Question:

Discuss about the Marketing and Management.

Answer:

Question 1

Gatorade REPLAY

The Gatorade brand, owned by PepsiCo, launched a web site called Mission G dedicated to brand entertainment. The idea was that Mission G would be an online portal offering original content, entertainment programming and social networking catering to anyone with an interest in sports, anywhere at anytime.

 

What if you could re-play the biggest sports match or game of your life? That was the simple idea behind Gatorad’s REPLAY campaign Launched in April, 2009, the concept was a re-match event supported by an accompanying video series (initially distributed via the web, subsequently on network TV).

 

According to its advertising agency, the goal was to broaden the appeal of Gatorade, a brand first created for and consumed by athletes to combat dehydration, by broadening what it means to be an ‘athlete’.

 

The agency’s campaign was built upon a single insight: “Anyone who’s ever done sport will have a moment from their past they wish they could replay – it’s a universal truth with a universal draw.”

 

The series was characterized as a success. More information can be found here: https://www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-gatorade-replay-case-study-insights/

 

Questions:

 

Since the Gatorade initiative launched in 2009, many brands have attempted to use branded entertainment as one element in their marketing strategy, but many have not worked as well as REPLAY, and been abandoned after a short time (see, for example, Nike’s YouTube series for women, Margot vs. Lily).

 

1. Why do you think the Gatorade entertainment concept worked?

 

2. Can branded entertainment work for any any type of product or service? If so, how might it need to change with specific categories, products or brands? If not, what are the conditions necessary for success?

 

Support your answer with concepts from the course.

 

 

Question 2

 

Recently, one of the major marketing consortiums, the American Marketing Association, issued a report titled, “7 Big Problems in the Marketing Industry.”

 

The authors described Problem #4 is as follows:

 

There is a fundamental debate that is unfolding concerning the role of Big Data and analytics within firms. However, this data orientation (or obsession) may obscure the differences between data, knowledge and insight.

 

Question:

 

11. Comment on the differences between data and insights, and what it might mean to have one without the other.

 

12. We usually refer to “consumer insights.” However, should we extend our insight focus to include competitors, suppliers, and channel members? Why or why not?

 

 

Question 3

Marijuana industry faces challenge in gaining Canadians’ trust, survey finds

Susan Krashinsky Robertson– MARKETING REPORTER

Special to The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Mar. 29, 2017 5:00AM EDT

Marijuana stocks may have leapt higher on the news of Ottawa’s plans to legalize the drug by next year, but the industry is facing an uphill battle in building trust with Canadian consumers, according to a new survey.

When Environics Communications asked whether they trust companies in each sector to “do what is right for Canada, Canadians and our society,” survey respondents ranked marijuana dead last among roughly 20 sectors – giving it a lower trust rating than such sectors as pipelines, social media platforms, and pharmaceutical companies. Just 13 per cent of roughly 1,500 people gave marijuana companies a rating of five or higher on a seven-point trust scale.

 

The findings differ somewhat by age group, but trust is an issue across the board: Just 10 per cent of people over 50 trust marijuana producers, while only 17 per cent gave a rank of five or higher amid the highest-trust group, those between the ages of 18 to 24.

To some extent, this is to be expected with an industry that is still illegal in Canada for recreational use, Environics acknowledges. However, even the sanctioned side of the business, medical marijuana, has been plagued with problems of trust, raising questions about how the industry will be managed as it expands.

Three class-action lawsuits have been launched recently over tainted marijuana that contained banned pesticides. The Globe and Mail revealed in December that medical marijuana containing myclobutanil, which is not approved for use on plants that are smoked – including tobacco and cannabis – and can emit hydrogen cyanide when heated, had been sold by Mettrum. Similar recalls were then issued by Organigram Inc. and Aurora Cannabis, had purchased bulk product from OrganiGram for resale. The recalls raised questions about Health Canada’s oversight of the sector, since the regulator had not been testing for any banned chemicals.

Now, the cannabis business is set to grow amid reports this week that the federal government is working on legislation to legalize recreational marijuana use as early as next year.

