Text Message Marketing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcxaa2KgJ8s

There is a fairly new type of marketing that companies can do through text messaging. I thought it was an interesting topic because of the huge telemarketing phase in which the marketers would call people's house phones and it got to the point where people who have to put their phone numbers on do-not-call lists. I am not sure that calling house phones or even switching over to calling people's cellphones to try and sell them things is that effective. From my own experience, everyone in my family would always reject the calls and then we ended up just getting rid of our house phone all together because the only people who would call the phone were telemarketers. I think that if a lot of companies started to send constant texts to people's phones that it would get annoying and enrage people. Yes, most of society today has cellphones but the last thing people want are to be bothered by someone they don't know, trying to sell them something. We as consumers get marketing and ads thrown at us constantly throughout the day and in my opinion I think it would just be over the top.

*Do you think marketing through texts is effective marketing?

In response to Maggie's Post...

Question: People think that the money they earn is all worth it at the end of the day, but is it really?? Why do people work at jobs they hate??

Yes it is true a lot of people do just work at jobs to get paid and don't necessarily like their jobs. Personally, I think it depends on where you are in your life and whether or not the job you are working at is temporary or going to be your lifetime career. For example, just like many college students these days I am working while going to school and the job I have is in food service and I have been working there since I was a Junior in high school. No, I don't really enjoy my job but its convenient and it is worth it to get through the stressful shifts because I know the end is near (aka I will be graduating college soon). But there are some people who choose to take on jobs as their careers just for the money and not for enjoyment and that I believe will be worth it at first but will ultimately wear someone down way more than having a job where they don't mind spending 40 hours a week at. At this point in my life sometimes I do think about getting another temporary job that I like better than the one I have now but then when I continue to hours of my choice and can take the time off I need that along with the paycheck changes my mind. I would advise anyone to make sure they at least somewhat enjoy where they work if they plan to work there for a long period of time and if that is not possible then either get a new job or find some way to make the situation positive and worthwhile.

*What would be the deciding factor in accepting a job offer...the salary, a flexible schedule or enjoyment?

The photoshop effect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbb8D-u8ues

This commercial is promoting women's self esteem and showing how you should just be yourself because all the beautiful people we see in ads are usually altered completely by makeup and photoshop. This commercial caught my attention when a professor played it during one of my sociology classes. I thought it would be a good topic to blog about because it is almost like having a behind the scenes look at how pictures for billboards and other ads are put together. Some argue that the commercial degrades the woman in it because they think it shows that she needs all that done to look beautiful. I don't think that makes much sense because if the woman doing the commercial felt degraded at all I'm pretty sure she wouldn't do it in the first place. Also, I think that the commercial is more about showing how no one is perfect even those gorgeous models that people use to compare themselves to.

*What exactly is this commercial's purpose?

In response to Danielle's post...

Question: What do you think about this commercial and the direction Dr. Pepper chose for its marketing? Is any press good press?

Honestly, I am not a fan of this commercial at all. It is absolutely stereotypical and I don't necessarily understand why the soda is just for men? I mean I don't like Dr.Pepper but I know girls that do and I also know plenty of females such as myself that enjoy action movies. I don't think the commercial really helps the product at all because just because an ad says it's a man's drink doesn't mean that more men are going to go buy it. I think that if they wanted more people to buy their new product they shouldn't be so sexist and just market the product generally. Responding to the second question, no I don't think any press is good press. If press is excluding a specific gender or type of person I think that it makes it bad press. Some press should not be out there if it cannot respectfully include all audiences.

*Would the commercial get a difference response if it were directly towards women and negatively portraying men?

Gendered Marketing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CU040Hqbas&feature=related

Riley, the little girl in this video wonders why boys and girls toys are in different sections at the store. It is interesting to think about a different point of view about how toys are marketed to children and parents of these children because most people don't even notice there is motive behind the advertisements. Riley brings up a good point because what if girls like to play with "boy's toys" and boys like to play with "girl's toys"? Are they supposed to feel obligated to play with toys aimed at their gender only? I understand that it may be easier to find certain things if they are all grouped together by gendered colors and toys but it just puts expectations on young children to like princesses and dolls if you're a girl and action figures and trucks if you're a boy. It makes me question the values that we teach children in today's society and whether we are telling them what toys they should and shouldn't like. A lot of marketing is targeted towards males or females and very rarely it is to both. So if people go out of the social norm and choose to buy or play with the other gender's products then they are probably more susceptible to judgement and bullying from their peers.

*Is is right to market things only to specific genders?

In response to Lyndzi's Post...

Question: Do you think Facebook is a good form of marketing for certain businesses?

I think marketing on Facebook can be a useful technique to use if used right and if the business's product/service is relevant to those who use Facebook. I have seen plenty of ads while on Facebook that do not apply to me whatsoever. I think that a business should really research their target market and make sure that the people using Facebook are going to interested in what they are selling. A good thing about using Facebook for marketing is that as time goes on more and more people use networking sites such as Facebook and that makes the potential for customers larger. Also, if what you are trying to sell is targeted toward teenagers or young adults it will be easier to get there attention because they are constantly on Facebook. However, most advertisements online especially on Facebook are overlooked and people may just consider them viruses and not even pay attention to your marketing.

*What do you think is the best form of marketing?

Why would a course in marketing be helpful even if you don't pursue marketing as a career?

I personally am a sociology major/management minor and I am taking marketing because it is required knowledge for those possibly pursuing some type of business career. However, a marketing course could be helpful to a student in any major because marketing is a huge part of everyday life. So much of a person's daily routine has marketing in it whether or not they directly notice it. For that reason and many others, taking a marketing class could help a person learn more about products and services and how they are advertised to society. Also, it is important to understand the difference between accurate and false marketing so as a consumer you can make well-educated decisions. Even if your future career doesn't seem as if it will require marketing or marketing skills I guarantee having a basic understanding of how things are marketed and why will be useful to have under your belt.

*What's another course you think could really make a difference in a student's future career of any kind?