Week 10 EOC: What are the Benefits vs the Features?

Black Forlorn Vodka, the unconventional choice is a premium Black Vodka from the U.S. This exquisite Vodka has several features: to begin with, its superb taste is achieved through a triple distillation, removing unwanted flavors with exponentially narrower heat ranges provides for a smooth and natural tasting product. We are very proud in our precise distillation, thus the natural Black Seed flavor. This anti-hang over procedure adds on to the next step in refining Black Forlorn Vodka.

Filtering is achieved through activated charcoal, removing impurities while pronouncing the quality of the alcoholic content. However Black Forlorn Vodka is traditionally oriented in keeping the natural flavor originating from Black Cumin Seed. Therefore the process is only secondary and not of much impact in our signature Vodka.

On the other hand Black Forlorn Vodka possesses several benefits. Unlike the usual alcoholic drink whose only purpose is offering a fun evening. Black Forlorn Vodka is composed with a variety of well documented beneficial substances. The use of Dead Sea salts delicately complements the sovereign cacao flavor with a bitter detail that connoisseurs of the Aztec treasure will find delightful. Also the mineral rich black-gray mud of the Dead Sea has many therapeutic uses in today’s world.

Another benefit of Black Forlorn Vodka and the core of our distinguished brand lie in its main seed: the Black Cumin Seed; Known for millennia for its beneficial properties. Not only does it give our vodka its natural taste and flavor, it also serves as a breaking point, leaving the costumer to make a choice.

A Vodka with benefits? OR a Vodka without benefits?

 

Implementation Evaluation Control

Enclosing, Black Forlorn Vodka’s implementation is crucial to our success. Our sharpshooter approach to things gives us an edge over the competition. We do recognize our strength as well as our weakness as being critical perfectionists. Thus, “the process that turns marketing strategies and plans into marketing actions in order to accomplish strategic marketing objectives” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 57). These Actions are often easier to think up, than to execute them.

Through extraneous advertising campaigns the ignition point for Black Forlorn Vodka will trigger, and the results will be evident thoroughly with an evaluation of “the communication and sales effects of advertising before, during, and after the advertising is placed and measuring advertising return on investment” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 406). Through this we will ask ourselves: Did the promotion attract new customers or more purchasing from current customers?

In this current era we are conscious of the greater consumer power and control. This realization is the basis for our specifically targeted adds, full of creativity and truly ground breaking. Because “Greater consumer control means that, in building customer relationships, companies can no longer rely on marketing by intrusion. Instead, marketers must practice marketing by attraction—creating market offerings and messages that involve consumers rather than interrupt them” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 18).

Click here for the commercial.

Price

Black Forlorn Vodka is made out the prestigious black cumin seed, and the addition of Dead Sea salts. These ingredients are not easy to come by; therefore a fair price must be achieved. Not only for the customer to recognize the quality for a fair price, but also for the company to make a substantial profit.

This is because “rather than slashing prices, many marketers are holding the line on prices and instead explaining why their brands are worth it...The goal is to build market share and strengthen customer relationships at the expense of competitors who are cutting back.” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 27). Black Forlorn Vodka is a specialty product, considered of brand preference and loyalty. Its purchase is an effort, for there is little comparison of brands. It is considered as a high price product, for its exclusivity and more carefully targeted promotion.

The problems that many companies face are countless, but it can be confidently said that “pricing is the number-one problem facing many marketing executives, and many companies do not handle pricing well” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 275).  Black Forlorn Vodka is s luxury vodka and is priced at $29.95 for a 750ml with an alcoholic volume of 40%.

Distribution

Dictated in our objectives is the purpose of flooding the airwaves hand in hand with massive distribution mediums. Due to the scale of this campaign, the use of marketing intermediaries is key to the success of Black Forlorn Vodka. “Marketing intermediaries are Firms that help the company to promote, sell, and distribute its goods to final buyers” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 59).

Partnering with such massive entities is no longer child’s play, for they can have the power to dictate their own terms and conditions and in certain occasions, completely shut you down from the partnership; such reasons cannot stress enough the importance of distributing to companies such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes. To become the brand of prestige that Black Forlorn Vodka aspires to be, optimizing our own performance is not enough.

Therefore the implementation of “marketing services agencies, including advertising agencies, media firms, and marketing consulting firms that help the company target and promote its products to the right markets” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 59). In today’s world, we recognized the importance of working with intermediaries as partners rather than as simple channels through which we sell our products.

