Response to Kathleen Johnson's Post...

I believe that John Smith should sell off the names of the people that are interested in buying the cars. If he doesn’t want to file for bankruptcy and not lay off the breadwinners of the families of his employees. Selling the names would probably be in everyone’s best interest. John Smith isn’t selling the whole idea he is just selling some potential customers so he can get back on track and not have to lay off any of his employees. But if you read the AMA Statement of Ethics, John Smith needs to take responsibility and deal with his actions. He needs to have respect for both his employees and the customers. I don’t think it would be very ethical to give out the names and numbers of customers, that a company wants to buy. John Smith need to remember that confidentiality is an important aspect for companies; if customers don’t trust you they aren’t going to buy from you and could tell friends/families not to buy from you.  Here are some of the rules I believe apply to this case:

·  Do no harm. This means consciously avoiding harmful actions or omissions by embodying high ethical standards and adhering to all applicable laws and regulations in the choices we make.

·  Foster trust in the marketing system. This means striving for good faith and fair dealing so as to contribute toward the efficacy of the exchange process as well as avoiding deception in product design, pricing, communication, and delivery of distribution.

·  Embrace ethical values. This means building relationships and enhancing consumer confidence in the integrity of marketing by affirming these core values: honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency and citizenship. 

Along with Honesty, Responsibility and Fairness. 
 What do you think the dilemma is for John Smith? If you were one of the potential customers would you want to be used as a bribe, and be sold out to another company?

Luxury Goods during a economic decline...

With economy not doing so well people still find a need to buy luxury goods!

Economics have many categories for “goods”. “Luxury Goods” are items that people buy more of, as their incomes tend to rise, as opposed to “Necessity goods” like food and shelter, whose demand is unrelated to income. Examples of luxury goods include fine jewelry, expensive sports cars and designer clothing. The Lipstick Effect is the theory that during an economic decline, people buy less costly luxury goods. Instead of buying fur coats, people will buy expensive lipstick. The idea is that people buy luxury goods even during economic hardships; they will just choose goods that have less an impact on their funds. Other less expensive luxury goods besides cosmetics include expensive beer and small gadgets. People don’t seem to care that they are spending there money on useless things, when they should really be saving there money incase something was to happen. Would you be spending your money on “luxury” items if the economy was declining? Why do you think people tend to think this way, that’s its okay to waste money on lipstick instead of bills?

An interesting fact that was attached to this article was that after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, lipstick sales DOUBLED.

In response to Maggie's Post....

Do you think our generations and younger generations rely too much on technology?

I defiantly believe that our generation and younger generations rely way too much on technology. I agree with what Maggie said about how we don’t even have to leave our house to go shopping or even talk to a person face to face, all we have to do is text or send a face book/twitter message. It actually pretty sad, I sometime stop and think what it would be like to not have cell phones. In the past they didn’t have cell phones pr emails and everyone was perfectly happy. They had to talk to people face to face and they could actually see the emotions. Via text or email you can write whatever you want and no one can tell if you’re lying or how you’re really feeling.

Everyone gets so distracted with his or her phone, missing important information. It’s so easy to get away with texting in class because texting is so simple and a lot of students can text extremely fast. Students are always getting in trouble in classes because they are literally addicted to there phone. High school students on average send over 3,000 text messages a month. It would save a lot of time if they either just called the person or physically went and had a face-to-face conversation.

What’s your output on demand for technology in our technology and younger technology? Do you think people would stop being socially awkward if cell phones no longer existed?

Sony envisions future with pay-as-you-go power

An article about Sony is looking to revolutionize the inefficient way in which we consume power.

The new concept video below from the electronics giant shows how we could use power more efficiently in the year 2030 by switching to smart outlets with authentication and wireless charging. The new prototype power outlet, allows the user to swipe a pay card across the faceplate and pay for energy on the spot. If humankind keeps progressing towards alternative energies (such as wind, solar and biomass), then our outlets could give us options as to what source from which we obtain our power. Video stated “the user cab actively control and manage power consumption on a user basis as well as on a device basis.”

If/When the outlets are available in the city, it offers people with electric cars the ability to charge up and pay for that energy easily. An app (for Smartphone or tablet) would enable consumers to observe how much power is available from several power source power sources in the home. With this app, one could check how much juice the electric car in the garage contains, enable or disable outlets in different areas of the house, or remotely control devices connected to a power outlet.

The biggest problem Sony is facing is the cost of the new product! One cannot help but admire Sony’s concept products such as: a TV that turns on by facing a wall and drawing a rectangle with your hand, a flexible tablet, and easy wireless charging. Imagine how good this would be for the environment!

What are your thoughts on this pay-as-you-go power? Do you think this product would actually work?

Choosing a good brand name...

There are several very important factors that marketers must consider when selecting a brand...

1. The name should be easy for customers worldwide to say, spell and remember. Short and simple brands with the same word meaning worldwide usually satisfy this requirement, such as the laundry detergent, Tide.

2. The brand name should indicate the products major benefits and suggest in a positive way the products uses and special characteristics; negative or offensive references should be avoided. Research shows that names that produce a positive benefit are more likely to be bought. Such as Dirt devil, which indicates it, cleans up any dirt, versus a name that has nothing to do with cleaning, like the new vacuum, the Dyson ball.

3. The brand should be distinctive. Without a distinctive brand, it will not stand out from all the other products. Marketers should find a brand name that is compatible with all products within their product line.

4. The brand should be designed so it can be used and recognized in all types of media. Whether through the radio, TV, or conversation the brand should be easily recognizable. Such as the McDonalds, "golden arches."

Brand names are tricky and many companies have special teams that create these names.

What do you think the best brand name or symbol is? Why?

In response to Christine's post...

Question: Do you think showing the ads before the game was a good marketing strategy or not? 

Personally I think that showing the ads before the Super Bowl wasn’t the best marketing strategy, but then again it could of helped promote. Other people could of told their family members or friends about these ads, making them want to watch the Super Bowl just so they could see how good the ads really were. But they could of just looked at the ads on the Internet. I believe that they shouldn’t change how things have been done for years. Changing the tradition messes things up; old ways tend to work better and by changing things causes problems and issues. I think that the commericals and ads should be a surprise just like in the past years. This was one of my favorite ads from the Super Bowl. What was your favorite 2012 Super Bowl Ad? How do you think they came up with the idea in showing the ads before the game fit in the strategic planning process?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FCzvq984k&NR=1&feature=endscreen

In response to Rachel's post...

Question: What are some courses you have taken outside of your major? And did you learn anything worthwhile?

I have taken a lot of courses at Keene State that either had to do with my major or had nothing to do with my major at all like the ISP courses. I am taking a Photography class this semester and I really didn’t think that I would be doing much besides taking pictures, but actually I have learned a lot about the camera. This class has taught me many different ways to take picture and make them look interesting. I thought that by taking this lower level class I could just pass it easily, but it’s a lot more then just a class that takes photos. I’m actually learning a lot and getting a lot experience on how to take a good picture/what makes a good picture. You have to know how to adjust the colors on the photo, you really need to know your camera and all the different functions it has, and how to print certain photos, not just taking pictures. By taking a random class it broadens your horizon, I believe the more experience/opportunities the better. In my other post about should everyone take a Marketing/Management class it’s they same thing learning something new isn’t going to hurt it’s going to give you more experience and make you learn something that you didn’t know before. Was there ever a course that you took that you didn’t learn anything from? Do you think some major should have more courses than others?