Author Archives: Ouriel Blum

The Joneses

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  1. I think we can categorize the Jones family as personal selling. In the film, the family act as discreet salespeople, promoting products during their daily lives and their meetings with neighbors. They offer many luxury products which attract many “customers”. They do not present themselves as salespeople to customers, which corresponds to normal personal sales. The Jones family sells their products more subtly, which can be categorized as personal selling.
  2. The marketing tactic used by the Jones family is very similar to the marketing tactic used by influencers on social media. Influencers will promote products which most of the time are either of poor quality or are not authentic. But the fact that they have thousands or even millions of followers means that many people have complete confidence in them. We can also see that this tactic is not ethical, for example in France where the government has recently imposed numerous rules regarding the promotion of products by influencers on social media.
  3. I think the way the products are marketed in the film are unethical. The main reason is because they manipulate their buyers by creating a personal relationship of trust which impacts the buyer’s ability to make their own decision. Buyers are unable to prove the authenticity of the products, but the trust they have in the Jones family erases any possible doubt.
  4. At first glance, the Jones family seems friendly, and it would be very difficult to notice their game. They attract trust and I will probably not suspect that our friendship is in reality fake and that it was used as a marketing tactic. After discovering the secret, I would probably question all my other friendships and I would probably feel sorry for myself for being so stupid and naive. I will ask myself how I managed to give my complete trust to someone who has just entered my life and who’s past I don’t really know.

 

PR assignment

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Karla Otto​​​​​                                                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/10/2023

AMI PARIS

+1 212 255 8588

crystal.tang@karlaotto.com

 

 

An AMI Gift Surprise for the Giver and Recipient!

Give the gift of a mystery box and be surprised together

Paris, France: AMI PARIS, a French brand offering stylish casual, chic clothing for men and women, announced today “The Mystery Box”, a new way to give gifts to loved ones. “This year AMI PARIS will take care of everything for you”, says Alexandre Mattiussi, the founder of AMI PARIS.  Year after year it becomes more and more difficult to find what the perfect gift to give our loved ones. Everyone is looking for something original, something that’s not too expensive and something that doesn’t take too long to find. This year AMI PARIS will take care of everything!

For the first time since its inception, AMI PARIS wants to offer its customers a “Mystery Box” that will be available on our website starting December 1, 2023, for the sum of $340 and in a very limited edition (only 999 mystery boxes available). Each owner who is gifted one of these boxes will receive an e-mail on December 25 that will reveal the mystery gift. The gift could be an iconic clothing item from one of our collections or a unique experience.  The rarity and uniqueness of this offer is what makes this the ideal gift and the diversity of the lots will make everyone happy.  Imagine having the chance to meet a major world-famous fashion designer, participate in your favorite brand’s Fashion Show, or receive a preview of the next season’s clothes? AMI PARIS reinvents the Christmas gift. For more information on our “Mystery Box”, visit mysterybox.amiparis.com.

About AMI PARIS: Founded in 2011, AMI PARIS has created a unique place for itself in the world of luxury. Via Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo, AMI is now present in the four corners of the globe. Our innovative style attracts young and old alike. The name AMI, the French word for friend, plays with the initials of Alexandre Mattiussi.  AMI captures a particular type of the French capital’s nonchalance, one that is relaxed, authentic and friendly.  Always looking for new styles, fits and colors, our brand attracts more and more customers each year.

 

 

Product Concepts

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The pitch that most resonated with me from Shark Tank Season 15, Episode 7, was the product called “Rekkie”.  The product they sell is smart ski goggles, with a built-in heads-up display that shows, among other things, where your friends are on the mountain.  The reason this product appealed to me is that I could identify with the problem they presented: multiple family and friends on a mountain and not being able to find them all after a run.  It results in a lot of time just waiting around for everyone to gather.  Since the problem that their product was solving seemed very personal to me, I was excited about the product that offered a solution.

The goggles work by projecting information onto a heads-up display that seems to float in front of your eyes, without being distracting.  The information that is shown includes, your speed, your elevation and where your friends are, and it also allows you to control your music or read your texts.  The gap that this product fills is that there is no “hands free” way to find your friends on a ski slope.  Taking out your phone and looking for them is usually not feasible when either on a lift or when skiing and often you do not have service on the slopes, so your phone does not even help.  These goggles help fill that gap and creates a hands-free, no phone way to stay connected.

