AMAZON.COM PRODUCT EXPERT

"Make- up" Assignment for Exam

2005-06-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

While most companies have a goal to provide "excellent" customer service, not many can be recognized as having a goal of becoming "Earth's most customer-centric company." Amazon.com has used this "mission" to guide its marketing strategies in several areas. Strategies for pricing , developing new product lines, partnerships, promotional and expansion efforts have been developed around this overall "mission".

Viral marketing among satisfied customers is a powerful marketing tool that has very low advertising costs for companies. While it can be important to gain new customers it can sometimes be more important to retain the customers that you currently have. Amazon.com's ability to maintain satisfied customers has been one of the main reasons that viral marketing has been successful marketing strategy for the company.

Continuing with the same marketing strategy, Proctor and Gamble (P&G) has begun to change the manner in which their products are being marketed. While mass marketing has primarily been P&G's main marketing strategy, there are plans to change to interactive media and viral marketing. If completed successfully, P&G may prosper from some of the same benefits as Amazon has from this form of marketing such as low cost. However, if this marketing project is not completed correctly, it could lead to "bad" images being formed regarding the company and its products.

On the other hand, Dell products are marketed through direct marketing strategies such as internet, email, direct television and catalogs. These forms of marketing have been used to successfully promote Dell products to consumers. Through marketing the advantages of purchasing items from Dell, such as product customization and extremely fast delivery Dell has become one of the most successful information technology companies in the market.

In today's market place, companies use many different forms of marketing strategies to promote their products. Marketers must often devise new ideas to compete with their competitors. Amazon, Dell and Proctor and Gamble have been able to market their products to consumers by researching the best marketing strategy for their companies.

Amazon Group Project Blog Work

2005-06-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Amazon Topic:Product/Individual Post .

Amazon Team Post.

Extra Credit

2005-06-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

The URL for my blog which is listed on yahoo is Amazon Product Expert Blog

Team Post #1 Amazon.com Product Strategy

2005-06-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

“Amazon.com -a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer customers the lowest possible price”. Amazon.com has become one of the most profitable marketing companies and has become obsessed with providing excellent customer service. Amazon.com is responsible with providing customers with the best shopping experience possible when shopping on-line. Amazon has been able to please consumers by provding them with a huge selection, low prices and of course convenience.The company established a relationship with its first customers on the foundation of being a bookseller. Customers were provided with more selection available on-line than in a typical book store and the convenience to shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

While Amazon.com started as the world’s biggest bookstore the companies’ long run goal was to become the biggest store. In an effort to accomplish their goals, Amazon.com faced the challenge of redefining their customer relationship in terms of other product categories. Many “old” customers found it hard to reposition Amazon.com in their minds as selling more than books.

One way in which the company sought to accomplish their long-term goals was to adapt the partnership approach. The initial premise behind this approach was that they could let another firm accept the risk of selling products that had distinctive problems and still share in the potential upside from such an endeavor. The company soon began to obtain ownership stakes in a vast variety of companies such as Drugstore.com and Toys “R” Us. Everyone now has the option of selling products on Amazon .com, through programs such as Amazon auctions and zShops. These programs created by Amazon are an open market for goods in which you can list your items for sale or for auction.

The partnership approach has been successful for Amazon .com and is confirmed by their tremendous sales. Net sales for the company in 2005 are expected to be between $1.675 billion and $1.825 billion. Today Amazon.com offers millions of different, new as well as used items to consumers and has 31 different product categories. Product categories such as books, music, DVDs, electronics, toys, home and garden, jewelry and gourmet food are just a few of the categories available on Amazon.com.

My advice for Amazon.com future product strategy is that they continue with their current approach. Take a look at the companies first quarter financial results for 2005 and decide if you agree.The company has been able to offer low prices every day and apply them across their entire product range thus providing better value to their customers. Increased customer value and verbal marketing has allowed Amazon.com to become the leading online retailer.

