In Response To Tammy Chou

What type of media do you think is the most beneficial and effective? Do you think that one has a stronger strength than the other?

Tammy had talked about how she thought that social media was, if not the most, beneficial and effective form or marketing. The internet, with technological advances as well, as become part of the average person's everyday lifestyle. On a daily basis, people are constantly held in touch through various sources: cell phones, email, social media networks, etc. Its hard to not be prone to use a one of these methods to stay in contact with people. It also appears that this phenomenon is appearing to become a trend in younger generations. They are now relying on social media as well and there are numerous networks that they become a part of. It's truly remarkable on how much people have become to rely on social media, and technology to get by in day to day activities. This is very good for marketing because by using these social media network sites they are able to appeal to larger demographics. It could also be used as a consensus as to what their target demographic is interested in currently, and they could develop or enhance their products around this data. It appeals and works for all age groups.

Do you agree that social media networking can be beneficial for marketers?

To Sell Or Not To Sell

With the case of John Smith, provided by Professor Johnson, it focuses on Smith selling names of prospective car buyers from the marketing survey he had created. After reading through this case, I think that from a financial standpoint it was wise for him to sell the names because it would make him a profit of $8,000. Smith could use this money wisely as well, by putting it towards developing his business more and giving it to his employees through their paychecks. Although the selling of the names would cause Smith to have a financial gain I feel that this is not ethical in any way. When marketing anything it is important to comply with the American Marketing Association. On their website there is a section that is dedicated to explaining their ethical norms which should be followed. "Do no harm", "Foster trust in the marketing system", and "Embrace ethical values" are listed as the first three. The Association is based on providing customers with the honesty and respect that they deserve and that the marketing of these products is done ethically. However, if John Smith were to sell the names of prospective car buyers, without their consent, then he is performing unethically. If John Smith were to not gain the consent from these car buyers and sold them anyways, he would lose customers because of the loss of respect towards Smith and his company. It may be a good move in order to gain a profit, but there are other ways to do so. I feel that Smith needs to evaluate his actions and focus on his customers because it is ultimately them who determine if the business is going to be successful or not. If he were to sell the names, he would lose customers and that could result in him losing his entire business over time. He could even face legal issues.

Would you, if you were John Smith, sell the names of the prospective car buyers?

In Response To Jade Brulotte

Would you agree that this is a great way to market to women? Why or why not?

I have seen this ad before and absolutely loved it. With images of the "perfect" body in magazines or on television women are confronted with an issue of body image and this determines how they perceive themselves, which is not right. As the Dove Ad aired, it illustrated that although women are beautiful in their unique ways, they are unaware of it themselves. They are drained from the exhaustive amounts of images of what it is like to be perfect, even though these are more than often photoshopped images, that they are insecure about themselves. They way we perceive ourselves corresponds with how we carry ourselves and if its negative then it shows greatly. When the artist revealed the sketches to the participants you can see it clearly in their faces the realization that they don't appear to others the same way they think they appear in their own eyes. This resulted in many tears. I think its sad that women place so much pressure on themselves that they fail to see themselves as they should, and instead looked down upon themselves.

"Its emotion that drives brands you feel like you can trust and brand you want to bring close to you and your family"

I feel companies use the emotional aspect to appeal to consumers. If they can grab the consumers attention through emotion then they are usually more successful than those who use other tactics. However, this could also fail due to the content of the emotion trying to be grasped or the marketing of the product. In the case of Dove, I feel as though they completely hit the target when using the emotional aspect to draw in consumers with this particular ad. Perception is a driving factor in every day life and by showing the truth many women face, they will "touch" more consumers; which will draw them into choosing this product over other competitive products.

Do you think women place too much pressure on themselves and are blinded by their own perceptions?