Author Archives: Charmain Smith

The Joneses

Until I started this class I never really realized how much of marketing has become a way of life. I was largely dismissive of social media and categorized it as a tool for the idle. But it has become evident that it is a very important form of advertising and a tool for success. Personal selling has been an eye opener. Had I not seen the movie as a part of this course, I still wouldn’t have gotten it. Personal selling means that the seller is interacting with the potential buyer in order to sell their goods. It started at the very beginning of the movie when the “son” asked the jogger to take the photo of them and the guy, impressed with the gadget promised to get one for his grandson. Their entire lifestyle was one big promotion. They utilized various tools to get the job done. There were presentations, the daughter did that at school starting with the scarf and conversations where they tried, and succeeded, to sway their new community members. There were demonstrations and both Mr. and Mrs. Jones did field sales, hers being very effective when her neighbors stopped to admire her exercise outfit and very soon they were all dressed similarly. They also initiated consultative and reference selling. Mr. Jones’ target market was the country club members where he started with the golf clubs. He was even able to implement multilevel marketing when he got the trainer involved in the selling of the golf clubs. Everyone wanted to be like them, so yes, they were personal selling in every aspect of their lives.

Personal selling works better when products or services are on the costly side. My purchasing power is more on the cheaper or economical side. My favorite brands run to the side of mass marketing, like Macy’s and New York and Co. When you shop on line, whatever the product purchased, they continue sending emails of similar brands. These companies and the Joneses’ ensure there is the follow up element in order to retain their customer base. If I go to a car shop, they perform the service then six months or a year later, send you a reminder that your car is ready for the same service.

Ethics has become a fascinating subject for me and I think that in some instances, there is no clear demarcation with regards to it. The Jones have been selling a lifestyle. They moved into an affluent neighborhood and everything they wore and did was a sales tactic. What was clearly unethical was that they were pretending to be a family when they were in fact just a sales team. From the time they drove into the community the thought was they were “going to make a killing”. However, they were working for a company and operating under their guidelines. They were like the Avon company, but the customers were unaware they were customers. They were operating under the concept that people always want what others have. They can argue their neighbor’s suicide wasn’t their fault because they never coerced him into buying the stuff.  It was working, but technically it wasn’t right.

I am not a person who thinks that having a lot of stuff, fancy or otherwise, is important. The Jones’ would not have been able to profit off of me. What would have bothered me after finding out their secret was that the family line was a lie and that they were just attempting to use me as a means to an end.

 

Penelope Tate                                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/19/22

BHSOSA

1-123-456-7890

bhsny@school.com

 

COME JOIN THE BISHOPS’ HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI FOR A DAY OF FUN TOWARDS THE REPAIRS OF THE SCHOOL’S HALL

It is time to dust off your roller skates and come have an enjoyable day. The New York Chapter of the Bishops’ High School Old Students Association is inviting all to a fun day to raise funds for their alma mater, on Saturday 2nd of April, 2022 at 85 Bay Avenue Brooklyn, New York, 12345 from 11am to 5pm.

The Bishops’ High School is in need of money for repairs to its beloved Oswald Parry Hall, the auditorium where all the school’s cultural events and assembly meetings are held. At the beginning and end of the school week, all the students would gather in the hall first thing in the morning for assembly, where the principal would briefly address a few hundred students trying their best not to fidget. For each holiday which represented a cultural or religious event, a concert was held to bring awareness to all.

Earlier this month, a part of the roof collapsed and to this end the Old Students Association has vowed to do their part in giving back to the school. According to the president of the association Peter Williams, “We have very fond memories of that hall. It wasn’t only utilized for cultural events, but it was also a place to blow off steam during our lunch period with a game of table tennis, badminton or any other game that we had a yen to play at that time”.

So, you’re being asked to come out to the funplex and engage in a few games. There will be rolling skating for those who can still remain upright in them, games running the gamut from table tennis to jacks, and a few silly races including lime and spoon and tug-of-war. Alumni are being asked to wear their house colors to represent for a day of high entertainment. We look forward to your support.

 

 

The Bishops High School is a premier school in Georgetown, Guyana. It was founded in 1870 by the Anglican Church as a girls’ school and became a coed in 1975. It underwent a few name changes and eventually arrived at the current name in 1922, after Bishop E. A. Parry who had been a previous owner. In 1936, the “Oswald Parry Hall” was opened in his honor.

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Shark Tank

Where product marketing is concerned, the needs of the target customers take precedence so the promotion of that product should be concentrated on reeling them in. Listening to the four different groups make their respective pitch to the panel, I was most impressed with the presentation of the Kettle Gryp. It was compelling because it was funny, straight forward ( you know what it’s used for), simple, it was easy to set up, and the product was aesthetically pleasing (I have a weakness for orange). The guys worked as a team and they were able to provide all the answers to all the questions thrown at them. They never fumbled and their financial information was readily available. This is a product that anybody who wants to exercise can use.

This is a tangible product that is essentially in the growth stage of the product cycle. Customers will look at the quality, the design, the usefulness of the product and of course, the price. This is what makes the product concept important. Customers who really like a product will choose it over a less expensive brand. The presenters were asked about knock offs and they responded that there already a few copy cats out there, but the quality of their product was superior. They did back that up with their sales figures and their financial projection did help as well. Their problem was their marketing spin was not up to par and they needed help with their distribution. They said they had a problem getting into the big box stores. Sales, marketing and distribution are important factors in the product concept. That is a potential for greater revenue and they have been doing pretty well so far.

