Judge not, that you may not be judged!

This post is related to a brand that is known for its cases... and for its popularity in our class discussions... :) Yes..your guess is right! Pls read ahead..

A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office.

The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Harvard.

"We want to see the President," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away.

They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president." Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave," she said to him.

The President, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.

The lady told him, "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed.

My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere incampus." The president wasn't touched....

He was shocked. "Madam," he said, gruffly, "we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.

"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."
The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building!"

Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.

"For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he! could get rid of them now.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?"

Her husband nodded.

The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.

Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name. Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

Most of the time we judge people by their outer appearance, which can be misleading. And in this impression we only tend to treat people badly .By thinking they can do nothing for us thus we tend to lose our potential good friends, employees or customers

Japan departo theme song

Last class, we've discussing some about brand should have its slogan/logo/song which could lead customers to have it brand pop up in their mind suddenly when see/hear/think of something related. Like one of our student's example that when you're thinking of "what should we eat today?" suddenly you think of "MK", or when you're thinking of "what should you do (dou suru?), "Ifuru" pops up in your mind.

Try visiting Jusco, Gran de pot, K's denki, or even Yamada denki when you do your next shopping, and try listening to their theme song/melody. I've come to notice that I could hear their theme song/melody, everytime I visit. I'm not sure whether these brands would pop up in my mind before one another when I wanna go shopping, but I think many kids memorize these songs and persuade their parents to visit the ones their like indirectly by humming those songs/melodies

Japanese Ad plays with telephone number

We were talking about brand icons, slogans, jingles in the last week class.

Here is an example of Japanese advertising which plays with how to pronounce telephone number in an easy to remember way.

This is the ad of one law consultant company. It says, "Please call us when you don't know how to get back your money you over paid"

714 = na-i-yo It comes from "mottainai yo" or ''wasteful'' (that you over paid those money"

= na-i-yo also comes from "shinpainaiyo" or '' don't worry about it''

Very memorable and funny.

IBM Jeopardy Challenge

A few weeks ago I posted an IBM century video that recapped IBM's achievements and milestones. Now, IBM is out to prove that they are continuing to innovate.

I present to you Watson, the IBM supercomputer designed to think, learn, and beat people at Jeopardy.

Why would IBM spend countless millions on a computer with the sole purpose of putting it on game shows?

What's in a brand name?

In the 21st century, Shakespeare might ask, "What's in a brand name"? To the numerous branded companies, the answer is a "plenty of value and money"! Look around the marketing landscape,you would figure out that a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet!!

Here is an article (from mashable.com)about the acquisition of Fb.com by Facebook!

It has been revealed that Facebook has acquired the Fb.com domain. This news comes just days before its special event, where it is set to reveal an overhauled version of Messages that works like e-mail. Facebook paid a cool $8.5 million, more than 42 times the amount the company originally paid for facebook.com.

In September, the American Farm Bureau sold the Fb.com domain to an undisclosed buyer. Looking up the domain’s whois reveals that MarkMonitor, a brand protection and domain management company, is the Fb.com’s registrar. However, Domain Name Wire has revealed that the domain’s whois has been updated to reflect that Facebook is the domain’s administrator.

A recent report from All Facebook claims that Facebook is using Fb.com internally, but doesn’t quite know what Facebook intends to do with it. At the same time, The New York Times and TechCrunch claim that the company’s impending Messages overhaul will utilize the Facebook.com domain for user e-mail accounts.

What does that mean for Fb.com? Most likely, Fb.com will become the e-mail domain of the company’s 1,400+ employees. Yahoo does something similar; its staff uses @yahoo-inc.com e-mail addresses instead @Yahoo.com in order to avoid confusion between its employees and the hundreds of millions of users of its e-mail service.

Be careful with your brand name

Brand name and slogan are parts of brand element. We have to be careful in using terms for our brand name or slogan because they will represent our brand. There are several examples of the funny products' name and many people make a joke for that products.


Now the ladies can have nuts as an accessory!

Trying to formulate Jewish American Princess joke without offending EVERYONE

Finally, someone has created an extract of everyone’s favorite natural aroma!

http://www.japantrends.com/girlie-products-with-unfortunate-names/

Those are several examples of the important of brand name.

Coke's Secret Formula

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP
Citric acid: 3 oz
Caffeine: 1 oz
Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)
Water: 2.5 gal
Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart
Vanilla: 1 oz
Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color

The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):
Alcohol: 8 oz
Orange oil: 20 drops
Lemon oil: 30 drops
Nutmeg oil: 10 drops
Coriander: 5 drops
Neroli: 10 drops
Cinnamon: 10 drops

According to a Yahoo news article, company historian Mark Pendergrast found the secret Coke recipe in a 1979 newspaper photo. We all know by now that Coke's competitive advantage is not in the taste/flavor. So if this is true is this still a big thing?

iPhone or BB or Both?

