Week 4 EOC: There's an App for That

Today’s phone apps simplify the way we live.  They provide us with everyday ease that helps us have that peace of mind without having the worry in the back of our minds.  Even though there are thousands of apps that continually all have the same purpose, people keep thinking that it is a necessity to have apps to prepare them for all types of situations.  When one would look for games in the app store, one will find varieties of categories ranging from multiplayer to RPG and from puzzle games to sports games.  All which are successful, but are different from an idea that has not been originated yet.  A game that would stand out from the rest would be one that has the same concept as the Kinect for the Xbox 360.  It would be game where one will have to take the time to set it at a proper level so that they could experience a similar simulation as they would with the Kinect.  Another app that would be relevant and useful at times would be a short distance GPS application.  Now this is not your average GPS where it will give you different directions for different roads and freeways.  It is a GPS that one could use to find there way around a major office building, a large scale court house, a school campground, or even a world market center.  Now, when someone enters the app store they will find different apps that will give them different alerts without having to actually open up the application itself.  These alerts can notify someone of a message from a social network that they have an account with, a certain recreational event that is going to occur, or even the weather.  What they app store doesn’t have is an app where it can notify a person of a natural disaster or danger that is in their area.  The person would also be tracked with the GPS and will have a two- hundred mile radius.  Ideas for applications are made up everyday, so these are probably not that far from being created in the future.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

Companies over time have had much success when they use star power to make their product be noticed in the public eye.  Following this tactic, is a similar one where companies will try to make their product a “trend” or a “fad” which makes the product more valuable to the customer because it becomes something that they want just because everybody else has it, so needless to say that it becomes a “bandwagon” target market.  So with all the profitable income that companies and organizations are revenuing, why not use it for good? Why not donate to the less fortunate, the sick, or those that have survived a natural disease or natural disaster?  Many musicians put specific merchandise on their website for sale to raise money for a cause that they can relate to.  One in particular is the international rock-pop band Tokio Hotel from Germany.  The band has contributed in many ways to helping raise many for a good cause, and example would be the latest addition to their merchandise on-line store  are fashion buttons with a picture of the band on them.  All the proceeds from the purchases made will go directly to helping Japan rebuild from the tsunami that hit them earlier this year.  Another musician who is out there, using their star power for good, is the eye-shocking pop-singer known as Lady Gaga.  She made a deal recently with Mac makeup company to promote a signature lipstick that will have all profits sent directly to help fight AIDS.  An example of someone who turned their product into a fashion frenzy would be Lance Armstrong who came out with the Livestrong wristbands.  The wristbands were made to help raise money for cancer research and raise cancer awareness.  This product was successful because it had the total package ranging from having star power with an inspirational story to even becoming a trend.  Bottom line in my opinion is that people with star power have the ability to use it to make the world a better place.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

      I understand that for a company to do market research to find potential consumers, they have to have a target market in mind.  To help them find a specific market, companies will study different demographics in which various groups of consumers will fall into all sorts of categories.  Many factors may come into play when being put in these demographics such as age, nationality, hobbies, and even presentation of certain physical parts of the body.  With this information companies, will be given a big an idea on who to sell, when to sell, where to sell, etc.  This information will also contribute to how the product will be advertised and distributed throughout the nation.  Potential of a company to expand its market internationally will eventually arise upon gathering the demographic information.  To better profile groups of consumers, they have split generations depending on the age, to give the task of finding a target market, ease and support.  The millennials, who are based  on the ages between eighteen to twenty-nine,  are the generation demographic who some would say are the downturn from the previous generation because Generation X were a lot less spoiled and were considered entrepreneur loners.  The milliennials are categorized as the groups of people who are more focused on how they look and how they present themselves to the rest of the world.  Those who have piercings other than the earlobes, have tattoos, and are currently unemployed, such as myself, all fall into this category.  Some other characteristics of the millennials that relate to me is that “Seventy percent said that they have personal profiles on social networks and that one-in-four are unaffiliated with religion” – Pewsearch.org.  I believe that keeping this information in mind when choosing the correct target market is critical for a company to use because it will ultimately determine what categories of generations to avoid and be successful.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

