Author Archives: Jaqueline Cap-Waller

The Joneses

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Would you categorize the way the Jones family lives as personal selling? Why or why not?

In the movie, The Joneses, the “Joneses” were pretending to be the “perfect” family unit to catch the attention of the people in the town, and have the people want to be so much like them, that they would buy the products and things used. This was a marketing ploy the “Joneses” used. I believe their tactics would be categorized as personal selling. Although they were not directly selling products, they used the power of perception and peer pressure to get the people to want to be like them and make the people want what they have.  Indirectly they were personal selling because they would talk about how great these things were and would show them off.

What similarities do you see between the sales tactics the Jones family employs and the marketing tactics of some of your favorite brands? Give an example.

Brands use similar marketing tactics to these all the time. Even though brands are not paying people to pretend to be the “perfect” families to sell their products, they do this through things like commercials and advertisements. A great example of this would be the “Subways” commercials with Jared Fogle. In the commercials, Jared compares the calories of other fast food sandwiches to the Subways sandwiches. In one commercial he even says that the Subways sandwich is exactly half the calories of a McDonald’s Big Mac, and that’s how he lost his weight by eating half the calories. Although Jared didn’t lose his weight by eating only Subways sandwiches, these commercials gave viewers the impression that if they eat Subways they could lose weight like Jared.

Based on what you read in the course materials and what you observed in this movie, do you think the way products are marketed in this movie is ethical?

When we think of Ethics we consider lying to be unethical. Because the “Joneses” lied to the people of the town I would consider the way they marketed the products to be somewhat unethical. The fact that they lied and pretended to be the “Perfect” family to get people to want to be like them is unethical but, I also think it would be ethical as well. Brands market to people all the time using the power of perception to get people to buy their products. Although most people realize that commercials and ads are fake, it still makes people say I want to be like “that” and buy those products. What the “Joneses” did was put on a “show” to sell products, which I consider ethical, the fact that the people of the town didn’t know it was a “show” makes it unethical. The idea in itself is ethical the way they went about it was unethical.

‘How would you feel if you were friends with someone in the Jones family before you found out their secret? What about afterward?

If I were one of the people who got close to a member of the “Joneses” family I would have thought that this is a very nice family. I would have wondered how they could afford all the things they have and would be skeptical at their vague answers. I am a naturally curious person and would have tried to figure out how they could afford all their luxurious things. After finding out that they were deceiving us all to get us to buy products I would of felt hurt. My opinions on them would completely shift to thinking these were not nice people. To build bonds and friendships just to use us in that way is not nice. At least with a salesperson in a store you know they are going to be nice to you because they want you to buy stuff. The “Joneses” family pretended to be actual friends with these people.

Kitten Season

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Jaqueline Cap-Waller                                                               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/17/2022

ASPCA

(212) 876-7700

JAQUELINEJ.CAPWALLER@STU.BMCC.CUNY.EDU

 

KITTEN DAY HAS BEGAN

ASPCA Kicks Off Kitten Season as Shelters Become Flooded with Homeless Kittens.

 

NEW YORK, NY: Today ASPCA begins to prepare for their annual Kitten Season. Between the months of April and November animal shelters, across New York, are flooded with homeless kittens. These animals often require exceptional care until they are ready to be adopted into their new homes. ASPCA strives to give these kittens the care they need.

On their website, ASPCA highlights the steps it takes to care for these kittens. With the help of the public, they can do this. As stated on their website ASPCA writes, “We help thousands of kittens every year with your support. Kittens have many needs when they enter a shelter: medical treatments, vaccinations, microchipping, food, love and more.”

