Customer Loyalty

Many people have certain brands that they stay loyal to. It may be because they have heard good things, or they have always liked the product, or they simply grew up knowing the product and it is what they are used to. Personally I have grown up with many products and continue to use them today. Since they have always satisfied my family why wouldn't I continue to purchase them? Whether it be eating at certain restaurants, purchasing services such as going to the dentist, getting your hair cut or going to the doctor's office opinions are constantly being formed. If you are not happy with a product you will most likely not go back but if you do like it, why continue the search?

Do you have certain products that you have stayed loyal to? What led you to keep going back?

In Response to Drew's Post

Drew asks, "Do you think Nike does a good job at branding themselves? Is their product easy to identify and distinguish itself from competitors?"

I think that Nike does a very good job at branding themselves. Anybody whether in the United States or other places in the world will recognize the Nike swoosh. They have done very well with showing off their brand on clothing items, shoes and sportswear. This makes it easy for anybody to tell that somebody is wearing the Nike brand, thus most of the time persuading others to purchase the products. It is very easy to distinguish from other sports brands such as Adidas or New Balance which also have their own distinctive logos. Because Nike is such a well known brand, it is significant that major sports teams also utilize their brand which gets the symbol and the name out there that much more.

What other brands are easy to recognize in today's society? How do you think they have grown to gain a successful brand logo?

Consumer Decision Making Process

The consumer decision making process is made of of five steps: 1. recognition 2. information search 3. evaluation of alternatives 4. purchase and 5. post purchase behavior. This process usually takes place within a customer whether we recognize it or not. It can be applied to pretty much any product or service. Recognition is the process of determining whether you have a want or a need for a product. Information search is done by recalling past information in the memory. Evaluation of alternatives is the process of comparing the product to other brands such as a cheaper generic brand or a more expensive but more reliable brand. The purchase then takes place followed by the post purchase in which you decide if the purchase was smart or not along with if you are happy with the product.

Do you think you follow the consumer decision making process? What differences, if any take place when you make a purchase?

In Response to Ariana's Post

Ariana asks the question, "Do you think that expanding globally is always a positive business move, if not what are some of the disadvantages?"

Ariana's post about "The globe runs of Dunkin" makes a very good point. Their slogan does not prove true to just America. Dunkin Donuts is satisfying people all over the world. I think that going global can be a positive business move if a company goes about it the right way. There is a large possibility that going global can turn out to be a disaster. One would have to make sure that their company is something that will appeal to people wherever it goes. As far as Dunkin Donuts goes, who doesn't like coffee and donuts? As long as the company molds their business for the market (curry flavored donuts) then going global will be a huge success. 

What other companies do you think have successfully gone global? Are there any they have not been successful globally? 

In Response to Matt: Social Media

Matt asks, "Do you think it is smart for Corporations to use Twitter or Facebook? What about small local businesses? In what way could a small business, such as Fritz, utilize a Twitter account to maximize business and market its product?"

I do think it is smart for corporations to use Twitter and Facebook. By doing this, they are targeting a younger crowd who may not usually pay as much attention to the company or what is does. The same goes for small businesses. One example I can think of is Joe Peanuts house of wings. Before my friend started working there I did not know about it. However, after eating there I found that it was very good and targeted towards a lot of different age groups. Twitter and Facebook is something that I think would be beneficial to their business and would bring in a lot more customers. 

Do you think that social media could help businesses and bring in more customers?

Online Marketing

Have you ever been online and realized that all of the ads on the side of the page were targeted toward you and the previous websites you visited? Recently I was looking at clothing online and later noticed a couple items that I was looking began popping up on the screen. This type of marketing and advertising is something that I have noticed taking place within the past couple of years. Companies are realizing that they can target people with what they know they like by tracking their online shopping history. I think this marketing tactic is beneficial to companies because it makes people think twice about their purchasing decision with the possibility of buying the product on the second time around.

Have you ever found yourself being persuaded to purchase a product after noticing the ads while surfing the internet?

In Response to Drew's Post

Drew ends his post with the question, "Do you think that using forms of social media such as Facebook and Twitter is a wise way to market yourself as a business? What are the benefits and are there any drawbacks?"

I think that in some cases marketing through social media is beneficial and in others it is a drawback. As Drew said, many companies are trying to get you to view their facebook page for promotions or follow them on twitter. This may be beneficial to people that are involved in social media such as young adults, college students, and now more and more people in the older generations. However, being involved in social media myself, I have never really taken advantage of these marketing tactics and checked out a business's facebook page. A downfall of this idea would be that although there are many people involved in social media, there is also a large amount of people not involved thus excluding them from possible promotions that are taking place. I suppose it is just a way of improving with the fast moving times. 

Being a facebook user, would you say marketing through social media is beneficial? Suppose you are not involved with facebook or twitter, do you think you would still feel the same way?