2/29/12

Midterms - No Class

2/22/12

I thought the information regarding specialty products was very interesting. I've realized that most high end products don't require much advertising, but I have never thought of companies being selective about their marketing. They are also very selective on who they distribute their product to. I always thought it was a lack of need not to advertise, not that they were purposely selective.

2/15/12

One of the things that caught my eye this week was regarding asking open ended questions. I interview candidates all day for my job and this is one of the most effective ways of getting the information you need. If you ask simple yes/no questions, you get very little detail. However if you ask open ended questions, sometimes the person answering the questions gives you details that they did not intend on.

2/8/12

This week was about segmenting and targeting markets. It was very interesting to learn about positioning, which is a way to influence consumers perception of a product or brand. It is how you emphasize important features or ingredients. I think this is an area where some companies really lack. I have used great products, that I just stumbled upon rather than was urged to buy through marketing.

2/1/12

This week was focuses on consumer decision making. The thing that stood out to me most this week was Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. I learned about this first in a science class, but here it is popping up in a business class. It is interesting to think about this from a marketing standpoint as well. If consumers don't have their very basic needs satisfied, they can never satisfy their other needs.