The first main topic I learned about as a result of working on this project was the idea of a persona. At first in the course, I didn’t view it any differently than defining a target segment like I had done many times before in my previous courses. However, developing personas and developing target segments are very different ideas and involved very different levels of detail. To develop a persona, our team had to dig much deeper into the lives of a certain kind of consumer and find out as much as we could about the people we were creating. Some of the questions our team asked about our persona during the development of our couple included: how many children they had, what they liked to do in their spare time, and their religious and political affiliations. Our team developed George and Shirley McAllister, an active elderly couple that had many things in common with other active elderly folks, but at the same time had traits and personalities that made them unique. It was really interesting to delve deeper into the lives of George and Shirley and make assumptions about what they would be like. However, after conducting surveys and interviews with several active elderly people, we realized that some of our assumptions were wrong. It was really interesting to learn what people are actually like versus what you think they are going to be like. For example, we expected George and Shirley to eat organic food and be very environmentally conscious. What we found, however, was that George and Shirley didn’t think eating organic was important because “they had seen many fads during the courses of their lives” and figured they had gotten along just fine before this recent green movement had emerged. While I’m sure they didn’t hate the environment or anything, they just were not concerned with it as much as our team assumed they would be.
The second skill I learned from this project was prototyping. Before this project, I had no idea that prototyping involved such creative elements and that cheap materials could be used to make a great prototype. Having the guest speaker on prototyping was very helpful because we got to see what a prototype actually looked like and got ideas of how to make our own. I was afraid that because our product was so technical in nature, we wouldn’t be able to find cheap products to make our prototype look as realistic as possible. However, after one trip to Wal-Mart, we pretty much had all of our materials and made it work relatively easily. Our team made sure to keep an open mind while shopping and accepted any and all ideas. For example, we used light switch plates taped together to make our garage door for our oven and it ended up working out perfectly.
I definitely feel like working with all of the dynamic personalities in my group resulted in us creating a better and more unique product. We always had a devils advocate role in our group making sure every little detail and aspect of our product was intentional and purposeful. As a result, our product was better than it would have been if we had always agreed on everything and never questioned others suggestions. I really enjoyed the time spent working on this project, especially the entire process of interviewing our couples. It was kind of nerve wrecking interviewing couples I’d never met before, but we really gained a lot of useful insights from the interviews. We had a lot of fun throughout the entire project developing ideas, analyzing insights we gained, and building our prototype. It was a lot of work, but I feel that this project was the most intricate and rewarding project I’ve worked on thus far at McCombs. Thanks so much for a great semester!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tweeting it Up
I chose to do my search on Ellen Degeneres. I felt the first tool given, Google Zeitgeist, was less relevant to use when searching for information about a celebrity’s media hits. I used Google Trends to see when people most commonly search for Ellen Degeneres and all I really discovered was that when she makes big public statements, like marrying Portia de Rossi or that she’s going to be a judge on American Idol, her media hits increase. This is of course pretty intuitive information.
However, I found the Blog Search to be much more relevant. It supplied a lot more information about what people were saying about Ellen, which details people’s attitudes. This is much more relevant when dealing with a celebrity because they have to maintain their public image. Google Zeitgeist doesn’t display for what type of Ellen information people searched for so there is no way to know if the searchers were feeling negatively or positively.
Companies can use Twitter to both gain insights and create customer experiences for their customers.
On Twitter, there are several ways a business can gain insight from consumers. First of all, and perhaps the most obvious point, is a business can simply type in its name and find out if people have been “tweeting” about them. From these tweets, companies can learn what customers like and dislike about their products. On a larger scale, companies can get to know their customers better by seeing what else the customers are tweeting about and by seeing who customers are “following.” Essentially, Twitter is great to show the networks customers have with each other and how they are all connected through your product and your business. Additionally, by acquiring these insights about customers, businesses can know their customers better, and as a result create better products for them.
Twitter, along with other social media sites, is great because it gives consumers a chance to interact with each other about your company’s product and also gives consumers a chance to interact with your company on a more personal level. Companies that have Twitter accounts can view who is following them and get an idea about the fans they have from these followers. This allows a business to see how all of its customers are connected and what they all have in common. Also, when customers follow businesses, those businesses can write updates and give their followers exclusive information that can be viewed very easily by the customer. Because so many people are twitter-crazed and even get status updates to their phones, status updates on Twitter can virtually instantly connect businesses to consumers.
