These restaurant chains are unveiling new designs inspired by the pandemic

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

Description: The coronavirus pandemic is spurring on a growing number of restaurant chains to build restaurants with new bells and whistles focused on convenience and safety. Source: CNBC.com Date: Sep 04, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/05/restaurant-chains-are-unveiling-new-designs-inspired-by-the-pandemic.html Questions for discussion: How have these restaurant chains responded to the coronavirus pandemic? Do you think these are good decisions? What else would… Read more »

Mark Cuban Says 3M Fails to Stop Profiteers of Masks

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

Description: Billionaire Mark Cuban has been trying to do his part to help hospital workers get more protective equipment, working with a non-profit group and delving into the market himself to find gold-standard N95 respirator masks he could buy for medical personnel. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Mar 28, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-28/mark-cuban-aiding-mask-effort-says-3m-fails-to-stop-profiteers Questions for discussion: What is… Read more »

People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips — and then changing them to zero

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

Description: New York (CNN Business)In late March, Instacart worker Annaliisa Arambula accepted a grocery order that came with a big tip: $55. The store was just down the street, everything the customer wanted was available, and the order seemed to go off without a hitch. Source: CNN.com Date: Apr 09, 2020 Link: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/tech/instacart-shoppers-tip-baiting/index.html Questions for… Read more »

Jamie Siminoff Didn’t Let His ‘Shark Tank’ Failure Stop Him From Building a Billion-Dollar Business With a Big Mission

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

Description: Here’s why he thinks success is a little bit like playing the lottery. Source: Entrepreneur.com – video report Date: Apr 09, 2020 Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/345406 Questions for discussion: What does Jamie Siminoff say is the mission for Ring? What is the value proposition for the firm? How important is branding in this industry, in your… Read more »

Canadian restaurant sector laid off 800,000 in March, with wave of permanent closures expected this month

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Description: An industry survey also found that 10 per cent of Canada’s 98,000 establishments don’t plan to reopen after the COVID-19 crisis Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Apr 02, 2020 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/canadian-restaurant-sector-laid-off-800000-in-march-with-wave-of-permanent-closures-expected-this-month?video_autoplay=true# Questions for discussion: What has happened to the restaurant and related food services businesses because of the Covid – 19 economic shut down? Do you… Read more »

Airlines Refused to Collect Passenger Data That Could Aid Coronavirus Fight

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

Description: Public health officials have been pushing airlines for years to gather more traveler data, but airlines have balked, citing cost and time. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Mar 31, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/business/coronavirus-airlines-contact-tracing-cdc.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about the conflict over data collection, business competition and privacy issues? Where do you stand on… Read more »

‘It’s critical’: Shuttered fitness studios move online to stay afloat in era of COVID-19

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Description: Wave of digital workout options flood the market in wake of COVID-19 closures Source: CBC.ca Date: Apr 03, 2020 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/it-s-critical-shuttered-fitness-studios-move-online-to-stay-afloat-in-era-of-covid-19-1.5521491 Questions for discussion: How have these businesses responded to the challenges they face related to Covid -19 closures? How can they maintain relationships with customers during this period of uncertainty? What would you… Read more »

Why many passengers grounded by COVID-19 aren’t getting refunds for cancelled flights

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Description: Airlines say they are doing what they can as the COVID-19 pandemic hurts business Source: CBC.ca Date: Mar 27, 2020 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/passengers-grounded-covid-19-air-canada-westjet-sunwing-1.5510105 Questions for discussion: Do you think the airlines are handling customer claims for refunds properly? What damage is likely to their brands and customer-relations images as a result of this publicity? Can… Read more »

Why Tech Companies Can Regain Consumer Trust as Coronavirus Crisis Continues

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

Description: As the government continues to wrestle with the COVID-19 epidemic, US consumers and news organizations have rediscovered one of the things that made social media so valuable: Democratizing information about a fast-moving global story brings to light important narratives that official sources may miss, ignore or suppress. Source: e-Marketer.com Date: Mar 17, 2020 Link:… Read more »

Get Up to Speed on the Marketing Flywheel

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

Description: The funnel concept has been around for a long time. Marketing teams use it to plan out the journey people take from prospect to lead to customer, and it’s worked. Lately, however, companies are switching to a marketing flywheel. Why the shift? One word: customers. Source: Entrepreneur.com Date: Mar 16, 2020 Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/347345?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email Questions for discussion: What is… Read more »