Author Archives: Nicholas Cordoba

The Joneses

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  1. Even though the Joneses family is not directly selling a service or product face to face, I could still consider this personal selling. The reason why I believe this can be regarded as personal selling is the fact that they were actively engaging in conversation and building relationships with their neighbors, all while using their perceived lifestyle to sell products indirectly. The way they created an illusion of an ideal or “perfect” life to sell products is a form of stealth marketing that can very well be considered personal selling.
  2. Creating an illusion of a wonderful and perfect lifestyle to discretely market products/services is something I see on social media all the time. My favorite brands don’t really partake in the types of marketing the Joneses have, but it is something I see become very successful, especially on platforms like Tik Tok or Instagram. For example, I see an abundance of day traders or drop shippers flaunting a lifestyle that may very well be fake (big houses, new cars, nice watches/clothes, etc), in order to sell their personal courses that usually consist of very basic information. Even though the majority of the time these influencers rent items to make it seem like it’s theirs, many people do fall for their marketing strategies and purchase these courses in hopes of learning how to make money like them.
  3. No, the Joneses family did not partake in ethical business/marketing practices. Even though everything was legal (besides selling alcohol to minors) and technically allowed, Joneses essentially put on an act in order to have their lifestyles perceived in a manner that would help sell products. This is far from authentic, and it was obviously unclear if the Joneses genuinely recommended the products, or if they just wanted the easy money. These highly manipulative practices would not fly in an ethical marketing business.
  4. I don’t think I’d be friends with anyone in the Joneses Family, but if I were I’d be a tad bit jealous of their perceived lifestyle and “perfect” family prior to finding out the truth. Upon uncovering the truth, I would definitely feel betrayed and a little sick. The reason is that they went too far, creating an illusion just to sell products is extremely immoral and shows their true colors.

spindrift

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Nicholas Cordoba

nicholascordoba7@gmail.com

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

 

Spindrift Introduces Exhilarating New Flavor, Mango Black Tea

 

 [Queens, May 7, 2023] – Spindrift, a world-renowned pioneer in the beverage industry known for its commitment to creating fully natural sparkling beverages, proudly announces its latest addition to its flavor lineup: “Mango Black Tea”. This unique flavor is set to have a huge impact on the beverage market, as something this flavorful (and healthy) is impossible to find elsewhere. 

 

Crafted with the utmost care and attention to detail, Mango Black Tea is the culmination of Spindrift’s unwavering dedication to delivering pure, authentic flavors straight from nature. The flavor profile of Mango Black Tea transports consumers to a tropical paradise, evoking a sense of adventure and excitement in every sip.  

The dynamic combination of succulent and fresh mangoes, tangy passion fruit, and luscious guavas gives Mango Black Tea its distinct character. Each ingredient is meticulously sourced, ensuring that only the finest fruits are selected to achieve the perfect balance of flavors. As with all Spindrift beverages, Mango Black Tea contains no artificial sweeteners, additives, or preservatives, maintaining the brand’s commitment to providing an unparalleled natural drinking experience. 

 “At Spindrift, we constantly strive to push the boundaries of flavor innovation, and we are thrilled to introduce Mango Black Tea as our newest creation!,” said [Nicholas Cordoba], [CFO] at Spindrift. “With its vibrant and tropical taste, Mango Black Tea embodies the essence of discovery and experimentation, offering our consumers a refreshing escape from the ordinary beverage market.” 

 Mango Black Tea is bound to make a name for itself within the beverage industry, as it appeals to the health-conscious & flavor enthusiasts. Its versatility in flavor makes it the perfect standalone beverage, a mixer for unique cocktails, or even as an ingredient in a culinary experiment!

-In line with Spindrift’s commitment to sustainability, Mango Black Tea will be packaged only in eco-friendly materials. The cans are made from recyclable aluminum, furthering the brand’s dedication to combating global warming.

