Bend it Like Beckham

It was my first to watch a movie as a marketer. There are a lot of subcultures in the movie, such as: soccer team, Anglo-Indias, high schools, and English. I think Anglo-India is the most representative aspects for me to analyze consumer behavior, because Anglo-India has both British and Indian cultural background to make any decision. The female leader Jess is an Anglo-India. Even she was born and grew in Britain, her family could not stand she wears shorts and plays soccer with boys in pubic place. The western culture gives everyone opportunity to choose her own opportunity, but Jess's family believed Jess should study, learn cooking, after that she should marry with an Indian guy, like her sister. British likes soccer, but Jess's family thought Jess would become a housewife not a dirty soccer player. I can understand how hard that Jess want to do a decision.

As a marketer, Bend it Like Beckham is a good movie for me to understand the cultural impact on consumer behavior. I understood why Jess's family did not want her to play soccer. I could not change her family's ideas about Jess's future, but I might can connect the soccer with Indian culture. For example, Jess's family wanted Jess should study, learn cooking, after that she should marry with an Indian guy. I would advertise soccer through sponsoring books in school, cooking materials in club. Because of that, Jess could have some help with studying and cooking, on the other hand, she could play soccer. I am sure if she can do both with, her family won't avoid again.

In our real life, cultural differences appears in every industry. Understand the culture background in consumer is the basic requirement of doing international business. Toyota has different models to sell in different region, like, American likes outdoor activities, Toyota made trucks and SUV; the roads in Europe are narrow, Toyota sells smart cars; Japanese family always consider the energy and safety, Toyota also  has models match up with.
I am a Chinese and I has been studying in America about 4 years. The biggest advantage of me is understanding cultural diversity. I am professional at Chinese cultural and I know Chinese consumer behavior, also I understand American lifestyle or consumer' needs. When I do an international business between America and China, I can analyze the differences in culture well and make the marketing plan.

Culture, Branding, & Strategy

It was fun to do this exercise of selling new car brand in the USA, western Europe, and Japan & Korea. Also, it is a good example for me to understand how culture impacts consumer behavior and how to create strategic plan bases on cultural difference.

The first observation is the importance of creating a name of new brand. We spent more than 10 minutes on it. All of us believe the name of out brand must match up with cars' function and be international. We summarized all characteristics in our cars, such as: safety, advanced, tough, and so on. And we use translator to translate these characters in different languages, like Latin, Italian, and German. Finally we chose "MONTEM" as our new brand name, because it is a Latin word and it means mountain. We are selling utility cars (e.g. trucks and SUV) and mountain represents the function of our cars, also "MONTEM" shows international. I learnt a lot from the process of making the decision. I did not have any idea about the name because I thought it was the most difficult part. A good name can attract consumer's eyes. On the other hand, not only the name should easy for American to understand, but it also have same feeling in west Europe and Japan & Korea. I found the common senses in culture can achieve that. It is no doubt that mountain can represent outdoor activities and people need utility car in outdoor activities in the world. I really like MONTEM as our brand name, even I am a Chinese and I have different cultural background with Americans.

The second observation is how to analyze culture in marketing. When we generate our offerings and strategies, the first step was analyzing the difference of those three regions. I am a Asian and I lived in Italy more than three months. I understands the cultural differences in lifestyles, values, and attitudes. It formed different consumer behaviors of three regions. American loves truck,  but the roads in Japan & Korea and west Europe are narrow, truck does not work for people who live in these two regions. And I know the price of gasoline in  Japan & Korea and west Europe is much higher than America. Truck or big SUV is hard to occupy the market. Because of those cultural differences, the marketing plan should be separated into three parts. Then, we can choose promotion, price, product, and place to make a successful plan. Without understanding culture in international business, any marketing plan will fail.

After doing this activity, I found my own advantage is understanding the differences in culture. Ii is obvious that culture influences consumer behavior. I might find a job in American after graduate, I will pay more attention on culture, especial China and America,  because this is my advantage compare with American graduates.

