IPhone 4G Fiasco

Apple is notorious for releasing generations of their products. Typically the lifetime for an Apple product is a less than a year before the next generation of the product is released. In this case, the IPhone 3GS is the current generation of the IPhone and the 4G is the next generation that has yet to be released. The controversy that I'm writing about is the unintentional release of the IPhone 4G. Last month an employee for Apple left an unreleased IPhone 4G disguised as an IPhone 3GS in a bar in downtown New York. The "lost" IPhone got into the hands of an editor for the online site Gizmodo who ran a full length article on the new features of the IPhone 4G. It is up for debate whether or not Apple purposely left the IPhone in public as a means of marketing and increasing excitement for the new product or if it was actually a very large mistake on the part of the employee. Do you think that Apple purposely left the IPhone in public as a means of marketing? If so, do you think it was a smart marketing plan? Will it work?

Ken Block puts his race car sideways

Ken Block is a race car driver who is generously sponsored by DC Shoes. Some gear heads and rally racing fans may have known about Ken Block prior to 2009, but after a series of youtube videos like this one were released Ken Block's popularity sky rocketed. DC Shoes and Subaru Racing are Ken Blocks main sponsors, and in a collaboration they have produced this series of videos in which Ken Block performs some extremely impressive driving skills in his Subaru covered in DC Shoes stickers. I think this was a brilliant marketing campaign because the videos have become popular amongst not only car buffs but many other people on the internet as well. Youtube is a great way to market your product and this is a perfect example. Which products do you think make the best use of youtube marketing?

Fair Trade Advertising

In the global economy that we live in, there are alot of unethical techniques that are used as tools for profit maximization. Some of these unethical techniques include child labor, mistreatment of workers, and lack of human rights to name a few. Many of the products we use on a daily basis are produced by companies that knowingly practice these unethical techniques. "Fair Trade" products are produced without using these unethical techniques. The problem is that some companies in particular will go so far as to market themselves as "Fair Trade" but not actually go forth with the practices. Nestle for example, has over 9,000 different products that they produce, Kit Kat bars are the only product that they produce under fair trade practices. It is important as a consumer to make sure that you are not being mislead by false marketing. Do you think it is worth paying the extra money it costs on the retail end to support fair trade practices?

Tv Show starts at 9:28????

I was watching TV the other day and saw an advertisement for this show. I've never watched the show before, but something very interesting about the ad caught my attention. Instead of the show starting at 9:30pm like any normal show at this time slot would, the show was advertised as starting at 9:28pm. The voice in the TV even made a remark about it saying, "Yes, thats right 9:28!" At first I was confused after hearing this, but as soon as the commercial ended I realized that this was once of the more brilliant advertising ideas I'd ever seen. If the network's intentions are what I think they are, the reason they did this was to distinguish the show from any other. There are hundreds of shows that start at 9:30 each night and for a viewer it can be difficult to distinguish and remember what show they wanted to watch. Starting a show at 9:28 clearly separates it from any other show, and makes it very easy to remember. Do you think this idea was as brilliant as I do? Do you think it will actually help viewers to remember what time the show is on? Do you have any other ideas for how to get viewers to watch your show?

Craigslist: Marketing for Dummies

Many people are familiar with Craigslist, a commonly used website for people to post classified ads for free. Putting up an ad for an item on the internet may seem like it only requires a simple description, however if you really want to maximize your responses and get the most money for your item, it may entail a little more effort. Using Craigslist requires a level of trust from a buyer, being that they are making a transaction with a seller that they know little to nothing about. Being that this is the case, it is in a sellers best interest to try to eliminate as much uncertainty from the transaction as possible. PIctures are always a great way to ensure the buyers that the item is what you say it is. If there are any flaws in the item you are selling, it is important to accentuate them in the pictures and be honest. Even if there is something you are trying to hide, you can show other, smaller flaws to gain the buyers trust. Detailed and accurate descriptions of items are crucial as well, customers are scared of that which they do not understand, so make them understand. There are many subtle things that sellers can do to increase the their chances of selling their item for a good price and these are just a few. Do you have any personal favorite techniques for selling items on craigslist/ebay? Do you think that big companies use similar or different techniques to sell their products?

Make up your Mind: Eliminating Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is something that is usually present in every consumer's mind. It is the job of the product's manufacturer to do their best job to eliminate as much of that dissonance as possible to increase the potential customer's likelihood of purchasing the item. All companies use different methods to eliminate as much cognitive dissonance as possible but I think there are certain tactics that work better than others. I think that the main goal for a manufacturer should be to prove to the customer that their product is really something that is worth the money that they are going to spend on it. To me, there are a few things that customers value when searching for a product; price, durability (how long will it last?), and usefulness amongst others. I think that it is important for manufacturers to focus on these categories when advertising to make customers really feel good about purchasing the product. What do you think are the most important things manufacturers should focus on when advertising? What do you think are the best ways a company can eliminate cognitive dissonance in its potential customers?

Ferrari Red Becomes Ferrari Green?

When you think Ferrari the first color that comes to mind is naturally Corsa Roso, or red. However, in a recent effort Ferrari has made a push towards a greener attitude in an attempt to be more environmentally friendly. When I first caught wind of Ferrari's plans to adopt a greener outlook I saw it as a huge oxymoron, a company that produces some of the worlds fastest gas chuggers wants to limit its emissions. However, as I looked more deeply into the endeavor it began to make a little more sense. The heart of Ferrari's green movement does not lie within their vehicles, it lies within their operations. Ferrari's plant in Maranello, Italy utilizes some of the most cutting age "green" technology including a photovoltaic roof, and a trigeneration plant for electricity, hot, and cold water. This is an interesting move for Ferrari, as far as marketing is concerned it seems unnecessary. Ferrari's customers are a very particular type of people and I cannot imagine that Ferrari is trying to branch out to the environmentally friendly population, most of whom would have great difficulty affording one of Ferrari's speed machines. This leads me to believe that Ferrari is actually going green simply for the benefit of our planet and I find that very admirable. Do you think that Ferrari has alternative reasons for going green? Does Ferrari's new outlook change your perspective of them as a company? How long do you think it may take until going green becomes the standard in the business world?