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Over the course of this semester, I learned the basic principles that shape marketing. My initial goals for the class were similar to our learning outcomes and there is no surprise my goals were accomplished.  I now understand that marketing lives and dies with customers and consumers. Find a want or need and satisfy it. This is the basic rule of thumb for marketing and is impossible without the contribution of consumers.

Marketers have to perform tasks that can make or break a product during any of the stages of its life cycle. In our Practice Marketing simulation, my marketing team experienced the pressure to perform right from the start. We had sold 14 units, a horrible turn compared to our competitors who sold over 100 units. Taking up the roles and responsibilities of a marketer, we went back to the drawing board to redesign, re-market, and reinvent our company’s image for the rest of the simulation.

Marketing exists to sell stuff.  The responsibilities of a marketer may vary, but the importance of attention to detail remains constant. Researching the market is part of the game all marketers must partake in.  We have seen in class numerous product fails such as New Coke and Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water. These products did poorly in the marketplace because the target market wasn’t properly researched. If the Coors marketing team realized its targeted consumers didn’t fancy the idea of buying water from a beer company, they would’ve never initiated the campaign. Many of these mistakes are revealed through trial and error, however a well-planned research team can save a business’ capital and from possible humiliation.

There are so many opportunities to stray off the ethical path in business. Great companies consider ethics in every idea, transaction, campaign, and deal. My peers are growing fond of companies like Ben & Jerry’s because of their Fair Trade pact with its chain of suppliers. The question of ethical marketing comes up frequently when studying business. How can a company market cigarettes and appear ethical? It all comes down to how consumers interpret the message marketers are trying to sell. The greater public knows the health risks that come with smoking cigarettes and if they don’t, the warnings are labeled on the product. The issue of unethical marketing does not include the product so much as its apparent functions. If advertisements are misrepresenting a product in order to increase sales, the marketing team is acting unethically.

I feel I have gained some valuable insight from the coursework and guest speakers who had come and lectured. The importance of building my personal brand as an individual really has changed my perception on how to carry myself and represent myself in the business world. Over time I may change my motives, but I will never change my morals. Although my roots are hidden, my lighthouse points me in the right direction.

The Light At The End Of The Tower

The lighthouse has been a symbol of safety and civilization along seacoasts for centuries. Martha’s Vineyard is home to five historical lighthouses. These tall monoliths stand still overlooking cliffs and coasts to ensure safe passage for nearby ships traveling at night. Although the buildings may seem outdated and simplistic, lighthouses continue to play a large role in marine navigation. Having grown up on the ocean, the lighthouse signifies more than just a monument. I believe the light points us in the right direction just as a moral compass would help us choose the right decisions.

Ethics are the moral principles which guide the actions and decisions of an individual or group. In marketing, advertisers should not tell lies or use deception in order to sell their products. This is particularly true if they want repeat customers.  Bad news travels fast. When it comes to consuming goods, people believe they are buying a product that is inherently good and will certainly not harm them. The public is bombarded by marketing campaigns on a daily basis.  For the most part, people believe what they hear and see.  Advertisers tell people what they need and that they should buy it.  

An example of deceptive marketing involves the Volkswagen Group, a large German car manufacturer, that recently has been found guilty of tampering with their vehicle’s emissions outputs during regulated tests. The Volkswagen company was in a major push to sell diesel cars in the US, and relied on a massive marketing campaign touting its cars' low emissions. An algorithm was installed into the emissions control-module, “allowing the car to spew up to 40 times the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum allowed level of nitrogen oxides, air pollutants that cause respiratory problems and smog,” says Prachi Patel. (Engineers, Ethics, and the VW Scandal) There is no question that the acts performed by Volkswagen were unethical and affected millions of people nationwide. The company experienced a tremendous loss in customers this quarter because of their dishonesty. Trust takes years to build and a matter of seconds to break. Whether it is a buyer-seller relationship or management in a corporation, trust maintains a healthy transaction.

I feel Volkswagen has lost the light that guides them through ethical decisions. Instead, the urge for power and profit has now blinded the true motives and goals of the company. To think an organization as large as Volkswagen would put so many people at risk is a heavy decision with even heavier consequences. The scandal will cost the Volkswagen corporation up to $87 billion and potentially more from the previous consumers who vow to never buy Volkswagen again. Brand loyalty is an accomplishment both parties can be proud of. It takes so many years to build up a following that no amount of money can buy. The best way to gain brand loyalty is to have consistency with product quality, service, and ethics. When one of these factors goes astray, there is the unfortunate possibility to lose customers.

