Category Archives: Student Work

Week F – Shark Tank Assignment

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The pitch that resonated with me the most was Kayla Lupean’s pitch for Play Maysie. I have been working with young kids for 10 years, both as an educator and as a babysitter/nanny, so I am very familiar with the pain of stepping on stray legos. Beyond not having to deal with the annoyances caused by stepping on and having to clean up small toys, I appreciate Play Maysie’s goals of being sustainable and encouraging children of all genders to engage in doll play.

Described by Kayla as “a portable dollhouse for quality play on the go and less mess at home,” the Play Maysie dollhouse cases were inspired by vintage tin lunch boxes. When they are opened, the case contains two interchangeable rooms with magnetic floors and wooden floors, and because of the structure of the case and the materials inside, clean-up and storage are extremely easy.

This product fills the need for toys that are quick and easy to clean up, won’t hurt so badly when accidentally stepped on, and encourages children of all genders to engage in imagination play (which helps with emotional, social, language development and more) all while also being sustainable for the environment and portable. This is a product that is both fun for children and nostalgic for adults (through the case design and the nod to the paper dolls era that many of us grew up in). With all of this considered, and as evidenced by the revenue that Kayla was able to amass in her first couple of years of sales, the Play Maysie dollhouses are absolutely filling a hole in the toy market.

The price for the toy ($49.99) is quite expensive for the average American household, especially considering the ways that inflation is impacting most households’ disposable income. I think that the toy design as is great, but I would love to see a more affordable version of the dollhouses offered, more patterns, and more diversity in the dolls. By increasing the diversity of the dolls and providing a more affordable version of the dollhouses, I think that Play Maysie will be able to appeal to more kinds of households. I think that Play Maysie’s website does a great job of sharing its story while also encouraging visitors to biome customers. Though their website is great, I think that their Instagram feed is somewhat inconsistent in regard to their posting schedule. I think that they should post more consistently and engage with their digital community better (engage via comments etc vs just liking comments). I would love to see more of the content that Play Maysie posts on YouTube, on their Instagram. They have stop-motion animation videos on their YouTube, and I think this can further induce nostalgia for parents who grew up when this type of animation was more popular, while also introducing a new generation of children to yet another form of play that they can easily engage in with their dollhouse. Furthermore, during her pitch, Kayla mentioned that she has a children’s book coming out and will be writing more about the stories of the dolls. Animating these stories with stop animation or claymation techniques would be incredibly cute and fun, and, in my opinion, would perform very well on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

The Marketing Function and How We Get You

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The Marketing Function and How We Get You

 

Will Kirksey

When I think about marketing, and what or whom I associate it with, one person comes to mind, the former Heavyweight Champion of the World, Mike Tyson. I remember him well. What do you remember? Is it the knockout power? The ferocious animalistic way he stalked his opponents and instilled fear in them. Let’s not certainly forget all those devastating knockouts he gave those other fighters. Those attributes make him one of the all-time greats. I would agree with you that those factors once you are in the ring with him.  But that’s easy to identify. There are two important factors to consider when you talk about marketing a Mike Tyson fight.  The work of marketing him was long before he got that fight. The first factor is selling you his overall personality. I mean his tagline was the “Baddest Man on the Planet.” His handlers sold you on previous footage of him fighting, his menacing looks, his socially unacceptable behavior, his trouble with the law, etc. Trust me, it’s all documented if you want to know more. The second factor is that the people who were targeted to market either have never seen a Tyson fight or are curious to see who he was.  It doesn’t matter that he is a champion when there are other things to focus on. There is no need to target these fans because they already know what to expect.  You may not pay for a ticket if you know the fight may end early.  But that’s marketing.

What is Marketing? There are so many corporate and technical definitions of Marketing that you will start to feel they are marketing you to believe what it is. In my opinion of choice words, Marketing is designed to entice your curiosity to feed your belief. Imagine going on a first date with a woman, and she is not that interested in you but wants to have a good time. She will put on her finest make-up and her tightest blouse and shortest skirt. The whole night she is flirting with you, and you notice her blouse looks like it’s going to bust open. But it doesn’t. You also notice her skirt starts rising and she keeps pulling it down and you start getting excited. So, now the meal Is over, and she says she is ready to go home. So, you grab the check and happily pay for it. You take her home and you get as far as the front door, and she kisses you on the cheek and says, “Good night.’ That is a well-orchestrated marketed date. You have been sold on a perception or an assumption that you wanted something bad enough that you would be willing to pay for it without knowing if you would like it or if it’s even available. This trick may not work on a guy who has gone through this type of plan if he didn’t know her label (tease).

Marketing caters to everything but your intelligence. So, all your impulse senses along with anything that heightens your desires make you a true target. One of marketing’s strongest attributes is to create a “label” for a certain person, product, place, or thing. You are a type, You are considered more like to be what we think based on research, impression, attitude, gender, race, income, etc. Once again, since music is my bag from a record company standpoint and working mostly in hip hop, we already had the jump on the potential type of consumer that would likely buy this type of music. We already would compare it with artists that are similar and see how they are selling. We have an idea of target markets (cities) where this type of sound would do well. For example, we would look at

New York

New Jersey

*New England Area (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine) This is a major market due to the proximities of colleges in the areas

Philadelphia

Once again, do your research to find out other cities that are usually considered when it comes to our target markets.  There are at least 20 initial cities we look to launch first to get the buzz started. Within those markets, we launch advertisements (tv and radio ads, local publications, and make sure records are on prime-time playlists through audience demand via contests, appearances, etc. The marketing mission is visibility and familiarity. Interest is the child of those two factors.  So the more, it’s in your face, the more that we have planted a seed that you think you may want, even if you don’t. Marketing is a subtle magic trick that’s sold to you way before you see the result. It starts with the announcement of the magic trick. Followed by, getting you involved by asking you to look and pay close attention or picking a card, or asking for a volunteer. The whole time you are being misdirected and guided to where the magician wants you to look. Since the trick has been done so many times before to like-minded folks, the likely hood of you being amazed is in his favor.