 -Spindrift’s Mango Black Tea will be available for purchase nationwide starting [May 7, 2023]. Consumers can find this exciting new flavor in select retailers and online platforms, including Spindrift’s official website, ensuring accessibility to all beverage lovers.

 

For more information about Spindrift and its portfolio of sparkling beverages, including Mango Black Tea, please visit [https://drinkspindrift.com/]. 

 

 About Spindrift – Spindrift is the leading sparkling beverage company that has revolutionized the industry with its commitment to avoiding artificial flavors and utilizing natural ingredients. Founded in [2010], the brand has consistently prioritized natural flavor and most importantly, transparency. Today, they continue to challenge the conventions of the beverage market, keeping health-conscious individuals in mind. With a range of refreshing and tasty flavors, Spindrift offers consumers an authentic, guilt-free sparkling experience. To learn more about Spindrift, please visit [https://drinkspindrift.com/].

Product Concepts

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Upon watching this episode of Shark Tank, the last contestant, the owner of “Tia Lupita Foods” resonated with me the most. Even though he was technically in debt & his numbers weren’t as solid and sustainable as the other contestants, his passion project finally proved profitable a month leading up to the episode. This spoke to me before even considering products, his devotion very clearly showcased what market gap he is trying to fill & how he was going to do it in an ethical manner. 

His products consist of cactus-based tortillas and tortilla chips, ensuring his food & salsas are held to a certain standard in regard to health and lack of artificial flavors/fillers. This is vital, especially for people who genuinely enjoy Mexican food/snacks from the shelves of their local grocery stores, but are concerned or wish for a healthier lifestyle. This is clearly a gap in the existing market since the vast majority of similar products contain unhealthy amounts of sodium, fillers, and artificial flavors which are all detrimental to one’s long-term state of health. In addition to this, not a single judge had a negative comment in regards to taste, including Kevin saying it’s “one of the best” he’s had, in terms of healthy tortilla chips. This is also very important due to the number of people who care more about taste than health, a product like this may result in a positive and healthy switch for many tortilla enjoyers, and some of these switches may be necessary for people on the brink of horrible health problems. The number of different flavors may also ensure an uptick in loyal customers since it’d be more difficult to get tired of multiple flavors rather than just one, which is a major problem within many of the competitor brands.

Upon reading the chapter and assignment, I struggle to find advice to further his marketing skills, especially when it comes to packaging and branding, which happens to be one of my favorite aspects of “Tia Lupita Foods”. I genuinely believe the packaging and branding aspect of the brand is executed in a great manner since they cater and market specifically to his intended audience. When I first saw the bag my mind instantly went to Whole Foods, which has a prominent reputation for expensive, niche, organic brands. The packaging doesn’t look anything out of the ordinary in comparison to snacks off the shelves in Trader Joe’s, but at the same time, it’s original, authentic, and down to the core in regard to the company’s ideology and mission. The branding on the packaging is also very hip, with a playful font that appeals to anyone no matter the class or age, but at the same time goes with the same flow as many of these other organic/healthy snacks.

Consumer Decision Making Nicholas Cordoba

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As someone who has never been to Salt Lake City, the internet would be the key to researching what Italian restaurant would cater to my needs & desires. The first consumption process would be to google Italian restaurants in the area, this would kickstart the research portion of consumption because I would have essentially all my options visible in front of me. Upon searching this up, I can immediately filter out the ones with bad reviews & little to no reviews (higher risk), along with filtering out places out of my price budget. The great thing about Google is that it will filter the restaurants by dollar signs, so you don’t have to go through the difficulty of individually looking at each and every menu. Immediately I would cross off the three dollar signs and higher, simply because they are out of my budget, especially if I am traveling. I keep all the one-dollar-sign restaurants in mind, and then I start sorting through the two-dollar-sign restaurants since I would rather not spend that type of money, but I probably wouldn’t mind if the place looks that good, or contains special dishes I haven’t tried before. 

