Happy Holiday to Everyone

Here is to wishes coming true all over the world today... Don't forget that's it is not about the presents but the time u spend with your friends and family.

No Keyboards?

The future has been seen and predictions have been made that there will bo no more keyboards. -Step aside, keyboards, laptops, and 9-to-5 jobs. A survey of more than 1,000 Internet activists, journalists, and technologists speculates that by 2012, those quaint relics of 20th century life will fade away. How ridiculous is that? Is it because there are so many touch screen innovations? Well I like typing and exercising my fingers and this is a thumbs down for me...

Where is it?

X-mas day is about a week away, and i've truly not found the christmas spirit. If any one have found it, can you please send it my way?

Marketing

As the semester has ended and I'm no longer to blog as an assignment, I hope many have come to the realization, the impact that marketing has on the economy. Well I have turned my attention to certain elements of marketing and how it affects my everyday decisions. Thanks to "MAR100" I can longer wake up without thinking of the day ahead, and the types of marketing strategies I will come across. Awareness...being aware of our surroundings makes a huge impact on the decisions we make in our lives. So therefore I encourage you to step out, think, and make the right decisions when you are bombarded with the influence of the marketing industry.

Evermore so, marketers should think of the impact they want to achieve in the society of many cultures & sub-cultures. A place where marketing to any one person has become difficult. They need to ensure research made, adequately feeds their long-term plans to bring forth success. They need to think ahead of the game, like Audi.

Audi has bought a 60 second slot to advertise in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIII next year.

This shows that the company is not lingering with time and their forseen success.

“Last year’s Super Bowl ad put old luxury on notice that Audi was setting the new standard in the American luxury market,” said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer, Audi of America, in a statement. “With this spot, we plan to build on the success we’ve enjoyed in 2008 to make 2009 a year of progress and market momentum for the Audi brand.”
The German brand said it has claimed a bigger chunk of the import luxury market in the U.S. this year, boosting its share to 8.6 percent from 6.2 percent a year earlier. Its competitors include Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Audi’s advertising agency, San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners, created the ad.

Expensive ZIP-codes

Marketing has become so specific in targeting its customers, that Forbes have found the most expensive zip codes in America. In those place you will find marketers trying their utmost best to annihilate the competition and bring up their revenues. For those living in places like New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles, ZIP codes are often mindsets. They delineate geographic, class and wealth boundaries. Based on sales over the last year, these are the 100 most expensive ZIP codes in America.

Why Cereal was Invented

More than a century ago, Christian Fundamentalists invented cereal to promote a healthy lifestyle free of sin. Little did they know, their creation would eventually be used to promote everything from radio and cartoons to Mr.T and tooth decay - Ian Lender

During the early 19th century, most Americans subsisted on a diet of pork, whiskey, and coffee. It was hell on the bowels, and to many Christian fundamentalists, hell on the soul, too. They believed that constipation was God’s punishment for eating meat. The diet was also blamed for fueling lust and laziness. To rid America of these vices, religious zealots spearheaded the country’s first vegetarian movement. In 1863, one member of this group, Dr. James Jackson, invented Granula, America’s first ready-to-eat, grain-based breakfast product. Better known as cereal, Jackson’s rock-hard breakfast bricks offered consumers a sin-free meat alternative that aimed to clear both conscience and bowels.While Jackson’s innovation didn’t appeal to the masses, it did catch the attention of Dr. John Kellogg. A renowned surgeon and health guru, Kellogg had famously transformed the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan into one of America’s hottest retreats. Socialites from the Rockefellers to the Roosevelts flocked to “The San” to receive Kellogg’s unorthodox treatments. But shock-therapy sessions and machine-powered enemas weren’t the only items on the agenda. Kellogg also stressed such newfangled ideas as exercise and proper nutrition. It wasn’t long before he started serving bran biscuits similar to those of Dr. Jackson—only now with the Kellogg name on them. To avoid a lawsuit, he changed the name of the cereal by one letter, dubbing it “Granola.”By 1889, The San was selling 2 tons of granola a week, despite the fact that it was barely edible. The success inspired Dr. Kellogg and his brother, W.K., to produce more-palatable fare. After six years of experimentation, a kitchen mishap by W.K. yielded the breakfast staple known as cereal flakes.

This is some interesting information.

Why Mac?

Why Mac for Business?
Tekserve chose the Mac platform because it is not only reliable and easy to manage, but is highly secure as well. When you compare Mac OS X Leopard to Vista Business, you'll see that Apple includes more features that business users need right out of the box. Beyond that, there are tons of business software titles for Mac or you can continue to run Windows on your Mac too.

3 Myths About Macs

-Macs Cost More Than PCs
We all know that "you get what you pay for." Businesses that skimp on initial costs often end up paying for it in lost time, repairs, and required upgrades. Let us show you how a leased Mac infrastructure from Tekserve can save you money without high up-front costs.

