Store Ambience

Before a person walks into a store, they have their pre-conceived notions about that store. When I walk into a store, the first thing I usually notice is whether or not there is music playing, what the light setting is, and whether or not there are sales people at the front of the store. The store that I chose to write about is Hollister. When a person walks towards  Hollister, they can immediately tell that it is a relaxed clothing style store geared towards teenagers. While walking into the store, many times the consumer will be nicely greeted by the sales associate, welcoming them to the store, asking them if they need help finding something and the days sales that are going on, if any. I sometimes think it is annoying to always be followed and closely watched by the sales associates. They are always way to close and try too hard sometimes to sell you something, while you are just there to browse the store, in a relaxed manner. Other than that, it is a nice store, the sales associates are nice, and usually seem to enjoy their job, whether that is the case or not, I don't know. 

Exam #3 Review Questions

Chapter 8 Review Questions:

1. GRP stands for:

 a) Gross Representing Percentage

 b) Gross Resting Points

 c) Grades Represent Productivity

 d) Gross Real Points

 Answer: b

2. What is the number one way to reach elite consumers in Europe:

 a) Television

 b) Newspapers

 c) Magazines

 d) Radio

 Answer: C

Chapter 9 Review Question

1. MECCAS stands for:

 a) Means-Ends Conceptualization of Components for Advertising Strategy

 b) Men-Earn Certain Components for Americas System

 c) Means-Ends Creativity Cycle for Advertising Strategy

 d) Means- Ends Creativity of Components for Advertising Strategy

 Answer: A

Chapter 10 Review Question

1. Affective message strategies:

 a) Invoke feelings and emotions and match them with the product, service or company

 b) Attempts to connect a product with a consumers experience

 c) Attempts to elicit powerful emotions that eventually lead to product recall and choice

Answer: A

Video Question:

1. How did Song develop their brand identity?

a)Look at the competition

b) learn from their mistakes

c)lost of optimism and openness

d)come up with something original

Answer: A

The Persuaders

The ideas portrayed in “The Persuaders” are that today’s consumers are experiencing marketing and advertisements on a whole entire new level as what it were a decade ago. Many advertisers now have to go in to the psyche of the consumer and focus on what is mentioned as “the reptilian brain.” The famous marketing guru, Clotaire Rapaille, coined the term “reptilian brain”. He believes that “the first time you understand, you imprint the meaning of this word; you create a mental connection that you're going to keep using the rest of your life. And to create this mental connection, you need some emotions. Without emotion, there is no production of neurotransmitters in the brain, and you don't create the connection. So actually every word has a mental highway. I call that a code, an unconscious code in the brain. ...” With this said, marketers now have a new way of looking at their future marketing campaigns, with the idea that imprinting words with a mental connection will come to consumers thoughts when come in contact with the word or emotion. 

Some common elements in the persuasion/selling points of advertising and marketing, is to appeal to the consumer. This can be done in many ways. For instance, many companies will gather demographic information from research companies, they will also gather "ethnographic and psychographic information, which will then give companies the advantage of knowing what to market where and to whom." 

Where are we headed? That is a question many want answered. What our future beholds can change at an instant.  Many marketers are now figuring out whether using different language can actually make a difference in the consumers’ attitude towards a product. Propaganda is also becoming a big phenomenon in the advertisers eyes.  Instead of making commercials, advertisers will now include their name into a program, something like brand placement.

As I have seen this documentary, and have been a long time consumer my self, I believe that marketing will always have issues. Like as many people say, “nothing is perfect.” What the advertising world is trying to do, is to appeal to everyone’s needs and desires, in which they can sell the most products for the least amount of money, which then, will make them the most money. 

Questions for Exam #2

1. Which type of brand/ing is considered "the placement of one brand within another brand?"

a)Flanker Brand

b)Complementary Branding

c)Ingredient Branding

d)Co-Branding

Answer: C- Ingredient Branding

2. What is the correct consumer decision-making process?

a)problem recognition->information search->evaluation of alternatives->

purchase decision ->post purchase evaluation.

b)evaluation of alternatives->information search->problem recognition->

purchase decision->post purchase evaluation.

c)information search->problem recognition->evaluation of alternatives->

purchase decision->post purchase decision.

d)problem recognition -> evaluations of alternatives-> information search->

purchase decision->post purchase decision.

answer: A

3. The five roles of the buying center are: users, buyers, influencers, deciders and gatekeepers. Of these, which one controls the flow of information to members of the buying center?

a)Users d)Deciders

b)Buyers e) Gatekeepers

c) Influencers

Answer: e- Gatekeepers

4. Define continuous campaign schedule of advertising.

a) Combining advertisements with other marketing efforts into larger more integrated effort revolving around a central idea or theme.

b) Continuous advertising with bursts of higher intensity during the course of the year, 

most notably  during peak seasons.

c) A schedule in which companies present ads only during specific times and not at all during off seasons.

d) When the company advertises in level amounts because product purchases are essentially "random" events. 

