MBA Marketing Management in the Digital Age
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Discussion Forum: Chapter 3
What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group? Why? Which ones do not? What could they do better?
Smart watches are gaining huge interest among all especially middle age and teenagers. In my opinion, Apple watch will be the most successfully smart watch product compare with other brands outside. One of the reason is , the company change the perception of normal traditional watch from timepiece to daily activity usage as in smart phones.On same time, Apple smart watch ecosystem is fully functional only with Apple Iphone and when look at the 2021 sales revenue of $81.41 billion in Q3 for Iphone[1] and 28% of shipment of apple watch from total smart watch market makes both product as market leader in the globe[2].
Garmin is another company that produce fitness type of smart watches that shows a slow popularity in smart watch sales compare with Apple watch.In my opinion, this watch is nearly perfect on every fitness activity tracker that way focusing only on people that falls in fitness category but Apple watch can perform way beyond with other activities that much more user friendly. Also Garmin high end smartwatch that have matches specification of Apple smart watch can classified as most expensive smart watch compare with any other leading smart watches around the market.If Garmin can include most of the features as in Apple and adjust the pricing may boost the sales and may compete well with Apple smart watch.
Ref:[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/07/apple-reports-a-50-year-over-year-jump-in-iphone-sales/
Good! How about their target market based on age group? are there any differences in the smartwatches to suit different age segments?
Since smart watches have various features for different needs, the popularity are growing from fashion to health concern users it may attracts age groups range from 19 to 54 and the age group could extend coming years. But an average between 25 to 34 age group of consumers are most interested to buy the smart watches[1]. Example, phone call features, social media communication even may attracts younger generation while health related features like ECG, heart rate monitoring may attracts mid age and older age users.
To add on, fitness enthusiasts can’t live without their smartwatches. increasing consumer health awareness, as well as technological advancements, also contributed to the growth of the smartwatch industry.
Agreed with you that the Apple Watch is an amazing thing, being the world’s most accurate watch as well as the most legible and most functional.
In addition to all it does by itself, there are a zillion free and other apps to do just about anything you might imagine, and a whole lot more.
The Apple Watch has many special powers making it especially appealing to technical people, as well as to athletes, outdoorsmen, businesspeople, commuters, and just about everyone.
Clothes – Mango
First of all, these brands have the styles that I want. Secondly, I always see how lookthey good on people I follow in Instagram, in Facebook and in other online sites. They also have runway shows where their clothes are featured. The way they advertise theirclothes appeal to me very much. They could improve more on marketing their products online. At present, e-commerce or online stores for these brands don’t exist yet, but Filipinos are becoming more and more inclined to online buying. These companiesshould invest on improving e-commerce here in the Philippines
Thanks! How about the third parties (E-commerce) like Zalora? There is an official store via this channel. What do you think?
I disagree. Most of chain fashion brands already have e-commerce presence in big countries.
Huawei smartphone and laptop. Huawei smartphone have variety of model categories, different range of prices, different set of specifications, which target different segment of customers. I personally been using Huawei M20 because of its user-friendly, good quality, reliable, and not overpriced compare to other same range brands. Most importantly, Huawei have innovative ecosystem that synchronize smartphone and laptop effortlessly and enable me to work more efficiently.
I am one of the Huawei users too! Yes, this company offer a variety of products to suit different age segment and other segments as well. Thanks!
That’s cool. The only setback for Huawei smartphone is their latest and upcoming models are not compatible with Google App Store. Without Google apps, their smartphones are not so smart anymore. I am still reluctant to use other brands (Samsung, Apple etc), really hope Huawei can resolve it soon and launch a new model that is compatible with Google apps because I cannot wait to upgrade it
I am also a Huawei smartphone user. I was a Samsung smartphone fan but after using Huawei, I think it is much better in terms of battery lifespan and stability compare to Samsung.
Being in a Gen X age range group, I would say Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) successfully speak to me.
The significant reason is because its “sporty” looking feature compared to MPVs and also larger boot (cargo) space compared to Sedan cars. Just like most Malaysian, we prefer to travel with family and bigger capacity boot space is one of the main criteria we consider when buying a vehicle.Besides that, with SUVs we get higher ride height and for the frequency of flash floods we get in Malaysia, it is a wiser and safer choice. [Ref 1] In addition, studies shows that SUV driver or passenger is at 50% more likely to survive accidents compared to Sedan. On the other hand, SUV too have better reselling value compared to MPVs and Sedans. In a nutshell, from my point of view, SUV is a vehicle (product) that featuring sporty looking, larger boot capacity, designed with practicality and safety in mind.
Now to dig deeper into the discussion in terms of the SUV brand, after considering the cost, practicality & safety feature, my preference is Mazda CX5. During my scouting and research before made the booking, I have test driven few SUVs and spoken with their salesperson. Mazda CX-5 salesperson ensures the seamless experience for me from test driving to placing booking till I get the vehicle key. So it is not surprising to say [Ref 2] Mazda CX-5 ranked 4th in the best-selling C-segment SUV in the world with 365,000 units sold in 2020.
Compared to its competitor Proton X70, even though it is slightly lower priced and equipped with somewhat similar feature as Mazda CX-5, Proton X70 or basically any Proton cars are known to consume higher fuel intake. Also, as we are aware Proton X70 manufactured based on China’s Geely Boyue. China market is still somewhat new in global automotive markets, so this made me to hesitate to put my hard earn ringgits into a brand that are not well established yet. Referring to the same article in Ref 2, Geely Bouyle (Proton X70) coming in at 11th with 190,000 units sold.
Perhaps if, the Proton salesperson confident and proud with his own company product Proton X-70, he would have managed to educate or convinced me to purchase Proton X-70. Proton should be looking seriously into provide adequate training to their salesperson on their products and customer relation (power of persuasion).
Reference [Ref 1] https://injurylawyersoftampa.com/whats-safer-in-an-accident-is-an-suv-safer-than-a-car-or-sedan/
Reference [Ref 2] https://www.wapcar.my/news/honda-crv-is-the-worlds-bestselling-suv-right-toyota-rav4-nope-31642
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
Pavala Malar Nadan A/L Mariappan ..
Wow! Good sharing. I learned new things from it. Thank you.
I agree that a brand covers a warranty of quality and have many different attributes such as design, symbol, culture, personality and user image.
Customer experience and previous perception of a brand can affect our decisions. Literally users prefer car brands they like due to the personality of a brand.
When consumers have a connection with the brand personalities, it can create brand loyalty but moreover make a ‘must own’ element.It is true that Proton still required many improvement in order to catch up with other competitor like Mazda. However, we can see the sales number of Proton has been increasing year-by-year after the merger with China Geely. The new technology and the company strategy seem to be taking effective on the market while the buyer’s confidence level seem to be improved over this few years. I can say Proton is moving to the right direction,
Thank you for your insights. Yes, SUV is surely gaining the popularity and we could see more and more SUV on the road. I have been driving Sedan since day one (Toyota, reliable and low maintenance) and in the midst of is planning to get a SUV because of Proton introduction of the X70 and recently the X50. For me personally, Proton SUV is more affordable compared to others
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
Honda Cars, one of my fav brand – because this brand offers some of the best cheap reliable cars on the market, affordable, good safety, fuel efficiency . These cars will also save money in the long run by having great mileage and also not needing expensive maintenance and repairs. It offers a range of vehicles that go from mini cars to SUVs, offering best for all type age group. For basic use – Jazz & City, sporty type – Civic & HRV which attracting youngers & middle age group, family usage – BRV & CRV, luxury – Accord. Food and beverage industries may require improvement on their service – to produce healthier & nutritional menu, for example without MSG, less salt & sugar.
