When someone is looking for an answer to a question, general information, a product, or a service they most likely turn to an internet search engine. This is so common that ‘Google it’ has become synonymous with ‘look it up’. This makes it more important than ever to have a successful web presence that appears on relevant web searches. Search engine optimization and search engine marketing are both incredibly important resources for any business or organization to reach their target audience by increasing the chances that you will appear in a search engine result.

While both tools increase your likelihood of appearing on a web search result, the best way to present the differences between the two is to explain the price difference and the time it typically takes to see desired results. The most obvious difference between the two is that search engine optimization establishes organic reach for free and search engine marketing reaches audiences based on how much you are willing to pay. The other significant difference is the time it takes to see results. Search engine marketing takes effect immediately and shows up in the form of ads in search engine results. Search engine optimization however takes much longer, usually about six months, to show significant results.

For search engine optimization it is important to have a well established website and it helps if other reputable websites link information to your pages. For search engine marketing it is important to make informed decisions when creating advertisements to ensure that they will get your audience’s attention.  Regardless of if you are using search engine marketing, search engine optimization, or both keywords are very important. Keywords come into play when choosing page titles, page content, and hen creating links. Making sure your keywords are accurate and relevant is key to being successful so the people you reach are more likely to benefit from your result and so you are more likely to benefit from their search.

Search engine optimization and search engine marketing should optimally be used in conjunction initially in order to get immediate results and create a positive long-lasting web presence. Once you have built up a strong presence through search engine optimization you can even consider stopping your search engine marketing. If you choose to do this however, you need to make sure you keep your website updated and continue to use good search engine optimization practices.

Search Engine Marketing [Video file]. (2016, March 1). Retrieved November 8, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxae42kcc9Y

SEO 101: How Long Does SEO Take to Start Working? • SEO Mechanic. (2020, April 24). Retrieved November 09, 2020, from https://www.seomechanic.com/seo-101-how-long-does-seo-take/

Tampa International Airline sat back and let this heartwarming story tell itself, generating record breaking organic exposure. The story of how one airport employee went above and beyond for customer service humanizes the entire business and leads to positive associations for the airport itself. By not getting involved or promoting the story too much the business took advantage of this happy story in the best way possible. By praising their employee and letting the family tell the story the story spread organically which is arguably better than if it had spread through promotions, especially due to the target audience. Since this wholesome story was meant to target families, seeing it shared by people and other sources they know and trust makes it even more sentimental. It shows these families that they can trust this airline to go above and beyond for their family when they are traveling and instills brand loyalty and trust. This story sets the stage for what kind of customer service can be expected from this business.

Outside of this one campaign Tampa International Airport uses their social media platforms to encourage traveling and promote engagement. On Instagram they focus on romanticizing travel and using humor, like through memes, to encourage engagement. On Twitter they share a lot of useful information like delays, but they also try to inspire travel envy by posting pictures and blog posts about destinations. Their Facebook is very similar to their Twitter, but they also use video promotions. They definitely have the most engagement on their Instagram, they have a fair amount of engagement on their Facebook, but their Twitter account is lacking in engagement even thought it has more followers than their Instagram. Overall, they have done a good job building u a community around their brand and really connect well with their consumers.

 

References

Tale of tiger’s big adventure highlights airport’s commitment to customer service – The Shorty Awards. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://shortyawards.com/8th/boy-leaves-stuffed-tiger-at-tpa-returns-to-a-tale-of-tigers-big-adventure-see-more-at-httpww

I would say that I typically consume around 5 hours of digital media a day. I am including in this measure time spent using apps on my phone and tablet, watching shows in any format, and reading or listening to ebooks or podcasts. I calculated this figure dedicating on average: 1 hour to ebooks/podcasts, 1.5 hours to watching shows/movies, and 2.5 hours to browsing my popular apps throughout the day, namely Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

