Monthly Archives: June 2019

by | Tuesday, June 25, 2019 · 7:46 am

New Google Glass Enterprise Edition for Business

It’s been a while since Google Glass has been in the headlines. Remember Google Glass? In case you are not familiar with the product, it was pulled from the market in 2015 after complaints about the technology, usefulness, price, and privacy. The original product was focused on consumers as wearable technology to augment and share daily activities. The glasses had a smart heads-up display and camera, allowing users to connect to data and share information and images.

Google Glass was reformatted a few years ago to the ‘Enterprise Edition’ where the focus was on helping workers in a variety of jobs such as manufacturing, medicine, technology, and other areas. This was a departure from the original consumer-based product, and moved Glass into the business-to-business category. The new version of Glass Enterprise Edition 2 sells for $999 (compared to $1,500 for previous version) and has a new processor, improved camera, and other updates for safety and greater battery.

Repositioning is often difficult, and this repositions Glass from the consumer market to organization buying.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss the organizational buying process. Who would influence the decision-making?
  2. Show the newest incarnation of the product: https://www.blog.google/products/hardware/glass-enterprise-edition-2/
  3. Show Glass video: https://youtu.be/5IK-zU51MU4
  4. For Glass, have students work on the actions taken in each of the five steps.
    1. Problem recognition?
    2. Information search?
    3. Evaluative criteria?
    4. Purchase decision?
    5. Post-purchase behavior?
  5. What are key considerations in each step?
  6. Debrief the exercise.

Source: The Verge, Google

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by | Tuesday, June 18, 2019 · 7:42 am

Is Ironing Clothes Obsolete?

When was the last time you used an iron to de-wrinkle clothes? If you are like most consumers, it’s probably been quite a while. While most homes in the U.S. still have an iron, many have not been used for much besides just gathering dust in the laundry room. Why is this?

Well, today’s clothes are more likely to be no-iron clothing than past clothes that required ironing in order to eliminate wrinkles. And today, even when there are wrinkles, Millennials have new solutions – such as popping wrinkled clothes in the dryer for a few minute. Steamers are also popular, as is the dryer setting for removing wrinkles. Other options include dry-cleaning, spraying clothes with wrinkle-release liquids, plus wrinkles can even be considered fashionable for cotton and linen clothing. And finally, ironing is often seen as a ‘chore’ to be avoided at all costs.

All these factors have resulted in sales of irons declining 7% from levels in 2016. In the same time period however, steamer sales have increased 19% as the steamers have gotten smaller and added new functions. Iron makers are moving into manufacturing portable garment steamers, and the spray starch industry is also reinventing its products and marketing.

Are irons a tool of the past?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What household products did their grandparents and parents use, but students do not use?
  2. Ask students when they last ironed clothes? When? Why? Other options?
  3. Discuss the different stages in the product life cycle. What are the marketing objectives in each stage? In what stage are clothes irons?
  4. Divide students into teams. Have each team draw a product life cycle and place various household products and services into each stage.
  5. Show Web sites for companies that make irons:

Reliable: https://reliablecorporation.com/

Rowenta: https://www.rowentausa.com/

  1. Divide students into teams: Have teams brainstorm how to reposition or revise irons so that it can be repositioned into an earlier stage of the life cycle.

Source: Konclus, J. (14 May 2019). No, millennials didn’t ‘kill’ ironing. Washington Post.

 

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by | Tuesday, June 11, 2019 · 9:41 pm

Taco Bell’s New Hotel (for a limited time)

Taco Bell has very loyal customers. In fact, some customers love Taco Bell so much that they never want to leave! Unfortunately, there are store hours to maintain. But fear not Taco Bell loyalists – if you really want to live at Taco Bell, try its new boutique hotel called (appropriately) The Bell.

Yes, the Taco Bell Hotel and Resort opens this summer in Palm Springs! The resort is open for a limited time only, but promises a “destination inspired by tacos and fueled by fans.” According to the company, this will be the flavor getaway of the year as everything from the rooms, food, and cocktails will have a Taco Bell twist.

Feeling a little stressed? Then this is the place for Taco Bell lovers to relax. The on-site salon will offer nail art, fades, and a braid bar all inspired by the Taco Bell theme. Few details have been announced so far, but reservations open in June for the adult-only (18 and older) hotel.

This isn’t the only unique hotel in the new era of experiential marketing. There is also a Trivial Pursuit Hotel in Russia where guests get rooms, food, and more by correctly answering trivia questions!

Where do you want to stay?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: What are their hotel experiences?
  2. Discuss travel, hotels, resorts and what today’s young travelers are looking for in their hotels.
  3. Show the Taco Bell Hotel Web site: https://www.tacobell.com/the-bell-hotel
  4. Also show video for the Trivial Pursuit Hotel: https://youtu.be/TPLORyhEBGQ
  5. Divide students into teams: If they could design a new, experiential hotel, what would it be like?
  6. Have teams identify the target market and the marketing mix for their new hotel idea.
  7. Debrief the exercise and vote on which resort the class will visit!

Source: Griner, D. (16 May 2019). Taco Bell is opening a boutique branded hotel called the Bell. Ad Week.

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