Samantha Bielawski

When I think of a retail brand that I believe is socially and ethically responsible I think of Ben and Jerry’s. I feel like these guys had built their company on social and ethical responsibility from the get go for their company and took steps beyond their competitors. With things that they have done to protect their customers, their suppliers, and push for political change Ben and Jerry’s is a company that I feel has made a profit with the goals of using that profit for good. They founded 1% for peace in 1988 where they set a goal to redirect 1% of the national defense budget to fund peace promoting projects. In 1989 they went against Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone due to the concern about economic impact on family farming and public confidence in the dairy products. In 1992 they joined a campaign with the goal to bring children’s basic needs to the top of the national agenda. In 2013 Ben and Jerrys stood with the campaign to make companies label their food products and what is in them including GMO. This making the movement for consumers to have the right to know what is in their food. Then in 2016 the founders of Ben and Jerry were arrested along with other protesters for unlawful demonstration activities. They were “protesting for action on climate change, racial justice, workers’ rights and fair pay, safe food and water, health care, peace, immigration reform and improvements in education”(Diaz and Ruggiero, 2016). While the two founders were arrested the company had created a page as to why the founders were arrested and kept everyone in the loop about what was going on through twitter.

I feel that Ben and Jerry’s is green for the environment based off of them consistently making efforts in campaigns to make the community better, their company better, and to keep their products at a high standard of quality. I honestly don’t think a company that has a track record like Ben and Jerry does things solely for profit. Also I don’t know of a lot of founders that have been arrested at the U.S. Capitol fighting for workers’ rights, racial justice, safe food and water, climate change and so much more while the company is backing them 100%. They have been striving to make a difference in the world by using their company to help bring awareness and bring on change in politics.

References

Causes Ben & Jerry’s has advocated for over the years with their corporate social responsibility: Ben & Jerry’s. https://www.benjerry.com. (n.d.). https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2014/corporate-social-responsibility-history.

Ruggiero, D., & Diaz, D. (2016, April 19). Co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s arrested at Capitol | CNN Politics. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/18/politics/ben-jerry-democracy-awakens/index.html.

Samantha Bielawski

The market research that I have done so far for the new product iPet supports Apple’s objectives when it comes to innovation and competitive advantage. This pet collar is an innovative product that is going beyond a normal smart collar and connects to Apple products giving easy access and no monthly fees. This also is giving Apple a competitive edge over its competition currently because Apple would be turning sights on a new frontier that has been steadily growing and does not appear to be stopping anytime soon. This also gives Apple a competitive advantage over its new competition because they have established having apps readily available on their devices current devices.

Because this is a completely new industry trend for Apple there can be some concerns when combining technology with pets. However making pet products that are compatible with technology is becoming an increasing demand for pet owners. Looking at the pet industry alone it has grown 51.4% in the past ten years and is expected to continue to grow in the next five years. With new pet product categories emerging into the market as well as a demand for high-end products this is an opportunity for Apple. With Apple implementing features that are not included in competitors’ collars as well as making the product easy to connect to Apple devices. For right now we are focusing on dog collars to get started and making adjustments to the collars as needed. As we continue on we can look into other types of pet collars such as cats and even look as other pet products that make pet care easier for pet owners.

How the proposed marketing strategy is aligned to legal, ethical, and industry standards as a product itself is by being able to stand alone. The product is different from its competitors making it not look like a copy of a product that is already on the market. That the consumers that partake in the survey for testing the market need to be sure to be anonymous and that we keep their information confidential that way we remain ethical to our consumers. Other things that we need to do be both ethical and meet industry standards is be clear in our marketing about our product. Meaning that when we advertise about the boundary feature that alerts users when their dog has left a particular area. It is not however an invisible fence to keep dogs contained. Making sure that we are clear about what the product does and keeping misleading information to a minimum.  

Some of the limitation that iPet has is the fact that is only for iPhone users. Because of this we are limiting our market base to only iPhone users that have dogs that can effectively use the iPet collar. Even though research has shown that there is a higher number of pet owners being iPhone users compared to Android this is still a limitation when comparing to other dog collars on the market. The competition is able to connect to other devices including iPhone.

References

Howarth, J. (2021, May 14). 7 Pet Industry Trends to Know (2021-2025). Exploding Topics. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/pet-industry-trends.

Rowland, C. (2020, September 23). Apple Inc.’s Mission Statement and Vision Statement (An Analysis). Panmore Institute. http://panmore.com/apple-mission-statement-vision-statement.

