May 23, 2014

Making Brands Human (Chapter 2)

Making brands more human has become a recent trend in marketing according to an article in Advertising Age. Ad seek to convey the message that the company listens to customers and treats them as humans. This advertisement for Jet Blue illustrates this concept.

Discussion Questions:

  • Does this Jet Blue ad convey the message “we treat you as a human?” Why or why not?
  • When thinking of brands and companies you patronize, which one conveys the most “humanistic” characteristics? Explain why.
  • What strategies does a brand or company need to use to make it “human?”
  • Is it even important to create a “human” image? Why or why not?

Posted by on May 23, 2014 in Chapter 02 and tagged , , .

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May 23, 2014

Best Global Brands (Chapter 2)

Interbrand released the 100 Best Global Brands. Here is a New York Times article about the listing. You may also want to access Interbrand’s Best Global Brands webpage directly.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Ask students to write down who they think are the top five global brands. You can then show the list and they can then identify the position of each of the brands they picked. The lowest score wins!
  • Write on the board or in a PowerPoint the top 10 brands in random order. Ask students to rank them from first to tenth. Winner is the student who gets the most right.

You may want to offer a simple prize, a candy bar or a gift card to Starbucks to the winning student. This can also be done as teams.

Posted by on May 23, 2014 in Chapter 02 and tagged , , .

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May 23, 2014

Is Dunkin Donut Ad Racist? (Chapters 1, 14)

WPTV News reported an advertisement for Dunkin Donuts of a woman with a black face and bright pink lips appeared in Thailand. Human rights groups blasted Dunkin Donuts for the ad. The head of the chain’s Thai operations dismissed the criticism as “paranoid American thinking.” This would be a great article to discuss with either Chapters 1 or 14.Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion, is the ad racist? Why or why not?
  2. Should an American brand be responsible for all advertising that appears in every country in which it operates?
  3. If people in Thailand are not offended, should Dunkin Donuts react to American concerns? Why or why not?
  4. Dunkin Donuts apologized for the ad, but should they have done so? Why or why not?
  5. Is this ad example of stereotyping? Why or why  not?

Posted by on May 23, 2014 in Chapter 01, Chapter 14 and tagged , , , .

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May 23, 2014

YouTube Videos (Chapter 1)

Here are some good videos that you may want to use for Chapter 1. I have personally found that using these types of videos can hold student interest and be a spring board for a discussion.

  • Integrated Marketing: More like hockey than football – This is a good video using animation. It will help students understand the history of marketing and how integrated marketing originated. (4:26)
  • What is a Brand? – Good video to explain what a brand is and why brands are important. It can be used to initiate a discussion of the importance of marketing and advertising. (4:22)

Posted by on May 23, 2014 in Chapter 01 and tagged , , , .

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May 12, 2014

Consumer Promotions (Chapter 12)

Consumer promotions, such as coupons, premiums, contests, and sweepstakes, are used frequently in the food industry. For this blog, assume you are the marketing manager for a small chain of 15 pizza restaurants in your area.

Resources:

Discussion Questions and Exercises:

  1. Summarize the points made in the first video. What are the advantages of using the brand Upside? What are the disadvantages? Outline how you could use this with your pizza restaurants.
  2. Watch the second video. What are the advantages of using mobile coupons? What would be the disadvantages? Explain how you could use mobile coupons for your pizza restaurant chain.
  3. How could you use Pongr to create a sweepstake for your pizza restaurants? Be specific. In what other industries could Pongr be used? Justify your answer.
  4. Watch the fourth video.Outline how you could use Facebook and Twitter for a sweepstakes for your pizza restaurants. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using social media instead of traditional media for a sweepstakes?
  5. Watch the last video. Describe the five effective promotions presented in the video. Why were these premiums successful? Describe how you could use premiums to boost business for your pizza restaurants. Be specific.
  6. What are the disadvantages of using sales promotions for your pizza restaurant? Be specific.

Posted by on May 12, 2014 in Chapter 12 and tagged , , , , .

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May 12, 2014

Brookshire’s (Chapter 12)

Sales promotions are prominent for grocery stores, such as Brookshire’s. Most promotions will be from manufacturers, but some will be from the grocery store.

Resources:

Discussion Questions and Exercises:

  1. Examine Brookshire’s website. Identify the types of promotion featured on the website. What types of consumers are these designed to reach? Explain.
  2. Examine Brookshire’s Facebook and Twitter pages. What promotions do you see? How well integrated are these pages with the brand’s website? Provide specifics.
  3. Examine Brookshire’s pinterest page. What information does Brookshire’s post on the account? Why is this information posted? Why would Brookshire’s even have a pinterest page? Explain.
  4. Examine Brookshire’s YouTube channel. What information is posted? Why has this information been posted? How is the YouTube channel integrated with the other resources you have examined? Explain.
  5. Examine Brookshire’s Google+ page. What information is posted? Why is this information posted?
  6. Locate the websites of two other grocery stores in your area. Compare each of these websites to Brookshire’s. What similarities do you see? What differences to you see?
  7. How important are sales promotions to grocery stores? Explain.
  8. Which is better for grocery stores, the store’s own promotions or manufacturers’ promotions? Justify your answer.