I would say that I have an overall positive reaction to digital media. I cater the media I consume to be more positive. I cannot, and wouldn’t want to, filter out all of the negative media. For example, I cannot control what my friends choose to post that appears in my news feed. I appreciate the convenience of using digital media, especially social media, to stay informed about recent events and to keep up with my friends and family. I really appreciate that social media tends to bring out people’s passions and ideas that drive them. Sometimes you can learn more about a friend from what they choose to post on social media than you can from an individual conversation. As for ebooks and podcasts, they are such a convenient way of sharing ideas and stories in today’s busy world, I love them. I can have mixed emotions about the shows and movies I watch and it depends on the type of entertainment and my mood. Sometimes I use it as a way to wind down and give my brain a break and sometimes I use it as a way to learn something new.

I wouldn’t say that my needs are satisfied using only one form of digital media. Each form of media serves a different purpose. Even when it comes to the social media sites I use. I have some different friends on each site and the different mediums bring out different forms of self expression for me and my friends. Outside of keeping up with my friends I get a lot of news through Facebook, recipes and DIYs from Instagram, and entertainment from Snapchat.

My email is a different story. I use my email accounts primarily for work and school purposes, but also to subscribe to newsletters, sign up for account, and receive bills. I receive emails from several companies linked to my various accounts including Amazon, Shutterfly, Groupon, Starbucks, National Geographic, and my banks. The emails that catch my attention the most are those with subject lines that do you suggest that the company is trying to sell me something. For example, some read: Important information about your account, or Your statement is now available.

Marketing is a huge part of digital media. You can’t scroll through social media for a minute or watch a video without getting hit with advertisements. On occasion the advertisements are really relevant to me and done well enough to hold my attention, but for the most part they are annoying and get ignored. The use of marketing in digital media can be overwhelming, but it has become so normal that we just accept it. It is a smart and convenient way to reach out to audiences.

Apple Inc. is definitely a profitable company. They do business on a global scale and are paving the way for environmentally friendly operations. According to Greenpeace’s most recent report on Apple, they have publicly committed to using 100% renewable energy in certain sites to help combat climate change. They got an “A’s” in their commitment to using renewable energy, Performance in using renewable energy, and advocacy for renewable energy.

While they are lacking in other areas, they are working hard to do better for our environment. Currently product design is getting in the way of progress. In an effort to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals used in their products, their product designs have left certain materials irreparable, creating more waste long-term and causing more frustrations with consumers.

Greenpeace Guide To Greener Electronics – 2017 Company Report Card . (2017). GREENPEACE GUIDE TO GREENER ELECTRONICS – 2017 COMPANY REPORT CARD . Retrieved from https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/GGE2017_Apple.pdf

For the purpose of this project, Apple will be launching a child friendly iPad. This iPad is meant to have features, including parental controls, that will allow it to grow to meet the needs of the child as they get older. The main objective are to sell more child focused tablets than competitors, stay at the top of tablet sales overall, bring new customers to the Apple brand, and regain footing in the Chinese market. This iPad is specifically for educational and entertainment purposes. According to Business Insights, “Apple revolutionized the tablet computer market on April 3, 2010, when it unveiled the Apple iPad, of which 1 million were sold within 28 days of the product’s introduction” (2019). It is important that Apple stay on top by staying relevant.

Since the first iPad came out in 2010, that puts our age group at 16-26 when the first iPad came out. It is likely that they remember the excitement and thrill of the first iPad and remember how everyone wanted to have one. Their age makes them more likely to fit into the other parameters of our target audience and makes them more likely to have the means and desire to purchase an iPad for their own children, which will help Apple meet their objectives. One of the biggest challenges for Apple at this point is regaining footing in the Chinese market, which is effected by Chinese bans of Apple products, the ongoing trade war between the Unites States and China, and availability on competitors’ products.

Research indicates that the use of technology in schools and for education at home is growing and there are many studies documenting the benefits of using technology to help children learn. In one example from A Qualitative Study about the Implementation of Tablet Computers in Secondary Education, teachers reflected that “their horizon as a teacher has been broadened, and that they have changed their teaching style.”