It's very usual in Thailand within these couple of years that you can hear people keep talking and comparing what to buy between iPhone or BB, many of them end up with buying both.

BB users always tell non-BB users that "look around you, you will see 90% of people around you using BB", and you will love to have one too in order to join BBM (one chat software of BB users to BB users only). BB has created its own private community, so non-BB users feel that they're not counted in groups among friends.

iPhone users always tell non-iPhone users that "you can't listen to music, take nice photo, play unique application and games. I'd love to share you this songs/pictures/games but unfortunately you don't have iPhone". iPhone has creatd an unique position for its creative application. iPhone users can feel that they're more updated and technology leaders among friends.

I ended up with buying both. I found iPhone very useful to me in variety of ways but 90% of people around me convinced me to buy BB as well. So when I want "to connect to social", I stick with my BB, when I want "to enjoy things alone", I stick with my iPhone. Anyone has the similar experience?

How to Win Friends and Influence People

This week's assignment is all about changing someone's mind about a product. I just got done reading a classic motivational book written by Dale Carnegie and published in 1937. The title? "How to Win Friends and Influence People". I have to say that, despite the stories being a bit outdated, I found the lessons still relevant today. I believe Mr Carnegie's ideas could be very well adapted to our in-class marketing philosophies.

Here is how Dale Carnegie says we can influence people:

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking

1. Avoid arguments.
2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone that he or she is wrong.
3. If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way.
5. Start with questions to which the other person will answer yes.
6. Let the other person do the talking.
7. Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.
8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
9. Sympathize with the other person.
10. Appeal to noble motives.
11. Dramatize your ideas.
12. Throw down a challenge; don't talk negatively when a person is absent; talk only about the positive.

Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your own mistakes first.
4. Ask questions instead of directly giving orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise every improvement.
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.
9. Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

I was persuaded to like a brand.

Narciss is a Thai-designed clothes shop located in Siamsquare, Bangkok. It had been more than 7 years since the establishment of Narciss.

Narciss offers dresses, blouses, shorts and skirts in girly and vintage style. All items are fine cut and mostly made by cotton and printed chiffon fabric. Narciss clothes are suitable for the lifestyle of newly graduated girls who have just started working because the design is suitable for wearing to work. Moreover, Narciss also has casual items for the activities on weekend and also the luxurious-looked dress for night party. Products of Narciss target to the upper-middle to high income level girls. Specifically, the price of a dress starts from 1,590 – 1,890 baht. A blouse costs 1,190 – 1,390 baht. A skirt and a pair of short is cost approximately 1,290 baht. A gala night dress is the most expensive product line which can cost up to 2,490 baht. (Multiple by 3 to convert into yen currency)

The first time I recognize Narciss brand was the time I started studying at Sasin. My close Sasin MBA friend, Jha, asked me to accompany with her to Siam Square to bring back her cloth that had been fixed. She introduced me to Khun Nok, the shop manager, who is a little woman with the nice, friendly and talkative characteristic. At that time, I was so impressed with the supportive guide from Khun Nok. After that, I continuously visit this shop to check for the new arrival items, if I have a chance to drop by Siam Square.

Time passes by; I have noticed many of my Sasin classmates are real fans of this shop. I am wondering why Narciss had never been in my mind and my surrounding environment at the time before studying at Sasin.

I think it's not just a product to make people falls in love with a brand, but it's the combination of service and all messages that customers are served at the touch point that establish the strong bond between the customers and a brand.

WHAT THE DELL!?!!!?!!

Ever wondered what is the competitive advantage of DELL? Well, in order to wonder… You should own a Dell Laptop! Or a desktop! Only then you’ll have a chance… Oops!! “many” chances to say.. WHAT THE DELL!!!

My Dell PC was born on August 6^th , 2009 and even before completing its one year birthday, there were frequent hiccups and cries from my Dell baby! The Message was – “Your laptop’s battery life is getting expired! Please replace the battery!” And beneath that read another important one: “Replacement of battery would not be covered under Warranty!” The Customer service said the same!! So, I had to pay and buy another battery! Then came the hue and

cry from my Hard disk due to some bad sectors in the hard disk! So, I had to replace that too! What d Dell!?!?! Before the surfacing of such problems, I had bought a DELL Desktop for my home!

