Price

Price is the amount of money charged for a product or service, or the sum of the values that customers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or service. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 275) The price of one Slim Pouch will be two dollars. You could also buy two Slim Pouches for three dollars and save a dollar. In grocery stores, a 24 pack of Slim Pouches will be available for $20. "Good-value pricing strategies—offering just the right combination of quality and good service at a fair price." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 277) Good-value pricing is the strategy that Slim Pouch is aiming to use. For an energy drink this delicious, this great, that gives a fraction of its funds to the breast cancer organization, we feel it's a great value. 

Distribution

"Three strategies are available: intensive distribution, exclusive distribution, and selective distribution. Producers of convenience products and common raw materials typically seek intensive distribution—a strategy in which they stock their products in as many outlets as possible." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 323). Intensive distribution will be used for Slim Pouch, which means our product will be stocked in as many outlets as possible. Any grocery store, gym, and gas station we can get into, we'll try. This is a way to give our produce exposure. Resellers are distribution channel firms that help the company find customers or make sales to them. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 68).

Product

"We define a product as anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use, or consumption that might satisfy a want or need." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 209) Slim Pouch is a yummy strawberry-banana flavored energy drink designed to help give women that extra energy they need to work out. It's also a business looking to help women with breast cancer, as one-fourth of our funds will go to the breast cancer organization. Slim Pouch is also designed to help give you the vitamins you need, as multi-vitamins will be in each drink. The drink will be manufactured in a teal colored skinny plastic pouch and there will be a picture of a strawberry and banana on the front. The strawberries and bananas are organically grown and fresh picked in California. Caffeine is what will be used to get the woman pumped. Instead of sugar, we’ll use artificial sweetener from a plant called Stevia. Marketing-mix planning begins with building an offering that brings value to target customers. This offering becomes the basis upon which the company builds profitable customer relationships. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 209)

Promotion

"Many tools can be used to accomplish sales promotion objectives. Consumer promotions include a wide range of tools—from samples, coupons, refunds, premiums, and point-of-purchase displays to contests, sweepstakes, and event sponsorships." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 434) Exercising the consumer promotion idea, Slim Pouch will randomly stand in the entrance of gyms to give free samples of our drink (of course with the gym's permission). "Samples are offers of a trial amount of a product. Sampling is the most effective—but most expensive—way to introduce a new product or to create new excitement for an existing one." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 434) We feel that this is a fantastic way to popularize the product. We believe once women taste the delicious drink, most of them will fall in love with it. We can also use this tactic to build a relationship with the women and tell them more about us and our product. Something like this can be a memorable experience for them. "Many companies and trade associations organize conventions and trade shows to promote their products..  Vendors receive many benefits, such as opportunities to find new sales leads, contact customers, introduce new products, meet new customers, sell more to present customers, and educate customers with publications and audiovisual materials." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 436) Slim Pouch will be promoted during events having to deal with health, such as the breast cancer walks and the Livestrong events. This will also enable us to build relationships. Samples will usually be available in these events as well. 

Target Market Strategy

"A marketing strategy consists of specific strategies for target markets, positioning, the marketing mix, and marketing expenditure levels. It outlines how the company intends to create value for target customers in order to capture value in return." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 57) The target market for Slim Pouch is all women who work out for a desire to get or stay in shape.  "Marketing implementation is the process that turns marketing plans into marketing actions in order to accomplish strategic marketing objectives. Whereas marketing planning addresses the what and why of marketing activities, implementation addresses the who, where, when, and how." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 57) Slim Pouch will be advertised in places just women mostly shop. It will be sold in grocery stores, gyms, and gas stations. The breast cancer donations will hopefully catch the attention of women who support the breast cancer organization. Through product differentiation brands can be differentiated on features, performance, or style and design. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 196) One thing that will widely differentiate Slim Pouch from other energy drink is the unique plastic pouch it will be produced in. Most energy drinks are sold in cans. Uniqueness can go a long way for products. Also, the strawberry-banana deliciousness will differentiate it from other energy drinks. 

