Week 10 EOC: Business Mission Statement

Rock-It Vodka's mission is not just to masterfully handcraft and deliver  the most refreshing vodka of our generation.  From our water wells high in the Sierra Nevada's that capture our crisp, clean mountain spring and rain water, to our devotion to our organic wheat and rye mixture grown during the deepest cold of a Minnesota winter leaves our vodka with a highly distinct and unbiased flavor. We don't just want to bring people together,  but to create a worldwide culture of enjoyment and unity among our customers.Whether they love a smooth, sophisticated evening on the town, or a night of socializing and playing hard; we are the best of both worlds.  The only drink for whatever eccentric lifestyle you own.  Rock-It dares you to be your very best at whatever you do, no matter what you do! This is Your drink, your night, your party, your life; enjoy it however you want!

Our mission statement, as you read above, "begins with the following questions: What is our business? Who is the customer? What do consumers value? What should our business be? These simple-sounding questions were among the most difficult we will ever have to answer."(Marketing:An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 39).  When we started out, from where we were standing, there was nothing to really bring many people together.  We found that strange, as enjoying a drink is often to be a social occasion, why did there have to be such division in the world of enjoyment.  This seemed silly to us, so we began to plan how we could create such a delicious beverage that people from all different walks of life could get together and discuss the good, the bad, and the in-between of the world; more importantly to us though is that they could enjoy themselves while doing it.  So our brand Rock-It dares people to be their very best, no matter what it is that they're doing, and to challenge others to do the same!  "Customer-driven companies research current customers deeply to learn about their desires, gather new product and service ideas, and test proposed product improvements. Such customer-driven marketing usually works well when a clear need exists and when customers know what they want." (Marketing:An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg.11 ). And because we drive our customers to be their best, they expect nothing less from us as we strive to be THE new legendary name in our industry.

Rock-It Vodka Advertisement

Week 8 EOC: Creative Content

For my brand, Rock-It Vodka, I will be creating a thirty second audio commercial to promote my product.  Featuring some results from my out of class marketing research, I will be creating the 'sound of the Rock-It'.  My research asked a group of acquaintances what their favorite way to drink vodka was.  For a simple question, as expected I got a wide variety of answers that I think fit my brand, and the idea of my brand quite well.  Some answers I got run from the traditional, straight on the rocks, to with cranberry juice, and even 'out of a beer bong!'.  I was very pleased with all of the answers.  So I will be using some of the answers I gathered, and using my brands balance between classy and wild to create some content for the ad.  I will be using the program Pro Tools that I have at my disposal at home to capture the audio along with my high quality cardioid microphone. I will also write a short piece of music to go in the background of the commercial. Putting all of that together will help my brand be recognized for it unique ad campaign, and hopefuly a pretty good jingle too!  Radio listeners would hear my advertisement and their next thoughts would be of enjoying Rock-It vodka in their favorite way; imagining relaxation or partying the night away.  The music of the ad will be a mix of styles, overlapping between futuristic techno beats intertwined with the sounds of rock guitar.  The combination will hopefully elicit a desire for individuals who have a mixed personality, those movers and shakers in the world who are trendy and hip in more than one way.  Rock-It vodka delivers premuim taste along with class, just a little on the wild side!

Implementation Evaluation Control

Implementation is the pinnacle of everything that we have worked for at Rock-It Vodka. Each and every day we grow stronger in our beliefs as important links in the company chain.  A successful implementation into the market can assure that once we are out there, that we will be clearly visible in the marketplace, both to our target markets and to the curious consumers of other brands.  With the launch of our website and the first of the trucks off to deliver the first shipment to many stores across the country we must immediately begin to connect with customers and to drive our 'This is your _____. Rock-It' ad campaign on every social media outlet available.  We must show and be the first participants of the culture that we desire to create within our brand.  ". Brand equity is the differential effect that knowing the brand name has on customer response to the product and its marketing. It’s a measure of the brand’s ability to capture consumer preference and loyalty." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg 228.). With our numbers set in place and our marketing team constantly watching the interactions going on within our website and throughout the internet will be one method of evaluation of our progress.  Along with that we will be watching closely our sales in these beginning stages to see if we need to increase production speed, without reducing quality even one percent.  We will also be keeping a close watch on our competitors to see what their reaction is to our introduction into the marketplace, as there is a lot of competition in the vodka world.  "If the new product satisfies the market, it will enter a growth stage, in which sales will start climbing quickly. The early adopters will continue to buy, and later buyers will start following their lead, especially if they hear favorable word of mouth." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg 260). Within the first weeks we shall be implementing controls on ousrelves in order to maintain our highest quality possible. If we overextend ourselves in the beginning it could be a detriment to the company in the long run.. As long as we hold our core values at heart Rock-It Vodka will be the next big name brand of vodka available to everyone in the world.

