Tag Archives: target markets

by | Monday, January 28, 2013 · 2:56 am

Gender Equality for Toys!

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Gender-based marketing is not uncommon. Pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Simple. These color choices are part of America’s culture. We all grew up knowing whether we should wear pink or blue. We also grew up knowing that dolls are for girls, trucks are for boys, and only girls can have play kitchens. But should this still be true in today’s world? Nope. But, what’s a little boy who wants to cook supposed to do?

This holiday season, one 4-year old boy who wanted an Easy-Bake Oven turned to his big sister for help. In turn, she started a petition on Change.org to lobby Hasbro to change its marketing and packaging of the product in order to include boys. The petition quickly reached a critical mass of like-minded people and got attention world-wide, including support from many of the nation’s male chefs who joined forces to make a YouTube video in support of the campaign.

This is not the first toy company to face gender-equality problems. Another company with similar problems is Lego who launched Lego Friends – marketed to girls directly by having girly Lego settings such as beauty salon, splash pool and sporting the tag line “the beauty of building.” And let’s not forget about Bic pens – pink and purple pens targeted to women.

To the company’s credit, after reviewing the petition signed by more than 45,000 supporters, Hasbro has agreed to start designing and marketing Easy-Bake Ovens to boys. Score one for gender equality.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

 

1. Start the discussion in class by discussing the concepts shown on change.org: www.change.org.
2. Next, show the videos about the topic of the Easy-Bake Oven :
http://youtu.be/zHESKyxrxJMhttp://youtu.be/s1hB0S7u06U3. Discuss with the class the pros and cons of developing and marketing products to only one gender. When is it appropriate? When should it be avoided?
4. Divide students into teams. Have them select a product that currently has a gender bias. What could be done to make the product appeal to both genders?

 

Source:  Brandchannel.com, 12/14/12, other news sources

 

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by | Monday, October 29, 2012 · 8:36 pm

The Greatest Sponsorship Ever! Red Bull Stratos and Felix Baumgartner Leap into History

 

Wow – like many people in the world, I was glued to the monitor watching Red Bull’s Stratos project as Felix Baumgartner took a record-breaking jump from more than 24 miles above the Earth! Sponsorships and events have been taken to a new high (no pun intended)!

On October 14, Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver and daredevil, made history’s highest and fastest jump. After ascending to more than 128,000 feet in capsule tethered to a helium balloon, Baumgartner jumped and became the first human to break the sound barrier as he fell at a rate of 833 miles per hour and had a free-fall of more than 4 minutes! I’ve watched the video a dozen times, each time with my mouth falling open in admiration and disbelief at the feat.

The event was sponsored and funded by Red Bull – a company known for pushing the envelope of crazy and risky sports. The company doesn’t consider this a stunt though, preferring to characterize the program as a professional flight test program. Red Bull spent more than five years on the project with an expert staff of scientists, engineers, and physicians – many of whom had experience with NASA programs. The cost to Red Bull has not been disclosed, but estimates on the return to the company in regards to visibility, branding, and goodwill tops $8 billion.

If you haven’t viewed the video yet, you watch it now. By the way, the view estimates on YouTube and the Red Bull site exceeded 50 million in the first 48-hours, setting another new record for viral videos.

Once again, wow. Well done to Mr. Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team!

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss with students the value of sponsorships. Why do companies sponsor events – oftentimes events that seem to have little to do with the products? What do companies gain? What do they risk?

2. Show the video clip of Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump: http://youtu.be/FHtvDA0W34I

3. As time permits, show additional videos: http://youtu.be/dOoHArAzdug

http://youtu.be/lB1PTOp1aKk

http://youtu.be/c7BFkOrlTVM

http://youtu.be/ZHAfgakZrWo

4. Divide students into teams: Have them discuss how this fits into Red Bull’s branding and messages. Describe Red Bull’s target market.

5. Have teams choose a company and develop an outrageous sponsorship or stunt. What would the goal be? How does the stunt tie into the company’s brand?

Source:  New York Times, Ad Age Daily, Brandchannel.com, various news agencies, 10/14/12

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by | Sunday, September 9, 2012 · 4:35 pm

Innovation Zaps Bugs!

Use the word “stealth”  in conjunction with a product and a first guess might be the U.S. Stealth Bomber planes. Quiet, sneaky, hidden from obvious sight, and capable of striking at foes. While Ecolab’s new “stealthy” product is not quite in the same category as military defense, it does have sneaky connotations as it quietly kills flies by the thousands in restaurants across the nation.

Lest we think this is just a small issue (after all, it’s just a little fly), consider the wider implications for business. The pest-control industry is worth roughly $329 million per year. And flies, as well as being annoying, can carry more than 1.9 million bacteria, accounting for illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli. Even small numbers of flies can contaminate food and risk illnesses to restaurant staffs and customers. To a restaurant, a fly represents serious food safety issues.

Ecolab’s new product – the STEALTH Fly Station – looks like a common flat-screen TV. The black screen attracts flies with odor and color, and then kills them using a surface-based pesticide.  The device can be placed near common fly areas, such as dumpster corrals, to discreetly keep flies from interrupting daily operations. The product also helps reduce pesticide use, resulting in a lower impact and more sustainable approach for the environment.

The product has won accolades including the 2012 Kitchen Innovation Award from the National Restaurant Association. Watch the video and see how it works in action.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1.      Show the product video to students: http://youtu.be/rATU3Rn6O5Y2.      Divide the students into teams and have them determine the following: target market and marketing mix (4Ps).
3.      Have teams determine that marketing strategy that Ecolab is using for this new product (market penetration, market development, product development, or diversification).
4.      Have teams discuss and list the environmental scanning process that could be used to determine the success of the product.
5.      What types of research would be needed to develop and market this product?
6.      Information on the Ecolab products for pest control can be found at http://www.ecolab.com/solutions/pest-elimination/large-fly

Source:  Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Minneapolis Star Tribune, other news sources, 7/30/12

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