Finally, the restaurant I would ultimately consider would be Stoneground Italian Restaurant, Bartalo’s Sugar house, & Cafe Trio. I came to this conclusion based on reviews (rating + the number of people who rated), and attempting to keep the bill relatively low (the very few one-dollar-sign restaurants were not so enticing) by sorting out which restaurants charge the least in a relatively similar level of dining. Upon coming to this decision, I realized how important recognition is, as it is solid leverage to one’s decision due to the fact that many other people can / have vouched for it. I also realized how important marketing is since many people would kickstart their search process like I did, simply searching it up. My preferences and consumption process would most definitely differ from others, one example would be budget, as I am aware that people deep into careers are usually much better off than I am, therefore able to dine in three to four-dollar-sign restaurants. Another example of how I may differ from others is the fact that I am not a picky eater whatsoever, meaning I don’t have to do research on menus because I know I will always find something intriguing no matter where I dine. I am aware that not everyone is like this, and that menus play a much more vital role in decision-making, along with social media posts that showcase a dining experience in a glamorous manner.

Ethics & Sustainable Business Practices @ Kapital

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Upon reading the assignment prompt, my mind immediately shifted toward the industry I am currently working in, which is fashion (more specifically the construction of garments). That being said, it is well known the carbon footprint that is left behind due to fashion, more specifically fast fashion & its detrimental impact to the environment. Therefore, I wanted to research “Kapital”, one of the great pioneers of sustainable (anti-fast fashion) clothing brands, an inspiring company that continues to prioritize sustainable and ethical business practices in numerous ways. 

When it comes to design & production, it is essential to mention how Kapital conducts their business, which heavily revolves around carbon neutrality & circular fashion. In regards to reducing their carbon footprint, they make it clear that reducing waste & increasing energy sufficiency are their top priorities. They practice this by supporting renewable energy projects to offset their carbon emissions, along with using chemical-free dyeing & sticking to plant / mineral based dyes. Another major key in reducing carbon footprint is limiting production to solely local production, meaning everything is made in Japan (where they are based) to minimize shipping & transportation. They also stick to one collection per season, unlike fast fashion brands (mass producing hundreds of collections per season, resulting in thousands of low quality items per year) like fashion nova, shein, Zara, etc. In terms of circular fashion, they practice this by using sustainable materials to produce their garments. They source organic cotton & wool only from mills that practice sustainable production, along with incorporating literal recycled fabrics in many of their collections (upcycled work).Thankfully, they make this clear due to their immaculate transparency in regards to everything about their process of producing, located on their website. They even have a local recycling program, in which customers can bring their old Kapital items to get them repaired or repurposed, to further reduce waste. Finally, they also tend to frequently collaborate with local artists in the area, to celebrate and preserve Japanese tradition & supporting local communities. 

Moving on from manufacturing, they are extremely avid in fair labor practices, implementing a strict code of conduct that ensures safe working conditions, livable wages, fair treatment, and most importantly, prohibiting the labor and exploitation of children (which is undoubtedly still a huge problem in areas surrounding). Along with this, they are passionate in community engagement and education. They are clearly committed to raising awareness on unethical fashion practices & the negative environmental impact, and give tips on how to combat it and offer tips on how to live / create in a more sustainable manner. They also support local communities through certain partnerships and charitable donations.

As much as I advocate for Kapital and their sustainable practices, there is always room for improvement. For example, one way they can further their ethical business practices is making it clear on who they donate to and what specific partnerships benefit local communities. They claim to make these donations and help local communities through partnerships (not only directly from Kapital themselves, but even third party companies / campaigns), but I struggle to find specific examples / numbers, which is vital for a complete, transparent ethical company.

Nicholas Cordoba

My name is Nico, and I will be pursuing a finance degree once I am finished with this semester. Currently, I work in garment construction. My passion lies with crafting garments from absolute scratch, especially denim pants / carpenter pants.

My BMCC email is: NICHOLAS.CORDOBA79@STU.BMCC.CUNY.EDU