The biggest market trends impacting this product are, according to Newman (2019), artificial intelligence, cloud, CX and UX, data-driven decisions, augmented and virtual reality, and blockchain. Many of these technologies are interrelated and build on one another. Augmented and virtual reality could be a big opportunity for Apple, especially for this product. Educating and entertaining children through these methods would be very engaging and might be the difference that sets Apple ahead of their competitors. Blockchain is another opportunity that Apple should pay attention to, that may help with their foreign exchange rate issues.

Legal, ethical, and industry standards involving this product right now are the trade war and tariffs, the lawsuits for Apple using patented technology leading to a ban of sales in China, and prices. Specific issues include open lawsuits in China, foreign exchange rates, and the United States and China trade war. According to a report from Global Data, “In December 2018, a Chinese court imposed a ban on the sale of various Apple iPhone models in China for infringing two patents of Qualcomm Inc.” and “China is its (Apple’s) third largest revenue generating market” (2019, p.3). Global Data also reports that Apple “registered loss of US$525 million from foreign currency translation adjustment” (2019, p.4). The ongoing trade war between the United States and China would impose tariffs on Apple parts shipped to China and Apple products shipped back to the United States. In order to remain ethical in the eyes of their customers, Apple needs to resolve the patent infringement fairly and give the original creator compensation for the infringement. Typically Apple is prices higher than their competitors and, according to Global Data “many of its competitors seek to compete primarily through aggressive pricing and very low cost structures” (2019). Fortunately, the trade war is also a problem faced by their competition since so much production is done outside of the United States, specifically in China. The trade war will likely result in higher prices across the market, which will keep Apple’s prices competitive with other child focused tablets on the market. Apple should consider lower and more competitive prices in China for a while to boost sales after the ban and help them maintain their customer base in China.

Limitations in creating a market proposal for this product are mostly due to a lack of knowledge about Chinese markets and marketing outlets. For example, I know that certain social media sites that I would use for product promotion are banned in China, but I did not research what social media sites are prominent in China and how to go about advertising on them.

 

References

Business Insights. Tablet Computers. (2019). In Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. Retrieved from https://bi-gale-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/essentials/article/GALE|PZVMRF714046977/6a4f20e0e1ce0e3006d06529a0549f04?u=nhc_main

Hannelore Montrieux, Ruben Vanderlinde, Cédric Courtois, Tammy Schellens, Lieven De Marez, A Qualitative Study about the Implementation of Tablet Computers in Secondary Education: The Teachers’ Role in this Process, rocedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 112, 2014, Pages 481-488, ISSN 1877-0428, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1192.

Newman, D. (2019, January 23). Top 7 Digital Transformation Trends In High Tech Industries For 2019. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2019/01/23/top-7-digital-transformation-trends-in-high-tech-industries-for-2019/#4fe3f89d7aca.

Zikmund, W. G., & Babin, B. J. (2010). Essentials of marketing research (6th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western/CENGAGE Learning

 

When it comes to Marvel versus DC it is hard to label one as a true underdog. They both have incredible fanbases and huge markets. If you want more information on the history of this rivalry, check out this great blog post with all kinds of fun facts: https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/05/03/marvel-v-dc-dawn-of-rivalry Though DC had a jumpstart on Marvel when it came to comic books, today we are living in a world of super hero movies where it seems Marvel has the upper hand. For the purposes of this blog post we are going to be looking at the current marketing strategies of Marvel and DC, so we are going to consider DC the underdog.

One interesting difference between marketing strategies, as pointed out by Day One Perspective (2017), is Marvel’s efforts directed toward continuity versus DC’s efforts directed towards rebranding. Marvel’s recent efforts have all been within the Avengers universe. Marvel even linked Guardians of the Galaxy to the Avengers through the Infinity Stones and brought those two story lines together. This allows the long term fans who are invested in these Avenger characters to continue to follow their stories while keeping things new and exciting. They can follow Iron Man and Captain America in their adventures while new characters, like Captain Marvel, are introduced under the same Avengers theme.

