Marketing - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Domino’s Fills Potholes in “Paving for Pizza” Promotion

November 8, 2018

A few months ago, Domino’s began running a TV ad campaign centered on a pretty unusual premise. The commercials showed workmen filling potholes with asphalt which were then spray-painted with the Domino’s logo. “We don’t want to lose any great-tasting pizza to a pothole, ruining a wonderful meal,” read a press release about the campaign. Called “Paving for Pizza,” Domino’s encouraged Americans to contact the company if they wanted some roads repaired in their town free of charge.

“Within the Continue reading →

Promotions, Regulation, Transportation, Legal, Marketing, Domino’s, Ethics, Infrastructure

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Halloween Provides Retailers with a Seasonal Sales Boost

October 30, 2018

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Tomorrow night, children across the country will put on costumes and head out in search of as much candy as they can carry. And while many adults will accompany these kids on their sugary quests, plenty of others will be getting into the Halloween spirit without doing any trick-or-treating. After all, in recent years adults have become just as excited about All Hallow’s Eve as the most candy-crazed kids.

In fact, last year half of all Americans purchased a costume Continue reading →

Promotions, Retail, Halloween, Seasonal, Holidays, Marketing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

[VIDEO] How IKEA Gets You to Impulsively Buy More

October 26, 2018

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We’ve all been there before: you go to the store with a carefully prepared shopping list only to walk out with tons of stuff you had no previous intention to buy. These types of impulse purchases are such a vital source of revenue that some retailers design their store layouts to encourage as much emotion-driven buying as possible. This video looks at how IKEA depends on winding pathways and strategic lighting to do just that.

Questions:

How does IKEA’s store Continue reading →

Retail, Product Distribution, IKEA, Marketing, Store Layout, Operations Management

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

No-Frill Airfares Gain Popularity with Cost-Conscious Consumers

October 11, 2018

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In recent years airlines have grown increasingly stingy with the perks they grant to economy class customers. While passengers not so long ago could check up to two bags, most airlines now charge fliers for placing even one suitcase in the plane’s cargo hold. Many people also can’t make changes to their travel itineraries without incurring fees as high as $500. As a result, many casual travelers have started turning to alternative air carriers like Spirit or WOW. Although these Continue reading →

Product Development, Promotions, Pricing, Transportation, Air Travel, Marketing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Dunkin’ Donuts Begins Major Rebranding Effort

October 9, 2018

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During the summer, we looked at IHOP’s temporary name change to “IHOb” and the social media sensation that followed their announcement. As it turns out, the pancake chain wasn’t the only company experimenting with their branding around that time. In August, Dunkin’ Donuts dropped the second word out of their name at a number of locations in the Boston area. While some customers went online to vent their frustration about the change, many others apparently didn’t mind that the word Continue reading →

Product Development, Branding, Promotions, Food & Drink, Dunkin’, Marketing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

[VIDEO] How Marketers Target Your Nose

September 28, 2018

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Every day, Americans are bombarded with tons of advertisements coming out of their TVs, radios, and all sorts of other sources. While companies design many of these spots to be easily noticed by consumers, this video takes a look at one type of marketing that deliberately remains in the background. Known as “scent marketing,” companies use it to target the attention of a consumer’s nose rather than their eyes and ears.

Questions:

How does scent marketing differ from other forms Continue reading →

Branding, Promotions, Advertising, Starbucks, Marketing, Abercrombie & Fitch, Scent Marketing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Augmented Reality Brings the Furniture Showroom to Consumers

September 18, 2018

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When someone is looking to buy a new piece of furniture, it can be a struggle to find the right item to fit their personal taste as well as their floor plan. After all, just because something looks good in the showroom doesn’t necessarily mean it will fit in their living room. That’s why a number of home goods companies are integrating augmented reality into their online stores. Using a smartphone camera, the technology allows customers to visualize how a Continue reading →

Promotions, Retail, Innovation, Marketing, Mobile, Social Media, E-commerce, Augmented Reality, IKEA, Product Development

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Coca-Cola Launches Hundreds of New Drink Brands

August 23, 2018

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For more than a century, Coca-Cola’s immense branding power has centered on its signature soft drink. But with many of today’s consumers switching from sugary sodas to healthier options, the company can no longer rely on its namesake beverage like it once did. So in order to keep up with changing tastes, last year Coca-Cola launched more than 500 new drink brands across the globe. “There are products out there in the world that perhaps we wouldn’t have tried a Continue reading →

Marketing, Product Distribution, Global, Food & Drink, India, Product Development, Branding, Coca-Cola

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] It’s Not You. Date Labels on Food Make No Sense.

August 17, 2018

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If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s safe to eat eggs that have gone past their “sell-by date,” you are certainly not alone. This video looks at the confusing dates that companies place on food packaging and how they encourage consumers to throw out items that are still edible.

Questions:

Why do companies place sell-by dates on food packaging?
What can companies do to make food date labels more straightforward for consumers?

Food, Packaging, Marketing, Sustainability, Operations Management, Ethics, Product Distribution

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos, Uncategorized

Bayer Risks Its Reputation with Takeover of Monsanto

August 14, 2018

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In June, the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer paid $63 billion to acquire Monsanto, one of the biggest names in agricultural technology. The idea behind the deal was to merge Bayer’s pesticide business with Monsanto’s dominance in genetically modified crops to create the world’s largest seed and agrochemical company. Along with these valuable assets, however, Bayer also acquired a lot of legal baggage. Over the years, Monsanto has faced thousands of lawsuits from consumer and environmental advocates who claim that the Continue reading →

Legal, Marketing, Agriculture, Ethics, Mergers and Acquisitions, Bayer, Monsanto, Reputation, Branding

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law