Also, Twitter can be used to create special customer experiences they may not be able to have otherwise. One example of these special experiences is this summer, because I follow Ellen Degeneres on Twitter, I would receive updates about special things to watch out for on her show and potentially win prizes for noticing. This allowed me the chance to win items that could have potentially left me feeling more connected to Ellen, but I didn’t win anything. However, I tuned in to watch and tried to win anyway! Another example of a special experience being created for the customer happened this summer when I worked with a literary publicity firm. They regularly used social media outlets to stay close to potential customers and create customer experiences. One unique customer experience they created was called “Tweet the Author.” The basic idea was for the author to set aside a specific time to answer any questions consumers might have for the author that the consumer posted in their status updates. The author could see all of the questions because at the end of the status entry, consumers just simply put “#TweettheAuthor.”
This was a great experience for the consumer to get to know a little more about the author or the book they love and allowed the consumer to feel closer to the product.
However, I found the Blog Search to be much more relevant. It supplied a lot more information about what people were saying about Ellen, which details people’s attitudes. This is much more relevant when dealing with a celebrity because they have to maintain their public image. Google Zeitgeist doesn’t display for what type of Ellen information people searched for so there is no way to know if the searchers were feeling negatively or positively.
Companies can use Twitter to both gain insights and create customer experiences for their customers.
On Twitter, there are several ways a business can gain insight from consumers. First of all, and perhaps the most obvious point, is a business can simply type in its name and find out if people have been “tweeting” about them. From these tweets, companies can learn what customers like and dislike about their products. On a larger scale, companies can get to know their customers better by seeing what else the customers are tweeting about and by seeing who customers are “following.” Essentially, Twitter is great to show the networks customers have with each other and how they are all connected through your product and your business. Additionally, by acquiring these insights about customers, businesses can know their customers better, and as a result create better products for them.Twitter, along with other social media sites, is great because it gives consumers a chance to interact with each other about your company’s product and also gives consumers a chance to interact with your company on a more personal level. Companies that have Twitter accounts can view who is following them and get an idea about the fans they have from these followers. This allows a business to see how all of its customers are connected and what they all have in common. Also, when customers follow businesses, those businesses can write updates and give their followers exclusive information that can be viewed very easily by the customer. Because so many people are twitter-crazed and even get status updates to their phones, status updates on Twitter can virtually instantly connect businesses to consumers.
Also, Twitter can be used to create special customer experiences they may not be able to have otherwise. One example of these special experiences is this summer, because I follow Ellen Degeneres on Twitter, I would receive updates about special things to watch out for on her show and potentially win prizes for noticing. This allowed me the chance to win items that could have potentially left me feeling more connected to Ellen, but I didn’t win anything. However, I tuned in to watch and tried to win anyway! Another example of a special experience being created for the customer happened this summer when I worked with a literary publicity firm. They regularly used social media outlets to stay close to potential customers and create customer experiences. One unique customer experience they created was called “Tweet the Author.” The basic idea was for the author to set aside a specific time to answer any questions consumers might have for the author that the consumer posted in their status updates. The author could see all of the questions because at the end of the status entry, consumers just simply put “#TweettheAuthor.”
This was a great experience for the consumer to get to know a little more about the author or the book they love and allowed the consumer to feel closer to the product.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Gotta Love Wally World
1) Whenever I think of the term “experience” in relation to retailers, I think of the overall shopping experience customers have with the store. I would wager that most of my friends are not generally ever happy with their Wal-Mart shopping experiences. With that being said, my friends usually go to Wal-Mart because they are looking to find the cheapest prices on the products they are looking for and know what kin d of shopping experience they are going to have before stepping into the store. Many of my friends think the lines are too long, the stores are too crowded, and think of a trip to Wal-Mart as a hassle and something they dread dealing with. Both of my roommates have actually stopped shopping at Wal-Mart because they hate the entire Wal-Mart experience. As I stated before, people shop at Wal-Mart to get the best prices and not to have the best “experience.” If we are speaking of experience in terms of atmospherics, then no; Wal-Mart has never had this as a competitive advantage (like say Starbucks does) because it’s company goals are based around cost. However, if we are talking about experience in terms of creating low prices for the consumer, always knowing what you’re going to get with your Wal-Mart experience, and generally having most of the products you want in stock, then yes; Wal-Mart has created this kind of experience for the consumer that it has been able to use as a competitive advantage.
