Monthly Archives: May 2018

by | Wednesday, May 23, 2018 · 6:31 am

Where Do YOU Want to Work?

Many students get confused when they are searching for jobs. They’re not confused about getting a job – they know this part. But, they get confused about selecting which company they would most like to work for. Some of their questions include:

  • Should I select based on the job offer?
  • Or, should I select based on the company?
  • Should it be a company I admire?
  • Or, is it ok to work for a company I don’t admire, but they will pay me the most?
  • What is the growth potential of the company?
  • How can I research about a company’s attributes?

These topics can stymie even long-time marketing professionals. It can be hard to evaluate a company when not much is known about it. Thus, this is where the network comes into play. Instead of basing decisions only on one’s own limited knowledge, use the power of the network to help research and evaluate choices.

Providing what could valuable information in the evaluation of companies is the power of the LinkedIn network. Based on data from its more than 546 million professionals (146+ million who are in the U.S.), LinkedIn has compiled a list of the companies where professionals would most like to work. The list is based on billions of actions taken by LinkedIn members in regards to four main pillars of engagement: (1) interest in the company, (2) engagement with the company’s employees, (3) job demand, and (4) employee retention.

Here are the top 10 finalists for the 50 companies most want to work at in the U.S.:

  1. Amazon
  2. Alphabet
  3. Facebook
  4. Salesforce
  5. Tesla
  6. Apple
  7. Comcast NBC Universal
  8. The Walt Disney Company
  9. Oracle
  10. Netflix

Where do you want to work?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Suggestion: For this discussion, invite someone from the campus career services center to attend class and moderate the discussion.
  2. Discuss what attributes students look for in an employer.
  3. What do they want most? What do they want least?
  4. Divide students into teams. Based on the attributes the team wants most, have each team list 10 different companies where they would like to work.
  5. Compare the results between teams.
  6. Show the LinkedIn article and list of top companies to work for in the U.S. : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-companies-2018-where-us-wants-work-now-daniel-roth/
  7. How many of these companies are on (or not on) the students’ lists?

Source: Roth, D. (21 March, 2018). LinkedIn top companies 2018: Where the U.S. wants to work now. LinkedIn.com.

 

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by | Monday, May 21, 2018 · 7:27 am

Delivery Direct to Your Car

Have you ever had a problem with delivery of packages? Have you been a victim of ‘porch pirates’ stealing packages before you get home? If so, then you may like the new option for Amazon’s in-car package delivery, placed securely in your trunk or back seat. The service is available to Amazon Prime members who have an active GM OnStar or Volvo On Call account in 37 cities across the U.S.

It seems pretty easy. Using an Amazon app, the customer inputs the information about their car (must be a 2015 or newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, or Volvo). For each order, the customer selects a delivery to their car, receives a notification when the delivery is on its way, and another notification after delivery is completed and door/trunk relocked. Delivery people use the car’s assistance services to locate the car and unlock it.

The car delivery service only works for vehicles parked in lots that are easily accessible. It won’t work for parking garages or gated communities. And, if you’re worried about damage to the car, Amazon even said that it will take care of a broken window or lock that happens as a result of the delivery.

Go ahead and order – there are a lot of delivery options, including porch, office, in-home, locker, and now, your car.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the topics of package delivery. Has anyone had problems?
  2. Show the Amazon information and video about car delivery: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=17051031011
  3. CNET video: https://youtu.be/8bZfZZJ7Q4Q
  4. Video of customer testimonials: https://youtu.be/w4akHn0jQCc
  5. Poll students: Would they use this service?
  6. Discuss the importance of clearly defining a target market.
  7. For in-car delivery, what is the target market?
  8. Divide students into teams and have each team develop a target market profile. Include demographics, psychographics, behaviors, values, attitudes, etc.

Source: CNET, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Detroit Free Press, other news sources

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by | Thursday, May 17, 2018 · 6:48 am

Snapchat’s New Spectacles

Remember Snap’s Spectacles? Launched in fall, 2016, Spectacles were fashionable sunglasses that could record 30-second videos with a 115 degree lens. The specs were $130 and initially sold only through fun, bright yellow, SnapBot kiosks placed around the U.S. There was a lot of hype and fervor from teens to procure the sunglasses and post their videos. Roughly 220,000 Spectacles were sold, but only half of the owners used them after the first month, and Snap took a $40 million write-off after making too many. But, the company learned a lot from its first foray with Spectacles, and is now ready for the next iteration.

So, get ready for Spectacles Version 2. The new glasses are priced at $149.99 and have a number of new features and improvements over version 1. The case is smaller and handier to carry around, and it charges the glasses up to four times. The glasses are lighter and more comfortable and the field of vision has been reduced to 105 degrees. In addition to video, the glasses now take photos – which of course can be posted online.

Colors are new and more neutral with two lens versions, and the pairing process is much simpler than version 1. High quality photos and fast downloads improve the overall user experience. The glasses are now water resistant and can even take photos underwater. Spectacles are now on sale in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, to be followed by 13 more European countries.

Fortunately, no more SnapBot vending machines to limit purchases – it’s easy to buy since all that’s needed is to go online to Snap to purchase. It really is a wearable camera.

Go ahead – smile, you’re on Spectacles!h

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the strategy that Snap is using to position itself as a camera/hardware company rather than a social media company.
  2. Show the Web site: https://www.spectacles.com/
  3. Show a product review video: https://youtu.be/DRqZoINHCwM
  4. A short product video: https://youtu.be/Qpbyj-hz05s
  5. Pricing is usually a complex topic. Discuss the six steps for pricing (determining objectives, estimating demand, determining cost/profit relationships, select price level, set list price, and make adjustments).
  6. Discuss the various pricing models in class: demand-oriented, cost-oriented, profit-oriented, and competition-oriented.
  7. What price strategy is Snap using for Spectacles version 2?
  8. How does this compare with version 1? Will this be successful?

Source: Constine, J. (26 April 2018). Snapchat launches Spectacles V2, camera glasses you’ll actually wear. TechCrunch.

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