SOCIAL LISTENING
The brand I selected was Bob's Red Mill.
The value proposition of Bob's Red Mill includes their
whole grains, non-whole grains, gluten free options, healthy, fresh, taste, and
a positive atmosphere.
On Bob's Red Mill Facebook page one person stated,
"World's best steel cut oats. If you need gluten free this is the place
for you. Restaurant menu is simple and tasty and the factory tour is well with
the time." In the past, I've visited Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Store
& Restaurant which is headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon. Stepping foot into
the store was overwhelming at first since they have a plethora of whole grain
and non-whole grain options. Additionally, Bob's Red Mill sells breakfast items
such as pancake and waffle mix. Bob's Red Mill is currently performing well due
to their wide variety of gluten free options which are limited in many
restaurant locations in Oregon and across the U.S. A company which too has a
wide variation of products and flavors is Chobani. Chobani has a wide variety
of options including yogurt, yogurt flips, dips, smoothies, and yogurt for
children. Another customer commented, "We always enjoy visiting Bobs Red
Mill!! Food is good and it's so much fun shopping for grains and healthy items.
And the staff is ways so friendly and helpful. You can tell they love their
jobs"❤😁 Not only are
their products superior to other competitors, but they highly emphasize a consumer-based
environment by employing staff that care for their customer’s needs. In
addition, the staff promotes an ethical culture inside the store by seeking out
to assist customers in the store who seem lost finding a specific product. Another
company that goes above and beyond to strongly promote a friendly atmosphere is
the Walt Disney Company. Located in Anaheim, California, Disneyland employees
are always friendly to their customers; especially employees who dress up as
Disney characters. From my experience at Disneyland, the employees in character
go above and beyond to respect all visitors. An employee in character will
approach a visitor with ease acting out their role and then taking photos with
people of all ages. Another customer commented, “Really disappointed in the
gluten free pizza dough mix. I followed the directions and got a mashed potato
like mess that had to be tossed.” The customer who wasn’t satisfied with the
gluten free pizza didn’t receive a response from a Bob’s Red Mill associate.
The
customer posted his comment on March 4th! Even though Bob’s Red Mill
currently has a ranking of 4.8/5 stars, the company can still be vulnerable to
negative comments due to some of their poor performing products and lack of
communication to all customers. After all, no company wants to pull a
Blockbuster by not listening to customers!!!
The marketing implications of Bob’s Red Mill include continuing
to improve gluten free products. Also, Bob’s Red Mill should respond to every
customer who comments on their Facebook page to build their positive customer
relationship.
If I were the brand manager for Bob’s Red Mill, I
would explain to my marketing team the benefits of responding to every
customer. Each customer’s opinion counts and one negative comment about one’s
brand on social media can negatively impact sales. Once a negative comment is
posted on any social media outlet, it has potential to spread like wildfire!
MARKETING IN THE NEWS
Recently, the Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm
released both the new teaser trailer and official poster for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Writer of the
article Ann-Christine Diaz explains, “The curious imagery leaves us with some
big questions: Why is Luke's face so much bigger than that of Ren, who
practically recedes into the background? Why does Rey's saber change to red,
the color associated with the Darkside, and why is red so dominant in the image
overall?” (“The Stunning 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Poster Is Such a Tease”). The
new movie poster somewhat copies the very first released Star Wars film poster;
Star Wars: A New Hope. Both the most
recent and original Star Wars poster show Rey and Luke at the center of
attention. Both main characters raise their lightsabers’ in the air. Also, Rey
and Luke’s lightsabers display a beam of spherical light at the base of the fictional
weapon. The beams of spherical light create an upside-down “T formation”. Different
from the original Star Wars movie poster, the most recent movie poster hints a major
plot twist that everyone is taking note of. Also, there is a slight possibility
it could result in a reverse psychology tactic that Disney and Lucas initiate
to get the public talking about what they think will happen. There is a chance the
two companies are faking out the entire audience purposefully; not revealing
too much about the outcome of the film.
The marketing challenge both Disney and Lucasfilm are
facing is targeting all demographics.
The value proposition is new, revealing, and
suspenseful.
Deciding to take the safe route in marketing is risky
since it can lead to public criticism via social media. People who publicly
poke at films can turn a clip, picture, or even a movie poster into an
entertaining gif. One of the main reasons the most recent Star Wars movie
poster can be used in gifs is due to partially copying the movie poster of Star Wars: A New Hope.
http://creativity-online.com/work/star-wars-the-last-jedi-poster/51533
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/