In continuing with the second definition of experience, I feel that Wal-Mart has definitely made good use of the extensive amounts of data it has about its products and its customers. With its huge efficiencies made possible because of the extensive technology it uses to generate valuable data, Wal-Mart can afford to offer those low prices. Wal-Mart offers efficiencies and low prices that its competitors simple can’t offer its customers because Wal-Mart has been able to use its data so effectively. Although price isn’t every retailer’s competitive advantage, Wal-Mart is practically synonymous with savings.
2) This may seem silly, but I never really thought about my personal information being kept and stored whenever I swipe my debit card or credit card at checkout, or when they ask to see my ID. Obviously as stores that use frequent shopper cards and loyalty cards, I knew my information that was filled out was stored and kept into the stores’ databases. It’s kind of a creepy idea to know that my personal information is being stored by a major corporation and even creepier to know that Wal-Mart is for sure one of hundreds of stores keeping my personal info on tap without having a loyalty card. However, as the article points out, many people don’t realize their information is taken and stored and available to anyone that has the permission to access it. It is a major problem that people don’t know what’s going on, because if they did, they probably wouldn’t like it. Many customers simply just don’t think about it and don’t realize how much of their personal information is being recorded.
As the article states, Wal-Mart collects more data about its products and customers’ shopping habits than any other retailer, so privacy concerns are a definite issue. Also, they have access to SO much of SO many people’s personal information, including drivers license and social security numbers, because of the enormous quantity of stores and 100 million customers walking through them each week. Because Wal-Mart is a major corporation who’s main goal is to make a buck, my initial response to this question is that Wal-Mart will use whatever it can to make money, even if it means revealing personal information about its consumers. But honestly, I wouldn’t feel safe with any retailer having personally identifiable data about me.
However, my later reaction is more of a feeling of a catch-22. Wal-Mart needs information about its customers to be able to make predications, have correct inventory, and maintain efficiencies that allow it to offer such low prices. Even if I don’t necessarily trust Wal-Mart, I kind of don’t have a choice because I want low prices that they provide. I guess the risk of Wal-Mart misusing customers' personal information is the risk we all have to take and just hope Wal-Mart is only doing proper things with that information.
In continuing with the second definition of experience, I feel that Wal-Mart has definitely made good use of the extensive amounts of data it has about its products and its customers. With its huge efficiencies made possible because of the extensive technology it uses to generate valuable data, Wal-Mart can afford to offer those low prices. Wal-Mart offers efficiencies and low prices that its competitors simple can’t offer its customers because Wal-Mart has been able to use its data so effectively. Although price isn’t every retailer’s competitive advantage, Wal-Mart is practically synonymous with savings.
2) This may seem silly, but I never really thought about my personal information being kept and stored whenever I swipe my debit card or credit card at checkout, or when they ask to see my ID. Obviously as stores that use frequent shopper cards and loyalty cards, I knew my information that was filled out was stored and kept into the stores’ databases. It’s kind of a creepy idea to know that my personal information is being stored by a major corporation and even creepier to know that Wal-Mart is for sure one of hundreds of stores keeping my personal info on tap without having a loyalty card. However, as the article points out, many people don’t realize their information is taken and stored and available to anyone that has the permission to access it. It is a major problem that people don’t know what’s going on, because if they did, they probably wouldn’t like it. Many customers simply just don’t think about it and don’t realize how much of their personal information is being recorded.
As the article states, Wal-Mart collects more data about its products and customers’ shopping habits than any other retailer, so privacy concerns are a definite issue. Also, they have access to SO much of SO many people’s personal information, including drivers license and social security numbers, because of the enormous quantity of stores and 100 million customers walking through them each week. Because Wal-Mart is a major corporation who’s main goal is to make a buck, my initial response to this question is that Wal-Mart will use whatever it can to make money, even if it means revealing personal information about its consumers. But honestly, I wouldn’t feel safe with any retailer having personally identifiable data about me.
