This is in response to Dillan Pierce’s post:
Do you think that Facebook is a real fair or accurate thing to measure an applicant by?
I think that Facebook is fair, accurate, and a better form of a background check to measure an applicant by. A background check includes professional, financial, criminal, and public history. By viewing Facebook, I feel that a company can see who a person truly is. For instance, people who are on Facebook can express their interests, activities, pictures, and videos to the world. There is nothing better than knowing what a person is all about when hiring. However, if a person doesn’t want their information expressed then they don’t have to post any information. I was a high school cheerleading coach last year, and most of the cheerleaders added me as a friend on Facebook so I was very careful with what pictures I posted on my page. I made sure I didn’t post any pictures with alcohol visible because I was supposed to be a role model for the girls and that may have persuaded them to go out and drink. Also they could have gone to my boss and mentioned things that I had on my page even though it was my personal life.
Do you feel that Facebook could be a positive background check for a company?
2/23/2010
Direct Mail vs. E-Marketing
What are some of the benefits of direct mail compared to electronic means of marketing?
Direct mail definitely has some benefits compared to electronic means of marketing. People look through their direct mail everyday whereas people don’t always check their email everyday. Also people can just delete emails that were sent to them if the title doesn’t appeal to them. With direct mail, people actually will most likely look over all of their mail before throwing it in the trash. As stated in the article, companies take the time to personally sign letters. Customers like to see that companies care about them which in turn lead to the response of the customers. E-marketing is less personal because emails are sent to everyone with lots of information that doesn’t really pertain to them and doesn’t focus on a certain group of individuals. In addition, direct mail is obviously a benefit when the sales of some companies had dropped up to 25% and customers were calling and asking if they were taken off of their list.
Bar codes (addressed in one article) seem so promising, but what are some of the possible concerns with their use?
Bar codes are very interesting to me and it’s kind of cool how technology has advanced so much. My friend just bought a new phone which has a bar code scanner on it and we were trying to scan a random bar code and it didn’t work because of the lighting. So her phone needs some adjustments or else she will forget about it and not use the scanner. Another issue might be which magazines the bar codes are in. Companies should do research to see what magazines are the most popular so that more people will see the bar codes.
Do you think e-marketing techniques will replace traditional forms of marketing (direct mail, phone calls, newspaper ads and promotions)?
E-marketing techniques will not replace traditional forms of marketing. First of all, not everyone owns a computer and many people do not know how to use computers. People in my family never grew up with computers so they don’t have experience with them and don’t have the desire to own one. Also there are many people who can’t afford computers and receive the same information for free through direct mail. Direct mail is so much more significant because everyone checks their mailboxes for bills and letters. Therefore, companies should take advantage of this and send out flashy postcards to catch their customers’ attention.
Besides the types of business and examples that are mentioned in the article, what are some other companies who would benefit from direct mail efforts? How would they benefit?
I think that smaller businesses benefit more from direct mail efforts than larger companies. For example, my mom works for a dentist office and sends out reminder cards for their patients telling them when their appointment is. She also calls the day before reminding them the time of the appointment. This has worked very well because the patients usually hang their cards on their fridges so they will remember. Also the patients can save their voicemails or speak to my mom in person the day before. If my mom sent emails people, they would most likely forget to read the emails or delete them. So direct mail is definitely a benefit for small service companies.
Do you think that direct mail will be replaced with e-marketing? If not, what do you think the benefits are of direct mail?
Direct mail definitely has some benefits compared to electronic means of marketing. People look through their direct mail everyday whereas people don’t always check their email everyday. Also people can just delete emails that were sent to them if the title doesn’t appeal to them. With direct mail, people actually will most likely look over all of their mail before throwing it in the trash. As stated in the article, companies take the time to personally sign letters. Customers like to see that companies care about them which in turn lead to the response of the customers. E-marketing is less personal because emails are sent to everyone with lots of information that doesn’t really pertain to them and doesn’t focus on a certain group of individuals. In addition, direct mail is obviously a benefit when the sales of some companies had dropped up to 25% and customers were calling and asking if they were taken off of their list.
Bar codes (addressed in one article) seem so promising, but what are some of the possible concerns with their use?
Bar codes are very interesting to me and it’s kind of cool how technology has advanced so much. My friend just bought a new phone which has a bar code scanner on it and we were trying to scan a random bar code and it didn’t work because of the lighting. So her phone needs some adjustments or else she will forget about it and not use the scanner. Another issue might be which magazines the bar codes are in. Companies should do research to see what magazines are the most popular so that more people will see the bar codes.
Do you think e-marketing techniques will replace traditional forms of marketing (direct mail, phone calls, newspaper ads and promotions)?
