Social Networking

One of the industries that has really benefited from the use of social media is the entertainment industry.  I am specifically talking about businesses that hold music events like ACL or the Frank Erwin Center. I have “liked” both of these businesses on Facebook for a while and I love getting up to date information about their upcoming events. I am a big fan of music and love going to see live music shows. If there is anyone coming to Austin I usually know about it very quickly through Facebook.  These businesses benefit from having a free Facebook page and a chance to be viewed by millions in an instant. Their marketing goes beyond just local promotions. These businesses also have the ability to access fan information that can be used to better understand customer needs. The fans benefit from exclusive up to date information about the businesses marketing campaigns or other events. I like how they both connect and engage the user by giving “insider type” information, and space to express your thoughts or feelings on certain topics. ACL creates a buzz a year before the event happens but people are tuned in to see their updates to find out when they are going to sell tickets, announce the lineup, and volunteer opportunities. During the ACL three day weekend they announce special guest appearances, special signings, giveaway free VIP upgrades, food specials, and etc. It’s a good way for vendors in the event to partner up with ACL to promote their products. ACL has a huge following on Facebook and some of these vendors might benefit from their following. These ACL status updates are used to promote but also serve to engage you and better the experience. The updates that also call for your engagement are those that ask questions like “Who are you excited to see??” or “Beautiful day in Austin, ACL starts today!!” and people either reply or hit the “like” button.  The Frank Erwin Center recently has revised their marketing strategy and has included Facebook in order to announce upcoming concerts and ticket sales. Their target market seems to be mostly focused on students since it’s affiliated with the university. Because of this target market, they also tend to use Facebook to advertise career opportunities. These businesses understand that people like to know exclusive information (like access to presales) and they use Facebook to encourage you to sign up for their exclusive emails. I rarely check my email but I do check Facebook various times a day. When there is an update about an event from either ACL or Frank Erwin, I know to check my email in order to get the presale information.  I think both of these businesses have chosen the right social network for them but there are certainly others that Groundswell referenced like LinkedIn, or Hi5. These two networks target totally different groups than Facebook does like work professionals and young teenage girls. Groundswell also speaks about focusing on the relationship rather than how the social tool works which I definitely agree with. These businesses that I referenced really make me feel like a part of their community. It’s like knowing the right people to be able to make the moves you need to make things happen. As fan on Facebook, I am able to find out about special events and I can plan accordingly to either fit the event into my schedule or prepare to get tickets through a presale promotion. I like how they develop this connection that I have to them by giving me up this up to date information and how they keep me in the loop of the live music show world.  One thing that I did notice that this other site called Groove Tickets is doing is that after the ticket sale it shows you who is attending the event. The customer has a chance to create a page with in the groove ticket domain and add themselves as attending the event. I thought this was neat but have yet been inspired to create another social network type account under groove tickets.  I think that maybe this could be an idea for Facebook to maybe integrate in their event applications since so many users already use it for personal invites or businesses use to promote their events.  A suggestion like maybe after the ticket purchase link it somehow to your Facebook page where you can see who all is attending and therefore gives you an opportunity to maybe make plans with people you may or not know.  I definitely think there is far more room to grow in the social networking experience and I can’t wait to see what other things may develop!

JEAN PILLOW

JEANS Mind dump:

·         Skinny, flare, boot style jeans

·         Usually blue but can be any color

·         Can be very expensive for example True Religion but can also be inexpensive like Wranglers from Wal-Mart

·         I hate the feeling when jeans are wet; they are cold and stick to your skin… When the jeans dry they become hard

·         Denim material is great for working outside and it also last a very long time

·         Can be cut to make them into shorts

·         Can be torn or frayed for style as well as stretchy

·         There’s various different washes

·         My favorite jeans are from American eagle because they fit the best and are very soft and comfy.

PILLOW Mind dump:

·         They are comfy, fluffy and soft

·         They are white usually but can be any color, patterns or fabric.

·         The stuffing can be goose down feathers or cotton

·         Goose down pillows usually scratch my face because of the hardness of the feathers

·         There are Tempur pedic pillows which are super comfy and conform to your sleeping style

·         I think of sleep and counting sheep

·         I usually cuddle with pillow; I don’t really use it for my head

·         I have one for my dog that has a cover with the character domo as a cover

