Week 10 EOC: What are the benefits vs. the features?

My brand of vodka, Elysian Vodka, has many benefits and features. One feature that it has is that it is made from supple grapes imported from France. The benefit of this feature is that the grapes give it a unique sweet taste that is different from other brands. Another feature is that it is made with natural fresh artesian water imported from the Fijian islands. This feature also adds to the benefit of the vodka's unique taste. Our vodka is also distilled a total of 6 times. The benefit to this feature is that it is free from virtually all impurities, which helps give it a smooth lasting finish. An additional feature of our vodka is that it is adorned with gold flakes inside the bottle. The benefit of this is that it enhances the luxurious appeal of the brand and helps mark it as superior quality, premium vodka brand. The gold flakes also helps make the brand stand out as it is unique and will attract people to buy it because of this feature. 

Implement Evaluation Control

Once a marketing plan has been completed, it then needs to be implemented. “Marketing implementation is the process that turns marketing plans into marketing actions in order to accomplish strategic marketing objectives.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 57) We would implement the steps in our marketing strategy by forming teams within the company to accomplish each task. We would work with our makers to ensure that quality ingredients are being used, then work with designers and advertising people to put out the ads to promote our product, then work with vendors and desired distributors to get our product out to our target customers. According to Armstrong and Kotler, it is also important to establish control after the implementation of the marketing plan. “Control consists of measuring and evaluating the results of marketing activities and taking corrective action where needed.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 55) After about 6 months of implementing our initial marketing plan, we will evaluate our results and numbers and decide on what changes to make. If our marketing plan is going well and desired results are occurring, then we will continue to implement the marketing plan. However if we do not see an increase in sales or we are not meeting our desired goals, then we would figure out where the problems are occurring, whether it be in the product, price, distribution, or promotion, and make changes accordingly.

Price

“Price is the amount of money customers must pay to obtain the product.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 54) Since our product is a luxury, super premium brand, our selling price would be based at $70.00 USD. Although it is a bit of a steep price for a bottle of vodka, it must be taken into consideration that our vodka of superior quality. It  is made from the finest grapes imported from France, as well as fresh natural artesian water imported from Fiji. It is then distilled multiple times, 6 to be exact, to eliminate all impurities and give it a smooth lasting finish. Our vodka is then adorned with gold flakes inside the bottle. Therefore, our customers are really paying for luxury and quality.

Promotion

“Promotion means activities that communicate the merits of the product and persuade target customers to buy it.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 54) For Elysian Vodka, our promotion would be using visually appealing ads with creative taglines to get target customers interested and intrigued about our product. An example of one of these ads can be seen below. 

Distribution

“Place includes company activities that make the product available to target consumers.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 54) For our company, we would be distributing our product in high-end bars, clubs, and restaurants, as well as specialty liquor stores. Since our product is a super premium quality, luxury brand, we would only distribute it to places that fit our target market and limit the number of places that carry our product to further set the tone that our product is superior and a special occasion within itself to take part in our product.

Product

The marketing mix is an important part of any marketing strategy. The marketing mix is a set of marketing tools that includes product, price, place, and promotion. This mix is manipulated to produce a desired response from a target market. According to Armstrong and Kotler, “an effective marketing program blends all of the marketing mix elements into an integrated marketing program designed to achieve the company’s marketing objectives by delivering value to consumers.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 54) The first component of the marketing mix is product. “Product means the goods-and-services combination the company offers to the target market.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 54) In our case, our product is vodka. Our vodka is made from all natural ingredients that include grapes from France and artesian water from the Fijian islands. It is also distilled multiple times to get rid of all impurities and provide a smooth finish.

Target Market Strategy

According to Armstrong and Kotler, “to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace, companies need to be customer centered.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 50) Therefore, it is important for a company to evaluate each potential target market and decide on which one will be the most receptive to the product. The first step to this is market segmentation. This involves “dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers who have different needs, characteristics, or behaviors, and who might require separate products or marketing programs.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 50) Then after the market is divided into different groups, these groups become market segments. “A market segment consists of consumers who respond in a similar way to a given set of marketing efforts.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 50) For Elysian Vodka, since we sell a super premium, luxury brand, our target market would be older people (35 years old and up), who have sophisticated tastes and a social lifestyle, as well as a moderate to higher income level.