True.. Honda is great brand and safe for long drive.
The brand/product is Apple Iphone. When it first came out, it is so innovative and completed changed our life.
The reason I choose this as my preferred, is because of the way Apple designing the product; which is always take user experience at the first priority. Apple is famous in innovative in a “conservative” way. They normally will not roll out any new feature unless it was fully designed and suite the actual user experience.
Also, the ecosystem in Apple is also seamlessly well. Apple users also get longer support in terms of software/update support (4-5 years compare with other brands which is 2-3 years).
Unlike other brands phones, which always put in “gimmick” function/feature in their product; the way it interact with users is not really good in that way. For example, Samsung phone have a impressive camera which can take a photo of the Moon surface. However, this feature seem to be not so relevant to the users daily life. My suggestion to them in order to compete with Apple is, focus more on user experience and also improve the software/security update support.iPhone was indeed a real game changer in the mobile phone industry. When Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone, it really set the bar for all other mobile phones. That also led to the downfall of many big brands such as Nokia which failed to adapt to the changing demands from consumers.
Yes Apple’s core competency in product innovation, it was highly functional and capable of producing a rich mobile Internet browsing experience which attracted the market.
every time I hear apple or its new products, It creates a curiosity within myself about the product and what’s new that is going to be in that product
I used iPod and iPhone 3G many years ago, great products and good quality. . They are the market leader and the pioneer in mobile phone. However, I think Apple smartphone is overpriced.
I agree with Soo Kheng. I was an Apple Smartphone user as well and agree to say that Apple Smartphone was a game changer but when the smartphone industries are becoming mainstream and there are wide ranges of options based on prices, specs, brands etc., I can see that Apple Smartphone is just simply overpriced.
There were a moment that I prefer the Samsung Galaxy Note the most, where at the time I need to review many articles and create notes. The size and specs were better compared to Apple Smartphone.
And now, I prefer to choose the lowest price for the minimum expected specs and function like from 8GB RAM + 128 GB ROM, size larger than 6″, high camera resolutions etc. Many brands offer models that meet my expectations with price range from MYR 1,500. Smartphone is a necessity while buying high-end / premium product that can deliver similar result is just needs to satisfy.
No doubt that a product that I feel successfully “speak to me” is mobile game. As a gamer back in old days (well, try to sound more professional but in fact is just another average joe who addicted to game), I’m so addicted to computer games and never thought that one day a computer game can fit into mobile phone and known as mobile game. To be specific, the mobile game that really impress me is Mobile Legend Bang Bang by Shanghai Moonton Technology company.
The game and its company have been using many effective and brilliant marketing plans in order to establishing a long-term relationship with gamers/consumers and at the same time to attract new gamers/consumers. The top marketing strategy did by the company is they managed to secure a place in international Esports tournament that will be held annually with participants from Asia, South America and Europe. This has definitely help them to reach out more new gamers/consumers internationally. Another effective marketing strategy is they provide platform for influencers or professional gamers to livestream their game playing experience and they will get paid. This indirectly attract all the fans/followers of the influencers and professional gamers to play this game. Based on these examples, I would say that these marketing strategies are effectively target my age group.
Obviously, this company is on the right track in marketing this game (with 11 millions IG followers and 10 millions FB followers). In my opinion, the game company can give back to the community by doing charity and helping those in need. This is an excellent way to raise awareness and also promote the company/game. Furthermore, giving back to community will also strengthen the company/game relationship with existing gamers/consumers. Another marketing strategy that I can think of for this game to continue expand in international market is to collaborate with big mobile phone brands like iPhone, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi etc by pre-installing this game in their new mobile phone. This is the most challenging part but succeed in doing this will bring this company/game to the highest level.
There are many mobile games which couldn’t live up the expectation and survive long enough in the gaming market. In my opinion, they do not have enough capital to perform various marketing strategies, and this led them to have lesser exposure. It could also be they have used the wrong marketing strategies and it didn’t reach out to their intended gamer/consumer group. In order for them to do better, they must be very clear with their target gamer/consumer group and perform marketing strategies that are interesting to them.
sorry lecturer Nurul, i posted with wrong email, FYI below is my AMU email and name:
[email protected] – Lai Foong Sern
Product that really fulfil my needs is “Ariani”. Maybe some of you are not familiar with this brand. So let me explain what is “Ariani”. Ariani is a Malaysian based premium scarf brand. The company established in 2008 with their unique product awning tuning. As a user of a scarf, the quality that Ariani provide is the latest trends/design and definitely highest quality of fabric for their customer. With this quality and target segment, customer able to maintain the image and ethos of Muslim compliance.
In addition why I love this brand because they create the their own branding as a one stop center for Muslimah wear needs. And they do offer the range of price for different type of scarf. The most important thing is when you wear it you can feel the worthy of the money you spend on it.
One of their marketing strategy is they open the outlet in urban area whereby their target market is in this area. And with their latest design, they are actually inspire muslim women to be fashion inspired.They also have good work force which 1 personnel for 1 customer in their outlet.
Their target market is for working lady & housewife. In my opinion, the thing that Ariani can do better is expanding their target market. Maybe they can make a variety scarf for teenagers with affordable price. This method will also encourage teenagers to wear scarf and still looks fashionable. Therefore it can be one of their opportunities for the business expansion.Thanks for sharing. Actually I only know “duck” brand due to many controversies with the founder.
You’re right. Hahaha. Controversy is also a part of marketing. 😅
I think Ariani is doing good in positioning her product in the market. Customers get the value for money buy purchasing Ariani. Anyway, just sharing this info, owner of Ariani is son-in-law to Jakel’s owner. Hehe
What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group? Why? Which ones do not? What could they do better?
Being a millennial & living in this techno-digital lifestyle, I would choose the brand “Dell” that is very close to me and to me I would blindly choose “Dell” products over any products in market. Many of us are often in the assumption when it comes to Dell its a computer/laptop generating company in the market, however Dell made the absurd mark on the market with their approach of delivering customer specification of PC configuration , the direct sales model and “build-to-order” was the reason of the brand moving forward in early 2000s.
In a nutshell, their strategy to ensure the supply chain of the company is working as intended and with their Just In Time strategy to distribute products at best price were driving the major sales in e-commerce end. They ventured into services market soon after by acquiring companies to move forward in not only providing hardware but also to provide a complete solution based on the needs of customers – that is due to the high competition from other competitors due ventures in the smartphones market.
The audience of Dell users varies from tech-savvy youngsters till executive adults who wants to have a “hold” on their working life.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell
–Ariva
I am Dell laptop user too. I personally like the brand because it is budget friendly and the performance is also very good.
The brand that successfully speaks to me is Skechers. Their range of footwear – running, walking, sandals and slippers are not only eye-catching but also very comfortable. At this age – I’m looking for comfort first, and design second. With Skechers, I can get both. Plus, the products are of high quality, and highly durable. You can use the same pair for years. Although the price can be on the high side for certain products, some promotions can be irresistible during a certain period. For example, 50% off on certain designs, or get the 2nd item for RM 1. Considering this, it makes the purchase worthwhile and reasonable. Moreover, my age group is mainly working adults, so we do have money to spend (although some might need to save first). Also, they collaborate with a lot of other characters and individuals to produce special editions, for example, Hello Kitty, One Piece, Park Seo Joon, and many more. If you’re a fan of these characters, these series can also become collectibles that add value.