-Macs Aren't Compatible With Anything
Macs can now run more operating systems than most PCs. You don't have to give up your investment in PC software just to have the reliability of a Mac. Compatible devices are now available of every type; ask us about the best cameras, printers, scanners, routers, and accessories made for Macs.

-Business Software Isn't Available for Mac
Tekserve carries dozens of business software titles for accounting, sales, inventory, database management, electronic displays, design, and more. Meet our friend Microsoft Office for Mac. Continue using your old documents with ease or start using the same applications that professional designers prefer.

Therefore, Mac has wounded up being part of an emotional branding cult. Many consumers would like to associate themselves with the Mac brand.
Check this store when you get a chance, it is interesting - TEKSERVE. Go to http://www.tekserve.com/ for more info.

Free Shipping

Now that consumers are rounding up or starting their holiday shopping, many marketers are attracting them with free shipping promotion. If we are going to save on shipping we might as well add something extra to the list. At least that's the idea I believe marketers want to implement. So overall, are we really saving? Maybe? Not sure?...
JCPenny: free shipping with $25.00 order
Shoe sale(shoebuy.com): 15% off + free shipping

Innovation changes Santa

YouTube - palm centro advertisement
He no longer wants to be called Santa but Claus. Jolly old Saint Nick has a new image to go with his new Palm Centro, thanks to marketers. Marketers seem to always find a way to reach every consumer out there. Santa's changed so much that he now has his own facebook. Check it out...
http://www.facebook.com/claus

Market Revolution 1793-1860

The Pre-Civil War Era (1825-1850)

Events

1793 Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin
1797 Whitney invents interchangeable parts for firearms
1807 Robert Fulton invents the steamboat
1823 Lowell Mills opens in Massachusetts
1825 Erie Canal is completed
1828 First U.S. railroad appears
1834 Cyrus McCormick invents the mechanical mower-reaper National Trades Union forms
1835 Samuel F. B. Morse invents the telegraph
1837 Cumberland road (National Road) is completed
1838 John Deere invents the steel plow
1842 Massachusetts legalizes labor unions in Commonwealth v. Hunt
1844 New England Female Labor Reform Association forms
1846 Elias Howe invents the sewing machine
1858 First transatlantic telegraph cable unites Europe and the Americas

"The antebellum era was a time not only of profound political change but also of great technological and economic innovation. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Europe in the 1700s, had produced new inventions and methods of production. American inventors transformed the U.S. economy with new innovations of their own. This rapid development of manufacturing and improved farming had such a profound effect on American society that historians often refer to it as the Market Revolution."

OJ

OJ the juice may be good for you, but the one who carries the name OJ has met his judgement day... A broken O.J. Simpson was sentenced Today to at least 15 years in prison for a hotel armed robbery after a judge rejected his apology and said, "It was much more than stupidity." Shame on you OJ.

Once is not Enough

As we can see from this advertisment, marketers know that consumers are driven by the major sale events. Therefore, Circuit City has decided to have their own "Black Friday" to bring more revenues to their company. I wonder though, do consumers need to be up at 4am and rush in like they did a week ago?

Recession Proof

CNBC's Jim Goldman reports that while consumers are pulling back on spending for many holiday gifts, they are continuing to shell out cash for video games.
The first recession was considered as 'Hollywood's hay day." People flocked to the movie theaters seeking comfort while they watched Shirley Temple. But now due to the high price of movie tickets people are quicker to turn to video games. The video game industry is booming from reported sales for the holiday season, making it a luxury item. It has become a better entertainment state of choice. Number one in the market right now is the Nintendo Wii. Video games are at their all time high showing that it stand as recession proof.

A Failing Product

Sometimes products are hard to sell when a new innovation or technology has taken its place. Music stores are a good example of a market that is sent to the rear of the shelf. Consumers are moving away from CDs to buying and sharing music online. Marketers should notice the shift in consumer taste in the market and react immediately before it is too late.

"You should realize when something is in decline and find a way to sunset that while at the same time, come out with a sunrise."

The Economy

U.S. stocks stumbled today, with the Dow industrials sliding nearly 680 points, as economic reports from around the world compounded anxiety about a global recession.
Economists are saying that the U.S. economy began a recession a year ago. "The economy reached a peak of activity in December 2007 and has been declining since," according to the business cycle dating committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/recession-began-year-ago-economists/story.aspx?guid=%7BFDD60E1C%2DDD65%2D49AB%2D8421%2D507B79C14220%7D
Click above link to read more...

After grasping this information I wonder how many people will still go out there shopping, just living for today. Many of the expenses we make, majority of the time, isn't necessary. We need to analyze our capabilities in things that are necessary. - A home-cooked meal, less buying clothing for the club and more family time, don't be fooled by the black fridays, cyber mondays, etc., for there are sales going on all the time. But before buying ask yourself if it is needed. Yes we hear this all the time, but it's about time people start acting that way. I'm sure homes are filled with stuff that people are already thinking to return before/after the season. Instead of being in such a position be smarter with your monies. Don't allow yourself to be caught in the depth of any kind of recession.