Whom Canadians trust to distribute marijuana (medical or recreational)

In its survey, conducted in January, Environics asked Canadians whom they would trust to distribute marijuana, whether medical or recreational. Drug stores and pharmacies ranked highest, with just more than half of people scoring them at five or higher on a seven-point scale of trust, while privately-owned dispensaries ranked lowest. Fully one-third said that they would not trust any of the options – from government-run dispensaries to private stores – to do the job.

“While legalization over all enjoys popular support, the devil will be in the details and there is abundant room for missteps as the marketplace is created and governed,” said Environics chief executive Bruce MacLellan. “It will not be an easy win for anyone.”

Question:

 

1. If you were a consultant, what marketing tools or tactics would you recommend to leaders and entrants into the cannabis industry to build the trust of Canadians regarding their products and/or services? Explain.

 

 

Question 4

Tchotchkes, tote bags and T-shirts: How marketers are selling Canada 150

Susan Krashinsky Robertson– MARKETING REPORTER

The Globe and Mail

Published Thursday, Mar. 02, 2017 5:38PM EST

On a sunny, frigid Thursday morning in Toronto, when Olympians Simon Whitfield and Mark Oldershaw paddled a Hudson’s Bay-branded canoe in Lake Ontario, it was more than a bit of marketing Canadiana: It was also the latest launch of a vast range of merchandising around the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Hudson’s Bay Co. is launching a 58-piece collection of souvenirs in all 90 of its stores across the country and online, including Canada-themed keychains, mugs, iPhone cases, beach towels and apparel. The retailer’s Canada 150 campaign will focus on raising funds for the Great Trail project, which will connect 24,000 kilometres of trails across the country into one route by the end of this year. Ten per cent of the products’ sales will go to the project, and two products – a $20 mini-canoe paddle keepsake and a $5 paddle keychain – will direct 50 per cent of sales to fundraising for the trail’s completion and future upkeep.

Hudson’s Bay has a keen understanding of how valuable such moments of Canadian pride can be: Its red mittens featuring a white maple leaf became a must-have item during the Vancouver Olympics – with $3.90 of the $15 sale price going to the Olympic team – and have sold more than seven million pairs since.

“Having that iconic item as an anchoring moment within the assortment has been hugely beneficial,” Hudson’s Bay president Liz Rodbell said. “As the teams were thinking through how to celebrate the 150th … it was a chance to activate in a meaningful way.”

When it comes to the sesquicentennial, the Bay is not alone in recognizing the sales opportunity.

The official Canada 150 logo is free to use, even on items for sale, as long as companies apply for a license from the Department of Canadian Heritage. The department said in an e-mail that it has granted “hundreds” of commercial licences.

Kitchen Stuff Plus is selling water bottles with the official logo. Home Hardware is selling commemorative tulips in Canada 150 packaging. New Waterford, N.S.-based online store monkeysandmore.com is offering sock monkeys and moose decorated with the logo. A number of e-commerce websites are offering everything from hats to pens, frisbees, mugs and bumper stickers adorned with commemorative images. The Royal Canadian Mint, naturally, has souvenir coins on offer. And Roots Canada has both a “Canada Collection” of apparel and leather goods marketed around the celebrations, but is also selling a line in partnership with the City of Ottawa, featuring its Ottawa 2017 logo sold in stores there to mark celebrations in the capital.

“Canada’s in a renaissance,” Roots co-founder Michael Budman said. “The culture, our great prime minister, our diversity – all these things are adding up to make Canada one of the most desirable places in the world. Canadians are proud of where they’re from.”

Of course, all the tchotchkes, tote bags and T-shirts won’t be an easy sell with everyone. Many people – in native communities in particular, but also beyond – who are keenly aware that the inhabited land we now call Canada is far older than 150 years, could see the celebrations as more complicated.