As quoted by the BBC News, "We've totally screwed up," said VW America boss Michael Horn, while the group's chief executive at the time, Martin Winterkorn, said his company had "broken the trust of our customers and the public". Mr Winterkorn resigned as a direct result of the scandal and was replaced by Matthias Mueller, the former boss of Porsche. "My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group - by leaving no stone unturned," Mr Mueller said on taking up his new post.

A lighthouse is built to withstand the rough weather that inevitably comes with its duty. I am curious to see if Volkswagen can do the same.

Minikicker

Growing up as a soccer player, I was exposed to a variety of brands in my youth. My soccer career began as a mini-kicker and my memories include eating hundreds of orange slices that left you with sticky fingers, mismatched socks and sideline mother coaches yelling what they thought were helpful hints.  The carpooling parents took turns each week for drives to the practice fields and I often sensed they were excited to help the cause and get their kids out of the house. Not much has changed since then, but the brands and how these companies market themselves has in order to stand out against competitors.  Big name brands and their well known logos such as Nike’s swoosh and Adidas’s trefoil can be seen on cleats, shin-guards, socks and uniforms worldwide whether it is the World Cup or your little sibling’s soccer jamboree. In high school, the level of play became more competitive, requiring a higher-grade boot for the player. When a member of the team brought a new pair of cleats to practice, the team and the coach would flock to the player and nitpick the cons of the new purchase mainly out of jealousy. I always found it interesting that my teammates had a variety of brands for cleats and shin-guards. Its safe to say our brand loyalties were developed at a young age.    

Brand personality is a highly effective strategy used by established companies. Marketers associate human characteristics with their brand to reach a specific user. Many athletic clothing companies will match their personality with a professional athlete. Under Armour, “Protect This House,” slogan represents strength and the drive to succeed.  Known figures like Tom Brady, Stephen Curry and Jermaine Jones contribute to the Under Armour brand personality and wear the overlapping UA symbol with pride.

In an attempt to reach a female audience, Under Armour teamed up with ballerina, Misty Copeland, to exude a quiet graceful power and strength. Established brands can introduce products to the market at a premium price because of their brand equity. When consumers see their favorite athletes and friends sporting a brand, they too will buy the brand even if competitors are cheaper. Positive and unique customer associations and experiences with a brand will result in equity and loyalty to the brand.

Adidas signed my favorite soccer player during the Barcelona Olympics, Lionel Messi.  His slogan was “every legend has a beginning.”  Every budding soccer star wanted the soccer cleats he wore.  As a young player, Messi’s endorsement was enough for me to want to look into getting a pair.  The association with a brand by an athlete motivates buyers and customers to at least take a look at them if not buy them.  Marketing through the use of excellent athletes is an important way major brands sell millions of dollars of merchandise.  

The Black Dog

Robert Douglas had a dream to sail his own ship from one coastal town to the next, discovering the best places to drop anchor and call home for a week. Once Douglas reached Martha’s Vineyard, he found no reason to leave. He purchased a small inn on the harbor that overlooked his ship and welcomed other sailors for the night. Douglas, along with his black labrador, was ecstatic about his new home but thought the island had so much more to offer its year-round residents. Writing the idea on a napkin one night, The Black Dog Tavern was born and has since become a favorite restaurant for many islanders and tourists.

It did not take long to figure out that in order to survive on the island, Robert Douglas had to come up with other ideas.  He put an image of his dog on a t-shirt and so far history was made.  During the 1990’s the Black Dog t-shirt was seen on many celebrities and was also seen in national publications.  When Bill Clinton was president, he spent his vacations on the island and a photograph of him wearing a Black Dog t-shirt while he was jogging got attention world-wide.

For some time, The Black Dog products could sell themselves because it became somewhat exclusive.  In order to get a coveted t-shirt, you had to go to the restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard to buy one. Customers saw the dog logo t-shirts as a status symbol. It was cool to wear one. It was a matter of time when Douglas and his marketing team knew that growth of the company required clever marketing and branding.  In doing so, The Black Dog decided to focus their attention on New Englanders. Douglas began opening stores to sell merchandise with The Black Dog logo on it. 

Advertising is costly but has great benefits if done correctly. The Black Dog teamed up with the Boston Bruins.  The Black Dog advertises on the steps inside the TD Garden, strategically placed behind the bench, visible to all watching national television. The colors match perfectly with the team uniform colors. Brand association with the Bruins has helped create a product associated with champions. Sports teams are excellent avenues of advertising if a company can associate with one. This approach has been successful for The Black Dog.

