Monday, February 25, 2019
Week 5 Post 2:
Target Market for my business entity will vary in scope and demographical bases. I look to connect to those who support our military community and the charities that support those who have served. The age range will have a wide range from 18 to 80. Education is not a factor in directing the marketing plan. Ethnicity is not "seen" as important rather than the country that you reside in, which in for this project, a United States citizen. Gender target is for both, female and male. To include those who identify themselves as gender neutral as well. Income target will be above the US poverty line for 2019. The most important psychographic in this campaign are the values and attitudes towards supporting military entities and American pride.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Week 5 Post 1:
Food. We all have to eat to survive. We all have food options that we can choose from. A sandwich, is a sandwich, is a sandwich... right? Well, what makes us choose one sandwich shop over the others? Why did McDonald's choose the colors red and yellow for their iconic golden arches logo? They chose those colors for the specific human correlating feeling between food, hungry and happiness. So, are advertisers - in this instance, sandwich shops - selling us a better product? Or are some just selling better than others? This week's critical analysis is on one of my favorite subjects, food!
The brand names alone for the two compared sandwich shops: Subway and Hungry Bear Deli, convey a human comfort connection with the familiar association with Subway. They know we know the brand, seen the brand, got can tell you about Jared, their brand ambassador who lost weight on a "subway sandwich diet". Hungry Bear Deli doesn't resonate with the populous as much because it's not a known brand. Let's review the two sandwich shops to see what "works" and what doesn't "work" for the brands and the demographics that they are trying to connect with.
Subway with their symbolic color palette of green and yellow stands out immediately on their website. There's so much green that it puts the John Deere website to shame. What are they selling here? Green goods or sandwiches? Are they selling green eggs and ham? No, Dr. Seuss food groups belong only in fairy lands primary books. Subway is selling you the sense of fresh vegetables and overall freshness. Let me think about the last subway sandwich, or any sandwich I've eaten. What was actually green on it? Lettuce, and maybe cucumbers? That's it. The bread isn't green, the sandwich meat isn't green. The toppings aren't green and thank goodness the cheese isn't green! That would be green gross! Maybe less than 10% of a sandwich is actually the color green. That doesn't seem to matter to Subway because they're utilizing the green color palette to sell you on the coloration that Subway is fresh and healthy via the color green. Conversely, when looking at the Hungry Bear Deli, their color palette is more on the earth tones schematic of browns and black with barely a hint of green or light green anywhere. Even with their website copy stating "Always Fresh, No Microwave, Never Frozen", it truly does not convey those words at all due to the color palette they choose. So, what do you think is the big difference between the two customers then?
They both eat food. They both need to eat food. Well, I ask again, what makes people choose one shop over the others? The overall branding and message conveyed on their website shows who their target markets are.
Subway, is looking to mask the fact they are selling sandwiches because the use of green conveys the one to be a healthy option. They subtlety show a farmer holding a basket of tomatoes and then a farmer actually picking from his crop. C'mon is that really a farmer for just Subway's subs? They are also leading you into the organic world with touchy feely messages about their sustainable journey and "smarter nutrition". It's a sandwich people. I do not ask a sandwich shop about their "sustainable journey"; I ask if I can have my sub grilled and add extra pepperchinis. They include the green organic journey to make you feel that you are making a healthier choice. That trendy healthy choice feeling is connected by using various age group models in their pictures. Everyone is smiling and they look "healthy". I believe they purposefully used a younger female model eating a sandwich to drive this message home. Subway is selling the healthy psychographic lifestyle.
The Hungry Bear Deli focuses on the sandwich and less the tone/feel of the website. The people that they do display, pretty much states that they are not a "healthy option" type of sub shop. The human used on their website is on the more portly side and focus is on the meat with not even a side of green. The copy on the website speaks of "generous portioned items" and the use of a bear logo conveys the message that it's hearty eating for the big bear appetites. If you've got a big appetite and are "hangry" as they dubbed, then this is your place.
When viewing the viewer experience between the two sandwich websites there is definitely a difference between the two. Subway has several call to actions: "Go ultimate", "Get Delivery", "Give the Gift of Subs", "Gift Now", "Earn while you eat", "Join now", "Eat Better", "Learn More". Action conveys health and makes the visitor feel that correlation with their brand message. The Hungry Bear Deli, the only call to action found is "find us" and that is to their social media channels. They don't even say "eat here". Their website was drafted from a different point of view completely from Subway.
So.... Food. We all have to eat to survive. Have you thought about why you choose the places you choose? Is it really the "food" or the message behind the food that they are selling, and how it makes us feel? Hmmm... What do you think?
