Conclusion

In my final post, I will be critically evaluating the course in which I wrote these blogs. This includes

how learning objectives and outcomes have pertained to previous blogs, and work within and outside of a class setting. I am happy to say that I have learned a great deal about marketing. Throughout my blogs, I have shown my knowledge of the subject and used it in real life examples.

            Using key concepts to make business decisions and evaluate outcomes is a large part of marketing. In my “What Can Adidas Do for the NHL” blog, I mentioned the evaluation for a possibility of increasing profit for Adidas and the league. By choosing Adidas as the new manufacturer for the NHL jersey line, it can increase interest and possibly profit for both partners. Adidas had to look at their new target market and opportunities within the new market. It is too early for them to evaluate their outcomes for their new deal with the NHL, except to note their success in making the jerseys for the World Cup of Hockey. A lot of hockey fans were excited by the new and improved looks that players wore in during this exciting event.

      

      The marketing mix is also known as the four p’s of marketing: product, place, price, and promotion. For each ad presentation, I would present the marketing mix of each ad. For previous blogs, I have mentioned marketing mixes too. For example, my first blog of the World Cup of Hockey mentions each of the p’s.  It also mentions the target market of the World Cup of Hockey, which was current hockey fans. A target market is a particular group of potential consumers that the ad is aimed at. Consumer behavior was also used within the World Cup of Hockey. Service marketing and social media marketing were dealt within my blog on “The Unlikely Duo of Twitter and Thursday Night Football”. Twitter began to stream Thursday Night Football games, as a service, instead of a product. The social media company also promoted their product on their site, by using social media marketing strategies. In my NHL Centennial blog, I mention how strategic and financial implications of marketing decisions will affect the league as a whole, along with other events taking place within the celebration.

            Within the course, I explored ethical issues confronting marketing managers, and recognized legal and ethical responsibilities of marketing managers. My first ad was a poster by Granger pipe tobacco. Granger used a professional hockey player to promote an opinion leader strategy. In the 1950’s, tobacco was not an ethical issue because most people were still very accustomed to smoking it. Also during this time, studies were beginning to expose the negative impacts of tobacco for user and consumers. Now, promoting tobacco for a professional athlete would be illegal and unethical of that professional athlete. They are seen as role models and opinion leaders, so they will be more at fault than the company for agreeing to promote the product.

            During the semester, my group and I worked on a Marketing for a Cause project. We used our marketing experience and work with financial information and ratios to create an effective event and campaign. In our event, we sought out Saint Michael’s students as our target market and strategically sold baked goods to consumers on campus. Using our knowledge of consumer behavior, we chose to focus our efforts on making autumn treats, in order for consumers to be in the state of mind to purchase our products. Using financial information, we planned out our event in order to make a profit, which we donated to Hope Happens Here. This is an organization, which raises money and awareness of mental health issues, primarily for student-athletes. We were proud to have helped raise money and awareness for this great cause.  Individually, my research on marketing news and application of the terms for these blogs were a way to prove my understanding of the material.

            Working with Hope Happens Here was a great honor for my teammates and me within this project. It was definitely the most rewarding and fulfilling experience in the course. TED talks and ad presentations helped my classmates and me feel more comfortable speaking in formal attire and in front of groups. The marketing news and class discussions were useful in their application of the marketing terms that we learned from the textbook.

            Thanks for tuning in and following along throughout my studying and application of my marketing education!