In Response to Danielle’s Post

What do you think of brands advertising on campus, through student ambassadors or sponsored activities? Should colleges allow this sort of thing, or should campuses be kept as ad-free as possible?

In my opinion what American Eagle and Target did at the University of North Carolina was a very smart marketing tactic. I think all companies whose target market consists of college students should consider implementing this type of advertising into their marketing plan. I agree with Danielle that college students don’t want to be advertised to and when it comes to seeing ads their focus is mainly on whether the advertisement is “cool” or not. However, I think through student ambassadors and sponsored activities, companies can reach their target market of students in the most effective way. Many college students try to keep up with the latest trends and they influence each other’s styles so they are more likely going to listen to their peers rather than adult marketers. I think colleges should allow this type of marketing and I don’t see any harm in these marketing practices. However, I do think that colleges need to put a limit on how many companies can use their campuses for advertising their brands because it could become very distracting for students if their campus becomes a huge marketing central. 

What other on campus tactics so you think companies could use to market their products effectively towards college students?

Marketing in a Consumer Market vs. Business Market

Markets fall into two categories: consumer markets and business markets. A consumer market consists of purchasers and household members who intend to consume or benefit from the purchased products and they do not buy products to make profits. Business markets consist of individuals or groups that purchase a specific kind of product for resale, direct use in producing other products, or use in general daily operations. One can imagine the marketing strategies for these two markets have to be different since the needs, wants and buying procedures are different for the markets. Generally business markets are more likely to be price driven and consumer markets are more brand driven. Therefore, a company selling to another business may want to focus more on promoting why what they have to offer is worth the price, and have the price be the focus of their advertising. Whereas a company selling to a consumer may want to focus more on promoting their brand name, making it the focus of their advertisements. Also, for consumer markets the customer is usually very distant from the manufacturer/company making the product therefore businesses in consumer markets need to use mass communication and distribution tools to market their products/services. In business markets on the other hand, the customer is much closer and the manufacturer has a lot more knowledge of the customer and may market through personal selling techniques rather than mass communication. 

Do you think companies in a consumer market spend more money on marketing than companies in a business market?