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Another Brand that i just recently started to love is the newly launched ESSIE nail polish brand. It

belong to l'Oreal group and is sold at DM and Bipa in Austria. They are a little bit more expenive than

other brands, but really good at the same time. Essie focuses purely on nail polish and does not carry

any other make up items.

Their Brand Mantra for this brand could be:

1. Beauty for the functionality

2. youth - and colourful are good descriptive modifiers and

3. the emitional modifier could be fun

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Recently, H&M opened a new department in one of their stores, the H&M-Home. Right now it is the

only one in Vienna and it is located in the H&M-store that is carrying childrens clothes on the ground

floor and womens wear on the first floor. The department consists of various home accessoirs - from

blankets to shower curtains- at a reasonable price

S

H&M is an established name;

W

they are a clothing brand; this extension might be too much of a stretch

O

they are cheap, chic and fashionable, which consumers will hopefully apply to their home interior.

T

there are many other home accessoiry shops and (right now) nobody would think about go to H&M to buy household decoration

there are many competitors such as butlers or interior, that seem to target the same audience and they are just on the Mariahilfer Strasse, too

Choosing this particular store was smart of the company and this extensions could proof itself to fit.I

personally think it is a good fit and does not stretch the brand too far. ALso it was a success in coutries

like Germany already.

Using the H&M that is more directed to women and mothers was a wise choice, since it is especially

women who like to shop for home decor.

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When Nike launched their Nike+ products, they already showed that the brand

was more than just selling sports wear. They were selling a lifestyle and they

try to create a whole new experience for the consumer.

In the case of NikeID, the company might not have created a new experience during the usage of

the product but already before. On the their website nike.com they have a subcategory called nikeID.

There it is possible to create and customize your own running shoes and , even though i only heard

about it just recently, exists since 1999. Designing your own shoes makes the consumer interact more

with the company. This customization can be done online or offline altough the online application is a

service that has not been around for that long

NiKe really does a good job when it comes to communicating with the customer and finding new ways

of pleasing the customer but the Nike way.

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I was in the Museumsquartier a few days ago and there were Milka promoters going around with

iPads and talking to people.

On those iPads they were doing a survey about flavors for a new chocolate they would be launching.

The options were 'salt', a sweet called 'campino' mixed with the chocolate and finally chocolate with

honey and caramel.

The promoters were all youngsters completely dressed in purpule using iPads instead of the

conventional paper to get peoples opinions.

I think it was a really good idea and fits well to the brand and the brand mantra (foods, tender

chocolate, traditional but still modern)

Also I think that this is a good way for Milka to be proactive and to get the consumers to get more

involved since they are asked for their opinion.  It is just about choosing one of this three, so it doesn't

take long, it seems fun and a good way to get involved, and choosing the museusquartier, it just makes

Milka seen as young and fun.

A nice cool promotion in my opinion :)

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9. Visa vs. MasterCard (Duopoly in Europe)

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9. Visa vs. MasterCard (Duopoly in Europe)

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There are only a few companies that operate as duopolies, for example Boeing vs. Airbus, AMD vs.
Intel, iOS vs. Windows/Android or well Visa versus MasterCard. For me, I took the credit card industry
in order to have a variety in my journal, since I already have entries on the aviation industry and the
technological sector.

1.  So who are those companies and whom are they targeting?

MasterCard as well as Visa

are basically the only big processing systems for credit cards in

Europe. I am mainly focusing on Europe because the duopoly is very strong in

Europe whereas in North America this might differ slightly. American Express,

Discover and Diners Club are competitors that need to be taken into

consideration on that market.

2. What are their main POP and POD?

The two companies are operating in the sector of financial services, offering payment processing

systems for the public. They are both well established in this sector and they are accepted by a broad

majority of merchants, making it very convenient for the consumer. This convenience plays a role

because it is expected from those cards to be accepted practically everywhere.

The companies themselves do not issue the cards. It is the banks that issue the credit cards

using either the Visa or the MasterCard processing system. Therefore the companies cannot

differentiate themselves through e.g. the annual fee or the interest charges, since the consumer pays

those fees to the bank.

The points of difference are mostly achieved are through the emotional approach: MasterCard with

the ‘priceless’ slogan and Visa with their vast sponsorships in sports. It is in this way that they are able

to be seen differently. MasterCard transmits their massage to a more classy audience, adults and

people who don’t want to look at the price. Visa however aims at more active and younger customers.