Promotion

Another part of the market mix concepts that foresee that the brand is relevant to the media, to the consumer, and to other businesses is selling concept: “The idea that consumers will not buy enough of the firm’s products unless it undertakes a large-scale selling and promotion effort” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 11).

Perfectly complementing our aggressive selling practices, due to the nature of this procedure. Often carrying high risks such as focusing on a successful sales transaction rather than on a long lasting customer relationship, assuming that customers will eventually like the product, and/or will forget about their disappointment and buy it again -obviously poor assumptions. The careful balancing of this practice along with our customer quality oriented practices is what defines Black Forlorn Vodka.

Our implementation of the marketing concept which “holds that achieving organizational goals depends on knowing the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions better than competitors do” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 11). In other words we specialize in keeping just the right balance between finding the right customers for our product, and finding the right product for our costumers.

Product

There are several approaches to the manufacturing. The oldest one is the Production concept, or “the idea that consumers will favor products that are available and highly affordable and that the organization should therefore focus on improving production and distribution efficiency” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 10).

However narrowing duties to this extent sidetracked us from the real objective, -satisfying customer needs, and building customer relationships, part of our marketing strategies to adapt to the ever-changing customer driven market. Therefore the adoption of a more sophisticated approach was a must. The discovery that a loyal customer line willing to pay a little more looking for quality rather than for value sparked the process for the manufacture of Black Forlorn Vodka: The Product Concept, or “the idea that consumers will favor products that offer the most quality, performance, and features and that the organization should therefore devote its energy to making continuous improvements” (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 10).

By successfully designing, packaging, and attractively pricing, Black Forlorn Vodka is able to preserve a loyal customer following. Our black vodka is beautifully designed in a slightly tinted red glass, with a purple label that has an intricate darker purple tribal design throughout. The brand name Black Forlorn Vodka can be read black through the words being cut into the purple label. The bottle comes in a 750 ml and as 40 proof. To save on hassle and for earth conscious purposes there is no packaging other than the bottle itself.

Target Market Strategy

In the broad sense of the word, our targeted market is the most profitable and sought for. The young adult age group, ranging from 21 to 32 constitutes a third part of the Millennials, a group of approximately 83 million. Successfully appealing to this market through the weaving of traditional and modern vodka is our strategic planning; in other words, it is our "process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organization’s goals and capabilities and its changing marketing opportunities" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 39).

Since this age group is too often bombarded with marketing coming from all dimensions, the one and most successful method of reaching them is a two-way conversation. However, the fast paced world we live in makes that process obsolete, and calls for very creative marketing approaches. Using every possible resource in our hands to keep embedded our signature vodka in the media is achieved through our healthy competitive attitude induced within our marketing department, giving them an edge in the work place because "the strategic plan involves adapting the firm to take advantage of opportunities in its constantly changing environment" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 39).

SWOT Analysis

Part of the process for the development of the company, is a complete analysis of the company’s situation through a SWOT analysis, or "an overall evaluation of the company’s strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T)" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

Black Forlorn Vodka’s strengths lie in its alluring appeal to the most heavily targeted young adults. The unique resources used to produce our vodka are of the highest quality, there is no other competitor that uses them, and are beneficially groundbreaking; all of the "strengths mentioned include internal capabilities, resources, positive situational factors that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

It is wise and perhaps profitable to recognize that "weaknesses include internal limitations and negative situational factors that may interfere with the company’s performance" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55); such limiting factors are the employment of somewhat costly ingredients, reducing our opportunity to increase profit by cutting costs, and the mere nature of alcohol, an intoxicating substance nonetheless (even though our ingredients posses beneficial properties).

It is thanks to this “label” that we could position our product in self-awareness markets such as “Whole Foods or Trader Joes,” presenting Black Forlorn Vodka as “the healthier choice” while granting us "opportunities which are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

However, we do recognize the fact that the fast paced lifestyle of our targeted market is ever-changing. Although the chance is minimal, the threat is present at all times. After all we live in a world of fads, being the biggest thing for one moment and yet unmemorable on the next one. The nature is that "these threats are unfavorable external factors or trends that may present challenges to performance" (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 55).

Objectives

There are several objectives of utter importance pertaining to the relationship between Black Forlorn Vodka’s mission statement and its overall objectives. The nature of this is due to the fact that "the company needs to turn its mission into detailed supporting objectives for each level of management." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 41).  