However, my later reaction is more of a feeling of a catch-22. Wal-Mart needs information about its customers to be able to make predications, have correct inventory, and maintain efficiencies that allow it to offer such low prices. Even if I don’t necessarily trust Wal-Mart, I kind of don’t have a choice because I want low prices that they provide. I guess the risk of Wal-Mart misusing customers' personal information is the risk we all have to take and just hope Wal-Mart is only doing proper things with that information.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Innovation At Its Finest
In my opinion, one of the most innovative products in today’s market is the SYNC system created by Microsoft. In case you don’t know, the SYNC system is like heaven on wheels: literally. With the ability to free your hands from distractions such as MP3 players, cell phones and GPS systems, SYNC allows for a much safer driving because the driver can keep their hands on the wheel. You can make phone calls with a voice command, monitor your vehicle’s health, connect to a 911 operator, receive traffic updates, and get directions, along with several more useful features, to provide you with an overall safer driving experience.
One of the most dangerous distractions while driving is text messaging. I can think of nothing more terrifying than riding with some driver that is texting on their QWERTY phone while driving on I-35, but the scary truth is this happens all of the time. With SYNC, this is no longer a problem. This system can even read your text messages out loud to you and you can reply back by just giving the system a simple voice command! Now that’s awesomely innovative.
As stated in the article “The New, Faster Face of Innovation,” companies are finding cheaper and quicker ways to test their products, making more innovative products available faster to and at reasonable prices for the consumer. However, because it costs less for companies to put products in the marketplace, many companies have flooded the marketplace with products that may not actually have real value for the consumer. Also pointed out in the article is that many technicians for companies think they’re adding value to a product by loading it with features, when in fact these extra features go unused or actually detract from the overall value of the product. I think this concept can be applied to not just product features, but to products themselves. Like we’ve touched on in class, it is really important for companies to created products that don’t just add clutter to people’s lives, but instead add value and make their lives better. I think Microsoft has done this very well with the SYNC system. It’s not just another new feature for your car: it changes your entire driving experience and makes you rethink buying a car without it.
The reason I’ve chosen to use the word innovative to describe SYNC is because I believe that anyone can be creative: just look at the baby snuggie vest.
This is probably one of the most ridiculous looking products I’ve ever seen. Why wouldn’t you just where a jacket and put a jacket on your baby? My point is that the inventors of the Snuggie did had a creative idea by turning a blanket into a wearable robe, but creativity isn’t enough to make the product innovative. Like I mentioned before, it is critical that products don’t just add clutter to people’s lives, which I feel the Snuggie excels at. Innovation to me has to involve a usefulness that makes all consumers think “how did I possibly live without this product before now?” Frankly, I don’t think many people are saying that about the Snuggie and are more frequently saying things like “Those people wearing snuggies look ridiculous!”
The SYNC fits my definition of innovation perfectly. I think Microsoft, like always, is on the forefront of innovation and have really changed the future of automobiles and safety. This product makes me excited for the future of the automobile industry and I’m not even that interested in cars. However, if I were in the market for a new car, I would seriously consider buying a Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicle just to be able to use this system!
Before writing this blog post, I had no idea how much the Sync system actually costs, I just figured it was probably a round $2000. However, when I looked up the pricing on the SYNC website, I was surprised to find out that the SYNC system is only around $395, a relatively inexpensive price when you consider how expensive cars are. As mentioned on Ford’s website, many people that don’t want to spend money on power locks and doors say they HAVE to have the SNYC system. Because this system is relatively inexpensive and is user-friendly, it is widely available to the common consumer. This just further illustrates how well this product is truly hitting a need in the market.
One of the most dangerous distractions while driving is text messaging. I can think of nothing more terrifying than riding with some driver that is texting on their QWERTY phone while driving on I-35, but the scary truth is this happens all of the time. With SYNC, this is no longer a problem. This system can even read your text messages out loud to you and you can reply back by just giving the system a simple voice command! Now that’s awesomely innovative.
As stated in the article “The New, Faster Face of Innovation,” companies are finding cheaper and quicker ways to test their products, making more innovative products available faster to and at reasonable prices for the consumer. However, because it costs less for companies to put products in the marketplace, many companies have flooded the marketplace with products that may not actually have real value for the consumer. Also pointed out in the article is that many technicians for companies think they’re adding value to a product by loading it with features, when in fact these extra features go unused or actually detract from the overall value of the product. I think this concept can be applied to not just product features, but to products themselves. Like we’ve touched on in class, it is really important for companies to created products that don’t just add clutter to people’s lives, but instead add value and make their lives better. I think Microsoft has done this very well with the SYNC system. It’s not just another new feature for your car: it changes your entire driving experience and makes you rethink buying a car without it.