Brand Mantra Visa
Functionality: ‘payment system’ or ‘financial service’
Descriptive modifier: convenient, security
Emotional modifier: easy, freedom (--> to go everywhere with reference to their current slogan)

Brand Mantra: MasterCard

Functionality : payment system’, financial service

Descriptive modifier: convenience, security

Emotional modifier: reliability, carefree

Since those two companies are very similar, operating in the same industry and trying

to achieved acceptance amongst and convenience for consumers, the descriptive

modifier and the functionality are the same words for both. Visa and MasterCard

differentiate themselves more through the emotional positioning in the heads of

the consumers.

3. Have they defined their positioning correctly and how might it be improved?

MasterCard’s positioning is very clear. With their 12-year duration of the

‘priceless’-campaign, consumers have a strong association. MasterCard states

that there are more important things that the cost of a product, but to cover

the cost that it does take with it, MasterCard is the right choice.

The positioning of MasterCard is very well executed. I think in the advertising area,

MasterCard does a great job in creating an emotional approach to the brand.

However, Visa is using sponsorship, making the brand visible more omnipresent.   In 2009 they

introduce their new slogan: "More people go with Visa." and I think that Visas image is not as clear cut

as MasterCards. However, they have been consistent when engaging in sponsorship and

bringing their name out there. The Olympics, FIFA or the NFL are just a few of

the big events that visa uses as a marketing tool.

Visa, in comparison to MasterCard, should probably be working more on their consistency

in their image, e.g. when it comes to advertising.

All in all both companies are already very similar. However, their way of differentiation is on the

emotional basis. Nevertheless the target audience appears to be the same. They try to introduce new

features and try to get a much market share with new product extensions. However, it seems to be a

race. As soon as one company offers this new technology, the other one follows.

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10. 



Coca
Colas New Personalized Drinks

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10. 



Coca
Colas New Personalized Drinks

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Coca Cola just recently started their new “personalized” Coke bottles. Out of a large selection of

names, they picked those most common in the country and printed those on the bottles on one side,

leaving the other with their standard logo on the other side. Also, they have terms like ‘sommerliebe’,

‘bro’, ‘schönsten Mann’ written on them.

This campaign is launched not only for the Coke bottles but also for

cans. At the beginning I actually thought it is a fun idea. However,

right now I don’t think that they are more personalized. When getting

coke out of the vending machine here at the WU, I (of course) would most

propably not have my name on it and in the supermarkets it would actually take a lot of time to find

the own name. I am well aware that this would not be possible,

however, to always run around with a bottle or a can with some persons name on

it still seems a bit weird to me. Actually, I don’t think it makes it a more

personal experience either when i take a bottle around with me called

"Stafan", "Fabian" or "Schwester"

It is a nice idea and I could imagine it to be succesfulI. Me personally, however, think that it is a cute idea, but I prefer my coke without a random name printed on it.

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Google Glass is the newest gadget introduced by internet giant Google.

According to their home page and a view review I read, It is a gadget that

looks like lens less spec with a small camera On the left had corner.

The main idea of this product is to ease our daily lives and reinvent the way

we interact with out devices on the internet. It is also referred to as a gadget

for ‘augmented reality’ and until now, it is a prototype.

What I found interesting was the way Google introduced and interacted with

the potential consumers. Building heavily on their image and name, Google

was able to reach a broad base of interested people.

The website created for this product is very clear, simple and in some sort

minimalistic. One can click on ‘how it feels’, ‘what it does’ and ‘how to get one’.

The first link contains merely a video, the second one a page that tries to

explain “Glass” with 90% being pictures and finally the last link tell the consumer

how to get one of those prototypes. It basically cannot get much simpler than that,

which is surprising, since it is a completely new device.

In this sense, Google has not been able to set a clear POP, since it is a

completely new category that they opened. POPs could be cell phone, camera,

navigation system and internet in one. It seems like a Smartphone, that is even

smarterand that does not need to be operated with the hands

but with the voice. A wearable computing device is probably the mostly used for it.

However, even if I think that the POPs of google glass have to be worked

on, I think that did a good job in launching the product and with getting

the consumers excited about it.

Google launched a contest called #ifihadglass. People from all around the

world would send Google descriptions on how they would use Google Glass

if they had one. The company then gave 8.000 people the chance to purchase

the device for $ 1,500.

Clearly, this is not meant for the mass consumer. In the technology

adoption bell the target audience will be the innovators and the early adapters.

All in all I think it is a really exciting new product that I would love to try out.

However, they do sort out with people are allowed to buy their product

depending on how they would use it. Also, it is a license to purchase this

expensive device that does not even have a defined positioning. It is to be

seen when the Company launches it on the general market in early 2014 how this

prototype with develop and sustain on the market.