    Many thought it was impossible.  Most thought the day would never come.  To some extent, many consumers were clouded by the idea that the video game industry could not suffer in any way on the market.  It was thought to be a revolutionary phenomenon, and would carry on for decades to come.  And while many are sitting there enjoying there hand-held slice of paradise, they don’t realize that sales have pummeled.  “  The sales of video games plunged 26% in April, and is the fourth-largest percentage drop ever, as players had fewer new games to choose from ”- Los Angeles Times.com.  So what is the next big thing? What is keeping video game sales down, except for the fact that fewer games are being produced? What are people turning to? Well the answer is simple, and it’s every ones’ hand on a daily basis.  The smart phones are the new era and they have already made their statement, and to this fad follows a high demand for portability with easy accessibility.  "In addition, the Nintendo 3DS was launched in an environment where there are more devices that can support the portable gaming experience such as tablets and smart phones” – CNBC.com.  Can this be a solution all the other game consoles? This new trend just might solve the occurring problems that companies are coming across, but only if they are willing to look at the problem from a wider broad perspective.  “ By Contrast, Apple’s ITunes’s  app Store provides a platform for marketing, selling, and distributing software;  all a developer needs to provide is a good idea and a working code” -Wired.com.  So needless to say, that the money is not stashed in for the console era anymore, but rather in what is easy to access and at hand at all times.

Student Appreciation Day

Living the college life can get stressful, and for most students dropping out seems to always become an option for them.  However let’s not forget those who stick with pain and those who always arrive on time put in the time and effort into the work that is given every day.  Even though those students are going to class to earn a degree, it’s fair to say that they deserve a little admiration for their devotion.  Luckily for these students, there is Student Appreciation Day at the Art Institute of Las Vegas on April 14.  On this day, students will get a chance to sit back and relax, well before and after class for the most part.  Food and drinks will be given to all the students  at no charge, and will have a live band playing  through the duration of the day.  This would be the perfect time to forget about the work assignments and the quizzes, and just enjoy the food and entertainment.  Not only is there recreational services available, but the school will also be having a job fair between 11:30 AM to 1:30 AM.  This would be the perfect time for students to dress to impress and bring in their resumes to make an impact on potential employers.  Whether you are an audio major or culinary, they will be looking for fresh face to fill in the empty slots in their companies.  The job fair will take place in rooms 144, 145, 146 for those who are interested.  Does not matter if you are look for a part-time or full-time job, there will be several opportunities in all sorts of environments.  As for a recommendation, I would personally take this time to present myself to potential employers and not shut out this great opportunity because there is possibilities of stepping stones towards a desired career.

EOC Week 1: Great Customer Service

Most companies, I have had experiences with, do not really rely on policies based on building a relationship with their consumers.  In most cases, this could be due to the fact that a mass amount of customers, pouring in from across the nation or internationally, are wanting to be heard all at the same time and cannot meet all of their consumers' needs.  A few weeks ago, I received my monthly bill in the mail from AT&T.  Upon receiving the bill from my wireless provider, I had run-in with this company over the phone that was truly an exception.  Now, I understand that customer service might be different in demographic regions due to rising populations in many cities.  If all the customer care representatives, within the company,  resolved all of their customers' problems with the courtesy and patience that they displayed when trying to resolve the issue I had with my bill, then a lot more consumers would recommend this phone service.  Even though the phone lines were busy when I gave them a call, I understood that I was calling at a busy time of the day and that I would be on hold for quite a bit of time.  When a representative was finally available, I spoke to her about the issue with the bill that I was having, she took the time to go over what had happened.  To resolve the issue of my family going over our minutes within our familytalk plan, she took the time to explain different resolutions in reducing my bill.  I was very excited that I was able reduce the total amount to more than half of the original amount, and not even five minutes later I received an email containing a questionaire of the recent customer care representative that had helped me, and had nothing but the best to say about her.  A quote that came to mind was that "Outstanding marketing companies go to great lengths to learn about and understand their customers’ needs, wants, and demands. They conduct consumer research and analyze mountains of customer data "(Marketing an Introduction-Page 6).  They proved to me that my feedback was important and crucial to them, so they could then evolve respectively, on a customer service basis.

EOC Week 1: My Voice

Hello, my name is Vito Marentes and I am from Las Vegas.  From a very young age I was always fascinated with audio, music, and the ambiences of life.  I love all genres of music but never gained the courage to learn any instruments, up until a few years ago where I picked up a guitar and taught myself how to play.  I've always believed that if I were to pursue a career in a profession, where its criteria was my passion, then there would never be a day where I woke up feeling I had to go to work, but do what I love to do and get payed for it.  Never do I ever accept the fact that I should arrive on time, but always strive to be everywhere I go ten minutes early. My philosophy has remained the same for years and has not changed because I feel that dedicating hard work and constant effort towards something that is truly desired will have results and a positive outcome that follow.  If you would like any additional information, please contact me at vegasvito702@gmail.com.