Here is how ASPCA’s Kitten Nursery’s care the new felines

  • 1:00AM: Bottle feeding has commenced for the neonatal kittens and laundry and clean-up has begun.
  • 4:00AM: Another round of bottle feeding for the newer kittens. Older kittens who have moved passed the stage of bottle feedings are hand fed using tongue depressors and encouragement from loving staff. Staff also begins daily cleaning of kittens and their kennels in the Kitten Nursery.
  • 7:00AM: More bottle feeding for Kittens. New kittens require feedings every three hours so they may grow into healthy strong cats. The staff also prepares kittens that are ready to be spayed or neutered on that day
  • 10:00AM: Again, more bottle feeding. ASPCA staff will recreate the warmth and love that their mothers would give the orphaned kittens. They do this by mimicking a mother’s cat tongue by brushing the kittens with a soft toothbrush.
  • 1:00AM: Kittens from partner shelter arrive. The medical team will do intake exams and if needed give the new kittens a soothing bath.
  • 4:00PM: It is important for kittens to have exposure to humans to prepare them to be future pets. ASPCA Foster Volunteers sit with the kittens and play with them introducing them to stuffed toys, cardboard scratchers, and new scents.
  • 7:00PM: After each feeding newborn kittens need help relieving themselves. Since orphaned kittens do not have a mother to help stimulate them, the staff give a lending hand. Older kittens’ litter is changed by staff and monitored to ensure kittens are using their litter boxes correctly.
  • 10:00PM: Bottle fed kittens are still being fed every three hours. Staff ensures the temperature of each bottle is 102 degrees the same as it would be if they were feeding from their mothers.

As we can see ASPCA takes great care of these orphaned Kittens.

About ASPCA: The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), was the first humane society created in North America and is now one of the largest in the world. ASPCA’s belief is “that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans and must be protected under the law.” ASPCA’s headquarters are in New York City but have anti- cruelty missions throughout the nation. They are a privately funded not-for-profit corporation and are proud of their over 2million supporters across the country. Founder Henry Bergh stated in 1866 that the mission of ASPCA is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”

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A Portable Dumbbell Adapter

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All Entrepreneurs face challenges when starting a new business. This is especially true when you are trying to sell an idea to potential investors. The show Shark Tank offers entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet with “Sharks” and pitch their ideas in the hopes that one of the “Sharks” will give them an offer and help fund their ideas.

While watching season 13 episode 13 of “Shark Tank”, the pitch that resonated with me the most was “Kettle Gryp”. “Kettle Gryp” is a portable dumbbell adapter, that transforms the dumbbell into a kettlebell weight. The “Kettle Gryp” works by opening it and placing the dumbbell in the middle, closing the “Kettle Gryp”, and securing the latch. It’s as easy as that. “Kettle Gryp” works just as well as any kettlebell weight and can hold virtually any dumbbell up to 55lbs. The creators of “Kettle Gryp”, Dan and Andy came to the show seeking a $300,000 investment for 10% equity. Their presentation was well thought out, interesting, easy to understand, and informative. With a lifetimes sale of 3.6 million dollars, they had all the “Sharks” impressed as well as me.

Today, this idea is wonderful. With a focus on health and wellness, more people than ever are working out. The Kettlebell weight has become very popular. Being able to transform an existing dumbbell into a kettle weight is a great way to save space and money in your home gyms. For someone like myself who lives in an apartment, this is extremely appealing. A Consumer looking to save space and money would feel like they need this product because it fulfills both those needs.

“Kettle Gryp” should be positioned by using a benefits position. Highlighting and labeling the benefits of this product on its packaging, in its ads, and throughout its brand, gives the consumer a clear and coherent understanding of why they need this product. It will also show the consumer that this product is their best option and make the consumer want to purchase this product rather than buying a regular kettlebell weight or a competitor’s version. “Kettle Gryp” should also use target positioning to draw in their target market audience, being anyone who is seeking a kettlebell or a consumer who wants something cheaper and space-saving. By using these two positioning techniques “Kettle Gryp” will be able to have a competitive position.

In conclusion, the founders of “Kettle Gryp” Dan and Andy, have created a new product with a large need. Having the convenience of being able to use one weight in 2 forms is extremely appealing to anyone who uses both dumbbells and kettlebells. This product is innovative and extremely useful. I am sure with the help of the “Shark”, Lori Greiner who is a “master” at marketing, Dan and Andy’s Company will grow and prosper.

 

 

Finding a taste of home

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Moving from a city like New York to a city like Salt Lake can be stressful. Especially when looking to fill your desire for your favorite food. Being a New Yorker from Manhattan, my favorite food is Italian. Having a neighborhood like little Italy at my fingertips, I can feast and dine at some of the best Italian restaurants around. Finding a restaurant in Salt Lake City that meets my expectations would be a challenge, but not impossible.

