WEEK 3 EOC:MAKING MONEY FOR GOOD

There are some companies in the world that are just not in the market to make money for themselves. Some companies put efforts in selling product to make good for others. One of these companies is Yoplait. Yoplait runs a campaign called Save Lids to Save Lives. Save Lids to Save Lives is a donation drive for breast cancer. How it works is that during a certain time of year they place special pink lids on the tops of their yogurt. Pink symbolizes breast cancer awareness. Yoplait donates 10 cents for every lid sent back to them toward The Susan G. Komen for the cure cancer organization. Through these efforts Yoplait has already contributed 25 million dollars towards cancer research over the last 12 years. The money goes to research and community outreach across the country. For more information on how you can help go to www.yoplait.com. Another company that uses their product for good is the NFL. The way they do it is through the NFL Play 60. Their mission is to make the next generation of youth the most active and healthy. NFL Play 60 is a campaign started in 2007 that focuses on increasing the wellness of young fans by encouraging them to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. It really focuses on the problem of childhood obesity. The NFL has dedicated over 200 million dollars to youth health and wellness. The NFL uses many different events to promote the movement. It is especially apparent during the Super bowl, Pro bowl, draft, kickoff and Thanksgiving. One of the many events the NFL has to promote this, is take and NFL player to school day. This year some lucky kids got to take and NFL player to school during week 10 of the football season. "We are taking a leadership role in the movement to get youngsters fit. Our players know the importance of staying healthy and it's important that young fans also understand the value of exercise," said COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL. "Play 60 is an important tool in ensuring children get their necessary daily physical activity as recommended by health and fitness experts." http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80316e42&template=with-video&confirm=true. For more information about the NFL Play 60 go to http://www.nfl.com/.

I feel that the efforts made by Yoplait and the NFL are extraordinary. I believe all companies should contribute some of there money towards a good cause.
www.yoplait.com

www.nfl.com/play60

WEEK 3 EOC:MY DEMOGRAPHICS

Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, gender, race, occupation, and other statistics. A change in demographics means a change in markets. My demographic is the Generation X demographic. We are considered to be a generation born between 1965 and 1976. The characteristics of the Generation X population are they are less materialistic, they prize experience not acquisition, they tend to research a product before they buy it, they prefer quality over quantity and they tend to be less receptive to marketing pitches. Generation Xers are the most educated to date and possess hefty annual purchase power. Most are behind in saving for retirement and they worry about it.

I myself fit perfectly into this demographic. I’m definitely not materialistic. I don’t judge a person just because of the car they drive or the type of clothes they wear. I do however like to possess the latest technology but only because it will help me in my future with film. I really love to gain as much experience as possible in the field that I’m working in at the time. I’m always researching before I buy. I’m constantly looking on the internet and at the Sunday ads for the best deals for what I’m looking for. I want to have a quality product that will last a long time rather than having to buy multiple of the same item. I’m definitely less receptive to marketing pitches and I do not like to hear a salesman yapping in my ear when I’m trying to buy a product. I feel I’m well educated and I’m really stressed about having enough money for retirement. I actually always feel like I didn’t start saving for retirement soon enough. I think that the description of the demographic of Generation X fits me perfectly.  The quote below explains Generation Xers:
"Century 21 found that Realtors were answering e-mail inquiries about homes within an average of 24 hours. Buyers from Generation X won't wait that long. They want immediate replies."

