My Reflection

I think the best thing I took from this class was learning about what really drives consumer behavior. The fact that we as consumer's are completely irrational in our decision making, can be persuaded without notice, and nudged towards decisions by the wording of an advertisement. I found this really interesting. Throughout your education you are taught how to problem solve, and find rational solutions. But, for some reason we have a hard time making rational consumption decisions when buying a pair of athletic sneakers.

Before this class, I knew I didn't always spend my money as wisely as I could, but I definitely didn't think I was irrational or easily persuaded and manipulated by advertisements. Contrary to my previous belief, I am most definitely irrational. I realized how often I am persuaded by word manipulation and advertisements appealing to emotions. Since I have been in this class I have taken much more thought about my purchasing decisions. When I see advertisements I tend to analyze them and try and figure out its tactics or hidden message. Allowing me to control my emotions and subconscious from pushing me towards an irrational decision.

I now have a far better understanding of what drives and influences consumer behavior. I feel being able to have a good understanding of consumer behavior will benefit me with whatever I do in life!

Willie Nelson "Outsider Heroe"

I have been a big fan of Willie nelson since a young age, he is a country music icon with some of the most popular country songs of all time. He has been recording music for over five decades and during that time he has always stayed true to his personal ideals. Despite the influence of fame and wealth, Willie has always remained himself and unaffected by mainstream pressure. When first becoming famous, Nashville had their own idea on what kind of music they wanted Willie to play. Still trying to make it as an artist,  Willie took no part in conforming to Nashville's conservative style and helped pioneer the sub-genre "Outlaw Country." He went on to have a highly successful career and is still performing today. In a way he created his own kind of "cool" which fans loved him for. He's got his long braided hair, red bandana, and cowboy hat. He has played the same guitar his whole career because nothing else sounds like it, according to him. He is also well known for his financial troubles with the IRS and a activist for the controversial substance, marijuana. But, people seem to love him for all these things because he is 100% comfortable with being himself  and can do it with unique character and style.

Outsider heroes like Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash only come around so often and are able to fascinate people by refusing to conform to the societal guidelines. They tend to gain a lot of support and follower's with their style and confidence and have a major impact on people.

Rituals

After writing the rituals assignment for class, I wanted to compare rituals from all over the world. Since I wrote about my family Christmas ritual, I will start with that, comparing it to the Muslim holiday Ramadan. Christmas, for many is about family, togetherness, gift giving, and the sharing of a feast. Ramadan is 30 days long and is primarily about fasting and prayer. This is far different than the indulging Christmas holiday.

Marriage and weddings are another major ritual in the U.S. Typically you start dating someone, fall in love, ask for their hand in marriage, and hope she has a wealthy father to pay for the traditional, extravagant wedding. The Kreung tribe, located in Cambodia does marriage a lot differently. When a girl reaches her mid teens her parents build a love hut. The girl stays with different boys in the hut each night, until she finds the right one. This would clearly raise red flags if parents did this with their daughters here, but since divorce does not exist in Kreung its important to find the right one.

For some cultures the initiation of a boy becoming a man is a big deal. In the Jewish religion, at 13  boys have their Bar Mitzvah and reads the Torah aloud to become a man. In some southern African tribes boys are taken into the wilderness to fend for themselves for a period of time to learn how to be a man. Then there are the Vanuatu Land divers, who have to bungee jump roughly 70 feet with an aim to hit the ground to prove their toughness and manhood.

I found it very interesting comparing some of our common rituals to other culture's. Different religions, values, and ideals all help form these differences between cultures.

Don't be Fooled by Synthetic Marijuana

Synthetic marijuana, or "spice," is a psychoactive drug that is made by spraying synthetic chemicals on natural plants. The effects are designed to closely resemble the effects of marijuana. However, since the chemicals used are synthesized meaning they are copycat versions of the drug THC, they are legally allowed to sell over the counter at any convenience store or retail outlet. The chemicals or "cannabimimetics" used can be more potent than THC and have more serious implications. The complications of the side effects can be far more drastic than marijuana, resulting in seizures and even death. This alone should be enough of a reason to steer clear. Since it is legal, readily available, cheaper than the real stuff, and most of the chemical's won't show up on a drug test it has become the 'high' of choice by many young adults, especially high school students. Many of these user's have found their way into the emergency room because of this choice.

So why is synthetic marijuana still being consumed in such large amounts? The obvious answer is people are naive, especially the younger population. However, the manufacturers and marketer's are having a huge impact on enticing consumer's to use their products. Manufacturer's of these products have found loop holes in our legal system and use persuasion methods to lure people into using their products. They use chemicals that have not been banned by the FDA and if and when the FDA cracks back they slightly alter the chemicals to meet legal stipulations.This keeps there product legal and on the shelves of convenience stores across the country.

