Pieces of April Thoughts

It saddens me to see a family like that so torn apart, a family not thankful for anything. I just couldn't believe how the mother searched for reasons not to see her own daughter. She made her husband pull the car over a few times, smoked some pot to ease her painful memories, bought junk food (donuts, candy bars, and chips) to fill their stomachs so they didn't have to bear her daughters cooking. While on the road  to see their long lost daughter in NYC, the family probed each others mind for positive memories of April, and failed to find a good memory. 

The presumptions or judgements that we have of each other reflect in our behaviors and affect what we consume.  In this movie, April is foreseen as a mistake, a bad child, and her image (body piercings and tattoos) reflect that judgement. Usually when a person is rebelling they engage in activities that are the polar opposite of what or whom they are rebelling, and tend to express themselves through the way they dress and act. In this movie, April is considered the odd child compared to her perfect sister. The way April acts and dresses compared to her neighbors reflect the different presumptions that we have about others. The movie showed a variety of different personalities and lifestyles and how they conflict. No family is perfect by any means, we all have our quirks.

April tried so hard to please her family, along with the help of her boyfriend. The lifestyle they lived didnt even compare to the lifestyle that her family lived. But in the end, and despite the differences, they accepted each other for who they are and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

More thoughts on Black Friday

Retailers are making it easier for consumers to buy their products this year. With the amount of people that own tablets and smart phones, retailers have the opportunity to provide an easy way to help consumers make purchases.

Some people hate store lines, let alone finding a parking spot to get a few items. Now people have the luxary of purchasing items from the comfort of their home. Almost every store has a website, and on that website they offer sales. According to a survey, 52.9% of smartphone owners and 64.1% of tablet owners will use their devices to do research and make purchases.

Black Friday has already started, its no longer a one day deal. Businesses are opening up earlier and extending their sales throughout the weekend. Walmart is the leader in a lot of the behavior of stores. Walmart now is opening its store on Thanksgiving for the sales of Black Friday. Target is doing the same, following the footsteps of Walmart. Not to mention Amazon has been doing "pre-sales" all week.  Some stores even offer the chance for consumers to reserve their item online for easy pick up at the store the next day. Stores are trying to ease the chaos thats associated with this day, in hopes to encourage those consumers who absolutely despise Black Friday.

Black Friday really isn't all about just shopping, i believe its about the experience. Gathering your best friends together, waking up early, dressing up in bright clothes so you dont lose each other in the massive crowd of hungry shoppers, grabbing a Starbucks coffee, and after all of the fun maybe catching a movie.

Black Friday

The biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday. People wait in anticipation as time slowly passes by before the store doors open. Sales sales sales galore, which store to you go to first? how many do you buy? oh my goodness what color should you pick!?

The experience of Black Friday has become a ritual for many American families. Every single store has a sale, some have enormous  sales, and some have very few. How do people ever decided what store to go to, and most importantly at what time? I know people that plan weeks in advance on what store they plan to visit on this big shopping day. They go through all of the paper advertisement inserts in the Newspaper along with doing their own research online.

Usually people make a list of friends and family that they want to buy gifts for that year and then try to match up one of the "sale" items to that particular person. It's interesting to try to associate a product with someone you know. You think to yourself "hmm what would John like for Christmas this year?" How often do your friends and family correctly pair you up with your favorite products? I think that a lot of people intend to shop on Friday for their peers, but really, they are shopping for themselves. Thoughts swarm through their mind "those boots are on sale, and they are so cute, just what i have been looking for! I doubt anyone will get these for me for Christmas...i cant bear to pass up this deal." Just like that, people (I'm a victim) will snatch certain items for themselves, because they cant pass up the deal. This day could either be the most giving day of the year, or the most selfish day of the year.

 Honestly i wonder how many people buy gifts for themselves on this day more than they buy gifts for others. I mean, you can always return the item you bought, right? I feel like Americans collect a lot of junk on this day, meaning they purchase items they don't really need. They are restricted by time and money, and make these purchases solely on the fact that its on sale. Everything that the book Predictably Irrational talks about, is demonstrated very well on Black Friday.

Ladies night

I recently just experienced an event downtown called "Ladies Night." This to me is a great example of event marketing. This is defined as the activity of designing or developing a themed activity, occasion, display, or exhibit to promote a product, cause, or organization. Event marketers main goal is to get the consumer involved with the product. 20 plus businesses downtown Bozeman participated in this event. They offered discounts in their stores, coupons for future business, complementary food and beverages ONLY for the ladies.

I saw this event first advertised on Facebook, then throughout the week i heard it constantly on the radio. This nudged me to do some more external searching, so i went online and discovered all of the cool things that the stores were offering. Some stores offered free wine and chocolate (every woman's guilty pleasure), while other stores offered cookies and hot apple cider. The point of all this was to persuade the ladies into their stores with the "free" food and offer them a discount on their product only for that one night. My friend was a victim of this marketing, and purchased a few things just because they were on sale (i of course new better), although a part of me was really considering purchasing some items.