Posted by on May 12, 2014 in Chapter 12 and tagged , , .

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May 12, 2014

Papa John’s (Chapter 12)

Chapter 12 examines the use of consumer and trade promotions within an integrated marketing campaign. The pizza industry, including Papa John’s, often use consumer promotions to encourage purchases.

Resources for Papa John’s:

Discussion Questions and Exercises:

  1. Examine Papa John’s website. What consumer promotions do you see? Do you believe these are good promotions for consumers like yourself? Why or why  not?
  2. Are consumer promotions offered on Facebook and Twitter? If so, describe them? If not, why do you think promotions are not offered?
  3. How well is Facebook and Twitter integrated with the content of the website? Be specific.
  4. Examine Papa John’s blog. What information is provided on the blog? Who do you think is the target market for this blog? Would this blog be a good place to place consumer promotions? Why or why not?
  5. Papa John’s has a page on Followgram. What information is on the page? Are there any promotions offered? If so, how do they fit with the brand’s website? If promotions are not offered, would this be a good place to offer consumer promotions? Why or why not?
  6. Look at Papa John’s YouTube channel. What information is offered on the channel? How well is the YouTube channel integrated with the other resources you have examined? Be specific.

Posted by on May 12, 2014 in Chapter 12 and tagged , , , , .

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May 12, 2014

Selling (Chapter 11)

For business-to-business products, personal selling is an important component of the integrated marketing campaign. For this exercise, assume you are a salesperson for a restaurant supply business. Your company sells restaurant furniture, cooking equipment, and supplies to restaurants.

Resources:

Discussion Questions and Exercises:

  1. Why is relationship selling important? Watch the first video. Identify each step in the selling process and relate it to your sales assignment (selling restaurant furniture, equipment, and supplies). Explain why it is important.
  2. Watch the second video. What are the most common objections? How would you handle these objections in the restaurant supply business?
  3. Watch the third video. Identify the sales techniques discussed in the video. Apply each technique in terms of selling equipment, furniture, and supplies to restaurants.
  4. From the fourth video, what are the five reasons restaurants will not buy from you. How would you handle each of these situations?
  5. From the “Psychology of Selling” video, what role do emotions play in business buying decisions? How would this relate to your task of selling to restaurants?
  6. The last video is a humorous door-to-door salesperson. As you watch the video, make a list of traits of successful people as it relates to b-to-b sales, and in your case, selling to restaurants.

Posted by on May 12, 2014 in Chapter 11 and tagged , , .

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May 12, 2014

Direct Response Marketing (Chapter 11)

For this exercise, assume you are the marketing manager for a chain of 8 clothing boutiques that targets 18-30 year old females with current fashion trends. The stores are located in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas.

Resources:

Questions and Activities:

  1. Watch each of the videos taking notes as you watch. Identify points made in the videos about direct response marketing. Discuss how the information in each video would apply to direct response marketing for the clothing boutique.
  2. Review the list of methods of direct marketing presented in the textbook. Prioritize the list of methods for the clothing boutique from highest priority to lowest providing justification for your ranking.
  3. Design a direct mail piece that will be sent to females in the 18-30 age group. Be sure to follow the tips presented in the videos. Did you use urgency or scarcity? Why?
  4. Design an e-mail direct response to be sent to females in the 18-30 age group.

Posted by on May 12, 2014 in Chapter 11 and tagged , .

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May 12, 2014

Database Marketing (Chapter 11)

Database marketing has become an important component of many integrated marketing campaigns. For this exercise, assume you are the marketing manager for Desert Sun Tanning. Access the company’s website then answer the following questions after viewing each video.

Resources:

Discussion Questions and Exercises:

  1. Watch the video “Four Fundamentals of Database Marketing.” What are the four fundamentals? Discuss how these apply to Desert Sun Tanning.
  2. Watch the video “10 Database Marketing Tips.” Identify these 10 tips. For each, explain how it can be used by Desert Sun Tanning in its database marketing program.
  3. Watch the video “Geocoding.” How can geocoding be used by Desert Sun Tanning? Be specific.
  4. Watch the video “RFM Analysis.” Explain how RFM analysis can be used by Desert Sun Tanning. Be specific.
  5. Watch the video “Pirq Loyalty Programs.” Outline a loyalty program for Desert Sun Tanning. Explain how customers will be enrolled and how they will be maintained through the program.

Posted by on May 12, 2014 in Chapter 11 and tagged , , , .

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