Burton snowboards is a $487 million dollar industry and is the top name in snowboarding. But do they really produce best snowboard products? The answer is no, but because of the name many people will automatically think that it is a good snowboard or pair of bindings. They use marketing tools like Sean White and are the main sponsor for snowboarding in the Olympics and x-games. I always wonder if spending millions and millions of dollars to sponsor the biggest names and events actually pays off. We see a "red bull" billboard at a red sox game. We dont think anything of it at the time, yet red bull is the most popular energy drink out there. As goes for Burton, they are the most popular snowboard brand out there. The odd thing is, everyone that is an adamant snowboarder and goes 40+ days a year will not be caught dead wearing Burton. By becoming so main stream they have lost the market of snowboarders that actually know how to snowboard and ride every day. We do not want to buy a pair of bindings for $400 that are going to break half way through the season because they say "Burton" on it. But with all the gapers out there they presume Burton as a cool company of high quality because of who they sponsor, so they buy them.
Do you think putting their name on huge events such as red bull and the olympics, or Burton and the x-games competitions makes them be perceived as better than other brands like Amp Energy or GNU? Does this make you buy the more expensive-known brand over the smaller ones?
Monday, April 8, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Response to Drew's post
Do you think Nike does a good job at branding themselves? Is there
product is easy to identify and distinguish itself from competitors?
Nike does a great job at marketing themselves. They have a HUGE market. They market all the way from basketball players to soccer stars to snowboard pros. Each one of these groups believes that nike is a top brand for their sport because they market and produce their products in the best way possible. It wasn't always this way. About ten years ago Nike was not known as one of the top brands. They figured out how to market themselves to be a "cool" brand beginning with the air force one basketball shoes and using Michael Jordan as their campaign. Using such a role model for marketing made everyone think that their brand was the best. They then tapped into another market with Nike 6.0 shoes which were appealing to skateboarders and snowboarders. This gave them the idea that Nike was a desired company to represent. A couple years later they came out with snowboard boots that are top of the line performance giving snowboarders the idea that Nike is one of the best companies to use. They target different groups of people at different times making it seam like Nike is specific to their sport and they need to have it. Nike is easy to identify from its competitors with their logo and style.
Nike does a great job at marketing themselves. They have a HUGE market. They market all the way from basketball players to soccer stars to snowboard pros. Each one of these groups believes that nike is a top brand for their sport because they market and produce their products in the best way possible. It wasn't always this way. About ten years ago Nike was not known as one of the top brands. They figured out how to market themselves to be a "cool" brand beginning with the air force one basketball shoes and using Michael Jordan as their campaign. Using such a role model for marketing made everyone think that their brand was the best. They then tapped into another market with Nike 6.0 shoes which were appealing to skateboarders and snowboarders. This gave them the idea that Nike was a desired company to represent. A couple years later they came out with snowboard boots that are top of the line performance giving snowboarders the idea that Nike is one of the best companies to use. They target different groups of people at different times making it seam like Nike is specific to their sport and they need to have it. Nike is easy to identify from its competitors with their logo and style.
Bottled Water
Bottled water is the second largest commercial beverage category volume in the united states. We buy bottled water for the convenience, but certain types are marketed differently. Fiji water has a price per bottle of up to $1.50. Smart water reaches almost $2. Your general local gas station water is usually the cheapest around 99 cents. It is surprising to me that people are willing to buy water for a higher cost because of the way it is marketed. I find Fiji water and smart water to be the most popular and most expensive. I believe this is because their marketing makes you feel like their water is healthier and better than other brands. It gives off a more sophisticated feel to it and Fiji water is said to be blessed by the Buddha in Fiji. When in reality there is no difference between your local gas station bottled water and a type of water labeled fiji or smart water. The water goes through a filtration system and it there is no extra health benefits from one type of bottled water to the next. I always go for the cheapest price but if I do know many people that are will to pay extra for the more prestigious brands of water. This shows how big of an effect marketing has on people. If you took the exotic label off of a fiji bottle and left the price tag, next to a "cumberland farms" water bottle 50 cents cheaper, people would most likely choose the cheaper bottle.
Do you buy Fiji water or Smart water over a brand like "Cumberland Farms Natural Spring Water?" Even though it is more expensive, why would you buy it?
Do you buy Fiji water or Smart water over a brand like "Cumberland Farms Natural Spring Water?" Even though it is more expensive, why would you buy it?
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Response to Kenra's post
Do you think companies earn more business from advertising or from customers recommending the product to others?
I think this depends on the size of the company and what they're selling. For products found in grocery stores and fast food I think advertising is key. There are so many products alike out there and they are so similar that they way they are advertised makes people think that they are that much more amazing than the other. Of course getting recommendations from friends will push someone towards a certain product over another, but with them all being so similar I hardly think it will make a difference. Most people don't talk about these products much anyway or have a large opinion from one to another. When it comes to things like furniture, TV's, clothing, and so on I think recommendations from others are the most beneficial. These are things that you see advertised but since they are so expensive you do your own research. Most people have either made the mistake of buying products that are advertised to be amazing (like my DELL computer) and turns out they just break down and are cheap. These are the types of things I will ask my friends and people who use them what the best type is, and research it myself. I know better than to listen to a commercial or a magazine add that's telling me to buy this TV because its perfect, when it really will break within the next 6 months. It definitely depends on what type of product and how expensive it is if people will listen to adds or other people.