Marketing Mix: Distribution

Commercialization is a very important step for a new brand emerging onto the market.  Rock-It Vodka's goal is to have a very strong beginning, to make ourselves known within the industry.  Therefore, distribution, or the 'place' of the marketing mix is vital to the success of our brand in the future. In order to place ourselves correctly in the marketplace, we will have to use the proper marketing channels to make sure we are delivering our goods most conveniently with our positioning to create the highest customer value.

"We will try to forge a marketing channel (or distribution channel)—a set of interdependent organizations that help make a product or service available for use or consumption by the consumer or business user."(Marketing:An Introduction Armstrong/Kotler pg. 311).  One channel we strongly hope to join with would be Whole Foods Market.  While they don't have a huge number of stores, the customers who shop there often do so because of the highest quality natural and organic foods available there.  Many people who shop there are directly within our target market of 21-35 year olds who are environmentally conscious and are aware of their impact on the world.  There they also allow alcohol tastings for adults of the legal drinking age, which would benefit our promotion.  Another channel would be large wholesale liquor outlets such as Lee's Discount Liquor and Total Wine and Spirits.  While these would be great for our coverage and availability, it would require a hefty inventory to to be able to supply them with enough product.  That is not to mention that we would be in direct competition with every other brand in the marketplace, which would truly give us a chance to shine as something different. On top of those channels we intend to communicate with music venues, clubs and bars throughout the country in order to make ourselves available to a larger audience. "Next, the company must decide where to launch the new product—in a single location, a region, the national market, or the international market. "(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg.253). Currently Rock-It Vodka will release nationally within the US, and with growth and acceptance of the product we hope to move into Europe within the next year.  For launch we must be sure to have enough inventory to meet the demands of our consumers.  Working with our value delivery network we will assure fast delivery with little to no damage to the product.  A distribution plan on each coast and one in the mid-west should satisfy the demands of the customers.  We want to have 5 million units available for the day of launch with an additional 5 million ready by the next quarter.  This should be enough quantity for a launch, and we shall watch our sales closely to see if we must increase our production to continue to provide our high quality vodka at an affordable price, all year around.

Marketing Mix: Price

"Price is the amount of money charged for a product or service, or the sum of the values that customers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg 275). Rock-It Vodka understands that how we set our price will directly affect how well we do in the marketplace, especially in such a tight economy.  Understanding that price is not just what the customers are paying for, but actually the value of our product in their eyes.  Organic vodkas like our own range from an 18 dollar price tag and up to all the way up to 80 dollars. As a goal of our we are positioning ourselves as an affordable drink with the flavor of a very pricy vodka.  Our list price will be  starting at $29.99 for a 1.75 liter bottle of Rock-It Vodka.  This will enable us to fit into the wide range of mid-priced vodkas available and to offer something more to the customers that the other companies cannot. "Companies bringing out a new product face the challenge of setting prices for the first time. They can choose between two broad strategies: market-skimming pricing and market-penetration pricing."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg 285).  Our price will put us into the market-penetration method of pricing, and in order to create a culture of passionate people our company cannot overcharge customers wrongfully.  Once our product has released we plan to enact a 're-recycling' program for our unique bottles. Once a customer has finished their bottle they can ship it back to our address and we will, in return send them a voucher for five dollars off their next bottle, and this deal can continue every time the customer buys a bottle (even if the bottle breaks during shipping). This will create high customer value and also for our target market it will stimulate their urge to do good for the planet.