On the other hand, advertisements for Home Expo featuring a baby in afro hair do not make any sense to me. Although this might be an old advertisement, even after years, it still didn’t get to me. I have to agree the baby is cute, but it didn’t portray anything relating to Home Expo, or furniture exhibition. I think advertisers and marketers should market the event using featured products and furniture, or the ambiance of a space or home where people can picture themselves living in the space. This too, can spark imaginations and encourage consumers to carefully think of the products they wanted to buy to create their dream home.
Public Bank is the brands I love as my hobby is saving since I was young. After I grown up when purchase car & property, Public Bank is always my first choice. It is one of the top 3 banking group in Malaysia and create value for over 8 millions customers in Malaysia. It carry well known reputation as their efficiency & “strict-to-rule” loan approval, but this reduce a lot in bad debt ratio compare to other competitors.
And that’s why I also bought its stock to become little shareholder, and steadily grow guarantee my investment for many year. 😀
I believe with the good management & operation experience, Public Bank have plenty room for improvement in oversea marketing, and I hope Public Bank can do better to advance itself to become international player in banking. 😇
Thank you for sharing this, your post gives a fresh input for me.
Usually the usual banks are Maybank, Cimb, HSBC and UOB. It’s great to learn about Public Bank as well.
What you said really “speaks to me” as I’ve not think of it that way. My first bank account since I was a kid is Public Bank too, and it’s active till now. I agree to it being my first choice, but never really stopped to think why. I guess from this perspective, inspired by you, I’m looking back into the brands that I’ve been using for more than 10 years, such as Public Bank, Maxis, and Dettol, and why they were able to gain customer loyalty. I’m sure it is because the brand or the products “speak to us” enough for us to have emotional connection and dependability towards them, on top of the basics of providing good quality and services.
Public bank is one best bank in Malaysia. It recently win the awards like J.P. Morgan 2021 Elite Quality Recognition Award for achieving best-in-class straight-through processing rates for MT103 and MT202 USD payments. They have one of best customer service in the banking industry.
The brand which has succeeded to speak to me most would be Shopee. This brand and also their app have been used by me almost daily since few years ago.
Personally, it’s their digital marketing efforts that really influenced me on my purchases. An example would be their data collection be it from my social media accounts or my chats, which then will drive their ads on the products I had conversation on to appear. Their other successful digital marketing strategy would be their search engine optimization- for example when searching for “strawberries” the links from Shopee would appear immediately. Another one would be their use of Influencers to promote their products and these Influencers would provide their direct links for easy one-click purchase. Other examples would be catchy tunes during the major festivals in Malaysia, even children love them as it appeals to all ages. They have already recently forayed into the Food Delivery space, even though albeit slower compared to the big players Grab and Foodpanda, nonetheless with a more aggressive marketing campaign, cut-throat promotions and more efficient logistic services it can well compete to be all in one super-app.
With that said another similar business or company which does not appeal to me would be TaoBao due to the language being used that is less universal. That is a great determent to the non-Chinese users even though with their much better competitiveness in pricing compared to Shopee or Lazada. They could perhaps introduce a dual-language selection to cater for a wider range of users. Lastly would be their logistic options which encourages users to consolidate more purchases into a single shipment to save on cost. This sometimes work against them as users delay their purchases in order to accumulate more items which may not materialize in the end.
I will definitely second this, personally I have been shopping more with Shopee on almost anything that I need, more than ever during this pandemic.
Their assurance and social media marketing strategy has been top notch comparing with the bigger e-commerce players.Yes,Shopee is really good platform to do shopping because it saves time and efforts and convenience. During MCO, online shopping is better physically walking to the store. To control covid-19 effect, the people are encourage to do online shopping.
avid user of shopee, taobao used to be foreign to me because of the language barrier but now it has its own tab in lazada..which is good news to me because I get to shop for quality items at fraction the price..
Shoppe always gives us ideas on what we can buy when do not even think about it.
One of the most important elements almost everyone is looking for is staying healthy and MCO has made many Malaysians involve in sports or exercise due to their concerning physical health and mental health. In order to get involved or kick start any sports, the equipment or props or clothing, or minimum shoes are required.
One of the outlet brand that stands out among all the other outlets is DECATHLON.Decathlon is one stop centre for all the sports equipment, clothing, props, shoes, etc. It has all the required equipment, clothing, props, shoes, gears and etc for cycling, running, walking, water sports, team sports, skating, scooters, racket sports, martial arts, and precision sports type. Even social activities such as camping, hiking, and trekking, climbing, fishing, and fitness like bodybuilding, cross-training, fitness cardio, yoga, pilates, boxing, dancing, and gymnastics are not left out too.
Just like their tagline “Sports for all! All for sports; Better gear better off”, DECATHLON covers all age groups which can involve in sports, activities, and recreational. Although their user group is covering all age groups, their prime business target shall be middle class and upper middle class groups. Their price is very reasonable compared to other sports outlets. Other competitors such as Sports Direct, Al-Ikhsan etc sell other brands’ items such as Nike, Adidas, Under Amour, etc. Whereas Decathlon has its own private label brands which quality is almost equal to Nike, Adidas, Under Armor, Puma, etc, and the price is much affordable. Decathlon also has more than 800 stores all around the world and in Malaysia, its presents are only around Klang Valley at the moment. However, their online presents are also available for all regions in Malaysia to use their products. Even Decathlon was very active during MCO through online platforms by promoting indoor exercise equipment and prop.Decathlon has a similar store/outlet setup concept to IKEA. Everything you need for particular sports or activities is available in one station. This makes the customer easy to shop all the things in one place without any hassle and most importantly with good quality and reasonable prices.
One of the significant things that Decathlon can improve is its brand awareness in Malaysia. Although they are one of the largest sports good resellers, many Malaysian outside Klang Valley are not aware of Decathlon. Currently, they have 6 outlets around Klang Valley, and expanding their outlets to major cities in Malaysia, particularly Penang and Johor would help them to bring their brand presents wider in Malaysia. As mentioned above, Decathlon brand awareness still can be improved drastically and one of the strategies is to be the main sponsor for any popular sports team or tournament in Malaysia. This will increase the awareness of the brand together with constant promotion of the brand and its goods.
Ref 1: https://www.decathlon.my/
Ref 2: https://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/lifestyle-and-retail/5213-decathlon.html
I found out about Decathlon during MCO too and purchased quite a few home exercise stuff from too via where else Shopee! haha
Visit their store, you will feel IKEA of Sports
Indeed! But going there is dangerous for my wallet..😅
Indeed . I’m one of their target market ! Haha. Now when i want to buy sports attire/ stuff i will always look for Decathlon. The price is quite reasonable especially for my hiking stuff which i need a variety collection of sports attire. They also extend it to purchase via online which are more convenient for all client.
Yes it is like IKEA for sports, great place to shop. I am an avid hiker and camper, 90% of my hiking and camping tools were bought from Decalthon. Their latest branch is in MyTown Mall Cheras. Total now 7 outlets, all in Klang Valley. Surprisingly they do not have a branch in Johor, and freaking 15 outlets in Singapore alone! I did a small research to draft a business plan to pitch few investors about the possibility to bring first outlet of Decathlon to Johor, and found an interesting part about Declathon is that they do not have franchise business model.
