Description: McDonald’s Inc. is preparing to launch a Beyond Meat sandwich and it will conduct its first global test of the landmark offering in a patch of cities and towns in Southwestern Ontario. Source: Financial.Post.com – video report Date: Sep 26, 2019 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec0SrjRJmOc Questions for discussion: What are the “strategic marketing” similarities to regular… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Consumer/Buyer Behavior
Beauty company must pay FTC $1.76M for falsely labeling products as organic and vegan — how NOT to get duped
Description: A brand sold at Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters ‘harmed consumers,’ the FTC said Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Sep 27, 2019 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/beauty-company-must-pay-ftc-176m-for-falsely-labeling-products-as-organic-and-vegan-how-not-to-get-duped-2019-09-26?reflink=MW_GoogleNews Questions for discussion: What does this article say about the branding and labeling problems for consumers and marketers? What advice would you pass on to both parties?
Daily Forecast: India Is WhatsApp’s Biggest Country
Description: eMarketer forecasting director Shelleen Shum explains why India has the world’s largest WhatsApp user base. Source: eMarketer.com – video report Date: Sep 26, 2019 Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/daily-forecast-india-is-whatsapp-s-biggest-country?ecid=NL1001 Questions for discussion: Explain WhatsApp’s success in India? What should marketing managers be concerned about in the future?
GM’s Mary Barra Bets Big on an Electric, Self-Driving Future
Description: The American automaker has challenges like dealing with strikes, developing tech that works, and finding a market. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Sep 20, 2019 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-09-19/before-gm-goes-electric-mary-barra-has-a-strike-to-settle?srnd=businessweek-v2 Questions for discussion: How is GM changing, from a marketing point of view? What do you think of the strategic planning? What would you advise the firm?
This 24-year-old has raised more than $600,000 for charity — by asking for beer money on national TV
Description: Anheuser-Busch and Venmo are matching donations to the University of Iowa children’s hospital Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Sep 20, 2019 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-24-year-old-has-raised-100000-for-charity-by-asking-for-beer-money-on-national-tv-2019-09-18?mod=mw_theo_homepage Questions for discussion: What does this story say about the power of social media? Why were the firms involved quick to contribute funds? What lessons should marketers take away? Could the story have… Read more »
The Weekly Listen: Facebook’s TV Portal and NBCUniversal’s
Description: eMarketer principal analysts Mark Dolliver and Yory Wurmser discuss the viability of Facebook’s new Portal TV device, NBCU’s new video-streaming service Peacock, how many people around the world don’t use the internet and more. Source: eMarketer.com – podcast Date: Sep 20, 2019 Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-the-weekly-listen-facebook-tv-portal-and-nbcuniversal-peacock?ecid=NL1001 Questions for discussion: What does this discussion reveal about changes… Read more »
Tim Hortons to pull Beyond Meat offerings everywhere except Ontario and B.C.
Description: While restaurant chains across North America are jumping on the plant-based meat alternative craze, Tim Hortons is taking a step back. Source: Ca.Yahoo.Finance.com Date: Sep 18, 2019 Link: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/tim-hortons-to-pull-beyond-meat-offerings-from-most-provinces-174240421.html Questions for discussion: What do you think this decision means for Beyond Meat? Do you think plant-based alternative foods are a fad? Do you think… Read more »
Why Google’s Crackdown on Fake Medicine Is So Important
Description: At the end of the 19th century, Americans had no shortage of options purported to cure what ailed them. Source: Fortune.com Date: Sep 09, 2019 Link: https://fortune.com/2019/09/09/google-ads-fake-medical-treatments/ Questions for discussion: What does this article say about attitudes toward new medicinal product development? Do you agree with this sentiment?
Altice CEO Is Shaking Up Cell Phone Market: $20 a Month Plan
Description: Altice Mobile, which will use the ATT and Sprint’s wireless networks, is offering customers an incredibly low-priced cell phone plan of $20 a month for subscribers. It’s still a good deal at $30 for non-subscribers. Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Sep 06, 2019 Link: https://fortune.com/2019/09/06/altice-ceo-is-shaking-up-cell-phone-market-20-a-month-plan/ Questions for discussion: What is the marketing thinking… Read more »
US Consumers Tolerate Ads if They’re Expecting Them or They’re Incentivized
Description: US digital buyers that were surveyed considered static banner ads (16%), sponsored posts in social media feeds (14%) and sponsored search results (12%) to be the most useful digital ad formats. Overall, however, almost 58% of digital buyers said they didn’t think any digital ads were useful to them. Source: eMarketer.com Date: Sep 11,… Read more »
Applied Marketing, 2e
Canadian Edition