In Conclusion, Marketing is a very dependable tool for skeptics and people who are extremely and could be anything from toys to drugs, “don’t do or stay away from campaigns.” So when people say they don’t know, that may not always be entirely true because at some point something familiar will be exposed and folks will act accordingly to that vulnerability.

Ethics and Social Responsibility

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Djbrilla Issa Hamani

MAR 100-B050

Spring 2023

Professor Buckler

Assignment B

Since its founding by Jeff Bezos in 1994, Amazon has grown to become one of the biggest online retailers in the world, providing a variety of goods and services to customers throughout the world. Since its launch, the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, is drawing increasing criticism for its effects on the environment and society. The business has therefore taken action to deal with these issues and seek a more sustainable and socially responsible business plan. This essay will analyze Amazon’s current CSR and sustainability initiatives and offer suggestions on ways to make the company more moral, socially conscious, and/or ecologically conscious.

One of Amazon’s most important sustainability initiatives is their pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. I believe it is a noble objective, and the business has made significant investments in renewable energy projects, including wind and solar farms, to power its operations. Moreover, it has started the $2 billion Climate Commitment Fund, an investment fund with the goal of speeding the creation of sustainable goods and technologies. This is a fantastic project since it will enable Amazon to use its resources and influence to promote innovation and the sustainability efforts of the sector.

Amazon’s emphasis on waste reduction and escalating recycling initiatives is something else I enjoy. The business has put in place packaging reduction programs, such as the Frustration-Free Packaging program, which gets rid of extra packaging, cuts waste, and makes it simpler for customers to open and recycle products. With the help of other companies, Amazon has also started a recycling program that enables users to recycle their unwanted materials. By highlighting the company’s dedication to sustainability, these activities not only help the environment but also help increase consumer loyalty.

Another crucial initiative that Amazon has taken is its commitment to community engagement. I think this is an important aspect of CSR, and the company has launched programs to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, including the Amazon Small Business Academy, which provides training and resources to help these businesses succeed. Amazon has also donated millions of dollars to charitable organizations and disaster relief efforts around the world. These efforts demonstrate the company’s commitment to giving back and making a positive impact on society. Amazon’s pursuit of CSR and sustainability has advanced significantly, but there are still a number of areas where it might do better. The following suggestions can help you build a business that is more moral, charitable, and environmentally friendly.

I advise Amazon to keep placing a high priority on minimizing the environmental impact of its operations by putting waste reduction initiatives in place, investing in renewable energy, and enhancing its transportation methods. Amazon should look at more environmentally friendly delivery choices, such using electric or hybrid cars, and more environmentally friendly packing materials. Amazon needs to enhance the working conditions and pay for its employees, including providing a secure and healthy workplace, competitive pay, and sufficient benefits. According to The New York Times, “Employees struggled to even reach their case managers, wading through automated phone trees that routed their calls to overwhelmed back-office staff in Costa Rica, India and Las Vegas.” I think to aid employees in advancing their careers, the corporation could think about funding training and development initiatives.

In conclusion, we can claim that Amazon has made great progress in pursuing CSR and sustainability, with programs centered on community involvement, waste reduction, renewable energy, and more. Yet, the firm may go farther by giving greater priority to minimizing its impact on the environment, enhancing labor practices, raising transparency and accountability, working with stakeholders, and encouraging sustainable innovation. By making these changes, Amazon can lead the industry and set the way for a more egalitarian and sustainable future.

 

Works Cited

Kantor, Jodi, et al. “Inside Amazon’s Worst Human Resources Problem.” The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/10/24/technology/amazon-employee-leave-errors.html.

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Ethics

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Chipotle is one of the most remarkable fast-food chains I can think of. I remember as a teen I wanted to work there because of the atmosphere I experienced as a customer; catchy décor, great customer service interactions, and the incomparable food. As a teen, Chipotle was in fact one of the cool jobs to have. I reached out to a friend to receive some pointers about the job and the interview process and found that they have a lot of expected characteristics of their ideal staff member. I have learned the history of their tagline, “food with integrity” which has truly been implemented in their relationship with the public as a business. I did not truly know the impact of their brand on the public in general until I finally worked with them at 19 years old.  

People love the Chipotle franchise because it is satisfactory amongst many criteria: affordable, fast, convenient, and healthy. Chipotle was recognized as the first fast food chain that is 100% fresh and does not use GMO in their food which revolutionized the idea of what fast food stereotypically entails and influenced other competitors to be more health conscious. Over the years, Chipotle has remained influential in the food industry and is currently a Fortune 500 business. They have never changed their motive and found ways to creatively appeal to its customers with new menu options that support the themes of the restaurant, ultimately empowering its culture in a social aspect with minor innovations. A few times there were speculations about poor food practices since there were reports of contamination within the chain, but it has never overpowered the overall cause behind the business because of the connection with their customers. 

Chipotle is an equal opportunity employer that is inclusive of all demographic things whether it be race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, etc. and is commonly noticeable in the simplest of in-store visits. Chipotle makes attempts to make its restaurants homely and welcoming to its customers and implements it through the staff with the help of management authorities. Pitching the idea of growth and opportunity within the company to employees keeps many people motivated to be great at what they do. The workplace culture of Chipotle is indeed by far one of the greatest I have personally experienced; it is considerate of all things that should be integrally practiced in the workplace and deserves the honor of being recognized.