Week 8 EOC: Subliminal Advertising

Subliminal advertising is every where originally dating back to the movie theater trailer stating "Eat popcorn, Drink Coke"    

Subliminal advertising -- placing fleeting or hidden images in commercial content in the hopes that viewers will process them unconsciously -- doesn't work. Recent research suggests that consumers do sometimes respond non-consciously to cues they aren't consciously aware are there. Subliminal exposure to the Apple brand seems to make people more "creative" than if they are exposed to the IBM brand, for instance.

The thought that one could instantly be thirsty, when a commercial flashes across the movie screen is a silly to me.  Currently brought up in the news was the statement: that the new Wendy for Wendy’s restaurants has the words cursive reading “Mom.” People are a little upset because it pretty much states that the restaurant is mom approved. Which may simply not be the case. 

I once conducted a test by giving consumers both a lightweight and a heavy TV remote control. The across-the-board response to the lighter-weight model? "It's broken." Even when they found out the lightweight remote was totally functional, shoppers still felt its quality was inferior. 


Sometimes things are just a way for the advertising market to have a way to introduce a small amount of history into the brand image.  

"The birth of subliminal advertising as we know it dates to 1957 when a market researcher named James Vicary inserted the words "Eat Popcorn" and "Drink Coca-Cola" into a movie.
The words appeared for a single frame, allegedly long enough for the subconscious to pick up, but too short for the viewer to be aware of it. The subliminal ads supposedly created an 18.1% increase in Coke sales and a 57.8% increase in popcorn sales."

http://www.businessinsider.com/subliminal-ads-2011-5?op=1

http://www.parade.com/news/2009/01/how-subliminal-advertising-works.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42750795/the-10-best-subliminal-ads-ever-made/

Week 7 BOC: Largest Retailers

Week 7 BOC: Largest Retailers

According to an article from Marketingcharts.com; Wal-Mart, there’s a large drop-off to the nation’s second-largest retailer, Kroger, with roughly $92.2 billion in 2012 sales. Target ($72 billion) and Costco ($71 billion) are virtually tied for the third spot, with Home Depot ($66 billion) edging CVS ($63.7 billion) for the 5th position.  There is a little bit of adjustments for the 5th, 6th, and 7th spot:  The Home Depot, Walgreen, and CVS Caremark are all under this small area for these competing positions. 
In the what's "Hot 100 Retailer's" the positions go to:

1	Bi-Lo
2	Michael Kors Holdings
3	Sprouts Farmers Market
4	Lululemon Athletica
5	Apple Stores / iTunes
6	Under Armour
7	Amazon.com
8	H&M
9	Helzberg's Diamond Shops
10	The Fresh Marke

 With all the changes there is an increase in more online shopping, non-store, and Brick-and-Mortar segments growing.  Since what's on top today can quickly change to a different top 10 next year, we are looking at the top 100 hot fashion retailers for the moment.  
Even though Wal-Mart sits at the top, they fell to a dissapointment in their quartly reports. 
Same-store sales, a key metric for retailers, dropped by 1.4% at Wal-Mart stores, a signal that price cuts on groceries and other every-day items haven’t been enough to keep shoppers interested. It was the first decrease in same-store sales in more than a year. Wal-Mart’s target customer is hit especially hard by the nation’s continued economic uncertainty with high unemployment and increased payroll taxes.
Sam’s Club, the company’s wholesale retailer, saw sales rise 0.2%, with growth restrained by decreased interest from business customers, bad weather and inflation. None of this came as a shock to the company.  They plainly plane it on weather, inflation, and customer decrease in interest.  

http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/topics/e-commerce/americas-largest-retailers-brick-and-mortars-dominate-30857/ 

http://www.stores.org/STORES%20Magazine%20August%202013/hot-100-retailers

http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2013/05/16/wal-mart-a-business-slump-at-the-worlds-largest-retailer/

Week 6 EOC: Rocky Ford Restoring the Brand

Week 6 EOC: Rocky Ford Restoring the Brand

Following the 2011 listeria outbreak, the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the families in the Rocky Ford growing region developed a quick, proactive and collaborative response. With the help of private local marketing and branding companiesMulligan&Co., LLC and BrandWerks Group, the public relations campaign addressed the crisis and provided the public with accurate reliable information about Rocky Ford cantaloupes. The Colorado Department of Agriculture stepped up to help with the revitalization campaign in 2012, which in return they were awarded for helping to maintain the stability of the business that was over 126 years old. 

Farmers near the town of Rocky Ford are going on the offensive to restore the fruit's reputation a year after melons from one of the area's farms caused a nationwide listeria outbreak. They have banded together to trademark Rocky Ford melons and fund $800,000 worth of safety upgrades to prevent future outbreaks, but they must convince buyers that the melons are safe.
The farmers overhauled their production practices to restore public confidence. They hired a full-time food safety manager to monitor melon-picking and started paying the seasonal pickers by the hour, not by the amount of cantaloupes picked. The farmers also built a new central packing shed where all Rocky Ford-labeled melons will be washed with soap and a chlorine oxide, then rinsed with well water tested for contamination.
After being washed, the melons will be cooled to reduce condensation and then packed into boxes labeled with codes traceable to the fields where the melons were grown. The boxes will be packed with slips that interested shoppers can scan using a smartphone to read about where their melons originated.
The Food and Drug Administration said last year that melons at Jensen Farms likely were contaminated in the operation's packing house. The FDA concluded that dirty water on a floor, and old, hard-to-clean equipment probably were to blame.
It seems even with the disaster the melon business in Rocky Ford continues to be surviving. With the weather really determining the crop, i think the worst has fallen past them.   Knapp farms and the half dozen other growers in Rocky Ford ship thousands of tons of melons to grocery stores over the next couple of weeks. Hundreds of other people like the tradition of a road trip to roadside produce markets in Rocky Ford for fresh off the vine melons. "It would really surprise you. There are people traveling from five to six hundred miles away just to come through Rocky Ford to get some of the fresh produce."