Marketing/Tech. Blog Post/NIKE Says "NO" to Sears

2005-06-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

To protect their brand equity, Nike has decided not to allow Sears stores to continue to carry their products. What is brand equity? As described in the textbook(Kotler, Armstrong,"Principals of Marketing", p. 291) "Brand equity is the positive differential effect that knowing the brand name has on customer response to the product or service." It is an image of the product that builds in the minds of consumers based upon their level of satisfaction with the product.

Nike has made the decision to pull their products from Sears stores and protect their brand equity for several reasons. One very important reason is the recent purchase of Sears by Kmart. Kmart of course has a much lower level of brand equity than Nike. If Sears is allowed to continue to carry Nike products this may cause Nike's brand equity to decrease. NIke's has been able to maintain a image among consumers as being an "exclusive" brand.

In order to maintain loyal consumers, Nike must continue to maintain their exclusive image in the minds of their consumers. When marketing their products company's look for distribution channels that will increase their image. Nike is not willing to risk decreasing their brand equity by allowing Sears to continue to carry their products. Did Nike make the right decision? Read this article and decide for yourself.

Marketing Tech. Blog Post/On-line or In-store Shopping?

2005-06-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

In response to the recent blog posting on Diva Marketing regarding On-line or In-store Shopping, I generally prefer to shop in stores. The answer to this question depends a great deal on what I am purchasing. I prefer to shop for clothing in stores due to the convenience of being able to try the items on immediately. There are often times when a size 4 for one manufacturer is a size 6 to another. This only adds frustration to shopping on-line for me. While shopping in stores, if something doesn't fit, all I have to do is find the right size. On-line shopping, requires me to return the merchandise, pay for postage and wait for the correct size to be sent to me. This provides too much hassle for me and too little convenience.

This article relates to the B2C (Business to Consumer) e-commerce domain discussed in the textbook.(Kotler, Armstrong "Principals of Marketing", pg. 76). Selling items on the internet has many benefits to businesses such as cost savings and the ability to build better relationships with customers. Although the number of on-line purchases continues to increase, there are still consumers that are frustrated and confused when attempting to make purchases on-line.

However, shopping on-line does provide many benefits to customers such as the convenience of not having to leave your home. With a few clicks of your mouse, you can purchase almost anything and have it delivered to your home. It is not surprising to me that a recent survey indicated that on-line customers were more satisfied with their shopping experience, I'm just not one of them. Which shopping experience do you prefer on-line or in store?

Product Posts 2/Labels for Education

2005-06-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

The Campbell Soup Company has designed an exciting program called Labels for Education.This program has been in existence for over thirty years and serves as an excellent marketing tool for the Campbell Soup Company. Labels for Education has a variety of ways in which you can participate. One way to participate is through the Labels for America Program. The list of eligible Campbell Soup Products, range from Campbell's Condensed Soups to Pepperidge Farm Breads. All you have to do is collect the labels, forward them to Campbell Soup and they will provide your school with educational materials, once you have collected a certain number of labels. There are even specific product lables that the company will give you "bonus points" for if you collect their lable.

The available educational materials that you can exchange your labels for range from art accessories to early childhood computers and software. This article serves as an example of how Campbell Soup has succeeded in modifying the market. Modifying the market has been defined as "when a company tries to increase the consumption of their current product by looking for ways to increase usage among present customers." (Kotler,Armstrong,"Principals of Marketing", pg.333).

This program has provided a variety of benefits not only for the Campbell Soup Company but for consumers as well. Labels for education has brought together educators, students and families as they work to better their community and the lives of our future leaders. Read this article to learn more about the Labels for Education Program and how you can particpate.

Product Post3/Goldfish Brand Crackers Eliminates (TFA)

2005-06-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

Goldfish Brand crackers which are produced by Pepperidge Farm will become the first major cracker brand to eliminate transfatty acids(TFA) in their entire product line. This decision was based upon extensive consumer research "Many of our Goldfish consumers-especailly parents-told us they preferred snacks without transfat, so we decided to convert our entire cracker line to zero-transfat recipes" said Jay Gould President of Pepperidge Farm.