What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group?
Fossil is the brand that speaks to me. Fossil target aged group from 18 to 40. The brand established as one of the best in the market with affordable prices for middle-class people who like to wear branded watches. The classic styles and well-made mechanics of the product make the brand successful with many repeated customers over the years. Warranty and after-sales service are also one of the reason why I like this brand. Fossil follows a diversified distribution network. Department stores, specialty retail locations, watch and jewellery stores, retail and mass-market stores, e-commerce platforms example Lazada/Shopee, and fossil website – their watches are available through a wide range of networks.
Which ones do not?
Titan is not able to attract youth and young adults because of their design or they do not focus on this target group.
What could they do better?
By doing research they can understand customer expectations. Survey is one of the best way to find the failure and to perform improvisation in terms of design, price, quality and services.
In my opinion, Zoom is the brand that speaks to me when it comes to online video conferencing because it is easy to install, setup and its functions are user friendly.
The word Zoom itself is catchy and is well-known among video conferencing applications.I trust nobody would have thought video conferencing would be as easy as Zoom.
Zoom has gained its popularity just in time when the word was hit by coronavirus in March 2020 where online learning and online meeting were highly on demand.
Big corporations might not select Zoom as their standard application due to whatever reason, but it is highly used by small companies, enterprises and at home.
As of May 2021, Zoom was selected as the Best Overall Video Conferencing Software in 2021 by Investopedia. Thus, Zoom is not only popular among its users, but it is also a critically acclaimed application in the market.
- This reply was modified 2 years ago by Saiful Bahtiar Mat.
Honestly, i do not know how to use Zoom. i rarely use it. struggled the first time. hehe..😆
I always use Teams at work & for classes, and whatsapp videos & google duo to have video calls with friends and family.
Based on the article below, the zoom revenue has increase by 56% and number of users also have increased gradually. Now, zoom has become tool of communication for business industry and it expected to still keep growing. When we compare zoom and google meet platform, zoom seems to better because total participant capacity is 1000 and zoom offer 40 minutes free plan for limited users. Many larger cooperate company will choose zoom rather than google meet which only have capacity of 250 participant at a time. </div>
https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252507901/How-Zoom-is-growing-its-APAC-business
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/google-meet-vs-zoom/
- This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Kubendren Kathiravaloo.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
I agree with you😇😇, Zoom have save the world and for me, it is pandemic’s success story. Firstly, it save education industry, it allow teachers to connect with students via Zoom conference, hence, allow teachers/coaches from private sector to survive, for example, tuition centre, enrichment centre, etc. Although other platform like Microsoft Team, Skype and Google Meet do provide the same meeting/conference function, BUT compere the feature & functionality of the platform, Zoom is still the best choice for majority of users. 😇
- This reply was modified 2 years ago by
Q: What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group? Why? Which ones do not? What could they do better?
Adidas is always my choice. My family is actively playing sports, from 2 years old until 10 years old children (5 of them) and together with my wife, we are always in the hockey stadium for training and matches in the weekend. During weekdays, we will play different kind of sports in the evening, sometimes at night or early morning, at least jogging. Most of sports brands offer a good quality of sport wears with a good design. What makes Adidas difference than others are the wide range of designs with several combinations between standard to max comfort, simple to unique design, focus on high fashion to high performance, standard cotton and polyester to innovative recycled plastics and many more. And all of the designs are created for different target age segments and life styles. When our family with different age group and also different taste enter the Adidas boutique, usually we can easily grab what we like and satisfy. Especially for my kids, there are a lot of fashionable design in collaboration with Lego, Marvel etc. that quite closed to the children nowadays, and definitely they like to wear something with characters that they know and like. For me, I really like this kind of one stop center, just go to one place to get the needs for all family members, so we can spend less time for shopping and spend more times on the other activities.
Based on my observation, the same industry and the competitor from the same country of origin, Puma, is quite attractive in terms of the looks of the design such as shoes but not so practical for me to wear. I have quite wide feet but most of the shoes are narrow and long, that makes me feel uncomfortable to wear it especially when playing sports. And for children segment, the characters printed on the clothes are not really close to them like snoopy which I also feel like it is outdated while my children don’t even know what is snoopy, or just few cute drawings of wild animals which they don’t even like to try it on. Puma may need to study the customer behavior (and physical size) of local or regional markets, not just about the brand name and Ferrari logo.
What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group?Honor phones
Why? honor understand the needs and wants of Malaysian consumers, especially the young people who want the latest and most advanced technology for smartphones without breaking the bank. Honor never fails to launch innovative smartphone products coinciding what millennials want.
Which ones do not? What could they do better?
Blackberry. BlackBerry should focus on adapting to the younger generation’s wants , consumer’s insight and provide attractive design with better camera quality
Beyond my expectation, I actually find Bath & Body Works product lines as one of the surviving factors for me to go through my current full-time work from home, which have initially started from the implementation of nationwide MCO last year. Working in finance department, even though the whole online working can be done seamlessly, the huge workload plus intricate complexity of the numbers put such pressure to my mental & emotional state. As an escape, I found BBW body care products and fragrance lines especially helps me in maintaining my mood and emotional stability. The variety of nice fragrance of body mists and candles provide sort of new tranquility to me. Due to full-time work from home, I do have more time to spent on personal care, thus I especially enjoying the BBW body care product like lotions, scrubs and shower gel. Plus for a lady of my age, body care products and good fragrance are part of beauty care that helps in building our confidence as well as providing self-satisfaction. These are much needed for me personally despite working alone at home and not meeting others face-to-face.
Jabra…my preferred headset for work and offwork. With working from home, joining or hosting meeting is very common for us in outsourcing IT company. I work with colleagues or clients from around the world, it is important that the connection good, clearly hearing other people without delay and I can response clearly to other people in calls.
Recently, I received new wireless headset Evolve 65 which is the best so far. I would have to compliment the team behind for performing a good product development and market development. The cultural environment affected Jabra’s direction from wired to wireless headset. I still had the wired Jabra headset Evolve 20, which I considered very good until I experienced Evolve 65.
They had succcessfully secure deal – provide latest wireless Evolve 65 for all employees in my company worldwide. They understand what our company’s business,our employees’ working environment and the demands require , with the products specifications. Each specifications meeting the business needs. Further expanding in this market development thru careful market research is really fruitful(as I can see). Indirectly, having higher market shares instead of targeting individual customers.
I had Baseus Encok D02 wireless and foldable headset. I like the foldable design but I still prefer Evolve 65 in my daily use. Baseus still need to improve quality in term of ‘comfort feel’ when utilizing long hours. Baseus has recently made its name worldwide and this diversification very attractive for younger age group.
I think Jabra’s product is fantastic. Like you mention the new norm – WFH, we need to use more on-ear sets. I think Jabra’s marketing strategy is to target corporate customers, I seldom see their advertisements around. One thing I want to point out is, don’t you think Jabra should improve the product quality? The ear cushion will tear off easily on certain models. I have disposed of 2 sets of Jabra headsets due to ear cushion tear off.
Oh really, so far fine for me. I just quite long time until I received my new wireless one. So i think it is durable for me.
Like you mentioned, since there is such case, they should improve on their quality as well.
The baseus foldable headset I had, targeted my age group because of the advertisement and the pictures shown. However, after bought, the comfort is not there yet, require improvement.
