The power of Amazon

Hi and welcome to my blog. This blog post focuses on the power of the online marketing. More and more organizations are realising the significance of using the internet for conducting their business. The internet has opened us, the consumers, to a global marketplace and companies that successful market themselves have the potential to achieve high levels of growth and economic success. Many traditional brick and mortar companies like Sears Canada , Best Buy and many others also sell their products online. Nobody does it better than Amazon. It started off its humble beginnings in a garage and now it has several massive warehouses in Canada and the United States as well as in Europe and Asia. You can buy just about anything you want ( and even some things you didn't you wanted until you found them there!!) on Amazon.
This company has maximized the use of global marketing through the internet and is a hugely successful company as a result.

"At Amazon, we believe that innovation has the power to change the world. As we strive to become Earth's most customer-centric company, we constantly look for new ways to innovate on behalf of our different customers: individuals who shop our global websites, merchants who sell on our platform, developers who use our infrastructure to create their businesses, and creators of the books, music, films, games and other content we sell through our websites. We believe that our greatest contribution to the good of society comes directly from these core business activities."
 Source:    <http://www.amazon.ca/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=footer_corpres/176-2126904-6998116?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200700220>


Amazon is a leader in global marketing , in that it has teamed up with many other companies ( each with their own marketing plans ) and has distribution centers located around the globe. It does not need to develop marketing strategies for the products in various global markets because the product itself has done that already. For  example, Nike has athletic products that focus on global markets all over the world. In countries where soccer is huge , you may see more focus on those types of products, whereas here in Canada, especially this time of year, hockey equipment is marketed more. Amazon doesn't have to worry about its target markets, only that they carry the right products for their distribution locations.


As a pioneer in the world of Internet commerce, Amazon.com strived to set the standard for web businesses.
Read more: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/35/Amazon-com-Inc.html#ixzz3ryl5xs6w

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today.

Candy

Social marketing and ethical companies

Hi and welcome to my blog. This is the third blog post for our Marketing course and  for my topic I thought I would discuss how companies have used social and green marketing to their advantage. For years The Body Shop has promoted cruelty free skincare and cosmetics. They pride themselves on being a company that promotes products that are earth friendly and being  socially responsible .

"The business of business should not just be about money, it should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not private greed."
-Dame Anita Roddick. Human Rights Activist. Founder of The Body Shop

The company grew from a kiosk in England in 1976 to a global organization that is internationally recognized for its humane and fair trade products. In fact it is the first cosmetics company to be recognized for its humane standards.http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/about-us/aboutus_company.aspx

Not only do I personally love their products but I feel confident that my purchases promote fair and ethical trading practices and I've noticed that more brands are following suit.

As consumers, I believe we have a responsibility to holding companies accountable for fair trade and ethical conduct , especially when it comes to international companies. With the access to social media, such as Facebook and Twitter and even through blogging, we can influence the social behaviour of companies.

Candy

MR 1100 - First blog post :

Good morning and welcome to my MR1100 blog. This is my first blog post for my Marketing course. These past few weeks we have looked at various aspects of the marketing mix- the 4P's.  As well, we looked at how companies use successful marketing strategies.
Chapter 2 uses some examples of successful marketing strategies and how they can help an organization grow and succeed in the global economy.

The Canadian Tire Corp. was a great example of how two gentlemen started out with a small business , sold it and the started what is now a household name in Canada, Canadian Tire. This company has done an excellent job with it's marketing over the past 80 plus years.

If you were to show just about anyone who lives in Canada ,they would recognize this image , even without seeing the name...

"We are a proud Canadian company that knows life in Canada better than anyone else. We offer products and services that help Canadians live active, healthy lives and our store network and staff connect communities from coast-to-coast. "
-- taken from Canadian Tire website ( http://corp.canadiantire.ca)



We all own, at some point in time or another, Canadian Tire money. I remember as a kid thinking it was real money and wanted to spend it at my local corner store.

The company has responded to the  technological age with its card version of the money that you can add as an app on your smartphone or with a debit-like card. You can still use the paper version.. if you have any left .

Canadian Tire is more than just an automotive  or DIY company... they have a program called Jumpstart Kids ( click here to learn more about the charity on their website) that helps thousands of Canadian children, each year, participate in sports programs .

The power of the Canadian Tire brand is a true testimony to its marketing success. All the 4 P's are here.... they have a product, whether its actual physical products in the stores or the service of assisting youth programs . The price for their services is available through their store flyers, ads in magazines, newspapers and in various other forms . They even have a Facebook page and a YouTube channel for their Jumpstart program. Finally, the company has locations throughout the country but just in case you're not close by, you can always shop online.

This company is a true success story thanks in part to its marketing. The company set goals and strategies to achieve those goals , as a business and community partner, and over the past 88 years it has continued to grow .

That's all for now.. 'till next time...

Candy