The brand names alone for the two compared sandwich shops: Subway and Hungry Bear Deli, convey a human comfort connection with the familiar association with Subway. They know we know the brand, seen the brand, got can tell you about Jared, their brand ambassador who lost weight on a "subway sandwich diet". Hungry Bear Deli doesn't resonate with the populous as much because it's not a known brand. Let's review the two sandwich shops to see what "works" and what doesn't "work" for the brands and the demographics that they are trying to connect with.
Subway with their symbolic color palette of green and yellow stands out immediately on their website. There's so much green that it puts the John Deere website to shame. What are they selling here? Green goods or sandwiches? Are they selling green eggs and ham? No, Dr. Seuss food groups belong only in fairy lands primary books. Subway is selling you the sense of fresh vegetables and overall freshness. Let me think about the last subway sandwich, or any sandwich I've eaten. What was actually green on it? Lettuce, and maybe cucumbers? That's it. The bread isn't green, the sandwich meat isn't green. The toppings aren't green and thank goodness the cheese isn't green! That would be green gross! Maybe less than 10% of a sandwich is actually the color green. That doesn't seem to matter to Subway because they're utilizing the green color palette to sell you on the coloration that Subway is fresh and healthy via the color green. Conversely, when looking at the Hungry Bear Deli, their color palette is more on the earth tones schematic of browns and black with barely a hint of green or light green anywhere. Even with their website copy stating "Always Fresh, No Microwave, Never Frozen", it truly does not convey those words at all due to the color palette they choose. So, what do you think is the big difference between the two customers then?
They both eat food. They both need to eat food. Well, I ask again, what makes people choose one shop over the others? The overall branding and message conveyed on their website shows who their target markets are.
Subway, is looking to mask the fact they are selling sandwiches because the use of green conveys the one to be a healthy option. They subtlety show a farmer holding a basket of tomatoes and then a farmer actually picking from his crop. C'mon is that really a farmer for just Subway's subs? They are also leading you into the organic world with touchy feely messages about their sustainable journey and "smarter nutrition". It's a sandwich people. I do not ask a sandwich shop about their "sustainable journey"; I ask if I can have my sub grilled and add extra pepperchinis. They include the green organic journey to make you feel that you are making a healthier choice. That trendy healthy choice feeling is connected by using various age group models in their pictures. Everyone is smiling and they look "healthy". I believe they purposefully used a younger female model eating a sandwich to drive this message home. Subway is selling the healthy psychographic lifestyle.
The Hungry Bear Deli focuses on the sandwich and less the tone/feel of the website. The people that they do display, pretty much states that they are not a "healthy option" type of sub shop. The human used on their website is on the more portly side and focus is on the meat with not even a side of green. The copy on the website speaks of "generous portioned items" and the use of a bear logo conveys the message that it's hearty eating for the big bear appetites. If you've got a big appetite and are "hangry" as they dubbed, then this is your place.
When viewing the viewer experience between the two sandwich websites there is definitely a difference between the two. Subway has several call to actions: "Go ultimate", "Get Delivery", "Give the Gift of Subs", "Gift Now", "Earn while you eat", "Join now", "Eat Better", "Learn More". Action conveys health and makes the visitor feel that correlation with their brand message. The Hungry Bear Deli, the only call to action found is "find us" and that is to their social media channels. They don't even say "eat here". Their website was drafted from a different point of view completely from Subway.
So.... Food. We all have to eat to survive. Have you thought about why you choose the places you choose? Is it really the "food" or the message behind the food that they are selling, and how it makes us feel? Hmmm... What do you think?
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Week 4 Post 1:
Red Rover, Red Rover... someone please send some help over to Roverp6cars.com! My eyeballs are on overload and my brain for sure has been caught up in a tornado of moving banners, pictures of cars, and lots of words. Not sure what the MGBD stands for and not sure what a Rover P6 is either by the landing page. The aesthetics and design appeal of this website needs to streamlined. They need to heed to "less is more" when it comes to their overall branding to send a clear message that they specialize on a specific make and model of a rare collectors car. Their brand image is confusing and can frankly cause dizziness if you stare at it too long.
Are they in the penny business or the juice business over at pennyjuice.com? I chose this topic because I clearly didn't understand the branding name combination with penny and juice before the dot com. Within the first ten seconds of landing on their website, I still couldn't figure it out. I had to read enough copy from various different locations to formulate exactly what their business was about. Their color palette was confusing and didn't flow nicely for the viewer. The focus was not clearly pronounced when the website opens. Low and behold, the are juice providers specializing in concentrates for childcare centers. Why didn't they just say that within their tag line next to Penny Juice? Instead they chose "It Makes Cents". What makes sense? The viewer has to struggle to find their message and their product association within the brand.
