EOC:The Dark side of Market Research

Television, media, the internet, GPS tracking...

   There is a dark side to Market Research, and it is the use of surveys and popularity in a market to market to people things that might actually hurt them. The internet is for certain one of those tools in marketing to people through their face books and social media accounts, yet the consumer does not know that they are becoming, "the product". Many people are also losing their privacy rights by even succumbing to the marketing tactics of social media and the internet. In marketing research we use the people and what they want to determine what to sell and market. The internet can now do this in secret. This secret activity could be considered the dark side to marketing. I have seen this in my own social media efforts, If I even simply view a certain website I will see the exact website or product appear in my social media feed. I feel that consumers and internet users should have some rights as to how to protect their private information and locations we visit. Now, there is the option to limit your GPS settings to let a website or company know of your locations; yet there is a large amount of the population that still does not know how to use these settings and put them into place. Hopefully consumers will become more aware of how we are being used to market ourselves through tracking and internet use.

BOC: Excel Charts

Week 7 EOC : Final Project Pitch

   My final project will consist of coming up with a new product and way for a local Las Vegas cold-pressed juice company to make more money. This company is "The Juice Standard". The company is only one year old and has a number of different cold-pressed organic fruit and vegetable juices available for sale. With the world becoming more consumed with health, cleansing, and WHAT we put into our bodies for nourishment; I feel juice company's like this should provide these nutrients in the most enjoyable/ comforting form possible. My pitch is to add Frozen Juice in Soft serve ice cream form to the Juice Standard's menu. Before this wildly popular Juice cleansing craze, soft serve frozen yogurt was the main treat of choice. Frozen Yogurt spots offered soft serve ice cream treats that you can adorn with toppings and sweet additions of your choice. I would love to see this Juice Company provide these healthy and fortifying juices in more of a "dessert" or treat form. This form could possibly be more appealing to customers wanting to become healthier, but find it hard to give up sweet treats.I would like to add to my pitch the option to add an assortment of toppings for a customer to choose from to top their frozen sorbet. I will conduct a 50 person survey  to determine if this would be a success for Juice Standard.

   In conducting a survey I have found that having a frozen juice option in Juice Standard would be successful. The survey information left me with the evidence that from the respondents I surveyed, they would choose the frozen option over traditional juice.

Some of the juices that they now have available that I would like to see in frozen form are:

Bee I'm possible: Alkaline Water, Cashew Milk, Local Honey, Lemon, Vanilla
Bee Excellent: Coconut Water, Raw Agave, Vanilla Bean, Raw Cashew, Spirulina.
Bee Energized: Beet, Apple, Lemon, Carrot, Cucumber.
Bee Happy: Coconut Water, Raw Almond Milk, Raw Walnut, Cacao, Raw local Honey, Vanilla Bean, Pink Himalayan Salt.



I will conduct a 50 person survey to determine if these juices would be more appealing in juice or frozen treat form.

Survey Questions that will result in Excel Graphs:

Would you rather consume nutrients in the form of frozen sorbet or cold-pressed juice ?
-frozen sorbet  52%
-cold-pressed juice 46%
-neither 2%

Which Juice Standard Juice would you like to see in frozen sorbet form?
-Bee I'm Possible 43%
-Bee Happy 40%
-Bee Excellent 10%
-Bee Energized 7%

How often do you consume Cold Pressed Juices?
-Everyday   25%
-2-3 times a week  35%
-1 time per week    20%
-1 time per month   15%
-1 time per three months  5%

How often do you consume Frozen sorbet/ ice cream / frozen yogurt ?
-Everyday 3%
-2-3 times a week 10%
-1 time per week   42%
-1 time per month 30%
-1 time per three months 15%

Would you be most likely to consume Vegetable or Fruit Based Cold-pressed Juices?
-Vegetable  35%
-Fruit  12%
-Vegetable & Fruit  52%
-Neither 1%

If the Juice Standard introduced Frozen Juices in the form of an "ice cream" treat, how likely would you still choose that over traditional ice cream?