The reason I’ve chosen to use the word innovative to describe SYNC is because I believe that anyone can be creative: just look at the baby snuggie vest.
This is probably one of the most ridiculous looking products I’ve ever seen. Why wouldn’t you just where a jacket and put a jacket on your baby? My point is that the inventors of the Snuggie did had a creative idea by turning a blanket into a wearable robe, but creativity isn’t enough to make the product innovative. Like I mentioned before, it is critical that products don’t just add clutter to people’s lives, which I feel the Snuggie excels at. Innovation to me has to involve a usefulness that makes all consumers think “how did I possibly live without this product before now?” Frankly, I don’t think many people are saying that about the Snuggie and are more frequently saying things like “Those people wearing snuggies look ridiculous!”The SYNC fits my definition of innovation perfectly. I think Microsoft, like always, is on the forefront of innovation and have really changed the future of automobiles and safety. This product makes me excited for the future of the automobile industry and I’m not even that interested in cars. However, if I were in the market for a new car, I would seriously consider buying a Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury vehicle just to be able to use this system!
Before writing this blog post, I had no idea how much the Sync system actually costs, I just figured it was probably a round $2000. However, when I looked up the pricing on the SYNC website, I was surprised to find out that the SYNC system is only around $395, a relatively inexpensive price when you consider how expensive cars are. As mentioned on Ford’s website, many people that don’t want to spend money on power locks and doors say they HAVE to have the SNYC system. Because this system is relatively inexpensive and is user-friendly, it is widely available to the common consumer. This just further illustrates how well this product is truly hitting a need in the market.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Ariely's Experiments
In our reading, Dan Ariely illustrates how our expectations influence our opinions and experiences. He, along with some of his colleagues, conducted several experiments to determine whether or not the expectations people had an effect on their views of successive events and what he found was that expectations greatly affect our opinions and experiences. Ariely explores how the appearance of things affects the overall satisfaction with his coffee example. When he put out nice containers for the additional items available to be added to the coffee, people were willing to pay more for the coffee because their expectations for the coffee reflected the apparent quality of the containers the additional items were in. Another important point this article makes is when knowledge is gained before an experience, this knowledge greatly influences experiences and opinions. However, if the knowledge was gained after the experience already occurred, it didn’t have as much of an impact on the overall experience. This entire article describes the vital role that marketing plays in the market place. People create value for things based on their expectations of a product. Image, brand, and how you sell a product will greatly affect the customers’ experiences and opinions of your product.
The main example Dan Ariely uses is about testing preferences between an MIT brew of beer, which was the major national brand beer with a few drops of balsamic vinaigrette, and a major national brand beer. He varied between giving participants no information about either of the beers, giving them information about the beers before they drank them, and giving participants information about the beers after they tried them. As predicted, all of these different expectations affected the participants’ opinions and experiences. When no information was given, participants chose the MIT brew. When information was given ahead of time, participants chose the national brand. When information was given after participants tried the brews, the MIT brew was chosen more often than before. This illustrates a good point: if you given people the idea upfront that something might not be good, then chances are they will think it isn’t good, not because of the experience, but because of their expectations.
Another really good example of this occurred when I learned what products my best friend’s family uses to cook their delicious holiday dinners. Her parents used to own a restaurant and they are terrific cooks. When trying their dishes for the holidays, I knew they had to be really good because her parents were chefs and of course everything ended up tasting really good. What I learned later was that they used no name brand products in their cooking and used generic brands for butter, milk, whipping cream, etc. Since learning that they use these generic brands, I wasn’t less satisfied with the overall dishes. However, I know that if I had known her parents use generic products in their cooking before I had tried the dish, I know that I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed their dinners as much as I do now. This example shows how my own opinions are shaped by what I’m expecting out of food from the knowledge I already know. More simply, even as a marketer, I let name brands, images, and expectations affect my experiences.
