In Response to Kayle Crowley

"If we start sticking puppies and lions on Kashi and bran,

will our younger generation catch on to a healthier lifestyle?"

With the increase in health awareness lately, it is no wonder that children choose the right snack and actually enjoy them. There are alternatives to almost every snack that have less sugar, less fat, less calories, but more fiber, more vitamins, and more protein. 

One vitamin that I take daily is fish oil. The taste of it repulses me, but I know it will keep me healthy and there are many benefits. I take the children's type of fish oil that come in a chewy form. They taste better, and I no longer dread it. Yesterday while I was at work at a local doctor's office, there was literally a boy that threw a tantrum because his mom would not let him have another chewy fish oil because he already had his at breakfast. It could be because the package has brightly colored fish on them or it could also be because they taste so darn good.

If cartoon characters encourage kids to want to eat their healthy food, why would a parent refuse it? It makes their job easier.

$tarbucks

Recently while flipping through the channels in the wee hours of the morning, CNBC stopped me in my tracks. Not only am I a sucker for a good documentary, but I found this one particularly interesting. It was on the Starbucks empire. The following link will give you an idea of what the show was about.  Money in a cup My mouth literally was hanging open while the pure genius of the Starbucks Company has made a single cup of coffee into a status symbol.

One point that I found interesting is that Starbucks does not market in the media. You will never see a commercial on television because they do not see it as fit. Instead the company relies on customers walking around with their cup. Why in the world would Starbucks not market on tv? Starbucks customers love the coffee shops and the delicious coffee. They feel as though they are in a cafe in New York City or Boston or Paris, not in their own backyard. The customers also feel like Starbucks is their best kept secret, when really there are billions of people who have tried the coffee worldwide, and practically a Starbucks on every block in NYC. If commercials started showing up on tv, the secret would be out!

Another way Starbucks has built a great reputation in marketing is through their wide variety of products. If someone is not a coffee drinker, they could still enjoy the great Cd's that the company compiles. The music is soothing, jazzy, and on the cutting edge. What other coffee company ever won Best Album of the Year at the Grammy's? Starbucks also has a extensive inventory of ceramic and plastic mugs, coffee makers, espresso machines, books, aprons, and seasonal decorations.

A great way the company has encouraged customers to stay at the shop is through free WiFi and of course their music. The cafe is a great place to get out of the house and remain productive, all the while ordering more coffee and possibly getting a snack. Even though there are Starbucks haters, I personally enjoy the coffee, the atmosphere, the authentic feel, all for the low price of $4 a cup. Who could deny that?

What are other inventory items that you would like to see Starbucks have? Are there any diet regulations that you may have that Starbucks has not met?

Public Awareness Annoucements

Do this get your attention? The idea of living above the influence means that you are leading a healthy lifestyle without drugs and alcohol. The above the influence advertisement campaign is directly marketed at teenagers, but also gets the attention of adults. Even though parents have been through the difficulty of teen years as well, times do change and pressure seems different. I just need to ask, do the ads really help?

It is important that the campaign does not advertise any sort of fun that can be associated with drugs and alcohol, but instead market how destructive the behaviors can be. Abusing a substance can lead to failing yourself, school, losing trust from your parents and friends, and eventually losing hope. What needs to be remembered is that there can always be a way out, and for this reason, I like the ad campaign.

I am hoping that the campaign will start advertising the destructive behavior of suicide. There is a lot of literature on drinking and driving and how addiction can ruin a life, but what about when someone feels as though all hope is gone? It would be really great to see this addition to the team.

Another way that the campaign can be increased is spreading awareness throughout college campuses as well. Maybe the campaign could have speakers that talk nationwide to various high schools and colleges so that there can be a personal effect on what the campaign is trying to accomplish.

Would you go to a campaign like this?

In respone to Laurie Whalen

"What are the different ways you do or have heard to save money?"

 Laurie talks about different ways that people save money, particularly with groceries. I have to say that I am a bargain shopper. Why buy something at full price when it is bound to go on the sale rack (i.e. electronics, clothes, etc.)? I became a more frugal shopper once I realized the value of a dollar and how far that can go, especially when you are a college student.

Some people believe that one has to just buy a few good pieces of clothes for example instead of having a closet full of items that one rarely likes. When it comes to items such as electronics, one must buy something that is affordable, practical, and has a good value. Hopefully you aren't going to buy a BMW when your kitchen appliances are on their last leg... but who knows. Some people think differently than I do.