Having an event like this was very effective, i discovered new stores that i have never heard of, and now i have that awareness. The point of this event was to get ladies to buy items that one night. Even though i didn't buy anything, i have that knowledge that they are there, and who knows maybe sometime in the future these stores will receive my business, all because of this one night.  The chocolate, the wine, the discounts, and my two best friends all lured me into this night of fun and shopping!

Gentleman, just wait...your night is coming up just around the corner. My guess is that there will be free pizza and beer.

Whats the brand of Bozeman? Has it changed?

Bozeman is consistently growing. New businesses are popping up left and right in this "small town." While families are on vacation heading to Yellowstone National Park they usually stop in Bozeman and discover the rare beauty that this place offers, and they yearn to live here. These people not only bring their character to this town but their business too. Is this good or bad? It definitely boosts the economy and the style of living, but others feel as if all of these people and these new businesses will ruin the beauty of Bozeman.

What is the true brand of Bozeman? After talking with a few of my co-workers i have discovered how Bozemans image has changed over the past 10 years. When my co-workers were asked to describe Bozeman they started naming a few things that came to their mind such as; mountains, snow, rivers, outdoors, skiing. Then i tried shaping their thoughts towards the people of Bozeman, because ultimately the people make up the town. It was interesting to hear the things they listed off. They both agreed that Bozeman residences are conservative and wealthy people that drive Audi's and Subaru's.  Then i picked at their brain a little more and asked them if these people had the same personalities ten years ago. They replied by saying that they don't remember any buildings on 19th ave and that everyone was a farmer or rancher. Bozeman has evolved from a small town rancher to a high class conservative. I conclude with this; Bozeman's, just like with any other towns, brand image will change to fit the needs of the residents.

New Artist of the Year, will he be able to keep his endearing image alive?

Hunter Hayes…a music legend is what “they” say. Who is this guy that everyone is talking about? Hunter Hayes got nominated and won New Artist of the Year at the 2012 CMA Country Music Awards. He is a young little buck with a charming voice. His first single is the song “wanted”, and every man and women in America drooled as they watched him perform Thursday evening on the CMA awards.

Just like every brand has its own personality that it portrays, every person has a certain quirk about them that they show off to the world. There are some brands that help a person emphasize their own personality as well. For example owning a BMW convertible shows the world that persons has class, is trendy, smooth, and glamorous.  People tend to pick brands that align well with their personality. We all as individuals have our own identity and this is seen as our personality roots. Then, we use visuals, communication, and behavior to express our personality.

When I ponder this idea I automatically think of first impressions. In the school of business, they tell us that first impressions are very important and it could affect our success of landing our dream job. Now, the problem here is our ability to keep that first impression alive. We show people what they want to see, not necessarily who we really are. This is a huge issue in relationships. This is a huge issue in Hollywood. We have this image of a celebrity that we absolutely love, and then we are offended, if not shocked, when we find out bad things that they have done while the spotlight was not shinning on them.

Now as for Mr. Hunter Hayes, it will be interesting to see if he keeps his “wonderful” image alive, or if he eventually backslides like the rest of Hollywood.

Mit Romney Style

This video totally reflects conspicuous consumption (it even says this term in the video).....Just thought that i would share this with you all! Im not going to go into any detail about this video, its pretty self explanatory. ENJOY!

Save the hooters! "Breast Cancer Awarness month"

 

 I recently experienced a breast cancer awareness fashion show here at the Gallatin Valley mall this weekend. It was really cool actually. At this event there were many fun activities such as raffles and contests. The raffle tickets were sold in support of fighting against breast cancer in return for hopes of one of the many prizes they had from the stores in the mall. The contest consisted of people competing against each other with the best "pink costume." (a high school boy won, he had pink wings!) And of course, the amazing fashion show put on by models whom were survivors of breast cancer and volunteers.
 Every store in the mall had a few outfits picked out for each model to show off the latest and greatest fashion. This whole event created an awareness and the stores in the mall showed their support. But, if you really think about it, the stores in the mall were actually benefiting from this awareness/support/fashion show ordeal. "Come get the sexy new one of a kind fall jacket at Vanity" "Would you look at those boots! I need to get myself a pair, only exclusively at Maurice's" These were a few of many quotes announced at the fashion show as the ladies modeled the apparel on the stage in front of all the consumers. I bet you anything, after the fashion show, people flocked to the stores looking for that one jacket or those pair of boots. I'm really curious if the models purchased any of the product they were modeling. They received applause's and positive feedback from the audience while on stage, so i believe that affected them psychologically. Products will use a serious cause like breast cancer, and position their product in a certain way to promote their own product while supporting the specific cause.                                                                              



The NFL places the breast cancer sign on its products or creates pink items

Sharpie creates pink sharpies

Tic tacs ofer a limited edition pink grapefruit flavor

Yes this is a blog about Bieber!

