In Response to Molly Keereweer...

How might this credit card have an effect on past, present and future customers?

In regards to Living Social, this could be a fantastic marketing concept. The fact that you questioned the past, present and future customers is very wise considering all of the the different times of customers will be effected by this move. 

For the past customers they could find this change to be a great reason to go back to Living Social. If there was something about the company that they didn't like before, this may be a good reason to go back. For the present customers it opens up a whole new world to Living Social that they have never seen before. Innovation is absolutely key for every business to succeed because society is general is constantly wanting something new. The future customers could now finally begin to see Living Social as a company that is worth looking into further or even to invest into. 

This idea that Living Social has is actually quite close to something that we talked about in class as an idea for Monadnock Buy Local to try. By having a set card for your customers to shop at certain stores, it opens up more business to local businesses or in Living Social's case their affiliated stores, as well as creating loyalty with the customers and producers alike. 

All in all, this has the potential to really get Living Social out there as a successful company. Do you think it would be easier to have a card like this for a company like Living Social or for a local initiative like Monadnock Buy Local?

Texas Rangers Would Like You to Pay $26 for a Hot Dog

Anyone who that has ever been to a MLB ballpark or any other professional sporting arenas has experienced over priced food and beverages. But, in this article, it explains how the Texas Rangers are now planning on taking that to a whole other level. With their new $26 hotdog. They need to create multiple marketing strategies to their consumers if they want to be able to charge this kind of cash for something so simple. Of course, it isn't any regular kind of hotdog.

This hot dog called a "Boomstick," named after the bats that Nelson Cruz uses, is going to have over a pound of beef, cheese, chili, onions and a special bread flown in from France. The question is, do consumers at ball games really care about that stuff?

The prices before this were already very high and people were willing to pay the amount because going to a professional sports game is considered a special event for most. But, this is preposterous. The Rangers are also attempting to serve Asian food, but only when Yu Darvish is pitching. It is clear that the Rangers need to re-think their marketing strategy for their food and beverage services.

In my opinion, they should be attempting to lower the prices in order to bring in more customers in general. After all, the main source of income they make is from the tickets themselves. It would be something different if the New York Yankees boosted their products, which they in fact have, but the Rangers do not have nearly the amount of money or fan base to bring in as many customers to the game.

Would you pay that much for a hot dog at a baseball game? Do you think the Rangers will be able to make money from these price raises or actually lose money from it?