Week 10 type b entry

I recently read an article on Tyler Mcwhirk's blog titled: "Is it fair to use behavioral characteristics to market to people". I found the post very interesting, as it contained much food for thought. It is an interesting concept that companies have started to market to people based on their behavioral characteristics. To answer the questions tyler posed, I am not sure how fair it really is to market to people by aiming at the potential customers primal wants and or needs. On the other hand, It does seem very clever that companies are choosing basic human characteristics to use in their respective marketing strategies. I think being subtle in the messages is very important when using this type of marketing strategy, as to not offend.

Week 10 type A entry

 Major League Baseball opened its season this last Wednesday with the Seattle Mariners playing the Oakland Athletics. The game was held in Tokyo, Japan, a site that has been hosting opening day major league baseball games for the last few years. Having the games played in Tokyo is a marketing scheme by Major League Baseball to help expand the already mass appeal of its product. The Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics by a score of 3 to 1. The game was the first in a two game set, the second game was played Thursday. The games in Tokyo were heavily attended, which is a very good sign for the league. Baseball has done a lot in recent years to expand its global appeal, including the World Baseball Classic, which is played every two years and is basically a baseball world cup. Major League baseball has made some wise marketing moves to allow them to compete in today's global economy, and show no signs of slowing down. There is a good article in a recent issue of the Baltimore Sun that covers the topic (http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-03-27/sports/sc-spt-0328-4corners-20120327_1_japan-time-change-ichiro-suzuki).

Week 9 Type B entry

I read a blog post recently in Shane Norris's blog titled: "NCAA Advertising". The post was interesting to me because I have been watching the tournament as well and have also noticed all the cheesy college ads. I find it amusing, being a college student myself, that colleges try to promote themselves as a rich learning community. Most of the people in college I know could care less about the learning and are all about the partying. The degree obviously provides motivation, as it provides more opportunities career-wise, but college for most, is about being on your own (for the first time for many), meeting new people, and having a good time. The marketing techniques used in those ads are useful, many parents probably wouldn't want to send their daughters to college if an accurate portrayal of modern college life was used in college ads. The ads are geared towards the people paying for the schooling more than the students themselves. March Madness is a great tournament that brings people from all walks of life together, what better time to show off your college.