Week 9 EOC: Business Mission Statement

 A mission statement is a statement of the organization’s purpose—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment. A clear mission statement acts as an “invisible hand” that guides people in the organization. (Marketing: an Introduction p.39) Basically meaning that a good mission statement tells the customer what the company is all about in a way that makes the customer want to buy or use your product. E.g. Cold Stone Creamery who’s mission statement is: “to make people happy around the world by selling the highest quality, most creative experience with passion, excellence, and innovation.” (Marketing: an Introduction p.39) The best mission statements don’t simply tell what the product is or what it does but is market oriented. So instead of saying that Home Depot is where you can buy home improvement and home repair it’s mission statement is: “We empower consumers to achieve the homes of their dreams.”


That said some of my favorite mission statements among those made within the class are as follows: 

Final Project: SWOT Analysis

"Managing the marketing function begins with a complete analysis of the company’s situation. The marketer should conduct a SWOT analysis, by which it evaluates the company’s overall strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T)" (Marketing an Intro. p. 55). 
Strengths: Rach'ka vodka is a revolutionary vodka offering a quality product for an incredible price. "Strengths include internal capabilities, resources, positive situational factors that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives." (Marketing an Intro. p. 55)
Weaknesses: As a new independent vodka there's a lot to learn. However this can also be an Opportunity. 
Opportunities: We're new, fresh and with the internet at our disposal there's almost nothing we can't accomplish. And given that there aren't many high end vodka's at such a competitive price there are a lot of growth opportunities for us. "Opportunities are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage." (p. 55)
Threats: At the current time, there are no known threats quite yet. Most vodka's are either high end and look it and cost it or they are low end and look and cost it. Few are both high end at an affordable price. 

Final Project: Mission Statement

And here at RACH’KA vodka, we’re not just another alcoholic beverage. Our mission is: We provide a glamorous vodka for the diva within us all. 

Week 9: BOC Cyber Monday

In honor of Cyber Monday, Adobe is offering a 20% discount on the Design Premium and Adobe CS5.5 Master Collection for $549. For anyone who has ever had anything Adobe, you can image what an amazing kind of sale this is. Considering that in general the Master Collection ranges anywhere from $1000 and up. This is probably one of the best sales Adobe has ever and will ever have and it’s kind of amazing that they’re even doing this, as they’re notorious for being rather expensive and to some a bit overpriced. If I had either the time (or really the energy to learn something new because let’s face it if Adobe felt the need to make a .5 upgrade there’s going to be a hell of a lot more things to learn, I would probably buy it. Assuming I had the money. It’s a pretty incredible offer, particularly if you purchased the Master Collection; this assumes that you need EVERYTHING Adobe has to offer. As it stands, I’m not sure if some of the movie equipment will come in very handy for a graphic designer but then, for the price, it would be better to have it and not need it then to find somewhere down the road that you don’t have it at all. Adding into this the additional 10% for student discount and it’s almost a steal. 

Week 7 EOC: the Pitch

Glam. Rich. Fashion. RaCH'ka is the most glamorous vodka you will ever wrap your lips around. From it's 24 karat gold bottle, to the Swarofsky crystals that line the bottom RaCH'ka is elegance incarnate. Flavored from the free flowing waters of the Andes Mountains of Argentina (the longest continental mountain range in the world) and triple distilled with just a hint of hazelnut. RaCH'ka is made from pure Crystal malt grain giving it a rich and aromatic flavoring with a slight toffee taste.This completely unfiltered 90 proof vodka is unlike anything you've ever tasted.

Week 6 EOC: Me x3

I love all things Apple, and as a general statement, I will buy just about anything they offer and largely because they are Apple. It's a brand that defines me, because everything I do somehow or other comes back to an Apple. From writing my novel on my Macbook Pro. To tweeting and managing my website between my iPad and iPhone. I can't live without my Apple Products. Period. And I really take them with me everywhere. Even if I don't expect to use my Macbook Pro for the day, I bring it, just in case I need it.

Many have argued that if you have an iPhone and a Macbook Pro, why do you need an iPad? And the truth is maybe I don't 'need' it in the strictest sense of the word. But I love it. I use it to do everything that I either don't want to do on my Macbook Pro or in the rare instances I don't have my laptop handy. It's convenient for reading blog posts on the go. Or even updating them. I will admit, laptops have a tendency to be cumbersome while on long trips. It's nice to be able to pull out my iPad and do virtually everything else I could do on the iPhone on a much larger scale.

And finally there's the iPhone. What's largely considered an iPad mini. Like everything else Apple I own, I simply can't live without my iPhone, and I have no desire to try. Sure a lot of people can argue that an Android phone or tablet can do more or do this or that. But I don't like those products. Apple been a defining product in my life since I was a baby because it simply works. I don't have to spend a lot of time figuring out a new device, in fact by the time Apple has released a new product into the public market (since it's announcement) I already know what it does and why I want it.

And for the record. Yes I have all three and yes I use them all every single day. It's not something that's necessarily easily explainable to people if you don't have these products, but if you do you know that they're hard to put down and really you don't have to. 

Week 5 EOC: Social Networks And Job Hunting

With 750+ million users worldwide it’s easy to see that Facebook (and social networks in general) are a big deal. But for companies they’re more than just a way to share what they do, they’re a way to communicate with the customer in a personal way and for some a way to find their next employees and for potential employees to find their next job. In fact according to a recent WSJ article “Candidates have been 50% more likely to apply to positions they found through Facebook than through other means.” (WSJ Online 8/8/11) and while in general Facebook only accounts for 1% of job hires, the article also claims, “If current growth trends continue, Facebook could rival traditional job boards in 2012.”(WSJ Online 8/8/11). But what of marketing?  According to Marketing: an Intro for Education “Companies such as Jet Blue, Sony, Microsoft and McDonald’s are now developing a new breed of brand ambassador programs to organize and supercharge consumer –to-consumer interactions about their brands.” (p.144) And they find people to be their brand ambassadors through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and sometimes through personal blogs. Companies have found a way to find people who already love their product brand and make them into virtual sales representatives for their companies. A lot like how a company will use a celebrity or band to help promote their brand, now they’re using individuals with large social networks and a deep passion for their brand to help promote their company.  And for what you could potentially get from this, it could be a sweet deal as the book points out “Perhaps more important to many brand enthusiasts, they get insider access to company information such as new products or services in the works.” (p.144). I could think of at least one particular company I wouldn’t mind getting access to the latest and greatest ideas from.