Week 4 EOC: Advertising is Based on Happiness

I started my day searching through the used car adds looking for a good deal. I scrolled through searching and searching but everything seemed to be beyond my price range. I finally stumbled upon a used Saturn SC Coupe that had been hit in the front end and needed some minor repairs. Though it was not my first choice I decided for only four hundred dollars it would be worth a look. I went to look at the car and took it for a test drive. It’s seemed like a perfect fit. I decided to purchase the vehicle. When I got the car home I purchased the parts much cheaper than I anticipated and did the necessary repairs. At that point I was very happy with the car and it only cost me one thousand dollars total. A year later I still found myself very pleased with my purchase and possibly even more pleased and attached. On the other side of the token a new pizza joint opened a location close to my home. They made a claim to have great New York style pizza and it was 18”. Though the Pizza was eighteen dollars I though it’s real NY pizza. Everyone from NY knows it’s hard to find good pizza in NY. So I waited fifteen minutes and I took my pizza home. I was very happy the pizza was huge and it smelled great. I walked in the house and showed my girlfriend and said “look at this amazing pizza” Then I started to eat the pizza. That’s when it all went downhill. The pizza tasted very mediocre, there wasn’t enough cheese and the sauce was just not that good. I started to think to myself that this pizza was not such a great value after all. And as I thought about the price and my experience, I decided I need to find somewhere else to get pizza. I wasn’t happy with that one.

Week 3 EOC: Internet Privacy VS Market Reasearch

Internet Privacy Is a huge concern to people in today’s world. We often find ourselves falling victim due to companies conducting market research. Many people today participate in and or posses an online profile, little do they know they are giving away all their personal information through what they thought was a free service. Companies sell this information to marketing companies and use it for profitable purposes. “Google, MSN Search, Yahoo!, AOL, and most other search engines collect and store explicit records of user queries. They are, in effect, using the free services they provide as market research wrappers, and as a result, are ever more successful at targeting advertising. It is a clever, efficient, and modern method of advertising. But the scale and precision of this sort of market research causes concern for online privacy advocates and should, probably, cause concern for all users of the services.” http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/2690245.html . As it is, companies do not have very strict privacy regulations. Users give out there personal info much too easily without refrain. For the uneducated though there is hope that soon new laws and policies will take effect to protect all of us. As stated by Marketresearch.com “Consumers are willing to provide personal information liberally online because the value exchange is poorly defined and opaque. In the face of increasingly complex user-centric applications, improved clarity of the consumer value exchange will require that companies adopt new privacy-enhancing practices.” http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/773024.html . Facebook one of the most widely used social networking sites is a prime example of lacking internet privacy. Facebook uses tactile strategies to take what you thought was your private information through simple apps and games. “Ten popular Facebook applications, including Farmville, Frontierville and Texas HoldEm Poker, have been transmitting players names, friends, interests and other data to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies, The Wall Street Journal reported this week.” http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2010/10/20/5080731.htm . Its just plain wrong these companies sell personal information to make a profit.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

Yard House is not only a company that provides quality food and drinks in a relaxed and casual atmosphere; they are a company that prides themselves on doing well in the community and providing every guest with the same opportunity. The Yard House is a restaurant that provides the world’s largest draft beer selection, and the opportunity to help local charities through Round it Up America. “Round It Up America™ aims to provide support to local non-profit agencies, such as food banks, homeless shelters and crisis relief centers that protect the welfare of children and older adults living in our communities as well as provide emergency assistance for military troops and their families.” http://www.yardhouse.com/about/community.aspx .Yard House allows guest to round their check up to the nearest dollar and donate that change to Round it Up America. To name A few others, the top three most charitable companies last year included Wal-Mart, AT&T, and Bank of America. “Wal-Mart took the top spot, having donated over $288 million in cash this past year. AT&T and Bank of America were not far behind with $240 million and $209 million donated, respectively. Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) and ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) rounded out the top five.” http://www.investorplace.com/14051/wal-mart-most-generous-company/. These Companies care about people and the show it with their donations. I think that $288 million dollars in a single year definitely qualifies. Wal-Mart not only donates money but they take it a step further and actually donate food. Now you can’t get much more personal than that. Wal-Mart was the leading donator of food in 2009, giving and supplying a necessity to people in need. Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club have been named Donor of the Year by Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization, after providing outstanding donations of food, funds and vehicles during 2009. http://feedingamerica.org/newsroom/press-release-archive/donor-of-the-year.aspx . If that’s not doing good than I don’t know what is.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

