Fenway Park Lowers Beer Prices for Fans

Going to big sports events to support your favorite teams is always a good time. Most people like to relax and watch the game with some beers. However, the price for a beer is a whopping $8.50. This price is extremely high and usually prevents me from getting more than one. Fenway park realizes this issue and has announced that beers and other concessions will now be served for $5.00. This is a fairly large change in price and the park hopes to lure more fans to the 17 - game home schedule. Concessions and beer are a big seller at these big sports events and it is important for the park to market towards everyone making their needs more affordable.

Have the high prices at big events ever kept you from purchasing beer? Would you be more apt to buy them now that the price has gone down?

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2013/03/red-sox-lower-fenway-concession-prices.html

In Response to Drew's post

Drew asked the question, "Have you ever purchased a product just for the status it may have?"

I think that when I was younger and in high school status was more important than it is now. Before it was all about what clothing brands all the "cool" kids were wearing. During this phase, I would try to purchase the brands that kept up with the latest fashions or fads. Pretty much every type of product has a high end brand. For example, in the watch industry Rolex is at the top. In the computer industry, most people would say that the Mac is at the top. One major clothing competitor is UGG boots. You can walk through pretty much any college campus and see a large amount of girls wearing them mostly because they are comfortable but you have to admit that they do come with a certain status. I remember talking to somebody and having them say, "wearing UGG boot knock offs are not the same as wearing the actual brand." Thus implying that the status is all that matters. Below is a picture of an authentic pair of UGG boots on the left and a knock off brand on the right. They look pretty similar, but the knock offs are significantly cheaper than the original pair. I will admit that, when I was in high school I did was authentic UGG boots and made it a point to save the money up to buy the "real thing." I think status is something that has become very important to a lot of people. This applies especially to younger kids. They want to have the best of the best to fit in, and I can't help but notice that this may be due to the rising importance in status that they are observing around them and in the media.

Do you think status is something that has increasingly become more important to people? Is status a large contributor to you when you make a purchase?

UGG Boot

Knock Off

Pipeline Transportation

Today in class we discussed the various ways to transport goods from point A to point B. One of the ways was pipeline transportation. I was unsure of what exactly it was, so I looked it up. The definition of this is, "the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes using compressed air can also transport solid capsules." Pipeline transportation can be utilized for a number of different goods that include, oil or natural gas, ammonia, biofuels, coal, ore, hydrogen, water and beer. As far as beer is concerned, one major brewery in Germany uses the pipeline to transport beer to large stadiums because of the fact that it uses one central tank. Overall, this method is used mostly for liquids and not solids, however, solid capsules may be utilized in rare occurrences. 

Do you think that transportation through a pipeline is beneficial, had you heard of this method before?

The Marketing of on Demand Movies

When we are searching for movies whether it be on demand, or at red box what makes us choose the movie we choose? I know for me, by the time I actually reach a decision I've spent quite a while debating which ones look good, and which ones will satisfy my search. Some factors that may play an important part are, the cover of the DVD, the overview of the movie, and the previews that are viewed before purchase. Usually people will be drawn to less "cheesy" looking covers because they often times are seen as bad movies. People have a job to make the movie seem appealing so that people will watch the movie. If this job is not done, viewers will be detracted from the movie due to the bad exterior looks and the preview that is shown.

Have you ever noticed what persuades you to purchase a certain movie? Are you more drawn to better, more detailed cover art over messy and unnatractive covers?

In Response to Janell

Janell asks the question, "Have you seen any of these cars or others? Do you think that these companies were on to something by paying consumers to advertise in this way? Would you do this for them?"

Janell is referring to the vehicles that represent companies such as Red bull and Shock top. You can see them driving by or stopped at large parties or events to promote the company by giving out free samples. I think that it is smart to pay people to drive the car around, however those people would then technically be employees, not just consumers if they are getting paid. I think that if I got the opportunity to do this I would. It pays good for just driving a car around to market the product. 

Have you seen any other cars marketing products similar to this? Do you think that it is a successful approach and leads to people having interest in the company?

In Response to Allison's Post

Allison asks, "Do commercials with catchy songs tend to have a greater, longer lasting effect on you? Does it make you picture the product in the commercial every time you hear the song? For me, it leaves a long lasting impression in my head of the product when it is correlated to a song I like, does it do this for you?"

I think that songs that go along with commercials do leave a lasting impression. There have been a couple times when I have seen a commercial and went on to look up the song and download it. When I hear a song with a commercial I am more apt to associate the two together. Some commercials have even gone so far as to advertise a program called "Shazam" on the screen which is an app on your phone that can identify the song that is playing and also gives you the option to purchase the song. It is a good way to advertise the product that is being sold and the song that goes along with it. 

Have you noticed this feature on any commercials, has it led you to look into the song and associate that song with the product as well?

The Strategic Partnership Between Starbucks and Barnes & Nobel

Going to a book store such as Barnes and Noble usually leads me to wanting a coffee from Starbucks. Most Barnes and Nobles now work side by side with the popular coffee company to allow customers a good quality hot coffee and good book. Barnes and Noble began this relationship with Starbucks in 1993 and is still the only bookstore that serves this brand. It is a smart business decision because if someone is visiting the book store and they see the well known cafe, they are pretty likely to make a pit stop to get a delicious coffee and vice versa.


What are some other relationships among businesses similar to the one between Starbucks and Barnes and Noble? Does this type of marketing relationship lead you to experience what each business offers?