My Last Blog...

1. __________ handle phone in orders, faxes and online orders.
a. Field Sales
b. In-House Sales
c. Sales Representatives
d. Telemarketers

2. The primary reason for joining ___________ is to obtain discounts from the retailer.
a. Direct Mailing List
b. Catalog subscriptions
c. E-mail list
d. Frequency Programs

3. Which of the following is not a public relations function?
a. Identify Stakeholders
b. Assess Corporate reputation
c. Create advertisements
d. Prevent image damage

4. Betty Lou loves the new line of Green Works products from Clorox, and planted trees for Earth day. Betty Lou would be considered a _____________.
a. True Blue Green
b. Greenback Green
c. Sprout
d. Grouser
e. Basic Brown

5. Display advertisements include all of the flowing except:
a. Banner Ads
b. Skyscrapers
c. Pop-up Ads
d. POP
e. Widgets

6. A message that is passed along at a high percentage rate is called ____________.
a. Branding
b. Viral Marketing
c. Guerilla Marketing
d. Public Relations

7. Which type of testing takes place prior to ad development?
a. Concept testing
b. Copy testing
c. Recall tests
d. Attitude & Opinion test

8. Test markets are used to assess:
a. Ads
b. Pricing tactics
c. Consumer & trade promotions
d. New products
e. All of the Above

June 9, 2009

Why did it offend people?

Online Moms did not respond to the ad by racing out for Motrin. They were offended by the suggestion that they carry their babies to be “fashionable”. They were outraged at the idea that they look “crazy”. They vehemently disagreed with the phrasing that “in theory” carrying your baby around is a good idea. Mommy-bloggers spread this news like wildfire and it was all over Twitter in a few days. Moms were outraged by this...but really I think mom's should be taking care of their children instead of blogging...

How did the company respond?

Here is the press release that was issued on Monday following the incident:
"I am the Vice President of Marketing for McNeil Consumer Healthcare. I have responsibility for the Motrin Brand, and am responding to concerns about recent advertising on our website. I am, myself, a mom of 3 daughters.
We certainly did not mean to offend moms through our advertising. Instead, we had intended to demonstrate genuine sympathy and appreciation for all that parents do for their babies. We believe deeply that moms know best and we sincerely apologize for disappointing you. Please know that we take your feedback seriously and will take swift action with regard to this ad. We are in process of removing it from our website. It will take longer, unfortunately, for it to be removed from magazine print as it is currently on newsstands and in distribution.

-Kathy
Kathy WidmerVP of Marketing

Pain, Pediatrics, GI, Specialty

McNeil Consumer Healthcare"

How would I have handled this if I was a PR specialist for Motrin?

Well, first of all I would have done a bit more research of my target audience and secondary audiences. If there was any question that this ad might offend people I may have set up a test market first. But since they didn't do that, I would have done what the VP of marketing did...apologize to their audience for their stupid mistake and reassure them that it'll never happen again.

June 8, 2009

Well, I don't get any mail sent to me down here. But I do get some junk mail back home. Recently I have been getting a lot from different insurance companies. I guess that's becasue I filed a claim for my car from the storm here. They are trying to get me to switch by saying I could save a whole bunch. These are pretty ineffective on me since I don't pay my insurance anyway. Other than that, I don't get much direct mail; I have online statements and billpay for almost everything. The only thing that still comes in the mail is my bursar bill, and I don't even look at that. So direct mailing is ineffective on me I'd say.

June 4, 2009

Test 3 Questions

Chapter 7

1. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of credibility?
a. Attractiveness
b. Trustworthiness
c. Informative
d. Likeability

Chapter 8

1. The process of allocating advertising budgets for media time and space in the most efficient and effective manner is known as media __________.
a. Strategy
b. Planning
c. Choices
d. Buying

2. Gross rating points are used to measure the __________________.
a. Cost of a media plan
b. Impact of a media plan
c. Rating of a TV show
d. Creativity of a media plan

Chapter 9

1. Members of upper management that attend trade shows are known as ___________
a. Education Seekers
b. Reinforcement Seekers
c. Solution Seekers
d. Buying Teams
e. Power Buyers

2. The funds charged by retailers to stock products are known as __________.
a. Off-invoice allowances
b. Drop-ship allowances
c. Slotting Fees
d. Exit Fees

Chapter 10

1. Which type of coupon you would most commonly find in the aisles or on a product?
a. Instant Redemption
b. Bounce Back
c. Cross-ruffing
d. Response offer

2. __________are prizes or gifts that a consumer receive when making a purchase.
a. Bonus Packs
b. Contest
c. Premiums
d. Refunds

Chapter 11

1. The first step in the consumer buying process is _________ _____________.
a. Purchase decision
b. Evaluation of alternatives
c. Information search
d. Problem recognition

June 3, 2009

Hardee's Thickburger


Here is a coupon for $1.00 off the Hardee's Six Dollar Thickburger combo. It's not really $6, it more like $3-something, but this is a pretty good coupon. These burgers are huge but I rarely eat at Hardee's anyway. Maybe if we had one in Carbondale... I would.

