In Response to Brooke Lacasse...

Would you be swayed to drink more milk because of the person who is on the advertisement? What else could the milk companies do to promote drinking the product?

It seems evident that the reason that Got Milk chooses the specific person that they are using for their advertisements is to target a specific group of people. But, people are definitely swayed to drink more milk depending on the person who is on the advertisement for a number of reasons. 

The main reason is that for the most part, when people see Got Milk ads, they do not automatically crave milk. It is a bit different than other advertisements for food or drinks that are appetizing or refreshing because if the consumer is either hungry or parched when they see ads for McDonalds or Coke, they may immediately have a craving for one of those products. But, milk is a bit different because it is so simple and general. Plus, most American's do not crave milk since it is not the tasty, sugary drink we have been waiting for. 


When consumers see Got Milk ads they are focusing on the model. It can be a man or woman of any age and Got Milk has definitely used a very large variety of models for their ads. I know that if I saw a healthy looking man or woman in their ad, rather than an unhealthy looking person, I would be more inclined to want to drink milk. The model is meant to give off the impression that if you drink milk you can look like him or her. So, Got Milk needs to focus more on their target market when deciding which model to use. If they are putting the advertisement in a magazine such as Men's Health, then it should be a fit male that gives of the persona of someone that the person reading it would want to be like. 


I think milk companies could have more television or internet commercials that explain the benefits of substituting a glass of milk with a glass of soda. While doing so, it wouldn't hurt to have an actor that is fit and healthy to represent what could happen if you drank milk instead of soda or another sugary beverage. Do you think that actual commercials would help milk companies promote their brands better than the simple "milk mustache" pictures that Got Milk promotes?

CVS Gave Kids Cancer Drugs by Mistake

CVS Pharmacies have grown to become a huge business that tends to maintain the name of a quality and trustworthy pharmaceutical company. Well, if you thought this, think again. In the article, written by Mark Russell he explains that CVS accidentally prescribed kids with the breast cancer drug, Tamoxifen instead of a fluoride pill to resist tooth decay. Children from 50 families in New Jersey were exposed to this drug mix up.

Tamoxifen is meant to decrease levels of estrogen in the person taking it. Fortunately, CVS stated that there should not be any serious side effects to taking this drug. It was actually CVS who realized that there had been a mix up in the different drugs and contacted the families to tell them and apologize. The catch is that CVS still has no excuse for the mix up.

I personally deal with CVS every time I need a prescription that my doctor wrote me off for. Reading about this story has already made me think twice about using them in future for pharmaceuticals. Although this was not a devastating mistake, do you think that it could ruin some of the reputation that CVS has upheld? What would happen to company if this happened again except with a more serious matter?

In Response to Chris Beland...

Do you think they will sustain their growth further? or do you think they will slip back down like the other 4 companies that reached that half trillion market cap?
 
I definitely believe that Apple has the potential to grow even farther than the half trillion market cap they just achieved. The reason for this is that Apple in innovating all of their products constantly. Comparing them to a company like Microsoft who has slipped back down is somewhat irrelevant at this point. At the time of Microsoft's huge boom, they did not have nearly as many competitors as there are in the market today. Apple being one of them. In the modern market Apple has proven that they can go above and beyond the competition constantly, and with multiple products. They were the first to use the sleek designs in their products that have become so popular. Their iPhones, iPods, iPads and even MacBooks all have a design in their physical appearance and interface that all the other companies are attempting to copy.

With this being said, it is apparent that they have more room to thrive. But, I also believe they will have to hit a cap at some point. If they don't, then they have the absolute best innovation and marketing skills possible. It seems that with all companies that really start to get big quickly, they die down. Society is general loves fads. Apple has proven to be a company that is constantly creating new fads by creating new models of their products that are tailored to the popular demand of the consumers. Could it be possible that Apple is an exception to the other companies that were just fads? Are they on the right path to creating a monopoly in the technology market?

Windows 8: Consumer Preview

Microsoft dropped a consumer preview (beta) of their new Windows 8 today. The responses are mixed amongst professional IT critics but one thing is for sure, it is revolutionary. In the article, many say it is a risk for Microsoft to launch something this different from not only their usual interface, but from all other existing ones in the market.