Samantha Bielawski

When making a comparison on Marvel vs. DC as a top dog and underdog Marvel has made a higher profit in the movie industry than DC which is why I have ranked Marvel as top dog coming in as the underdog DC is hot on their heels. DC has an ability of making a smaller budget production make a lot money compared to Marvel. Either way Marvel has had multiple movies that hold the top spots in ratings earning them top dog.

Looking at Marvel and their marketing strategy, Marvel went the slow route and kept their viewers in mind. By doing this they gave true comic book fans movies that resembled beloved characters as accurately as possible. In doing so they didn’t just make elaborate stories they made characters that connected with the audience and brought to life characters that will continue to have an impact on viewers for years to come. When it comes to DC they take a bit of a different approach when it comes to their movies. When looking at a Marvel vs. DC chart of the top 10 Marvel holds 8 of those spots and DC holds the number one spot with the Joker. Joker being the highest in ROI worldwide and having the lowest production budget of all the movies listed. DC point of action is having a little go a long way and spending wisely.

Ways the underdog, DC, can improve is to continue with the mindset they had with Joker.  Keeping low on the budget helps with making their uniqueness to their films. Showing characters in a new light that seems raw and hauntingly relatable. A trend that seems to be going around lately is the love for morally grey characters and showing how villains became who they are known to be. Breathing new life into characters and keeping true to who the characters are is a great way to boost DC’s standings over Marvel. It also in a way recycling old ideas and bringing an indie feel to the films that would make DC stand in its own light while competing with Marvel.

Why I believe consumers prefer the top dog over the underdog is the constant whit and action that takes place in Marvel. Also Marvel has established itself as a story teller where you take a glimpse at all the characters individually and then the characters come together in Avengers. Marvel takes a constant comedic and active stance on their movies where DC is darker and drama filled. For example, Deadpool is number 2 on the chart and it is one of those movies that is breaking the fourth wall throughout the movie and is just action packed and full of dark humor throughout. When you look at Joker it is dark and dramatic. I honestly am a huge Marvel fan and I feel that my fandom stems from my appreciation of Stan Lee. I feel that there are others that feel the same way that I do and find it refreshing to show characters who are in a way relatable when it comes to being full of demons but having a good heart.

References

Hoang, H. (2019, April 29). What any brand can learn from Marvel Studios. Medium. https://medium.com/@huy_work/what-any-brand-can-learn-from-marvel-studios-15b40c39d324.

Wheelwright, T. (2021, March 9). Marvel vs. DC: Big Budgets and Rotten Ratings. reviews.org. https://www.reviews.org/tv-service/marvel-vs-dc-big-budgets-rotten-ratings/#:~:text=This%20means%20the%20average%20Marvel,in%20%243.43%20per%20dollar%20spent.

By: Samantha Bielawski

When it comes to Under Armour they are a company that had built itself from the ground up. With the origins being undershirts for football players and having the “tough guy” look Under Armour was lacking in the female segment. With Under Armour wanting to compete with its rivals for the top spot, Nike and Adidas, Under Armour had to create a campaign that separated them from their rivals. With a known failure of Adidas campaign, “Unite All Originals”, Under Armour took a risk with their own campaign to gain more female customers with “I Will What I Want”. In the Under Armour campaign they had used athletes that might have been considered “rejected” athletes and how they overcame those difficulties.

Key points to keep in mind when implementing segmentation strategies are geographic, behavioral, demographics, and psychographics. These are all important to keep in mind when thinking about who you are wanting to target. Originally the Under Armour target was women athletes that were doubted in some way and persevered. This helping connect the targeted audience to the Under Armour brand in a psychological and behavioral way. Even though there a lot of emotional and powerful marketing strategies it is important that you do not lose sight of what you are doing, promoting a brand and a product.

A new market segment that I have noticed lately is in a way a new form of marketing. Where you have influencers in a way that are not your normal influencers. For example, Tik Tok has a lot of everyday people that rate and report products quality and how well they work. Some are somewhat serious while others are flat out hilarious. One that comes to mind is a woman that informed everyone that her vacuum had finally choked and died from battling pet hair and toddlers every day. While looking for something to help continue with cleaning the house she discovered her husband’s Rigid shop vac. After a few hilarious videos about her new found love for the Rigid vacuum, the company sent her a new vacuum along with several accessories. This is an example of letting customers do the advertising for you. A segment that could be a consideration is making a campaign #howdoyouArmourup where various athletes and everyday people are encouraged to show off what they do. This would be a good way to promote other sports and people of different walks of life to show off what they are proud of. This is something that can easily be shared on multiple social media platforms and Under Armour can track it and use some of the influencers post for other advertisements.   