What a nice surprise that a governmental page nps.gov has a clean engaging website! The government is not known for their cutting edge creative expression, produced a very nice website for the viewer. They immediately want the visitor to have an experience at one of their parks, so they offer an immediate call to action "find a park" in the center of the page with a drop down by state organization. What a breath of fresh air! Above that drop down (because drop downs can be so boring) is a stunning graphic of a statue highlighting the celebration of African American Heritage. Way to be in the current cultural moment nps.gov! They then offered windows of experiences shared with pictures and stories that is tantalizing for the website visitor.
I mean, what does Apple NOT do right? They are the marketing leader for hard goods advertising, period. From their overall branding approach of simplicity and approachability, to their fore thinking product launches tied with exciting videos and presentations... Apple does it right from the start of the brand. The focus is always on the product and the landing pages are produced to make you want to click the key words to learn more. They are the king of keep it simple stupid. No matter how smart you are, you want your tech to be simple.
Are they in the penny business or the juice business over at pennyjuice.com? I chose this topic because I clearly didn't understand the branding name combination with penny and juice before the dot com. Within the first ten seconds of landing on their website, I still couldn't figure it out. I had to read enough copy from various different locations to formulate exactly what their business was about. Their color palette was confusing and didn't flow nicely for the viewer. The focus was not clearly pronounced when the website opens. Low and behold, the are juice providers specializing in concentrates for childcare centers. Why didn't they just say that within their tag line next to Penny Juice? Instead they chose "It Makes Cents". What makes sense? The viewer has to struggle to find their message and their product association within the brand.
What a nice surprise that a governmental page nps.gov has a clean engaging website! The government is not known for their cutting edge creative expression, produced a very nice website for the viewer. They immediately want the visitor to have an experience at one of their parks, so they offer an immediate call to action "find a park" in the center of the page with a drop down by state organization. What a breath of fresh air! Above that drop down (because drop downs can be so boring) is a stunning graphic of a statue highlighting the celebration of African American Heritage. Way to be in the current cultural moment nps.gov! They then offered windows of experiences shared with pictures and stories that is tantalizing for the website visitor.
I mean, what does Apple NOT do right? They are the marketing leader for hard goods advertising, period. From their overall branding approach of simplicity and approachability, to their fore thinking product launches tied with exciting videos and presentations... Apple does it right from the start of the brand. The focus is always on the product and the landing pages are produced to make you want to click the key words to learn more. They are the king of keep it simple stupid. No matter how smart you are, you want your tech to be simple.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Week 3 Part 1:
Communication works when we all are speaking the same language. What happens when your language isn't "understood" to the language you're speaking to? I'm sure we all have felt this frustration of mis-communication via "what the heck are you saying"??? I can attest from my own experience talking to a cell phone carrier that they have their own language of plans that are attached to said names of rates that are only available for said times and all I said was "what"??? Social media provides a layman's terminology to express opinions with business entities. Who would've thought a "at" (@) via twitter to a business would be heard? The internet, the biggest listener there is in the world, just upped their connection with the real people that can make an impactful action. Now, what if the internet wasn't here to listen? What forms did we use before aol and juno were a thing? Snail mail has been assigned that metaphor for mail communication for a reason. The time taken to send that message and be heard, is time wasted on other facets of your life. Thank goodness for the internet! Don't you think?
I've never had a positive interaction with a business through social media, because I'm old school and pick up the phone. I'm not gonna lie, I wish some businesses had text messaging! I prefer asking questions to a person and not hide behind the key board. Plus, I prefer privacy when airing out grievances with others or businesses. Maybe I come from the school of thought of, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all on social media. Social media in business and also personal can be divisive and mis-understood to readers depending on so many unforeseen variables. Don't you think?
If I was a business owner and received positive negative comments, I'd first take a look at the over all voice of my brand to see what is appropriate. Am I professional corporate entity, or am I local taco shop. I feel the voice behind the brand messaging is just as important. I feel that whatever the comment is, a concern or a compliment needs to validated with some sort of response. Most people in life, including those on the internet... plainly just want to be heard. It can be a professional "we appreciate your comment and value your feedback" to "Hola, I sorry for your displeasure and we're pretty slammed over here, it is Taco Tuesday, yah know, but we're open to hear your concerns. Stop over for Taco Tuesday on us". I feel that the feelings conveyed behind the tone and language of the copy written is what makes consumers either connect or feel like they're talking to a RoboCall center. Have you ever felt like you're talking to a RoboCall center person?
