In Response to Rachel Marra's Post

In Rachel's post, she referred to the following commercial made by T-Mobile for Valentine's Day and asked this question about their promise for a free phone (not advertised that you need to buy a two-year contract):  Is this false advertising or just really good marketing?

I think that T-Mobile, like many phone companies use the same promise that they will give you a free phone frequently throughout the year. This, in my opinion, is just really good marketing because there is always a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen or an asterisk following with the "catch". I think that this makes it good marketing instead of false advertising because they do show the consumer what is needed in order to get the good deals.

Though I believe this is really good marketing, I don't think companies should be allowed to keep their "catches" that small on the screen so it is near impossible to read. All phone companies, in my opinion, need to give all the information about their phones outright on commercials, like telling the viewer that they need to buy a two-year contract to get the deals they are promising. 

Do you think that all phone commercials should have to better advertise the "catch" involved with their sales? 

Chrysler Superbowl Commercial: Was it Political?

Superbowl Sunday is a big day for marketers, because this game is very highly watched and the commercials that play tend to be funny commercials that the watchers actually pay attention to. This is a great chance for marketers to get their advertisements out to consumers and for consumers to get a chance to see what is offered. This Superbowl Sunday, there was one commercial that seemed to advertise more than just the product.


Chrysler made a commercial about their cars, including a statement that seemed to be trying to persuade viewers to re-elect Barack Obama. Chrysler chief marketing officer, Olivier Francois said, “There were absolutely no political intentions,” Francois said in Chicago today. “The politicians can see political messages wherever they want, but we are not politicians.”


This commercial became the third most watched commercial on USA Today's Admeter and has received millions of hits on Youtube. 

Do you think this commercial was political? If so, do you think it should have been allowed to be aired during the Superbowl?

In Response to Emma

In Emma's blog, she asked the following question: Can you think of the last product or service you really enjoyed and may have told your friends about? Do you think marketing by word of mouth has a big impact on sales?


The last product I really enjoyed was the iPod I bought. I would tell all of my friends about it because it has the new camera and it has so many apps, including the Nook app by Barnes and Noble, which was important to me because I love to read. I told my friends all about the advantages of getting it, like the touch screen, the Face Time application, where you can talk to people face-to-face on your iPod, and all the other hundreds of applications Apple offers. 


I think word of mouth is one of the most important things for a company in order to sell their product. Their ads can be amazing, but most people want to know what their friends, family, or coworkers have to say about a product. They want to make sure they are getting the most quality for their money and they want to ask people they know that have it and get their opinions rather than looking at online or on TV testimonials. Word of mouth can really help a company or really hurt them. If they have a good product, then word of mouth would help them to get more customers, but if the customers don't like their product and they tell people they don't like it, it can be detrimental to a company's profits.


Are there any goods or services you would advise your friends not to buy? If so, why?

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is a type of marketing in which the advertisers spread the word about their product in unconventional ways, generally on the internet. Recently, there was a new type of viral marketing used by a company called Thinkmodo who created ads for the movies Limitless and Chronicle. They used an ad in which they made it seem like a man had hacked into the video screens in Times Square to promote the movie Limitless. This was a big hit and the movie was quite successful.




More recently, they used remote-controlled airplanes disguised as people to promote Chronicle. Three people flew the airplanes around New York City and they quickly became an internet sensation for stunning the people of New York. The idea behind this ad was to also be able to tape it and make it into a behind-the-scenes video that shows how the airplanes were flown, in order to give a "cooler" effect to the ad. 

Do you think viral marketing is a good way to market a product?

In Response to Maggie

Maggie's Question: Since these diverse classes we take (marketing,accounting) are all important, do you think a course like Marketing should have its own Major? Why or Why not?

In my opinion, I do believe that Marketing should have it's own major here at Keene State. Marketing is an important part of any business and it is a big part of our everyday lives. We see advertisements everywhere these days, on TV, the internet, magazines, etc. Marketing is important for companies to educate their consumers about the company and their products. Marketing, because it is so important, should have more than just one or two courses, it should have a full major where artistic and business-oriented students can learn more about how to successfully market their companies and their products.

I was shocked to learn that Keene did not have a major for marketing, due to the fact that it is so vital to any business. It should be taught more thoroughly in schools and should be offered in a variety of courses. 

Would you be inclined to take more marketing classes if it was offered as a major? Why or why not?

Why Marketing is Important

Marketing is a very important part of any business. Even if you are not going to school for marketing, taking a marketing class is beneficial in many ways:


1. You will learn about the Marketing Mix and the 4 P's, which help any company in figuring out how to price their product, promote it and where to sell it. These are extremely important for a company to know if they want to succeed at selling a product.


2. You will learn how to do marketing research to determine what product to make. Learning what the consumers want and need is crucial in any business. There is no point in making a business if the good/service/idea you are selling is not one people are interested in purchasing/partaking in. Doing the marketing research will help save money and time of a business owner so they do not have to be forced to close their business within months due to a lack of sales.


3. Marketing is overall essential to any company. Even if you are not going to be a marketing director in your company, it is always good to know the different parts of the business, so you can be skilled and knowledgeable in how the company runs. 


Do you think marketing is the most important part of any company? 

Marketing Mix

If I were to think of myself as a product, as trying to market myself to an employer, I would use the marketing mix, or the four P's, in order to accomplish a great overview of my work ethic to make an employer want to hire me. The four P's are as follows: product, place, promotion, and price. Here is how I would use these four factors to market myself:

Product: I am the "product". I would use this topic to cover how I am a hard worker, I am always punctual and    I am very sociable and able to work well in groups. I would go about describing my strengths in the workplace, in order to enhance my chances of receiving the job. I would explain my "features" and tell the future employer that I would be willing to work full-time or part-time, I would be available to travel if necessary, and I would be open to any job opening they had.

Place: Here, I would describe how close to the job I live and again, I would talk about how I was free to travel, if necessary. I would describe that even when I am at school, I have a car and can drive to any location they needed me at.

Promotion: I would use promotion to enhance my skills and use "personal selling" to sell these skills to the company. I would get references from former employers and coworkers to show the company how others perceive my work ethic, and I would make sure that they knew I had never left a job on a bad note, so as to not worry them that I would leave in an angry or bad way.

Price: I would explain that I am open to any salary they were hoping to pay their employees. If I would put a low price for my services, I could get a reduced pay than expected, but if I put a larger price, that may sway them not to hire me, therefore, putting that I was open to any salary would help my chances of getting the job.

Which of these 4 P's do you think is the most important in marketing yourself or a product?