Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

Since I was born between 1977 and 2000 I am considered a millennial. According to the book, Introduction to Maketing, millennials make up a huge percentage of the market with a total purchasing power of more than $733 billion. Millennials are believed to be tech savvy. I would have to agree with this. We are growing up in a world where technology is advancing faster than ever and we all want to be “in the now”. We want to have the newest iPhone, gaming system, and etc. We also are the first generation that has grown up with technology whether it is cellphones, computers, satellite TV, or even social media.

“All generations are comfortable with technology, but this is the generation that’s been formed by technology,” says a Yahoo! executive. For them, “it’s not something separate. It’s just something they do” (Introduction to Marketing, pg. 73). Since we have grown up with technology we have been formed by it. I know for a fact that a majority of people in this generation check their phone on a daily basis. Whenever I wake up in the morning the first thing I have to do is check my phone for texts, calls, or emails then I check all my social media accounts which include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. I feel like if I don’t check my phone all the time I will miss something important. I think part of this has to do with the fact that companies know we are always around technology so they market everything on these apps. “Millennials are bombarded with marketing messages coming at them from all directions” (Introduction to Marketing, pg. 73).

Overall, I would have to say that I agree with the book. The millennial generation revolves around technology and is being influenced by it on a daily basis.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

Faucet Face is an organization that sells glass bottles and gives back to the community. People may ask why are they selling glass bottles?  On their website they show comparisons between plastic and glass bottles. Glass bottles have a BPA free cap, are reusable so that you save money ($334/year on average), and don’t leach chemicals. When you are using a plastic bottle you are hurting the environment. “As a nation we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. And the bottles that don't reach the landfill often find their way down storm drains which lead directy to the ocean” (http://faucetface.com/pages/why-glass). Plastic bottles fill up landfills and they also leach chemicals. At Faucet Face they have a program called 1 for 100. “Through its 1 for 100 program, Faucet Face donates 2.5% of ALL sales of hose water, tap is terrific and hummingbird feeder glass water bottles, PLUS, a complete filter for each sale of 5 or more individual bottles to the clean drinking water charity Third Millennium Awakening (TMA)” (http://faucetface.com/pages/1-for-100). With these filters that they donate, 90 to 95 percent of the impurities in the water are eliminated. “A BioSand water filter is a simple concrete container. It houses several layers of sand which trap and eliminate sediments, pathogens and other impurities from the water” (http://faucetface.com/pages/1-for-100). There is much more that happens from these filters than just clean water though. On Faucet Face’s website they have different quotes from people who have received filters from them and they mention how now they don’t have to worry about waterborne diseases. Before Faucet Face these people in the Than district in Maharashtra, India would have to bathe in and drink the contaminated river water and since they live in such a remote area it’s impractical for the government to install plumbing into their homes. Thanks to Faucet Face they are now able to live with something that most of us take advantage of which is clean water.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

The video game industry is continuing to grow on a daily basis. Companies are continuously upgrading their consoles in order to enhance the technology and the gamer's experience. "…this prolific industry is rapidly embracing big data technologies, the industry is expected to make waves in novel methods of customer engagement, optimized and targeted advertising, and enhance the end-user experience”(https://www.experfy.com/blog/big-data-transformation-gaming-industry/). There are a variety of gaming consoles that consumers choose from. These include PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC. 

In order to look at all of the strengths and weaknesses of these consoles we can perform a BCG analysis. “The BCG matrix was developed by Boston Consulting Group for the management of various business units…[it] is an effective management tool and offers a good framework for resource allocation” (http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-bcg/). With this, we can divide them into four categories: star, question mark, cash cow, and dog. We look at a companies share and growth and then classify which By doing a BCG analysis we can look at how each of these brands compare to each other and what are their weakest and strongest points.

For the video game industry, the star would be iPhone games. These are the products with high-share and high-growth. "Many console and PC game sales are also being cannibalized by digitally downloaded games and alternative entertainment sources like Apple Inc.'s iPhone, which offers thousands of games that can cost only 99 cents or even nothing at all" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124865158612682399.html). The question marks are virtual reality and TV games Nintendo, which is high growth rate and low market share. The cash cows are PlayStation and Xbox, which is high-share and low-growth. And the dog is Wii which is low-share and low-growth.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

Working in the fashion world has always been a dream of mine. Fashion allows people to express themselves to others; what a person wears helps them show not only a person’s creativity but also one’s personality.  All facets of the fashion industry excite me; however I am more focused on the business side, fashion merchandising and marketing, rather than fashion design. The business side of fashion industry has many choices for a career.  One can become a fashion buyer, visual merchandiser, or even a boutique owner. I am currently a college student fulfilling my dreams. I am pursuing my Bachelor of Science degree in fashion and retail management at Art Institute of Las Vegas.  After attending college for a year and a half, I have learned to love marketing. I find it intriguing how marketing is not only about presenting and promoting a product in a certain way but it also includes the research of consumers and how they are influenced. Since realizing that this is my passion and my focus, it is hard for me to not see an ad or marketing campaign and analyze it. When I graduate, I would like to work for a company where I can share my ideas, passion and creativity with people around me.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Experience

Customers always want to experience great service when they are shopping. "Customer relationships and value are especially important in today’s tough economic times, when more frugal consumers are cutting back and spending more carefully (Marketing: An Introduction, 4). There are three stores that come to my mind when I think of great customer service. The first is Petco. After getting a new puppy, I needed to get supplies. An employee asked me if I had received a puppy pamphlet. I told her I hadn't and she handed me one. We looked through all the coupons together and after matching them with the items, I noticed that nothing the coupons were valid for fit my dog. The employee asked if I had time to spare and I said yes. She went to speak with her manager and soon enough the employee came back and informed me that they were going to apply the coupons anyway. I was so thankful because not only did it save me money but also showed that they are willing to go the extra mile for their customers.

Anthropologie is another company that goes the extra mile for their customers. If they do not have something that you want they will order it for you with no cost for shipping. They provide snacks and beverages for their customers so that they can have a relaxed experience. The employees are extremely kind and caring and seem happy.

The third place I experienced good customer service was Good Year Tire Service. Having no experience with cars and being a girl, a lot of times mechanics will tell you to fix more than you need but at Good Year they show me what’s wrong and explain in detail why it needs to be fixed. They don’t mind taking the extra time explaining things to me, which makes me feel like an important customer.