E-marketing techniques will not replace traditional forms of marketing. First of all, not everyone owns a computer and many people do not know how to use computers. People in my family never grew up with computers so they don’t have experience with them and don’t have the desire to own one. Also there are many people who can’t afford computers and receive the same information for free through direct mail. Direct mail is so much more significant because everyone checks their mailboxes for bills and letters. Therefore, companies should take advantage of this and send out flashy postcards to catch their customers’ attention.
Besides the types of business and examples that are mentioned in the article, what are some other companies who would benefit from direct mail efforts? How would they benefit?
I think that smaller businesses benefit more from direct mail efforts than larger companies. For example, my mom works for a dentist office and sends out reminder cards for their patients telling them when their appointment is. She also calls the day before reminding them the time of the appointment. This has worked very well because the patients usually hang their cards on their fridges so they will remember. Also the patients can save their voicemails or speak to my mom in person the day before. If my mom sent emails people, they would most likely forget to read the emails or delete them. So direct mail is definitely a benefit for small service companies.
Do you think that direct mail will be replaced with e-marketing? If not, what do you think the benefits are of direct mail?
2/20/2010
Toyota Motors
An article published in The New York Times on February 12, 2010, “Toyota’s Wrecked Image Needs the Right Bodywork,” described the situation that Toyota Motors is facing today. It goes back in the past and relates Toyota’s situation with other instances like this that affected Bridgestone, the Japanese tire maker, and Johnson & Johnson. However, these companies were able to get out of this situation and restore their reputations. Millions of cars are being recalled because of gas-pedal problems, production stalled, and executives now in the hot seat for Toyota Motors. Since this has happened in the past with other companies, hopefully Toyota will follow their paths that they had taken. However, this is such a dangerous mistake on Toyota’s part because of the safety of the vehicles. I feel as if Toyota will get through this in time because before this happened they had a reputation of reliable vehicles. The article mentioned that Toyota did apologize for what they did so that helps too. Everyone makes mistakes, some good and some bad. So hopefully consumers will recognize this fact and forgive Toyota Motors. I know that it is a serious issue, but they are willing and trying to fix the problem.
Would you buy a vehicle from Toyota Motors knowing that they had a recall because of the safety of their vehicles?
Would you buy a vehicle from Toyota Motors knowing that they had a recall because of the safety of their vehicles?
Response to "Shiny Suds" Commercial
This is in response to Bobby Lyons post:
After watching this small ad, do you think it got its point across and in an appropriate way?
I do think it got its point across, but NOT in an appropriate way. The “Shiny Suds” video was a very inappropriate commercial. As I was watching the beginning, I thought it was just going to be a normal commercial selling some kind of cleaner. Then as it went on, I started to feel really uncomfortable with what I was watching. I know that they wanted to make a funny commercial that was different than any other, but the context of it was somewhat disrespectful. The things that suds were saying to the woman were forms of sexual harassment which is a very serious and controversial issue. It was very insensitive to women to produce this commercial because victims of sexual harassment and abuse may be responsive to this. Also young children may view this and think it is okay to say and do these kinds of things to women. This is not acceptable and people wonder why there are so many cases of violence around the world today. Television and the media have a significant impact on society, and people should be careful of what is produced.
Do you agree with this or do you feel as if I have a different view because I am a woman?
After watching this small ad, do you think it got its point across and in an appropriate way?
I do think it got its point across, but NOT in an appropriate way. The “Shiny Suds” video was a very inappropriate commercial. As I was watching the beginning, I thought it was just going to be a normal commercial selling some kind of cleaner. Then as it went on, I started to feel really uncomfortable with what I was watching. I know that they wanted to make a funny commercial that was different than any other, but the context of it was somewhat disrespectful. The things that suds were saying to the woman were forms of sexual harassment which is a very serious and controversial issue. It was very insensitive to women to produce this commercial because victims of sexual harassment and abuse may be responsive to this. Also young children may view this and think it is okay to say and do these kinds of things to women. This is not acceptable and people wonder why there are so many cases of violence around the world today. Television and the media have a significant impact on society, and people should be careful of what is produced.
Do you agree with this or do you feel as if I have a different view because I am a woman?
2/10/2010
Response to Outsourcing
This is in response to Dillian Pierces’ post:
I learned about outsourcing in an American Studies course last semester, and it was quite a controversial topic at the time. It can be a positive element for a company when the time is right, but not during hard economic times. You asked the question: If you were a CEO, would you outsource right now? My answer is definitely NO. We are living in difficult times right now, and the most important thing is finding jobs for the million Americans who are unemployed. I know that it is cheaper and faster labor in other countries, but we need to focus on helping the people in our country before giving jobs to people elsewhere. Businesses can’t keep being greedy, but need to act ethically and socially responsible.
Do you agree with this?