-I would only eat the Juice Standard's healthier alternative!           62%
-I would about 50% of the time eat regular and 50% healthier juice ice cream      33%
-I would still eat traditional ice cream.  5%

Why do you consume cold-pressed juices?
-to be healthier     34%
-food allergies to either dairy. gluten, and/or diabetic   30%
-weight loss      31%
-cleanse    5%

EOC week 6: Deeper meaning of the film BIG

EOC week 6:  Deeper meaning of the film BIG

After watching the film Big, develop a 300 word blog the answers the following question:

• What marketing research methods were demonstrated in the film?

   After watching the film Big, I saw different marketing research methods that were demonstrated in the film. One of the methods was actually testing out the product in the product market. The movie displayed how crucial product testing really is to launching a new product or trying to rejuvenate an old product. Josh in the movie displays an actual hands on approach and finds the true problem with why kids aren't gravitating towards the company's certain toys. In researching marketing terminology in the book I also came to realize these strategies used, Longitudinal research – I noticed exploratory research being used in the movie Big. Exploratory research can clarify the research environment and help improve the design of descriptive studies. They used focus groups that were a group of kids that played with the toys and expressed their attitudes toward the products. These focus groups are in an interactive setting, coordinated by the company. Longitudinal research examines shifts over time. Brainstorming was also another way research was being conducted in the movie. Once the boy gave his ideas they rest of the group was able to feed off of his crafty ideas. If they had a larger sample of people for the research, they would have come up with a better product. Casual research was being conduct by the owner of the company on the weekends. He casually walked around the store and observed how the customers played with the different products. This approach relies on experiments to establish cause and affect relationships. Casual research seeks to control for external influences in an effort to asses a cause and effect relationship between two variables. Many of the research approaches weren’t reliable or valid before the research. Reliability in a research context is the degree to which measures are free from random error and, therefore, yield consistent results. 

EOC Week 6

EOC Week 6: 

What did you learn? From your project? From the class discussion?

   I learned a lot about conducting a survey, using the results of a survey to accumulate a hypothesis, and also developing a marketing plan. I was able to determine what type of fragrance product was missing in the current market and cater to the needs of this missing demographic. I was able to learn what the most common preferred fragrance notes are for women and men. After conducting my project, in the class discussion about our projects I learned what fragrance results my classmates had accumulated. These results gave me an even better insight into what a great new fragrance product really consists of. 

Fragrance Project: Analysis of the Project in the Real World

Develop a vodka or fragrance brand that you will test market.

• -blog title------>>>>>>   Fragrance Project: Analysis of the project in the Real World
• This is due to be worked with (finished) week 6

 My hypothesis for a fragrance will be something that represents a fashion forward individual that wants to embody a feminine scent with vanilla undertones. I will conduct a survey to determine if there is a need for this particular fragrance. I want to determine how my fragrance will do in the real world.

I surveyed ten people using the previous survey in my blog. I found majority chose these answers:


1.) Preference in top note?

a.) Vanilla
b.) Citrus
c.) Floral 
d.) amber musk

2.) Why do you use a fragrance? 

a.)to feel confident
b.)be appealing to others
c.)personal hygiene routine

3.) Who are you buying this fragrance for?
a.)man
b.)woman

4.) How often do you apply fragrance?
a.) once in the morning 
b.) 2x daily 
c.)morning & night 
d.) only night 

5.)Pick another favorite smell
a.)cinnamon
b.)peaches
c.)rosemary
d.)jasmine

6.You prefer a scent reminiscent of:
a.)true love
b.)summer
c.)home
d.)faraway lands

7.) How would you best describe yourself?
a.)confident /wise
b.)sexy / adventurous 
c.)easygoing / fun
d.)sensitive / shy

8.)Type of cuisine you prefer:
a.)modern/fusion
b.)traditional/comfort
c.)fresh/light
d.)exotic/spicy

9.)What age group do you fall into:
a.)18-30
b.)31-40
c.)41-50
d.)51-60

   After reviewing these results I have come to the conclusion that most people are seeking a sweet fragrance with undertones of a vanilla. I have found a need for individuals searching for sweet feminine fragrances. I was interested to find that most people use fragrance purely for the attraction of other individuals. The individuals that I sent this survey to on social media were of a median age of 18-30. I determined that most people only apply fragrance once daily and in the morning. 
   My conclusion after this survey is that I will develop my vanilla scent using these statistics. My fragrance brand  name will be "Sweet Nothing", I have decided to name my product this name due to the sweet notes it will possess, as well as the popularity to be somewhat still contain natural notes in a fragrance. Due to the age demographic of people I interviewed in the survey I will price my product in the affordable price range of $50-$80 for a bottle size of 3 oz. I want the color to represent me as a fashion forward individual and I want the packaging to be somewhat minimalistic.

