Monday, October 10, 2016

Week 2 Blog Post

Topic 1:
The brand I selected was Hydro Flask.  Their value proposition is that they have the best technology for keeping your drinks either hot or cold.  When I went and looked them up on social media it was nothing but positive remarks about the brand.  One person on Twitter (@jaxieparker)said, "Don't cry because you've lost your second HydroFlask this year. Smile because you're about to buy your third :)." Another person (@coreyrathe) said, "Am I the only one with a really personal attachment to my hydroflask." On Facebook Hydro flask has 4.7 out of 5 stars. It is clear they are doing something right. If I was the brand for Hydro Flask I don't think I would change a thing. Word of mouth is a very powerful marketing tool and it is working wonderfully for Hydro Flask. They have a product that is superior in their field, they don't need to convince you to buy it.

Topic 2:
The article I read was about to former Silicon Valley software engineers and how they made a multi-million dollar company selling yarn. The way they did it was instead of just selling yarn like everyone else, like in a bundle, they created a system that you subscribed to and got yarn sampler bags. Instead of ordering a mess of yarn, you subscribe for either 3, 6, or 9 months and every month you get sent a cloth pouch filled with various types of yarn, new patterns to try, and even needles and crochet hooks. When they first stared this new idea, all they did was put up on ad on Facebook. They had to take the ad down because they got so many subscribers that they couldn't handle it all at once, they company outgrew itself in one night! I think there is a lot you can take away from this ad. It is not necessarily marketing as much as it in entrepreneurship though. Innovation, all they did was come up with a new idea for knitters and they LOVED it. Last year the company brought in profits of more than 8 million dollars. Instead of continuing to sell yarn the way everyone else did, they came up with a new way to do it, slightly different, nothing too crazy; and it has made them millions,

Article Link.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Week 1 Marketing Blog

Topic One

I enrolled in this class because spring term Rob suggested I take this class.  It is teaching me how to be better at my job.  I am the marketing coordinator for Evenflo Plumbing, I have little to no marketing experience and have been teaching myself as I go.  I hope this course will help me become even better at my job as i continue to help the company grow and expand.

I am currently a marketing major and if i get my GPA up enough I hope to study abroad and double major with international business (keep your fingers crossed!).

I am really wanting to learn how to help my company grow.  The plumbing industry is a tough place for marketing.  I want to be original and creative but need some inspiration and guidance.

There are a few things I really love.  First is my little brother, Ethan. he is an 8th grader here in Corvallis.  I have been able to coach him in all of his sports and watch him grow into an incredible young man.  At age 7 he said he wanted to be an aeronautical engineer... c'mon man slow down!!  Something Ethan and me are really able to connect on is our love for baseball.  I am a die hard San Francisco Giants fan and played baseball all the way until my sophomore year of college.  Ethan wants to play college baseball and I get to work with him and help guide him to take the right steps so he can do that.  I am also very passionate about my friends.  I am one of those people that doesn't have a ton of friends but that is by choice.  I am very picky about who i associate myself with, but the people in my life I would do anything for, and I know that they would do the same.

Topic 2

The article I read was talking about how all of the new tech entrepreneurs entering the market has completely changed the face of marketing.  It has made people more inclined to try new things and take bigger risks with their marketing ideas and plans.  It also talked about how everyone wants to be a part of the new tech market.  They gave the example of reigning MVP for the NBA Stephen Curry, is also the owner of not one, but two new tech start ups.  With the rate that the new tech industry is growing it has completly changed how people are going about marketing for it.  Long term strategies are becoming less of a thing and are being replaced with sporadic and more experimental approaches.  At the end of the article the author gave a list of suggestions for people that are trying to strive in the new tech industry,  This section, to me, was what i took the most from.  I think it is pretty obvious that marketing has been changed and continues to change everyday.  But how do you stay ahead of the curve?  How do you make sure your experimental ideas for marketing and detrimental to the future of your company?  The number one thing the author suggested was to "obsess with customer needs."  Your customers tell you what you want and it is your job to provide that.  It might not be the new and shiny product but if it is what the customers want, it will strive and be more profitable.  The other point of emphasis I thought was really important was to "fear the easy path."  No one said it is going to be easy, it shouldn't be.  Embrace the struggle and grind instead of trying to find the easy way out and you will be better off in the long run.