Marketing Mix: Promotion

At Rock-It Vodka we have a wonderful team of creative minds working on ways to turn our brand, in our customers eyes, from just something to drink, into a worldwide culture.  The first step for us to achieve these ends has already started. "Marketing research is the systematic design, collection, analysis, and reporting of data relevant to a specific marketing situation facing an organization. Companies use marketing research in a wide variety of situations."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg 106). We have been doing test surveys in our market, ( hip 21-30 years of age, and another for ages 31-50) with the simple question of 'How do you enjoy your vodka?'. We couldn't have asked for better results, with every conceivable answer including some we never would have thought of, and these fit directly into our a little classy and a little wild brand image. This includes: vodka sour, on the rocks, bloody marys, screwdrivers, cranberry juice, straight out of the bottle and even...thats right, a beer bong! Getting our customer insight is very important to us, "Fresh understandings of customers and the marketplace derived from marketing information that become the basis for creating customer value and relationships."( Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 102). Our next plan for promotion is to release our company website and our personal Rock-It Vodka creative website.  This will tie directly in with our, " This is your ______. How do you Rock-It?" media campaign.  This website will be a place for our dreams of creating a worldwide culture to begin. We encourage and dare our customers to be the best and what they do, and we want to have a place to share this with all of our customers worldwide.  Here, customers post original content to share with the rest of the Rock-It world.  From art, to videos, music, poetry, drink recipes, and more we encourage our customers to be themselves, nothing more, nothing less.  Our marketers will be working on our  social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace; these will be updated constantly with new content directly from our customers. Daily drink recipes, thoughts,and more will be shared through these channels to help influence our target market of millenials. "The Millennials were the first generation to grow up in a world filled with computers, cellphones, satellite TV, iPods, and online social networks. A recent study found that 91 percent of Millennials are on the Web." ( Marketing: An Introduction Armstrong/Kotler. pg 74). The point of all these is to let our customers, and potential customers know that we care about them, and we truly care about a sense of community at our very core. On top of all of this will be our radio commercial ad, with the music for it written by Phrygian Cap (alias Danny Newcome).  By embracing the future of digital media, and our relationships with our customers, Rock-It Vodka is sure to succeed in creating a worldwide culture of fun and togetherness!

Marketing Mix: Product

This is our product, " We define a product as anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use, or consumption that might satisfy a want or need." (Marketing: An Introduction Armstrong/Kotler pg 209.). Rock-It vodka begins with the finest organic wheat and rye grown during the deepest colds of the mid-west winter.  This results in our highly distinct and refreshing taste.  Once fermented we mix this with only the purest mountain spring and rain water from our wells high in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Then our vodka is triple distilled with a charcoal distillation method for a crisp, clean, and refreshing taste.  As far as variety goes we will maintain our focus on delivering only one high quality type of vodka for now.  The design  of our bottle to house our premium vodka will be the shape of the body of a guitar, elegant yet with hard edges on the sides of the bottle.  The neck of the bottle will resemble part of the neck of the guitar and will taper off into the cap.  The neck and strings of the bottle will be clear glass and you will be able to see through the bottle. This part of the bottle represents the clear, visible, and classy side of everyone, or the part that is easiest to see.  As for the body of the guitar, it will be all black, to represent the wild side in everyone; it is reminiscent of a dark rock club at night.  Designed into the body will be our brand name Rock-It in a curving, stylish and recognizable font, that part of the bottle will be clear as well, as we want our customers to know that is both our name, and our message.  Our message is that we dare the customer to be the very best at whatever they do and Rock-It.  Our bottle, which is made completely of recycled glass helps contribute to our company's commitment to sustainability, where we hope to be recycling our own bottles one day to create greater value for consumers.  It will be a good density and won't break easily.  The bottle size will be the standard 1.75 liter bottle, if we are succesful we may also create a half gallon or 'handle' size as well.  Through all of this we hope to capture customer value and that customers begin to adopt our product, "The product adoption process is made up of five stages: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption."( Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/ Kotler pg 168).  Through our product design, quality, and focus on delivering the highest quality product Rock-It Vodka has its strategy for its product laid out for the future.