Coupons.com

This was another great website that I found. It has a bunch of different products on it and coupons from food, drinks, entertainment and products.

Click here to enter for a chance to win $3,000 toward what's most essential to you and your family in the Dawn Life's Pure Essentials Sweepstakes.
Dawn Sweepstakes

Also, on the P & G website you can register to receive free samples and coupons. Once you register you can upload coupons directly to your Kroger card and you don't even have to take the coupons in; they are on your card and when you swipe your card to checkout, it automatically takes it off! WOW

June 2, 2009

Well, I went to Kroeger tonight to buy food and looked around for POP displays. I didn't see many. I took a picture on my cell phone (which I cannot upload online...fml) so here's what I got. It was very cluttered and a bit overwhelming. I did notice that Coke had a spot on the end where there was just a bunch of cases stacked up. Nothing impressive though.

I have noticed at Wal-Mart in the past that Coke does pretty cool displays. Now they have up an American Flag made out of Coke cases. It's about 15 feet wide and 10 feet tall. I've also seen a goal post with Saluki made out of cases. Now that's pretty cool. Here's an example:






I used to work for a liquor distributor and as a merchandiser I helped build big displays out of liquor and beer. It was always the top priority to get the best spot on the store's floor. The more cases the sales rep sold into the store the more they got paid.

June 1, 2009

Monday June 1, 2009
Media Exposure Journal

8am-Ate Breakfast (Total Cinnamon)
9am-Class
10am-Class
11am-Subway ($5 Footlong)
Noon-Class
1pm-Class
2pm-Class
3pm-Class
4pm-Class
5pm-Class
6pm-Sleeping
7pm-Sleeping
8pm-Mississippi Flyway
9pm-Mississippi Flyway
10pm-Homework/Journal


Sunday May 31, 2009
Media Exposure Journal

8am-Sleeping
9am-Sleeping
10am-Moved out of my house
11am-Moved out of my house
Noon-Moved out of my house
1pm-Buffalo Wild Wings
2pm-Moved out of my house
3pm-Moved out of my house
4pm-Moved out of my house
5pm-Moved out of my house
6pm-Moved out of my house
7pm-Moved out of my house
8pm-
9pm-
10pm-Watched Family Guy
11pm- Bed

May 28, 2009

Chapter 4

Which of the following is not a part of the promotions opportunity analysis.
a. Conduct a communication market analysis
b. create a budget
c. interview
d. prepare a promotional strategy

Answer: C


The goal of the NAICS is to _________________________.

a. control advertising
b. examine specific industries
c. get consumer feedback
d. create new sales pitches

Answer: B

Chapter 5

For a highly complex product, a company might want to use ______________.

a. In-house advertising
b. an advertising agency
c. public relations firms
d. direct marketing agency

Answer: A

True or False
Women over the age of 40 have a low buying power.

Answer: False

Chapter 6

_____ is often used as a means to break through clutter.

a. Sex Appeal
b. Humor Appeal
c. Music Appeal
d. Fear Appeal

Answer: A

________ ads can capture attention and foster an attachment.

a. Sex
b. Emotional
c. Humor
c. Musical

Answer: B

Chapter 7

________ message strategy invoke feelings and/or emotions and match those feelings with the product.

a. Cognitive
b. Affective
c. Conative
d. Executional

Answer: B

May 27, 2009

Personal Drive Analysis

Sex: Male
Age: 21
Material Status: Single
No Children
Pets: Dog
Smokes: No
Drinks: Occasionally
Occupation: Graduate Student studying Law
Graduated High School: 2004
Graduated college: May 2009
Income: Summer job at local country club paying $15 an hour.
Activities: Lifeguard, boating, jet sking, drinking, partying and hanging out with friends and family.
Future: Professional lawyer, great income, move to a big city with wife and kids and live in a subdivision just outside the city with a white fence and a nice sports car in the driveway.
Messages that appeal: Fancy cars, nice and expensive items.

