Response to Joe Maturo's post....The New Race in Marketing

I think the PS4 will pass over the Xbox 720 in this next competition for the top choice gaming console. I've been a huge Xbox 360 fan, and choose it over the PS3, but when looking at the projections for what each console will be like, it seems like the PS4 definitely will have the edge.  Although it kills me to abandon my loyal Xbox, I just feel that PS4 will just have to much to offer.

The Risk of Using SMS for Customer Service

When reading through this article, it goes into the details of using Text Messaging for customer service. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this.  To start off with, a huge advantage is the fact that 75% of Americans text message today.  So it is a great way for companies to contact their customers.  But there are downfalls to it.  For example, right now text message customer service is almost always run by a computer animated system, instead of a human.  This allows for room of frustration on the customers part.  This article set a nice set of guidelines for SMS customer service.  Those are that the companies must always ask permission, texting must be a two-way personal conversation, and they must provide an easy opt-out.

Do you agree with this guidelines?  Do you think companies should use customer service through SMS?  Would you be bothered by it?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2013/05/02/the-risk-of-using-sms-for-customer-service/

Response to Julianne Braverman, Generation Y

Question: Do you think that you would be able to give up your cell phone for a day? A week and be able to get through the few days not being connected at all time?

I think just for a day I would be able to give up my phone.  But anything past that, saying a week or so, I would say there is little to no chance.  I understand with the fact that maybe our society may be a little bit to technology dependent at this point.  But the fact that we are now accustom to these new smart phones and everything, and are always able to be connected, it would be hard to just get rid of that now.  So the fact of giving up my cell phone may not be a choice for me.

No One Forgets a Fashion Label's Name When it's Strange

This article goes into the details of naming a companies line in the fashion industry.  Although I do not have much interest in the fashion industry, it is a very interesting concept.  A lot of fashion lines are just the names of the people who created them, aka Calvin Klein.  But this article talks about how boring that is.  Could this effecting sales?  This article seems to believe that an interesting name will help generate some interest.  Taking "4 circles in a square, 4 corners of city" to be an example.  Although people did have trouble remembering the name, the writer seems to think that almost remembering a name is still getting it more recognized then having it named something bland like a name or a country.  I agree with this writer.  I believe if you have a strange name, that is different from everyone else, it would help spark more interest.  It will stand out above the others, and people might not remember it word for word, but will defiantly recognized better than something bland.

What do you think?  If you had a company would you use something bland like a name?  Or would you put your neck out there a use a "strange name"?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/fashion/no-one-forgets-a-fashion-labels-name-when-its-strange.html?ref=advertisingandmarketing&_r=0

Response to Cody Crawford's Post

It is hard to find a scenario in which a consumer can get a product or service they are satisfied with, but still not be satisfied with the company.  But when looking deeper into it, you can find some cases of this.  Such as a consumer can have a product in which they like the performance, and the price, but the fact that they were treated poorly by the store employees.  If the consumer gets bad attitude from an employee, they will  not be happy with the store, even if they product is great.  Another scenario in which this can be seen is a company that is not socially responsible.  A company can make a great product, but if the consumers find out that the company is not socially responsible, do not care about the environment and the society, the consumer will be turned off by the company.  Can you think of any other scenario's in which this case is true?




Do you think a consumer can get a product/service that they are satisfied with, but then not be satisfied with the company/business?

Self regulation vs. governmental regulation

When looking at the regulation of companies, it seems that governmental regulation is getting weaker and weaker by the year.  It seems that the United States is looking for something to fix this problem.  It has been mentioned that maybe we should let companies self regulate.  In my mind, I think this would be a terrible idea.   Sure maybe we could trust some companies to self regulate, and to do it fairly, but if self regulation was put into place, there would be a ton more of corruption.  Especially when regulating could falter that companies gain, when it would be themselves regulating their company, I'm sure a lot of them would not regulate as hard in order to be able to gain personal profit.   So even though governmental regulation is getting weaker, it still seems to be the best thing we have right now.  We cannot trust a company to regulate against its self, because they would just try to bend the rules in order to be more successful.  What do you think, Trust the government or trust the companies?

Response to Max Senew's Post

When looking for companies that are socially responsible, it seems to be a hard thing to find these days.  This case is especially true for American based companies.  It seems that most companies are more focused on their finical well being then what is happening in the society around them.  But there is one U.S. based company that seems to care about society.  That would be the Walt Disney Company.  Instead of just providing entertainment to us, they also feel a responsibility to contribute to making the world a better place.  Examples from Walt Disney that can be seen is that they run their trains on biodisel made from cooking oil from their own hotels, they established a worldwide conservation fund, and lastly they institute a "green standard" for their employees and cast.  So as seen here, Disney does things to help make the world a little better.  Even though it is hard to come by, it is a good thing to see.  Can you think of any other companies that are more focused on their social responsibilities instead of personal profit?