The gaming console market has either good news or bad news depending on which manufacturer you are. Apple is looking at the future with optimistic eyes based on current market trends. The iphone and ipod touch make them the big? For sure. "Noting that some 665-760 million games may have been downloaded from the Apple (AAPL) App Store during the last 12 months, Sacconaghi estimates that the installed base for the iPhone and iPod touch platform could amount to about one third of the total handheld gaming installed base by 2012." “http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090929/iphoneos-gaming" On the other side of things Nintendo remains the star but may soon fall down the latter. "U.S. consumers are increasingly ditching the Wii and are adopting rival game consoles, especially Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Nintendo needs a new Wii now, not in 2011 or in 2012. Nintendo has to face reality that the Wii is dying in the U.S. It will be nearly impossible for Nintendo to return to positive growth again." http://www.conceivablytech.com/2685/business/game-console-market-dissected-nintendo-wii-is-dying/" Remaining as the cash cow Ps3 has been able to keep up and stay in the game. "The SACHD report says that in the first quarter of 2010, the PS3's market share grew at the expense of the Xbox 360. The Wii still holds the largest share of the market with an estimated 17.5 million sales by the end of 2010, compared to the predicted 14 million for PS3, and 10.5 million for the 360." http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/215272/ps3-hits-31-percent-market-share-gets-hbo-distribution-deal/" As revealed by the above sources the Xbox 360 still remains at the end of the pack. All in all we can clearly see the big ? will soon be the dominating star. Hats of once again to Apple.

Week 1 EOC: Excellent Customer Service

I approached the front door after receiving a flyer with high end guitars discounted for a sales event with flashy typography saying “To Low to Print!” and “Guaranteed Lowest Price”. As I approached the entrance, A Guitar Center employee standing outside opened the door and welcomed me in. I thought, well that was nice. As I entered the musical haven more employees came to greet me with a smile. The employees encouraged me to play anything I wanted and even had a sound room so I could play as loud as I wanted. Now that’s what I call great customer service. Allowing me the customer to try before I buy was very smart. Not only did they sell me a guitar, they sold me one that was more than I had originally planned to spend. Being able to play the guitar created value to me. It also gave me a feeling of possession, I felt for a moment as if it was mine. I could never walk out the door and leave my guitar there I thought. After selecting the Guitar of choice, I had a quick and friendly transaction, where the manager even threw in some free strings. The representative insisted to carry the guitar all the way to the car for me. As I thanked the sales associate he reminded me of their thirty day money back guarantee. As stated by Armstrong and Kotler, "The twofold goal of marketing is to attract new customers by promising superior value and to keep and grow current customers by delivering satisfaction." Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 10th Edition (Page 3). Guitar center definitely hit that bull’s-eye as I went home feeling important and delighted. They created value by letting me play guitars through professional sound set-ups, making the guitar sound much better. Knowing I was a return customer, they kept me wanting to return by making me feel important, carrying my purchase to the car, and giving me free strings. That is truly phenomenal customer service.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

I am a web designer. I find myself extremely intrigued with entering a small vibrant screen of color manipulating and twisting text and images to present to not only myself but the entire world. Providing mental and visual stimulation within a career that has an endless amount of knowledge to learn. As a web designer I am able to apply my knowledge to design websites that help guide millions through the creative visions within my mind and soul. Every time you open the internet you are guided through the creative mind of many others from the past. Its so amazing that you can literally see the world and travel from one place to another with the click of a button. That’s all made possible by Web Designers, people just like me, how rewarding! I see myself practically flying through new open doors every second since beginning my journey in becoming a distinguished Web Designer. I feel so fulfilled that I have taken the opportunity to spend my life creating with purpose and emotion. Jeff Gontarek / Web Design and Interactive Media