The segment of consumers will want this product are people who ski or snowboard, or who do other extreme sports where holding a phone is not possible and they will seek out Rekkie because there is no other product like it on the market.  In the same way that it is hard to imagine life without a smart phone today, consumers will realize that this product just extends their phone to a place where it was not practical to use.  Therefore, they will realize that they need this product.

In terms of branding and packaging, this product is more of a “specialty” product and as such, it would probably be best sold in ski shops and on ski websites.  It can also be profiled in tech magazines to promote the technology aspect of the goggles.  The price point is not much different than other high-end goggles, so why would anyone buy a “dumb” pair of goggles, if they could get these for a similar price?  I was not so sure what the name of the brand came from so I looked it up online.  It seems that “REKKIE” is British military slang for reconnaissance.  I really like that name but it should be explained more upfront so consumers can understand right away what these goggles are intended to help with.  I think that the consumer who wants to buy these goggles probably likes to think of themselves as an explorer, and so owning a pair of goggles whose name links to a reconnaissance term, would be appealing.

One interesting thing that was mentioned at the end of the segment on the goggles was that it could have applications for military and police use.  I thought that this was a fascinating use of the product and the technology.   However, I think that if they were going to market to the military, they probably should only license the technology rather than supply the actual goggles, because many people would not want to purchase something that has a military application.

Consumer Decision Making

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Ouriel Blum,

MAR 100 – B050

Professor Buckler

November 18, 2023

Consumer Decision Making

As new residents of Salt Lake City, Utah, my family and I wanted to transport a little bit of our former lives in New York City to our new home and that entailed finding the same food that we love.  We always enjoyed the many authentic Italian restaurants in NYC and so began a search to find something similarly appealing in Salt Lake City.  The type of Italian restaurant I was looking for would serve authentic, southern Italian cuisine – not too fancy or too casual.  It would also be a place that paid attention to the source and quality of its ingredients.  Ideally, it would be a restaurant where the chef would occasionally come out and greet the guests.  Since I would be busy with integrating into a new job, I needed a place that could offer delivery service as well.  I also was not prepared to pay the same in Salt Lake as I was in NYC, so the price point would have to be below that of my local NYC Italian restaurant.  Lastly, the restaurant needed to be within driving distance of my new home.  All these factors defined the first step in the consumer decision making process, “need recognition”.

For the next step of the consumer decision making process, “information search”, I turned to my attention to the internet.  There are many online resources to consider, for example: OpenTable (www.opentable.com), TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com) google (www.google.com) as well as many local online magazines that rank the many Italian restaurants in the city.  I did not spend too much time on TripAdvisor because that seems to target people who have a short time in the city and want to experience something more “special” since they are on vacation.   I was looking for a restaurant that I could return to, time and again.  My first google search brought up three different restaurants on the first page.  I paid attention to the ratings that the restaurant had as well as the number of ratings, since the more ratings a restaurant has, the more I trust the rating itself.  The first restaurant I looked at was Caffe Molise.  I checked the ratings (4.5 with over 3,000 ratings) and the location through Google, and I also saw that they offered pickup and delivery in addition to in-restaurant dining.  Then I looked at the menu on the restaurant website which seemed authentically southern Italian.  The other two restaurants that showed up on Google had lower ratings, so I did not follow up with those.  However, when I clicked on “more restaurants”, I saw that Olive Garden had a 4.4 rating, which made me wonder about the 4.5 rating for Caffe Molise.  The next one I looked at was Osteria Amore, which had a 4.6 rating and similar dining options to Caffe Molise.  However, they moved to the top of my list because they noted on their menu that “all pastas are homemade using fresh organic local eggs and Caputo flour”.  That alone was enough to put them at the top of my list but the fact that their price point was also lower than Caffe Molise was also a plus.  Lastly, I cross-checked both restaurants against a two local magazine’s lists of the best Italian restaurants and read their reviews.  Both of the ones I chose were on the list so I felt that I could not go wrong with either option.