By: Samantha Bielawski

The company that I have chosen to do my project on for this class will be Apple. The main reason I chose Apple is because it fits best with how my mind works and I have a familiarity with them. With the other companies I feel that I am limited and I tend to lean towards things that I have the most understanding in. Technology is already something I tend to look into regularly which is why I went with Apple. I already have a basic understanding of Apple products such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watches. Apple is regularly building on their products and I can see where my ideas would be beneficial.

The product that I have come up with for Apple is iPet. iPet is a dog collar that helps owners track their pets and alerts them when their pet leaves the home. This helping decrease the chances of losing your pet and when your pet does go missing the owner will be able to find their dog quickly. The color will also work similar to an Apple Watch in the sense that it will inform owners about their dogs’ health and alert you if your dog needs more activity. This circling back to where Apple products alert you if you need to get up and move it will encourage you to get up and move with your dog. Just like your Apple Watch is connected to your phone iPet is also connected to your Apple products giving users easy access to check in on their pets and keep track of their pet’s health as well.

Apple, (2021), https://www.apple.com/shop/accessories/all

By: Samantha Bielawski

The kind of consumer that I am typically is a bargain shopper, especially when it comes to groceries. I usually look for the buy one get one every chance I can. I also like to look at clearance sections for most of my shopping to see what deals I can find. One of my favorite stores of all time so happens to be Buggy Busters, which is where store rejects go to be sold for up to 60% off. I prefer to shop online for certain products that I am uncertain about mainly so I can look at the reviews and figure out if it is worth getting or spending the money on. I have walked away from a lot of products due to them having a large majority of bad reviews. Depending on what I am looking for quality can be a big thing for me when I am shopping for things such as sports equipment. I do realize cheaper is not always better especially when I have had cheap equipment fail on me. When it comes to brand loyalty I am mainly loyal to the brands that have benefited me the most. All these brands mainly happen to be equine brands such as Ariat and Charles Owen. But these loyalties only come into play after years of experiences with multiple brands.

When it comes to influencing my buying decisions things can be dependent on what I am buying. For example if I am grocery shopping I typically go the off brand route to get the better deals. The only times I cannot buy off brand is when the pickier eaters of the household are not fans of the off brand cereal. When it comes to my sports equipment though I am much pickier about. This is due to safety and overall fit. One of my biggest sales points is when a company stands behind their product. Chares Owen has a warranty on their helmets and protective wear if you were to damage their product within a certain time frame of purchasing the product. Also I like how they market their products doing their job. One of their social media posts was about an Olympic rider who’s head got stepped on when they fell off while competing. The rider was uninjured from this incident because the helmet did its job.

When it comes to the final purchasing decision it all comes down to “do I really need this”. I rarely splurge and when I do it is for my birthday and holidays. I typically buy most things such as clothes and equipment as absolutely needed. I also tend to look at cheaper alternatives when it comes to clothing and my work clothes. For example, instead of buying breeches, a pair of good quality full seat breeches are around $100, a $20 pair of yoga pants does the same job for when I am riding at home for the same amount of time. Another example is my helmets. I typically keep three riding helmets on rotation. I have my everyday helmet that I wear that was previously my show helmet. Then I have my skull cap that is typically used for cross country, more protection for higher speeds. When my everyday helmet hits the ground from a major fall I replace it with my show helmet and get a new show helmet. Usually I am able to hang on to an everyday helmet for 2-3 years. If I do not have a major fall for an extended period of time as soon as the helmet is older than 5 years I replace it. As it can be seen my final purchasing decisions are whether I really need the product and whether a product is going to last me a long period of time.

When I am making a decision on a purchase the marketing research that I do is starting off by looking at what the company says about the product. I look at if a product checks off all my boxes before looking deeper into the item. If I find a product that I like and am interested in I look into the reviews and the dates of the reviews. I prefer recent reviews on products but will take older ones if there is not a lot offered. The reasoning I have for recent reviews is because products can change, having a different formula than it previously had for example. Finally, I try to make a limit rule. When comparing multiple products find three and make my decision from there. My issue is there are way too many choices to choose from usually and it can make shopping rather overwhelming for me. By limiting things to three I am less overwhelmed and usually feel better about my purchasing decision.

