Pieces of April

I was generally uninterested while watching Pieces of April, but I did recognize the ritual examples and understand why it was chosen. The movie seemed to have the underlying point that: family is most important and they need to be kept together even in the worst times. Family also has the ability and tendency to form stronger bonds when there are faced with unfavorable circumstances.

Pieces of April made me sad but by the end of the movie I really appreciated the real and extended family that I had. It has been difficult the past three years to go home, since it’s so expensive and time consuming to take two flights during the busiest travel season. I felt sorry for April, everyone in her family detested her as well as having no confidence or pride in her until the ending of the film. In true ironic fashion everything started to go wrong for the preparation of Aprils Thanksgiving feast: her oven broke down, the rest of her family does not want to join her for dinner and this would be Aprils final time seeing her mother. But the individuals in her building came to her rescue; they assisted her, showing her kindness and demonstrating the true Thanksgiving sprit. 

Black Friday

We finished up class last Thursday talking about Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Even though my birthday tends to land on Black Friday this still has not made me, jump in line with all the crowds of people.  Personally I think Black Friday is taken a little overboard; physically trampling employees trying to get into the doors, but some people seem to really enjoy the mayhem.

Not only do advertisements come out in the newspaper but technology has made it much easier to find the best deals and plan out a strategy. Sure I could spend the day after Thanksgiving in line battling cougars for a popcorn maker/ DVR combo, or I can spend it on the nice slopes of Big Sky where I will rarely find a line. But if this adventure sounds fun to you there are some tips that you should follow to survive Black Friday

·      Pack supplies- “Black Friday is kinda like Vegas, you never know what’s going to happen”

·      Wear proper shoes- a shopping cart to the foot is a great strategy

·      Check out the adds and deals before- time and effort can be avoided, by shopping for your target item. Also check the store and plan out the more efficient shopping rout.

·      Night Deals­- skip the chaos by snagging deals that begin Thursday night

·      Proof- bring the adds, no store can argue with printed proof

·      Skip the Mall- firstly the mall will be PACKED, secondly retailors may have already put these sales online

 ·      Check the return policy

 and most importantly

                           ·      Make sure that it is actually a deal- not all deals are good deal

For the dedicated Black Friday shoppers; who wake up far to early, bundling in matching team outfits, just to stand in the dark out front of your store of choice, I commend you for your bravery; taking on the crowds and snagging the best deals of the year. But be care and take note of these tips, because “Black Friday is kinda like Vegas, you never know what’s going to happen”.

Election day

For the first time a political sign caught my eye. Walking past the sub on my way out of the library, I literally did a double take; I walked back to the billboard to make sure I saw what I thought I had. “Vote F*ckers” was written in neon green letters back by Barany purple paper. Not the typical form of marketing voters, but it was effective; I looked. There were no colors that could be tied to a political party, only a very blunt message… VOTE! With many of us intending to graduate in the next 2 years the presidential election should be very important to us, but I feel so overwhelmed with everything that has been spit out by candidates that I didn’t even want to vote.    

To tell you the truth I don’t even know what the candidates stood for other than the typical republican or democrat view. So maybe a simpler marketing strategy would be more effective, creating less ambiguity of candidate’s values. I mean I could be the only person that feels this way, but when I get home and find a sign that someone has stuck in my yard for a political candidate I want to rip that SH*T out! Thank go today was election day and this does not have to continue. 

Ipad mini

Apple has released information on a new product, the iPad mini. Just larger than the Kindle Fire 2, the iPad mini is an oversized iPod touch and a smaller version of the iPad.  The mini has all of the features of the regular iPad only its smaller! What is the point of something that already exists, yes it is a different size, besides that what would I as a consumer gain from it? Apple is very excited on its 7.9 inches as well as its Siri and FaceTime capabilities, but this is not enough to persuade me to upgrade from an old iPad or replace my iTouch. 