The main example Dan Ariely uses is about testing preferences between an MIT brew of beer, which was the major national brand beer with a few drops of balsamic vinaigrette, and a major national brand beer. He varied between giving participants no information about either of the beers, giving them information about the beers before they drank them, and giving participants information about the beers after they tried them. As predicted, all of these different expectations affected the participants’ opinions and experiences. When no information was given, participants chose the MIT brew. When information was given ahead of time, participants chose the national brand. When information was given after participants tried the brews, the MIT brew was chosen more often than before. This illustrates a good point: if you given people the idea upfront that something might not be good, then chances are they will think it isn’t good, not because of the experience, but because of their expectations.
Another really good example of this occurred when I learned what products my best friend’s family uses to cook their delicious holiday dinners. Her parents used to own a restaurant and they are terrific cooks. When trying their dishes for the holidays, I knew they had to be really good because her parents were chefs and of course everything ended up tasting really good. What I learned later was that they used no name brand products in their cooking and used generic brands for butter, milk, whipping cream, etc. Since learning that they use these generic brands, I wasn’t less satisfied with the overall dishes. However, I know that if I had known her parents use generic products in their cooking before I had tried the dish, I know that I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed their dinners as much as I do now. This example shows how my own opinions are shaped by what I’m expecting out of food from the knowledge I already know. More simply, even as a marketer, I let name brands, images, and expectations affect my experiences.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
10 Top Behaviors
There are probably hundreds of behaviors and characteristics about me that marketers would love to know to discover insights about me. Like we have discussed in class, I want companies to know information about me so they can improve my experiences in stores and with their products.
10 Things in the Recipe for Making a Jaclyn:
1. I look for recyclable packaging. If a box that a certain product comes in isn’t recyclable, I think lesser of the product and the company in general. I think it is very important to play a responsible role in the world today and one way I do my part is by recycling. I feel companies should give me the option to do it!
2. I love to grocery shop and to take my time in a store. I can spend two hours in the grocery store looking at all of the different products and getting new ideas for meals. Shopping is therapeutic for me and I don't like to be rushed. Taking the time to look around at all the food helps me to get new ideas for meals and to see what new products are out.
3. Good music in a store makes me stay longer. Although I love to shop, if a store is playing some awful smooth jazz rendition of "Isn't She Lovely" or other equally weather-channel-esque music, I will do my best to get out of the store as fast as I can. Because I love to shop, I like my experience each time to be a pleasant one, and bad or obnoxious music really effects my satisfaction.
4. I like to try new products and stores. Although it would be silly of me to say that I don't have any brand loyalties and will never go back to the same brand, I'm constantly looking for new products to try. I am the person that sees the sticker on the shelf in Walmart that says "New Item" and has to test it out for themselves. With this said, I'm not entirely set in all of my brand choices and am willing to switch brands on a whim.
5. Packaging on products is crucial to getting my sale! It still amazes me today that after all of the studying I've done as a marketing major, packaging still gets me! It just adds so much value to a product. Also, it is vital that the packaging be informative so that I can make an educated purchase decision on the spot. Even with brands I've known all of my life and haven't always been too fond of, such as Walmart's Great Value, once their packaging changes, I'm tempted to buy the same products I've tried before and disliked. I think Walmart's new packaging for the Great Value brand is genius and very effective. They have really taken the value that packaging adds to the product to heart.
6. I often opt for the cheaper brands and have buyer's remorse because of it. Because I am a broke college student, my budget often limits me to choose the cheaper brands, but I'm usually disappointed by them. Even though I know I don't like them as much, sometimes I just have to settle on the brands that are just "ok". Also, despite the fact that I know this buyer's remorse will haunt me, I still continue to buy the cheaper products! 7. I research and read reviews before buying anything over $40. I trust other people's reviews too and try to ask my friends and family about their experiences with whatever it is that I'm buying. I really trust and value their opions and the opinions of previous product users.
8. I hate sales people. I really enjoy stores that don't bombard me with sales people that are constantly hovering over me and trying to help me out. I like to make my purchase decisions alone or with my friends/family. Shopping is an experience for me that can easily be ruined by perky and overly helpful sales people. Sometimes, they're great: when I need a different size in the fitting room, when I can't find something on the store floor, or when I need to check out. Other than that, I'd rather them not be around.