The company's affiliation with the Boston Bruins goes deeper than just advertisements. The Black Dog wanted to give back to its Massachusetts community in a special way. The company paired with The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), a non-profit that helps animals find adopted homes, and the Boston Bruins Foundation. I believe The Black Dog marketing team is brilliant and signing with the Bruins scored them a goal. Marketing matters and when customers see that a company puts the time and effort into their products and services as well as bettering the community around them, the relationship between buyer and seller strengthens.

The Black Dog products give their customers a good feeling and a good reason to buy their products.

Fishing the Derby

The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby is a five-week fishing frenzy marathon that occurs in my hometown of Edgartown. The island community comes together as a whole, weighing and filleting fish caught by hundreds of hearty fishermen. There are many prizes given out over the course of the tournament such as fishing poles, hats, t-shirts, pins, tackle bags and other fishing paraphernalia.  The grand prize is a new truck and boat, however many derby-goers feel that catching a big fish is a great enough prize. I am thankful to have grown up in a town where so many people share the same passion to fish, boat, and be on the water.

The derby gives back to the community in many aspects.  Acting as a non-profit, the derby serves customers but does not objectify profit as an organizational goal.  Most of the earnings from entry fees are spent on prizes and equipment as well as scholarships for graduating seniors from the high school.  Fish caught in the tournament are sent to senior housing and school cafeterias after being weighed, cut, and cleaned. This is another example of an organization giving back to the community.

I have been fishing the derby for as long as I can remember.  My dad would enlist my brother and I as miniature fishermen by having us gather bait and tackle and keeping an eye out for fish around the boat. We were distracted easily and would instead end up tackling each other.

The derby has done a great job in branding itself over the past 70 years.  Many organizations fail to brand themselves properly, usually leading to their downfall. You begin to wonder how the Derby became a household event for islanders? Attracting an array of children to grandparents, you will find everyone visiting the weigh station to get a piece of the action at the end of the day. The derby knows it customers.  They return every year and they grow old fishing it. Timing also plays a big part. Autumn is one of the nicest times of the year to be on the island and it becomes even more special since the tourists have left.  Instilling a kind of pride in contestants and giving them a satisfaction of ownership.  Marketing the name with really cool stuff is big. People wear it with pride. Pins with the Martha’s Vineyard Fishing Derby insignia are given to everyone who signs up for the derby, and can be seen pinned to the hats of bus drivers, teachers, parents, and kids who can’t wait to get out of school and join the fishing. Chatter about large fish sightings occur constantly, only fueling people to participate.  The derby is celebrating its 70th year this year and it has become quite a tradition.  Certainly word of mouth, great prizes that islanders love and the contribution back to the community is an investment for the derby.  What they give out, they get back.

As one angler said this year, “I live for the moment of dragging my fish to weigh in. Seeing those amazing men and woman behind the counter. And to hold that sucker up for a picture I worked so hard for. To me, it’s not about catching the biggest fish or the most fish. It’s about all the joy in the journey that brought me to this very moment of weighing one in.” (Phoenix Russell)  If a brand can generate this kind of excitement, it will continue to experience success.

The Boneyard

The Boneyard Surf Shop is a beloved clothing and board store on the island.  I would visit the store everyday in my youth, astonished by all the goods packed away in every nook and cranny.  The high-beamed ceilings opened up more space for skateboard decks and trendy sweatshirts resting overhead.  Surfboards hung from the walls and an old library ladder with wheels clung to the back wall allowing you to reach the items you really wanted.  Discovering brands and their newest skateboards, surfboards and shoes became a habit. I wanted to work there for as long as I could remember. I was hired on my fourteenth birthday.  My work experience progressed from raking leaves in front of the store, sweeping the floors, and then eventually calling company representatives from Patagonia, Oakley, and Vans. My goal was to find goods in the growth stage of the product life cycle.

The product life cycle is the series of stages a product goes through in the marketplace. If a product makes it through all stages, it will have experienced an introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. During the introductory period, sales and profit are slow as it may take time to penetrate the market. Our Boneyard hats went through an introductory stage although they seemed to sell themselves with enough time.  The hats reached the growth stage very fast in relation to our shirts and sweatshirts. I believe the hats matured quickly due to the popularity of the t-shirts. Customers came in for the shirt and then spotted the hat with its’ signature black band with the logo on it. It was priced right and began to fly out of the store all summer. During summer season, more often than not, customers enter the store saying, “we’re just picking out our annual Boneyard shirt.”  As for the hat cycle, it definitely declined in sales as the summer season wound down.