The reason for this is that Microsoft puts a lot of faith in their new "Metro" system which does away with the previous Microsoft "Desktop" completely. This is an extremely bold move because Windows has not been nearly as innovative as some companies such as Apple. The "Metro" system is an interface that is designed to work on both tablets and PC's and allows for instant streaming and downloading of Apps that can be purchased from the easy to use App store. Some are saying that the interface is very similar to the new interface that the XBOX 360 is using. (Which happens to be powered by Microsoft as well.)

Seth Rosenblatt of CNET stated that "It's by far the most integrated and most capable operating system Microsoft has ever put out, there's a speed and responsiveness to Windows 8 that no other version of Windows has ever had."

But, some critics also say that since it is so different, it is also very different. Could Windows 8 be a huge breakthrough for Microsoft from its innovation? Or, could PC users frown upon the innovation since they appreciated the previous simplicity? 

In Response to Professor Johnson...

Should John Smith sell the names? Also, Does the AMA Statement of Ethics address this issue? What in the Statement relates to John Smith's dilemma?

After reading the Statement of Ethics that the AMA runs under, it seemed quite apparent that John Smith should not sell the names. Ethics aside, when marketing, there is always an interaction with a producer and a consumer. If business is simply just business, the producer has to satisfy the consumer. If John Smith is interacting with people for survey purposes, then they are now his customer. Smith is trusting them to make their honest judgment about cars and in turn the surveyors are trusting Smith's firm to keep their information confidential. It really doesn't matter if it is the right thing or not to sell their information because if Smith sold it, then the surveyors would recognize that his firm is not trustworthy. After this, word of mouth could completely jeopardize everything that the firm does.

There are three main principles under the AMA's Statement of Ethics that must be followed by all marketers. They are: "do no harm, foster trust in the marketing system, and embrace ethical values." The principle that relates to John Smith's dilemma the most is embracing ethical values. The reason for this is because it is all about building relationships with the consumer. And while doing so create a confidence in them about the integrity of marketing.

          Core Values: Honesty, Responsibility, Fairness, Respect, Transparency and Citizenship.

If John Smith sells the surveyors information he will be in violation of all of these ethical guidelines that are meant to create a successful marketing interaction for both the producer and consumer. It is definitely a good thing that Smith wants to use the money in order to save some jobs for his employees, but this is the wrong way to do it. Could it be possible that if he sold the information it could cause even more harm to his firm than having to fire a few employees?

French Making In-Car Breathalyzers Mandatory

France plans on making in-car breathalyzers mandatory. What first comes to mind is all of the different political stand points that this could take on. But, in the article, it is explained that it is purely to help reduce the amount of under the influence deaths in France.

In the past decade, deaths have already halved to around 4,000 deaths a year due to safety precautions. Now, with the new mandatory law, the President Nicolas Sarkozy plans to get that number down to 3,000. Drivers that are caught driving without the $2 single-use breathalyzer will be sentenced a $23 fine.

Since no country has ever made in-car breathalyzers mandatory, there are tons of marketing opportunities. Automotive companies that are attempting to advertise their newest model car as one of the safest yet, could advertise that it comes with an in-car breathalyzer. This way, the new owner of the car would not have to worry about buying one.

Another opportunity is that the law states that you must have at least a single-use breathalyzer at all times. But, there are some people in Europe that are definitely out having drinks more than every once in a while. So, they might want a multi-use one. Or an extremely accurate one. So, this opens up a market for technology companies to create the best, most affordable and easy to use in-car breathalyzer for consumers in Europe. Who knows, this could eventually be a law that becomes enforced in the United States.

 Living in a college town and seeing people get into cars when they shouldn't makes me think that it might not be such a bad idea to enforce that law as soon as possible in the United States. Could this new law in France open an entirely new market for in-car breathalyzers?

In Response to Molly Keereweer...

Do you think this gap-toothed phenomenon will soon be a thing of the past? or will it stick around and make a name for itself?

I definitely think that this new trend could be something that sticks around for a while. If not this, then another flaw will become prominent in the modeling world. One explanation for this is that consumers of these products that are getting modeled are in fact not perfect. No one is. But, these companies in the past have attempted to make models look as if they were perfect.

The interesting part of the "gap-toothed" sensation is that the modeling agencies still make the models look good. They are giving off a persona that you can have physical flaws but still be sexy and confident. Or even drive a Mercedez-Benz such as you showed in your blog.

Is it possible that consumers can now relate more towards these models do to their distinguished flaws? Could this marketing technique provide a boost in profits for these companies with their new target market?