·         Pillow fights

Pillow and Jeans

1.       Jeans stuffed with pillows to make a fat suit costume

2.       Pillows with covers that have pockets like jeans

3.       Pillows made out of denim material

4.       Jeans that have butt pads to increase size of booty

5.       Jeans that have fabric from the pillow covers as patches for the holes or frays for style

6.       Jeans that have pockets made out of fabric from pillow covers

7.       Pillow that uses denim and is shaped to look like jeans ( jean pillow)

8.       Jeans that are half fabric material from the knee down and from the knee up be denim for a new style

9.       Jean material mixed with cotton to create really soft jeans

10.   Jean toy stuffed with cotton for dogs to play with

I think that pillows that have pockets like jeans would be a good idea. I sleep with my phone under my pillow so that I can feel it vibrate when the alarm goes off.  It would be good for my pillow to have a pocket for my phone. I also think the style aspect of using fabric to cover up jean holes could be a good fashion idea. Instead of patching it up with denim material why not spice it up with some pattern or color. The denim toy I think would be good for dogs since I know that my dog destroys anything we give him for a toy.  Denim is a pretty tough material so I think my dog would be very entertained as he keeps trying and trying to get to the cotton stuffing. 

Green Bars

One of the reasons why I signed up for Customer Insights and Brand Management was because I knew that what I would learn could help in me in my future career aspirations.  I have various business ideas but my biggest goal in life is to own a bar. I have always liked being a hostess and trying to think of everything for guests to have an awesome time.  I want to be able to convey that same affect in my bar. I want to keep people coming back and not be affected by the bar hopping sensation in Austin. This city is obviously where I think I would start off but my goal goes beyond that.  I don’t want to just own one bar, but a chain of bars something like Senor Frogs. This bar and night club is found around the world and has been in business for years. This is something that is rarely achieved in the industry because there are high barriers for entry and the life span of one is short lived.  I would like to achieve what Senor Frogs has but also do something that no one else has been able to do before.  That’s why I think that in researching for this paper I can find the innovation that will help me to differentiate myself from others and begin the process of creating my business idea.  One aspect that I believe would help achieve this and that I would like to focus on is the new trend of eco-friendly bars. 

Almost everything nowadays there’s a greener alternative for and helping our planet is becoming one of our highest values.  I can see why this would be a logical move in the bar business. The bills for electricity and water are probably the highest ones since we see that there are many bathroom visits, washing of hands, cleaning of glasses, and the various lights that decorate the place.  These two details have already been tackled by providing low flow toilets, and led lights that save energy. There are some bars that use recycled or recyclable materials like for example recycled glass for tables and there are also sustainable materials like bamboo that are used for the floors, ceilings, and walls. This is just in the building of the bar but some have gone as far as become organic. They serve organic spirits, fruits, mix ingredients and even staff uniforms are made from fair-trade sustainable fibers.  It seems as we have thought of everything already but since this is a new industry there is more room to grow and think of other exciting energy savings ideas. This is where my research will hopefully gain new insights on customer and eco-friendly ideals that may also enhance the bar experience. I would like to know what problems customers experience or what customers don’t like about bars. Also what customers wish they would see at bars and what could make their experience any better.  If green bars would be something that Austinites would welcome and if there are any environmental problems that bars may be having and do not know they are contributing to.  

The connection to gathering and identifying insights will help in designing the ideal bar that will create a valuable customer experience.  The idea that people can party and still be helping reduce a carbon foot print could go a long way.  There is a growing group of customers that only will participate in green activities and this will be the niche I would go after. I would also educate those who don’t really follow this trend in order to try to change their habits. In an article of the Nightclub and Bar magazine the owner of the U.S’s. first eco-friendly club Greenhouse, Jon Bakshi foresees environmentally sensitive design as a growing industry and the response from customers has been very supporting. After reading about his success and how he achieved his goal I believe that this can be something worth researching in order to find the best mix of eco-friendliness design and still serve a rewarding customer experience through insights.

Greenhouse

New York Night Club

"DELTA sucks" - Customer experiences

I definitely believe that if a company increases their value the more the customer will want to continue using and spread good word of mouth for the company. The more features and benefits the more the customers see value in the product or service. Of course these features have to be with in limits because it could be too much for the customer. It could actually do the reverse, decrease the value and deter them away. I believe that Southwest airlines have been great at giving their customers great features, and benefits for a well-priced ticket. I found out about this great company through a bad customer experience with Delta Airlines. My friends and I flew to Las Vegas for the weekend for friend’s birthday. My friend had never flown before and I had not flown since I was seven. I had forgotten the feeling so it was like I was flying for the first time again. We were pretty excited and scared at the same time.

Once on the plane and over the first adrenaline rush of taking off we starting noticing a few things. The flight attendants were not very friendly, not accommodating, and did not seem like they enjoyed their jobs. They were too direct when customers asked questions and were very strict on what we could and could not do while on the flight. They made you feel like you were not capable of understanding, and we didn't feel comfortable even getting up to go to the bathroom. It kind of put a damper on how excited we were and it changed the mood of everyone on the plane. I mean we were going to Vegas! All the people were excited and ready to have fun. So that was our first encounter with Delta Airlines and we had our weekend fun Vegas.