 First off, i was a victim to Ulta Beauty's marketing/advertising method(free samples). Its genius really, you buy something from the store and they put samples of other products in your bag when you check out. I fell in love with one of the samples and had to come back to the store to buy more. They really do like to suck you into becoming a loyal customer. I could have probably tried to find that product online or somewhere else, but i didnt have the energy to do the extra research and i already knew that Ulta Beauty had the product. Having the predetermined knowledge of this brought be back into this store lurking for more product.

Now i'm in the store with a friend joking about Justin Beibers new scent "Someday." The store conveniently located all of the perfume/cologne in the front middle of the store to attract consumers(they really do a good job tapping into our senses, especially smell.) My girlfriend and i for the fun of it tried on Justin's new scent, and i'm sure you can guess what its smells like....fruity(just like him.)

Once again i go through the whole checkout process eagerly waiting to see what new prizes i will get in my bag, and what do you know i received Justin Beibers new scent as an air freshener for my car. I sort of chuckle to myself as i walked to my car thinking "wow, i think that this is reminder advertising at its best." I start my car and turn on the radio and you would never guess what song is on the radio as im driving away from Ulta Beauty, yep Justin Beibers new hit "As long as you love me." What are the odds of that happening? Talk about a Justin Beiber overload for the day!

Thanks to this class, i am now more aware of the creative techniques companies use to captivate our senses. I use to be immune to the way marketers advertise to us. Today i experienced an array of advertising techniques from radio to samples.

Impulsive Buying

Our dog had puppies (a total of 9). Yeah it gets crazy at the Wichman house, thats for sure! We had a lady who fell in love with one of the little puppies and she comes by the house every weekend to check up on her new little family member. Today she came by the house and was explaining how she went to Walmart and bought all of this new puppy stuff to create a comfortable new home. Its crazy how one purchase can lead to countless other purchases. You dont just buy the puppy, you buy the food, the clothes, the fun little toys, and whatever else that satisfies your need.  As i was reading in the book (i believe its chapter 7 on personality), i started to notice peoples buying patterns and how they correlate with their personalities. This puppy example is one of many i have experienced this week. So lesson learned here is one purchase (especially one that effects your emotions) will lead to many more purchases.

Humans vulnerability to framing

We wake up each morning to a brand new day, reenergized for whatever the day may throw at us. Ready. Set. Go! The day is full of activities that consume our time. Sometimes we dont even have enough time in our day to do everything we want. I tend to keep a checklist of the things that i would like to get done today, and at times (most of the time) i fail to cross everything off of that list. I always set the bar too high. I am overconfident that i can get everything done in one day. The tasks that i dont finish today will roll over to tomorrow which sometimes rolls over to next week! Just like a cell phone has rollover minutes, my life has rollover tasks.

I am an easy target for companies that use a framing technique to aid in our decision making process. Its basically just the way marketers or companies construct their words. Here below is an Australian ad using this framing technique towards consumers.

How do you feel about energy conservation now? When i first saw this i felt awful! This ad was meant to make us feel bad so that we would change the way we approach and utilize general lighting. In a way they "framed us" Instead of saying "Hey use better lighting, its more efficient". It says "Hey if you dont change your ways and use better lighting or other conservation methods you will be killing Koala Bears!" Its like the guilt effect. Thats just my view on this ad. 

This advertisement correlates with what i am reading in my book for class, Nudge. This book gives another example of "framing" a) if you use energy conservation methods you save $350 a year. b) If you dont use energy conservation methods you lose $350 dollars a year. Option (b) is more effective than option (a). Framing works because people tend to be mindless, passive, decision makers. 

I know that i dont have enough time in my day to weigh out the pros and cons of all the decisions i make throughout the day. I impulsively make decisions based on my gut feeling. 

Is what you own really defy who you are?

I just read The Journal of Consumer Research Inc. article "Possessions and the Extended Self", and its interesting on how we identify ourselves with certian objects, expereinces, and people. As i read through this article i started to soul search, if you will. I can now say that i understand why people and myself buy certian items, participate in certian activities, and interact with certain individuals and groups.

We are litteraly the sum of our possessions. Our clothes shout out our personality and protray our status in society. In a city like Los Angeles California, we can undoubtley see materialism play a role. What you drive, who you hang out with, what activities you participate in, and what you wear all play a role in who you are! To keep up with the status quo of what we think people view us as "ideal self" versus who we really are "real self" we consume certian products. Thats the psychological approach to marketing. I bought the shirt im wearing right now for a reason, i had many choices to choose from, why did i buy this particular one? Thats the question that boggles my mind and probably every marketers mind as well. To understand why we consume what we consume is like a complex puzzle.

The article related an individual and how they identify themselves with thier personal possessions such as  jewelry, automobiles, make up, and clothing to a family and thier house. The home is made up of items you bought at the store, and those items reflect your decisions, which reflect your "self". Our clothing, jewelry, and grooming distinguish our individualality from others and they indicate what group we belong to. I never realized it, but our musical knowledge, preference of a bar/club, and entertainment attendance also demonstrates our identity and what we consume.