free once a year at one of these three national credit agencies. These agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. So basically Freecreditreport.com is tricking people to come to their site so that they will buy a membership to see their credit score.

This was a very smart strategy. They use something free to lure people into buying something from them. They created a commercial that is very catchy and easy to remember. Everyone can relate to their jingle. Freecreditreport.com has a very good and smart strategy that will keep people coming to their site time and time again.

Damn, you're still using that old phone?

Technology rapidly changes. High tech items like computers, tablets, and mobile phones are being outdated every 2 years. Consumers are more frequently feeling a personal drive of wanting the newest technology. The question becomes how often should one upgrade; will consumers buy as rapidly as technology changes? Best Buy is betting customers will upgrade more rapidly, hence the buyback program. For a predetermined price, customers can enroll in the program which outlines a tiered value of depreciation within a two year window for most items. While Best Buy attempts to meet a demand for the changing market, it does not go the distance to meet consumer’s needs.

Best Buy, in an effort to turn around a 30% fall in operating profit for Q2 2011, is taking advantage of a market penetration opportunity by providing services that address the need for the changing market. Hopefully for them, this strategy will strengthen the relationship with the recipients of this program by insuring repeated business. However, most people will not find this to be the best economical choice. Often times, the fee associated with the program is more than the amount returned in a reasonable time. It may only benefit customers who upgrade to the latest technology extremely frequently. For instance, the average middle class consumer will not buy a $2,500 television to have it exchanged within the first six months, making the fee for the program more expensive than the return. There is no gain, except paying an exorbitant disposal fee. For others, it makes sense to upgrade cell phone devices more frequently than two years, thus making the buyback program a no brainer.

Best Buy is trying to meet the needs and concerns of people trying to stay a step up on technology but doesn’t quite go far enough to really address the problem. The only value in this “Future-proof” program to consumers is on the more disposable, easily upgradable hand held devices we’ve fallen in love with, the mobile phone. For other high tech items, Best Buy’s “head in the clouds” program will not work.

Swag Test for Class

Write your Blog, include a link, make it fun.

The Hooters of Haircuts

Lady Jane’s Haircuts for Men

I first saw advertising for Lady Jane’s at a Detroit Tigers baseball game and I thought to myself, damn I wish we had that where I live. Well now Ann Arbor has Lady Jane’s and it was almost everything I had expected. I walked in and immediately noticed the billiards table, damn should have brought some friends along I guess, so I could have won a free haircut off them. As I walked past the billiards table I notice two flat screen televisions in front of eight leather recliners. I sat down to take in the view which was a couple of cute girls and the St. Louis Cardinals spring training game (my team). I then signed into the computer system where I got to choose my girl from a picture of the girls in a party setting. One girl was at the club in an outfit on a pole to give you an idea of the photos. After I chose my girl I was seated in a leather barber’s chair where I was able to continue to watch the ballgame while I got my haircut. My girl immediately told how poorly the business was run and how much she hated it there, while I was getting a shampoo rinse I overheard a manager saying on the phone “this is so stupid I mean nobody in the car was even drunk.” Honestly if were to go back to Lady Jane’s I would bring some friends and be as superficial as possible and pick the hottest girl that you see on the screen, because they only really know how to give one look and it was a faux hawk giving to all five guys who were in there at that time.

http://www.ljhaircuts.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1wnskdLdNE

Buy Glasses ONLINE!

With online shopping becoming more and more popular (Zappos.com). Warby Parker decided to take advantage of this. A 1-year old company based in New York City started by 4 friends from business school, Warby Parker is an alternative to the overpriced and bland eyewear available today. According to them prescription eyewear simply should not cost $300+. They think they can persuade people to shop online for glasses, with a combination of fashion, low prices, technology and old-fashioned customer service. By getting rid of traditional channels and engaging with customers directly through their website, their glasses brand Warby Parker is able to provide higher-quality, better-looking prescription eyewear for under $100. The Warby Parker aesthetic is vintage-inspired, with a fashion forward twist (inspired by MadMen) - and every pair is custom fit with anti-reflective, polycarbonate prescription lenses. They order the acetate for the frames directly from a supplier in Italy, have them made in the same Chinese factories the big companies use and the lenses are inserted in New York. They get rid of the middlemen. So one has to ask: How do you sell prescription glasses online?! How do I know they will fit me right because I can’t try them on? Actually you can! They have a Home try-on program, 5 pairs 5 days. You get to choose 5 pairs of glasses, they will ship them to you for free, you get 5 days to try them out get second opinions from family and friends, ship them back (on them), and then you can purchase them online. They walk you through how to give them your prescription, and have helpful tools online to choose the right frames for your face. Their target markets are hip younger people who want fashionable frames for a fraction of the cost. According to an article this January in the New York Times Defying Conventional Wisdom to Sell Glasses Online. Warby Parker has sold in the past year about 20,000 glasses.

