Week 10 EOC: What are the Benefits vs. the Features?

“The purpose of advertising is to get consumers to think about or react to the product or company in a certain way. People will react only if they believe that they will benefit from doing so. Thus, developing an effective message strategy begins with identifying customer benefits that can be used as advertising appeals.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, p.392). “Consumers see products as complex bundles of benefits that satisfy their needs. When developing products, marketers first must identify the core customer value that consumers seek from the product. They must then design the actual product and find ways to augment it in order to create this customer value and the most satisfying customer experience.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, p.211) “A product can be offered with varying features. A stripped-down model, one without any extras, is the starting point. The company can create higher-level models by adding more features. Features are a competitive tool for differentiating the company’s product from competitors’ products. Being the first producer to introduce a valued new feature is one of the most effective ways to compete.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, p.215) Elegance Vodka has many features that you wouldn’t normally see in Vodka. It has a unique shaped bottle designed to lure in females, but not just any female. These females are ages 25-35. These are women who want to feel recognized for their everyday activities, but don’t express that want. Elegance wants to recognize these women who have full hearts for everyone around them. This is a benefit. This benefit is fulfilled by the amazing exotic fruit flavors that cross the palette with a refreshing sense of one’s self.  The features to me go along with the benefits. Without one, you wouldn’t have the other.  

Week 9 EOC: Three Great Mission Statements

In a room full of creative people there are bound to be different ways of thinking. In the room I'm in I have been given the mission to display the three best mission statements that have been posted. The first one I have found belongs to Beau. His creation is Fizz Vodka. His business mission statement: "Fizz Vodka aims to create an all new American made drinking experience that is sure to be the life of any party." This works because it aims to please the consumer and not his company. He is selling an experience and not just the drink. This is a great way to market to people. It’s not all about the company, but with marketing to the consumer this way, his company is sure to make some profit. “…a company’s mission should not be stated as making more sales or profits—profits are only a reward for creating value for customers. Instead, the mission should focus on customers and the customer experience the company seeks to create.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, p. 41).
The next mission statement that caught my eye was from Laura. The name of her vodka drink is Gem. “Gem caters to those who know value when they see it, and enjoy the finer things of life…” It sounds like it could be a more high end vodka, but it still markets to the consumer very well. What person doesn’t want to enjoy the finer things in life? This sounds like it could be a very successful vodka.
The final missions statement I found to be one of the best is from Christine with her Slender vodka. “Creating an amazing tasting low calorie cocktail to simplify any woman’s life” What woman doesn’t want something simplified? This is a great business mission statement. It meets the consumer’s needs.

Week 9 EOC: Cyber Monday

The Cyber Monday deal that I found on Amazon.com is the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras. The lens regular price is $640.00 reduced down to $374.00. There is an obvious super sale on this lens. As its original price is so high, you know that this is a quality lens from Canon. I have asked around about this lens and it is one to get. If it is not one a photographer cannot afford, they could always try for the 50mm 1.8 lens. It usually runs around $100.00. The depth of field is so low that this lens makes for a perfect portrait lens. It keeps your model or subject in focus, and whatever is behind it out of focus. I would like this lens because of how low the depth of field is. I’ve seen photographs taken with it and they have been somewhat amazing. My passion is photographing people, so what better way to do it than with this lens. There are so many other lenses to choose from, but this one to me is cost effective and can be used for many different things. I don’t know how anyone can lose with buying this lens. Even though I said it can be used for portraiture, it is also great for many other subject types. It is good for still life subjects, food, and whatever other objects you can think of. Again this is an amazing deal that Amazon is offering and I would hate for anyone to pass it up. It will give you a whole new perspective to what you are photographing. This is definitely something I will be investing in in the future. It will be a great add on to my family of camera lenses.