Target Market Strategy

At Rock-It Vodka we hope to create the highest customer value by finding the perfect target market for ourselves to thrive in. " Most companies have moved away from mass marketing and toward target marketing—identifying market segments, selecting one or more of them, and developing products and marketing programs tailored to each."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler. pg.175).By differentiating ourselves as the vodka that drives our customers to be the best at whatever they do,  and our unique take on environmental sustainability we hope to capture long time customer value. Our position in the market is, "To be the perfect vodka for whatever eccentric lifestyle you own.". "Positioning, arranging for a market offering to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg 175.). We are intially aiming for two target markets; 21-35 year old hip, artistic middle class youth, who seek interaction with others, with a joy for the night life, a refined sense of taste, and a care for the earth.   Our other target market is for 36-50 year old upper-middle class who in this economic downturn aren't willing to sacrifice a quality product for a highly reduced price-tag.   We hope to create brand awareness between our two main target segments via our online community which promotes our customers to be the best at whatever it is they do, and to share their gifts with the rest of our customers.  This will increase value for our customers who are looking for something that is a little more than just something to drink.  Using social media tools as we explain in the promotion part of our marketing mix we will be able to reach out quite easily to much of our target market, and create some one on one experiences with both markets.  With proper care are precision Rock-It Vodka will grow exponentially as a brand and outward to new and fresh markets here in the United States and throughout the world.

SWOT Analysis

To fully understand and know how to best achieve our goals we must look at the wider marketing environment."A company’s marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing management’s ability to build and maintain successful relationships with target customers."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/ Kotler pg 66). For whatever is out there in the marketing world we must first understand where we are at as a company and where we are going.  A SWOT analysis is certainly a great way to organize ourselves as a company.  As far as our strengths, using renewable water sources and use of more inexpensive recycled glass bottles helps with our product cost a great deal, which in turn allows us to deliver value to customers.  Another strength along with that is Rock-It Vodka's commitment to daring our customers to be their best and helping them share their work is another strength; the ability to directly be in touch with our customers gives us an advantage to understand what it is they value.  Fortunately, we have a dedicated team who are striving to be apart of the customer value experience.  Weaknesses are always hard to address, but none-the-less, extremely important. As a new brand we face a lot of challenges, which is a weakness in and of itself. One weakness is that we are limiting our range of customers by using a wheat vodka, which contains minute amounts of gluten.  This inhibits us from any potential customers who have a wheat gluten allergy. Without any current brand ambassadors we don't have any currently developed interaction with our audience as we have yet to release our product.  Opportunities are all over for a fresh brand like ours, and if we set up a great customer perception for ourselves it could draw in a larger market of customers. "Perception, the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information to form a meaningful picture of the world." (Marketing: An Introduction Armstrong/ Kotler. pg 150). Another opportunity of ours would be to take full advantage of our position in the market to really create the culture around our brand like we hope. And even another opportunity would be to use different types of grains for the vodka to include a larger number of customers who may be allergic to gluten.  Threats to our company involve any backlash from other brands on the market to try to put us out of the market early on.  Another would be any possible shortage on our supply chain, without enough product being readily available we may lose our place in the market. All of the problems we face can be overcome, even here at Rock-It vodka we strive to be the best at what it is we do.

Objectives

Rock-It Vodka has a few main objectives for which we are striving. "Here we will be stating the marketing objectives that the company would like to attain during the current marketing plan’s term and discusses key issues that will affect their attainment."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 56).One main objective of Rock-It Vodka is to masterfully handcraft and deliver the most refreshing vodka of our generation. To achieve this end we would begin by staying in close contact with our wheat and rye growers across the mid-west.  If we are taking care of our farmers they will take care of us.  Additionally, we will have a team to assure the organic integrity of that same wheat and rye along with the mandatory inspection from the USDA to confirm that we do indeed use organic ingredients in our vodka.  We will also make sure to use only the most pure and refreshing rain and mountain spring water, maintained at our wells in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  As stated in the first main objective, to assure the highest customer value we must maintain and grow positive relationships with our entire value delivery network. "Good distribution strategies can contribute strongly to customer value and create competitive advantage for both a firm and its channel partners. It demonstrates that firms cannot bring value to customers by themselves. Instead, they must work closely with other firms in a larger value delivery network."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg .310). Achieving our goal of being the most refreshing vodka of our generation will require us at Rock-It Vodka to facilitate and grow a culture among our customers.  We don't just want to bring people together but create a worldwide culture of enjoyment and unity among our customers.  As our customers have a common interest we can use their love of our product to help this process along.  We dare our customers to do their best at whatever they do, so we will create a network on our company website for our consumers to share what they love and check out other peoples work as well.  It may be something as small as someone's independent art to a video created either serious or funny.  Whether it has anything to do with our brand will be entirely up to our customers.  We believe that creating this positive environment for our customers to interact in will create a buzz about our interest in the world around us. That is just the reason why, "Customer relationship management is perhaps the most important concept of modern marketing."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/kotler pg 13.) and why if we maintain these main objectives there is nothing Rock-It Vodka can't do.

