The Road to Greener Concrete Is Paved With Clay

Posted by & filed under Ethics, Innovation, Supply Chain.

Description: Among the myriad steps needed to clean up construction, a cement made with heated clay stands out. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Oct 01, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-10-01/lc3-clay-cuts-cement-industry-co2-emissions Questions for discussion: What does the report say about the cement production process and its contribution to CO2 pollution? How can producers reduce their pollution from production and what is… Read more »

Coca-Cola will enter U.S. hard seltzer market in first half of 2021, CEO says

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

Description: Coca-Cola aims to release its first hard seltzer in the U.S. in the first half of 2021, CEO James Quincey told CNBC on Monday. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Sep 21, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/21/coca-cola-will-enter-us-hard-seltzer-market-in-first-half-of-2021-ceo.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail Questions for discussion: Do you think Coca-Cola is making the right decision? Are there any synergies between the existing brands and… Read more »

Free Shipping, Drones, and Click and Collect, Oh My!

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

Description: eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Cindy Liu speak about innovations in ecommerce and how technology is creating a frictionless experience for online shoppers. They discuss the jump from fast to free shipping, what drone deliveries could potentially look like, and dive into the many facets of click… Read more »

Canada’s Napa Valley Seeks Elusive Audience: Canadian Wine Drinkers

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

Description: British Columbia’s wines are improbably being embraced by wine snobs around the world. But legal restrictions, and regional biases, are getting in the way at home. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 19, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/19/world/canada/british-columbia-wine-Okanagan-Valley.html Questions for discussion: What are the barriers preventing Canadian wineries from developing further? What can marketing do to help the… Read more »

The holiday shopping season could start on 10/10/2020 with retailers hopeful that consumers will turn out early

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Marketing Research, Retail Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: Forget Thanksgiving Day. The start to the holiday shopping season could be October 10, or 10/10/2020, according to Keith Jelinek, managing director in the retail practice at global consultancy Berkeley Research Group. Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Sep 16, 2020 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-holiday-shopping-season-could-start-on-10-10-2020-with-retailers-hopeful-that-consumers-will-turn-out-early-11600197849?mod=home-page Questions for discussion: What is the basis for these notions of an earlier start… Read more »

How Etsy built a nearly $14 billion handmade empire

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

Description: If it’s handmade or over 20 years old, there’s a good chance you can find it on Etsy, the go-to online marketplace for handcrafted and vintage goods. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Sep 05, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/05/how-etsy-built-a-handmade-empire.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail Questions for discussion: How would you describe Etsy’s business model? Summarize the evolution of the firm’s… Read more »

Why canned wine sales are crushing it this year

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

Description: While some wine drinkers are still stuck on the screw top versus cork debate, others have moved on and are unapologetically drinking Cabernet and Riesling out of cans. Turns out, convenience and size are both selling points for oenophiles, and as crazy as it sounds, canned wine actually tastes pretty good these days too. Source:… Read more »

Grocers fight back against calls for a government enforced business code of conduct

Posted by & filed under Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Retail Marketing, Supply Chain.

Description: Retail Council of Canada says intervention could lead to higher food costs for consumers Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Aug 28, 2020 Link: https://financialpost.com/entrepreneur/small-business/grocers-fight-back-against-calls-for-a-government-enforced-business-code-of-conduct/wcm/e7229ffc-b08e-4b9d-aa54-ec7718f91850/ Questions for discussion: What is the source of the problem between suppliers and retailers? Is government regulation a good idea and if so, what would your regulation look like? What are the… Read more »

Crisis Management: Walmart+ ‘not aggressive enough’ to take on Amazon

Posted by & filed under Retail Marketing, Supply Chain.

 Description: Yahoo Finance Canada’s Alicja Siekierska and strategy expert Mark Satov discuss Walmart’s new membership service and how it will stack up against Amazon Prime. Source: Yahoo.Finance.com – video report Date: Sep 04, 2020 Link: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/video/crisis-management-walmart-not-aggressive-194154877.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about Walmart’s effort to launch a competing plan against Amazon Prime?… 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 »