Week 10 EOC: Benefits vs. Features

The benefit of having a rice chip with a nice cold beer when you walk into a bar will

Week 9 EOC: Three Great Mission Statements

Week 8 EOC: Phileas Fogg Adventure

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Implementation Evaluation Control

Implementation Evaluation Control

Price

Price

Promotion

Promotion

Distribution

Distribution

Product

Product

Target Market Strategy

Target Market Strategy

Situation or SWOT Analysis

Situation or SWOT Analysis

strengths,weaknesses,opportunities, and threats.

Objectives

Spicy Rice Cakes will be pushed towards men to share with their buddies and see who can take on a spicy challenge. "This broad mission leads to a hierarchy of objectives, including business objectives and marketing objectives." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 9.)

For them to have a pleasurable experience, the treats will go along with a nice tall glass of their favorite beer, maybe even a hefenweiser if I should be specific, with a slice of orange in the beer to bring it to life and add a little zest!

Spicy Rice Cakes will create an experience so fun and so unique that they will not be able to forget the good time they had. When the come back and visit the bar, the first thing they will be asking for is an order of Spicy Rice Cakes with their favorite cold beer. An overall objective is to build profitable customer relationships by bringing them back again and again. It will be achieved by creating a products that allow our customers to share their friendship with the most important people in their life with a product they know they can share with one another and enjoy.

Business Mission Statement

The mission statement for Spicy Rice Cakes are to create an experience they have not yet come across when entering just another day normal bar. They will come in thinking they'll just have an ordinary drink but they will discover and learn something new about a place they never heard of before. "An organization exists to accomplish something, and this purpose should be clearly stated." (ARMSTRONG, KOTLER, Marketing An Introduction, chapter 2, page 5.)
They will be served mostly towards the men to show that they are brave men and can take something spicy to eat. But when they flush it down with a nice cold beer it will bring both their stomachs and taste buds happiness.

Week 7 EOC: The Pitch

I will be introducing a new white rice and spicy chicken flavored chip. The flavor will be based from Bali which is located in Indonesia where they eat rice with almost every meal and add lots of spices to their food. The chip itself will be made of rice that will be baked until it looks almost like a tortilla chip. The spicy flavor will be added with herbs that can be produced and found on the island of Bali. And chicken could be added artificially or by prior soaking in chicken broth then put to dry for the next step, the spicy seasoning. For the packaging I have a vision to see it in a red and white, almost like a "Chinese food to go" carton but pointed in a triangle shape but with a flat top for easy opening and closing. The reasoning for the white and red colors is to represent the flag of Indonesia. The adventure would come from him traveling down a swamp, exploring and accidently becoming lost. He hears a man screaming for help and goes to help him, he sees a tiger ready to attack an elderly man but he quickly sneaks up behind it and frightens it away. The elder is so please he offers an invitation to eat a meal at his home, which is not typical because people in Bali prefer personal space from strangers. He accepts and has the elderly mans wife cook him a dish. The dish is made up of only the cleanliest white rice on the island and of a chicken marinated with spicy herbs. The man takes a spoonful of the rice and enjoys it, then a piece of chicken and falls in love with the dish. He finds himself craving the dish again and this is when the chip is made. Instead of having to cook a large meal, it is now available at a quick convenience without any fuss! It's a brave snack for the daring.

Week 6: Me Times Three

The three things that I use in everyday life that are important to me would have to be my cell phone, my car and my purse.

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Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

Having a person who is genuine and has love for a product or a brand will have a bigger affect on others. I think commercials or sometimes even ads can be kind of cold and can make you feel uncomfortable."The best ambassadors, he says, are friendly, everyday brand loyalists who love to talk to people.” (Marketing: An Introduction,Pg.144) Just talking to a friend or relative about something your looking for can help you find a new favorite product. With all the technology that surrounds us we can look up different products or brands and compare them to one another. "Marketers select their brand ambassadors very carefully, based on customers’ devotion to a brand and the size of their social circles." (Marketing:An Introduction, Pg.143) I've noticed that quite a bit of people who are popular on YouTube regularly talk about their personal life and share stories about something they absolutely love or hate and its a great way to spread the word. Many beauty gurus on YouTube have sponsored videos or even do give away from products the company has sent to them for free. It doesn't only benefit the ambassador but only pleases to viewer in hopes that they will some free products just by watching a video. As for shopping for a job online, I've used Monster before and other similar job board sites. Never had I imagined that employers might be looking through Facebook to find their new candidates."The antibodies kicked in pretty quickly. They thought it was very invasive." (Job Recruiters Turn to Facebook to Find Candidates - WSJ.com) I have to agree with that and would feel a bit uncomfortable knowing my future employer has been going through my personal information. I don't think the two should be mixed together and find it a bit odd actually.

