Wednesday 24 April 2013

When Marketeers get it wrong!

Top 10 Marketing failures from not understanding the market place to external influences. Keep an eye out for the Chocolate! Adverts

Tuesday 23 April 2013

When external influences impact your business

A Weetabix  shortage is looming due to there being a shortage of  Wheat to produce the product. This has been brought on by a poor harvest. The knock on effect being a simple case of supply and demand. With poor harvests, this has also meant a rise in crop prices which no doubt will either be passed onto the consumer or it will have to be absorbed into the costings and ultimately profit. 

With farmers also struggling to feed their cattle due to the price of the crops and lack of  grain, breaking even is a task in itself and has prompted farmers to flood the market with their cattle in order to get as much of the investment back. This means that beef and pork prices will be marginally lower for a short period of time but will rise quite dramatically next year. Weetabix

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Facebook advertising

Advertising on Facebook is big business. With so many accounts and people spending time on their pages, the sponsors have a captive audience and potentially able to target potential shoppers more efficiently. The result being sales. Read this article to find out more. A Facebook fan is worth...

Tuesday 16 April 2013

When fashion can get you a fine!

Fashion trends come and go. Some are good, some are great and some I think should be left at home. However, there has often been some inspiration behind the styling and the ones adopting the new style don't always understand where the "style" came from. I am not going to say anything, but please read the article for yourself. Saggy pants

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons.

JC Penny thought it had a handle on its pricing strategies, but unfortunately did not fully understand their customer. Coupons are now one of the ways that stores differentiate. A great article for Marketing.

Self Drive?

The future of self drive. Just think of the possibilities. Self drive holidays take on a whole new meaning. The morning commute with much calmer with less erratic drivers. Car drives you home after a nigh out, no need to worry about the alcohol consumption. Licences are kept when medical and age disqualifies them. Will licences even be necessary in the future?

Niche market being filled

In California there are so many dog lovers who love to customize and accessorize. Check out the Doggles and Motorbike carrier for their little dog. 


Coca Cola's new strategy

Here is a great article for BUSS4 when talking about strategy. Coke is no longer franchising but partnering more with bottling companies. Strategy

Thursday 11 April 2013

Postal service launches clothing line

With mounting financial worries for the United States Postal Service, in their wisdom they have decided to launch a clothing line called Rain, Heat and Snow. Currently in order to increase revenue, they are delivering more junk mail to the annoyance of those receiving it to make up their Sales Revenue targets. 

A great way of diversifying and I will be interested to see how their clothing stacks up. In theory, their employees work throughout the year in every type of weather possible and if these clothes stand up to their demands, they will definitely stand up to mine. USPS

All is not what it seems

In today's world of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc someones worth is often rated on the number of followers that they have. In the world of retail, if something is priced too cheaply there must be something wrong with it. Twitter accounts and the number of followers is just one of the tools that are used to boost rating of a person or product. Justin Bieber

Monday 8 April 2013

The Iron Lady -Margaret Thatcher. RIP.

Britain's first and only female Prime Minister died today. A great Lady in her own right who believed that honesty and hard work was the way forward. She did not like the lazy "entitled" entity who were quick to point fingers and keep their hands out. Like anyone, there are always fans and detractors and I am not writing here to try and make your mind up for you. 

However, I do believe she should be remembered for a lot of things. Everyone can learn a thing or two of how or how not to do things. My one resounding memory of her was an interview that she did on a TV show.  On the show there was the presenter, an opposition politician and Margaret Thatcher. Through the interview, the politician would be putting his view across and talking over Margaret Thatcher. She sat there calmly listening to what he had to say and then picked his arguments apart one by one in a logical way. She answered his questions in a direct way, using his words. That was the day I learnt the difference between listening and hearing. Margaret Thatcher

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Pay what you weigh

In today's world of political correctness, the idea that we are all equal, no one is allowed to speak their mind for fear of insulting someone blah blah blah, there are often startling common sense predicaments that should be sorted out without reprisal as opposed to potentially offending anyone. With this in mind there have been a number of times when I have been at the airport with my luggage being weighed when I am a kilogram over the limit. The solution, open up the case and take out my jacket and put it on. My bag is now at the correct weight , there is no charge for excess baggage and everybody is happy. At the next check in desk, there is a person checking in who weighs more than myself and my luggage combined, but I am having to take a jacket out of my luggage to keep everyone happy. I understand that the luggage can only be  a certain weight due to the baggage handlers and what they are allowed to lift. Air Samoa are introducing a pricing system that makes you pay what you weigh. The price is based per kilogram and therefore each passengers ticket price could be different. Pay what you weigh

Monday 1 April 2013

Fuel prices and spending

Gasoline, Petrol, Fuel, whatever you want to call it is an inelastic good. It is an essential part of our lives. Without fuel, we cannot drive our cars, products cannot get to market or even be made. Therefore we are held to the ransom on fuel prices. Before you start shouting at the fuel companies have a think at how the costs are so high at the pump. In the UK 80 pence in every pound spent goes to the Government in the form of tax. When fuel prices rise, the article attached claims that for every cent that the price rises for fuel, there is $1bn less to spend in the economy.  Walmart is trying to help their customers by offering discounts on fuel if they use their Walmart credit card. Your thoughts please. Walmart fuel