Situation or SWOT analysis

In order to manage a company’s marketing situation, the first thing that needs to be done is a SWOT analysis. According to Armstrong and Kotler, a SWOT analysis is “An overall evaluation of the company’s strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T).” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 55) “Strengths include internal capabilities, resources, positive situational factors that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler. p. 55) For Elysian Vodka, one of our strengths would be our resources because the company has great connections and practices that allow us to use the best natural ingredients. Another strength would be our unique taste which comes from the type of grapes we use as well as our distillation process. “Weaknesses include internal limitations and negative situational factors that may interfere with the company’s performance.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 55) In this company, our biggest weakness is that it is not very well-known. Although our product is of supreme quality, it is a fairly new brand that isn’t a household name quite yet. “Opportunities are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 55) One opportunity our company has is that it is a new name so we can create a hype around our product to get people interested in it. Also, our distinguishable and strong taste as well as our drink’s mystique can be appealing to high-end bars or clubs. “Threats are unfavorable external factors or trends that may present challenges to performance.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 55) The biggest threat for our company is the amount of competition. There are so many brands of vodka and other alcoholic drinks that it may be a challenge to stand out from the others.

Business Objectives

In order for a company or business to be successful, strategic planning needs to be implemented before anything else. “Strategic planning is the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organization’s goals and capabilities and its changing marketing opportunities.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 39) The first step to strategic planning is to create objectives from the company’s mission statement. According to Armstrong and Kotler, “The company needs to turn its mission into detailed supporting objectives for each level of management.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 41) Therefore, Elysian Vodka’s objectives include: 1. Create a different experience for our customers. 2. Use only the finest, all natural ingredients for our product. 3. Develop innovative ideas to better our product and company. These objectives are directly taken from the company’s mission statement and suit the vision of the company well.

Business Mission Statement

It is Elysian Vodka’s mission to deliver an experience unlike the ordinary. We want our customers to ascend to an elevated level of luxury by using premium quality components in all aspects of our product; from the finest natural ingredients, to the innovative fermentation and maceration processes, Elysian Vodka is smooth and strong, with an unparalleled refined taste suited for the gods.  

A mission statement is a statement of the organization’s purpose--what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong & Kotler, p. 39). This mission statement shows that our business is making the best quality vodka, that our customers are people that value luxury and quality products, and that we strive to make a product that is paramount and fine enough for the gods. This mission is clear and defines our company’s purpose and we can use this to create objectives for our company. This is important because according to Armstrong and Kotler, “A clear mission statement acts as an “invisible hand” that guides people in the organization.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong & Kotler, p. 39)

Week 7 EOC: The Pitch

Elysian Vodka - the drink of the gods.

Smooth and strong, this drink delivers an elevated experience. Made with premium, quality products imported from around the world, this drink captures the prestige, luxury, and enchantment of a divine paradise.

Elysian Vodka is starts from natural raw ingredients of the highest quality. It’s primary ingredient are grapes that stem from the heavens. The high-altitude vineyards in Gaillac, France produce the grapes that provide Elysian Vodka with its unique, elegant flavor. The process used to turn these supple grapes into this supreme vodka is much like the process implemented by the top wine producers. The process involves chilled maceration, fermentation, and storage. It is fermented for two weeks to ensure the wonderful flavor, then distilled five times using artesian water imported from the luxurious valleys of the mystical Fijian islands. The finishing touch that provides its smooth texture is the final distillation. This distillation takes place in a beautiful, family-owned distillery in the Cognac country side, and uses traditional custom-made materials. It is through this precise and superior process, the world’s finest premium vodka, Elysian Vodka, is born.

Week 6 EOC: Movie Promotion

For this assignment, I have chosen to promote Monsters University. This movie is an animated prequel to Disney Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. The storyline follows how Mike and Sully met and went from not standing each other to becoming best friends. I think that this movie would appeal to both younger kids and young adults. It would obviously appeal to younger kids because it’s an animated Disney Pixar movie. However, I think it would also appeal to young adults in college. This is because when Monsters, Inc. was released back in 2001, most young adults in college now, were at right around the age of 8 (give or take a couple years) and fell in love with Monsters, Inc. like we did with Toy Story. Monsters, Inc. was part of our childhood, and seeing a movie where the characters are in the same situation they are, would definitely appeal to them. I think the best way to approach promoting and marketing the movie would be through demographic segmentation and psychographic segmentation.

In order to promote this movie to kids, I would use demographic segmentation. According to Marketing: An Introduction by Armstrong and Kotler, “Demographic segmentation divides the market into segments based on variables such as age, gender, family size, family life cycle, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, and nationality.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, 177) In this case, I would market the movie based on age. For little kids, the first thing I would do is make cool toys for fast food chains like McDonald’s and Burger King to give away. Little kids love happy meals and little toys, and everyone knows that the movie is good if the toys are good. For the young adults, I would maybe create an Instagram, Facebook page, and Twitter. On the Instagram, I’d post pictures of the characters, maybe post a #throwbackthursday picture of Mike and Sully in college from the movie. On Facebook, I’d give updates on the movie, promotions, and characters. Lastly on Twitter, I’d create accounts for the characters and post funny remarks that sound like it’s actually them and that older kids would find witty and relate to.