There will be an appetite for celebratory souvenirs, however. While the narrative about Canadian identity has often focused on the country’s unassuming, humble characteristics – whether accurately or not – there are signs that narrative may be shifting. In a study conducted last year by ad firm Havas, which surveyed nearly 12,000 adults in 37 countries, three-quarters of Canadians agreed that they are proud of their country; only slightly less than 77 per cent of people in the United States who said the same. And in recent years, brands including Tim Hortons, Molson Canadian and Air Canada have shifted the tone of their advertising to tap into a more unabashed sense of patriotism among consumers.

“We’ve often been apologetic, and I think we’ve grown out of that. … We’ve been slowly transforming as a nation where we can stop trying to prove ourselves and be proud of what’s happening here,” said Tom Koukodimos, partner and executive creative director at ad agency Sid Lee in Toronto. The agency is currently working on designing a line of Canada 150-themed T-shirts, and possibly other products, for the Drake General Store. The line will launch in late spring. Sid Lee will choose a group of Canadians who have influenced the culture in some way, and will base each design on what being Canadian means to them. “We can all imagine what a lot of the 150 merchandising might look like. We’re trying to do something more authentic, and fashionable.”

Roots is also mounting a challenge for authenticity: While the company’s leather goods are still made in Canada, the majority of its clothing is not. But the company says that all the manufacturing for the “Canada collection” for the 150th will be done in Canada. (Hudson’s Bay says its collection was designed in Canada, but manufactured overseas.)

“You’ve got to have really great products” to appeal to shoppers around the sesquicentennial, Mr. Budman said. “Because it’s a very competitive marketplace.”

 

Question:

 

1. How would you recommend Canadian companies embrace Canada’s 150^th birthday in their marketing campaigns?

 

2. What do you see as the advantages and risks associated with linking marketing initiatives to Canada150? Provide examples to illustrate your points.

                                                          

 

Marketing and management

 

Name:

 

Institution Affiliation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Question 1

1. Why do you think the Gatorade entertainment concept worked?

The concept for the Gatorade entertainment worked because the company was extremely specific for the core target (Blumenthal & Heyman, 2015). The brand has been was initially created for and consumed by the athletes in order to combat dehydration while they are playing. The company unlike other beverage companies wanted to educate athletes in regards to their products on how they help them perform. Through the branded entertainment, it helped them to connect as well as educate the audience. For the strategy to work the company did a lot of research especially to the high school rivalries across the various sport. They focussed to the games, which ended in a controversy, which would give the players reason to want to do it again.  The company baked the brand and the brand message to be the entertainment idea from the onsets, based on how the brand entertainment works best but rather not bolting it on after the concept was conceived. Gatorade are able to learn about their core audience through going to the field and spending time with them (Blumenthal & Heyman, 2015). They want to grow with the athletes. The problems, which the employees would witness in the real field all across the globe, are the problems, which Gatorade embarks on with their scientists in order to solve them.  The business growth strategy for the organization has always been centred to providing of the athletes want and to why they want them (Geist, 2014).  The company has also found out that more than seventy five percent of the competitive athletes would go online  in order to learn something about their sport, the company has embark to utilizing digital strategy in order to capture these athletes. What makes this concept more successful is that the company provide the content to the athletes, which add value to them. The company has been able to measure on whether the content they were generating online was really adding the value. This was achieved through creation of a team who monitors on the social media channels. Providing what the athletes want is one of the core strategy, which makes this entertainment concept to be a success.

2. Can branded entertainment work for any type of product or service?

Yes, it could work with any type of the product or perhaps the service. To enable it be in a specific category of product, or service is should be defined in order to be integrated in the advertisement into the entertainment content, where it would be embedded into the story line of the film, television program or perhaps the other entertainment medium (Geist, 2014). Most companies use the partnership with the creative, artists as well as the professional media in order to design or change the branded entertainment content. This is to enable the companies to publish an engaging piece of the content.  Each of the brand should have a narrative, which extend beyond the advertising campaigns (Grönroos, 2007). The brand should be changed in order to strength the development of the plot to the overall impact of the product.  Further, it is important for the companies to align themselves with the audience to be able to create a symbiotic relationship thus growth in the brand. The branded entertainment has been found to have the ability to build long-term relationships with the consumers thus deepening on the brand loyalty among the group targeted. It all about connecting and developing an emotional appeal and these products should be changed in order to achieve this.