Manufacturer's use names very similar to the names given to marijuana strands at medicinal facilities. Examples of product names include Mr. Smile, K-2, Potpourri, and Gorilla dro po po (I'm not making the last one up). The packaging resembles that of bags marijuana is sold in. The product itself is almost identical to marijuana.

I understand it is a legal alternative, and brands are going to try and resemble the real product as closely as they can. I also don't want you to think that I'm pushing marijuana as a healthy alternative either because I don't think it is. The problem is the product is not natural, and contains harmful chemical, which have dangerous implications that aren't completely known. It is being used by a large amount of people because it looks like marijuana and gives you a similar high for a quarter of the price. Because it is legal and cheap people are persuaded to purchase these products because they feel they are getting the same drug for a significant markdown in cost.

These synthetic brands are basically selling the idea that they offer a nearly identical product, without any negative implications for a lower price. This is persuasion because they are able to manipulate the legal system to portray their product as a safer alternative. Because it is legally sold on the shelves of stores and more affordable consumer's believe they are making the smarter choice. Just like we saw in the special, The persuader's, marketer's are able to persuade and manipulate consumer's purchase habits by altering price, wording, and comparisons to similar products (The Persuader's 2004).

Be careful with synthetic drugs, just because it is legally sold doesn't mean it is good for you!

Here are the links where I found a lot of my information:
http://www.aapcc.org/alerts/synthetic-marijuana/
www.drugs.com

Smart Phones and Mobile Advertising

If you are not one of the rare few like myself, you probably own a smartphone. Smartphones have dominated the market and most feel it is necessary in their daily lives. Although I am holding out as long as I can; I to admit that I will eventually require a smartphone for my daily affairs. Smartphones are probably the most versatile piece of technology ever invented. With about any app you would ever need and then some, online access at your finger tips, and the list goes on. People take them every where they go, and businesses have begun to reap the advantages of consumer's having readily available information.

I found a blog online written by Google Ads (provided below) that discusses how smartphones increase consumer receptivity to advertising.

Here is a link to another blog made by Google Mobile Ads:
http://googlemobileads.blogspot.com/2012/05/smartphones-have-large-impact-on-us.html

The smartphone epidemic is allowing businesses to stay connected with consumers all the time! The use of mobile ads, which can include video ads, web banners, and posters are said to increase consumer receptivity. Because smartphones are used for just about everything, of course consumers are going to be more receptive to theses ads. Mobile ads are highly tailored to the individual, and appear right in front of you on your personal device. So what do you do next, click on it, because your phone is so smart that it knows what you want. Unfortunately, not true marketer's just want your money.

Marketers are going to continue having a field day with advertising through smartphones and I am sure we will continue seeing major advances in mobile ads. They will become more tailored to the individual and intrusive in our lives. I just wonder what will come next!

The power of self-identity and reference groups

Everyone has a self-identity it is what defines us, the characteristics that give us individuality, and how we perceive ourselves. Some have more radical views on expressing their individuality and identity, while some keep their individual characteristics more private and fit in with the mainstream population. Regardless, everyone needs a sense of belonging, a social role to play in order for their identities to be accepted. Reference groups are what provide us with a frame of reference for our perceptions and evaluations of our "self." Whether you are a hippie, hipster, jock, ski bum, parent, affluent professional, artist, philanthropist, student etc.; we all have reference groups we consciously or subconsciously use to help create the ideas of our self. It gives us a benchmark on our behaviors, views, and appearance. This has a powerful impact on our consumption decisions whether we like to admit it or not.

Everyone has those genetically instilled traits such as leadership, courage, intelligence, honesty, hardworking etc. These traits are with you from birth and are difficult to change or be learned. However, it is the characteristics that you perceive to be a part of your identity that truly influence your behaviors and decisions. People look for characteristics that associate them with a particular group or social role. Many companies have used this knowledge to create brand personalities and images to appeal to the characteristics of cultural associations and reference groups. Some companies have gone as far as creating reference groups within their brand such as Harley Davidson and Apple. These companies figure out the associations users make with their brands and use them in their marketing campaigns. Once a brand is able to penetrate reference groups or become affiliated with a social role they gain a lot of market power. Once a brand has developed associated personality characteristics it is very easy to sell their product to consumer's who desire that kind of identity.