Even it contributed its own share of problems! Had to replace the Cd/DVD Disk drive…! Checked for bad sectors in the hard disk, through diagnostic test, and I had to replace my Desktop’s Hard Disk too! But this time, I am lucky.. Got it done before the Warranty expired! J I’m not alone in such world of D(h)ell!!! My friends in India after their experience with their DELLs tell me such similar experiences!! I wondered what made me buy Dell?? A lightning struck my mind and gave the answer --- DELL Direct!

What is it??

The primary method Dell uses in order to realize and sustain their competitive advantage is a distinctive, direct to consumer business model. The model is known as Dell Direct, this refers to their relations with their customers as being 'direct.' This model helps Dell focus on the price for performance, customization, service and support. Focusing on cost leadership has allowed Dell to sustain a competitive advantage in the PC market for the last few years. Additionally, Dell is able to differentiate itself from its competitors with its customized just-in time manufacturing. With this customization, Dell is able to offer customers more value for their money by abolishing intermediaries in their procurement, manufacturing and distribution processes. Dell's primary resources include the most up-to-date technology and IT tools that allow it to effectively move along their advanced supply chain and attain the value they are reaching for. Dell's value chain allows Dell and its suppliers to exchange information and interact with each other. The Internet, Dell's key IT factor in its success, results in lower costs to customers than other retailers because customers tell Dell precisely what they want and Dell builds PCs for the customer without experiencing inefficient resources in production. It is obvious that Dell's competitive advantage is due to its direct model success. Through Dell's IT performance, which combines its resources, its relationship with suppliers and its consumer communication capabilities, Dell has developed a big advantage over its competitors. So in order to purchase a Dell you must deal with them directly, there is no going to an outside retailer to buy a Dell. By doing this Dell can save the consumer a whole lot of money. Because of this competitive advantage Dell has been able to grow tremendously over the past few years!!!! But Dell… remember the basic fact, if the components are of not good quality and perish soon….. You are also bound to perish!!!!

-TEJ

Its Motorola’s turn to say: ‘Think Different’!

I happened to watch some of the ‘Super Bowl’ ads and I fell in love with this ad the very moment I saw it two days ago! And I have been watching this/listening to this 1 minute ad for perhaps more than 60 minutes!! …… Sometimes, you do not know why you like or love something because there may not be reason for you to like/love it! When I thought about it, the voices in my heart started conversing with those of my head and after a long time, for the first time, my heart and head agreed on the same thing!! Is it because the ad touched my heart and set its footprint in my mind??… Okey! Enough of flowery words….Pls do Read ahead…. J (Prior to that, watch the ad below)

Are you reminded of any other ad?? If not, I am here to remind you.. It is poking fun at the popular Apple ad of 1984!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhsWzJo2sN4

MOTOROLA Xoom– Empower the People

Super Bowl ads get telecasted only during that tournament and so is this ad too!! When an ad appears somewhere in a cluster of ads on television, that ad would be able to sustain in the minds of the consumers when it is unique amongst the ads... An ad has to leave an impression in the minds of the consumers before the tournament ends….. and this ad, in my opinion, does that!

When most of the ads were funny, noisy, filled with voices or over-voices, this ad has no voices but just soft music with a love story on the surface, a combination along with the main concept of the ad that touches your heart and leaves footprints in your mind. Further, It’s the month of February – the month of cupid, the month of Valentine, the month of ‘love’ – Only few ads have used the concept of love and the love story used is completely different from the rest and thus stands out apart.

The ad accuses Apple of hypocrisy for its own famous Super Bowl ad and claims that "2011 is a lot like 1984" after what Apple did with the iPad.

Target: Trying to poke at Apple, it targets who are Apple’s skeptics which is a pretty substantial market.

Position: Positioning ‘Apple’ as the big bad authoritarian company that is ruling the technological world and Motorola XOOM is there to create a difference.

Message/Idea: “ Think Different! Be Different! Buy “our” device instead”. It’s telling people what value a product can add to your life!!

As mentioned before, on the surface of the ad, there is a love story, but in the process of getting there, it showcases the features of the device – Camera, GPS, its ability to send movies from one device to another, the smooth page animations for e-books, 3D Views (using Vector Graphics?) of buildings.

The ad opens with several homogenous, mindless drones who all look alike and use the same chuck of hardware. The standout -- a handsome young gentleman (The protagonist) using the ‘Xoom’ -- is even reading Orwell's 1984, probably using the Google e-books service. He tries to court a beautiful woman trapped in the Apple world. He uses the Xoom to help buy flowers and show a video to offer her love. She's 'liberated' from her Apple world by removing the white earbuds as she meets her would-be lover. The Xoom then becomes "the tablet to create a better world," as it has developed intuitive technology that would help people enrich their lives and then the ad ends with the logo “M” of Motorola becoming “Em” of Empowered. Does it mean that ‘Empowerment of people’ is a core value of Motorola?? Or Am I reading too much into the ad??!