Brand loyalty is a large portion of the sales of our store merchandise and gaining recognition with the public. The brand logo was drawn by the store owner’s son and placed on the front and back of t-shirts. This shirt has become a classic icon for the store. Originally black and white shirts, the store has progressed over its’ 13 years providing customers with an array of colors and sizes as well as other products like sweatshirts, rash guards, hats, coffee mugs and more.  The more creative the Boneyard got with putting the logo on products, the more the customers wanted. Store display was also important for product turnover. As seasons changed, so did the demand for certain goods. The window display was our front line for catching the eyes of customers. Products like GoPro’s, Waboba water balls, and stylish Rip Curl bathing suits propped in the window worked to reel the summer herds into the store.

The Boneyard has done a great job in branding their business. Almost all of their well known goods are in the maturity stage of the product life cycle, backed with a large community of loyal customers. I myself no longer work at the surf shop but will continue to wear my Boneyard shirt around for years to come.

Surfing Passion

Finding passion in what you do is one of the most fulfilling experiences.  This summer we had great surf.  My best friends and I would be glued to the surf reports weeks in advance in order to predict when the next great surf was coming.  When the surf arrives, sunrise comes early and we slip into our wetsuits, going over logistics.  Grumbling stomachs eat peanut butter sandwiches, carefully constructed the night before, as we begin our trek.  The neighborhood looks tired at dawn, leaving empty roads and dim lanterns on at the ends of driveways to light our path.  Although our bodies were tired, we knew that surfing trumped sleep and that has always been our mindset.

I’ve been watching the ocean unfurling its’ blue barrels my entire life, but everyday I find a new perspective and appreciation for the deep blue.  On days we couldn’t ride, we’d live vicariously through Red Bull athletes by watching their videos and movies.  The next time we’re on the water, we push ourselves trying new tricks to improve our skill.  It’s great when you exceed your limits. Passion is what often pushes us to exceed our limits.

Everyday we set boundaries for ourselves without ever realizing it. These limitations appear to keep us safe, but ultimately hold us back from improvement. It can be hard to recognize what you’re capable of and how to prove yourself in the world today. As with surfing, going beyond what you think is capable is when you start to accomplish your goal.

There are plenty of logistics to consider when going out surfing. The same is true in many aspects of business. One such logistic in surfing is finding the right beach. It is like finding the right job. So much planning needs to go into it. Are you confident with your resume and do you have the right suit for the interview? If there is good preparation one can close a deal or rip a wave for that matter.

Another logistic is using the right vehicles to transport the surfboards.  Not everybody owns a car that can carry a 12 foot board. I for one don’t have this car.  More often than not, we end up hanging a board out the rear hatch of our car using straps to secure it in place.  Making sure the product reaches its destination safely is at the top of priorities for businesses. Cost is another factor. Determining the best way takes research and sometimes trial and error. Difficulties sometimes creates new solutions.

A third logistic that must be considered while surfing is the environment. Checking the weather and dressing for what may be a big sky day or a rough, rainy and windy day will determine how we approach the waves.  You cannot control the environment but you can deal with it.  The same can be said about environments in business.

Know Your Roots

     I climbed many trees in my youth.  I remember the overwhelming thrill and accomplishment after reaching the peak.  Birds would cheer me on as I ascended past their carefully constructed nests.  In autumn, the leaves often whispered a sense of serenity in the wind, reflecting the color of fall in the sky.  Branches transformed into monkey bars on a jungle gym exposing an endless world of challenges.  The seasons changed but the rooted giants never did.  As I grew older, I noticed the trees never strayed from their passive yet lively routines, instead they watched me grow my own roots.

      This summer I saved someone's life.  It was a sudden rush and my actions were closer to instinct than courage.  An older man slipped off his boat while a line was caught on his arm.  The boat proceeded to drag him further away from the dock and out to sea.  I was in full stride when I heard his wife crying for help.  I visualized my tree branches as I leapt off the dock.  It was as though I was leaving one branch to swing onto another.  It felt natural with a cool breeze and the warm sun on my face.  I pulled the man up from the boat and made sure he was breathing right.  I was taken aback by the fear in his eyes when I brought him back to reality.  Once the old man was stable I went back to work with a new aspect on life.

      Like people, organizations rely on foundation and direction.  With the right core values and mission, organizations can change lives for the better.  Sometimes organizations are large and tall but their roots are not as deep as they seem.  In order to perform an ethical business, top-level managers, owners, and employees must gain a fair profit from their organization.  It happens too frequently when greed and power shrouds the mission of a corporation.  If the core values prove to be hollow, the organization could sink and this time there will be no scrawny boy to save them.  

      I haven't climbed those trees in years but I witness the effect they had on my childhood every day.  I swing from one situation to another in a calm and comfortable manner.  I've learned to balance my work life while I climb the rungs of the social ladder.  Although my obstacles appear differently with each situation, the view of success remains the same.  I've discovered who I am through these experiences and who I want to be as a result.