Finally, when it comes to post-purchase if it is something that I want and have been looking into for a while I am equivalent to a child on Christmas. These types of purchases are planned to be a onetime buy or something that will last me 10-20 years. When it comes to my everyday purchases such as groceries I am usually relieved to get it over with. To give you an idea how much I do not like to go grocery shopping I normally buy enough groceries to last my household 2 weeks and don’t go to the store unless it is absolutely needed.          

By: Samantha Bielawski

When it comes to marketing objectives it is important for a business to use in order to create awareness about itself. The first step is having a clear and established goal that follow the SMART criteria. Meaning that a business’s plan needs to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and have a time frame. This helps keep plans in perspective and gives a company specific goals to achieve in a timely manner. These goals can vary depending on the business sense all businesses are not the same. Focuses can vary with the increase in sales or improving product awareness.

When it comes to setting marketing objectives it is important to be specific on the goal that the company wants to achieve. Avoid letting goals become vague, this will cause bad goal setting habits. Being sure to include team members in company goals and not make team goals in silos. This could cause goals to lack in organizational support which makes the goal more likely to fail. Also encouraging stretch-goals that challenge team limitations but be sure not to set unachievable goals that can lead to team frustration.  When creating the goals it is best to circle back the company’s mission statement and values to ensure the marketing objectives are not working against what the company intends to stand for.

When looking at legal and ethical considerations, things like having high ethical standards, avoiding misleading claims, and allowing customers a voice in data collection and privacy. With having high ethical standards there is a higher chance of having loyal customers, stronger connections with employees, and a positive image within the industry. By making sure there are proper disclaimers to ensure there is no misleading claims, and that customers have the ability to unsubscribe from marketing messages.

No matter what the goal is it should have the thought process of being a SMART goal. An example of a SMART goal would be: Grow market share at least 10% by the end of the year(Proctor, 2020). This goal is specific because know what area we are wanting to grow and the level of growth we are looking to reach. The goal is measurable because they will be able to measure it by tracking new customers, growth in new markets, and the overall growth in current markets. The goal of 10% is achievable and the course of by the end of the year is a time frame of which the goal is set to be achieved.

When it comes down to it is important that a business’s marketing objectives should align with the goals of the business. Being sure to use the SMART method to ensure that the goal is doable. Businesses should also keep up with current laws put in place by the country and states that it is working out of. As well as be conscious that goals and the way the goals are being achieved is ethical. By ensuring all the steps are considered when planning, a business will be able to thrive as a whole.

References

Goodyer, M. (2015, February 25). Ethical and legal issues in marketing. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.b2bmarketing.net/en/resources/blog/ethical-and-legal-issues-marketing

Kaho, M. (2019, March 11). Examples of Marketing Objectives. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-marketing-objectives-20231.html

Proctor, P. (2021, January 27). 10 SMART Goals Examples for Small Businesses in 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://fitsmallbusiness.com/smart-goals-examples/

By: Samantha Bielawski

Looking into the Equine-Locate’s target market we are mainly looking at the Equestrian population of the United States. The product will be mainly useful for horse owners that wish to keep track of their horses in case of an emergency whether it is an evacuation emergency or the horse is an escape artist.

When looking at the target market Equestrian demographics there are a few key areas to focus in. When looking at the APHIS information sheet that is part of the USDA, you can see the highest percentage of equine primary use is for pleasure with 47.2%. With that being the highest use the main focus would be for marketing in the section competition use to help push the product. Even though that only makes 8.1 percentage of primary use for horses, equestrians that are not competing regularly watch competitions and cheer on professional riders.

When looking at demographics other important things to be considered is the most common breed of horse as well as the most registered breed of horse. When horses are registered there are different equine associations to be involved with. In the case of the United States there is an estimated number of 3.1 million American Quarter Horses with over 200,000 added to the breed registry in 2014. These are important to keep in mind when looking at areas to market in competitions that rely heavily on the American Quarter Horse breed.

Finally, location can be a huge impact on making a successful marketing strategy. When looking at the geographic aspect of equestrian locations the top three areas are Texas, California, and Florida. Not only is this areas of high equine populations but can also be areas of natural disasters. California has issues with forest fires making Equine-Locate useful when having to evacuate. Florida is regularly at risk for hurricanes with issues of an evacuation or if fencing is destroyed during the storm and horses get out they will be easy to locate.