And it also says that it is the world’s first Android 3.0 tablet.’ But I wonder why the product is named ‘Xoom’???

Ironically, the ad tells us to “Think Different”, “Be Different” by imitating (do I have to call it ‘inspiration’ rather?) the popular classic 1984 Apple’s commercial! But the message is sound, loud and clear!

I believe, this ad may really have an impact on the consumers who have an idea of buying Apple’s iPad! (You need an example?? – Its ME! )

Anyways, wish the sun shines bright on Motorola Xoom! J

Could Motorola change consumers' mind?

in 1984 Apple was born and tried to challenge IBM by Superbowl ads :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8&feature=player_detailpage

It is proven that apple has been becoming a strong brand until now. In 2011 Superbowl ads Motorola tried to challenge back apple.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgOX9mb7V4o&feature=player_detailpage

Could Motorola beat Apple and change consumers' mind?



Hans

Can YOU Change Someone's Mind?

Skiing or Snowboarding?

There was a guy who believes snowboarding is more difficult than skiing at IUJ. He claims that skiing is using both legs and standing up like we are walking, so it must be easier. Could be..
I explained what skiing is and what snowboarding is using gesture and words.
Actually, it was not difficult to convince him to believe snowboarding is much easier than skiing because I have much more knowledge and experience than he does.

By the way, I can do it other way around. I hope professionals like doctors do not do the same things.

11 most unfortunate product names

Godfather pepsi vs coca cola commercial

Blackberry VS Apple

I have nothing further to say... please see these two commercials.

Blackberry VS Apple

Apple hits Blackberry

It's time for creativity!!

Regarding last week lecture, it reminded me of one coke vs pepsi commercial that I never forget. Here it is.



In the past, this kind of commercial may be effective. But now, it needs "creativity" like this.



This is the best commecial I watched recently. Do you like its idea? Why Volkswagen use "children, family, home" concept in its ads?

Facebook, branding for individual?

I think it's ridiculous. It sounds like the suggested ways to build up the brand for individual.

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How to become a Facebook Star: 10 Tips

– JANUARY 3, 2011

The way Facebook is growing with millions of users joining it without a break, I am concerned that soon there will be only two mankind species – some who use Facebook and others who don’t. But many users still need proper handholding to use and become popular on the world’s biggest social hangout on the Net. How?

By Rakesh Raman

If you’re aspiring to become a kinda Facebook celebrity, here are these 10 simple tips for you:

1. Your Photo: Initially, you may not have a good picture with you to use it on Facebook. Never mind. You can instead put a picture of your dog, cat, horse, mouse, or your spouse. And if you don’t have all of that, just ignore the photo box, and you’ll still appear – but like a ghost. It’s okay.

2. Interaction: Yes, if you are thinking big, interaction with your other Facebook friends is very important. But you need not worry if you can’t write something good on their “Walls.” Facebook has already made life easier for you. Just bombard others with artificial kisses, hearts, pillows, smiles, and other gifts that are readily available, free of cost.

3. Writing Posts: If you can, you must write your own posts. Hmm! Don’t know how to write? Why don’t you lift some quotations of famous people from here and there and paste them on your Facebook Wall?

4. Drag Readers. And if there are no takers for your write-ups, just shake up your buddies and force them to “Like” whatever you write. No? No one is interested? Then what stops you to press the “Like” for your own post? Just do it.

5. Like Others: If you want to win your friends’ favour, never forget to press the “Like” for their posts. No, you need not read all that ‘crap’ that they write. Just hit the “Like” button.

6. Wanna Say Somethin’: Your popularity will quickly shoot up if you could “Comment” along with your “Like” for others. Don’t know what to write in the comment box? Nothing to worry. You can use some quickfixers – wow, lol, )), hehehe, hahaha, etc. Yeah. It’s allowed.

7. Always Exist: You must always make your presence felt among your circles. Keep lurking at least in the chat box. Even if you’re sleeping there, your constant screen-presence is a must to take you to the level of stardom.

8. Work Hard: You need to burn the midnight oil to succeed. So you should adopt some follow-the-sun approach and always stay glued to Facebook even when others are sleeping. If the time is short, as a sincere aspirant, you should pray to the God to increase the number of hours in a day – from 24 to some 34, as you’ve to spend more time on Facebook. Who knows!

9. Chat: Invite as many friends as you can to chat with you. Uh-uh. Never worry if your chat is going in all directions without making any sense. Continue. In your chat sessions, sometimes there will be no questions; only answers. And sometimes no answers; only questions from both the sides. But Facebook chat is supposed to be like this. You just keep it up.