 On the way back to Austin we were also using Delta. My friend and I take a taxi at around 3:00 since our flight left at 4:15. We get to the airport and we get there like at 3:15. We waited in line to use the computers to check in and once we got to them we tried inputting our information. It would not work and we tried several times. We ended up getting in line to talk to the Delta representative at the counter. She inputs our information and tells us that it’s too late check in and that we are going to have to wait for another flight. We looked at our watches and we said its 3:30 the flight does not leave until 4:15. She was like your too late you have to be here forty five minutes in advance to check in. Of course we told her that we were but that the computers were not taking our information and its still 45 minutes until check in. She did not want to hear it, all she kept saying was it is policy and you will need to contact Delta to find another flight. We kept telling her that we needed to be back because we have school and work the next day. She was not helpful or even cared about our situation. We ended up crying and begging to be let on the plane but she kept referring us to the phones they had on side. We were so mad, frustrated, and did not have a flight home. Other Delta reps come over and tell us the same thing to go to the phones because they have other people to check in. They had no sympathy at all and did not try to help us find another flight just referred us to the phones. Once on the phone, the representative let us know there are not any flights available till the next day. They were also telling us that we would have to purchase another ticket at that! We asked if there was any way that we could just pay the difference and board the flight the next day but no. We were stuck in Vegas we thought.

So we gave up on Delta and went over to Southwest Airlines since one of our friends was taking them back to Houston. We checked with them told them what was going on. They were very understanding and told us they will help us out. They went out of their way to accommodate us by finding us a direct flight that night, gave us discounts on our tickets making it way less than what Delta was offering, and we took advantage of the free checked bags service they offer. We were so relieved! They really made our day, with the way they handled the situation. Even on the way down to Austin on the plane the flight attendants were so much nicer, and even the pilot was enjoyable. There was a very different vibe on the plane. They really won us over and we are now customers for life. Once in Austin we called Delta to complain and see if we could at least get some kind of credit because of the situation. We talked to the customer rep and he notifies us that we could only use the credit on a flight from Vegas to Austin and we would have to use it in 3 months. It was a ridiculous offer since we were not planning on going back to Vegas in 3 months. We were college students with barely any money to go in the first place! I now use Southwest whenever it’s available and refuse to use Delta airlines. Southwest airlines so far have been great. They have fair prices, free checked bags, offer great discounts and promotions. “More than a way to fly-A way of life” is what they say the Southwest Difference is. I made sure I voiced my opinion on FB about the horrible service I had with Delta and many seem to share similar stories. I was surprised I never thought I would care to think of what airline to fly. I would always just choose the cheapest flight and I guess you get what you buy. Customers are more likely to become and remain loyal if they have positive experiences and this was a very positive experience. They continue to be every time I use them and do create that customer experience through relating, and feeling aspect. I definitely identify myself with the brand, they relate to those who want fair priced tickets and feel free to bring what they can on the trip. That service gives the customers a feeling of no restrictions since they have the option of two free checked bags. For me Southwest conducted an emotional strategy and they saw an opportunity to win a customer.

Thinking about those who are like me in creating a persona...

After reading the articles and getting familiar with creating a persona, I began to think about what segments I tend to be grouped that usually don’t describe me at all and also about what makes me different from others that could really help marketers gain insights about those who are like me.


My first thoughts are about being a student. I thought about how most students are between the ages 18-21 and typically take 4 years to complete their bachelors. What stands out the most to me is how most of these students only focus on their studies and have nothing else to worry about. They might have a part-time job for “spending money” (drinking money) as an option but not as a requirement. Their priorities are school, graduate, and then find a job. These students have their parents as a cushion that provide for them and do not have to worry about any responsibilities. Their only responsibility is school. Most of these students have at least one of their parents who attended college and know about the college process or life which can be of great help. They understand what you are going through and are willing to help you succeed. Most of these students are also pretty well off and come from good high schools. Their families prepare for college since their kid is young and is at times a rite of passage in the family. It is necessary to go to college. In my career as a student, it is not like this for me and this is where my persona derives from.