On the flip side, DC tries to rebrand and adapt to attract new audiences. This is seen more in the TV shows they have put out over the years. Even just looking at batman, you can see the numerous times they have changed his look to be more modern and exciting. With Superman, they promoted him from being a newspaper journalist to being a TV news anchor to stay more relevant. I personally associate classic super heroes with newspapers, but DC seems to be holding their own with their rebranding strategies.

While DC is doing great in TV and comics, Marvel has them beat when it comes to money making movies. Marvel simply releases more movies than DC. The top dog status between the two has shifted so many times since their rivalry began, it is hard to say that one strategy is better than the other. Popularity of TV shows or comic books might swing back around to the forefront of entertainment and pull DC back on top. I don’t think that either of them need to change their strategies, because they are both profiting and doing well.

Personally, I am a die hard Marvel fan. I love the action and excitement of the movies, the intricate story lines and the continuity, but that is just my personal opinion. If I was more of a comic book reader then maybe I would like DC more, who knows!

 

References

Agency, D. O. (2017, January 27). Marvel vs. DC: A Case Study. Retrieved December 1, 2019, from https://dayoneperspective.com/marvel-vs-dc-c90d56b982f8.

Faraci, D. (2016, May 3). Marvel v DC: Dawn of Rivalry. Retrieved December 1, 2019, from https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/05/03/marvel-v-dc-dawn-of-rivalry.

 

Regarding the Under Armour “I Will What I Want” campaign, Under Armour was excelling in the male-dominated athletic wear market. However, when expanding their products to include women’s clothing, the sales came nowhere close to that of their men’s line. After watching other companies try, and fail to create successful marketing campaigns for women, Under Armour rose to the challenge in the hopes of rising above their competitors. In their first attempt, Under Armour targeted a very feminine sport, ballet. Even though they targeted an overly feminine field, they struck gold by capturing the spirit of empowerment. They chose a woman who had been told she had the wrong body to be a ballerina who overcame that adversity and chased her dreams. Next, they chose a non-traditional, but still very feminine, model. In this case, the model was shown boxing, a more masculine sport. They held onto that idea of empowerment and showed her overcoming negative online comments while boxing in her Under Armour attire.

The first segment they marketed towards was traditional female athletes. This was not much different from other campaigns, except for the empowerment they inundated the ad with.  Moving forward with that empowerment ideal, they targeted non-traditional female athletes, promoting the idea that women can do anything they set their minds to and Under Armour would stand by them. They did not anticipate the next market to arise out of the growing Women’s athletic wear industry which was athleisure.

Some key points to remember when implementing segmentation strategies are research, flexibility, opportunity, and growth. Researching your target audience is crucial to successfully implementing segmentation strategies. You need to understand who you are reaching out to and what motivates them. Research is just as important at the beginning of a marketing campaign, as it is while the campaign is in progress. This leads us to our next point, flexibility. Under Armour was flexible enough in their campaign to build on it in a new way that really secured their success. Initially, they chose an extremely feminine sport and a professional athlete to promote their female empowerment strategy, but they took it to a whole new level when they chose to use a non-traditional athlete, in a male-dominated sport. It only made their message of empowerment stronger. In that case, they saw an opportunity and they took it. However, they missed out on maximizing their effort for a new opportunity, athleisure. While not choosing to strategize marketing towards that segment might not have lost them many sales, it did allow other companies to rise to prominence. Lastly, while catering a marketing campaign to your specific segment, it is important to leave room for growth. Under Armor’s “I Will What I Want” campaign was a big success and it still has room to grow to reach other market segments or grow to include more topics of female empowerment.

Recently, a new product by BetaBrand caught my interest. Work yoga pants. This company designs clothing for office environments that have the comfort and appeal of athleisure. While this brand markets professional clothing with the comfort and flexibility of athletic wear, I want to see clothing I can wear to work and then head straight to the gym in. The same product, but marketed differently. If I saw in the marketing these individuals working up a sweat in these clothes after work, then I would feel more comfortable doing the same thing.