What I realize about the consumer decision making process is that internet search results can significantly impact how a restaurant is discovered.  Local news pieces can supplement that online search, but the initial restaurants that show up have a distinct benefit.  I also realize that ratings can have a huge impact on a new consumer, who might have little else on which to base a decision.  Lastly, I think that restaurants should do more to differentiate themselves upfront.  For example, fresh, authentic ingredients are important to me, but it was very hard to find a restaurant that advertised that, and I had to search on the menus.  It is possible that Caffe Molise also uses authentic ingredients, but since they did not advertise as such, I did not choose it.  My preferences are driven by my experience in NYC, which might not be the same taste or flavor profile as local people have in Salt Lake, which might also be why Olive Garden got a 4.4 rating.  My conclusion is that differentiation helps with online searching, which is how many people look for restaurants today.

Ethics Writing Assignment – Starbucks

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Starbucks – Ethics

 

Ouriel Blum

MAR 100 B050

Professor Buckler

November 5, 2023

 

Starbucks

Starbucks is an example of a company that takes social and ethical and issues very seriously.  Starbucks issues a public report each year which measures its progress on its efforts in these areas.  The 2022 reports says, “To be the best we can be, we set ourselves ambitious goals across a range of Environmental, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) initiatives. We do this to meet the moment, and to exceed the expectations of our partners, customers, suppliers, and the communities we work in every day.  By doing this well, we support the responsible growth of our business.”  Starbucks focuses on sustainability, reducing its carbon footprint, fair trade, fair employment, and many other valuable goals.

Starbucks states that they are committed to racial, ethnic and gender diversity.  To achieve this goal, they are increasing the percentage of people in higher positions who are diverse.  For example, they state as a goal that their senior leadership team (includes manager levels and above) in enterprise roles will be at least 30% people of color and 50% women by 2025.  They are measuring this goal and reporting to the public each year on how they are doing at this goal.  In addition, Starbucks achieved 100% gender and racial equity in pay.  This means that there is no disparity in how men and women and people of different races are paid to do the same job. Starbucks is also committed to hiring refugees and has hired over 1,100 in the past year.  Starbucks also has a Foundation that collects donations and makes charitable contributions.  In 2022, their Foundation provided $17.5 million to non-profit organizations.

Starbucks is also committed to environmental sustainability and has many initiatives to achieve its goals.  Starbucks in the United States and in Canada use 100% renewable energy in their retail operations.  They are also committed to moving away from single-use packaging and towards reusable packaging.  Starbucks is focused on forest and water conservation to support ecosystems in their supply chain.

A key area for ethical business practice for Starbucks is in how they source their coffee.  According to Starbucks, 98.2% of the coffee they use is ethically sourced.  There is a verification program that monitors the supply chain for coffee which is based on social and environmental standards, and which aims to encourage sustainable practices for growing coffee while also protecting coffee workers and their communities.   Starbucks uses that program to verify its coffee producers, so it is not biased.  Starbucks is working towards having carbon neutral coffee production by 2030 and they are also developing responsible sourcing for tea and other manufactured products.

My recommendations for Starbucks would be to engage their enormous customer base to participate in their environmental and sustainable goals.  In order to achieve that, they should make their stores more educational.  Many people sit in Starbucks and drink their coffee, so perhaps they could have information on their different initiatives on a screen in the stores that people could read while they sit there.  They could also change their cup holders so that it has an interesting fact about sustainability – a different message on each one – that the customer can read.  They can educate the public to participate in their goals.  Starbucks is already doing incredible things, but by having more and more people engage in the conversation, they can have an even bigger impact.  I would purchase more from Starbucks, over say Dunkin, if I understood that by buying a coffee from them, I was supporting a better world too.  Increasing their customers will increase their revenue and allow Starbucks to have an even bigger impact.  Many customers might think that smaller, more boutique type coffee places are better, but Starbucks can show that a bigger company means more benefit to employees, social causes and the environment.

Source Used:  20, April. “2022 Starbucks Global Environmental and Social Impact Report.” Starbucks Stories, stories.starbucks.com/stories/2023/2022-starbucks-global-environmental-and-social-impact-report/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2023.

Ouriel Blum

Hi – My name is Ouriel Blum and I am in my second semester at BMCC. I am from Paris France but I married an American women and moved to the United States a year and a half ago. I am majoring in business administration and I hope to soon transfer to Baruch. English is my third language but I am hoping that this course will also help me practice my business English. I am very much looking forward to learning about marketing and I hope to be able to contribute to this class.

 

My BMCC email is: OURIEL.BLUM001@STU.BMCC.CUNY.EDU