The characteristics you want to be associated with can continue to change as you enter new chapters in your life or they can stay relatively the same. Think about your social role in high school and how that affected your consumption decisions and the brands you preferred. For me I played a lot of competitive sports. I used to consume a ton of Gatorade because I thought that's what athletes should drink, and only bought Nike shoes. Now I hardly ever drink Gatorade because I know it's filled with sugary additives and is unnecessary in my daily life. I also haven't purchased a single pair of Nike shoes because I can find more practical and a better fit shoe for much less. But in high school that's what my teammates consumed and therefore I felt I needed to do the same in order to be seen as a athlete. During the winter time in high school all the "popular" girls would wear North Face fleeces and Ugg boots. Not because they were the best products, but because that's what the girl population deemed fashionable winter attire. Any no name brand fleece will keep you warm and a pair of muck boots will keep your feet much more dry. These were purchases made solely on the notion of what was socially accepted. The guys on the other hand all wore the classic timberland boots with blue jeans and a sweat shirt. These boots weren't durable, water-proof, or of any quality other than fashionable. I was one of the many to purchase these "cool" boots and they lasted me a total of six months before I wore completely through the sole. By far the worst pair of boots I have owned, but they served their purpose in school. These brands are all example of how social roles and reference groups influence our decisions. Some of these brands lured us in with their brand personalities and others just reaped the benefits of being in the right place at the right time.

Now think about the different social influences you are affected by in college, internships, careers and lifestyles. At least for me my social role and reference groups I associate with have completely changed. Your social identity is always changing and building upon itself and it is important to recognize this and think about your consumption decisions further than what you believe is socially acceptable. The message I want to get across is those genetically instilled, intangible traits of yours  make up much more of your identity than the perceived characteristics you desire. Although I continue to be susceptible to desired characteristics and brand personality influences, I can recognize these impulses and control my purchasing decisions better for what suits me.

Evolution of Marketing for the Olympics

The Olympics have become one of the largest international marketing platforms in the world. They are able to reach billions of people, in over 200 countries. It is the perfect opportunity for companies to showcase their products and services, on an international stage, to a audience that is hard to match. Some of the major sponsorships for the Olympics, include: Coca-Cola, GE, McDonald's, Samsung, Visa, Panasonic, and that's just naming a few. Commercial partnerships alone account for 40% of revenues generated for the entire Olympic games. These revenues are a vital part of the Olympic Movement and are what helps fund the staging of the games, as well as the teams and athletes.That's not including the technical support and gear some of these partner's provide for the games.

I found an interesting article, that takes a look at marketing for the Olympic games and how it has changed over the past century.

 Here is the link to the article: http://www.olympic.org/sponsors/100-years-of-olympic-marketin

In case you don't have time to check it out, I wanted to point out some of the major marketing turning points that caught my attention. These events have helped sculpt what the Olympics are today.

1920: The Olympic program was filled with corporate advertising for the first time.

1928: Coca-Cola began its partnership with the Olympic games, which still continues today.

1936: First games to be aired on television. This marked the start for broadcasting the games, which is a major revenue generator and promoter.

1952:  The establishment of the first International Olympic Marketing program.

1964: 250 companies had agreed on sponsorships with the games.

1972: The rights to use the official Olympic emblem were sold.

1988: The Olympic Partners Worldwide sponsorship program was formed.

1996: First games to be funded entirely by private sources.

2004: Live coverage was available to a large number of countries for the first time.

2008: They were the most watched games in Olympic history.

As you can see a lot has happened with marketing for the Olympic games over the past century. The chart below show's you a pie chart of how the International Olympic Committee generates their revenues. Over 90% comes from broadcasting and sponsorships alone. With out these sources the Olympics would not be nearly as big as they are.

A Brief Bio About Myself

Fairport, NY

My name is Thomas Davis, I am currently a junior at MSU, pursuing a degree in Business Marketing and a minor in accounting. I have spent the past four years in Bozeman, MT, but i am originally from Fairport, a small town in Upstate, NY. Fairport was a cool town to grow up in. It is located along the Erie Canal, just a few miles south of Lake Ontario, one of the great lakes. Growing up, I spent a lot of time playing organized sports (football, wrestling, and track), boating on the many lakes, and bass fishing.


After a ski trip to Big Sky, Mt, during my junior year of high school; I knew where I wanted to go to college. I always wanted to live in the northwest and this was the perfect opportunity to get a taste of the Rockies. I couldn't be happier with my decision to go to school here; the fishing and powder days have definitely helped with that. Since living here, I've gotten to experience a lot of what Montana has to offer. I have gotten a pass to Bridger Bowl every year and try to make it up at least a few times each week. I have also enjoyed the hiking, micro-breweries, and kayaking and fishing the many rivers.

During the summers, I have spent the past three years working in Gardiner, MT. I have been working for Wild West Rafting, as a guide on the Yellowstone River. It is a great way to spend my summers and I keep putting off getting an internship because of it.

Post graduation, I plan to take about a year off and do some much needed traveling. Some of the places I hope to visit are Alaska, and Europe. Some of the things I hope to get crossed off the bucket-list during this time are ski the Alps, backpack in Denali National Park, and fish for sockeye salmon. Once I get traveling out of my system, I plan to find a job in marketing; preferably in the northwest.

I look forward on posting more topics related to consumer behavior and reading everyone's blog. I hope you all enjoy!