Lebron James Vitamin Water Commercial - Defense Attorney - HD 720p

Product: Around late last year, Gleaciau Vatimin Water aired a commmercial featuring two times regular season MVP, Lebron James. The commercial gain popularity with consumers and commerical success;however, athletes like me refused to recognize the brand and have developed a brand rejection because the selected target market Vatimin Water was persuing was athletes. In addition, athletes claimed that vatimin water lackd sodium which is an electrolytes( ions that conduct electricity when present in chemical solution. Although the product gain some brand equity in the market, its overall strenth strenth in the market for sport drinks was lower than gatorade which took 77.1 percent Promotional Effort: Vatimin Water biggest success was selecting the right channel to advertise its product, but even so that wasn't enough. A great product and a great promotion is not enough to make a product successful. Vatimin Water need a great marketing strategy that blends the four p's together well.

Phils 550: You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start In The Morning

Located ten minutes away from NMU in Marquette Phil's 550 "convenience" store, really isn't that convenient for college students to make run of the mill beer runs. But Phil has no problem keeping the buzz alive about his store, and getting college students to drive out of their way for a dirty thrity. His tee-shirts and billboards are the talk of the town. He heavily depends on word of mouth advertising, mainly from the college students, but Phil is everywhere. "Phil is a true Renaissance Yooper: an experienced welder, a storekeeper, a Reverend who has officated over 30 nuptials, He also has a Monday morning radio show on local station WUPX: "Felix's Random, Retro, Radio Roadshow", and he probably has more friends than anyone I know, based upon all the customer photos all over his store, and on his website. Check out the pics of international "sightings" of the very popular Phil's 550 tee shirt which asks: "Have you had your Phil today?"" (taken from website review) His reputation adds more desire for people to drive out of the way for something they could get across the street. The store itself isn't anything special, but it's the service and logo that people spend money and time on. His website has the marriages he's performed, "spottings" of students wearing Phil 550 shirts around campus, the U.P, the U.S and world. Within the student community the "coolest" thing someone from NMU can do is go to Phils 550, own some type of clothing with the logo or ridiculous saying on it, take photos of doing ridiculous things in said clothing, and submit it to his website/facebook, or go in person to show him drunken photos of yourself in his clothing. My first week I was at NMU i was told over and over again "You gotta go see Phil!" Now I ask new students "Did you go to Phil's yet?"

http://phils550.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Phils-550-Store/202401160385

Get Naked Drink Beer from Tim Mulheron on Vimeo.

Gourmet Food Prepared and Delivered by Jackasses

Lonesome’s Coal fired pizza is located in Portland Oregon. They have no storefront, no sign, it's delivery only, and their marketing ploy is comprised of a giant and a midget getting drunk and handing out menus on the street-literally. They hand decorate each box with photos and biographies of musicians and filmmakers, as well as a sampling of that artist's video or audio work. Which is no coincidence, before opening the doors(and by doors I mean figuratively not a storefront) in July 2010, the founders “three rednecks and a gay guy” had opened the Red Truck Gallery, a pop-up art space that has promoted artists and their work in New Orleans, New York, Paris and, last year, Portland. They are very passionate about artists they like so they stick a sample CD, short film, or photos of them, and customer can visit the stores website to purchase more or their work. Their website, facebook, and promotional materials also share the same ridiculous theme, making the consistent message through all forms of media. But it doesn’t end there, they deliver in a hearse occasionally possibly by a midget, and they even started a rumor that a gorgeous woman delivers too. The system relies on a lot of word of mouth promotion, and I can’t think of anyone better than artists to spread the word. The point is, you really have to know your target market, through lots of market research, and a little luck, you can make it work. By the way it’s the best pizza you’ll ever have, using only local fresh ingredients in interesting combinations and sauses like marinara, alfredo, sriracha base, and a spicy Ethiopian variety. Cheeses of coarse include mozzarella, but there's a goat-cheese option, and a vegan cashew cheese also. They have already had an amazing return on their investment, opened a second store on the other side of the city, and plan to start a third in Texas this summer. Instead of traditional names, Lonesome's pies have names of fights that are too awesome to actually happen like:
My Dad vs. Your Dad
Burt Reynolds vs. the Girl Who Stole My CD Collection
Lou Ferrigno vs. a Shark with Throwing Stars for Teeth
Rock Hudson vs. Clothes Shopping with Your Mother (that one's vegan!)
Awesome things lesbians can do
Possible reasons we ain't getting women, though we own a badass pizza place.
They have a salad called "Little Tiny Jesus," and they serve "Bite-Sized Hitler" breadsticks
The fare is reminiscent of the dreams of teenage boys ready to take the plunge and finally kiss that girl, if it wasn't for that Stallone marathon airing this Friday on HBO.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lonesomes-Pizza/128118453878707
http://www.lonesomespizza.com/

Gibbs Technologies

The consumer production vehicle, theAquada, has logged hundreds of thousands of hours of road and marine time and proven itself robust and reliable. TheQuadski andHumdinga programmes have since pushed the technology into single person crafts, and larger four-wheel-drive applications.

High Speed Amphibians enable a transformation of operational maneuvers from the sea. From small swift reconnaissance missions to truly amphibious expeditionary and support vehicles, High Speed Amphibians have the ability to realize the vision of the future fighting force. The transition from land to sea, and vice-versa, is seamless, eliminating operational pause in ship to objective maneuvers.