10. Ready for Fandom: If you feel, you’ve gained reasonable amount of reputation among your friends, you can quickly start calling them to become your fans. They must like your special page. Never feel let down if they don’t come. Keep sending them message after message.

Remember, you’ll be in a cutthroat land where you’ve to compete with millions. You’ve to be careful, as a toe out of line can simply throw you out of the race. So you must follow these tips sincerely if you want to kiss some real success on Facebook. Will you?

By Rakesh Raman, the managing editor of Raman Media Network.

This article was published on Raman Media Network in July 2010. Keeping in view its popularity and relevance, it’s being republished now. – Editor

REF: http://www.ramanmedianetwork.com/how-to-become-a-facebook-star-10-tips-2/

iPod beats the Walkman brand in Japan

The image and the value of Sony among young Japanese people has evolved in recent years. Sony has been last to enter the digital media device market. After dominating portable devices for years with the Walkman, Sony missed an opportunity in 2005 when Apple launched iTunes.

iTunes revolutionized the way we think of music players. No longer was your portable music player just a device, but it came with easily downloadable content, with thousands of major labels signing up to their service. They also created a senseof being part of a community by creating ads that showcased their signature white ear buds. Suddenly it was cool to have those earbuds and everyone wanted them.

Meanwhile, Sony also owns a large library of content and has attempted to sell it online. In your opinion, why has the Walkman brand been unable to keep up with iPod even in Japan?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sony-seeks-to-reconnect-with-audience?siteid=mktw

International Business Machines

Here is a great video from IBM.

This video is all about IBM's long legacy. The video showcases how they have changed the world through their innovations. There is no particular product on sale here. IBM is branding themselves as the company that has always, and will always be there, driving technology and workers rights into the future.

Have a look. Do you think this a good brand image for IBM?

IUJ Brand discussion: jump to consclusion

I have an interesting story related to IUJ brand. Tonight I listened a strong debate within two friends related to MBA program in IUJ. The highlight of the dialogue is like this:
A : How to develop IUJ Brand?
B : I think IUJ in next ten years will not change. MBA program will still in this rank, no significant change will be happened. It is because of the location of IUJ where is in a rural area. MBA students should get many business experience by visiting companies and see crowded place so we can observe consumer behavior. If we ask to the other students whether they want to come back to IUJ after graduate to study again in IUJ or not, I believe they will answer that they will not come back in this rural area.

The debate was continuing until B said it is better to increase IR students and forget about MBA because MBA students needs many experiences with business that can not be fond in IUJ.
After heard this discussion I was asking to myself whether B is crazy or not. After I analyze this and then I remembered all Professor Sugai have said in the Brand Management class.

Do you think B is crazy? My answer is absolutely not. I think B is very logical and smart person. He can find the weakness of IUJ Brand that we are proud of. But we have to remember that we are brand manager. Brand somehow is connected emotionally with customers. If we follow the suggestion of B which is forgetting MBA, it will be the same with what executive of Coca Cola have done. They betrayed loyal customers, they were not realizing what make their brand come alive. If we follow B suggestion, it also means that we do the biggest sin for manager which is jumping to the conclusion. I hope through this Brand Laboratory, we will not do the same with what Coca Cola executive have done and we also become well prepared for others attacks.

One of my favorite brand and what I think as a great example of Competitve Advantage is The Body shop.  The Body Shop ‘Greenwash Image’ has attracted and maintained a strong customer base and long term loyal employees for over 30 years.

In the Cosmetic Industry many businesses have not made the transition from Industrial Capitalism to Natural Capitalism and companies such as Almway and Dr Lewins do not use natural ingredients and above all do not have a focus on environmental protection.

The Body Shop was founded in the UK in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick, they now have over 2,100 stores in 55 countries, with a range of over 1,200 products, all animal cruelty free, and many with fairly traded natural ingredients. The name Roddick itself has built the public trust for her dedication in social and environmental activities until the day she died. 

With reference to their website . They mentioned their business runs on passion, and five values; Protect the Planet, Support Community Trade, Against Animal Testing,Defend Human Rights , govern all that they do, from reducing their carbon footprint to ordering envelopes. They believe , there is no other way to work. After all, when you believe in what you do, you do it better.

Companies that do not reflect their peoples best vision and values in their actions will wither in the market place.

Not just the green image, The Body Shops also promotes confidents in women. Unlike other cosmetics brand which in the end makes women feels less confident with their advertising, showing beautiful and perfect models, The Body Shops shows women how to love themselves as whatever they are. All women are beautiful.