As discussed in our textbook reading this week. Communication is about listening. Social Media allows for consumers to be heard in their OWN language, forcing the business to acutely listen to their potential customer or maybe their potentially leaving customer. How businesses decide to engage with the consumers can be successful if they acknowledge their comments, make the consumer feel that they are heard, and leave them going forward that positive things can come out of negative situations. I'd like to hear your thoughts!
I've never had a positive interaction with a business through social media, because I'm old school and pick up the phone. I'm not gonna lie, I wish some businesses had text messaging! I prefer asking questions to a person and not hide behind the key board. Plus, I prefer privacy when airing out grievances with others or businesses. Maybe I come from the school of thought of, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all on social media. Social media in business and also personal can be divisive and mis-understood to readers depending on so many unforeseen variables. Don't you think?
If I was a business owner and received positive negative comments, I'd first take a look at the over all voice of my brand to see what is appropriate. Am I professional corporate entity, or am I local taco shop. I feel the voice behind the brand messaging is just as important. I feel that whatever the comment is, a concern or a compliment needs to validated with some sort of response. Most people in life, including those on the internet... plainly just want to be heard. It can be a professional "we appreciate your comment and value your feedback" to "Hola, I sorry for your displeasure and we're pretty slammed over here, it is Taco Tuesday, yah know, but we're open to hear your concerns. Stop over for Taco Tuesday on us". I feel that the feelings conveyed behind the tone and language of the copy written is what makes consumers either connect or feel like they're talking to a RoboCall center. Have you ever felt like you're talking to a RoboCall center person?
As discussed in our textbook reading this week. Communication is about listening. Social Media allows for consumers to be heard in their OWN language, forcing the business to acutely listen to their potential customer or maybe their potentially leaving customer. How businesses decide to engage with the consumers can be successful if they acknowledge their comments, make the consumer feel that they are heard, and leave them going forward that positive things can come out of negative situations. I'd like to hear your thoughts!
Monday, February 4, 2019
Week 2 Part 2:
I commented on the below blogs because I found their content open my mind to new questions that I should consider next time I'm utilizing social media platforms.
Michele Cortes
Mary Goulet
CarlyRose Raketich
Michele Cortes
Mary Goulet
CarlyRose Raketich
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Week 2 Part 1:
In my opinion the social media platform used for personal engagement may depend on the age of the user. I personally prefer Instagram for personal use because was an early adopter to allow users to customize their posts / pics to reflect their personality. Short term engagement platforms such as SnapChat leans towards the younger crowd which want to offer a quicker not as detailed glimpse into their personal life w/o the tasking of writing and editing as much. Plus the disappearing option adds into the here now gone later mentality. Facebook I think has more engagement with mid aged adults who want to have more ideas and words exchanged in dialogue. Do you think age determines which social platform you use? Is there an inappropriate platform for an age group?
I feel that Facebook is a stronger platform for brick and mortar and service related businesses. Facebook has better local community engagement and consumers can easily find businesses on FB due to their geo targeting. For product and online sales / services, Instagram I think is a better option. Instagram does a better job in connecting more engagement outside of your normal thought of group of consumers. Their use of #'s and place locations makes it easy for consumers to find a certain product or solve a problem, which may lead to a product or a service. I have used Instagram to find a solution for my thick hair. Have you used a social media platform to solve a personal problem?
Now, I think Facebook and Instagram can be inter changeable with their focus on consumers but how they write their content copy needs to be altered a bit for each specific platform. However, I think what's more important is take into consideration the age demographic which is the target goal. If you're target consumers are in their young teens then SnapChat would probably be better with a short Snap story. Their curiosity is higher so they will view the "story". Adults, they want to know ahead of time what the narrative is and what to expect when they read / visit / click your post. Do you think age is important in determining which social media platform to utilize for business?
I feel that Facebook is a stronger platform for brick and mortar and service related businesses. Facebook has better local community engagement and consumers can easily find businesses on FB due to their geo targeting. For product and online sales / services, Instagram I think is a better option. Instagram does a better job in connecting more engagement outside of your normal thought of group of consumers. Their use of #'s and place locations makes it easy for consumers to find a certain product or solve a problem, which may lead to a product or a service. I have used Instagram to find a solution for my thick hair. Have you used a social media platform to solve a personal problem?
Now, I think Facebook and Instagram can be inter changeable with their focus on consumers but how they write their content copy needs to be altered a bit for each specific platform. However, I think what's more important is take into consideration the age demographic which is the target goal. If you're target consumers are in their young teens then SnapChat would probably be better with a short Snap story. Their curiosity is higher so they will view the "story". Adults, they want to know ahead of time what the narrative is and what to expect when they read / visit / click your post. Do you think age is important in determining which social media platform to utilize for business?
Monday, January 28, 2019
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)