April 16, 2018

Overstock (Chapter 2)

Overstock.com is a successful online retailer that has developed a unique reputation through a carefully orchestrated branding campaign. Recently, the retailer has embarked on a new campaign to change its image.

Resources:

Discussion Questions:

  1. Before watching any ads or accessing any of the resources above, what is your image of Overstock.com? What does the name convey?
  2. Watch the first two television ads. At its founding, Overstock.did sell overstocked merchandise. But, now the company has expanded its product offering. How successful do you think Overstock has been in changing its image from an online retailer that sells overstocked merchandise to a retailer that sells every type of household furnishings?
  3. Would it be easier for the retailer to change its name, than its image? Why or why not?
  4. Watch the third television ad “Apparel” that was produced 5 years ago. What image does this ad portray and how is it different than the first two ads you watched?
  5. Examine the retailer’s website. What image is conveyed? Is is consistent with the three television ads? Why or why not?
  6. Examine Overstock’s Pinterest and Twitter pages. What image does each convey? Is it consistent with the website and TV ads? Why or why not?

Posted by on April 16, 2018 in Chapter 02 and tagged , .

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April 15, 2018

IHOP (Chapter 2)

The International House of Pancakes, or IHOP, is a well-known brand. Managing that brand for success required careful planning and marketing strategies.

Resources:

Discussion Questions:

  1. Watch the three television ads. Compare the first two ads to the last one. What image do each of the ads convey about IHOP?
  2. Brand names are important. Does it impact this company using the name IHOP rather than International House of Pancakes? Explain.
  3. Access IHOP’s website, Twitter page, and Instagram pages. Describe the image of IHOP each conveys.
  4. If you were in responsible for measuring IHOP’s brand equity, which of the four methods would you choose? Justify your choice.
  5. Identify the components of building a powerful brand. Evaluate IHOP in terms of being a powerful brand.

Posted by on April 15, 2018 in Chapter 02 and tagged , .

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April 9, 2018

Hollister (Chapter 3)

Panera Bread has become a well-known restaurant that provides quality food and service. Access the following resources then answer the questions below.

Resources:

Discussion Questions:

  1. After watching the television ads, discuss each component of attitude formation and how the ads approach each. Which attitude component sequence is most dominant? Explain why.
  2. Look at the consumer values listed in the chapter. Which consumer values do you see promoted in the television ads? Explain.
  3. In selecting clothes, which of the three evaluation alternatives is used most frequently by consumers? Explain how Hollister approaches the evaluation of alternatives in its television ads as well as the YouTube channel.
  4. What information and videos are onHollister’s YouTube channel? Discuss why you believe Hollister placed these items on the YouTube channel.
  5. Examine Hollister’s website, Facebook page, Pinterest page and Twitter page. What common elements do you see? What differences do you see? How well does Hollister integrate these digital sources with its YouTube channel and television ads? Explain.
  6. Examine the consumer buyer behavior trends presented in the chapter. Which trends does Hollister seem to utilize in its marketing communications? Explain with specific examples from their resources listed.

Posted by on April 9, 2018 in Chapter 03 and tagged .

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April 9, 2018

Panera Bread (Chapter 3)

Panera Bread has become a well-known restaurant that provides quality food and service. Access the following resources then answer the questions below.

Resources:

Discussion Questions:

  1. After watching the television ads, discuss each component of attitude formation and how the ads approach each. Which attitude component sequence is most dominant? Explain why.
  2. Look at the consumer values listed in the chapter. Which consumer values do you see promoted in the television ads? Explain.
  3. In selecting a restaurant, which of the three evaluation alternatives is used most frequently by consumers? Explain how Panera Bread approaches the evaluation of alternatives in its television ads as well as the YouTube channel.
  4. What information and videos are on Panera Bread’s YouTube channel? Discuss why you believe Panera Bread places these items on the YouTube channel.
  5. Examine Panera Bread’s website, Facebook page, Pinterest page and Twitter page. What common elements do you see? What differences do you see? How well does Panera Bread integrate these digital sources with its YouTube channel and television ads? Explain.
  6. Examine the consumer buyer behavior trends presented in the chapter. Which trends does Panera Bread seem to utilize in its marketing communications? Explain with specific examples from their resources listed.