Predictably Irrational

If we can predict irrational consumer behavior, we have more opportunities to make successful marketing plan. As the videos displayed, people like drinking red wine, which is made in California, and they dislike the red wine comes from North Coronado. It is a good example of predictably irrational. We can select and advertise the wines are made in California in restaurant. People will be attracted by the Californian wine and consume. Another example of predictably irrational is tasting strawberry. Even both of two brands of yoghourt are not strawberry favor, when researcher asked them which one tastes more strawberry, only one student found both of them are not strawberry favor.

I think it is same as one way in Dan Ariely’s predictably irrational. The Fallacy of Supply and Demand: Another irrational consequence of comparative thinking. She gave us examples, like: when we walk into a store, the first price we see becomes an “anchor”, and we will use this price to judge any goods’ value in this store. She also explains behavioral anchors, like we always use the experience of a Starbucks coffee as an anchor point to judge all other coffee brands. It is obvious that understand consumer predictably irrational can do well in marketing. Furthermore, when I analyze these predictably irrationals, ethical dilemma occurs. The first example of drinking red wine gave an advice is choosing the red wine, which is made in California, but there is a situation like if the price of wine made in California is higher than the wine made in North Coronado and the quality is worth than Coronado one. What should I choose? Making more money by selling California wine or be responsible for consumers by quality of Coronado’s?

Anyway, it is the first time to learn predictably irrational and it gives me a new way to do marketing. No matter what kind consumer predictably irrational is, we can analyze it and come up with marketing strategies, but please be honest to consumers because companies would do anything but risk their prestige at stake.          

Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique

It was a fun class of doing  ZMET, and it was a new experience for me to understand consumer behavior. Compare the images that my teammate and I collected, I found the common sense as international students and differentiation in different cultural background. For example, both of us miss family and want to back to own county when we graduate from college. Both of us want to make more money in order to create our own family, but my teammate want to have two more kids, that I had never imaged when I graduate because I think kids should be considered when I am 28 years old. 

Apply these ideas in business world, I think ZMET is helpful when I need create advertisements or do marketing plans. My mother's cosmetic company can be a good example for me to use ZMET. Nowadays, her company is working on attracting new customers because the majority of customers are more than five years' regular customers. I will random choose two to five people to ask them find 8-12 images about "Cosmetics relate to your life." and follow each steps in ZMET. I will find their common senses about cosmetics, and those common senses can use to persuade new customers become her company members. On the other hand, there are some differences on individuals, and it should analyze specifically. From my mother's research, she thought the new customer age range is 20-35 years old. I will use one or two of those differences, which are connect well with the age range to find customers' needs. Finally, put the common senses and the differentiations together, create an advertisement or leaflet becomes easier and more efficient.

The last paragraph is my own discovery about ZMET. I know the main purpose of doing a ZMET interview is to discover how individuals and group react to the materialistic and metaphorical world on a practical and more philosophical, existential level. And the information can make marketing programs more meaningful and effective. I think my analysis about common sense and differentiation also useful in a marketing program. 

Victoria's Secret

Recently, A Victoria Angle Ming Xi appeared in a lot of Chinese popular TV shows. In those TV shows, the producer also displayed every her performance in Victoria's Secret fashion shows. Because of that, yesterday, I watched  the show and the beautiful models with perfect stature attract my eyes to follow Victoria's Secret. As a marketing major student, connect the knowledge that I learned this week, I realized how successful marketing Victoria's Secret made in perception, attitude, and motivation. 

Although I am a man, not the consumer of using its products, I am pretty sure men are Victoria's Secret's potential customers. Its advertisements and fashion shows are perfect example of perception. I am a person, who has interests in Chinese culture and outdoor activities. Before I watched Victoria's Secret's fashion shows, I had no idea about any brand for female's. Now, when my girlfriend going shopping with me, I always suggest her to buy Victoria's Secret and I am willing to pay for it. The perception that Victoria's Secret deliveries to me is its products can make my girlfriend become more confident and nobler. And I asked my friends, they had the same reason as me to buy Victoria's Secret for their girlfriends or wives.

