- Ask one (1) question about the reading. It can be about something you may not have understood completely or about something you thought was interesting. Be thoughtful with your question, and try to make it a question that could start a conversation, not simply be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ You are not allowed to post a question that someone has posted previously, so make sure to read through your classmates’ posts.
- Answer/respond to two (2) questions that others have posted by commenting on their posts. When you answer, read what others have said — do you agree with them? Do you feel there is more to the discussion? Do you think that someone is missing an important point? Be thoughtful and think about the question, responses and what your thoughts are.
- Finally, upload one multiple choice question for EACH CHAPTER to the Drop Box in Angel. KEEP IN MIND that the book is still a few weeks away from being finished, meaning that by the time we take the quiz, these earlier chapters will be very old. I strongly suggest making the questions about overarching topics and concepts rather than about minute details.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Emotional Branding : Reading 05
For this assignment, you will need to read pages 161 - 222 in Emotional Branding (Section III, Chapters 12 - 14), then do the following:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In chapter 12, the author states that "we will see more paid-admission 'brand amusement parks'." This statement kind of struck me. I know there is already a LEGO land and everything, but I can't really imagine any more stores heading in this direction. Could you imagine a Wal-Mart theme park literally named "Wally-World" that you pay to enter? It just seems a bit absurd to me. What do you think? Do you really think more businesses will head towards the brand amusement park idea, and if so, what type of businesses do you think will?
ReplyDeleteI get what the author is saying, but I doubt it will happen to that extent. Brands will continue to plaster their names all over everything we see, but a "Wally-World" is just too much.
DeleteI can see some brands doing it--not stores, per say, but definitely toys or even foods. I can easily picture a Barbie World, a Hot Wheels park, even something like McDonald's Land with the way things re going. These are all places that kids love, that make so much money already, that have the international appeal to have a successful amusement park and that have themes broad enough to make a park that wouldn't be especially weird. I think it could happen--and I think they would be successful on a global scale.
DeleteI agree with what has been said about brands branching out to theme park business ventures. I believe that the consumers will be the last say in implementation of such overly-branded ideas, effectively working to weed out the bad ideas before the huge corporations have the chance to invest into them.
DeleteIt already does happen really. Look at Disney Land. Disney is a movie franchise, but it has several hugely successful amusement parks that not only help sell their products, but make money of their own accord as well.
DeletePage 175 talks about the designing process of Ann Taylor in NYC. Since the designers have thought out the fictitious Ann Taylor, knowing her likes and interests, they designed a store that would attract a similar audience. I think this is a cool concept and, as a fan of Ann Taylor, it makes me identify closer with the brand. Does anybody else feel close to a brand for reasons like this?
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I do like this concept. However, in my opinion I think it can be more alienating. To me, it seems like the brand is trying to peg their consumer as one type of person, and it leaves little wiggle room to let the consumer be themselves or express themselves--it doesn't allow for some people to feel like they can shop at certain stores because they do not fit into the very narrow mold of the personification of one person. I see how it can help advertisers to make a theme or vision for a store, but for the consumer I think it hurts more than helps (but most of the time the consumer doesn't even know that it happened, so it generally isn't an issue).
DeleteI agree with Kelsey that this type of branding can be alienating. It often like mixing and matching my clothes, and this concept makes you feel like you can only wear that brand to be a consumer there. It is like Hollister and other types of stores that I've had friends work at where they can only wear that brand of clothing while they work there. I understand the uniformity that this leads to, but I am not a fan of the overall idea/
DeleteI agree, and also have a brand that I feel close to. Personally, I feel a close connection to the brand Alex and Ani. They design bracelets, a lot of the time, with Rhode Islanders in mind. For example, they have bracelets that have anchors on them or other symbols special to Rhode Islanders. They also have destination bracelets with different cities within Rhode Island that are popular to visit. While they can be specific to one type of person and have a certain demographic in mind, they also have many other options that could be worn and appreciated by anyone, a concept that I believe is important. It allows Rhode Islanders to feel like they have a special place within the brand, but also allows it to continue to expand to others.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe book talks about the image of Wal Mart for a long time on pages 165-66. It paints the picture of a place focused on family, community, and a place people go to as much for atmosphere as for value. Keeping in mind that the book was written a few years ago, do you agree with this assessment of the chain? I find it outdated and many of the things described took place in the early 2000s. Do you think that Wal Mart has morphed more into somewhere just for value than a place for community and charity?
