Week 6 EOC: 9 Apps

If you own a iPhone or any smart phone then you are familiar with apps. In the last couple of years they have become very popular. “Of the 82% of U.S. adults who are now active cellphone users, 43% now have apps on their phones, and more than two-thirds of them use those apps regularly.” (http://mashable.com/2010/09/14/mobile-apps-pew-survey/).

Apple has the largest selection of apps available. Their online and mobile store carries over 100,000 apps. However, the majority of them are useless.
Today I am going to talk about 3 apps that I think are great, 3 apps that are dumb, and my ideas for 3 good apps.

The first app that I think is great is the Mint app. It allows you to keep track of your personal finances. You can track, budget and manage your money on-the-go. The second app that I think is great is the Facebook app. We all know that social media has exploded in the last several years and Facebook is leading the race. You can check what your friends are up to and update your status at any time. The third best app would have to go to ESPN. I think all the sports junkies would agree with me here. Keep track of all the sports scores while your on the go.

Here are the 3 dumbest apps that are on my list. Hold On is first on my list. It’s an app where you basically hold down a button for as long as you can. What does the winner get? Bragging rights…lol. The second is an app called The Amazing Birthplace Guesser which has fortunately been discontinued. The name is self explanantory. The third is the Taxi app that makes a loud whistling sound and displays a taxi sign to get the attention of nearby cabbies. Whatever happened to waving one down?

My 3 ideas for good apps are...wait… I think I’ll keep these to myself!

Week 5 EOC: Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials

Every year millions of Americans tune in to watch the Super bowl and every year companies spend big money on commercials to advertise their product or service to many of us watching. We all look forward to watching these commercials to see who’s the funniest or most interesting. If you go to sites like youtube.com you can check out videos from Super bowls commercials as far back as 1990.

Today I want to talk about what I think were the best and worst Super bowl commercials of 2011.

The Best: Volkswagen Commercial



This Volkswagen commercial has more than 24 million views and 106,000 likes on youtube.com! It also has become one of the most talked about ads on Twitter.

The folks at Volkswagen did an excellent job with this ad. It shows a little boy decked out in a Dark Vader custom going from room to room trying to summon the force. It plays on child hood imagination and that is something we can all relate to. They did a great job at building up curiosity. What was this all about? What was this leading too?

The job of the commercial was to showcase Volkswagon’s new feature or USP and it’s the push start button on the key chain. A job well done.

The worst: E Trade Baby Trailor



I think E Trade failed to hit the target with this ad. In the past the baby commercials have been remarkably consistent, but with this ad it just more of the same. We have all seen these ads by E Trade and I think you will agree that they are no longer cute or entertaining. I say move on to something new and exciting E Trade!

Week 4 EOC: Business to Business vs. Consumer Marketing

General Electric has been around for more 130 years. It is the fourth most recognized brand in the world. You can find many of their products like refrigerators, stove tops, washer and dryers in homes across the U.S. They offer a wide range of consumer products and services.

Most of GE’s annual sales do not come from their consumer products but from commercial and industrial customers. “GE’s consumer products contribute less than one-third of the company’s total $183 billion in annual sales” (Marketing An Introduction). They sell everything from aircraft engines, diesel locomotives to medical imaging technologies. Without these products businesses would not be able to operate and provide their services to its consumers.

Business to business marketing is very important to GE. It’s pretty much the same as consumer marketing. It is driven by consumer demand. If there are no consumers to purchase the product or service then there is no reason for the business to exist.

What is different is the buying decision between consumers and business. The buying process is a lot shorter with consumers. With business it’s a lot more time involved before making a decision on what to purchase. “Buying a batch of jet engines involves a tortuously long buying process, dozens or even hundreds of decision makers from all levels of the buying organization, and layer upon layer of subtle and not-so-subtle buying influences.” (Marketing An Introduction)

With technology advancing and bringing the world closer together it makes business to business marketing one of the fastest growing areas of marketing. For marketing and sales professional it’s any area you definitely need to have a understanding in.