Have you made the mistake of buying an expensive product like a computer or TV because it is advertised as being the best of the best, and once it broke down on you everyone that you told about it said, I could have told you that would happen. If only you asked for advice from others first, before you listened to the commercial or advertisement, right?
I think this depends on the size of the company and what they're selling. For products found in grocery stores and fast food I think advertising is key. There are so many products alike out there and they are so similar that they way they are advertised makes people think that they are that much more amazing than the other. Of course getting recommendations from friends will push someone towards a certain product over another, but with them all being so similar I hardly think it will make a difference. Most people don't talk about these products much anyway or have a large opinion from one to another. When it comes to things like furniture, TV's, clothing, and so on I think recommendations from others are the most beneficial. These are things that you see advertised but since they are so expensive you do your own research. Most people have either made the mistake of buying products that are advertised to be amazing (like my DELL computer) and turns out they just break down and are cheap. These are the types of things I will ask my friends and people who use them what the best type is, and research it myself. I know better than to listen to a commercial or a magazine add that's telling me to buy this TV because its perfect, when it really will break within the next 6 months. It definitely depends on what type of product and how expensive it is if people will listen to adds or other people.
Have you made the mistake of buying an expensive product like a computer or TV because it is advertised as being the best of the best, and once it broke down on you everyone that you told about it said, I could have told you that would happen. If only you asked for advice from others first, before you listened to the commercial or advertisement, right?
Music on Clothing Comercials
I recently saw a DSW shoe commercial with an extremely catchy song and people wearing fashionable shoes dancing around in them. This actually made me want to go to DSW and check out their shoes. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun dancing in their summer heals to this great song it made the product look so appealing. I often find myself thinking the same thing with other commercials with catchy tunes. I have vivid memories as far back as 6 years ago to a commercial for dove deodorant with a song that I absolutely fell in love with. Now every time I hear this song, I think of dove deodorant. It also gives sentimental value to me because I hear the song, picture the commercial, and picture myself as a young kid listening to it and watching it. Now every time I see dove deodorant I think of those two things and it kind of brings a smile to my face, and often makes me buy the product. I think song choice is a very significant part to a commercial and can have a great impact on customers decisions to go out and buy the product, or go to the store and shop around.
Do commercials with catchy songs tend to have a greater, longer lasting effect on you? Does it make you picture the product in the commercial every time you hear the song? For me, it leaves a long lasting impression in my head of the product when it is correlated to a song I like, does it do this for you?
Do commercials with catchy songs tend to have a greater, longer lasting effect on you? Does it make you picture the product in the commercial every time you hear the song? For me, it leaves a long lasting impression in my head of the product when it is correlated to a song I like, does it do this for you?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Response to Janell Grassman's post
Do you think it's wrong that household cleaning products always feature women in their advertising?
I do no necessarily think that it's wrong to feature women in cleaning products advertising. This is who they are targeting and I think they are right to do so. Even if women aren't always the ones cleaning and using the products, they are usually the ones to buy them at the store. If men go to buy cleaning products which they often do, chances are they arent picturing that amazing Windex commercial they saw with the worlds happiest women cleaning the windows, they are going to grab the first one that is in reach or the cheapest. I am this way too, and that's how my dad is. It's my mom who stops us and says No you cannot buy that company it does not do the job like this company! Neither my dad or I are aware of this but my mom certainly is. I think it is best to target the women and mom's who actually take the advertisements into consideration instead of someone like my dad who will never pay attention or remember what they saw.
I do no necessarily think that it's wrong to feature women in cleaning products advertising. This is who they are targeting and I think they are right to do so. Even if women aren't always the ones cleaning and using the products, they are usually the ones to buy them at the store. If men go to buy cleaning products which they often do, chances are they arent picturing that amazing Windex commercial they saw with the worlds happiest women cleaning the windows, they are going to grab the first one that is in reach or the cheapest. I am this way too, and that's how my dad is. It's my mom who stops us and says No you cannot buy that company it does not do the job like this company! Neither my dad or I are aware of this but my mom certainly is. I think it is best to target the women and mom's who actually take the advertisements into consideration instead of someone like my dad who will never pay attention or remember what they saw.
Big Agnes
Big Anges is an outdoor manufacturing company in Steamboat Springs, CO. They design and sell tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. With these three types of products they have about 10 different styles and options. They make their products of the highest quality and have come out with new features before other brands like The North Face and Colman. They have designed their products for avid hikers and campers, as well as backpackers that do these things rain or shine, winter or summer. They have received the title of the number one tent and sleeping bag made. It is surprising to me that they receive these titles being such a small company compared to The North Face and other companies alike. I believe this is because they market their products of being the highest quality, the lightest, most durable, waterproof ext. Hikers and backpackers will buy their products from non-corporate companies that have their true best interest in mind rather than a company that has headquarters in China and mass produces hundreds of different products. Customers want top quality things made from a more underground company that lives and breaths the industry themselves.
Are you more likely to buy products from a large corporate company like the North Face for camping gear, or would you prefer a smaller U.S. based company like Big Agnes who has people designing tents that went out and used them before they put them on the market?
Are you more likely to buy products from a large corporate company like the North Face for camping gear, or would you prefer a smaller U.S. based company like Big Agnes who has people designing tents that went out and used them before they put them on the market?
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