9. I like to at least think I'm getting a good deal. Again, I'm going to use Walmart as my example. Even if the tag on the store shelf says "Rollback Price: $11.50, Was: 12.00" I still feel like I'm getting a deal and am more likely to buy the product even if the sale amount is minimal. It's just like using coupons too. Even though it's only for $0.25 off a can of pringles, I'm much more likely to buy it even if I wasn't planning on buying it before I received the coupon.
10. I love advertisements that are unique and colorful. Much like packaging does, advertisements create value for the customer and I'm no exception. For example, as we all know, Apple does an amazing job with promotion. Although these ads seem old to us now and over-used, at one point and time, this ad was very original:
and it worked for me. I just think they captured the experience of listening to music so well and really sold the product well. Just looking at this makes me want to turn on my mp3 player. Ads like these really create interest for me and from it I begin to build brand value.
10 Things in the Recipe for Making a Jaclyn:
1. I look for recyclable packaging. If a box that a certain product comes in isn’t recyclable, I think lesser of the product and the company in general. I think it is very important to play a responsible role in the world today and one way I do my part is by recycling. I feel companies should give me the option to do it!
2. I love to grocery shop and to take my time in a store. I can spend two hours in the grocery store looking at all of the different products and getting new ideas for meals. Shopping is therapeutic for me and I don't like to be rushed. Taking the time to look around at all the food helps me to get new ideas for meals and to see what new products are out. 3. Good music in a store makes me stay longer. Although I love to shop, if a store is playing some awful smooth jazz rendition of "Isn't She Lovely" or other equally weather-channel-esque music, I will do my best to get out of the store as fast as I can. Because I love to shop, I like my experience each time to be a pleasant one, and bad or obnoxious music really effects my satisfaction.
4. I like to try new products and stores. Although it would be silly of me to say that I don't have any brand loyalties and will never go back to the same brand, I'm constantly looking for new products to try. I am the person that sees the sticker on the shelf in Walmart that says "New Item" and has to test it out for themselves. With this said, I'm not entirely set in all of my brand choices and am willing to switch brands on a whim.
5. Packaging on products is crucial to getting my sale! It still amazes me today that after all of the studying I've done as a marketing major, packaging still gets me! It just adds so much value to a product. Also, it is vital that the packaging be informative so that I can make an educated purchase decision on the spot. Even with brands I've known all of my life and haven't always been too fond of, such as Walmart's Great Value, once their packaging changes, I'm tempted to buy the same products I've tried before and disliked. I think Walmart's new packaging for the Great Value brand is genius and very effective. They have really taken the value that packaging adds to the product to heart.
6. I often opt for the cheaper brands and have buyer's remorse because of it. Because I am a broke college student, my budget often limits me to choose the cheaper brands, but I'm usually disappointed by them. Even though I know I don't like them as much, sometimes I just have to settle on the brands that are just "ok". Also, despite the fact that I know this buyer's remorse will haunt me, I still continue to buy the cheaper products! 7. I research and read reviews before buying anything over $40. I trust other people's reviews too and try to ask my friends and family about their experiences with whatever it is that I'm buying. I really trust and value their opions and the opinions of previous product users.8. I hate sales people. I really enjoy stores that don't bombard me with sales people that are constantly hovering over me and trying to help me out. I like to make my purchase decisions alone or with my friends/family. Shopping is an experience for me that can easily be ruined by perky and overly helpful sales people. Sometimes, they're great: when I need a different size in the fitting room, when I can't find something on the store floor, or when I need to check out. Other than that, I'd rather them not be around.
9. I like to at least think I'm getting a good deal. Again, I'm going to use Walmart as my example. Even if the tag on the store shelf says "Rollback Price: $11.50, Was: 12.00" I still feel like I'm getting a deal and am more likely to buy the product even if the sale amount is minimal. It's just like using coupons too. Even though it's only for $0.25 off a can of pringles, I'm much more likely to buy it even if I wasn't planning on buying it before I received the coupon.
10. I love advertisements that are unique and colorful. Much like packaging does, advertisements create value for the customer and I'm no exception. For example, as we all know, Apple does an amazing job with promotion. Although these ads seem old to us now and over-used, at one point and time, this ad was very original:
and it worked for me. I just think they captured the experience of listening to music so well and really sold the product well. Just looking at this makes me want to turn on my mp3 player. Ads like these really create interest for me and from it I begin to build brand value.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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