Business Mission Statement

Rock-It Vodka's mission is not just to masterfully handcraft and deliver  the most refreshing vodka of our generation.  From our water wells high in the Sierra Nevada's that capture our crisp, clean mountain spring and rain water, to our devotion to our organic wheat and rye mixture grown during the deepest cold of a Minnesota winter leaves our vodka with a highly distinct and unbiased flavor. We don't just want to bring people together,  but to create a worldwide culture of enjoyment and unity among our customers.Whether they love a smooth, sophisticated evening on the town, or a night of socializing and playing hard; we are the best of both worlds.  The only drink for whatever eccentric lifestyle you own.  Rock-It dares you to be your very best at whatever you do, no matter what you do! This is Your drink, your night, your party, your life; enjoy it however you want!

Our mission statement, as you read above, "begins with the following questions: What is our business? Who is the customer? What do consumers value? What should our business be? These simple-sounding questions were among the most difficult we will ever have to answer."(Marketing:An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 39).  When we started out, from where we were standing, there was nothing to really bring many people together.  We found that strange, as enjoying a drink is often to be a social occasion, why did there have to be such division in the world of enjoyment.  This seemed silly to us, so we began to plan how we could create such a delicious beverage that people from all different walks of life could get together and discuss the good, the bad, and the in-between of the world; more importantly to us though is that they could enjoy themselves while doing it.  So our brand Rock-It dares people to be their very best, no matter what it is that they're doing, and to challenge others to do the same!  "Customer-driven companies research current customers deeply to learn about their desires, gather new product and service ideas, and test proposed product improvements. Such customer-driven marketing usually works well when a clear need exists and when customers know what they want." (Marketing:An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 11). And because we drive our customers to be their best, they expect nothing less from us as we strive to be THE new legendary name in our industry.

Week 7 EOC: Pitch

Picture yourself sailing upon white-caps on a beautiful, windy lake in the summertime, enjoying drinks with your friends in the sun.  Each person has their own glass, yet each drink and, of course, each person is an individual! We all have different tastes, so why be boxed in?  Rock-It Vodka wants to inspire you to take-off and do your own thing. Take a sip of this ultra-smooth premium vodka, triple distilled with purified mountain spring and rain water from high atop the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  Once you taste its clean, rich flavor you will know this is vodka like no other.   Perfect for a nice evening out in your finest dress clothes; try a Rock-It on the rocks, or even an exciting night surrounded by the sights and sounds of a grungy music venue.  To embody all of this we deliver Rock-It to you in a shapely glass bottle which resembles the body and neck of a guitar. Guitar is an instrument that embodies both class and unpredictability, much like the vodka. The bottle, made entirely of recycled glass, is part clear; representing that bright, classy side that we all flaunt from time to time.  The other half of the bottle is opaque, which is there to represent the wild side in all of us.  Because of our stand on sustainability for ourselves and our planet, Rock-It can share our premium wheat and rye vodka with you all at a highly affordable price. As we do our best to consume resources responsibly, we hope that you will be sure to consume our vodka responsibly as well, life is too short and far too many things to do!  This vodka is the perfect drink for whatever eccentric lifestyle you own; this is your drink, enjoy it however you want, and Rock-It!

