Target Market of Local Bars

Many of the local bars in Keene adjust their prices to attract different crowds.  Cobblestone has many nights when they serve cheap food and drinks for only $1 each to gain many more people from the college.  Other places such as Vendetta and 21 serve expensive foods and imported alcohols to get a more adult and business type atmosphere.  With the settings, quiet background music, or blasting hip hop can also decide who enters the bar.  This applies to Country Life in the same way that the price and music will help determine who they get for a crowd to come back and eat frequently.
Have you ever felt like you didnt belong somewhere because of the music and price?

In response to Chris's Class Raffle

I have never had to plan an event as big as spring weekend, but I have thrown small parties when you need to book a dance hall and a dj.  I've gone to spring weekend before and had a great time, but never really realized how much planning goes into it with setting up and getting food, tshirts, drinks, and everything else that goes with it.  Judging by the prizes, I would think that a lot of raffle tickets were sold, even with a person on a college budget. 
Did you make enough money on the raffle tickets to cover the cost of the prizes?

Marketing a Casino???

In the past few years I have gone to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casinos multiple times.  I am not a big gambler but I do like to watch people and they have some of the best food a drinks I have ever had.  But I noticed that both casinos have tv, internet, and radio advertisements on many different channels.  What they don't say on the ads is that it is almost doulble the price to stay there than at a hotel in the surrounding towns.  Also the casino hotels book up to capacity weeks in advance for a Friday and Saturday night.  I was wondering how much money they spend on advertising, when they make enough money where they can give free hotel rooms out to "customers" who lose enough money gambling.  I've also been to Las Vegas, and every casino seems to be even more extravagant than the next.  If you can handle the smoke, these are some of the most beautiful buildings and best entertainment you will ever see.
Do you feel that advertising is necessary for Las Vegas or any casino?

In response to Chris's Sale Items

I always shop around when I buy an expensive new item.  Recently I was looking at GPS's in stores around town, and could not find one under $100.  I went to http://www.nextag.com/, Google shopping, and Amazon.com.  Here I found a newer model of the GPS I found in Keene for only $80 with free shipping to my house.  Of these sites, I found that Google shopping is the easiest to use because the ways to define the search and sort by features, brand, and price seem to work the best.  Amazon.com is usually good for free shipping if you can wait a few extra days to get your item, and you can sign up for a credit card to get $40 free dollars on your order.  Sometimes it is easier to just run to the store, but on major purchases its worth the time to check online.
Have you ever tried a website to compare products?

In response to iPhone Aps

I don't think it is wrong that companies are putting advertisements on everything.  They are trying to do anything possible to make extra money, and if bothering their customers enough with ads in freeware makes them purchase the pay version of the same software, then they still made their money.  I feel that you cant do anything on the internet without getting ads pushed in your face.  Now every time I watch a video or click anywhere it seems like a banner is flashing or I get to watch a 30 second video for something I have no interest in.  Certain ads, like Orbitz gum, have the reverse effect on me.  I hate seeing their ads all the time so much that I would never buy their gum.
Is advertisement getting to be an overload?

The Cost of Convenience

I find it very funny how many convenience stores advertise 99 cent drinks and other procucts that are very cheap to get you in the stores.  Then when you get inside, a 2 liter bottle of soda is cheaper than a 20 oz bottle and any other product costs twice as much as it would in a normal store.  Any product like little debbie snacks that have the price printed on the packaging sell at that price, but many things are just outrageous.  I always though most of these stores made their money selling gas, but it seems like they are making a profit inside the store also.

Is it worth it to just run into a quick store and pay the extra money?

Out of the loop

Many new companies are struggling to get their names out into the  market with their new products.  Most of this is because new companies can not afford to have tv commercials.  Bigger companies that have already established themselves dominate the market for the most part, and it is hard for a new company to get its product out there.  Hopefully it is easier and cheaper now for new products to be advertised on youtube for free by posting their own company videos.  Also, unless its a new product that no other company is selling, big companies can produce it so much cheaper by purchasing in bulk and getting it made in other countries.  Many times it is not worth the cost to buy local if the product will cost two times as much.  I love to buy hand-made products, or locally made or grown, but there is always certain things that I will buy the same brand, and not even look at other products on the same shelf. 
Does a new company have a chance to succeed in an already established market?

In response to Chris's KSC Parking

I was not one of the people towed in the incident you described, but I received a ticket in a similar incident a few years ago.  Halfway through the year they changed a rule saying people couldnt park in a lot after 4, but never changed the sign.  Even if every car that was towed was fully reimbursed the $100 tow, it would not make up for the inconvenience of trying to get a ride to their cars, or if they were late to something else.  It would have probably taken all of 10 minutes to stand up cones or make a sign, but towing a 50 cars seems way easier, right Keene State.
If it was more than 5 cars being towed do you think they should have realized that they made a mistake?