The first decision I would make when searching for an Italian restaurant in Salt Lake would be, do I want somewhere fancy or somewhere casual? I would choose somewhere Fancy so I could feel as though I’m back in my hometown eating at one of my favorite places in little Italy. The second choice I would have to make would be if I wanted to pick up the food or do I want it delivered to me? I would pick delivery for convenience. The third decision would be what price threshold I would be willing to pay? Considering I want the best and I want it to come from a fancy place that delivers I would be willing to pay top dollar to get a taste of home.

If I go through the first three stages of the consumer decision-making process, I will have to address, (1) need recognition, (2) information search, (3) evaluation of alternatives. here’s how I would do this.

  1. Need recognition would be figuring out what I want. In this case that would be Italian food that reminds me of home.
  2. Information search would be how I find what I want. I decided to google 5-star Italian restaurants near me in Salt Lake City. The first result I found was a 4.7-star restaurant called Valters Osteria. Upon further research, I saw a lot of very good reviews as well as pictures of their food. Valters Osteria seemed to be the perfect place. The only downside was that they only did eat in and take out, no delivery.
  3. Evaluation of alternatives would be finding an alternative restaurant that met all my requirements. With more research, I found a restaurant, which also had 4.7 stars, called Osteria Amore. The reviews and pictures of food were just as satisfying as Valters Osteria, and they did No-Contact delivery through Grub hub.  This seemed to be the perfect option for me, and I decided this would be where I got my taste of home from.

While going through the steps of the consumer decision-making process, I realized how helpful it was when you need something specific. following these steps gave me direction and made the process of finding a restaurant to fulfill my needs extremely easy. I believe my preferences would compare well to other consumers who do not care to spend a little extra on good food. I also think that in today’s time people love the convenience of being able to have food delivered to their doorstep. Using the consumer decision-making process, made getting all my needs and wants met easily.

Patagonia

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Today’s companies and organizations are held to higher standards when thinking of ethics and social responsibility. As a society, we view companies that are more socially responsible and ethical as better businesses. Many people in today’s world would prefer to shop or use services from companies that practice good ethics. When thinking of a company that has good organizational Ethics I think of the company Patagonia.

Patagonia was founded in 1973 in California. Over the years Patagonia has practiced good ethics and also has built a robust social-responsibility program. This program oversees and manages how its business and practices impact its employees and community of supply chains. The goal of the social-responsibility program is to minimize harm but also create a positive environment for the people and lives its company reaches through its business.

In an industry such as clothing apparel, there tend to be a lot of ethical dilemmas and a lot of companies tend to be lax when facing social responsibility. Apparel workers tend to be underpaid and work in harsh conditions, and can sometimes even be child workers. Patagonia however, has partnered with other companies across the globe to manufacture their goods, and through their social-responsibility program, works closely with them to ensure these issues are not present or reflected on their brand.

Based on my understanding of the organization’s goals, I would recommend that to create a more ethical, socially responsible, and/or sustainable business, Patagonia, should continue to work closely with its partners to ensure good ethics. I would also recommend that they work with other brands and businesses to continue pushing for fairer working conditions and a cleaner environment. Other organizations should adopt a business code of ethics and should commit to protecting the environment as well as their workers and rights like Patagonia. I think adopting a program like Patagonia’s Social-responsibility program is a good way to pursue this.

In conclusion, Patagonia is an excellent example of a company that practices good organizational ethics and is socially responsible. All companies should strive to have good ethics and social responsibility. If all companies would commit to these practices like Patagonia, our world would be a better place.

Jaqueline Cap-Waller

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Hello,
My name is Jaqueline Cap-Waller but most people just call me Jackie. I am a Business Administration Major. I have one more semester after this before graduating. I intend to pursue my education at Baruch after BMCC. I don't think I have any hobbies. I do enjoy relaxing and watching a good movie when I have the time. I am a single mom with a full-time job and a full-time student, so I don't have much free time to myself. I am always open to helping anyone out if I can. I feel it is important to look out for each other, so if anyone needs help I will do my best to assist them. Here’s my BMCC email: jaquelinej.capwaller@stu.bmcc.cuny.edu