Week 6 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

Companies are beginning to search for employment opportunities in place of the traditional method of hiring new employees.  "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., which has dominated the online professional
networking arena."(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903885604576490763).  While this could lead to many opportunities in our current economic downturn providing opportunities to many who would otherwise have none; doing such could be a double-edged sword.  Getting too involved in a potential employee's Facebook account could potentially damage their reputation and chance for a job because a company decided to dig into this persons life.  Just as I am sure that sometimes people are put off if a company contacts them through Facebook for a potential job opportunity. "Jeff Vijungco, vice president of world-wide talent acquisition for Adobe Systems Inc., said that in focus
groups, prospective job candidates were sharply averse to being contacted through Facebook for jobs." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903885604576490763).  While there are risks from that end using social networking to increase the market of a brand is becoming more popular with each passing day.  Most companies that are around certainly have a social network page to connect with their consumers. Some companies are even  using it to their advantage by creating roles for the consumers to express their love of a brand to friends, family, and other fans over the web.  "Brand ambassador programs leverage the power of peer-to-peer communication. Consumers hear about products and brand experiences from others just like themselves—people they trust—rather than from commercial marketing sources."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 143). While it is hard to say where this trend is leading is it certain to say that it will be most interesting to see where it leads.
eting: An Introduction

Week 5 EOC: Me x 3

There are few things in my life that define me so clearly as a guitar does. While it doesn't seem like it's a factor that would make such a difference, as its not around me all the time, it in fact does make quite a bit of difference.  Throughout my life I've been just a little misunderstood by some people who aren't close to me, but when they see me with my guitar they can tell how my guitar and myself belong together.  My guitar may not be individual looking from the rest of any black Fender Stratocaster, what is different though is the sounds I make with my guitar.  Plus, there's a certain amount of comfort with using my own guitar as opposed to using someone else's guitar. My guitar is a part of me because it is the median through which I create music, and music defines me. 

Another big piece of my life that defines me would definitely be my love of Converse High-Tops.  I've always felt very comfortable in them for some reason, though they aren't exactly designed for that.  It's always been a mystery to me why I feel like that, but now that I really think about it I believe that because I feel comfortable I project more of a relaxed attitude out into the world. That is important to me because I spend my days doing little things to make people happy, whether they realize it or not. My High-Tops tend to be slightly eye-catching due to my 'giant clown feet'.  Nothing feels better on stage when I'm playing music with my band and dancing like crazy in my Converse.

My green suspenders, while I must admit are worn for style mostly, I do wear them to keep my pants secured from time to time.  During my childhood I would wear them a lot for some reason, and as I got older belts always seemed so boring. With the studded belt craze belts also got quite expensive as well so I figured out a way to break myself from the mold, in the most affordable and awesome way possible.  My suspenders get a lot of attention, with my added 'flair' people often look at the buttons on mine and find some amusement and joy in that.  My suspenders define me especially when I'm out and about with my band, promoting and handing out flyers. Much like a regular business, even I must have something eye-catching or enticing to offer people.  The more i wear my suspenders the more i grow attached to them, this way I know for certain it is something that will stay with me for all my days.

Week 4 EOC: B+B vs. Consumer Marketing

Though there are many avenues of consumer marketing that ultimately drive a person to purchase a product; the very same thing could be said about business-to-business marketing, only, the stakes are much higher. "Did you know that GE’s consumer products contribute less than one-third of the company’s total $183 billion in annual sales? To the surprise of many, most of GE’s business comes not from final consumers but from commercial and industrial customers across a wide range of industries."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 158). Consumer marketing tends to be on a much smaller scale relatively to business marketing.  A customer goes to buy a new television or stove and the purchase, whether for better-or-worse will last for several years before needing to find a replacement product. When businesses turn to each-other for goods and services they will often invest millions of dollars into that business that they are working alongside. "Also, with GE’s business customers, buying decisions are much more complex. An average consumer buying a refrigerator might do a little online research and then pop out to the local Best Buy to compare models before buying one. In contrast, buying a batch of jet engines involves a tortuously long buying process, dozens or even hundreds of decision makers from all levels of the buying organization, and layer upon layer of subtle and not-so-subtle buying influences."(Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 158). While one might presume that businesses are just trying to get that "quick sale" from consumers, its evident that they truly care about creating value with the consumer otherwise they would stop selling to the public and make businesses their priority.  I believe these two uses of marketing are very different in scale, but one of these without the other would cause a firm to crumble.  Companies work together with each-other to create a similar value that a business strives for with their consumers. "More broadly, people throughout the entire GE organization know that success in business-to-business markets involves more than just developing and selling superior products and technologies. Business customer buying decisions are made within the framework of a strategic, problem-solving partnership. “We love the challenge of a customer’s problem,” says the company on its GE Transportation Web site." (Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler pg. 159). While a company may gain more profits from a business relationship, it would mean nothing without its greater goals and vision which are achieved through promoting value to everyone.