The Vault!

Disney's legnedary vault, greatest marketing decisions made.
For everyone who doesn't know, the vault is walt disney studios term they coined for putting a stop in production of certain dvd titles. The reason this is so great is that it allows disney to keep the life cycle of a product in the stage of their choice. It not only allows the product to be more exclusive but it also allows the product to stay profitable.

Fast Don't Lie For Adidas?

"Man, I need some new shoes so that I can go hoop more often."

This was the phrase I told my friends last semester, as we were talking about playing basketball more often at the gym and during the summertime.

If your an athlete or a person that likes to play basketball or any kind of sport, this may sound familiar. As consumers we always are always looking for things that we need and or want.
In this case, we look for shoes that can improve our performance on the field so that we play better.


In October, Adidas released two new shoes called the Adizero's. They had two brands: The Adizero Rose and Dwight's Beast Drop, named after NBA basketball players, Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose.

*Now keep in mind that Adidas really isn't known for creating great basketball shoes and is more known for shoes that you can wear everyday and can kick back and relax in.

If you were to ask people what brand makes great basketball shoes, you would most likely get Nike or Jordan, usually because of people's brand familiarity or brand preference.

But Adidas did a pretty smart move. Around the October month, there was a movie called The Hangover that was in theaters everywhere. What they did was they used a man named Ken Jeong and used him to produce really funny advertisements along with Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard themselves to promote their brand of shoes. Here's an example of their advertisement.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=adidasbasketball#p/u/22/O-a9lx3pOC4


The Website promoting the shoes itself:

http://www.adidas.com/basketball/us/newsarticle/the-adizero-rose-and-dwights-beast-drop/


I actually did buy the adiZero Rose after doing some research on it, and it's a really great shoe to own, so Fast Don't Lie For Adidas!

Lite Cleaning

"Baby will you pleasseee do the dishes?"

"But there aren't enough to fill the dishwasher, so nope."

Sound familiar? Before purchasing a new home this past summer I thought there were two options to this situation:

The first being wash them by hand; another argument in itself.

The second to let them pile up until there was enough for a full load in the dishwasher; running it half full is just a waste of water.

Now that I'm a new homeowner who has had the privilege of becoming known by my first name by home improvement stores all over south east Michigan I have discovered a third solution:

A portable or small capacity dishwasher!

These appliances are not much bigger than a microwave and hold around four to six place settings. They come in either a model similar to larger units that are built into the cabinetry of your kitchen, or are portable and can be moved from counter top to table if needed.

These hidden household gems are not widely advertised and are found in remodeling and home improvement magazines. The target market is focused on non traditional households. Those that are missing the white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a dog. These houses or apartments are for individuals or couples just beginning their lives together. The product is just as efficient as full capacity models and use the same cleaning agents. Though half the size the price is similar to the full sized units, and is between $170 and $300.

Does the limited marketing approach work?
Though outside of my own I haven't seen one in any other kitchens, but I must say, I bought one. I'm sure there are others around that would agree it is an easy, though slightly pricey, solution to the evening dishes argument.

Wendy's

Wendy’s Fast food chain has introduced a new campaign for the New Year. For a limited time for one dollar you can purchase a one Wendy’s key chain that is good for a free junior frosty with any purchase at participating Wendy’s until the end of the year. The proceeds of the key tags go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to support local Michigan adoption programs.

5/3/1 by Jim Wendler is a strength training program sold on www.elitefts.com. This is the program I use for my weight training because of its simple nature, easy application, continued results, but most importantly, the great selling that Wendler does on elitefts’s site. The program is only a basic outline, with some set rules, but is very flexible in what can be done. This leaves many questions to a lot of users, and Jim is available to answer all these questions, and he answers them on a daily basis on the Q/A board. From a marketing standpoint, this is personal selling to the person who is asking him questions, but also mass selling since usually they are broad questions that apply to many people, and it is also customer service. When someone has bought the program and has gone on to use it with their own twists and is having undesired results, Jim is available to help get them back on track. After following his log for a few months (here: http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/training-logs.asp?tid=63&__N=Jim%20Wendler) and reading his Q/A I was sold on the program and the support available, and have faithfully followed this program for two years and have every intention of staying with it for a long time to come.

Dead Space 2 is a game with a very specific target market: hardcore gamers who love to be scared. The creators of Dead Space and its sequel know that their game would never appeal to the masses, which is why they have decided to emphasize that fact in their marketing. In their commercials, they actually highlight the fact that the game is violent, gory, and to some, terrifying, all while showing how much your mom will hate it. While they might be trying to appeal to your inner need to rebel against your parents and society, I think they're also trying to say that they've found their niche, and they know it's not going anywhere. The only thing the ad doesn't highlight is the fact that while it's gory and violent, it contains a lot more depth than just hacking off limbs. It's an intense and mesmerizing gaming experience. Ultimately, it's a great game, and the ad is simple, funny, and shouldn't be taken too seriously.