Advertising Today

How does marketing reach its target audience?  Every company sends out their ad campaigns in order to reach certain sexes, ages or ethnicities.  How does a company send their message out to exactly who they are trying to reach?  It’s obvious to spot when a commercial in trying to reach a certain market.  If the market is for kids then the commercial will have a lot of color, advertise a toy or cartoon with it and have kids in the commercial as well.  Some of my favorite commercials are the beer ones.  When you look at the commercials what it really boils down to a bunch or really beautiful women all drinking in the bar and having a good time with the guys as well.  Everyone is talking, laughing and having a good time.  In real life this is almost never the case and it is almost comical to watch. 

                Every company has their own specific way to idea to try and get a hold of that target audience to make their product as popular as possible and make the most profit.  There is no really one hundred percent way to get the entire target but they are going to keep trying as hard as possible. 

Advertising Today

How does marketing reach its target audience?  Every company sends out their ad campaigns in order to reach certain sexes, ages or ethnicities.  How does a company send their message out to exactly who they are trying to reach?  It’s obvious to spot when a commercial in trying to reach a certain market.  If the market is for kids then the commercial will have a lot of color, advertise a toy or cartoon with it and have kids in the commercial as well.  Some of my favorite commercials are the beer ones.  When you look at the commercials what it really boils down to a bunch or really beautiful women all drinking in the bar and having a good time with the guys as well.  Everyone is talking, laughing and having a good time.  In real life this is almost never the case and it is almost comical to watch. 

                Every company has their own specific way to idea to try and get a hold of that target audience to make their product as popular as possible and make the most profit.  There is no really one hundred percent way to get the entire target but they are going to keep trying as hard as possible. 

Marketing for a small company

How would you market for a very small company?  When you’re the only employee of a company you need to make every decision and it’s typically one of the hardest things to do.  Everything rests on your shoulders and every decision you make or break the company.  So with these limited resources how to get your name out to the public to buy your product?  This is the exact problem my roommate Ian is facing.  I am currently trying to help him market his surfing company.  He has designed shirts, hats, etc. to help promote his company.  He specializes in making custom surfboards but as a one man operation it is extremely difficult. I’m currently using the shirts to go all around town, starting with friends to see if they will buy the shirt and even wear it.  We are designing shirts and other articles of clothing using actual surfers and people that would want to learn more about the company or surfing.  If they wear the product then we should have no problem advertising it to people and hopefully getting a bigger cliental. 

How would you market a small company?

How would you market for a very small company?  When you’re the only employee of a company you need to make every decision and it’s typically one of the hardest things to do.  Everything rests on your shoulders and every decision you make or break the company.  So with these limited resources how to get your name out to the public to buy your product?  This is the exact problem my roommate Ian is facing.  I am currently trying to help him market his surfing company.  He has designed shirts, hats, etc. to help promote his company.  He specializes in making custom surfboards but as a one man operation it is extremely difficult. I’m currently using the shirts to go all around town, starting with friends to see if they will buy the shirt and even wear it.  We are designing shirts and other articles of clothing using actual surfers and people that would want to learn more about the company or surfing.  If they wear the product then we should have no problem advertising it to people and hopefully getting a bigger cliental. 

What's in a Brand Name?

What’s in a brand name? Are you truly spending the extra money for quality or social status?  The usual answer that we are just buying it for the brand name rather than the quality.  We won’t as a society admit that we just buy stuff to show people that we can afford nice things are trying to be what society is considering ‘in’ at the time.  When you look closer at the actual ‘quality’ of a product there isn’t much of a difference if any.  You can up to $35 for an article of clothing that is virtually identical to a $12 piece of clothing from a Wal-Mart.  When a consumer goes into a clothing store they never go up to a shirt and the first thing they look at in the consideration of buying the shirt is this shirt going to last a long time.  There are the exceptions but most people will buy it just for the brand name, the article is on sale or they are brand loyal. 

The only way to get companies to put more into their quality is to force the companies to remove all their brand names and symbols off the outside of the clothing.  They only thing that will distinguish one companies clothes from the others is how well it’s made.  This sounds all good but wouldn’t be practical. No one wants to look the same as every other person.  They want to be different and have that difference of social class.  If someone works as hard as they possible can and wants to buy nice things then they should.  They have proven that they deserve what they’ve worked for and should be looked at being higher up then Joe-Do-Nothing.  So how do we make a fair competition?

How do you market youself?

How do you market yourself?  How do you make yourself come off to your friends, family or people walking on the street? Do you make yourself look how you feel?  This question came to me this week.  Do you as a person show your true colors or do you come off as fake?  I asked this to myself and looked at my friends and people I know personally.  You would be surprised how many people try to perceive themselves as something they’re not.  Whether it’s your personality or the way you dress, people don’t tend to show their true colors.  If you ever confront a person and tell them they are fake 99 out of 100 will say of course not but it is hard to find someone who is truly honest or shows who they truly are. 