Week 4 BOC: There's an App For That

As a professional musician and audio producer it's of great importance to keep my ears as sharp as possible.  After noticing that my relative pitch was getting a bit off i started thinking of ways to overcome my problem.  Introducing the Train-Ear; a revolutionary way to get your daily dose of ear training on the go!  Simply download the app and throw on your favorite pair of earphones and hear the results of your labor.  The app is divided into a few different modes of use; Traditional Training, Advanced Chords and Interval Training, and Game Mode.  Traditional mode takes you through different relative intervals and basic chord structures, with different difficulty levels to choose from, just choose the correct answer and move forward to the next question. That way, even young musicians can begin growing in the knowledge of sound.  The Advanced mode include hundreds of variations on chords, pitches, tonalities and anything an experienced musician could possibly hope to hear. Game mode creates a board game scenario where as you answer different questions correctly you move forward and " level up" your skills.  Coming soon to a smart phone near you, your own personal Train-Ear right in your pocket.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

As a millennial, I am at a distinct advantage in the world with the technology our world has at my fingertips.  Since I have been grouped into this demographic I've always had feelings like sometimes I don't fit  in with the mold very well.  While I do crave technology as much as anyone else my age, I also feel just fine out in the woods exploring and gaining knowledge that way as opposed to discovering the world through a computer screen.  That does create an advantage of sorts being able to reach out to many different sources of information and growing from it.  I do agree with how they place me, but at the same time part of myself feels like certain aspects of Generation X speak to me as well as far as being weary and wary of marketing.  There is so much to life it would be wrong not to crave experience many different things in the world.  All aside, I'm most certainly glad that I exist during this great generation of change and growth, knowledge, and soical connectivity.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

One company that is truly about making money for a positive impact is Product (RED).  As an organization they partner with other comapanies who strive to see a better world, a world without HIV/AIDS.  One very appealing product that is in their line is their Product (RED) iPod Nano. 



"The purchase of 1 (PRODUCT)^RED iPod nano could provide over 3 weeks of lifesaving medicine to someone living with HIV in Africa." (http://www.joinred.com/partners/#!/shopred/apple-ipod-nano/).  This is a great pairing for such a worthy cause as many apple users seem to be consumers who are very tied into greater socially-minded events.  RED is doing much to impact the epidemic in many different parts of Africa and the World as a whole.  One hundred percent of the money given to RED it is dirrctly donated to their global fund that is put into giving treatment and spreading awareness to the many that are affected. 

 "We all have tremendous power. What we choose to do or even buy, can affect someone’s life on the other side of the world.

In 2010, 1,000 babies were born every day with HIV.
In 2011, that number was down to 900.
By 2015 it can be near zero. We can stop the transmission of HIV from moms to their babies." (http://www.joinred.com/aboutred/the-red-manifesto/).  Their strategy and social-mindedness is clearly defined in their manifesto, and companies who stand aside them agree that its for the best interest of the world. The value of such partnerships become staggering as that bright red and logo stand out among many products around the marketplace, and the numbers don't lie. " Since its introduction, (PRODUCT) RED has generated more than $190 million — more than $50 million from Apple alone — for the Global Fund. "(http://www.apple.com/product-red/).  Through brilliant marketing and a commitment to help make the world a better and brighter place for everyone Product (RED) is a shining example of making money for not just good, but for greatness.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

