China warns Canada Goose may have broken consumer law

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: China’s state-run People’s Daily newspaper warned that Canada Goose Holdings Inc. may have violated Chinese consumer law, a sign the clothing company may be facing a difficult period in the world’s No. 2 economy. Source: BNNBloomberg.ca – video report Date: Dec 03, 2021 Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/china-warns-canada-goose-may-have-broken-consumer-law-1.1690513 Questions for discussion: Summarize the key points presented in… Read more »

Elle magazine says it will ban fur from its publications worldwide

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

Description: Lifestyle and fashion magazine ELLE announced Thursday it is banning fur from all pages of its publications in a move to support animal welfare and reflect changing tastes. Source: NPR.org Date: Dec 02, 2021 Link: https://www.npr.org/2021/12/02/1061053897/elle-magazine-ban-fur-from-publications Questions for discussion: What are the implications of this decision and the publicity from it on the various industries and… Read more »

Read the emails Elon Musk sent Tesla employees about music on the job and following directions

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

Description: Tesla CEO Elon Musk is known for his spontaneous mass communication, from rants on Twitter to “everybody” e-mails he sends to all employees at his electric vehicle company. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Nov 19, 2021 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/11/19/elon-musk-emails-at-tesla-in-october-2021-music-direct-orders.html Questions for discussion: Knowing that these internal communications will widely be shared and circulated, do you… Read more »

The Secret to a Superb Customer Service Team? Hiring Actual Customers

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

Description: Organic baby food company Little Spoon unlocked a competitive advantage when a conversation about baby food turned to something bigger. Source: INC.com Date: Nov 16, 2021 Link: https://www.inc.com/magazine/202111/gabrielle-bienasz/little-spoon-michelle-muller-hiring-is-this-normal.html Questions for discussion: What is the concept behind building distributed ambassadorships for the company? What are the advantages and disadvantages for this approach?

Citing Dangers Of Social Media, Lush Cosmetics Deactivates Its Accounts

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

Description: Lush Cosmetics, no stranger to controversial marketing tactics, says it is pulling the plug on its social media accounts worldwide. Citing concerns about the platforms’ effects on the mental health of consumers who love Lush’s wacky array of lotions, potions and exploding bath bombs, the company is opting out of every Facebook, Instagram, TikTok… Read more »

How Americans’ Appetite for Leather in Luxury SUVs Worsens Amazon Deforestation

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

Description: An examination of Brazil’s immense tannery industry shows how hides from illegally deforested ranches can easily reach the global marketplace. In the United States, much of the demand for Brazilian leather comes from automakers. Source: NYTimes.com – video report Date: Nov 17, 2021 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/climate/leather-seats-cars-rainforest.html Questions for discussion: What are the ethical and social… Read more »

Musk nears Tesla sale halfway point with US$8.8B disposed

Posted by & filed under Global Marketing, Marketing Research, Product Brands and Branding, Relationship Marketing.

Description: Elon Musk sold Tesla Inc. stock for a seventh consecutive trading day, bringing him almost halfway to his promise to unload 10 per cent of his stake in the electric car-maker. Source: BNNBloomberg,ca – video report Date: Nov 17, 2021 Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/musk-nears-tesla-sale-halfway-point-with-us-8-8b-disposed-1.1682576 Questions for discussion: What is the story behind Musk’s decision to sell… Read more »

Virgin Media O2, British Gas and Sky demand world leaders tackle climate misinformation

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

Description: More than 250 companies have signed an open letter, which demands world leaders and tech platforms take action to stop the spread of misinformation as data shows the extent of the problem. Source: MarketingWeek.com Date: Nov 09, 2021 Link: https://www.marketingweek.com/letter-tackle-climate-misinformation/ Questions for discussion: What are the social and business issues related to this effort… Read more »

Air Canada CEO’s difficulty with French turns into PR nightmare

Posted by & filed under Ethics, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Relationship Marketing, Services Marketing.

Description: Michael Rousseau’s address to the Montreal business community was meant to trumpet Air Canada’s recovery and its crucial role in the Quebec economy. Instead, it became a public relations disaster for the new chief executive officer. Source: BNNBloomberg.com – video report Date: Nov 05, 2021 Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/air-canada-ceo-s-difficulty-with-french-turns-into-pr-nightmare-1.1676985 Questions for discussion: Summarize the PR problem… Read more »

A&W Targets Math-Challenged Americans

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

Description: In the 1980s, A&W Restaurants tried to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder by offering a bigger 1/3 pound burger at the same price. Unfortunately, Americans aren’t so great at math. Confused consumers wrongly assumed that 1/4 was bigger than 1/3 (because 4 is bigger than 3) and the whole experiment went down in history as… Read more »