Monthly Archives: February 2018

by | Friday, February 16, 2018 · 6:14 am

Stereotypes and Sports: Chief Wahoo to be Eliminated

Names and brands represent a significant investment for all organizations, no matter if they are corporations, private organizations, higher education, or athletics. Brands and logos are often loved and worn proudly by consumers. However, just as often a logo can be seen as offensive to individuals and groups.

Case in point: The Cleveland Indians recently announced that it will stop using the Chief Wahoo logo beginning in 2019. Major League Baseball’s position is that the logo is no longer appropriate. Some team supporters view the logo as traditional (Chief Wahoo has been used since 1948), while opposition characterizes the name as offensive to Native Americans.

Cleveland is not the only athletic team that has been criticized for its logo. A few years ago the University of North Dakota officially dropped its Fighting Sioux nickname in favor of the Fighting Hawks. However, other teams, such as the Washington Redskins and the Atlanta Braves (with the “Tomahawk chop” motion), have resisted pressure to change.

Some team supporters view the logo as traditional (Chief Wahoo has been used since 1948), while opposition characterizes the name as offensive to Native Americans. Regardless, logos have the power to motivate consumers, or to repel them.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show a video about the issue faced by the Cleveland Indians: https://nyti.ms/2Guw0H2
  2. What are the essential elements of this issue?
  3. What have been the experiences of other athletic teams in similar situations?
  4. Have students research the number of athletic teams with nicknames that could be detrimental to a race or ethnical group.
  5. What is the impact of a new logo on sales of apparel?
  6. How important is brand to athletic teams?

Source: Waldstein, D. (29, January, 2018). Cleveland Indians will abandon Chief Wahoo logo next year. New York Times.

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by | Wednesday, February 14, 2018 · 6:10 am

Are Followers Real or Fake?

Marketers are under increasing pressure to increase a brand’s number of followers. Of course, marketers want the followers to be real and involved, but what if that isn’t possible? Well, there are companies that sell followers on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. However, all is not as it seems. Many companies sell the names, profiles, pictures, and other details of real users, but with some variations, and unbeknownst to the actual user who is being impersonated. The result: fake users are sold to many companies to help increase the tweets, retweets, likes, etc.

All social media platforms seem to be infected with fake users. According to a recent article in the New York Times, nearly 15% of Twitter’s active users (48 million) are actually automated accounts that simulate a real person. And, in November 2017, Facebook stated to investors that it has twice as many fake users than it had previously estimated, bringing the count to roughly 60 million fake accounts.

The fake accounts are known as ‘bots’ and can be used to build audiences and influence opinions. The bots are purchased for the purpose of increasing the followers, and thus the influence of the person or brand purchasing the bots. Bots can be programmed to post at a scheduled time, monitor trends and post as needed, and amplify clients’ accounts by following, retweeting, and like tweets.

Which would you rather have: real, engaged followers or bots that are not engaged?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Begin by having students read recent news articles about fake users. Here is an article by the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/27/technology/100000005704904.app.html?emc=edit_ta_20180127&nl=top-stories&nlid=65703977&ref=cta
  2. Why is this an issue in digital marketing?
  3. How does the topic of “fake users” impact the marketplace?
  4. Should companies/brands “buy” followers? Why or why not?
  5. How valuable are followers in digital marketing?
  6. What would you do if told to increase followers? Would you buy them?
  7. Have students go online and research “how to buy followers.” What are their findings?

Source: Confessore, N., Dance, G., Harris, R., & Hansen, M. (27 January, 2018). The follower factory. New York Times.

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by | Monday, February 12, 2018 · 6:07 am

What’s trending?

Marketers are constantly scanning the environment to find new trends. They need to recognize how external forces shape organizations and marketplaces. The lifestyles of consumers are refreshed as consumers are exposed to new ideas and trends. As environmental forces impact organizations, they can also influence consumer behavior. The five environmental forces – social, economic, technology, competitive, and legal – are continually challenging companies, products, and services.

These forces are in play when consumers explore new ways to live, eat, communicate, work, play, learn, and much more. And, with the advent of a new hyper-connected lifestyle (thanks to social media) consumers are quickly exposed to the latest social trends and new ideas.

What are some of the recent trends? According to Mintel Trends, here are some of the recent top trends in the marketplace:

  • Consumers in transit: Adidas released 500 pairs of limited edition shoes that act as a valid annual ticket for BVG public transportation in Germany.
  • Home safety: Vivint has a new app called Streety that allows users to share footage from their outdoor cameras with neighbors.
  • Automotive: Luxury car manufacturer Infiniti teamed with Q & A Web site Zhihu to jointly host a 10-hour live streaming event where an entire car was dismantled so that consumers could learn about the different parts of the car and gain more knowledge about technology and performance.
  • Consumer goods: Coca-Cola launched Coca-Cola Coffee Plus in Australia, a beverage that has twice as much caffeine as regular Coke but has just 42 calories.

Look around. What new trends do you spot?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Start by discussing how trends impact products and services.
  2. Bring up the Mintel top trends site: http://www.mintel.com/blog/new-market-trends/hotspots-january-2018s-top-trends-observations?utm_campaign=9103901_Mintel%20newsletter%20-%20NAM%2025%2F1%2F2018&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dotm&dm_i=2174,5F4M5,NVC5O0,KZ95H,1
  3. Information about the Adidas sneakers: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/01/17/578598875/berlins-new-adidas-sneakers-feature-sewn-in-transit-tickets
  4. Vivint Streety information: https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/streety-new-neighborhood-watch-app
  5. Coca-Cola Coffee Plus: http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coca-cola-plus-coffee-no-sugar–a-blend-of-two-favourites
  6. Which of these trends do students think have staying power?
  7. Poll students: What trends have they observed lately?
  8. Ask students to utilize the Internet to research trends. What are their findings?

Source:   Mintel (25 January, 2018). Hotspots: January 2018’s top trend observations.

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