There is baseus earphone, the normal wired ones, but does not appeal to me. I think they need to be more creative in design in order to gain market among the wired earphone.
Lazada vs Shopee. Last 2 years during pandemic, most of my online shopping done using Lazada. As a parent there were many things, I turn to Lazada to buy in small quantity to avoid physically going shopping. It has wide selection of local and international sellers. Same delivery van/motorbike came to deliver and the delivery person remembered my name. Shopee might have cheaper delivery option but a few ringgit does not make much different. In my experience I found Lazada has better search result in google search and google ads with wider selections suggestions.
Shopee, for me it has too much orange and red colour, Lazada has much more professional look and less cluttered. Also, Shopee annoying music & dance does not help, especially when they used Ronaldo, my football GOAT, in awkward dance ads. Probably Shopee is targeted to younger generation than myself. They should improve in mobile and web UI and google search results.One brand that successfully impressed me/ spoke to me was MAC Cosmetics. They have outlets in most of the malls and the price of the products are not very high and its worth for the quality they provide. The sales person in the outlet has the knowledge to choose the best products for customers like me. I can easily purchase through online as well. What I like the most is their marketing strategy to have wide range of products for make up. Most importantly MAC have foundation shades for all kind of skin tone and age group. As a customer with skin of colour ,I love their foundation the most. Product strategy will help to target more audience. They have their product strategy to focus and market their products to all skin tone.
The brand that did not really impressed me is Maybelline. Maybelline is available in Watson and Guardians but there is no quality. They should produce more products for all kind of skin tones. (i.e. more foundation shades for people with skin of colour).They do not have product strategy and it may be the cause of the poor quality of their products.
Shopee is my go to brand when it comes to online shopping.They have larger variety of products that serves all age group and communities.Tough lazada has been in the market earlier than shopee, i am more convenient to use Shopee due to its affordability and fast shipping.
Besides, recently they have launched food vendor ” Shopee Food” which is a brave thing to venture in despite the strong and well known brands availabilities.Which ones do not?
Lazada has failed to impress me due to their poor shipping services. Domestic shipping takes more than a week to receive.
What could they do better?
Poor customer skills . Customer representatives need to be trained to provide better solutions instead of offering for a refund /cashbacks.Indeed true…i prefer shoppe compared to Lazada.
What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group? Why?
Without a doubt, I would say ‘Mommy Hana’ product brand. I believe everyone quite familiar with this brand name, this is a famous brand especially among young moms in Malaysia, particularly for Malay market. They provide entertainment for kids yet it’s educational interesting tools. Mommy Hana is an online store from Malaysia. They able to provide something fresh and amazing solutions for parents to make their kids to stay healthy and have fun learning. They are having numerous product lines, however I would like to highlight two of their best products, which I found it’s really good and workable to improve my kid’s focus and concentration skills. Firstly, the interesting book which being called as ‘ My first book’. This exciting interactive book really help parents who want to provide the best early childhood exposure to their kids who addicted to gadget, yet allow the kids’ screen time with something educational yet in a fun way. Besides ,this book able to stimulate children’s motorskill from the touch senses as well as their movement, vision and hearing as got the sound/picture of button provided according to the category like animals, fruits, vehicles, parts of body etc. Thus, it can attract children that lack of interest to learn in order to practice more fun ways of learning. In addition, can stimulate the development of children’s minds to interact with learning aids through its nice, colourful and attractive graphics. Moreover, can improve the mastery of 3 languages, that is Malay, English & Arabic. Furthermore, it can instill Islamic values in children from an early age, as this book provides ‘daily duas’, ‘list name of 25 Rasul’, steps to perform prayers and steps of ablution before prayers. It has also provided the dotted tracing activities of alphabet letters (ABC), ‘alif ba ta’ , numbers, lines and shapes.Therefore this will help to improve children’s motor skills and writing skills. On top of that, parents will get free gifts like marker pen and magic pen, thus it can boost children interest on drawing/writing. Meanwhile, the second item is ‘Islamic audio device’, which USB and plug included. This is kind of therapy for mind (soothing sound) with best Al-Quran recitation by Ustaz and wonderful Zikir songs by Mommy Hana. Also include with white Noise, mozart, lullaby and Omar&Hana (Islamic animation cartoons) songs. The interesting part is , when we playing the audio , the Surah or Zikir songs it’s auto shuffle and this device can be lasting for 9 hours, with once charging only. The weight for both ‘ My first book ‘ and ‘ Islamic Audio Device’ about 600 gram, hence it’s suitable for the children with age between 3-8 years old.
Even they have just started in 2016, but until now their product items are still widely use among my group of age, as being a mother, we want give the best to our kids including their educational tools which must be something beneficial interest for them be it in dunya or hereafter.
Which ones do not? What could they do better?
In our daily living, we have to provide those things we really need in life for us to survive by means of buying and purchasing the products for us to makes satisfy by successfully using it to our daily living. The product that doesn’t suit my group of age is sarong hijab or ‘tudung sarung’, to be specified is ‘Three-tiers Fareeda hard awning tudung’. This hijab emerge in Malaysia market around 2012-2013 but unable to stay relevant in a changing market behaviour. They could do better in term of targeting appropriate audiences and new product development that suit with fast-paced lifestyles, as fashion product usually have a short product life cycle . For instance , they should come out with more fresh and up-to-date design, convenience material and modern look as to target working mothers, working single ladies or students. There should be new product development as hijab fashion is a growing industry in a fashion industry, by offering the customers a wide range of designs and collections based on fulfilling the customer’s need and wants. It can specialises in hijab to fashionable young Muslim women for their daily use of hijab, who focusing on a trendy, sophisticated, elegant and casual style and catering to their needs for a moderate fashionable hijabis look. They could provide other type of hijab like square scarves, bawal or shawl in a variety of colors, for example pastel colors which one of woman’s favorite colors when it comes to hijab, and it is attached to eye attractiveness that brings calmness and tranquillity. In order to satisfy customers, the hijab fashion industry should always follow the fashion trend which makes the business very dynamic in nature. The fashion industry is a subset of the textile industry, whereby creativity and innovation are critical to success.
Forum 1: Discussion Forum: Chapter 3
What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group? Why? Which ones do not? What could they do better?
The brand that can talk to me most successfully is Shopee. Since a few years ago, I have been using this brand and their apps almost every day. Personally, their digital marketing work really affected my purchases. An example is the data they collect from my social media accounts or my chats, which will then drive their ads on the products I talk to. Their other successful digital marketing strategy is their search engine optimization-for example, when searching for “strawberry”, a link from Shopee will appear immediately. The other is that they use influencers to promote their products, and these influencers will provide their direct links to facilitate one-click purchases. Other examples are catchy tunes during major festivals in Malaysia. Even children love them because they are attractive to people of all ages.
They have recently set foot in the food delivery field. Although they are slower than the big players Grab and Foodpanda, they can compete well to become a super application through more aggressive marketing activities, cruel promotions and more efficient logistics services. . Having said that, another similar company or company that is not attractive to me is Taobao because the language used is not very common. This is a big obstacle for non-Chinese users, although they are more competitive in terms of pricing compared to Shopee or Lazada. They may be able to introduce dual language options to meet a wider range of user needs. Finally, there is their logistics option, which encourages users to integrate more purchases into a single shipment to save costs. This is sometimes detrimental to them, because users postpone purchases to accumulate more items that may not be realized in the end
The brand that I felt successful speak to me is Xioami. This brand has produced smartphone that comparable to Samsung with the cheaper price. I have research that the latest smartphone that both company produce have similar specification but Xiaomi sell it more cheaper. I believe, Samsung markup the price due to their established brand where Xiaomi we still consider as new brand because not many user are using their product.