Objectives

The company needs to turn its mission into detailed supporting objectives for each level of management. This broad mission leads to a hierarchy of objectives, including business objectives and marketing objectives. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 41-43). The overall objective for Slim Pouch is to build profitable customer relationships creating a delicious, environmental energy drink for women. The first step is to set advertising objectives. An advertising objective is a specific communication task to be accomplished with a specific target audience during a specific period of time. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 386) Slip Pouch will be advertised in multiple gyms around the country such as Las Vegas Athletic Club and 24 Hour Fitness. There will be posters of the drink throughout the gyms. There will be a TV commercial and it will be played mostly on sports channels and cooking channels. Product line length is influenced by company objectives and resources. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 220).

Business Mission Statement

"To get any woman going that's desiring to lose weight."
These days, women are busier than ever. When it comes time for them to work out, they might find it hard to have the energy to do so. Slim Pouch is here to help them.

EOC: Pitch

Slim Pouch!

Women need energy too! How about an energy drink designed specifically for women wanting to get or stay in shape? Slim pouch is a strawberry-banana flavored sugar-free drink made to boost a girl’s energy and get her going. The drink will be manufactured in a teal colored skinny plastic pouch and there will be a strawberry and banana on the front. The strawberries and bananas are organically grown and fresh picked in California. Caffeine is what will be used to get the woman pumped. Instead of sugar, we’ll use artificial sweetener from a plant called Stevia. It’s also a multi-vitamin drink to help you stay healthy. There will also be a breast cancer ribbon on the back of the pouch, and one fourth of all funds will be donated to helping breast cancer victims.

EOC: Benefits vs. Features

"Features are a competitive tool for differentiating the company’s product from competitors’ products." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 215). "A brand can be better positioned by associating its name with a desirable benefit." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 230). Slim Pouch is an energy drink that features a delicious strawberry banana flavoring from strawberries and bananas originally grown and freshly picked in California. A benefit of that is that it will be, not just an energy drink, but a delicious energy drink. Another feature of Slim Pouch is the plastic pouch that it will be manufactured in. A benefit of the plastic pouch is that women can slip it right in their purse and it will be drunk with a straw. Slim Pouch also features artificial sweetener, and the benefit is having a sugar-free drink. One fourth of all funds will be given to the Breast Cancer corporation. The benefit of that feature is supporting people that suffer from breast cancer. "Consumers see products as complex bundles of benefits that satisfy their needs." (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 211)

Three Great Mission Statements

The three mission statements I felt were well done were Jordan McCutcheons, Michelle Brown's, and Kathea Crons'. Mission statements should be market oriented and defined in terms of satisfying basic customer needs. (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation) I feel that they all did an excellent job at doing that. Jordan explains what his business is committed to and determined to do. He also explains the kind of experience he wishes to give his customers. I thought Michelle's was very unique and smart. I felt that Kathea's was also unique, although similar to Michelle's. She gets specific about the experience you'll have when using the product with certain other people.

Situation or SWOT Analyss

A SWOT analysis evaluates a company’s overall strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T). (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation) In terms of my strengths, there aren't many energy drinks out there designed specifically for women. Especially popular ones. This can make competition a lot less of a worry. Another strength is that it wont be too hard or expensive to produce the product. I also see the fact that I'll be giving a certain percentage funds to the breast cancer organization a big strength. I don't see to many weaknesses for the company; the main thing would probably just be that my product is only designed for women, so that should eliminate all men from using the product. There are definitely some opportunities for this product. There are gyms everywhere, and people are working out every day. Also,  with the obesity rate of today, we might be able to inspire more women to workout because we can give them the energy. A threat I may have to face is that some women may not think it's a good idea to drink a caffeinated drink before working out.

EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

More companies are trying to tap Facebook Inc.'s 750-million-plus user base to find new employees, threatening traditional job boards and competing with LinkedIn Corp., which has dominated the online professional networking arena  (Joe Light Wall Street Journal). I see why they're trying to decide if they should use Facebook to find employees, and it would probably be a good idea. You can look at a lot of people's profile and see what kinda of things they like, and see if you think they would really be interested in your job. A lot of people might not like the idea of jobs approaching them on Facebook becuase they may not even be looking for a job or they'll find it annoying. However, if you're actually in need of a job, it could be pretty beneficial. I personally wouldn't mind having the job offers sent. The only problem I see is that most people don't keep their profiles proffesional and keep themselves job-presentable on Facebook, so some people may miss a chance based on the employer's judgement

As far as the article about the Job Embassadors, I think it's a great tool for company's to use. Marketers select their brand ambassadors very carefully, based on customers’ devotion to a brand and the size of their social circles (Marketing: An Introduction) Friends listen to their friends about good products because they trust their words. Often times people know other people who like the same things that they do, and they could suggest a product to them also.

EOC: Me X3

3 items that I buy and use often are clothes from Forever 21, Nike shoes, and Jack in the Box food.

 Forever 21 is my favorite store to shop at for clothing. I've loved it ever since the very first time I went inside and saw the clothing. What I love the most about it is that I find clothes that I think are really nice and fashionable at really great prices. I'm kinda of a cheap guy, and I really don't like the idea of spending "too much" on clothes. Forever 21 just seems to be exactly in my price range.

Nike shoes are my favorite shoes. Specifically their high-top Dunks. I love the variety of color and fabric they use with different shoes. I also love that they also always have a new version of the shoe. Most Dunks that I buy are usually around $70, which I don't think is bad for the quality. I love that they're fashionable, yet also kind of athletic.

It's kind of funny; Jack in the Box became one of my three favorite fast food resturaunts while I worked there. I like that they have a variety of different kinds of foods to choose from and don't just sell burgers and fries. They sell their breakfast 24 hours, they have a number of different great fried foods to choose from, and they're always bringing something new to the menu. Honestly, I just find their food to be delicious. You would think after working there I would be tired of the food, but strangely that wasn't the case. Just talking about it makes me want to go there for dinner now!

EOC: There's an App For That

Grocery shopping is a pretty popular thing for Americans. For some people, it's too time consuming. Companies have made it easier and allow people to have groceries delivered to them. But what if there was an iPhone app for grocery delivery orders? iPhone applications are hotter than ever. (webdesignerdepot.com) Imagine just going to your app, selecting your groceries and having them delivered soon. It sound like a pretty useful app to me. It could be useful in a lot of special ways. Maybe you want groceries delivered to someone another person's house for some reason. This would make that easier. Especially if they live in a different city. You could also get creative with it, using the magic of digital technology, like allowing people to keep certain items checked on the app that they usually get each time they grocery shop. If I bought my own groceries and had the extra money, I would definitely take something like this into consideration. This way we wouldn't have to worry about driving to the store, going through the store and getting each individual item at a time, or waiting in line to ring up your groceries. You also shouldn't have to worry about items being out of stock. Grocery shopping can just be a pain sometimes. Sometimes we get home from shopping and realize we've forgoten something. After coming up with this idea, I did research and found a grocery shopping app that already exists. It's called Grocery IQ. It has a favorites list, a list of different stores to choose from, and also a coupon section.

EOC: My Demographics

Born between 1977 and 2000, these children of the baby boomers number 83 million, dwarfing the Gen Xers and larger even than the baby boomer segment. One thing that all of the Millennials have in common is their utter fluency and comfort with digital technology. They don’t just embrace technology, it’s a way of life. (Marketing: An Introduction) I definitely fall under that assumption. I can't remember the last day I had without technology. And I really don't see one coming soon. The Millennials were the first generation to grow up in a world filled with computers, cellphones, satellite TV, iPods, and online social networks. (Marketing: An Introduction) That's very true for me as well. And it's crazy to see that children are becoming  professionals with this technology at such younger ages now. Who knows what 9 years old will be doing by the time they're my age! Technology is growing and improving faster and faster. The Millennials are bombarded with marketing messages coming at them from all directions. And rather than having mass marketing messages pushed at them, they prefer to seek out information and engage in two-way brand conversations. (Marketing: An Introduction) This is kinda true about me. I'm actually kind of a cheap person and I don't too much seek out information as they say. I do, but rarely.  