I would like to call my persona the "Juggler" because of the different roles they hold. These people would be those who have a job but are also going to school. People like me are single, non-traditional, first generation students that must work to take care of their responsibilities. There is constant struggle between having to juggle a job and school, especially when you have to be on point with both.
I belong to the Hispanic and female groups which are not really well represented in college, it is predominantly white males. Hispanics have the highest percentage of first-generation students since most of the parents do not have any higher education experience. They believe that work is priority and education will get you nowhere because of their lack of understanding. These pressures can be seen in the juggler’s life because they must provide for themselves and sometimes their families (like helping with the rent at home for example) but have grown up in the U.S. knowing that a formal education is required by most jobs. Most of these jugglers also pay for their own schooling because either there is no support from their families or cannot afford to help. The focus of education is not possible with these circumstances.
Another hindrance to the juggler is high school preparedness. Our families do not prepare for us to go to college and we do not even hear about the idea of college until high school. A juggler notices once in college, I might not have been preparedness as I thought I would be. This has to do usually with the areas that minorities usually live in which are low-income areas where the high school is usually an underperformed high school. In my case, I attended Lanier High School a HB 400 school. This means it is among the high schools that have the lowest amount of students that go on to college or university. I did not know this then of course but I only bring this up to make a distinction between me and other students who may have gone to better high schools. The lack of preparedness makes it tougher for us the jugglers to focus on school and may at times focus more on making money. Like these situations...
As the juggler, you often find yourself making decisions between going to school or work. You think you cannot afford to miss days at work for school because you need the money to pay for the car that transports you back and forth from school to work but then again you need time to study. In addition, you cannot miss school because of work related reasons since you will be really behind or miss something important but you need the extra money to make a payment. From a marketers perspective after seeing the jugglers strive to become successful they may take this information and create special services for these people. For example I think CAR 2 GO could really benefit the juggler, juggle between going to work and school. This could also help budget wise for some. I am not sure if there is any insight on a product that could make the jugglers life better but most likely, I see a service.

Guest Speaker: Jeff Mulhasen from Upstream Consulting Firm

The history of design philosophy and the various examples of products throughout the years were most intriguing to me. I thought that Jeff’s presentation was really eye opening and it will definitely be of great benefit to me. I did not realize how much thought is put into the design of products or services. It is unquestionably necessary and important to do so in order to create a successful product. We see that Apple Inc. has embraced this aspect in heavily investing in an excellent design team. The team has a huge influence in the development of products. These high tech products have not only changed our habits but have created a need for them. I can go as far in saying that some people need to have this product in order to function. After seeing and talking about various successful products it has lead me to be sure of conducting and spending more time on the design aspect in my future business ventures. The importance of the design stems from using customer insights to create a better product or service. These insights can solve problems or really make an experience for a customer. For example Kodak‘s customer insight of photo quality being different when taking it far or close resulted in the two lens camera. They produced a camera that could be switched from far to close view. He also mentioned a shoe designed to have the feature of it tightening using a cable in order to provide more support in tougher terrains. This would have never resulted if the research on customer insights had not been conducted.. We also see that Scion, which is the sub brand of Toyota, took a chance and allowed young industrial designers to develop a car. This was smart move because they were designing a car for themselves that was then used to be marketed to those around their early twenties. This resulted in the Scion Xb that has many features but is still very affordable. Jeff stated, “Good designs start to become iconic” which we see happened in some of these examples. These product designs and features become “must haves”. They are mimicked by others because of the popularity, and are needed in order to compete. From this presentation, I have gained new ideas that have refined my thinking process. I really apply this new knowledge to my aspiration of owning a bar business. I have tons of ideas on what to provide in terms of design and services in a bar. I want to be able to take this bar and make it into a successful chain. I want to provide an experience that will keep the customer coming back. The main idea or philosophy that has definitely influenced me and has me re-thinking my ideas is Dieter Rams. He states “good design is as little as possible”. I totally see his point and agree because people do not want things to be complicated. I will be more attentive to customer needs by conducting research in order to gain new insights on what customers really prefer. I would not want my bar to be something like the Swiss army knife that has every tool in the world because it becomes too much for a customer. Customers want options but not bombarded with many and simplicity is the key. I remember that our professor talked about the “Paradox of Choice”. He informed us that it was believed that the more stuff there was to choose from the happier people were which is not the case. It actually leads to becoming unhappier because we do not feel like we made the right choice. We are happier and more certain in making a purchase when there is lesser options. The professor provided an example using a company that provided 32 flavors of jam or ice cream (he could not remember which one it was). Customers often picked up a jar but put it right back. When there were only sixflavors a customer was more likely to purchase the jam. The less options or services in my case would create happy customers. It was also very cool to see how Dieter Rams transistor radio is very similar to the first IPod and how his calculator is similar to the calculator on the I phone. We can see that apple believes in this philosophy of no over designing and keeping it simple. I also agree with the grandfather of design Raymond Loewy philosophy. “Most advanced, yet acceptable” which to me means to push the boundaries and bring something different to the market. This will help differentiate your product or service from the rest.