For the older kids in college that I’d market this movie to, I would also go more off psychographic segmentation. “Psychographic segmentation divides buyers into different segments based on social class, lifestyle, or personality characteristics.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, 179) Most of the Millennial generation loves personalization and things they can relate to. Therefore, I’d use social media to promote the movie, and encourage build that connection between the characters of the movie and the target market. I’d have people post things with hashtags promoting the movie to encourage others to use the same, which will then let their “friends” on their social media sites know and do the same as well.

Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

In this day and age, where computers are everywhere and used by just about everyone, it isn’t hard to believe that social media is taking over. Digital solutions are now replacing things that used to be the “norm.” One example I’d like to talk about in particular is instead of going to a job fair at school or looking for a job posting on a job board like in the old days, more and more people are turning to social media sites, like Facebook, to find jobs.

The World Wide Web has allowed us to connect to people from all over, and social media sites have made it even easier to find and communicate with one another. It’s no wonder why employers are using these tools to their advantage. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, “More companies are trying to tap Facebook Inc.'s 750-million-plus user base to find new employees, threatening traditional job boards and competing with LinkedIn Corp., which has dominated the online professional networking arena.” (“Recruiters Troll Facebook for Candidates They Like”, Joe Light) Although LinkedIn is known as a professional networking site, I believe that job recruiters and employers are turning more towards Facebook simply because it is more well-known. In addition, Facebook is more easily accessible and easier for the average person to navigate than LinkedIn, which also makes it more popular. “While VMware still relies on LinkedIn to recruit higher-level executive talent, Mr. Staney said that Facebook users tend to spend more time on the service and are easier to reach than LinkedIn users. Since February, the number of monthly active users on its Facebook page more than tripled to 11,000, he said.” (“Recruiters Troll Facebook for Candidates They Like”, Joe Light)

Not only job recruiters and employers have started to utilize social media to their advantage, but popular brands as well. “Companies such as JetBlue, Sony, Microsoft, and McDonald’s, among others, are now developing a new breed of brand ambassador programs that organize and supercharge consumer-to-consumer interactions about their brands.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, p. 143) These companies have employed regular people who love their brand and are social media site savvy to act as a hybrid mix of a PR rep, sales rep, and brand enthusiast. For their work on promoting the brand, these ambassadors product samples, gifts, discounts, and cash payments. Some even receive insider access to new products and services. Not a pretty bad deal for promoting something you love if you ask me.

In conclusion, social media is now being used by both job hunters and recruiters. Social sites like Facebook are rivaling traditional job boards, and I would say that pretty soon traditional job boards are going to become obsolete.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

Since I was born in 1993, I am considered part of the Millennial generation, also known as Generation Y or echo boomers. According to Marketing: An Introduction by Armstrong and Kotler, my demographics are: born between 1977 and 2000, fluent and comfortable with digital technology, see technology as a way of life, prefer to seek out information and engage in two-way brand conversations, and value customization and personalization. I think these demographics actually fit me very well. Being born at the beginning of the computer age, I have essentially grew up with digital technology. Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a computer at home and I have used computers at school. I’ve been using social media and social networking ever since Friendster and MySpace first launched. Digital technology has been so integrated in my life, that it is pretty much my way of life. As for preferring to seek out information, I think that is also true. With the creation of Google and YouTube, it is now easier to find information or answers on my own, rather than asking someone else. I also believe that my generation does value customization and personalization. This can be proven with just about anything that I interact with. Social media sites allow me to put out information about myself, and customize their page the way I want. Phones and apps allow me to change the settings and personalize interfaces according to the my own preferences. Even clothing brands like Nike and Converse allow their me the option to design my own shoe, completely customized for me. Customization and personalization is all around us now, and I believe that their popularity shows that my generation does value these things. In conclusion, I think these demographics does suit me, as well as my generation.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

