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 and branding strategies?
  • What can/should marketers do about this problem?

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 robots in the retail environment?
  • Do you think robots will adversely affect customer behavior?

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 discussions: 

  • Explain the success of the Camry brand.
  • Who is the target market?
  • What do you see in Camry’s future?

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?
  • Do you think it changes attitudes?
  • What other message would you design in an ad for BMO?

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

Questions for discussion:

  • How are supply chains affected and what impact is this having on business operations and profitability?
  • What can managers do about the problem?
  • Should supply chains be re-evaluated, as a result of recent experiences?
  • Do you think any will be changed?
  • Which businesses would benefit and which would be harmed if dramatic changes were made going forward?

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 Square, announced

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Mar 6, 2020

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/03/06/why-companies-like-microsoft-and-google-are-betting-big-on-africa.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What does the report say about economic development in Africa and the role played by foreign investment?
  • Why is infrastructure development so critical to that development?

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 firm do, from a marketing persepective?

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 report say about influencers?
  • What are the key take-aways from this report or marketers?

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 in my black jeans, pseudo dress jacket and sneakers. Pauline Brown had just finished her long stay as the Chairman of LVMH North America (Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton) working with a portfolio of over 70 brands in five different sectors across 100 markets. I made a joke about my clothes, we all laughed (she was probably being very kind and polite about my sad state of fashion affairs), but I was engaged and hanging on to her every word. Pauline is renowned for acquiring, building, and leading some of the world’s most influential brands. Now, she is striking out on her own. Moving from business leader to thought leader with her amazing new book, Aesthetic Intelligence (which she has brilliantly called “the other AI”). Her book is based on a course that she designed and taught at Harvard Business School. Pauline began her career as a Consultant at Bain and subsequently held senior executive roles at Estee Lauder, Avon and The Carlyle Group. She currently is an Executive-in-Residence at Columbia Business School and a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. I’ve become a raving fan of her work/thinking (which you can also hear on Sirius XM show, Tastemakers, on the Stars channel). Enjoy the conversation…

Source: SixPixels.com

Date: Feb 24, 2020

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/podcast/archives/spos-711-pauline-brown-on-aesthetic-intelligence-the-other-ai/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SixPixelsOfSeparation+%28Six+Pixels+of+Separation+-+Mitch+Joel%29

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the key ideas that would interest a marketer.
  • What do you think about these ideas?