The overall objective of Black Forlorn Vodka therefore is: to create a following of cult, providing a profitable line of customers distinguishing themselves as a new breed of thoughtful drinkers. The importance of intellectually based business through research and design are imperative to the improvement of profits for “marketing strategies and programs must be developed to support these marketing objectives." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 42).

We recognize the importance of using not only the most carefully crafted ingredients, but also the most exquisite ones. Black Forlorn Vodka’s customer following recognizes these quality oriented product of the smallest detail and are therefore willing to pay for it. That being said, reducing costs is not an option. Our success depends on the aggressive promotioning and advertising. These public relations along with our marketing effort will put Black Forlorn Vodka in everybody’s mind; from DJ venues, to grocery stores, the scope is on full range.  

Business Mission Statement

In achieving a mission statement, which consists of “a statement of the organization’s purpose—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment," (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 39). The following must be successfully proposed first. What is our business? Black Forlorn Vodka is a specialty alcoholic drink that breaks away from all preconceived standards of what vodka represents. Its sober flavor complements its natural black tint, the grains used for its production are known by scholars as “superfoods,” possessing an incredible amount of beneficial properties. 

So then, who is our costumer? Black Forlorn Vodka is projected towards the knowledgeable drinker, looking for a memorable experience. The contemporary young adult searching for the next big thing is our targeted market, and the black vodka market is virtually untapped. Our costumers value the interweaving of two worlds; the traditional and naturally flavored vodka, and the pure and crystalline vodka achieved through extenuating processing. 

Enclosing, "mission statements should be market oriented and defined in terms of satisfying basic customer needs. They should be meaningful and specific yet motivating... emphasizing the company’s strengths in the marketplace." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong & Kotler, 41). Therefore, the resulting mission statement is the following: “to provide an outlet to the conventional world by selling the most defiant, proudly elaborated and innovative vodka to the unconventional consumer.”

Week 7 EOC: Final Project

Black Forlorn Vodka: the unconventional remedy - Not the same old transparent dreadful liquid. Suffering from the everyday chemical poisons? Black Forlorn Vodka is all about its naturally dark color, achieved with the Black Cumin Seed, a miraculous gift known for its beneficial properties for millennia. Characterized by its rich, serene, and aged flavor with a hint of cocoa liquor and Dead Sea salts; Black Forlorn Vodka stands on its own, setting a new standard departing from all the usual fruity and citrus flavors.   

The black vodka market is literally untapped; its alluring color holds this vodka prominent with its sophisticated features. There are only a handful of manufacturers dedicated to black vodka. Bladov is the largest and most common manufacturer in North America and its signature is the use of the tree black Catechu, giving its vodka a peculiar taste.

Another popular manufacturer is Frucko-Schultz, black vodka of Czech origin. The vodka is also naturally colored, except they use an organic polymer otherwise known as humines. Other European black vodka companies include Znaps, and Eristoff. However these two are not into the flavored black vodka side for the industry, for they keep their vodka unflavored, keeping a pure flavor and sticking to the roots of old school vodka concepts.

Week 6 EOC: Movie Promotion

May 13 2013 is supposed to be the official release date of another great post-apocalyptic epic featuring Will Smith, with his son Jaden Smith tagging along.  “After Earth” was written by Will Smith, the screenplay was written by Gary Whitta, and is directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The later having catastrophic features in presentations, however the screenplay is G. Whitta’s own, plus an actor of such trajectory such as Will Smith can overturn any impending negativity.

As the promoter I do not wish to simply dump the movie and expect it to be the next big hit. Instead I would raid the airwaves, specially the Internet, and any possible interactive content by saturating them with very cryptic images and archaic soundtracks to have the people guessing until they are sitting down in the movie theater.

“The effectiveness of traditional mass media remains very important, but its dominance is declining. In its place, advertisers are now adding a broad selection of more-specialized and highly targeted media to reach smaller customer segments with more-personalized, interactive messages. The new media range from specialty cable television channels and made-for-the-Web videos to Internet catalogs, e-mail, blogs, cell phone content, and online social networks. In all, companies are doing less broadcasting and more narrowcasting.”

The targeted market is going to be young adults, the hardest age group to reach because of the increasingly surprising attention deficit; therefore, unless something keeps reinventing itself, it will pass by as “forgettable”. Millennials. (also called Generation Y or the echo boomers).  They number 83 million, dwarfing the Gen Xers and larger even than the baby boomer segment. This group includes several age cohorts: tweens (aged 9–12), teens (13–18), and young adults (19–32). Part of this reasoning comes from most of the big hits nowadays being rated PG-13.
 