The definition of attitude is Consumer's beliefs, feelings, and behavioral intention toward a brand or retail store. It is obvious that consumers' attitude about Victoria's Secret is perfect. Victoria's Secret changes consumer's beliefs about women's underdress. Its products became a tool to show women's beauty and themselves. Also, Victoria's Secret create a good social environment about women's fashion. When people talk about underdress, they won't feel embarrassed. Consider about behavioral intention, Victoria's Secret fashion shows and advertisement provide a good choice for consumers, when they want to hangout with friends and shopping.

Understand consumer motivation is one of the most significant part in marketing. Victoria's Secret thinks the consumer's desire of its products is earn confidences, beauty, and noble. Angel represents the best, Victoria's Secret tried to make everyone feel that, wearing its products is an angel. As a man, I want my lady is the best, like a angle. Because of my desire, I become a consumer of Victoria's Secret. Beauty is everyone's desire, Victoria's Secret is creating beauty. 

Perception, attitude, and motivation is the basic knowledge in marketing. With my analysis about Victoria's Secret, I know how to use them in my future business.

How My Mom Did Empathy

In the second week, one assignment was watching Simon Sinek's TED talk, "Start With Why." It gave more a deep impression about how to make success in my future business. My mother is a successful businesswoman and she has more than ten chain stores to sell cosmetics and provide beauty service. Now, her company hires more than 150 employees and is well known in my hometown. My mom’s decision about company training confused me, but now, I understand why she did that.

Because I was free in summer, the majority of training classes in my mom’s company required me to attend. All of the classes taught employees about the history of company. How hard my mom set up the company? Why she established this company? And there were a lot of convenient ways to make more money in cosmetic industry, why she chose this one? In my opinion, I think the reason of training is improving employees sell skills and the knowledge about products that uses to persuade customers to buy the product. Now, I realized why mom made this decision in training programs.

First, as Simon Sinek’s opinion, let consumers understand why company provides the products and services are the most efficient way to persuade them to purchase. From my mom’s training program, her employees can understand the mission that the company wants to delivery to consumers, that is we provide the special offer for every customer. Every customer has her own beauty consulter. People choose our brand means choose the individual beautician. Second, after understanding the history of company, employees can understand the development of the company. It forms company’s culture. Through the culture, employee can understand the mission of the company and keeping hard working in order to achieve company’s goal and personal goal.

Now, this training program in my mother’s company is still taking. I asked her about the revenue and position of her company right now. She told me the revenue increase about 1.5 times than last year and her company became one of the best brands in my hometown. Now she is beginning to merger another company in the nearby city. I am pretty sure how important of    understanding “why” in marketing.                                   






     My mom and I in her chain stores in 2013. 

Jack Ma's Chinese New Year.

Happy Chinese New Year, guys!
Recently, Alipay added a comparable "Lotto" pal, which was named as Fuk Alipay Red Envelope appeared at every Chinese people's phone. The Fuk Alipay Red Envelope was defined that there are five types of Foca (fortune cards), if the consumers who can collect 5 different Foca during the time between January 28th and February 6th,  they can participate in sharing a large red envelop, which contains more than 200 million RMB (Chinese money). If you add 10 friends in Alipay, you will receive three Foca randomly.
After this news published, the majority Chinese began to send the link of Fuk Alipay Red Envelope in Chinese social media. A few minutes later, Fuk Alipay Red Envelope became the most popular topic in Chinese guys' conversation.  
As a marketing major student, I admire Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, because he used a successful marketing strategies to attract Chinese customers' eyes and advertise Alipay efficiently. There are some reasons why I think Fuk Alipay Red Envelope is perfect marketing strategy:

1. The requirement of winning Foca is add at least 10 friends in Alipay. Although there are more than 400 million people use Alipay, after Fuk Alipay Red Envelope, more and more people will register. It extends more consumers in the market.
2. It requires consumers earn 5 different types of Foca to participate in sharing a large red envelop. Adding 10 friends can earn 3 Foca randomly. At lease, consumers need add 20 friends in Alipay, and usually, it is hard to earn 5 different cards once. More and more people will ask more friends to become a number of Alipay.

After analyzing Jack Ma's marketing strategy, I admire him, because he is expertise in understanding Chinese consumers' behavior. I need to learn.