EOC Week 5: The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets

  After reading the article of "The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets", I was fascinated how us as social media/internet users are now the product instead of being what we thought ... the consumer. This Journal investigation finds that one of the fastest-growing businesses on the Internet is the business of spying on all of us consumers. 
   "The Journal conducted a comprehensive study that assesses and analyzes the broad array of cookies and other surveillance technology that companies are deploying on Internet users. It reveals that the tracking of consumers has grown both far more pervasive and far more intrusive than is realized by all but a handful of people in the vanguard of the industry."
    The study found that the nation's top websites each had installed 64 pieces of tracking technology into them. Tracking technology has grown immensely since the dot.com boom of the 1990s. This time era is the first time we ever saw anything such as advertising online. 

   The most disturbing part of this article that I found was the "third party" tracking files. These work in the way that The first time a site is visited, it then will install a new tracking file. These tracking files assign the computer a unique ID number! Consumer tracking is the foundation of an online advertising economy. This industry has racked up $23 billion in ad spending just in the last year. I think this is a very powerful and informative article, it spreads the awareness of our very personal information that we thought was "unseen", is not only being seen, but sold and shared. This is the business of spying on internet users.

EOC 4 Primary & Secondary Research

      Discuss the advantages & disadvantages of using secondary data...
                      

                  Secondary data can be described as the most widely used method for data collection. This process involves accessing information that is already gathered from either the originator or a distributor of the primary research. Some advantages of using secondary data are the ease of access to it ,low cost to acquire information, and to help in the clarification of research question. Some disadvantages of using secondary data are the quality of research might be less, maybe obtaining out of date research that is not timely, and the information might not be specific to researcher's needs. 

      
           Define surveys and describe the type of information that may be gathered in a survey...

    Surveys are a method of gathering information from individuals. Surveys have many purposes to them , and can be conducted in many different ways. Surveys may be conducted to gather information through a printed questionnaire, over the telephone, by mail or even email, in person, or on the web. The type of information that someone might acquire from a survey would be the target market and to find out or better understand the demographic in an area. 

EOC Week 3

After watching the documentary on the 25th anniversary of the making of 9 to 5, develop a 300 word blog the answers the following two questions:

• The film was developed from just a concept "Secretaries want to kill their bosses". What market research techniques were used to develop the screenplay? What specific processes that are in the book or discussed in class were used?
• What ethical issues were part of the plot line of the actual film? Although we did not watch the actual film, there were many ethical dilemmas referenced. What were they? How were they resolved?

   In the making of 9 to 5, the concept of the movie was "Secretaries wanting to kill their bosses". Some market research techniques that were used to develop the screenplay were actually surveying and interviewing angered secretaries from actual offices. Each of these real life secretaries had their own horror story on how they'd like to "treat" their boss. This real life perspective is what gave this movie its magic, real life people can relate. Some specific processes that are in the book and discussed in class were the interview and market survey process. 

   Some ethical issues that were part of the plot line of the actual film were women's rights and sexual harassment in the workplace. Although we just watched the documentary versus watching the actual movie, I was able to determine that these were some of the forefront issues in the workplace at the time of the movie creation. I believe these issues were partly solved due to the bringing these issues to surface, such as this movie did. 

EOC Week 2 : Sample Survey

10 questions to ask in the survey.

Multiple choice.