Many successful businesses try to give back to the community by donating part of their proceeds to a certain charity or charities. A great example of a business that gives back is Nike. Nike is a multi-billion dollar enterprise and is a household name. Forbes has named Nike as #1 on Forbes’ Fab. 40 list of the most valuable names in sports. Nike is valued upwards of $15 billion, which is a 40% increase from the previous year. “Nike arguably claims the most global of the brands and businesses on the list, leading by a 38% share on the footwear market, and values a 9% increase on the Nike branded apparel (slotted at $5.4 billion), compared to last year’s standings.” (http://business.transworld.net/74449/news/forbes-names-nike-most-valuable-brand-in-sports/) With all this success, Nike has partnered with (RED), to raise money for The Global Fund. “Each (Product) ^RED Partner contributes a portion of their profits to the global fund to help fight AIDS in Africa” (http://www.joinred.com/aboutred/red-partners/) After partnering with (RED), Nike launched the Lace Up Save Lives campaign. This campaign centered around (NIKE)^RED shoe laces. Nike stated that each purchase of these laces “contributes 100% of its profits from the sale to the Global Fund and to sport for development programs in Africa like Grassroots Soccer.” (http://www.sportanddev.org/newsnviews/news/?1885/Nike-RED-Campaign-battles-AIDS-in-Africa) Funds from these laces also provide the Global Fund finance for HIV/AIDS programs, medication, training, and equipment in Africa.

In addition to these (NIKE)^RED laces, Converse (which is owned by Nike) has also released (Converse)^RED shoes. With each purchase of these shoes, 5-15% of the net wholesale price from each pair is donated to the Global Fund.

In conclusion, Nike has gained much success in their market, and they have taken steps to give back to the community and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

In terms of the Boston Consulting Group’s Growth-Share Matrix, I would put iOS games in the star category, Xbox and PlayStation in the cash cow category, and computer games in the dog category.

According to the Boston Consulting Group, “Stars are high-growth, high-share businesses or products. They often need heavy investments to finance their rapid growth.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, 44) iOS games are exactly that. Hundreds of iOS games are being created, uploaded, and downloaded everyday. One of the most notable iOS games is Angry Birds. “Angry Birds has become the fastest growing game in history, scoring 500 million downloads in less than two years since its December 2009 release, the most for any game all-time.” (http://www.ibtimes.com/angry-birds-most-downloaded-game-all-time-364390#) These days, people play games to kill time. They want a game that is portable and easy to access to entertain them when they have to wait in line or are on their break at work. Because of the popularity of these iOS games, The London Games Conference has named Steve Jobs as the most influential person of the gaming industry. “Jobs and the iPhone came out ahead of Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, Facebook inventor Mark Zuckerburg and the Nintendo Wii and Xbox Live.” (http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/countdown-to-london-games-conference-apple-cuts-to-the-core/087090)

The rapid growth of iOS games has put Xbox and PlayStation in the cash cow category. They have been putting out new products like the Xbox Kinect and the soon to be PlayStation 4, which are generating some revenue for these companies. So, there is still money to be made with video game systems. However, their markets are at a plateau and it doesn’t seem that it’ll grow any time soon.

Lastly, I put computer games in the dog category because I don’t see it generating any more revenue or any growth in their market. I feel that computer games have their set market and users, and there isn’t much change that is going to happen to it.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

Although Carnival Cruise Lines has had a couple mishaps recently, they are company that I have had a great customer experience with. A couple months ago, my family and I went on our very first cruise. It was a short, 4 day trip to Ensenada, Mexico, and I had an amazing experience. They offered many activities for all ages, and created a fun, enjoyable atmosphere throughout the whole ship. There was so much to do, there was never a dull moment. The staff was very welcoming. Every staff member we came across would greet us with a smile and ask us how we were doing. The service on the ship was very personal as well. Our waiter at the restaurant introduced himself to us and asked us our names the first time we ate there, and remembered our names every time we went to eat there. This made us feel like they actually cared about us, not thought of as just another customer.

A large part of customer experience is customer retention. “Customer retention is perhaps the best measure of quality—a service firm’s ability to hang onto its customers depends on how consistently it delivers value to them.” (Marketing: An Introduction, Armstrong and Kotler, 227) Carnival Cruise Lines has certainly retained my family and I as customers. I would definitely cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines again. I felt very comfortable on the ship and I greatly enjoyed my time with them. I believe that Carnival Cruise Lines values their customers, and they have made going on a cruise affordable and delightful for many people and all ages.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

The world is steadfastly moving towards a paperless domain, and therefore, I represent the new era of designers. I design for the digital world of the web. I have a passion for exploring websites and thinking of ways to make them better. I create visually appealing, responsive, and dynamic sites. I have experience creating websites using programs like Adobe Dreamweaver, as well as using content-management systems like WordPress and Squarespace. I have experience working with JQuery Mobile to create mobile-friendly websites. I am also able to work with OmniGraffle or Microsoft Visio to create user flow charts and interactive wireframes. I can create mock ups, graphic design elements, and clickable prototypes using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, along with some other programs. I have a passion for dynamic design that creates a pleasant user experience. I am a creative, hard-working individual, who has innovative ideas, can think on my feet, and work well under pressure.