I learned about outsourcing in an American Studies course last semester, and it was quite a controversial topic at the time. It can be a positive element for a company when the time is right, but not during hard economic times. You asked the question: If you were a CEO, would you outsource right now? My answer is definitely NO. We are living in difficult times right now, and the most important thing is finding jobs for the million Americans who are unemployed. I know that it is cheaper and faster labor in other countries, but we need to focus on helping the people in our country before giving jobs to people elsewhere. Businesses can’t keep being greedy, but need to act ethically and socially responsible.
Do you agree with this?
Ethics and Social Responsibility
Ethics and social responsibility are very important for marketers. `As we discussed this week, The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility shows that marketers are expected to be profitable, obey the laws and regulations, and be ethical. Also at the top of the pyramid there is the philanthropic dimension which goes even further than marketing ethics. It is not required of a company, but it does suggest goodwill. Today, companies are becoming more philanthropic by going ‘green’ and developing pricing, promotion, and distribution of products that are not harmful, but helpful to the environment. However, being profitable is still at the top of the expectations for marketers.
An article published in The New York Times on May 29, 2009, “A Promise to Be Ethical in an Era of Immorality,” focuses on a group of Harvard M.B.A.’s that want to set a new standard as business leaders. At Harvard and other top business schools, there have been new ethics courses that have concentrate on personal and social responsibility in a corporation rather than just making money. The graduates are highly concerned with the community, workers, and the environment of the corporations. Since the financial crisis this year, they along with many other people are more concerned with what is happening rather than being greedy.
I really enjoyed this article and it is nice to see that these graduates want to be more ethically and socially responsibility rather than just wanting to make the most money. Bruce Kogut, director of the Sanford C. Bernstein & Company Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia stated that, “We’re seeing a generational change that understands poverty is not just about Africa and India. They see inequities and the role of business to address them.” There are so many inequities across the world, which are affecting everybody. The industrialized countries such as the United States are taking resources away from the countries that need them the most. So knowing that these M.B.A. graduates want to commit to using the ethical and socially responsible principles is wonderful because they can make a difference. Overall, I feel as if the philanthropic dimension is going to be more important and widely used by marketers more in the future to come.
Do you feel as if marketers are going to become more ethically and socially responsible in the future or stay focused on strictly making money?
An article published in The New York Times on May 29, 2009, “A Promise to Be Ethical in an Era of Immorality,” focuses on a group of Harvard M.B.A.’s that want to set a new standard as business leaders. At Harvard and other top business schools, there have been new ethics courses that have concentrate on personal and social responsibility in a corporation rather than just making money. The graduates are highly concerned with the community, workers, and the environment of the corporations. Since the financial crisis this year, they along with many other people are more concerned with what is happening rather than being greedy.
I really enjoyed this article and it is nice to see that these graduates want to be more ethically and socially responsibility rather than just wanting to make the most money. Bruce Kogut, director of the Sanford C. Bernstein & Company Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia stated that, “We’re seeing a generational change that understands poverty is not just about Africa and India. They see inequities and the role of business to address them.” There are so many inequities across the world, which are affecting everybody. The industrialized countries such as the United States are taking resources away from the countries that need them the most. So knowing that these M.B.A. graduates want to commit to using the ethical and socially responsible principles is wonderful because they can make a difference. Overall, I feel as if the philanthropic dimension is going to be more important and widely used by marketers more in the future to come.
Do you feel as if marketers are going to become more ethically and socially responsible in the future or stay focused on strictly making money?
2/05/2010
Response to Environmentalism
This is in response to Crista Rookey’s post:
I definitely agree with you with the fact that environmentalism is more of an opportunity than a threat to marketers. A business will absolutely run better and save money if they take environmentally friendly actions like you mentioned. Also their clientele will grow excessively not only because they are being ethical, but socially responsible in showing their concern with the environment as well. I enjoyed the questions you asked too: Would a company that’s in the market for what you’re looking for catch your attention more or less if they supported environmentalism? I would say yes to this now that I am becoming more concerned about the environment. If you asked me this a couple of years ago I would probably have said no because I was not aware of what was happening in the environment. The second question: Do you agree that this ethical behavior is an opportunity? Yes, I agree with this as well because being ethical is very important when running a business. Now, Do you think that environmentalism will be an opportunity for marketers forever or just at the present time because of what is happening to the world?
I definitely agree with you with the fact that environmentalism is more of an opportunity than a threat to marketers. A business will absolutely run better and save money if they take environmentally friendly actions like you mentioned. Also their clientele will grow excessively not only because they are being ethical, but socially responsible in showing their concern with the environment as well. I enjoyed the questions you asked too: Would a company that’s in the market for what you’re looking for catch your attention more or less if they supported environmentalism? I would say yes to this now that I am becoming more concerned about the environment. If you asked me this a couple of years ago I would probably have said no because I was not aware of what was happening in the environment. The second question: Do you agree that this ethical behavior is an opportunity? Yes, I agree with this as well because being ethical is very important when running a business. Now, Do you think that environmentalism will be an opportunity for marketers forever or just at the present time because of what is happening to the world?
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