Question 2

2. Comment on the differences between data and insights, and what it might mean to have one without the other.

The data is all about the information, which is obtained from the users such as their consumption behavior, demographic information and the activity. Today there is access to more data than it was previously (Kotler, Ang & Tan, 1996).  There have been more data, which have been created in the last two years. This has been because we are connected to and have an access of the internet. The collection of the data has become increasingly a challenge but with this new phenomenon of the Big data, the business will be able to collect the users data across various channels including the apps, web browsing and the email (Grönroos, 2007).  Despite this overwhelming multitude of the data, it has become difficult to make sense of the pure data points.

The insight is the value obtained via the use of the analytics. Insight provide the essential wisdom in regards to the users as well as reveals the actions, which one could take in order to make the business better (Lovelock & Wright, 2001). The insight cannot be achieved without analytic, and this analytic is useless without the data. Insight and data cannot exists without the other. The organization need the data, which would be analysed to be used to grow the business through identification of areas for opportunities. On the other hand, one cannot be able to know the value of the through the analytic since there is no available data to be analysed.

3. We usually refer to “consumer insights.” However, should we extend our insight focus to include competitors, suppliers, and channel members? Why or why not?

 

I think the consumer insights should be extended to focus to include the competitors, suppliers as well as other channel members. The insight is all about the interpretation of the trends especially in the behavior of the humans to enable an organization to increase the effectiveness of the products or perhaps the services for the consumers and help increase the sales for the mutual benefits. When the insight focus is extended to the other channel members, it would enable the business to strategize as well as implement on the effectiveness of the marketing strategies. This will not only be present to the products as well as the buying for the public but it will focus on the development of the products and the services itself. When these members are involved, there would be value of the insight through the analytic of the data each group would provide thus giving the organization strategy to develop on the products. Traditionally it has been noted a company developing a product and then spending millions of dollars to do mass marketing in order to enlighten the consumers.  The insight, which will be offered, will help provide understanding, which would lead to the marketing on a personal and direct approach of the products.  The channel members will help an organization try to find problems, which the company can solve. The learning gotten from the analysis of the data provided will be applied to the business as well as marketing decisions, which could help, provide the corporation a competitive edge over the other rivals. Once you get to know all the insights from the other channels, it will become much easier for the establishment as well as building of the long-term relationship with them.

Question 3

1. If you were a consultant, what marketing tools or tactics would you recommend to leaders and entrants into the cannabis industry to build the trust of Canadians regarding their products and/or services? Explain.

There are various marketing tools, which could be used by the leaders and the entrants in the cannabis industry. One tool would be to offer great services matters. Based on the Concerto marketing Group and the Research now survey highlights that when the customer trust on the brand they would continue to use the brand much more frequently.  Earning the trust of the customer begin with providing great services. The service should come naturally, rather than being strategically planned. The more one plan for the great service, the less time would be spent in the delivering of it. In the cannabis industry to be able to gain trust of the products or the services the leaders should be in a position to in, a position to provide great services thus consequently be able to gain trust to the consumers. Another tool to use would be to have a consistent breed harmony. The consistency usually goes hand in hand with providing of the great services. The internal expectation usually leads to the external results.  Based on the perspective of the business, the leaders should stay on the course of their products as well as the services rather than constantly shifting on the gears in order to try the new tactics or perhaps initiative (Skovron & Heyman, 2016). The aspect of consistency puts the money you invested where the mouth is within the business. Based on the perspective of the leadership consistent performance highlights the workers what you expect from the them (Nunkoo, Gursoy & Ramkissoon, 2013). Another tool is through brand journalism. The use of this tool will enable the leaders and entrants in the cannabis industry to build on their loyalty, trust as well as advocacy. These industries could use the brand journalism in order to create trust as well as deeper relationships with the customers (Shaw, 2016). They could utilize the method of storytelling in order to create as well as influence the customers. This could be achieved through use of interviews with the staff or through a detailed story on how the products or the services were discovered.