Guitar Center has time and again given me great customer service. However, one time in particular stands out in my mind.  I bought a used drum set during a Friday the 13th sale at no slim price, looked over everything and purchased it the same day.  The drum expert knew his stuff as he helped me put together all the pieces I needed including cymbals, stands, and everything else.  After I got home and put the set together I realized that one of the mounting screws for the snare drum was broken already.  They really stand by their 30 day return policy.  I came in a couple of days later with the snare, but they didn't have the screw in stock that I needed. The same clerk that initially helped me called Yamaha and ordered the part then and there. Also, because my kit was still under warranty even though it was used he said the screw would be free.  A couple weeks pass and the part finally came in.  A glitch in their system hadn't shown that it was already payed for, and a few minutes later the same clerk talks to his store manager and gets approval to give me the part.  This is a great use of marketing on a whole store level as everyone in the chain made sure that I was being taken care of.  That is the reason I continue to shop at their store.  "Marketing consists of actions taken to build and maintain desirable exchange relationships with target audiences involving a product, service, idea, or other object. Beyond simply attracting new customers and creating transactions, the company wants to retain customers and grow their business. Marketers want to build strong relationships by consistently delivering superior customer value." ( Marketing: An Introduction Armstrong/ Kotler  pg. 8)

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

Music is the median through which we experience the universe.  This basic idea has been a guiding light for me for many years.  To me, all sound is music, from birds chirping in the morning, to cars driving by, or two people just having a conversation.  Capturing pure sounds onto a computer and being able to shape them into beautiful music is an amazing thing.  Sharing this with others is what I do with my life.  I would love to one day create some music or sounds so powerful that it inspires someone to follow the same path that I have chosen, much the same as what happened to me when I was much younger.  The mystery of sound is magical; something carried by air that links everyone together. Every night I dream of beautiful music in my mind and when I awake, it is still with me. While I do love creating music on stage with my band being on the other side of that and capturing those sounds at their best really interests me.  Music is beautiful because it is an intangible link between each and every person and culture on this planet, and the mystery of that is what truly drives me forward in my pursuit of sound.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

In today's world the video game industry has blossomed in ways that nobody had ever thought possible.  With such expansive growth within the industry there are bound to be individual platforms that rise above the rest, and others that flounder in the wave pool.  Though during this most recent year there have been more avenues for video games to be developed which has ' changed the game' so to speak.  The  most recent generation of video game systems; the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii have brought more variety to the world than ever before.  On top right now, the shining star of the gaming world has to be the birth of the mobile gaming craze.  Everyone who owns a phone or a tablet knows all about the wide variety of games to choose from, really something for everybody.

"How very 2012 it was for a game like Draw Something to capture the world’s attention in February; attract about 14 million players a day in April; seduce the FarmVille company Zynga to buy the game’s maker, Omgpop, for $180 million; and by the end of the month have its daily player base fall to 10 million daily."(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/arts/video-games/video-game-retail-sales-decline-despite-new-hits.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0). This shows how popular the ' pick-up-and-play' option has become over such a short amount of time. 

While there are the new contenders rising to the top there are those platforms that are staying consistent in their quality and also with their sales.  The Playstation 3 had a rough start when it first joined the console wars, but has lasted for the past 5 years with a good amount of longevity. Releasing new flagship titles and partnering with popular game franchises is helping Sony keep its cash cow alive to this day. "Sony’s (SNE) “super slim” PlayStation 3 is off to a good start despite the console’s price actually increasing. According the MCV, Sony saw a 138% increase in PlayStation 3 sales with the release of its smaller, lighter game console in the United Kingdom." (http://bgr.com/2012/10/02/new-playstation-3-sales-sony-sees-138-percent-increase/).

It is easy to see who the two most popular and most functioning platforms are but what about the underdogs? Seeing as how popular these new mobile phone games are, (and how cheap) ts no wonder why people arent going out and buying handheld gaming devices like the Nintendo 3DS which even tries to incoporate the popularity of 3D entertainment in with their system, and still coming up unsuccessful.  Handheld devices simply cant compete against the availability and price range of the mobile games at the convenience of pulling a cell phone out of your pocket. " Nintendo again made a loss for the six months ended September 2012, but a far smaller one than last year. Nintendo lost 27.9 billion yen (£219m) in net income, an improvement on the 70 billion yen (£551m) lost during the same period in 2011." ( http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-24-3ds-sales-weaker-than-expected-overseas-despite-japan-success).  

The real question is...who will be next to rise up? There are more new systems being developed constantly and certainly more games being created all the time.  The question mark of the video gaming world is really trying to figure out how players will be able to continue playing in this new realm of gaming.  The power of the internet of course holds the key.  Currently there is no way of knowing who wil be the next big dog of the gaming industry.