1.) Preference in top note?

a.) Vanilla
b.) Citrus
c.) Floral 
d.) amber musk

2.) Why do you use a fragrance? 

a.)to feel confident
b.)be appealing to others
c.)personal hygiene routine

3.) Who are you buying this fragrance for?
a.)man
b.)woman

4.) How often do you apply fragrance?
a.) once in the morning 
b.) 2x daily 
c.)morning & night 
d.) only night 

5.)Pick another favorite smell
a.)cinnamon
b.)peaches
c.)rosemary
d.)jasmine

6.You prefer a scent reminiscent of:
a.)true love
b.)summer
c.)home
d.)faraway lands

7.) How would you best describe yourself?
a.)confident /wise
b.)sexy / adventurous 
c.)easygoing / fun
d.)sensitive / shy

8.)Type of cuisine you prefer:
a.)modern/fusion
b.)traditional/comfort
c.)fresh/light
d.)exotic/spicy

9.)What age group do you fall into:
a.)18-30
b.)31-40
c.)41-50
d.)51-60

EOC Week 2: Survey Research

Dairy Alternative Beverages in the U.S.: Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Rice Milk and Other Dairy Milk Alternatives

Packaged Facts estimates that total U.S. retail sales of dairy alternative beverages reached $1.33 billion in the year of 2011.   

Consumers choose plant-based dairy alternative beverages for a lot of reasons. Health issues including lactose intolerance, milk allergy, and the genetic disorder phenylketonuria can be addressed through the consumption of dairy alternative beverages because these plant-based milks are free of animal proteins, in particular casein. 

Others who are primary consumers of dairy alternative beverages include vegans, vegetarians and people concerned about antibiotics or growth hormones often found in cow’s milk. 


This report estimates and analyzes the size, growth rate, and composition of the plant-based beverage market. Historical sales data, as well as market forecasts to 2016, are provided for soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk and hemp milk, as well as coverage of minor products such as flax, hazelnut, multi-grain, oat and sunflower milks. Strategic analyses of competitors in this market are included, as well as descriptions of recently introduced products. Trends and regulations influencing this market are discussed. Importantly, data from Packaged Facts’ extensive proprietary survey of consumer attitudes and usage trends relating to plant-based beverages are provided.

Notes:
U.S. Dairy Alternative Beverage Retail Sales Projected at $1.7 Billion in 2016 ....

There has been a consistent, slow decline in dairy beverage consumption during recent decades. The average, per-capita consumption of cow’s milk declined from 24.3 gallons per person in 1994 to 20.8 gallons per person in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...

EOC : New Fragrance Brand

In designing my own line of Fragrance for Women, I am going to use market research skills to see what is popular in the latest scents and how to cater to a larger demographic of females. Top Selling fragrances for the year 2014 were of the following, Tory Burch original scent, Tom Ford Black orchid, Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia, Viktor & Rolf Flower bomb, and Elizabeth & James Nirvana White. The one comparison within all of these fragrances is that they all have floral, fruity, or vanilla notes in at least one of the three components of a perfume. Therefore, in my own line I will be launching I am going to include at least two of these notes in the composition. Some notes I have found to be very popular and that I would like to include are Bergamot, Sicilian Orange, Raspberry, Fig Leaves, Lily of the Valley, Licorice, Strawberry, Red Fruit, Cotton Candy, Vanilla, Caramel, Musk, Wood, and Powder. My fragrance product name will have to be feminine and depict the notes used. I want the color to represent me as a fashion forward individual and I want the packaging to be somewhat minimalistic. I will need to conduct a survey to get an idea on how launch my fragrance in an efficient manner.

Most fragrances come from major fashion lines. I am an aspiring fashion professional and would like to better understand how fashion appeal and scent appeal overlap. Some of the most popular fragrances in the world are not originated from scent connoisseurs. There is much learning and knowledge that needs to be completed before building and launching a new fragrance line. Perfumes are built in what is called a “Fragrance House”, which are companies that run two operations. They employ perfumers, who design and write the formulas for perfumes & analytical and synthetic chemists, who can analyze the molecules that make up a fragrance and build it from the ground up. Fragrance houses also operate warehouses to store thousands of perfume ingredients.

            The science behind fragrance and how it works is truly unique. Perfumes are composed of three separate components: top notes, heart notes, and base notes. Top notes are composed of the lightest molecules and they evaporate first. Top notes appear within the first fifteen minutes of applying. Heart notes appear after three to four hours. This is the composition that you will remember the most about a fragrance. Base Notes appear four to five hours after application. The Base of a fragrance is almost like the “fixative” to hold and boost the strength of the lighter top note and middle notes.

             

           My hypothesis for a fragrance will be something that represents a fashion forward individual that wants to embody a feminine scent with vanilla undertones. I will conduct a survey to determine if there is a need for this particular fragrance. I want to determine how my fragrance will do in the real world.