Answer: D

Responsibility Always Wins

Through out the last couple of weeks, we have worked on our projects. We have been trying to raise awareness about the effects of binge drinking on college campuses. Everyone knows that college students will drink, all we have been trying to do, is raise awareness of the negative effects of binge drinking. 

As our group we tried to do this by asking students on campus what their most embarrassing moment was while being under the influence of alcohol. We then gave them a statistic about binge drinking/the negative effects of binge drinking. After that we gave them a helium filled balloon and asked them to pledge to always be R.A.W.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RwuZki6Ct0

Since then, our campus has had a mock pass-out in front of Lawson. It didn't have the greatest turn out, but it definitely turned some heads. The AAF RSO was there to witness this event as well. I have now taken this survey that they have constructed about binge drinking. I hope more people will realize the negative effects of binge drinking, and become more responsible about drinking. 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cGdpM3ZvRmRndGdIOTBQZUVmN3gyZHc6MA..

Mock Pass Out

On friday, our class witnessed and participated in a mock pass-out. The pass-out was an end to a week of awareness of binge drinking and R.A.W. (Responsibility always wins). I definitely believe that it was an effective exercise. I was amazed by the little lecture that Chris from the wellness center gave, about binge drinking and its effects on a person and their close friends. I don't know if there is really anything to change. I liked everything. Activities like this definitely help raise awareness about binge drinking and its effects on people. 

Blog Post #4

I went to visit Group H on Thursday February 12, 2009. Their message and idea was to give out empty beer cans with a piece of paper in it. On that piece of paper were different kinds of facts. Whenever they would give someone a beer can they would take a picture and/or a video of that person and they would say: “go R.A.W.!!” One of the things that they could have done better is to talk to people, rather than just handing out stuff, like they did. It would give the student a bit more information and less confusing about what the group is doing. In general I believe that activities like these could in the end be somewhat effective. Giving students reasons why responsible drinking should be considered instead of saying, stop drinking all together, is I think a better way of communicating that alcohol can definitely have some negative effects. However, if handled responsibly, it can be okay.

Ps: After our Mock meeting tomorrow I will have my other post up.

Exam Questions

1) What is communication not defined as?

a: Transmitting

b: Receiving

c: Processing information

d: Transfer

2)Which act prohibits false and misleading advertising?

a: Free advertising act

b: Puffery act

c: Lanham act

d: Federal Trade Commission act

3) _________ are the things companies do to support overall promotional strategies.

a: Tactics

b: Demographics

c: Objective and Task method

d: The "what can we afford" method

Brandtags

Looking through all the stuff that I have in my room, I can pin point a couple of objects that I have put in some thought in why I should and did purchase it.
The object that I chose, is a Macbook, sold by Apple Inc. The five things that instantly come to mind when thinking of Apple are: 1. simplicity, 2. sleekness, 3. modern, 4. lightweight, 5. expensive. My existing perception of this brand, came to me by the commercials I have seen on television, or saw in a magazine ad. Or by the word of mouth from my friends. When looking on Brandtags.net, the top ten things that we said about Apple were: 1. Amazing, 2. Alternative, 3. Annoying, 4. Computer, 5. Arrogant, 6. Artsy, 7. Best, 8. Awesome, 9. Beauty, 10. Brilliant. After seeing all these tags that were said about the Apple brand, I can definitely agree with most of them. I used to not believe that Apples were that good, but now that I have been using them, and own one of my own, I have changed my beliefs and think that Apples are definitely a better quality computer than regular PC's.

Homework #2 Mac vs. PC (Windows Vista)

I like this advertisement a lot, because it has some well thought humor in it. This would definitely give me a reason to buy a Mac rather than a PC. The reason why it catches my attention are the funny comments that are made about each others product. While knowing that its an Apple commercial for Mac's, its funny to watch the competition that the PC world has created with the Apple world. This ad has indeed given me the more reason to purchase this product. The ironic thing is, I even own a Mac now. I definitely think that this is an effective ad. The whole Mac vs PC commercials are all very brilliantly put together and well thought out. And have given many customers more reasons why Macs are better than PC's.  

Goals for this semester

This is my fourth semester here at SIUC. As I have been learned my way through some tough times at school and the easier times, I have learned a lot about my self, and the ways that best work for me, school wise. This semester my goals are, to study my hardest and do the best of my abilities. I want to get the best grades I can possibly get, and if that means studying, staying up late, or missing out on some fun things, I am willing to do that. I enjoy being successful, as do most people. I am looking forward to a fun and wholesome spring 2009 semester!