Sealy Mattress Advertisement

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

This ad recently caught my eye on TV (probably because of the cute puppies). I instantly thought of how interesting the marketing was for mattresses. Most advertisements that I have seen for mattresses involve "fantastic back support" and "no more harsh springs". They leave you thinking, "Great, next time I need to put my glass of wine on my bed and jump on it simultaneously, it wont spill." It bores me to think about spending up to $1,400 on something so...ordinary. This commercial made me see buying a mattress differently, which is exactly what the company is trying to achieve. Their marketing team found a provocative method of modifying the promotion variable. I think  this is the most effective mattress advertisement I've seen.

Lawsuits fly over Dish Network's ad-skipping DVR - May. 25, 2012

Lawsuits fly over Dish Network's ad-skipping DVR - May. 25, 2012

This link is an article from CNN reporting on a new feature to DISH's DVR system that allows customers to "hop" past all commercials without physically fast forwarding through each one. The basic claim is that television networks will receive significantly less money for their advertisement spaces because the advertisements may not actually be seen by all viewers. 

Is this it really any different than the current DVR features? I rarely watch any commercials between having a DVR and Hulu. However, I think this may bring some huge changes in the future for advertising. As this type of technology increases the majority of the population will not be watching commercials. If this continues advertisers may shift where they spend their money since their commercials won't be viewed in the high volume that they once were.

Facebook IPO

http://news.yahoo.com/video/business-15749628/facebook-ipo-little-gain-after-hype-29346451.html

Sorry to post just a link, I couldn't embed the video, but it's definitely worth the watch.

I find the comparison to billboard ads to advertisements on Facebook to be an interesting connection. Because these ads are personalized to your typical searches online, what you see on that sidebar could easily attract you to spend money you weren't planning on spending. This has proven to be a very successful marketing strategy.

Overall, a few questions remain. Should Facebook allow more advertising or banner ads? Could they increase their profits by altering their marketing strategy, retaining their target market and changing the marketing mix they have implemented?

Lastly, I think it is really interesting for us young entrepreneurs to see a success from someone in our generation that created something so successful as a college student.

Marketing Intro

Because I have no experience in marketing, I thought I would begin my first blog post with my amateur observations. I have worked for many small businesses in Bigfork and Kalispell Montana. One of my first jobs was for a business called The Apple Trolley selling gourmet carmel apples.  Sounds like a great place right? While the business is still profitable, I noticed the difficulty of reading their sign and advertisements caused a hindrance for the business. While being adorable, the sign was difficult for many to read from a distance, confusing people as to what the business was for.

However large this sign could be, it still wasn't reaching out to consumers. 

Another business that had to leave Kalispell, but has been able to survive in Great Falls, is called the Popcorn Colonel. They had a great location on main street in Kalispell but had to relocate. Their new location would not allow for advertisements or signs on the main road and the location was tucked way back into an area where people would not normally travel. After just a few months the business had to close because of their lack of customers. 

Overall, this shows how the combination of the distribution and promotion variable in the marketing mix can greatly affect even very small businesses.