After the mystery has been engraved, I would have spots in all major scientific and sci/fi networks, web sites, and even radio showcasing look-alikes of the best-known news channels re-enacting the prelude to the film and/or the end of humanity, as we know it. At the same time and in the same manner I would have presidential press conference’s showing a look-alike enacting an embracing crisis time and an impending doom. “The American marketing system has been accused of adding to several “evils” in American society at large. Advertising has been a special target—so much so that the American Association of Advertising Agencies once launched a campaign to defend advertising against what it felt to be common but untrue criticisms”.

Week 5 EOC: Job Recruiters Turn to Facebook to Find Candidates

As an industry professional I work as an engineer’s assistant/ master control, therefore part of my job consists on being up to date with the news in the world, and as a consequence of watching a constant news feed, I watched an news package about the way that people acquire jobs nowadays. I wasn’t surprised when they stated the importance of having a web resume, as well as a web portfolio (when it applies); however they could not stress more the importance of online networking.

When I hear that word the first thing that comes to mind is LinkedIn, however a recent article called Recruiters Troll Facebook for Candidates They Like by Joe Light, states that “More companies are trying to tap Facebook Inc.'s 750-million-plus user base to find new employees, threatening traditional job boards and competing with LinkedIn Corp.” And I being a user of both I could not comprehend why this phenomenon is happening; up to this point I understood that everybody else (just like me) would like to keep their personal and professional network separate. Confirming the previous statement is Jeff Weiner: “When asked for comment, LinkedIn referred to its chief executive's remarks from last week's conference call to discuss earnings. During the call, CEO Jeff Weiner said users tell the company they want to keep their personal and professional networks separate”.

 

“A consumer’s behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the consumer’s small groups, family, and social roles and status”. I believe that the answer lies in todays’ social factors as important or as insignificant as social networks. “Where people socialize or exchange information and opinions”, has never been so critical or had such importance for marketers as in recent times, and job recruiters know that. Nowadays “Consumers hear about products and brand experiences from others just like themselves—people they trust—rather than from commercial marketing sources”.

Week 4 EOC: Business to Consumer vs Business to Business Marketing

In explaining the difference between business to customer and business to business marketing one must first understand the meaning of both. One supplies for the needs of the many establishing a fad and selling to a large number of small sellers; while the other one confirms the capability of management in a larger scheme and selling to fewer large buyers. Business marketing or business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing sales are made to individuals who are the final decision makers, though they may be influenced by family members or friends. A consumer marketing or business-to-business (B2B) marketing sale is made to a business or firm. “B2B markets to individuals acting on behalf of organizations, while consumer marketing targets single individuals who pay for their own transactions”.    <http://digitalbookshelf.artinstitutes.edu/books/9780558851903/id/pg159>

Business to business marketing is relationship driven, with a small focused target market, and a multi-step buying process, with longer sales cycles. Also promotional channels such as events provide ways for B2B sellers to move prospects along the buying process. On the other hand business to consumer marketing is product driven, with a large focused target market, and with a single step buying process, and shorter sales cycle. “B2B markets to individuals acting on behalf of organizations, while consumer marketing targets single individuals who pay for their own transactions”. <http://www.slideshare.net/wynnaaron/business-to-consumer-marketing-b2-c-presentation>

Whereas emotional factors play a large part in a consumer’s decision to purchase a product, B2B purchasing decisions are less emotional and more task-oriented. Business customers tend to look for specific product attributes that will deliver efficiency, productivity, and quality. B2B purchasing decisions are more rational than consumer decisions, since organizational purchases require more money and more risk for the organization. However they also have similarities such as: Successfully matching product or service strengths with the needs of a specific target market. Positioning and pricing products or services to align products and service offerings with the market. And communicating and selling products or services so that they effectively demonstrate value to the target market. “Marketing to a business and marketing to an individual are similar in terms of the fundamental principles of marketing”. <digitalbookshelf.artinstitutes.edu/books/9780558851903/id/pg159>

 

 

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

My demographic would happen to be a Millennial, also called Generation Y or the echo boomers. Born between 1977 and 2000, these children of the baby boomers number 83 million, dwarfing the Gen Xers and larger even than the baby boomer segment. This group includes tweens (aged 9–12), teens (13–18), and young adults (19–32). With total purchasing power of more than $733 billion, the Millennials make up a huge and attractive market. I was born in 1990, so I’m just around the middle to last generation of Millenians.  