ReplyDeleteI don't really think Wal-Mart has ever really been a place for community or charity at all. Those competitions that the company held to try to build community were probably held in locations where people were very disgruntled about Wal-Mart destroying small business. Wal-Mart has never really given off a community vibe to me. It has definitely geared more to the minimal in order to make profit and keep prices low. I mean the building itself is usually just like a large warehouse. There is no space in Wal-Mart for anything other than business. In my opinion, Wal-Mart is a very well operated business which exemplifies family values but not a community center.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOn page 166 where it says that Walmart "dissociates itself from the drawbacks of 'discount' without sacrificing value," I don't know what they're talking about. I only buy groceries at Walmart now because every time I buy other items like shoes, kitchenware, etc. there, it seems like it breaks right after I buy it! One time, I bought an alarm clock from Walmart, took it home, found that it didn't work, returned it, bought another one, found that that one didn't work either, and finally, on the 3rd try, found an alarm clock that worked!! I wouldn't necessarily call that "discount quality." But maybe other people have had better experiences with the quality of their products.
DeleteI don't think that WalMart's success is due to their "emotional connection with the communities where it operates" as the book says. I think it just sells cheap goods that people can afford and that is why people shop there. As I noted above, I don't think people shop there because the products are super high quality.
People who are in financial need don't necessarily want to, but HAVE to buy from Walmart because they sell the cheapest priced goods and will allow the financially struggling person the least amount of financial strain when buying life necessities like groceries. People also shop there because it is the only choice in places such as small town West Virginia. Walmart is literally the only physical store to buy groceries in West Virginia towns in many cases. And even if there are other stores nearby, Walmart puts them out of business oftentimes with their competitor ad price match guarantee.
Thus, it isn't that people want to go there for the experience, atmosphere, etc. like the book states, it is that they have no choice. I'd much rather shop at Whole Foods if they existed in WV. :p
Interestingly, Walmart is in my opinion one of the few companies that honestly doesn't need to advertise or do special things to put out its brand and be successful. I think it seems kind of an odd company to talk about in this book. I rarely see ads or commercials for the company, they are just forced into American lives because of the prevalence of the stores and the financial difficulties of American shoppers.
I agree that Walmart is not really focused on community, but I can see where their commercials might somehow attempt it. They often show the Walmart guy going out and finding someone who "need" his help saving money. He then takes them through Walmart to show them how much they can save by shopping at Walmart. This is an attempt to emphasize how the store would like to help people. However, this message is not carried over to the staff at the store. They are a good example of how the staff can hurt the brand. The staff often make you feel unwelcome or somehow wrong. I can see how Walmart is making a superficial effort to be more community based, but it is not at the heart of the chain.
DeleteI never considered Walmart a "community" business. As everyone else has pretty much said, it out-competes small businesses and thus destroys a lot of livelihoods in small towns. They are not popular because of advertising tactics or work they do in their communities, but because it's hard to beat their prices. Plain and simple. Especially in a college town, where most students don't have the money to buy essentials elsewhere. I don't believe Walmart even hires full-time employees anymore, so they don't have to have insurance plans for them. That's just sad in my opinion. They do not reflect true community values at all.
DeleteI agree with what everyone is saying in that Walmart does no display family values. A few years ago it became a big deal that their workers had such poor insurance. Although the store may donate to charity, it is not well advertised or well known. The company seems to be focused almost purely on making the largest profit.
DeleteI agree that WalMart is not considered a 'community' business, however this business has worked hard to become a friendly symbol in the consumers' mind. As we have seen with the unequal treatment lawsuits faced by the super retail giant, the brand has not always had the community's best interests at the forefront of it's business strategy. I believe firmly in the term caveat emptor, or 'let the buyer beware'. Customers need to be aware as responsible consumers, and make decisions based upon the facts and not on the magic of the branding.
