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.