This change has given the Campbell Soup Company which owns Pepperidge Farm a distinctive edge in their market. By changing their crackers Campbell Soup has been able to "line fill" before any other major brand was able to do so. This has become a very important stage in their New Product Development Strategy presented in the textbook(Kotler, Armstrong, "Principals of Marketing", p.315). Eliminating (TFA) has also aided the company in continuing their mission to remain a leader in the cracker category. Not only have Goldfish crackers become a favorite snack for many Americans, but they can now be enjoyed without consumers worrying about serious health problems such as clogged arteries.

Pepperidge Farm will also be developing new brands which will add to their Goldfish product line."Goldfish crackers are sold in all fifty states and fourty countries, and they currently offer more than two dozen varieties." Read this article to find out more information on Gold Fish Brand and Pepperidge Farm.

Extra Credit Post/Amazon.com Verses Toys R Us

2005-05-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

To expand on Claire’s post entitled When a partnership becomes competitive in March of 2002 Toys R Us rethought their alliance with Amazon.com. What initially began as an alliance soon became competitive when Toys R Us became unsatisfied with the services they were receiving for the money they were paying. We all know what happens when you feel like your paying too much and receiving too little. Unhappy customers are bad for business.

Toys R Us sought to reduce their payments to Amazon.com and succeeded in their endeavors. This was a smart move on the part of Amazon.com due to the fact that the alliance with Toys R Us accounts for much of their profits. Read the article Fun is Done for Amazon's Toys R Us Deal and see if you agree.

Wedding Bells Ring on Amazon

2005-05-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

On May 20th, 2005-Amazon.com introduced a new shopping service that will provide you with all the help you need to plan your special day. Click here to find our more information Wedding bell's ring on Amazon

Product Presentation Post/Campbell Announces Soup Initiatives for Fiscal 2004

2005-05-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

In May of 2003, the Campbell Soup Company introduced various improvements they intended to make to their soup business. The new product line "Campbell's Kitchen Classics" was introduced to replace "Campbell's Classics" after a survey of consumers indicated the need for a soup that was priced midway between the prices of condensed and ready- to- serve soups.

The "M'm M'm! Good! To Go" line was introduced as a result of research data provided by The National Eating Trends Service.To better serve the needs of busy consumers, modifications were made to their condensed line of soups. To improve product convenience easy-open lids are now used on the company’s entire line of condensed soups which has played a significant role in the success of the company’s ready-to-serve product line.

Following concept testing, the companies shelving procedure was also modified. The company introduced the "IQ Shelf Maximizer" shelving system to help alleviate confusion and frustration when consumers are shopping for soup on store shelves. With traditional stocking procedures, it is very easy for stacked soup cans to be become turned around and misplaced often causing consumers to leave without purchasing their desired items.

The article discussed above Campbell Announces Soup Initiatives. illustrates the eight major steps in the new-product development strategy presented in the textbook(Kotler, Armstrong,"Principals of Marketing", p.315). The eight steps are listed as follows: idea generation, idea screening, concept development, marketing strategy, business analysis, product development, test marketing and commercialization. External idea sources (customers) were used to generate ideas for the development of the “IQ Shelf Maximizer”. Ideas were screened followed by the development and testing of the concept with consumer groups. The concept was marketed to retailers followed by business analysis which showed a substantial increase in sales. The product was developed, test marketed and commercialized.

MBA In Australia

2005-05-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

While blogging I came across an interesting blog that was created by a student in Australia. This entire blog is all about his journey through an MBA program in Australia. Check it out there is a lot of interesting information MBA In Australia.

Introductory Post2/Amazon.com

2005-05-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

The company that I have been assigned to explore is Amazon.com. I will be providing detailed information regarding the topic "product"
This blog serves as a requirement for the completion of Mktg 411 Introduction to Marketing

Introductory Post1/Brief Biography on Tammy Gowans

2005-05-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

Marketing 411

My names is Tammy Gowans. I am currently enrolled in the Business Essentials Program at Wharton. This blog serves as a requirement for the completion of Mktg 411 Introduction to Marketing
I currently work for the School of Medicine in the Office of Research Program Development(RPD). I currently hold the position of Adminiatrative Coordinator. We are responsible for providing assistace to School of Medicine faculty with the preparation of proposals. To learn more about the Office of Reserch Program Development go to Office of Research Program Development.