Week 8 EOC: Creative Content

My Vodka product is called Elegance. My target audience will be women from age 25 to 35.  I want to take and use my photography skills and photograph for an ad in a magazine or a billboard. My goal is to find a unique bottle and photograph it on a white backdrop with maybe some of the exotic fruit lying next to it or a pair of pearl earrings and a necklace or something else that conveys elegance. I will place the logo over the bottle in Photoshop. The logo will contain the word Elegance in a script type face that will flow elegantly. Another idea that I have, but may not be possible is to have a woman of this age group dress in a very beautiful flowing dress. She will be in an outside luscious green atmosphere with the bottle either in her hand or near her. She will be sitting and relaxing on the ground while feeling beautiful and elegant or standing with the wind blowing her dress. Maybe as an extra part I could add in a well-dressed man in the background waiting for her. The overall photograph will have the main focus on the bottle with the background blown out and the women somewhat in focus with the bottle. I want to convey that this Vodka will allow a woman to feel like a woman. In the real world, women face all kinds of day to day struggles and I want them to forget these struggles with drinking some Elegance.

Week 7 EOC: The Pitch

The meaning of elegant is: characterized by or exhibiting refined, tasteful beauty of manner, form, or style.

Elegance is a Vodka drink designed to allure women between the ages of 25 and 35. The majority of  women in this age group are at a stage in their life that they want to settle down or have already settled down with a husband, and some with kids. These are women who are still young, but are starting to feel life’s struggles and want to feel like a woman should feel.  All women want to feel beautiful and elegant, but this feeling is not always possible.  Elegance is formulated to make a women feel these things.  Its ingredients are specially mixed with exotic fruits which give it a light and fruity taste which seduce the senses. It is made with less alcohol because a percentage of women like the taste of a lighter alcoholic beverage. Along with the flavors, the appeal of Elegance’s unique bottle will bring about a curiosity to women in the desired age group and encourage them to buy.  Elegance will be sold in most stores that carry alcoholic beverages. It’s price will range around thirty dollars. It is meant to reach women who can’t afford a high priced bottle of Vodka. These are the unspoken heroes of our day. They work hard to get where they need to be to provide for not only themselves, but also their families. These are the women who want to feel elegant, but on a regular basis, do not. Elegance is meant to make a woman feel like a woman. With its unique look and flavors, Elegance is sure to do just that.

Implementation Evaluation Control

“Through implementation, the company turns the plans into actions. Control consists of measuring and evaluating the results of marketing activities and taking corrective action where needed.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 10th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions p. 54). “Because many surprises occur during the implementation of marketing plans, marketers must practice constant marketing control—evaluating the results of marketing strategies and plans and taking corrective action to ensure that objectives are attained. Marketing control involves four steps. Management first sets specific marketing goals. It then measures its performance in the marketplace and evaluates the causes of any differences between expected and actual performance. Finally, management takes corrective action to close the gaps between its goals and its performance. This may require changing the action programs or even changing the goals.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 10th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions p. 58).  Elegance Vodka will do whatever it takes to make sure its consumers are satisfied with the product they receive. If there is something that needs to change then it will go through a process of change in order to meet consumer’s needs. Elegance Vodka wants to give a feeling of letting a woman feel like a woman, and it will do whatever it takes to get that feeling out.

Price

“To estimate sales, the company might look at the sales history of similar products and conduct market surveys. It can then estimate minimum and maximum sales to assess the range of risk. After preparing the sales forecast, management can estimate the expected costs and profits for the product, including marketing, R&D, operations, accounting, and finance costs. The company then uses the sales and costs figures to analyze the new product’s financial attractiveness.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, p.251).

“Consumers will base their judgments of a product’s value on the prices that competitors charge for similar products…. If consumers perceive that the company’s product or service provides greater value, the company can charge a higher price. If consumers perceive less value relative to competing products, the company must either charge a lower price or change customer perceptions to justify a higher price.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, p.280).

There were a few drinks that I found similar to Elegance Vodka that I was able to research what price I should place on Elegance.  They fell into the factors of reaching out to every day women. These women are the ones who work hard for everyone around them and seldom themselves. These women don’t necessarily have the high paying jobs, but are striving hard to provide for their family. Therefore, the price that I have set is $25. To some this may be a high price, but worth it in the end. To others it may be the perfect price to have a feeling of elegance. I want it to be easily available to the hard working woman, mother, and daughter.