In response to Donald's Porsche ads

I was very interested in your idea of looking up old advertisements to see how things have changed.  After looking at a few I watched another old Porsche commercial.  It showed a boring world with everything the same, and then said a Porsche would just be a dream.  Then it talked about the knowledge that goes into making a car, and the designing.  Then it almost turns into a patriotic sounding ad about the future and how children dream.  It was very over the top especially with the music, but it has the same ideas that most ads have today.
How much do you think it would affect sales and price of a car if Honda never advertised.  Most people know of the brand Honda, but do commercials really make people buy the cars?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D09qQ_NM6QA&playnext=1&list=PLB67893497C781F3A

Donate Some of Your Donation to Charity

I read an article from Forbes that said, "Some for-profit fundraisers who call on behalf of charities may keep anywhere from 25 to 95 cents of every dollar they collect".  With all of the natural disasters that have occured, I would like to donate money to help in the aftermath, but not when as little as 5% of my donation could be making to actually help the cause.  Another quote that shocked me was, "Their research shows less than 10% of the American Veterans Relief Foundation's expenses go towards the actual program while 83% of its spending goes towards fundraising".  This is also if your money gets donated to a legitamate charity, and not just a scam that can process credit cards to steal your money.  I could not find definate figures on the Red Cross, but I just think about how many times I see a sign, a commercial, or an internet advertisement; all of which cost lots of money.
Do you feel charities are overmarketing in times of disaster, or people wouldn't donate unless it was put in front of them?
http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/30/choosing-charity-efficient-donating-personal-finance-charities.html

Response to Cam: Spring Break

My question is that is it really a good deal for many of these trips with us being broke college students?
Like Cam, I am not going away on vacation.  I have heard many of my friends and family say that they are going to Florida for the week or at least the weekend.  I live in the Keene area and my spring break is spent working a full 40 hours instead of my regular 25.  I think the advertisements are not meant for people like me, but families that have more money, or kids that get their school paid for.  Even if people are saving up money for their own vacation, often times they will spend even more money than they really have, because companies advertise such a cheap price, and then charge lots of extras.  Many people see a small number advertised, and then forget that they still need to buy a hotel, food and drinks for the week, nevermind what you want to do for entertainment. 
Have you ever bought anything and then not had enough money because of tax or another extra added onto the total price that you forgot about?

Hometown Prizm: Gilsum NH

I ran the prizm calculator for my hometown of Gilsum NH, 03448, and I thought the results were exactly what I picture in my town.  It is a small town with cheaper housing, lower income families mostly without children.  The prizm also showed that many of the people own trucks, go hunting, and woodworking and hunting were hobbies.  I only know a handful of people from my town, but this is the most accurate description that I would be able to give.  Many of the people I know are retired without kids and are happy living in this country lifestyle.

Would you ever look at the Prizm before moving to a new town to get an accurate idea of what life is like?

Coca Cola

Coca Cola is one of the most advertised companies around the world.  You might not be able to read other languages, but if you've seen their logo in Chinese, you still would probably recognize it.  It has an image of the cursive writing with the swirl, and it is forever burned into many peoples minds.  Other companies use the same logo with red and white to make joke shirts, and even though it does not say Coca Cola, that is the first thing that comes to mind.  They have been around for a long time, but how many years would it take a new company to have a logo this well known?

Popular TShirts = Popular Products?

Many companies are able to get paid to advertise by making famous logos that people want to wear on their clothes.  I am guilty of owning a few shirts that have nothing but a logo of a brand on it.  I might not even like the product, but liked the design enough to wear the shirt.  Instead of paying to put posters up, they are selling clothes and making a profit, and getting free advertising.  Would you buy a shirt of a company you don't like if you really liked the shirt?

Plastic Food

Many restaurants use plastic food and fake things in their ads to make their food look better.  The first time i heard of this was when i heard milk shows up a different color on camera so people use glue sometimes instead.  Im not sure if this is true today, but Dominos is one of the few stores that says they will only use pictures of their actual pizzas. 
If you have ever seen the picture of a burger and then actually ordered it and been dissapointed because it looked nothing like what you had seen before?

Response to Cam: Way Too Many Valentine's Day Commercials!

I completely agree that Valentines is forced onto men to purchase things for their girlfriends.  It starts early in the same way that November 1st has become the new day to start playing christmas music.  By the time these holidays actually get around, people are already sick of hearing about them and are ready to move on before it is even over.  It goes the same the other way, like holidays seem to drag on because people leave their lights up long and you see sales long after a holiday is over.