~ Kay Schlosser http://www.quotesea.com/quotes/with/generation-x

WEEK 2 EOC:BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP-VIDEO GAMES

What is a Boston Consulting Group analysis? A BCG analysis is a chart that was created by Bruce Henderson for the Boston Consulting Group to help organizations with analyzing their business and product lines. This helps companies allocate resources. In a 2009 article in the Wall Street Journal titled Video Game Makers Can't Dodge the Recession the video game industry has fallen victim to the recession. How does this affect their BCG? Video games which were once considered to be stars in the industry are now turning into cash cows. The biggest video game markets for Christmas 2010 were Microsoft's Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move. Were the two industry leading giants able to break free from having the cash cow tag removed and were they able to move back to the star level on the BCG scale? It appears that they may have done so. Kinect sold 2.5 million sensors within the first month of release. According to the President of Microsoft Don Mattick " We are thrilled about the consumer response to Kinect and are working hard with our retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments of Kinect to restock shelves as fast as possible and to keep up with demand" (http://www.investorguide.com/article/7377/microsoft-msft-connects-to-consumers-with-kinect-but-can-it-connect-to-shareholders/) According to gameculture.com "November sales represent the best November on record in terms of new physical retail sales,"says NPD video game analyst Anita Frazier. "It bests November 2008 by roughly $30 million, and that time frame was at the height of the music-dance genre sales." (http://www.gameculture.com/2010/12/20/holidays-should-boost-game-sales) From another quote from itworld.com "We are thrilled about the consumer response to Kinect, and are working hard with our retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments of Kinect to restock shelves as fast as possible to keep up with the demand." (itworld.com) It appears that the industry has made a come back. I guess now the question is can the video game industry continue increased sales after the holiday season. In my opinion if the consoles sold at a rapid pace then there will be a large demand for the games that are played on these consoles. In spite of the Internet and free downloads of video games I think the industry may be back. At least for now!

WEEK 1 EOC:MY VOICE

I started my career as a Mortgage Loan Processor. I have worked in the field for over 10 years but, have always had a strong passion to make TV shows and films. This may sound a bit crazy but my career in loan processing actually inspired me to pursue my career in film. What I thought to be so inspirational was all of the stories that I have heard over the years from my clients. Recently I have decided to pursue my career in the Filmmaking Industry. I’m currently in the process of obtaining my degree in Film from the Art Institute of Las Vegas. While obtaining my degree I have started my own production company called Kononchik Productions. Kononchik Productions has been in business for a little over a year now. In that time we have produced several commercials, shorts and movie trailers. We are currently looking for individuals who are interested in developing an independent film. Scripts can be submitted to Kononchik Productions PO Box 1234 Las Vegas, NV 89129.

WEEK 1 EOC: GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

What is great customer service? To find out we must look at the definition of customer service. Customer service is defined as the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.

What then is a great customer service experience? To me a great customer service experience is a feeling of satisfaction. I want to walk away from my buying experience feeling happy. I want to tell the world about the great experience I encountered.

To demonstrate my feeling of great customer service I’m going to tell you all a story about a great customer service experience I had and compare it to a bad one. Oddly enough both experiences were with the same company at two different locations. The culprit of my experience was Guitar Center. The experience I had at the Guitar Center located at 8621 W Charleston Blvd in Summerlin Las Vegas was a bad one. I walked in the store and asked where I could find a portable recorder. The first representative could not help me and said that I needed to go to another section of the store but did not point me in the right direction. After, looking for that section on my own for a couple of minutes I was finally approached by a sales representative. He appeared really friendly. He asked me what I was looking for and I gave him a description of what was needed. He took me to the counter and continued to ask me additional questions to narrow down the exact item I was looking for. I was looking for a portable audio recorder. He proceeded to bring me software that I didn’t need. I said to him that I did not need that item and would like to see the recorders. He then proceeded to tell me for the next 5 minutes that I would be better off with the software and did everything he could to talk me into buying that product. I told him I understood where he was coming from but would still like to see the recorders. He then proceeded to tell me about how qualified he was and that the item he was showing me was what I needed. I proceeded to tell him that I appreciated his help but that I would no longer need to purchase anything from him at this time and walked out of the store.

The experience I had at the Guitar Center located at Town Square in Las Vegas was a great one. It was really simple. I walked into the store and was greeted by the individual at the door. They asked me what I was looking for and directed me toward the section I needed to go to find the item. When I approached the counter the sales associate was very friendly. I let the associate know that I was looking for a Shure SM58 microphone. He brought out the microphone I was looking for and gave me a description off it along with the price. He also brought me out other alternatives that were cheaper. The associate did not push me into the product and gave me a few minutes to make my decision. Once my decision was made he let me know about the warranty and rung up my sale with a smile.

I feel that all companies should maintain great customer service. The customer service should remain consistent and should apply to all customers good or bad. I pulled this quote from the CEO of Zappos Tony Hsieh “Our whole goal at Zappos is for the Zappos brand to be about the very best customer service and customer service experience". (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 10th Edition) I think that all companies should live by this quote. I will never return to the Guitar Center store at Summerlin and have also made it known to family and friends that this is not the place to shop.