Week 4 EOC: Business to Bussiness Buying

The consumer market for GE is providing consumer products, that would be a product that is usually used in an everyday household. The major factors that influence consumer buying behaviors vary depending on what the buyer is looking for. They base it off what product they are looking for, what they need it to do, how it will benefit the company, and also how the company they are buying from present themselves. They want a company that has their best interest in mind and that is going to build a professional and stand up relationship with them. They want dependability and most buyers would turn down a great product for a company that offers a better business relationship with them. When most buyers are looking for a product they do intensive research and don't settle until they find a product that suites them best. A good quote from the book that explains major factors that influence business buying regarding GE and there locomotives would be, "the company “evaluates many cost factors before awarding … a locomotive contract. Environmental impact, fuel consumption, reliability, serviceability [are] all key elements in this decision.” But also important is “the value of our ongoing partnership with GE.” (Marketing: An Introduction, pg.158) GE has done many different things to help contribute good, not only to their own company but also to the world. They car about the pollution in the air and have successfully come up with a way to decrease the amount of pollution with their advance technology. “If every freight locomotive in North America were as clean as GE’s Evolution,” notes one expert, “the annual reduction of emissions would compare to removing 48 million cars from the road each year.” (Marketing: An Introduction, pg.158) With their very admirable work and great business to business relationships I only see GE's success growing and creating even greater changes.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

I am a part of Generation Y, and by the different articles I have read, we are a force that's on its way to change the work environment. In a positive way of course. Generation Y would be anyone born between the years 1977 through 2002. A generation with most of it's percentage under 30 years old and moving at a very fast pace. In the work environment, it seems that Generation Y seems to like having creative input and helping by having new ideas, though most older generations don't like it much since they stick with a daily routine. I agree with that because in a work environment I like to come up with different ideas when it comes to solving a problem or an issue. I'd rather discuss what a good option is rather than being told "this is the way it is and the way its going to stay." A good description of the type of work environment someone in Generation Y would look forward to would be, "An environment where creativity and independent thinking are looked upon as a positive is appealing to people my age. We're very independent and tech savvy."
(http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-11-06-gen-y_x.htm) Another point brought up was that Generation Y is financially smart. They base that off of the fact that we got to witness the big dot-com bust and felt the after effect of all the sudden layoffs that occurred. Although I think we did learn a valuable lesson and became smarter about saving more of our money, most of the generation is still very young. That means no rent to pay, no car loans, no bills, so we are more likely to spend a little carelessly. Overall, I do feel that the descriptions more or less match Generation Y's traits and characteristics.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

One of the most inspirational people of today has to be Blake Mycoskie. His belief in doing something good for the good of others is what makes him so successful today. He's not just driven by money or by wanting people to compliment his work, he does it because he truly cares about the difference he's making in the world. His genius idea of selling a pair of shoes, to give a pair of shoes to someone who is in need of them is what keeps the business thriving. "A company needs to be concerned about the general public’s attitude toward its products and activities. The public’s image of the company affects its buying." (Marketing: An Introduction, pg. 70) If you buy a pair of TOMS you take on the role as a marketer just by walking around in them. If you spread the story about the good cause the shoes bring, people tend to want to buy because they want to be a part of a community that's giving back. But TOMS isn't just some charity, it is a business that's giving back and doing their part to make a difference all over the world. Blake Mycoskie and several volunteer workers take trips to different countries to find where is it that most people are in need of shoes. What TOMS does is provide them by matching the amount of TOMS that have been sold. Its a One for One trade that is slowly but surely growing and making an impact on the many lives that TOMS has been able to take care of. Blake's idea came about because he wanted to start a business but also stay true to himself and give to people. He combined both things that he loved and cared about, now he is happy he can do both if the things he loves and not have to contemplate on wither he did or didn't make the right choice for himself.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