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This is an early concept video that was made when Project Glass was just getting started. While a lot has changed since then, our motivation to get technology out of the way remains the same. Check out the following video to see how Glass actually feels: http://goo.gl/MOKoc.

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When it comes to my favorite brands, Samsung is definitly amongst them. I mean favorite the sense that I am very interested in the new products they introduce. I think that the company is a very sympathetic one and is a brand that someday I would like to work for.

For a very long time, I mostly got all my electronical goods from Malaysia, since i had my aunties and gradnparents to sponser them for me. Since Samsung had a very strong presence in the Asian and the Malaysia Market, i have always been confronted with them. Ever since i have been happy with my first Samsung Laptop, I liked them. Furthermore i think that the brand is a very progressive and innovative company, has great marketing, is consumer oriented and always tries to come up with new products ( "Samsung Youm")

Their point of parity with its competitors is the electronic goods market and their point of difference will probably their innovativeness.

The brand mantra would be

1. “entertainment and communications” as the brands function,

2.  their descriptive modifier could be ease of use

3. and the emotional modifier could be innovativeness

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This webpage is a creation by adidas. The interface looks like a blog and acts like a channel for news on fashion and lifestyle for girls.

In my mind, Adidas was seen only as a sportswear company. A few year ago "clothing and sportive " would fit perfectly and words like "fashionable" or "streetwear" would not necessarily have been associated with the brand. Also, the company always had problems promoting their clothes to girls and women. With this blog they try to reach out to exactly this target group.

They did reposition themselves to a more modern brand.

Brand Mantra of Adidas...

.... before: Sports wear, athletic and practical

.... now: 'streetware/fashion, young/urban, fun

This positioning is a very modern and cool, which is how the brand wants to be perceived amongst

girls.
In this blog, the girls posting there are very individualist and have their own style. Palina R. Is the person in charge of this blog. Crazy, individualist and fun are words that describe her well and are associations that Adidas most probably also wants to induce to their products.
In order to post on this wall, adidas launched competitions/contest and everyone was able to apply for it. Interestingly, this page is entirely in german, targeting specifically the german speaking girls.

Adidas does not advertise their products specifically, but those girls combine their own style with a few adidas branded products which therefore seems more authentic. Using this method, Adidas does not appear to be long to the category "try hard".

I think this is a great way for Adidas to promote their clothes and repositioning themselves while seeming authentic.

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2. A few thoughts on the new  Microsoft
surface

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2. A few thoughts on the new  Microsoft
surface

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Following Apple and Samsung, Microsoft announced their so called ‘Microsoft Surface’, their own serie

of tablets.

But how is this tablet different from other tablets?

Microsoft is a well accepted brand for computer devices amongst consumers but wanted to change

their image to a more youthful, coulourful and modern one. They introduced this new image with their

new Windows 8 and the Surface fits well into that concept.

But how is this tablet different from other tablets?

The surface is a tablet and Microsoft was able to tell the consumer, that it is a tablet, but that it is

more practical. Their PoP therefore is the tablet market. What makes the difference is the way it is

presented. It is not just merely a copy of the Apple iPad. The cover serves as a screen protector when

closed and as a keyboard when opened. THe keyboard can be removed easily and the kickfoot makes

it easier to work with the tablet. It is more like a small and handy personal computer.

In Europe it has already been launched, but doesn't seem to have gotten a lot of attention so far. It

might be wise of Microsoft to put in even more marketing efforts, to bring their new image of the

company out there.

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When looking through the internet there are more than just a few very weird

business ideas and brand names.

The business idea I finally settled on was 'doggles'. This mixture of the words goggles and dog

already let assume what the company produces: eye wear for dogs.

The company sell their products as eye protections for dogs. Customers can

choose between normal googles, which come with UV-protection,

shatter-proof and anti-fog lenses as well as foam padding, and normal sunglasses, which only come

with UV protection and are meant for cosmetic prupose only.
Not only is this an idea that is bizarre, but it was furthermore this California
based company was aired on CNN, Regis and Kelly, The Today Show, Good Morning
America and some others.

This brand even has a Wikipedia entry and there it is stated that this idea not

only is sold in 4.500 shops (2004) but also made the inventors millionaire.

Lastly, it is even more bizarre that the U.S. Military even ordered Doggles in order to keep the eyes of

the dogs safe from UV-rays and desert sand storms.

... Most certainly a very weird business idea that was successful.