                The question is usually who you want to be rather than who am I.  This is really discouraging when you stop and think about it.  Nothing seems to be an original thought any more.  Everything is a copy or a rip off of someone else’s idea.  So next time you’re getting changed or meet someone for the first time, ask yourself, am I showing this person me or someone who I want to be?

Advertising Today

How does marketing reach its target audience?  Every company sends out their ad campaigns in order to reach certain sexes, ages or ethnicities.  How does a company send their message out to exactly who they are trying to reach?  It’s obvious to spot when a commercial in trying to reach a certain market.  If the market is for kids then the commercial will have a lot of color, advertise a toy or cartoon with it and have kids in the commercial as well.  Some of my favorite commercials are the beer ones.  When you look at the commercials what it really boils down to a bunch or really beautiful women all drinking in the bar and having a good time with the guys as well.  Everyone is talking, laughing and having a good time.  In real life this is almost never the case and it is almost comical to watch. 

                Every company has their own specific way to idea to try and get a hold of that target audience to make their product as popular as possible and make the most profit.  There is no really one hundred percent way to get the entire target but they are going to keep trying as hard as possible. 

In Response to Paige MacLure

Looking at the so called talent in today's media spot light they all have to do something to separate themselves from the others to make a name for them.  Lady Gaga has just gone the furthest to separate herself.  I agree that is a ridiculous the way she promotes herself in those outrageous outfits and other things like that.  With every cookie cutter pop artist coming out it’s next to impossible to distinguish one from another.  Don’t believe me, ask your parents.  It helps people determine which one they are.  So when people think of Lady Gaga they can recognize how crazy she looks and they are more likely to remember her.  What happened to the good old days when you could tell which band it was just by listening to the first fifteen seconds of the song?  When songs had soul and not just a computer making funny noises in the back ground to replicate ‘music.’  Maybe one day music will be music again but until then the artist need to separate themselves with crazy marketing an PR to be remembered because they aren’t doing it with their music. 

The Legalization of Marijuana

The Legalization of marijuana has to be one of the most debatable topics in my life time.  I feel that I have heard more arguing about marijuana than debates about abortion and gay marriage combined.  This is a touchy subject for a lot of people and I am not convinced why there is such an issue.  If you are for the legalization of marijuana then you are considered a hippie, stoner or drop out.  If you are against it then you are generally assumed to be over the age of 55 or a super conservative.  Either way the labels that you get in picking a side for this topic isn’t correct and it seems like either side is so stuck on their own values and morals they don’t want to hear the others opinion. Mainly the people against the legalization of marijuana just think the people that for it just want to get high and there are no other reasons in the world other than that to benefit the country or people.  In this paper I’m going to go into detail on the pros and cons of legalization of marijuana and my stand and personal experiences in the substance. 

            Marijuana is one of those topics where if you as ten different people how they feel about the 100% legalization of marijuana you are going to get ten different answers.  I’ll start off with my own personal take on the subject.  I think it should be legalized immediately.  All these statements of “marijuana is a gateway drug” are ridiculous.  If I want to do heroine I will do heroine.  Marijuana isn’t going to make me go out and do heroine.  “One third of prisons in the country are housing non-violent drug offenders.  For instance, you were smoking a joint in your house and got busted and off to jail.  Beds that could be used for I don’t know… murders, rapists, sex offenders, etc.” (Prof. Van Winkler, Keene State College.  Cheshire County jail warden.)  I was graced to be in two of Professor’s criminal justice classes.  He is a part of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.)  I get just about everything I know from him and myself because rather than going online and hearing some so called expert give me his values I have myself and another person who has been around these things for over twenty years.  I feel that we should legalize marijuana and have the government control and grow it.  It will make it safer and assure people that they are going to get quality marijuana and not some laced stuff that will make you trip for the next three days from Johnny down the street.  “If the government grew it and sold it for roughly $8.60 for half a gram the profit would be $6.90.  it would take about $1.70 to grow.  That is without the tax on it though.  Economists estimate this, over a years’ time, could amount to $55 billion.”  This is an insane number to me and I’m still trying to figure out why we are not doing this yet.  What a good way to get out of a $13 trillion debt if you ask me.  If we have learned anything about things being illegal we need to look at prohibition in the 30’s with alcohol.  It started speak-easy’s and organized crime throughout America.  Today we have the exact same thing with marijuana and other drugs.  If we’ve learned anything from that it’s that it doesn’t work and we should just legalize it and tax that crap out of it. 

Is Paintball a Real Sport?

       This question has been following me for the past five years.  This isn’t really a very controversial topic in society but it seems that there is a select few that feel really passionate for something and there are people who will always fight you on your views if they conflict with theirs.  Paintball is in the same category as gymnastics, cheerleading, dancing and golf.  It’s usually split down the middle weather these sports are really sports or considered hobbies.  The beauty is in the eye of the beholder on these.  If you are involved in these then they are most likely to go with yea they are sports but if you are on the outside looking in then you don’t see it. 