In my opinion, I believe that when it comes to different consoles and the way they rank all depends on the way the consumer views it. When it comes to Mobile, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii they have different positive and negative results. In the star section would have to be the mobile phone apps and games. They are so easily downloadable, affordable, and portable they seem close to perfect for the gamer on the go or anyone looking to waste some time waiting in line. PlayStation 3 would have to be in the cow section because although it is be loved and their are many loyal PlayStation consumers, they can only tweak the console itself so many times before it becomes a nuisance. They have gone as far as they are going to go and there might be a high rise in profit but it will fizzle out in a short period of time. As for the Xbox 360 I think this console would fall into the question mark category. I'm torn in the middle over this one because I know many people love the Xbox for how convenient it is. It can play DVDs, you can surf the internet, use your Netflix account, and play or join games with other online friends. I feel like it does everything-video game wise-it can do already. There has been talk of the Xbox being used for medical reasons, if it goes that route I think it would make a huge comeback. We wont see it on the selves of Wal-Mart, but at our doctors offices instead. "While he wants to buy "The Beatles: Rockband" game, which will go for $250 with accessories, he said he "can't afford to buy it until I get a job." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124865158612682399.html) Last and most likely the least console with a chance of survival, the Wii. It falls into the dog category. I personally own one, that was previously my little brothers who gave it to me because he was bored of it. I don't use it for anything besides logging into my Netflix account. If it wasn't capable of that, it would probably be sitting in the garage, collecting dust.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

    Many people are most likely to tell a friend of a time when they received bad customer service, rather than a time they received great customer service. Fortunately, this post is about a positive customer experience. I was having a horrible day and decided to go to the mall to get out of my slump. I walked around inside and bumped into a store named Sephora located inside a department store, JC Penny. Once I got there I became mesmerized by the amount of beauty supplies. Everything I could ever need surrounded me. Make up brushes, endless eye shadows, different face primers, skin care products, blush, etc. I can go on and on, but what I gravitated towards was the make up brushes. I was gazing at a stippling brush when an associate walked over and said “Welcome to Sephora, my name is Jessica. Are you looking for anything in particular?” I answered, “I’m just looking around but I am trying to find a good foundation brush.” She replied “Oh I see your looking at our professional stippling brush. I use that and I really love it! It is very soft on the face and creates an airbrushed sort of look when applying foundation. You can use it for a light coverage or build it up.” "... Companies share a passion for understanding and satisfying customer needs in well-defined target markets. They motivate everyone in the organization to help build lasting customer relationships based on creating value." (Marketing: An Introduction, pg.4) I felt like I was talking to one of my girlfriends. I confessed to Jess, “I really want to try it because I've heard some great reviews, but I’m scared that if it’s not for me I’ll be stuck with it.” She smiled and said “If you don’t like it you can return it, we won’t stick you with it. Experiment with it and if you’re not happy with it then come back with the receipt and return it.” She was very professional and made me feel comfortable when I spoke with her about my concerns. I wanted to hug her and say thank you! After a short conversation I was sold, and made my way over to purchase my new favorite foundation brush.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

All my life I had an inkling that I would end up choosing a career where I would immerse myself in sound every day. Although multi fascinated in other creative directions I know Audio Production is the right fit for me. Throughout my life I’ve felt that sound is my main form of expression and how I project the dream world inside my head. There’s a beauty that is indescribable about sound and I believe that's why I love to sing and perform. Knowing how to build sounds, tear them apart, mix them, master them, would make me feel as if I have the world in my hands. It's an overpowering feeling. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who said they dislike all music. I like the feeling of helping others, and I think though music one can almost control a persons emotions. It becomes a therapy, you just feel it and go with it. I want to strengthen my skills, better myself every day and be able to make a living doing what I love. The biggest goal I have for myself is to open a recording studio as a business. Along with that, I would make my own music, produce it and become a selling artist. I have big dreams for myself but I would also love to open the studio to help others reach theirs.