Aug 07, 2013: http://www.koaa.com/news/sweet-rocky-ford-cantaloupe-harvest-strong-this-year/#_

Aug 15, 2013: http://theprowersjournal.com/2013/08/15/colorado-department-of-agriculture-receives-marketing-award-for-2012-rocky-ford-cantaloupe-revitalization-campaign/

Jul 13, 2012: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/colorado-cantaloupes-retu_0_n_1670660.html

Week 6 BOC: Tylenol Scare of 1982

Week 6 BOC:Tylenol scare of 1982

In the Fall of 1982 unknown persons replaced Tylenol Extra-Strength capsules with cyanide-laced capsules, and resealed and packaged them for distribution.  They were sold at over half a dozen pharmacies and food stores in the Chicago area.  Seven unsuspecting people died a horrible death due to this issue. 

“Johnson & Johnson chairman, James burke, reacted to the negative media coverage by forming a seven-member strategy team.  Their mission was ultimately “How do we protect the people?” and “How do we save the product?”  They used the media to inform the public not to use Tylenol products.  They established a 1-800-hotline for crisis.  They pulled the products off all shelves, until the source could be determined.  Johnson & Johnson created their new Triple safety seal packaging (a glued box, a plastic sear over the neck of the bottle, and a foil seal over the mouth of the bottle.) Since Tylenol brand accounted for 17% of the company’s net income, marketers predicted that they would never recover from the sabotage. Two month later, Tylenol was headed back to the marked, this time in tamper-proof packaging and bolstered by an extensive media campaign.  A year later, its shares of the $1.2 billion analgesic market, which plunged to 7% had climbed back to the 30%. 

They company achieved the status of consumer champion, because it acted with quick and complete openness about what had happened.  They immediately removed any source of danger based on the worst-case scenario.  “Not waiting for evidence to see whether the contamination might be more widespread.” “They showed themselves to be prepared to bear the short-term cost in the name of consumer safety.”

JOHNSON & JOHNSON established a basis for trust with their customers. 

http://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02C2/Johnson%20&%20Johnson.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/23iht-mjj_ed3_.html

http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/crisis02.php

Week 5 EOC: Page 153 Fashion Trend Prediction

Week 5 EOC: Page 153 Fashion Trend Prediction

The interview talks about Shari Swan whom is a Trend Predictor.  She talks about how corporations need to grow and expand when interpreting what trends are available.  “Brand-owners are not yet ready to accept that qualitative trends and consumer emotion are driving the market” and “Most corporations are only able to address two main trends per season.” She mentions that “Today’s Youth” want to interact and connect on an emotional level.  The youth wants “brand authenticity”; they want to know everything about the brand including social and ethical responsibility.  Collaborations with new partnerships, examples: Lance Armstrong and the yellow armband, Motorola and the NFL, and even Intel Inside with Microsoft for PC’s. 

Trend forecasters use three different kinds of partnerships: Promotional, Value-Based, and Innovation-Based. Shari Swan’s advice to companies was to “looking sideways”, at products and brands in markets beyond their own.  Trend forecasting is heading back to basic.  They use means of social media, looking around, keeping their eyes open and ready for anything that might be out of the box.  Using all the sources that are available Forecasting is part of todays “way” when it comes to consumer awareness.  “Social and Ethical responsibility is now a given for doing business in today’s environment”

Chapter 5, page 153: Shari Swan, Trend predictor, Streative Branding, Davis, M., and Baldwin, J. (2006). More Than a Name: An Introduction to Branding. AVA Publishing                                                      

Week 4 EOC: McDonald's response to "Super-size Me"

Week 4 EOC: Mcdonalds response to Super-size me 



Over the time of the movie there were a few press releases, informing consumers on the distortion of real facts.  Angered that the “big tobacco” companies are held at a stronger public standard then unhealthy food according to the American council of Science and Health (ACSH).  After the ACSH felt a need to stand in another company called Tech Central Station took the public policy to inform the consumer again on the dangers of obesity. Our mission: to provide visitors with the facts and science-based information on obesity and nutrition to balance this film's 'gross-out' performance art." Basing all their information on facts and science. The third one came from another person creating her own documentary on McDonald’s eating and 30 day limit. Sosa Whaley stated: “She responded, "Well, everyone has to have someone to speak out for them. And, you know, I don't know why we want to demonize corporations so much. I mean, let's face it, we hear about the bad ones – and it's really bad when you get an Enron or a WorldCom or whatever – but most of the corporations out there are just trying to provide people with what they want." In the entire movie Supersize me was pointing blame at these huge conglomerate business that are out to make a buck.  People might be surprised to learn that on the whole we agree with Super Size Me’s message - that it’s important to have a balanced diet and take exercise – something we’ve been saying for a long time. This was a quote from McDonald’s UK position on ‘Super Size Me’ UK Press Releases, August, 2004
I think fast is okay but in moderations, no one really eats breakfast lunch and dinner from one place.  Incorporating a healthy diet is key.  The representatives from you the UK I strongly agree with.