Sneakers is a product that speaks well with me, in terms of brands I would say there are a few i.e., Nike, Converse, Adidas, Jordan’s etc. In terms of brand, I believe Nike takes the biggest piece of the cake. Nike is a brand that is considered to be no longer a conscious choice for certain group of people but an unconscious decision to purchase a pair of Nike shoes – whether or not for sports or fashion. Nike has played an active role in getting their brand out there in the public by sponsoring athletes, video games, sports event etc.
The brand Air Jordan, is considered a piece of investment because of its value on certain rare edition. For example, a single pair of Air Jordan 1 2016 would have a retail price of $160 in 2016, but in 2021 the same shoe is selling for $940. Many people will choose the purchase the brand for either two things – one is for investment and secondly for the culture it breeds.
Kotler defines that the power of brand is in what resides in the mind of the consumer. Nike transmit the image for passion for sport “Just Do It”. As a result, people do not buy Nike when they need a pair of shoes. This happens because those brands sell feelings, and emotions play powerful role in customers behaviour. Kotler also said, consumers do not just buy a product, but they buy experiences.
One thing Nike can improve in terms of their image is to not exploit workers in a foreign land to too much pressure and respect the tenets of Human Rights. I quote from a news article
‘The Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co. turns out eight million pairs of Nikes per year. Its factory in the Chinese city of Laixi resembles any other sprawling production facility, apart from the six-foot high barbed wire fences that run along the perimeter walls, watchtowers standing sentry at various corners, and an in-house police station, replete with facial recognition technology, that also serves as a surveillance hub. The prison-style security is necessary to ensure that upon shift’s end, the Uyghurs working there return quickly to their segregated dormitories to prepare for mandatory patriotic re-education classes run by the Beijing government.
If there are Nike Shox or Airmax in your house, they were most likely put together in this sinister place where several hundred employees are, essentially, prisoners. Over the past couple of years, Uyghurs were transported to this plant as part of a “forced labour” initiative, often as punishment for “crimes” such as growing a beard or participating in an Islamic fast. They must eat in a separate cafeteria to their Han Chinese counterparts, are permitted only to walk around the outskirts of the factory to purchase necessities at the market stalls perched there, and, crucially, are not allowed to return to their homeland of Xinjiang, 3,400 km away in the north-west of the country.’
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Ishwinder Singh.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
Different target group have different needs. I’m in my late 20’s and prefer trendy, viral and fashionable product. Brands for example such as Apple, Adidas, Nike, etc. They attract youth as they provide up to the minute trendy goods which are made especially for the needs of specific target group. Also these brands advertise their product to influence their audience to feel it is the right appeal for them. Brands for example such us Bata, Crocodile, Nokia, etc are not able to cover the youth market maybe because they do not really focus on youth target group or failed to make successful appeal for these target group.
Yes agree with this as well.
The youth and teenagers prefer trendy and fashionable product, products that provide advanced technology example brands such as Apple, Zara, Puma , Adidas, Fossil, Harley Davidson etc. are able to attract the youth as they provide trendy good, which are produced keeping in mind the needs of target group at the same time these brands use advertisement which are capable of making right appeal to the audience.
While on the other hand brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Bata, Boon Siew Honda etc. are not able to attract youth because they either do not produce goods for this target group or they are not able to make successful brand image for this target group. This product also are all those old days which is being used by our grandparents which maybe they would prefer more compare to the youth and teenagers.
Moreover, marketing strategies also play an important role as we all aware, those trendy and fashionable products did their marketing very well as compared to those products in the old days. Example, youth and teenagers prefer to purchase Nike, Adidas sports shoes as compared to Bata mainly due to the brands. Those trendy products also usually come out with new and latest product as compared to those old brands they only keep with the same products without any makeover to the old products.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Bachevinder Singh A/L Param Singh @ Bob.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Bachevinder Singh A/L Param Singh @ Bob.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
As a heavy user of Facebook since early part of 2008, I would say this product is has succeed where Friendster or Myspace (or even Circle 99) fails. It has the exclusivity during its earlier days, require you to use your actual name. It linked to your tertiary organization, due to its requirement of signing up using university account, where it is able to make you feel sense of belonging or something to relates for.
Friendster was the platform popular earlier in Malaysian scene, but it lacks of progressive and understanding the change in online scene.
Myspace provided the opportunity to be creative and different from others, which can be said only target certain niche. Again this was the early days of online social platforms, and the market is still in its early days.Fast forward, we can see that Facebook has evolved its strategy to be more inclusive, so much that it opened the opportunities to be a platform of spreading false information, target marketing and racial intolerances. This is due to shift on approach where anyone can join the platform, without the needs to verify the account owners.
Nonetheless, Facebook still being the most popular social network platform globally (link shown at the bottom) and mainly for 30 years and above age range compared to other platform such as Instagram, twitter and the latest hype Tiktok.Tiktok with is short video format really catches the younger users and really catching up with the more matured platforms so much that these platforms need to adapt to Tiktok’s content format, which can be seen in Instagram’s reel and Youtube’s short videos.
It was the same as when Instagram started with short videos “Stories” that it’s parent company Facebook opt to have the same format on its platform.
But what I think the edge that Facebook has compared to other platforms is its versatility in content formats; long structured posting, picture and video sharing, link sharing, live feed sharing and even adding video game streaming to its products. These are more appealing to larger crowd and older age user (until pre gen-z). Instagram focuses more on creating likable pictures and videos, while twitter with its micro blogging hinges on fast and more open communication (or collaboration). We can even see the difference in feedback from each platform users in certain issues.
With the emerging news on Russian influence in US elections, the covert operation on Facebook’s platform has come out on the surface. It was an open secret that fake accounts were created and used to alter the platform user’s view on certain regional issues, and its usage during US elections has make it clear that these platforms can bring harm to the society if not being used carefully. As the product owner, Facebook has to improve on this and be more transparent in how their are handling the enormous data gathered from each user, and how it’s being shared to third parties.
Link : https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
No doubt there are lots of benefits in using Facebook or other socmed, we all aware about the advantages. However, it is slowly becoming a taboo to talk against about it. We will be labelled as anti-technology, boomers and resistant to change.
Facebook or any other socmed are convenient and useful to keep distant connection closer but as a price, made existing physical closer connection, distant.
To elaborate the above statement, Facebook is indeed very convenient to get people to keeping in touch with distant people and feed us with tonnes of information on daily basis, but it is also defeating the purpose of human existence.
As a human, we tend to look for convenience. We have so much thing to do but with limited time. We have insufficient time to meet up with people physically, it is way convenient, cheaper and faster to “meet” online. We would eventually shift to this “unreal” virtual reality, addictive world, and as a price we will tend to lose real identity, personality and physical presence are no longer a necessity.
This might go off course, but during this pandemic period, there has been significant high rate of divorce in Malaysia. [Ref 1] “Almost 78,000 divorces were recorded nationwide since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak began last year, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob”. I would say this is happening because most of us are unable or do not know how to deal with “real, physical” people who are close/important to us.