Question 4

1. How would you recommend Canadian companies embrace Canada’s 150^th birthday in their marketing campaigns?

The companies could embrace the 150^th birthday in their marketing campaigns through launching of the ads in their online video, which will play in the cinemas. The companies could provide some funds to the young Canadians to enable to have a community projects as well ask the recipient to share on their stories, which would be used as the content for the social digit, TV, as well as the print ads, which will run until July (Guiltinan, Paul & Madden, 1997). The companies could also offer sponsorship opportunities to individuals in order to enable them achieve their dream as the companies mark the 150 of celebration. The brands of the companies should also decide whether their identity would be better suited to tie in with the Canada history or perhaps celebration of the country present as well as the future (Grönroos, 2007). The approach, which could be employed, would be resonate particularly in the light-hearted beer and the spirits categories where advertising introduce the more esoteric or underreported figures from the history of Canada.

2. What do you see as the advantages and risks associated with linking marketing initiatives to Canada150? Provide examples to illustrate your points.

The advantage of linking marketing initiative to the Canada 150 are as follows: one of the advantage is there would me a lot of investment that will be made by the organization.  According to Minister Joly highlighted that the government of Canada will invest in Canada wide, to both the regional and the local project to enable the Canadian increase their awareness as well as invite them to participate in many events (Taylor, 2015). If an organization has tremendous, marketing initiative it could get some of these opportunities especially for the events that are involved. Another advantage it will help Canadians to embrace innovation as well as opportunities to rethink everything from how to manage the demand of the work, how to build on the cities as well as the growth of the economy (Grönroos, 2007). The companies can be able to tap into the creativity as well as ingenuity of their people in order to be able to solve the problems, which are affecting the Canadians.

Organizations usually face many risks example when they are contemplating the change in their strategies, execution process, information as well as the people. There are various risks, which would be involved in linking marketing initiative to Canada 150. One of the risk is that the infrastructure as well as the resources, which are required to manage the complexities, could become expansive as well as costly day by day (Belch, Belch, Kerr & Powell, 2014).  Therefore, it would be likely the companies would face a lot of broad spectrum of risks when it comes to the change of the contemplated on what threaten their go to the market quality aspect.  The inability of these companies to manage on their risk stymies the adoption of the change of initiative, which reduces on the scale of the change, which is initiated as well as many times could lead to the failure of those that were adopted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Belch, G. E., Belch, M. A., Kerr, G. F., & Powell, I. (2014). Advertising: An integrated     marketing communication perspective. McGraw-Hill Education.

 

Blumenthal, T., & Heyman, K. (2015). Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program     Accepting Applications. Policy, 780, 4094.

 

Bojei, J., Julian, C. C., Wel, C. A. B. C., & Ahmed, Z. U. (2013). The empirical link between        relationship marketing tools and consumer retention in retail marketing. Journal of         Consumer Behaviour, 12(3), 171-181.

 

Geist, M. (2014). Digital Canada 150: The digital strategy without a strategy. Toronto Star, 4.

 

Guiltinan, J. P., Paul, G. W., & Madden, T. J. (1997). Marketing management: strategies and        programs. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

 

Grönroos, C. (2007). Service management and marketing: customer management in service           competition. John Wiley & Sons.

 

Kotler, P., Ang, S. H., & Tan, C. T. (1996). Marketing and Management: An Asian Perspective.

 

Lovelock, C., & Wright, L. (2001). Principles of service marketing and management. Prentice       Hall.

 

Nunkoo, R., Gursoy, D., & Ramkissoon, H. (2013). Developments in hospitality marketing and    management: Social network analysis and research themes. Journal of Hospitality             Marketing & Management, 22(3), 269-288.

 

Shaw, S. (2016). Airline marketing and management. Routledge.

 

Skovron, W., & Heyman, K. (2016). Short Application Window Now Open for Canada 150         Community Infrastructure Program. Policy, 780, 4096.

 

Taylor, G. (2015). Spectrum policy in Canada. IEEE Wireless Communications, 22(6), 8-9.