SPOS #691 – The Collaborative Advantage With Paul Skinner

Posted by & filed under Marketing Research, Relationship Marketing.

Description: Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation – Episode #691 – Host: Mitch Joel. There are some books that hit my desk and captivate me. That was my reaction to Paul Skinner‘s book, Collaborative Advantage – How collaboration beats competition as a strategy for success. This is Paul’s antidote to competitive advantage, and a new perspective in how to think about your brand and the future of business.

Source: SixPixels.com

Date: Oct 06, 2019

Link: https://www.sixpixels.com/podcast/archives/spos-691-the-collaborative-advantage-with-paul-skinner/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SixPixelsOfSeparation+%28Six+Pixels+of+Separation+-+Mitch+Joel%29

Questions for discussion:

  • Summarize the highlights discussed in this podcast.
  • What should managers takeaway form the discussion specifically about the profit orientation?

BMW’s Mini is fighting to stay alive in SUV-obsessed America

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Product Brands and Branding.

Description: Premium small car maker Mini acknowledges these are tough times for tiny cars in America. But as Fiat Chrysler and others retreat, Mini sees opportunity to steal customers in the small-car market.

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Oct 04, 2019

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/03/bmws-mini-is-fighting-to-stay-alive-in-suv-obsessed-america.html

Questions for discussion:

  • Why are small cars having trouble in the U.S. marketplace?
  • What would you advise marketers to do?

Market Wrap: Netflix Needs to Cut Prices, Analyst Says

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Pricing.

Description: Netflix should lower its price to $6 per month, according to a Needham note.

Source: TheStreet.com – video report

Date: Oct 03, 2019

Link: https://www.thestreet.com/video/market-wrap-netflix-needs-to-cut-prices-analyst-says-15114580

Questions for discussion:

  • Do you agree with the recommendation to Netflix to cut prices and bring in advertising?
  • What would you advise the firm?

Early WeWork investor Bill Rudin on the company’s business model

Posted by & filed under Innovation, Pricing, Services Marketing.

Description: Early WeWork investor Bill Rudin on the company’s business model

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Oct 04, 2019

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/10/04/early-wework-investor-bill-rudin-on-the-companys-business-model.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What does this discussion say about shared work environments?
  • How does this market affect rents (prices)?
  • Do co-working environments particularly appeal to “marketing – type” businesses such advertising or creative agencies?

Canopy inks BioSteel deal to enter CBD sports drinks market

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

Description: Canopy Growth Corp. is acquiring a majority stake in BioSteel Sports Nutrition Inc., as the pot giant aims to quench the thirst of prospective consumers with a line of cannabis-infused sports drinks.

Source: BNNBloomberg.com – video report

Date: Oct 04, 2019

Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/canopy-inks-biosteel-deal-to-enter-cbd-sports-drinks-market-1.1324922

Questions for discussion:

  • Does this acquisition make sense for brand building at Canopy?
  • How would you suggest the firm market CBD sports products?

Behind the GM strike: Declining productivity at U.S. operations – Reuters analysis

Posted by & filed under Pricing, Supply Chain.

Description: (Reuters) – General Motors Co’s <GM.N> U.S. workforce productivity has declined since the automaker recovered from a 2009 bankruptcy, even as its profit per employee has risen, a Reuters analysis shows.

Source: Yahoo.Finance.com

Date: Oct 04, 2019

Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/behind-gm-strike-declining-productivity-213655945.html

Questions for discussion:

  • How does the productivity issue affect employment, investment, and marketing of GM products?

As Silicon Valley faces a tech reckoning, biologists point to the next big opportunity

Posted by & filed under Consumer/Buyer Behavior, Global Marketing, Innovation, Marketing Strategy, Supply Chain.

Description: At one of the world’s largest synthetic biology conferences this week, a food truck handed out papaya and yogurt samples to hundreds of attendees. The papaya wasn’t any ordinary papaya: It was a genetically engineered fruit that Dr. Dennis Gonsalves designed to be naturally resistant to the ringworm virus. Because of his invention, pesticide use dropped in Hawaii and production flourished.

Source: CNBC.com

Date: Oct 03, 2019

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/03/synbiotech-showed-the-real-future-of-silicon-valley-biology.html

Questions for discussion:

  • What does this article suggest is happening in this field?
  • What should businesses people and investors consider?
  • What sort of new products do you think are likely to be introduced in the near future?

Inside the intense world of Birkin bag collectors, who pay up to $500,000 for one bag

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

Description: Would you pay $500,000 … for a bag? In 2019, a diamond-encrusted Birkin handbag made of crocodile, from the French luxury brand Hermes, sold for half a million dollars. The Birkin consistently shatters sales records at auction, selling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But experts say the bag cost just $2,000 at its inception in 1984. Here’s what happened in between, elevating the Birkin from an expertly-crafted leather accessory to the ultimate status symbol and collector’s item.

Inside the intense world of Birkin bag collectors, who pay up to $500,000 for one bag from CNBC.

Source: CNBC.com – video report

Date: Sep 24, 2019

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/09/24/birkin-bag-collectors-pay-thousands-for-one-bag.html /2019/09/24/birkin-bag-collectors-pay-thousands-for

Questions for discussion:

  • Explain the communication strategy directed at customers?
  • How is this a luxury brand?
  • Does a “Birkin bag purchase” qualify as an “investment”? Explain.

Pop-Up Stores Earn a Permanent Place in Retail Strategy

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

Description: They’re becoming more collaborative and are gaining in popularity with bigger stores and brands.

Source: Bloomberg.com

Date: Sep 27, 2019

Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-27/pop-up-stores-are-the-next-big-retail-strategy?srnd=businessweek-v2

Questions for discussion:

  • Why are pop-up stores growing in popularity?
  • How are marketers using them, strategically speaking?
  • What advice would suggest to marketers to increase activity even further?

The Weekly Listen: Airbnb’s IPO and Facebook Acquires ‘Mind-Reading Wristband’ Company

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

Description: eMarketer principal analysts Mark Dolliver and Nicole Perrin join vice president of content studio Paul Verna to discuss Airbnb’s upcoming IPO, Facebook’s acquisition of “mind-reading wristband” company CTRL-labs, highlights from New York Advertising Week 2019 and more.

Source: eMarketer.com – podcast

Date: Sep 25, 2019

Link: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-the-weekly-listen-airbnb-ipo-and-facebook-acquires-mind-reading-wristband-company?ecid=NL1001

Questions for discussion:

  • What are the highlights in this podcast that would interest marketers and investors?
  • Do you see potential problems for any firms mentioned?