Online streaming entertainment has sink-in to our everyday lives in the past 10 years, and now, with the pandemic happening, where everyone spends a lot of their time at home, online streaming entertainment is now a norm, at least for me. In this context, the brand that I feel speaks to me the most is Netflix. Mainly because of they customize different marketing strategy for different new contents, and many of them being original. More importantly, as a brand that constantly communicates to the audience and provides personalized content and settings, Netflix gives us option to skip intro too!🤩From here we might be able to see, the catch to effective marketing targeting me, or generally, my age group, would most probably be “Originality” and “reach out to your target audience”.
However the brand in the same industry, possibly equally good, but did not “speak to me”, is Amazon Prime. Amazon might have a lot more movie options compared to Netflix, but many of them are pretty much backdated oldies. Like Netflix, Amazon has some original shows or series too, but their content marketing surely did not reach me, or came anywhere near visible. Although Amazon claims that their marketing focuses on the content they offer, they do not seem to reach out far enough to know what their target audience wants.
Yes, online streaming. There are many from China and I have been stucked into them.
Netflix need pay so I dont use. I dont know about Amazon actually.
Nike has been doing a great job in positioning its products in the market. They have great styles, designed, perfect endorsers and catchy advertisements in print and online. I use Nike products in almost all my sports when i hit the gym, running, basketball and I even use Nike shoes as a casual wear.
See, Nike noticed that people are wearing athletic shoes for comfort and casual wear, and as “streetwear” and not just for sports. They design shoes to fill these needs. More people are wearing athletic shoes as casual wear. Kids these days wear Nike shoes to school, women across the world use them during vacations especially when there’s a lot of walking involved and some even to work simply because of the comfort and the light weight of the shoes.
Nike target group is very broad because their line can cater to different sports done by people of all ages. They can cater to children’s, teenagers, adults and even senior citizen.
Nike is already successful in its branding and positioning in the market but to improve their successful branding they should work further on their corporate social responsibility. Not only will they be help the less fortunate but also the environment.
👍
I have always placed Grab on a high pedestal amongst start-up companies. Their services offered is really in touch with the current market needs. If you look at the history of Grab although short history, Grab started as a company called MyTaxi. When MyTaxi was first launched in Malaysia, it directly addressed an issue that consumers were facing which is bad taxi drivers. Anyone living in Klang Valley during that period of time can attest to the bad nature of the taxi service. From drivers who simply charge their passengers until drivers who are rude and dirty. So MyTaxi came in and address the issue to transparent pricing of the fare. When booking the taxi the fare is clearly stated and that is the price the consumer will have to pay. The rating system incorporated into the app allows taxi drivers, their taxi and their service to be rated and ranked. Drivers with low ratings might receive less booking and so on. Over the years MyTaxi was rebranded to Grab and offered a host of other services such as ride sharing, food delivery as well as e-wallet. The company always strives to bring new innovation to the consumers.
On the other end of the spectrum, many local movie streaming services has failed consumers miserably. Take for example iFlix. When they first launched I was supportive of local companies and sign-up for a year. During the initial months, they had a wide range of contents including international movies. But over time, their rights to this movies expired and they didn’t renew or get new movies into their catalogue. That led to the drop in the available content. Even their local and Asian content has getting lesser and lesser. Another similar local streaming service is DimSum. During initial launch they had a wide selection of Asian movies including my favorite Thai horror movies. Unfortunately similar to iFlix they did not maintain their library nor add more movies. Ended up very little content available. Local movie streaming services need to ensure that they maintain and upgrade their collection of movies in order to still captivate the consumers.
Yes, I still recall MyTaxi. Now it is fully replaced with Grab. No denying that this is a good app and we can easily use taxi service to destination require. We can clearly know our driver detail, when they will come, the charges and destination time. Now, Grab have additional services also such as food, groceries etc.
Yes Grab has change the landscape of public transportation mode in Malaysia, replicated the innovation of Uber and perhaps doing better than Uber. Grab acquired and merged with Uber in SEA region, offer delivery service, and recently went public listed in Nasdaq via SPAC. However, there was concern that Grab would be a monopoly and is bad for riders.
Starbucks
Strategically placed in areas where students are likely to visit (example: Universities, town centres, cafes) arranged and furnished to encourage social interaction (comfortable couches, etc), variations of coffee and other beverages provides consumer choice and helps create youth individuality in choice of drink. Students defeniately prefer to dine in with colleagues especially on a group discussion as they has all the facilities (including wifi). Will all the hospitality provided, this will ensure that all the youths prefer to dine in more longer as they feel comfortable. The way they promote their coffee and drinks also sometimes attract people (example: Buy 1 Free 1, Black Friday Night whereby all coffee capped at RM 1.00 for certain hours). This indirectly will ensure their revenue to increase due to good marketing strategies.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by Bachevinder Singh A/L Param Singh @ Bob.
The increase in disposal income of Malaysian in my opinion has also contributed to the rise of Starbucks in Malaysia. As during my undergrad days (circa year 2000) the Starbucks around were few and considered luxury item but today Starbucks is such a household name here in Malaysia and it is quite accessible to multiple levels of society in Malaysia.
Starbucks has become one of the biggest coffee brands in the world. Not long after they opened their first store in Seattle, they expanded rapidly, and now the coffee chain has close to 24,000 stores worldwide. Starbucks is successful because of their service and strategic location.
Agree with both of you. I guess now Starbucks has become a needs when people are finding for coffee (compared to other coffee shops like coffee beans etc.). The industry’s demand for premium coffee and snack products are mainly driven by a number of factors which
include disposable income, per capita coffee consumption.Even kids craze about starbucks nowdays.
I like to collect their merchandise; especially thermo flask.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
In my opinion,the Google is web browser and effectively conceive my age group to use it.It has been free,fast and easy to use compare to other web browser.It does not required any programming or database skills to interact with google apps.It does required any installation and can be access from any where.
The product which not able to reach my age target audience is Fitbit Force watch.Complaints began to arise from users who were experiencing skin rash issues from sustained wear of the band, however. The company previously offered to replace devices with other trackers, or refund the money of those affected, but now it’s going all in on a full-scale recall.
The company should have more focus on research and development to produce a quality product which not give negative impact to the customers. It not only effect the company reputation but the customer will not trust on the product of these company in the future.
Agreed, Google is the best search engine. It is very simple to use unlike other search engines whose use can be quite complex. Google search is very user friendly.👍
Yes agree with you. I find the Google is user friendly unlike the Brave/Opera as they have snooze ability for each webpage. I also sign in to the browser so I can traced back my history from the other devices and it convenience as I frequently switch my devices as I moving a lot.
What I like the most about google they have services that allow us to backup our data in Google platform for our Android devices.
Agreed. I honestly cannot imagine my life without Google. Totally need it for my work.
I could not agree with you more. Absolutely, google is the best “Digital Library” at the moment almost for everything.
We simply say ‘Let’s Google it” rather than “Let’s browse it”. So yes.. Google really made it.
This is so true!
“Google” is life savior nowadays. I’m sure all of us are highly dependent on google
200% agree. Without google who we are.
Even my mom search in google for some new recipes and my dad do some research in google too for his DIY projects if he has no any idea.
😀😆
The car brand – Mercedes Benz in recent decades have made changes to its luxury cars. The new Mercedes models attempted to be more sporty. Thus, it transforms from an old-man car company into one that appeals to youth customers. Mercedes was aware that young buyers are willing and able to spend on luxury goods. On the other hand, Audi used to be the pioneer of modern car design. However, Audi has not had a breakthrough in design in recent years. Mercedes is defining future mobility with EQ (electronic car). The new generation of electric vehicles can bring more cost efficiency and zero-emission. As the premium market leader, Mercedes is performing to remain an industry pioneer with state-of-the-art products and innovations.