 

References

Dress Pant Yoga Pants: Betabrand. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.betabrand.com/womens/pants/dress-pant-yoga-pants-collection?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Acquisition&utm_campaign=Non-Brand-Collections-DPYP-Women&utm_term=ACQ_WMN&gclid=CjwKCAiAh5_uBRA5EiwASW3IaoOMTevoSZCo5zV9liiBJNba3GfJ7RWu2QqSysp4G6YHfs9BA7AS2BoCKwoQAvD_BwE.

Saghian, M., & Murray, M. (n.d.). Under Armour’s Willful Digital Moves. Under Armour’s Willful Digital Moves (pp. 1–5).

I am choosing Apple for my project because they are innovative, they appeal to a wide variety of people, and there are many niches I could look into. Hopefully, this will allow me to think about market research and behaviors of a niche I am unfamiliar with. Apple is more than just the technology they produce. They are a brand renowned for being a step above the mainstream. They strive to be more advanced and while they do consider their user’s experience, they are very product oriented. In general, people expect Apple to be better than competitors because their prices are generally higher than their competitor’s. Apple’s consumers do not just want basic functionality, they want exceptional quality and user experience.

The product I am proposing they launch is a tablet specifically for entertaining children. Many of their competitors offer children’s tablets and I think it is time that Apple offers one as well. In the age we live in children use technology just as much as adults, and many parents turn to technology for help in entertaining and educating their children. This tablet will need to be durable, have parental controls and oversight, and provide something that other children’s tablets do not.

Overall, this is not a new concept, so Apple is going to have to implement it better than others have before. The main objective of the research will be to identify what parents find most useful in a child’s tablet. Secondarily, it will focus on what needs parents have that aren’t being met by current children’s tablets on the market. Apple should start by reviewing previous research. For example, I am sure that they have records of the research that was conducted for designing parental controls on other devices. Another area where they may have existing research would be from when they promoted tracking technology to parents. They should also consider literature review for another source of information.

Next Apple should consider surveys. When conducting the surveys, they should implement methods to target parents specifically. For example, they could target people searching for common children’s videos, shopping online for baby products, or those who have downloaded family-focused apps. They could use survey apps that incentivize people to participate or use strategically placed ads to conduct the surveys. It is important that they recognize the time constraints of the parents they are targeting and keep the surveys brief. I cannot think of an unobtrusive way to collect information about the specific questions looking to be answered.

In my own life, I am an individual consumer. However, in one of my roles at work, I am an organizational consumer. I purchase goods and services to meet my personal needs, but I also make purchases on behalf of the organization I work for in order for them to provide services and continue operations.

As an individual consumer, I usually take a lot of time in making purchases. I like to weigh my options and make an informed decision. My emotions do play a role in my purchasing decisions though. If I am feeling good and positive, I may want to make certain purchases to celebrate or continue feeling positive. If I am feeling low, I might be more impulsive in making a purchase I think may make me feel better. As an organizational consumer my purchases are strictly motivated by need and decisions are heavily weighted based on cost-effectiveness.

In both of my roles, the perceived value of the products is what leads me to make my purchasing decision. Consumer delight helps inform my decision to make the same purchase again later or to instead make a different purchasing decision. I usually go through all stages of the consumer decision process. I don’t go out of my way to make purchases unless I have a need. I then seek information about my purchasing options and finally evaluate what alternative options I have.

I would say that I am influenced by both marketing research and marketing designs. The marketing designs are what initially draw my attention to a product or service. If the design is poor, I am likely to assume that it is not of good quality. If the marketing research was conducted properly then the marketing design should hold my interest and lead me to make a purchase. If the marketing research did not properly inform the marketing design, then it is less likely the design will be successful.

Generally, after making a purchase, especially if it was emotionally influenced, I will regret making the purchase. However, if I am later satisfied with the quality of the product, then that regret goes away. If I am really happy with a purchase then I might decide to review it, but I am more likely to review a product that I am unhappy with in order to help prevent someone else making a purchase that they will regret.