There’s plenty of toilet paper in the US – so why are people hoarding it?

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Marketing Research, Product Brands and Branding, Retail Marketing.

Description: The other day I went into Costco to buy some toilet paper. It came as a small shock when I couldn’t find a single roll. Source: Yahoo.Finance.com Date: Mar 11, 2020 Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/theres-plenty-toilet-paper-us-122309255.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about human behavior and consumer products? How should business people deal with this understanding?

Counterfeit goods from China are crushing American small businesses – and they’re calling on Trump to fight back

Posted by & filed under Global Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Product Brands and Branding, Supply Chain.

Description: In January, the Department of Homeland Security issued a report detailing the rise of counterfeiting on e-commerce platforms and vowed to crackdown. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Feb 29, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/28/small-businesses-are-pushing-trump-to-fight-chinese-counterfeits.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about problem of counterfeit imports and what is being done? How do counterfeits affect brands… Read more »

Should Robots Have a Face?

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing, Retail Marketing, Services Marketing.

Description: As automation comes to retail industries, companies are giving machines more humanlike features in order to make them liked, not feared. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Feb 26, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/business/robots-retail-jobs.html Questions for discussion: How is automation changing retail environments and the customer experience? What do you think retailers should do to facilitate the intrusion of… Read more »

How the ‘boring’ Toyota Camry became the bestselling passenger car in America

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Market Segmentation, Metrics/Analytics, Pricing, Product Brands and Branding.

Description: The Toyota Camry has a reputation, even within Toyota itself, for being a humdrum car. But gosh does it ever sell. The Camry was the top-selling passenger car in the United States in 2019, and is one of the bestselling vehicles of all time. Source: CNBC.com video report Date: March 8, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/how-the-boring-toyota-camry-became-hugely-popular.html Questions for… Read more »

BMO tries to break biases towards women and money

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Ethics, Global Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Market Segmentation, Marketing Research, Product Brands and Branding, Retail Marketing, Services Marketing.

Description: This year’s International Women’s Day campaign looks to tackle a major hurdle to financial confidence.. Source: Strategy.com – video report Date: Mar 6, 2020 Link: https://strategyonline.ca/2020/03/06/bmo-tries-to-break-biases-towards-women-and-money/ Questions for discussion: What does the BMO video suggest about women and their attitude toward financial knowledge? Who do you think the target audience is for the video?… Read more »

Amazon sellers scramble to keep products in stock amid coronavirus outbreak

Posted by & filed under Global Marketing, Services Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: For Zev Bernard, who sells baseball and softball equipment on Amazon, February tends to be one of the busiest times of the year, with athletes, coaches and fans gearing up for the new season. Opening day for Major League Baseball is in late March. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Feb 29, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/29/amazon-sellers-scramble-to-keep-products-in-stock-amid-coronavirus.html… Read more »

Why companies like Microsoft and Google are betting big on Africa

Posted by & filed under Ethics, Global Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Research, Supply Chain.

Description: As technology companies continue to look for areas of growth, Africa is emerging as an area of opportunity. And Big Tech has taken notice. Companies such as Twitter, Google and Microsoft are all attempting to establish a presence in fast-growing African economies. Twitter CEO and founder Jack Dorsey, who also runs mobile payment company… Read more »

Netflix and Disney+ prepare to do battle in Europe

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Product Brands and Branding.

Description: Love or hate the term, the “streaming wars” are here to stay—and will soon be unfolding around the globe. Source: Fortune.com Date: Feb 26, 2020 Link: https://fortune.com/2020/02/26/netflix-disney-plus-europe-streaming-wars/ Questions for discussion: What are the two firms planning to do? Which do you think will win the battle in the European marketplace? What would you advise each… Read more »

The Role of Influencers in the Purchase Process

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Relationship Marketing.

Description: eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson and junior analyst Blake Droesch recount their experiences interviewing 16 social media creators about how they approach brand partnerships, which platforms are working for them and influencers’ role in the purchase process. Source: eMarketer.com – podcast Date: Feb 25, 2020 Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-the-role-of-influencers-in-the-purchase-process?ecid=NL1001 Questions for discussion: What does the… Read more »

SPOS #711 – Pauline Brown on Aesthetic Intelligence (The Other AI)

Posted by & filed under Global Marketing, Innovation, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Metrics/Analytics, Supply Chain.

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #711 – Host: Mitch Joel. There’s nothing harder than getting up onstage to speak in front of a room full of CEOs that run the world’s largest associations following one of the most successful business people from the luxury goods space. I felt like a bum… Read more »