Response to Chris: Social Activities Council Winter Weekend

I saw a lot of posters up around the school and I usually read through the announcements before you get to log onto your email for ksc.  I found out about the winter weekend, but it was not enough advertising to make me want to go out of my way to stay at school for the weekend.  Almost every kid who goes to keene state walks down appian way.  If there was a painted piece of plywood in front of the science center, like when the frats have rush week, many more kids would get a chance to find out about the event.  I think many kids would be excited to eat food that is not from the dc, so stressing the free food in the posters might help draw a crowd.
Would more people show up depending on weather alone for an outdoor event?

Mascots Are Creepy

Many different companies are using mascots in all of their advertisements to help sell their product.  One of which is the gecko in the Geico commercials.  In the new Burger King commercials they use  "The King" as a comic to catch viewers attention. Many sports team also have mascots such as Wally, the green monster from the Red Soxs.  Most of the mascots are used in these commercial or live events for entertainment and comedy.  The comedy is for the adults, but children may also want the product without even knowing what it is because of the mascot.  Most younger kids would not care to go to a Red Sox game, but if you asked them if they wanted to see Wally, they would probably say yes to their parents.

Are mascots used to attract kids or give comedy to adults?

Christina's Online Television

I am a huge fan of hulu but it seems like every year they add more and more commercials.  It is good for both you and the advertiser that you get to pick what kind of commercials that pop up during your shows.  This way advertisements arent wasted on people who have no interest in the products.  It would be like showing a product that only girls would use on my tv.  The company still had to pay to show me that ad, but it didn't get them another sale. 

Jingle Time

Some companies will add a catch phrase or a jingle in their commercials to keep a product in your mind.  As soon as most people hear Subway, they start to think "5 dollar foot long".  I'm sure many people have checked their credit report at freecreditreport.com, only because it is so popular because of its advertisement.  They are usually quick commercials that are meant to be funny and put something to stay in your head.  If they make a song so catchy and popular, people will start to think of that company more when they need that product.  Its almost like they get free advertising when people discuss the commercial in private conversations or start to sing it on their own. 
Have you ever had a jingle stuck in your head or talked about a funny commercial that you've seen?

In response to Christina's Marketing Blog: Advertising v. Marketing v. Propaganda

In today's hyperpartisan society, how can politicians and their parties manage the fine line between advertising and propaganda?

 

I think you had the right idea by saying advertising only focuses on the visual part of the product in order to make it sell and that marketing is more the business side of production.  I agree about propoganda and the negative ideas instantly put in our heads when we hear the word.  You made a good point to say that it shows a one sided version of the idea being discussed.  Advertising and propoganda needs to be separated by showing both sides of the story and proving why one idea is better instead of just showing one side and bashing the other.  Advertising in politics is almost showing a fantasy and an unrealistic dream.  Looking back on many of the politicians ads, most all of the ideas in their ads fell through and never made it into any laws.

Using Celebrities To Sell

Bret Favre wears wrangler and Michael Jordan wears Hanes.  Hugh Hefner drinks gin and P Diddy drinks vodka.  Many companies are paying top dollar to have celebrities endorse their products and services.  This relates to my last post in the way that this is an unnecessary expense for companies.  Many people do not even like certain sports stars, never mind paying extra to wear the same product as them.  If I had a choice I would like to pay less for the product and see less advertising.  Instead of millions spent on commercials, make a quality product that will sell itself.  Advertising costs could be converted into money spent on giving away free samples.  If the product is good, after getting it for free once, you will hopefully have made a loyal customer. 

Is this method of using celebrities really selling the product?

Marketing Alcohol

I feel that most people who are above drinking age have decided what types of beer or alcohol that they would like to consume.  Certain companies are spending millions of dollars a month in advertising that is mostly just for comedy and tv entertainment.  Bud Light and Coors Light have commercials in every commercial break during every sports game.  This extra cost is probably driving up the sales price, when if they chose not to advertise, or to cut back some, they might sell even more of their beer with the lower cost.

Marketing Mix Yourself

While applying for a job you could think of yourself as trying to sell your work using the marketing mix.  Think of it as promoting your own brand name, or your own name.  You should take pride in your product and be able to list the features that you can provide to a company to help them improve.  You might even be able to save a company money or make them enough extra revenue to cover the cost of your salary.  To promote yourself you should give a list of references that would tell what kind of a worker you are.  The salary you make, or the price you cost a company, should be able to be justified.  All of the work and improvements that you are going to do within the company should easily outweigh the costs.

What is the difference?

Marketing is the process of how a company ships, advertises, and sells their product.  Wal-Mart is known for its efficient marketing and low costs as a result of this.  Advertising is any poster, commercial, or billboard to make people think about and want to try out a product.  Although companies like Coca-Cola would have to truck their product anyways, putting a billboard on the side of the truck is like free advertising to anyone who drives past it.  Propaganda is the intentional spreading of false information or rumors in order to hurt a persons cause or reputation.  Some companies will use false statistics in order to influence a person away from another company in order to get them to buy their product that may not even be as good.