EOC: Great Customer Service

I will never forget a great customer service experience I had while eating at a Chilli's resturaunt once. I was there eating by myself, so the waiter decided to actually sit down across from me while taking my order. I know some customers might have actually not liked her doing that, but I thought it was nice. She was very humble and friendly. I was very unsure on what to order, but she remained very patient. That's a big thing for me, because I definitly don't like when a waiter gives an impatient impression. I don't like feeling rushed. She was also nice enough to suggest some great deals. When my drink would get to about half-way full, she went ahead and filled the glass up. This I loved, because that way I didn't have to worry about finishing my drink and waiting for my refill. She made sure to check on me every once and a while to see if I needed anything. "The aim of marketing is to create value for customers and to capture value from customers in return." (Marketing An Introduction, Page 5)  She definitly succeeded in good marketing skills. She was actually my waitress another time when I ate there with a cousin of mine. Again, she was very humble and friendly. She told us about a great special they had and we ended up getting it.

EOC: Making Money For Good

We live in a world where a lot of people are extremely more underpriveliged than others. What I feel is a very powerful way that those people can be helped is "making money for good." Three companies which embrace that tactic are Keeper Springs, Livestrong, and TOMS. Keeper Springs uses bottled water to help protect and clean up our nation's water supply. They with local organizations to protect the water supplies in the area where the water is purchased. This gives consumers the opportunity to contribute directly to a cause that will help clean up the water in their very own backyard. (bottledwaterweb.com) Water is obviously a big deal for people because we all need to drink it. This company is doing something so simple, yet so helpful. We don't want to drink unhealthy or damaged water, so many people may be interested in supporting this business. Livestrong is an organization that fights to imporove the lives of those affected by cancer. (Livestrong.org) They host running, walking, triathlon, fundrasings, and other events to earn money. They also sell sporting wear and bracelets. Cancer is a popular issue today, so what they're doing is defintely good for our community. In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers. (toms.com) I find this story pretty touching. I think it's great that Blake noticed that sad issue and decided to help those children. It's very inspring, and it gives me a stronger desire to help the underpriveliged.

EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

The video game industry has definitely come a long way. There’s been so many different ways to play games, repeatedly pushing the other ways out of the way. The Nintendo DS and Playstation PSP are definitely the dogs in the video game industry today. They have both low growth and low shares. They’re just not exciting anymore. Other recent portable games have ruined their value. I say internet gaming is the question mark in the gaming industry. They’ve been pretty high in growth as they improve, but the shares probably aren’t too great. There’s a lot you can do with the internet, so it’s easy to come up with something new and cool to get people’s attention. Facebook gaming is a popular thing today. “53% of Facebook users play the games and 56 million of them play daily.” (www.allfacebook.com/facebook-games-statistics-2010-09) I would say that the XBOX 360 console is the money cow in the game industry. It’s decreasing in growth as the excitement is fading. The shares, however, aren’t too bad. Tons of people arplaying them every day. “Over four million people now use Xbox Live in some form or other.” (www.eurogamer.net/articles/news191006xboxlive) Lastly, the star of the game industry would have to be mobile games. They’re definitely high in both growth and shares. With the capabilities of phones today, mobile games are just incredible! They’re a lot cheaper than console games, and some are even free! They’re right on your phone, so they’re always with you. “Angry Birds alone has been downloaded 140 million times.” (www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-mobile-gaming-statistics-stats-2011/) Who knows where else the video game industry will go! But I’m sure it will be interesting.

EOC: About Me

        My name is Kiere Espinoza and I work in multiple audio related activity. My favorites of those include music recording, post music production, sound desigh for film, and foley production. Another audio activity I can do is field sound recording.
        I've loved music for a long as I can remember. Ever since I was little I loved piano's and keyboards, and now I'm a pianist. I used to play really great by ear, but now I'm actually reading music. I also enjoy creating instrumentals in my Pro Tools and Reason 4 softwares. Being a student at The Art Institute of Las Vegas introduced me to the other audio fields I enjoy. After working on projects doing sound design for video, I was inspired to work on movies, TV shows, etc.
        In my future, I'd like to open a music studio of my own. Working on movies and TV would be a plus, but it's not my main goal.