                Let’s start with defining what a sport is. A sport is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.” (Dictionary.com)  The only thing I would add to this is strategy and teamwork.  When we look at paintball closely we see everything and more than what a ‘sport’ should have.  You need to be agile, to avoid getting hit.  Quick whited, needing to change a strategy on a moment’s notice.  You need to be thinking ahead of the other team constantly.  Paintball is a very technical sport that requires a lot more than a lot of main stream sports.  When we look at our main stream sports, basketball, football, soccer, etc. you can be considered good at it when there really is no talent that needs to be there.  Basketball, you just have to be seven feet tall and you can be pro.  Football, if you’re 387 pounds and can run you can be pro.  Soccer, you need to run as fast as possible and be able to kick the ball.  We idolize these sports and never stop to think why we like the athletes so much.  Don’t get me wrong, there are so many athletes with more talent than anyone can ever imagine and they deserve all the credit in the world for getting there.  Just when you think of a sport today think deep about it and what you are really watching and what is considered a ‘sport.’

So who's going to win the Super Bowl?

This is the question on virtually everyone’s mind for two weeks in late January.  The Super Bowl has become one of the greatest sporting events of all time.  Cable companies charging millions just for a measly thirty seconds ad space.  What is this event coming too?  The Super Bowl isn’t just about the game either.  People sit and stare at the television waiting for that great million dollar commercial that they can all talk about the next day.  It’s has turned from one event to two. 

                But the real question still remains, who’s going to win it all?  This Super Bowl of 2011 is going to be one of the best.  Where two of the greatest franchises in pro football history, the Pittsburg Steelers and Green Bay Packers, go head to head with they’re solid defenses and explosive offense.  Aaron Rogers leading the offense and Clay Matthews standing firm with the Packer defense is going to be a near impossible challenge for Big Ben and the Steelers.  Big Ben and his fantastic receiving core and Troy Polamalu ever lurking the Pack is going to have their hands full.

                This is the beautiful thing about this great event.  No matter what team wins or loses its still going to be a great game.  And even if the game is terrible the commercials never seem to disappoint.  Personally I can’t wait to watch the game and it shouldn’t be missed by anyone. 

Marketing Mix at an Interview

If the person can be considered the product in a marketing mix then there is going to be three other categories that you also have to consider as well.  They are the four P’s of marketing: place, promotion and price.  Each one of these categories has a lot of sub-categories to consider and that describe how the product is going to be presented. 

                Product:  If you are considering yourself as the product then what are you bringing to the table?  What kind of quality are you?  What are your features and options?  These are all examples of what is going to make up you as a product.  If you are looking for a job and going to an interview you are going to want a high quality, lots of features, nice style, and the company hiring you would want returns. 

                Place:  With place there isn’t as many things that you would need to have like in the product category but they are still important.  A good example is how far you live from the job you’re applying for.  This is biggest concern for the company because they may need you to get the job immediately from a reason and if you live far away this could hinder your chances.  As well as what form of transportation do you have to get to the job? 

                Promotion:  What are you going to do to advertise yourself to the company?  What is going to make all you special features and skills jump out to the interviewer and make them want to have you in their company?  These things can include advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and PR.  You need to find a way to make yourself better than anyone else. 

                Price:  What are you going to cost the company?  You don’t want to come into the company asking for an extreme amount of money unless you and the company are convinced that you are worth every penny.  You want to be qualified for the job and at a reasonable price for the company to bring you aboard.

                If you take all these categories into effect and do them well and efficient then there shouldn’t be a problem getting the job you are looking for.  There are many other ways to use the four P’s in real life but an interview is probably the most relevant. 

The difference between Marketing, Advertising, and Propaganda

All three of these words are very closely related and yet have entirely different in meanings.  They can all be conveyed as getting information out the general public to promote their side or position on a subject.  The real difference is how they are able to get their message across or what the intent is behind the way they do it.  The easiest way to understand how these words are different is to break each of them down to their definitions and an example of each.

We'll start first with advertising.  The definition reads that advertising is "The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers."  An example of advertising is the ads you see on TV, radio or around town.   (Dictionary.com) Next is marketing, and it states that marketing is "The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products." (Dictionary.com)  Advertising is more of a part or the marketing strategy.  For instance, the plan that a big company would make the show their stock holders how they are going to make profits and help get new investors.   Advertising is just one little section of it where marketing can include a lot of other pieces.

This brings us to propaganda.  Propaganda is "Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc." (Dictionary.com)  Propaganda is a little bit different but not by much.  When people think of propaganda they think of war time and the governments trying to lie to us to get us to go to war, for example, the Nazi régime in WWII to convince the German people to rise up against the Jews. 

These three words are close and yet very different and when you break each one of them down you start to see how they vary but still see why they can be confused with one another.  Even after the definitions and examples they will still be confusing to some and will still be misconstrued for a while.