DeleteAs we face the changes in social norms, in the purchasing and sales of merchandise, and the constantly more useful and life-changing technological innovations, the retail industry needs also to continue to change and remain flexible. The author states as one of his ideas for the future, that he thinks it would be "interesting if a place like Home Depot had live theater inside its stores. Maybe a sitcom-inspired program based around a handyman's trips to kooky households." This innovative idea, while it sounds a little iffy, I believe that it is these types of outlandish ideas that will help business to be able to continue to keep their brand relevant and exciting to the consumer. What are some other innovative ideas that companies could use in order to expand to fit their consumers' expanding wants?
ReplyDeleteI would love for art stores like AC Moore to give classes on painting, or making different crafts. I love artsy things and it would be really cool to learn a new hobby or craft idea in a free tutorial class.
DeleteI think more clothing stores should have in store guides who could have you pick out an item you really like and then help you find an outfit it would match with. I know a lot of times I'll buy clothes but then not be completely sure how to work them into my wardrobe and I think an idea like this could really help. Plus, if they had consultants there to put together whole outfits based on one item, it would increase the chances of customers spending more as they go and buy the whole outfit, rather than just one piece.
DeleteOn pgs 171-175, there is a story about being an empowered consumer. Do you consider yourself an empowered consumer? If yes, then give examples of how you were an empowered consumer.
ReplyDeleteI feel that today we are more empowered as consumers than we were years ago. The answer is simply the internet. The internet and its ability to make mass communication easy through social networking and websites in general has made companies need to become much more concerned with how they treat their customers. It use to be that if you angered one customer you might lose two or three more customers because of friends and families related to the angered customer, but today, if you anger one customer you risk losing hundreds or thousands of customers because of poor reviews people may read on the internet. I, myself, read reviews off of the internet all the time, and often, they cause me to choose one business over another. This is why I feel as consumers we are empowered in this day and age.
DeleteI wouldn't necessarily say that I' m "empowered" as a consumer, but I do make the decision to support brands or not. In turn, I guess, since I am the one who makes a brand stay afloat OR not, I am empowered. (This is also my example.)
DeleteIn chapter 13, the author talks about "Can Less Be More?" I'm horribly confused by the concept. On page 194 it says, "Brands should really be aware of the negative perceptions outdoor media creates; grassroots movements have emerged worldwide against these intrusive modes of communication." I don't understand what is meant by intrusive communication. I understand the idea of overstimulating the senses,but can someone explain what the author is trying to convey otherwise?
ReplyDeleteThe chapter discussed the movement from buy things to being entertained by them (like the idea of a store brand amusement park) do you believe this is a good thing, or does it make consumers more easily roped into buying things that they do not need?
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it makes people more likely to squander their money on unnecessary items. I think store entertainment actually reduces the amount of items people buy. Instead of going to malls and stores to shop, I feel like people would go to "amusement park stores" to have fun and blow some steam by letting their kids run around or spend time with the community. I think they'd just be going after relaxation or stress relief.
DeletePeople are buying less and less stuff in stores and more stuff online anyways, and I think this trend will continue. A recurring theme in many of the chapters of the book is: stores = experience, not shopping. I tend to agree.
On page 169, it talks about how Kmart included artwork from a local artist into their cafe in their store in NYC. The author suggested that this kind of specific local community-bonding effort, if done on a larger scale in all of their locations, could really help it compete with brands like Walmart and Target. This kind of marketing approach makes Kmart unique and cater to a certain demographic. Do you think this kind of marketing is a wise decision for other stores to embrace, why or why not? Also, what would you suggest for a store if they were to do this specific marketing in a store around here?
ReplyDeleteI found the discussion interesting on page 163 when the author writes that he remembers interpreting his grandparents as implying that business savvy (making the customer first always) is something you simply do have out of luck or don't have out of unluckiness. Why do you think the author's grandparents felt that business savvy was "something you have or you don't?" When I think about the savvy skill of putting the customer first and building relationships with your customers, I don't find it to be a character trait but rather a skill that CEOs and company workers can develop and voluntarily improve upon over their years in the business world. I feel that business people who isolate themselves from the customers buying their products are doing so out of choice, not because they are "unlucky" and don't have the skill level to come down to the level of their customers.
ReplyDeleteSo why would somebody like the author's grandparents mention business savvy like it is an involuntary trait somebody has? Is having a good sense of commerce involuntary or voluntary (or both) in your opinion and why?