Monthly Archives: June 2023

by | Thursday, June 8, 2023 · 7:52 am

The Wienermobile of Love – Oscar Mayer’s mobile Wedding Chapel

We love it when brands come up with unique and fun ways to market products. A recent example that comes to mind is the Cheeto Duster product – a device that turns Cheetos into ground up dust.  

And we can’t forget Taco Bell with its pop-up hotel – matched by Oscar Mayer with its Wienermobile Hotel for rent on Airbnb.

Another big success for Taco Bell is its wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Now Oscar Mayer is matching that with its own ‘Wienermobile of Love.’

Yes, folks, the Wienermobile of Love held two-days of hot-dog weddings in Las Vegas in early April. The happy couples shared a live Wiener Whistle Quartet, wedding cake (in wiener shape of course) and a ceremony performed by the company’s Hotdoggers. All expenses were paid by the company and slots quickly snatched up.

We love the concept of ‘The Wienermobile of Love ‘ – it makes a lot of sense as a promotional tactic. The Wienermobile is a celebrity on its own; the company gets thousands of requests each year to have the Wienermobile appear at proposals and weddings. It’s a three-dimensional brand ambassador that travels the country staffed by a crew of Hotdoggers. It’s big. It gets noticed. Having it become part of couples’ love stories not only brings smiles, it generates a lot of positive feelings for the brand and keeps fans loyal.

Shall we get a hot dog and tie the knot?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Discuss using unique promotion tactics for short time periods. 
  2. Show the Wienermobile of Love link: https://www.oscarmayer.com/elopewithus
  3. Video link: https://youtu.be/SYUeGs9kInQ
  4. Taco Bell Wedding Chapel link: https://www.tacobellwedding.com/
  5. Poll students: Would they consider a wedding at the Wienermobile? Or Las Vegas Taco Bell?
  6. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a brand that has a visible icon similar to the Wienermobile. (Example – Planters’ Nutmobile.)
  7. Have the teams develop a marketing plan to bring that icon to life in a new way. The plan should include setting SMART objectives, along with description of event and timeline.

Source:  Century, S. (13 April 2023). Oscar Mayer ‘Wienermobile of Love’ becomes the wedding venue of superfans’ dreams. Advertising Age.

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by | Tuesday, June 6, 2023 · 7:46 am

Apple Launches its First Retail Stores in India

According to the United Nations, India is on track to pass China as the world’s most populous country later this year. This is an important demographic trend for marketers to recognize; China has held the rank of the most populous nation in the world since 1950.

Along with India, the two countries combine to equal roughly a third of the world’s 7.9 billion people (and likely more by the time you read this article). However, China has an aging population, with low growth. India on the other hand has a much younger population, higher fertility rate, and decreased infant mortality.

Recognizing these trends, Apple has finally opened its first two retail stores in India –  Mumbai and New Delhi, two of India’s wealthiest cities. Until now, Apple products were sold only by third-party sellers in India, which presented its own set of problems for the company. Apple sold 6.5 million iPhones in India in 2022; compare this with the volume of 50 million a year sold in China and the U.S. China is a growing market for technology and innovation.

Of particular interest will be the iPhone pricing. The iPhone is a relatively expensive phone for consumers there. Considered a ‘premium’ product, only 11% of the market could afford iPhones. However it was also the fastest growing segment.

For all these reasons, it’s easy to understand why companies do through analysis of countries for expansion. Population size is only one indicator of potential sales. The psychographic profile is also key. India’s population is more willing to pay a premium for phones and as a ‘premium’ product,  Apple is viewed as a status symbol there.

What does Apple need to do to succeed in India?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Show video of opening of Apple in India: https://youtu.be/cRiSSV5pfzk
  2. Discuss the four primary marketing strategies: market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification.
  3. Which strategy is Apple using for this new venture?
  4. Why this marketing strategy?
  5. Divide students into teams. Have each team select one of the four different strategies and explain why that strategy could be used to market Apple.
  6. Have each team determine the marketing mix (4Ps) to support their strategy choice.
  7. Debrief the exercise.

Source:  Kharpal, A. (18 April 2023). Apple opens its first store in India as it looks for a new generation of iPhone users. CNBC.; Travelli, A., and Raj, S. (18 April 2023). Apple opens first store in India, a promising frontier for the tech giant. New York Times.; other news sources.

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by | Saturday, June 3, 2023 · 12:37 pm

What Happens to Our Old Phones?

It seems like every phone carrier offers new phones free or at reduced prices to their subscribers who trade in their old phone. Have you ever wondered what happens to old smartphones after we discard them? Do they have value? Who profits?

The path of the used phones is pretty hidden and it isn’t easy to follow the supply model once the older phones are sold. However (before you ask),  there is a substantial market and value in the older phones with a life (and profit) after the initial user. In fact, analysis firm IDC estimates that more than 282 million secondhand phones were sold in 2022 at an estimated $64.5 billion. That’s a lot of phones!  In addition, thanks to the trade-in offers from carriers, the market for secondhand phones is estimated to increase 10% annually through 2025.

What happens in the supply chain and distribution of these older products? It actually can be difficult to follow as many firms will not specify where the phones go. However, a recent video from the WSJ traces the path and gives insight into the process.

In short it works like this:

  • An old phone in gets traded in and the owner gets a credit
  • A reseller buys the trade-in phones from the carrier.
  • The reseller cleans the data, spruces up the phone, adds power cables, packages, and then sells the older phones to  wholesalers, who are often operating overseas.
  • The older phones can also sold the buyers on Amazon or to second-hand retailers such as Back in the Box.
  • The resellers sells the refurbished phone at approximately 20-30% below the price of the phone when it was new.

For consumers, the used phones offer a good discount. It also keeps valuable product from landfills.

Ready for a new phone?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Poll students: Who has traded in old smart phones for newer ones? How many have they traded in?
  2. Then count up the number of old phones sold in the classroom – it will likely be a surprisingly high count.
  3. Show the WSJ video about phone trade-ins: https://www.wsj.com/video/series/joanna-stern-personal-technology/inside-the-lucrativeand-secretivebusiness-of-iphone-trade-ins/4F0EA296-6546-4603-BF90-8561E08AAD4C
  4. Show Back in the Box website for selling older phones: https://backinthebox.com/
  5. Poll students again: Who has bought a refurbished older phone? What was their experience?
  6. Divide students into teams. Have each team research online sites for selling/buying older phones.
  7. Next, have teams determine the target market for these devices and create a promotional plan.

Source:  Stern, J. (15 March 2023). Inside the lucrative – and secretive – business of iPhone trade-ins. Wall Street Journal.

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