This is a new product on the market or what is called a novel idea. And with the launch of any new and interesting products, there comes the curiosity of the customers. The Kettle Gryp appears to be functional, convenient and safe. Gym goers generally use dumb bells or kettlebells. It is said that kettlebells are better for cardio than dumbbells so I suppose that’s where the appeal comes in in integrating the two. Kettlebells are expensive and not easy to travel with. The Gryp is portable and allows you to use a dumbbell in it where ever you can. It’s really convenient. It can be a positive for those new to weight lifting. They (the owners) said that because of the pandemic, and the resulting gym closures, they were able to compensate and fill a gap for those needing to exercise. Not everyone is willing to spend a lot of money on exercise equipment. People will generally have a pair of dumbbells at home, nothing fancy. Here is the opportunity to ramp up your exercise program without going overboard. The dumbbell just goes into the case and voila.

The business owners in this case have made the necessary steps in this case to lock in their brand. They approached Shark Tank for help so that they could get a greater return. They’re looking for help financially so their customer base can be expanded and their brand can become more easily recognizable. If customers feel they are getting their value in a product They will have no problems paying the price.

Consumer Decision Making

Moving is always a very tiring and stressful event, but moving to another city, that’s a whole different situation. I had recently moved to Salt Lake City Utah and one evening after realizing that I was hungry, I had a sudden yen for Italian food. After identifying that need, I realized I had a problem. I was not familiar with the eating places in the area so I had no idea where to go for good food. So now to satisfy my need I needed to search for information as to my best options.

Before I started my search, I had to decide, do I want fancy cuisine or should I just settle for casual fare. What I did know was that I wasn’t feeling the need to get dressed to sit in a restaurant therefore I was going to do takeout. My solution, the internet. Whatever I found would help determine which way I’d go on my meal type. I decided on a system, I would check yelp and write down the restaurants that had more than four stars. Then I checked three more sites to help me evaluate alternatives. There were three that fit the bill, so as I wanted pasta, I just checked the reviews listed under each eating place that pertained to pasta meals. I made my decision based on three factors, cost, as I wasn’t looking to find myself paying more than sixty dollars, the hyped good taste (of course), and whether they did takeout or not. It came down to two choices, Sicilia Mia and Valter’s Osteria. Sicilia Mia won out because in addition to it being said that the chef was an authentic Italian, a few patrons who claimed they lived in Italy rated it right up there. Oh, it was also much cheaper.

The Consumer Decision Making process is one that is relevant no matter what the consumer has in mind to purchase, the buyer behavior remains the same. They start out by needing something then move on to the next stage of gathering information to obtain it. Whether the need is food or a television set information as to the quality of the item is key. It can stem from research or from word of mouth. Based on the alternatives the buyer will need to have a basis on which to choose then make that choice to fulfill that need. There is a fifth stage in this process called post purchase evaluation where it deals with the customer’s feeling of satisfaction or not.

At this point, it becomes obvious that everyone is different and no two consumers will have the exact standards. Each has different forms of motivation, and demographics also play a role in decision making. There are also cultural differences and different experiences that make an impact. Maybe if I knew people in the area I might have been advised differently and gone somewhere else. The fact that I was looking to make my purchase with cost being a factor, not everyone will have that problem and will instead choose to go to Valter’s Osteria.

 

Consumer Decision Making

Moving is always a very tiring and stressful event, but moving to another city, that’s a whole different situation. I had recently moved to Salt Lake City Utah and one evening after realizing that I was hungry, I had a sudden yen for Italian food. After identifying that need, I realized I had a problem. I was not familiar with the eating places in the area so I had no idea where to go for good food. So now to satisfy my need I needed to search for information as to my best options.

Before I started my search, I had to decide, do I want fancy cuisine or should I just settle for casual fare. What I did know was that I wasn’t feeling the need to get dressed to sit in a restaurant therefore I was going to do takeout. My solution, the internet. Whatever I found would help determine which way I’d go on my meal type. I decided on a system, I would check yelp and write down the restaurants that had more than four stars. Then I checked three more sites to help me evaluate alternatives. There were three that fit the bill, so as I wanted pasta, I just checked the reviews listed under each eating place that pertained to pasta meals. I made my decision based on three factors, cost, as I wasn’t looking to find myself paying more than sixty dollars, the hyped good taste (of course), and whether they did takeout or not. It came down to two choices, Sicilia Mia and Valter’s Osteria. Sicilia Mia won out because in addition to it being said that the chef was an authentic Italian, a few patrons who claimed they lived in Italy rated it right up there. Oh, it was also much cheaper.

The Consumer Decision Making process is one that is relevant no matter what the consumer has in mind to purchase, the buyer behavior remains the same. They start out by needing something then move on to the next stage of gathering information to obtain it. Whether the need is food or a television set information as to the quality of the item is key. It can stem from research or from word of mouth. Based on the alternatives the buyer will need to have a basis on which to choose then make that choice to fulfill that need. There is a fifth stage in this process called post purchase evaluation where it deals with the customer’s feeling of satisfaction or not.

At this point, it becomes obvious that everyone is different and no two consumers will have the exact standards. Each has different forms of motivation, and demographics also play a role in decision making. There are also cultural differences and different experiences that make an impact. Maybe if I knew people in the area I might have been advised differently and gone somewhere else. The fact that I was looking to make my purchase with cost being a factor, not everyone will have that problem and will instead choose to go to Valter’s Osteria.