While watching a commercial for the iPad mini a film student commented on its promotion towards woman. As a consumer he noticed how it was continuously being placed in a purse or pocket bag.  As a female I did not pick up the same message, my message was why did Apple make something they already had and almost double the price of the Kindle Fire 2. An iPad is an accessory, and can be dressed up to match your outfit. Maybe he was right the iPad and iPad mini are a more female product. I typed in "iPad sleeve" and a gazillion results came up many of the covers were bright and colorful becoming a fashion statement more than a functionality. I am not saying there is anything wrong with having functionality with practicality, its a product trait that I usually base my purchase on. 

There are 275,000 apps that the iPad mini is capable of accessing. So if you were to use 1 app per day that is about 753 years of daily app usage, if you used a new app per hour you would be occupied for about 31 years. It is amazing how technology has progressed and its specification to the individual consumer or have are needs grown more similar because of cultural ideals and globalization? It is apparent that globalization is happening so rapidly because of massive technological developments. 

American Girl

Does anyone remember American Girl dolls, did anyone read their books? I bet most of the girls reading this do, but the boys probably don't. The American Girl doll target market, are girls anywhere in age from 6-ish to 12, and than they become collectors items. I know from personal experience that Kaya, Caroline, and Molly were my favorite dolls, I read over their books again and again imagining I was on their adventure too. I was the target market for this toy, young girl that would read books before bed. But unlike most toys these dolls incorporate history into fun, the idea is to make children learn without knowing they are learning.

Each of the books was based on some historical facts while the stories were embellished. Each doll is dressed in true historical fashion based on the era they are from. Kaya, a Native American from 1764, Caroline an 1812 sailor, and Molly a WWII witness. Each doll has a six book series, where they take us on their amazing adventures. American girl dolls are not the only product American Girl corporation has made, in the past years they have developed a line of baby dolls as well as a way to design a look alike doll.
American Girl Dolls specifically have books, clothing, furniture and accessories. The company makes a magazine that is published monthly as well as a very efficient catalog mailing system.

With extensive market research as well as a market plan tailored to girls, American Girl has expended greatly. What I have not noticed is a saturation within the market, they keep developing new products and expanding on existing products. It seems to be a very simple idea but in all reality American Girl has spent any man hours and funding to come up with their strategies.  

High School

The other night I was on Neflix and watched Mac & Devin Go to High School, starring Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dog. Set in a Los Angeles high school, Devin soon to graduate is faced with writing his Valedictorian speech. He finds inspiration in super senior and ladies man Mac. Devin and Mac must learn from each other; to experience high school and pass their exams to graduate.

For being a relatively pointless movie it was funny. I also noticed a significant amount of product placement throughout the whole movie but lets firstly look at the Netflix trailer. Less than 30 seconds in there is a shot of Snoop Dog and Wiz surrounded by and logos clearly visible; Snoop Lion ( a reinvented reggae Snoop Dog) rolling papers, a Monster Energy drink, a Macbook and Ipad. In the next scene there are stickers advertising; Supra shoes, DGK (Dirty Ghetto Kids) and Neff. Until this class I never really thought about product placement within movies but the audiences see these brands, triggering a thought. By simply thinking about a product or a brand the company is getting publicity, this is another form of marketing.

Not only did Snoop and Wiz make money from the movie they received royalties from the sound track.  The majority of the music on the sound track was either by Snoop Dog, Wiz Khalifa or produced by one of their record labels. Wiz promoted his newer company Tailor Gang Films, coming from parent company Tailor Gang Entertainment.

Nudge

After finishing the book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness, I see more cases were we are being nudged to a choice with out knowing it. It seems that the best and most effective types of nudges are the ones that the consumer do not know is happening. A great example from Nudge would be when individuals are renewing their license they would have to select if they wish to be an organ donor or not. Nudges like MSU pre checking health insurance are too much, we as customer have to physically opt out of the selection. I as a customer do not like being channeled or told what is best for me especially in a case like health insurance. But for decisions without as many options this would be helpful. Imagine how efficient MSU class scheduling would be if the program was aware of your major and only showed the classes you still needed to take. This is perfect for me, I remember I came into your office last year and thought I was so behind on classes but ended up being ahead of schedule.