Reference

APHIS Info Sheet. (2017, February). From https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahms/equine/downloads/equine15/Equine15_is_Demographics.pdf

Bluman, S. (2017, January 16). The Horse Industry by the Numbers. Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://www.ridewithequo.com/blog/the-horse-industry-by-the-numbers

By: Samantha Bielawski

I decided to look further into a brand that I rely on daily when working and training horses that has kept me comfortable and safe, Ariat. Ariat was founded in 1993 with the current CEO co-founding the company, Beth Cross. The name Ariat is from the name of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses in history, Secretariat. As it can be seen the last section of Secretariat’s name is the brands name Ariat. The thought behind the name was the fact that his heart was oversized and he had the competitive spirit that loved to run. One of the Ariat shoes were named Two24 after Secretariat’s world record run of 2 minutes and 24 seconds at the Belmont Stakes. The name was especially special when the first Ariat opened in Lexington Kentucky, which is the horse racing capitol of the world.

The Ariat logo that consist of three horse shoes with a shield is a memorable logo with the thought of equestrian and footwear. The brand did a good job on having the Ariat name have a deep meaning behind it, opening in the most ideal location, and having the footwear stamp that is unmistakably equestrian footwear.

The bottom line naming strategies that Ariat created was emotional. Most people that saw Secretariat run, whether it was live or on television will say that the horse was special. People that know the name can range from racing fans to the everyday horse lovers that know of the legendary racehorse. Secretariat’s name continues to ring loud and clear throughout the state of Kentucky, books, and the 2010 film Secretariat. Finally, Ariat is easy to remember. If the connection to Secretariat is made the brand is even easier to remember. Ariat is also a major sponsor in several equestrian events that range from national to international which has put them onto a world stage in all horse lover’s eyes.

Resources

Holden, Maria. (2015, October 28). Chatting With Beth Cross, Ariat Founder and CEO. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://blog.murdochs.com/chatting-with-beth-cross-ariat-founder-and-ceo/

Watson, H. (2017, April 24). Ariat International Brand Shop at The Summit at Fritz Farm. Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://www.herkentucky.com/blog1/ariat-international

By: Samantha Bielawski

When looking at the development of enhanced digital advertising it is easy to see where innovations are consistently being made in both technology and marketing itself. With the growing use of smart phones, smart watches, and smart homes technology for collecting data is also getting smarter and more personalized.

Conversational Ads

This form of digital marketing gets rid of the days when “one product fits all” is no longer enough. These conversational ads go beyond the standard display ads. This allows for personalizing in real time based off a person’s needs and feedback. Bringing to attention giving the consumer what they actually want. An example would be a skin care company using the conversational ad to ask a few basic questions about their skin type then take the user directly to products that will help that individual person.

Retargeting

Retargeting can help build a personal connection with users by showing previously viewed product. Rather than just showing images of the item of interest the ads greet the potential customers with personalized messages about the item. This providing help that could push the user to be more interested in purchasing the item. This giving consumers a curated buying experience and provides them with information that they haven’t had time to research for themselves. Let’s say you are in the market for a new laptop. One of the biggest problems with laptops is there are so many decisions and research that you have to do to find the one you want to purchase by having retargeting you can receive the information that you need off the bat instead of developing decision fatigue which can cause consumers to not want to purchase anything at all.

Influencer Marketing Systems

Influencer marketing has become the new form of word-of-mouth marketing today. One of the biggest issues that companies have faced in the past is the person that matches the company the best. With getting Big Data more involved companies have been able to make influencer marketing an automated process. This taking the guess work out of selecting an influencer and looking at specific characteristics of select particular influencers and making the decision based off the data. Making it more possible to reach a target audience based off making a perfect match with an influencer.   

Chaffey, D., & Story, J. (2019, November 07). Digital Marketing Trends for 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.smartinsights.com/managing-digital-marketing/marketing-innovation/digital-marketing-trends-2016-2017/

The Future of Digital Marketing. (2019, November 27). Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.getsmarter.com/blog/market-trends/the-future-of-digital-marketing/

Kohn, E. (2019, November 21). Council Post: Is The Future Of Digital Advertising Conversational? Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/11/21/is-the-future-of-digital-advertising-conversational/