Since I am always on the hunt for a good bargain, here are some websites that I have come across of that have saved me a few bucks:

•  glasses: zennioptical.com
• shoes: shoedazzle.com, justfab.com
• magazines: type into google, "Free magazine subscriptions" (I got a free 1 year subscription for W and Cosmopolitan magazines
• city coupons: groupon.com
• housewares: ikea.com

These are just a few of the websites that come to mind. It is exciting to receive a deal on something when you were planning on spending more. As Laurie mentioned in her blog, cutting coupons is a great way to save. Take the fifteen minutes to browse the Sunday newspaper and you could save some dough!

Marketing for Free?

As we are studying through our marketing analysis of Campus Mom Laundry, a marketing budget can be used quickly and may not be the most efficient way of connecting to a direct group. With the introduction of Facebook, a marketing budget can now be stretched since an account is free.

Some ways that Facebook can be used for a business:

-update customers with new information (directed at the business)

-enlighten the viewer about news articles

-create a unique interactive experience

-make connections to other sites (business website or blog)

-hold basic information (address, phone number, hours of operation)

This list is not completely exhausted, but it is a start. Facebook can also help businesses make immediate updates and communication with customers and clients. This will show that the business is technologically saavy as well as interested in having the company flourish.

Would you use a business that did not have a facebook?

Response to Diana Schaller

I guess my big question is what would you do if you were being pressured to remove your commercial from the air during a show? Is it worthwhile to submit to the pressure of parental groups? Why is it so necessary to respond to them and do they really have enough power to hurt your business?

Watch this first 

 Now that you have watched the Skins trailer, I think it is reasonable to see why so many parents are upset. Even though that trailer was shown in Canada, the show is identical. I have to say that I attempted to watch the show when it came out because MTV put so many advertisements throughout their other programs that I figured, why not? Within the first fifteen minutes of the show, I was not only confused by how the teens were behaving. The show opened with a teen fighting with his parents, then proceeded to setting someone up to lose his virginity, and by the end of the show, there was a girl that had attempted suicide via prescription pills.  Is that how teens are talking these days? I sound old when I only graduated from high school in 2008 and for crying out loud, I am still in college.... how many things can actually stop me in my tracks and be upset? After living in dorms with communal bathrooms and a forced triple, I would say not many.

The phrase goes, "No press is bad press," but what if the show gets pulled? Then I think that is some bad press. As for the companies that are advertising throughout the show, I would be on the fence. Guaranteed there is a demographic that will be watching the show and the commercials, but will that be promoting what the show is? I would submit a press release stating that the company does not have any affiliation with the individual show, but rather the network as a whole. I would also state my concerns to the network. No matter what though, the company will stay in business. Especially a huge franchise business like Subway. They will not be going out of business just because of this one show, but it could potentially hurt their bottom line. I believe that every person is a potential client, therefore a company needs to behave accordingly. Marketing is where a company is supposed to establish the type of demographic that they want their product or service to be selling to. With that said, if teenagers is the demographic, I say go for it and continue advertising.

Customer Service!!! Come out, come out wherever you are!

Lately all I seem to notice is how poor customer service is. What happened to lollipops at the bank window, or a free piece of cheese at the deli counter? Am I being irrational or has customer service taken a nose dive? I cannot seem to understand why businesses are allowing their employees to treat customers poorly. Recently I ordered a jacket from a Forever 21 which is also online. I purchased the jacket over the internet (on sale!), but when I received it, it just did not fit correctly. I loved the jacket, so I placed the jacket in the bag, instructed the store to send me a different size, put all the given paper securely taped to the bag, but then noticed that postage was not paid for. Strike 1. After three weeks I had not received or heard from the store. Strike 2. I call them. The customer service representative explains that the return policy for their franchise is that there are no exchanges, just refunds. This meant that I had to reorder the jacket (without any sort of discount) and wait for this one to arrive. Strike 3. You can only imagine how frustrated I have been with this company. I believe that this was poor customer service. How can there not be more customers complaining to this multi-million dollar corporation? There was clearly no sort of customer relationship being built, but instead rethought on my end. This is also a classic example of production orientation. Even though it was not necessarily the production manager's fault, but rather the company policy.

In my opinion, customer service will never go out of style. Building strong customer relationships will then build repeat customers. And repeat customers means referrals. If a business markets incredible customer service, like L.L. Bean does, the customer remembers this and wants to purchase many of their products from there regardless of price. It seems like common knowledge to the marketer in me.