Posted by on April 9, 2018 in Chapter 03 and tagged .

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April 6, 2018

Gender Neutral Toys (Chapter 3)

When considering toys for children, most people have specific toys for boys and others for girls. This article from Ad Age discusses gender-neutral toys and how adults automatically stereotype children’s toys. This BBC documentary shows an experiment with adults and toys they picked for children based on what they thought was the child’s gender.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Before reading the article and watching the video, did you personally stereotype children’s toys? Explain.
  2. Do you believe toys should be gender-neutral? Why or why not?
  3. Look through the consumer behavior trends discussed in Chapter 3 of the textbook. Should gender-neutral towards children be added to the list or is really part of one of the trends highlighted? Explain why.

Posted by on April 6, 2018 in Chapter 03 and tagged , .

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November 1, 2017

Millennials and TV (Chapter 7)

I found this article in Adweek about Millennials and TV viewing fascinating. The pdf report from VAB is even more interesting. Before reading this article or accessing the VAB report, ask students to discuss their television viewing habits in comparison to YouTube and other social media platforms.

Posted by on November 1, 2017 in Chapter 07 and tagged , .

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November 1, 2017

Abercrombie & Fitch (Chapter 4)

The Richards Group created a new campaign entitled “This is the Time” for Abercrombie & Fitch. The campaign’s goal is to tap into the changing lives of the retailer’s core customer, consumers 21 to 24.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree with the basic premise that the lives of consumers in the 21-24 age group are changing? Why or why not?
  2. How effective do you think this campaign is in tapping into this target market? Explain.
  3. In the past, Abercrobmie & Fitch used a sexual appeal approach. Do you think this new campaign strategy is better approach for this target market? Why or why not?

Posted by on November 1, 2017 in Chapter 04, Uncategorized.

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October 11, 2017

Dove’s Apology (Chapter 14)

Dove apologies for a racially insensitive advertisement on Facebook. I believe this could lead to a great discussion of ethics for Chapter 14, but also the impact of social media for Chapter 9.

NBC Article

Discussion Questions:

  1. After viewing the ad, do you believe it is racially insensitive? Why or why not?
  2. Do believe Dove’s apology is adequate? Why or why not?
  3. Some question how Dove could even allow this ad to appear on Facebook. Do you agree or disagree that Dove may lack proper supervision of its social media involvement?

Posted by on October 11, 2017 in Chapter 09, Chapter 14 and tagged , .

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September 20, 2017

Advertising to Kids (Chapter 14)

Experts estimate that digital advertising to kids will reach $1.2 billion in 2019, which will be 28% of the total spent on advertising to children. This should create an interesting discussion in your class for Chapter 14.

Discussion Questions:

  1. After reading the article, what are your thoughts about the growth in digital advertising to children?
  2. Do you feel there needs to be stricter regulations in advertising to children, or less? Why?
  3. What are the major concerns in your mind about brands advertising to kids?
  4. What are the benefits to brands in advertising to kids?

Posted by on September 20, 2017 in Chapter 14 and tagged .

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September 15, 2017

Mentos Brand Ambassador (Chapter 10)

Mentos offered Sam Jeschke a unique opportunity as a brand ambassador. When he signed up, he had no idea he would be asked to give away 43,000 packs of gum!

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts about this brand ambassador program by Mentos?
  2. Do you believe using brand ambassadors is an effective way of marketing for brands? Why or why not?
  3. Would you be willing to be a brand ambassador? Why or why not?

Posted by on September 15, 2017 in Chapter 10 and tagged , .

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