One thing that all of the Millennials have in common is their utter fluency and comfort with digital technology. They don’t just embrace technology; it’s a way of life. Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more with the previous statement. I had always thought of how for me Technology was a given feature, I don’t think about it, I kind of just do it. Also I feel praised for having a niche at just picking something and learn it with ease, without being afraid of failure like older generations. A recent study found that 91 percent of Millennials are on the Web, making up 32 percent of all U.S. Internet users.

Marketers of all kinds now target the Millennial; however, the Millennials are bombarded with marketing messages coming at them from all directions. And rather than having mass marketing messages pushed at them, they prefer to seek out information and engage in two-way brand conversations. Thus, reaching these message-saturated consumers effectively requires creative marketing approaches. Yet again another clear example of how accurate my description is. I do see a lot of ads targeted directly to me almost to a point that they are trying to talk to me in particular. However I am very good at personally talking face to face to get my message delivered and to successfully listen to absorb what is being sent to me. Due to this nature I fall easy for a good salesman, but only very creative advertisement gets through to me.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

PAWS Chicago is the city's largest no kill humane organization, focused on implementing solutions to end the killing of homeless pets. It is truly tragic how people can just abandon an animal and leave it behind after the move simply because they can’t find a better solution. Since PAWS Chicago's founding in 1997, the number of homeless dogs and cats killed annually has dropped more than 60 percent: from more than 42,000 homeless pets killed in 1997 to fewer than 18,000 killed in 2011. “PAWS Chicago is thrilled to be included in The Chicago Tribune’s roundup of charities that received top performance ratings from at least two independent charity evaluators, which review charities based on their efficient use of donor funds.” –Chicago Tribune.

PAWS Chicago is working to build a no kill Chicago - a city where pets are no longer destroyed just because they are homeless. PAWS Chicago will find new homes for more than 5,000 homeless pets this year at the state-of-the-art Lincoln Park Adoption & Humane Center. The PAWS Chicago Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic, the largest free spay/neuter clinic in Chicago and the nation, will sterilize more than 18,000 pets of low-income families this year. “We are happy to announce that for the ninth consecutive year in a row, Charity Navigator has awarded PAWS Chicago with a 4-star rating.” – Charity Navigator.

 The best solution to the homeless pet problem is to successfully educate people about spaying and neutering their pets. It is relative inexpensive and the benefits are of a lifetime, not to mention that .your pet will not have mood swings and whatever aggressiveness (if any) will quickly faint away. “Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering.” -  ASPCA.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

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It was usually misbelieved that the video game industry would always have a high demand and a set market; due to the fact that every single new game that would come out is priced at $65 to $75 dollars, without even mentioning all the bonus features and special editions available within the release date at the cost of a few bucks more.

“Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 3 sales, along with those for other third-quarter releases, including Far Cry 3 — raised selling expenses and led to a current operating loss of €58.1 million ($74.4 million)”. http://www.polygon.com/2012/11/6/3609614/ubisoft-financials-assassins-creed-3-first-week-sales

That is taking into consideration that Ubisoft manufactures games for both the Playstation 3, and the XBOX 360. However the Wii doesn’t fall too apart from the tree “hardware sales, including Nintendo Co.'s Wii console, plummeted 38%. The steep drops came on top of a gradual sales decline that began in March”.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124865158612682399.html

Personally I rather Playstation and or Sony, as my company of choice; due to the highly anticipated inclusion of the touch pad in the controller of the Playstation 4, seeing how they are trying to appeal to the evermore interactive touch screen market, recently exploding from the introduction of the new Windows 8 operating system. Revolutionizing the all-in-one computer market, that unfortunately falls as a Dog, a choice taken due to the conclusion that all-in-one desktops are but a glorified tablet.

“Videogame hardware, software and accessories in U.S. retail stores fell 25% to $810 million from $1.09 billion the same time a year prior, according to surveys from market researcher NPD Group.”  http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130314-714946.html    

To that fact I would categorize Playstation in the question mark, with low market share but high market growth rate, in the Boston Consulting Group Approach.  Xbox to begin with monetizes its users to play online, not to mention that the Kinect is a rip off from the Wii. I have to say that Xbox has also fallen to a Dog, however reinventing the Kinect and making it more customable to its users is foreseen as a possible outlet from their damnation.