TUMI of course!
I always choose brands and products that provide good customer ‘aftersales” services. For me, aftersales service plays an important role in customer satisfaction and customer retention. It generates loyal customers and increases brand value.
Why TUMI?
Tumi is one of my favorite brands which I can say attracts my need when it comes to bags and luggage. They produce products, designs, materials that match my preference. Having said that, I believe each design has its target age group because they produce various designs from leisure to business purposes. Tumi was founded in 1975, and since its inception, they made it clear they use high premium quality material. Also, all of the brand products will be thoroughly tested.
It also evolves with new technology like TUMI Tracer. The metal plate in each TUMI product has a unique code where the owner can trace lost luggage and bags.
I extremely like this feature so whenever I travel, worry-free!
In short, innovative products with premium quality, worldwide aftersales services, the warranty and repair services globally.
Which one do not?
I won’t mention any brand but those brands with poor aftersales services. As a consumer, I won’t buy those. For example, no warranty, lack of repair service outlets, and limited stores worldwide.
What could they do better?
They can do customer surveys so that they know customer expectations. From there, they can figure out what goes wrong, what’s there to improve, and so on. They also can reach out to the customer for aftersales products to increase the brand value and generate customer loyalty.
-Mai M-
The first thing that comes to my mind is CADBURY Chocolates. There is barely anyone who can resist its variety of flavors (Chocolate dark, milk, or white, with or without nuts). It targets people from all age groups, especially those with “sweet tooth”. Its Quality, taste and affordable rates are the main factors contributing on their sales and profits. They meet customer needs by keep up on latest market trends and needs. It is seen that the company is now promoting our local flavor, “Pandan Coconut”. Their way of marketing their product by posting attractive tagline and slogans on social media which attract the interest of their consumers towards the products. This directly induces the consumers to buy more chocolates. The catch is buying any two or three 160g bars and get Free Cadbury Batik Heritage Mug / Jute Bag.
On the other hand, Ferrero Rocher, other popular chocolate brand needs room for improvements despite having strong brand name worldwide. Major setback for this product is its price when compared to other alternatives. Another big negative for Ferrero Rocher is that it is rarely advertised, hence loses its market shares to other competitors. It will be good if there is a launch of new flavors and boost their advertisements on social media.
“What brands and products do you feel successfully “speak to you” and effectively target your age group? Why? Which ones do not? What could they do better?”
In my opinion, I believe the juis of this question is on the types of products and marketing strategies that are done to reach out to different age groups with the different mentality and analytics at different stages of one’s life. As we may all be of different age groups and from different industry and walks of life, we will have differing view points on this matter.
For myself, when I first see this topic, the thing that caught me was food, and I believe that not only in JB area, but also KL region, that there are food streets named as “bubble tea street”, “Fried Chicken Chop Street” and so on. As for me, I feel that the first thing that caught my mind in this topic is a necessity in life that is food, especially to a glutton like me in my early 30s.
I believe that a few bubble tea brands are doing well in their marketing by having youths and young working adults to “like, share and post” on online social media upon their purchase and to receiving discounts on that and/or next purchase after doing so. As I had mentioned in the lecture on my view on whether marketing is creating needs or satisfying needs, I believed that myself and other peers did touch on that this current time now being a digital age, everyone is moving forward to social media be it for news, interaction, spending and even on classes for kids or to upgrading ourselves.
As such, I feel that their marketing and branding to get “people-passing around-people” or a “C2C” marketing strategy is effective as it will always pop-up onto our social media pages be it FB (Meta), or IG, as we are constantly scrolling on such applications when we are free and it refreshes our mind and desire to get a cup and another day after day.
As per which do not, I feel that in the aspect of food or F&B industry, traditional food, as we can see from news especially during the phases of MCO, that many well-known established stalls and shops have closed down during this pandemic as I believe that marketing for their product are not done to the specific targeted groups and people tend to forget when it is less seen and not refreshed on to our mind.
Just a casual sharing in this forum and to remind myself to be young by using bubble tea as a sharing =)
– Low Wee Sern, Sheng
<div>Such an interesting question that makes me wonder. So which product that a single woman like me in her mid 30s who basically only have 2-3 hours idle time each day, is attracted to?
To answer this, the first thing I do is to check my phone applications usage and right on top of the list is actually TikTok (well, no surprise there). Anytime I need a break from work, I will reach out to my phone and open this app. From a video of a cat getting high on catnip to which cryptocurrency that will make me a millionaire in 2022 – this unlimited supply of video contents is the perfect break that I needed throughout the day. TikTok is no longer that cringe dance app for 12 years old but its diverse contents; especially the educational and life hacks videos that you can learn in less than 1 minute; is the perfect mental break for me. That dose of micro-entertainment and micro-learning I received while browsing this app does not make me feel like I am wasting my time mindlessly even when I am idle.
Tell me if you have heard this before – “Millennials have no blind brand loyalty”. It’s true. If the brand has done nothing for me or shows support in what I believe in; then why should I keep on supporting it. To me that brand is Secret Recipe, yes that famous restaurant chain. Growing up in a family with little to no disposable income, I only had my first bite of Secret Recipe cake at the age of 16 and my god, that moment right there is embedded in my mind till this day. But over the years, that quality premium cake they’ve once promised me, has been declining. Every time I purchased a slice of their cake, I feel betrayed. No more the taste of rich and velvety slice of heaven. And with the increase of more trendy café and home bakers around me; I no longer have the urge to satisfy my sweet tooth there. From less sweet cake to flourless keto cake to a small petite 4 inch cake where each of them is baked using premium ingredients at fraction of the price; Secret Recipe needs to wake up and step up. We are the generations where 40% of our expenditures goes to food [1], we have different needs, diet and lifestyle – so what have you done to earn our loyalty eyh?
Just my 2 cents,
Ida F Shah
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TikTok. Good one! I have spent several hours on this app. With one view on certain videos, this app can track our interest and show us videos related to it.
and I strongly agree with you on SR. They should do a market research to find different needs/demands. Nowadays, a healthy lifestyle is one of them, they should find the ways to cater this needs too.
Thanks Ida
Appreciate the comment. Thanks Miss! 😄
Tik-tok is trendy nowadays for where some of it i thinks they used as their marketing strategy.
Agreed. Tik Tok is good tool for marketing because it can reach millions of audience in a seconds and able to create awareness on the brand and sell product and services.52% of users recognize new product via tik tok markets.
Now you got me wondering, as my longest hour go-to app is Instagram. Similarly, as a single woman in my mid 30s, why are we attracted to different platform? What are the differences we have in terms of consumer behaviour? Also, with TikTok and Instagram both being the platform for short videos, what did they do differently to compete in the market? 😁
Well not only myself but my mom is also addicted to tiktok. We can use this app for hours but if we need to control the time we spend on it. It is really an interesting app where you don’t feel bored at all.
Yes, I love TikTok. It’s the best apps in giving short informative and creative info in just 3 minutes. Because of the competition from TikTok, Adam Mosseri the head of IG in June 2021, had to announce that Instagram is no longer concentrating on photo sharing and more on entertainment and video. If Trump is still in the office, it would be interesting to see his action to stop TikTok.hehe
true, it is so tempting to watch others do creative things.
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