May 26, 2009

"Why do people do what they do"
Most of the things that I buy are impulse buys. Only 31% of all purchases are planned. According to Rapaille, everything that we buy, the word has a "mental highway" code in our heads that we associate with it. He says that we make up excuses of why we need things, which is completely true. Why do people need a ten bedroom home when there's only two people living in it...we're nuts!

Frank Luntz...this guy is crazy. He has some good ideas about the words that people want to hear in order to buy a product or vote for someone in an election. He says that 80% of why we vote it from emotion. When I voted in this past election, I didn't vote from what I saw on television commericals. I did my own research and voted for the best person running.

Narrowcasting is much like advertising, but it is only shown to a small group of people. Narrowcasting involves aiming media messages at specific segments of the public defined by values, preferences, or demographic attributes. Also called niche marketing or target marketing. Narrowcasting is based on the idea that mass audiences do not exist.

May 25, 2009

Viral Marketing- An example of this kind of advertising is when you get an email and there are ads inside the email. An example would be at the end of an email it says "This message was sent using a Blackberry. It is spread by word of mouth or person to person. Try yours now." This is another example of how viral marketing works.

Guerilla Marketing- Guerilla marketing/advertising is usually advertising that goes outside of the normal advertising. Thinking outside the box. This picture to the right shows an advertisement for Mr. Clean. You notice that the crosswalk with the Mr. Clean on it is much brighter than the others.

Ambient- "Ambient media advertising can be used in conjunction with mainstream traditional media, or used equally effectively as a stand-alone activity. The key to a successful ambient media campaign is to choose the best media format available and combined with effective message."

Chapters 1-3 Exam Questions

Chapter One
The 4 P's of the marketing mix are Price, Product, Promotion and ______.
A. Priority
B. Place
C. Public
D. Personal Selling

Answer: B

Traditionally the producer held channel power. Who currently holds channel power due to the Internet?
A. Consumer
B. Retailer
C. Wholesaler
D. Producer

Answer: A

Chapter 2

A __________ kind of logo reveals what a company does.

A.Conceptual
B. Overt
C. Iconoclastic
D. Implied

Answer: A

This helps aid in recall of specific brands and advertisements, as well as reduces shopping effort.

A. Marketing
B. Corporate names
C. Corporate logos
D. Advertising

Chapter 3

Which of the following is not apart of the consumer decision making process?

A. Problem recognition
B. Information Search
C. Negotiations
D. Post purchase evaluation

Answer: C

If you know what brand of laundry detergent you want to buy at the store is called the _____ set of method.

A. Inept
B. Envoked
C. Inert
D. Common

Answer: B

May 20, 2009

The way that we deal with all of this clutter in the advertising world is by ignoring it. We pay attention to some things, but usually if I know an ad that comes on and I don't even care about it, then i'm most likely not even going t opay attention to it. The way marketers cope with all the clutter is by making more clutter. That's not the intention at first, but in the end thats all they end up doing.
Nobody is paying attention to ads on television anymore with the intevntion of DVR and TiVo. So, advertisers are putting their products directly into the TV shows. Reeses was the first ever by putting their product in the movie ET.

May 19, 2009

I went to University Mall today and went to Hollister Co. I usually don't go there, because it's not really my style, but I have been in there a few times to get gifts for my little brother and sister who love it. As I got near the store, I could already smell it. The smell of Hollister can be smelled half way down the mall. I walked into the store and browsed around for a while noticing the dim lighting, loud music, the smell. Almost every rack and/or shelf in the store is a dark wood. The mannequins are dressed like they just came from the beach and so are the people who work there. The employees have ripped jeans, flip flops and a polo on. Some of the girls were wearing tank tops. Hollister tries to appeal to the "surfer" college/high school students. In the store they also have a television monitor of a live beach in California. Although this made me want to be on the beach, I didn't want to buy any of their over priced clothes. Hollister tries to appeal to high school and college students that want to be "preppie."
My impression of the store hasn't changed since the last time I was in there. It's still not my style and I doubt I will be buying anything from there for myself anytime soon.

May 18, 2009

What does advertising mean to me?
Advertising to me is the process by which advertisers try to promote their product or services through media, as well as word of mouth and sponsorships.

They only advertising that I have ever done was for my fraternity. At the beginning of each semester we try to get our name spread across campus and the best way is to write where people walk everyday. We also have shirts, jackets and brochures made. This type of advertising works for our fraternity, but may not be enough for a business.

The following ad is one of my favorites because the cows are funny and it made me remember the commerical. Real California Cheese has had many commericals with the "talking cows" and they have gotten their name out in the market.



I have actually tried the Real California Cheese, but really, it's just cheese to me. This commerical in particular didn't make me buy the cheese, but all of them combined made me curious to try it.