In Response to Lyndzi....


At the end of Lyndzi's post about inelastic goods and her experince with Amtrak she asks the question, What is another major product you can think of with an inelastic demand? If the price of this item increases do you think consumers will find ways to conserve their overall use of the product?

Another product that could be seen as inelastic is electricity/utilities, we all use these daily and their isn't a alternative. Although electricity isn't nearly as expensive as oil if it gets to much for people to pay each month there could be a shift in how we use it. 

Recently with Earth day and global warming problems on the rise people have been looking at their own footprints on the Earth a little differently. However big these problems might be, people will not change their daily routines until it directly effects them. A problem with money could lead a person to cut back on their spending and keep a closer look at their finances. With the price of using your appliances possibly getting higher I could see a slow movement towards conserving their use. This would allow many benefits to the user and to their environment.

New Light Bulb Released on Earth Day..
http://news.yahoo.com/light-bulb-20-life-unveiled-us-earth-day-161236715.html

In an article I found on Yahoo a new LED light bulb was released that lasts an astonishing 20 years. Although many people don't believe it will be a huge seller due to its high price of 60 dollars, its a move in the right direction. However the dutch company Philips is attempting to increase the purchase of a simple product like a light bulb.

Many consumers today are becoming more aware of their spending and the result their spending have on the environment. This allows the customer to save money while also decreasing their constant spending on small purchases. It's a known concept that consumers have habit of wanting instant gratification, and this company (Philips) is allowing the customers to see the product as an investment.

In Response to Christine.....


Christine in her article wrote about Coca-Cola and their new marketing idea of vending machines that use hugs instead of money. She asked at the end of her post if this is a good idea for the company.

Personally, I think its a great innovative way to get people to stay loyal to their product. These machines will give the impression to customers that its more about the product than the profit. It's also a way to more people to enjoy their product and for them to change their opinion about the company.

This move by the company was a smart one because it makes it more about the customer and keeping them engaged than the profit Coca Cola makes.

Diet Dr. Pepper, Sexist?
http://theweek.com/article/index/220181/dr-peppers-not-for-women-ad-campaign-sexist

I'm sure many people have seen the Ad for Diet Dr. Pepper and their new tag line "Not for Women". I was surprised to see this commercial because it flat out makes a sexist comment towards its female viewers. Although the new diet drink is suppose to appeal to men, I'm sure many viewers were unsettled about the commercial.

It surprised me because although I found myself talking about the product because of the tag-line, but also because women are the ones who tend to do the grocery shopping, and they also hold majority of the financial decisions in a household. I felt this hurt their standings with female consumers because it gives them the impression this drink is manly and not meant for them. It also adds the stereotype of being strong and masculine by making it seem acceptable to drink this diet drink.

Do you think was a smart move by Dr. Pepper, do you think it was intentional?

New Guidelines Could Cause a Change for Marketing Online.....

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/new-ftc-guidelines-could-remake-web-marketing/FAF2EBD9-D389-4935-8041-E9E028290395#!FAF2EBD9-D389-4935-8041-E9E028290395

In a recent article from Market Watch, their are new guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) that might take effect. This change could cause customer's to not feel so targeted when targeted for marketing online. This also will prevent companies from learning personal information about the consumer while they shop. Sites like Amazon use this to their advantage to track customers habits to help market them to buy another product.

It will be interesting to see if these new guidelines will be put into action and the effect they could have on a companies current online marketing

What kind of new approaches to you think companies might take if these guidelines are placed into action? Do you think its a good idea the FTC helps protect customers and their information online?

In Response to Nichole.....


At the end of Nichole's post about J.C Penney she asks the question What else can JC Penney do to help their sales increase? Do you think Penney's is on the right track?


I think their new approach will help their sales as they stand. JC Penney when they first started had a simple approach for their customers always saving them money and always putting the customers first. Although as time passed, companies got caught up in the profit and soon we're just into for the money.

I think JC Penneys sales will increase since they will no longer trick of falsely appear to be saving the customers money. The customers will see this approach as building better reputations although they will not be having sales.

In Response To Rebecca...

At the end of Rebecca's post she asks the question, If this trend continues, what kinds of things will you do in order to cut back on the money you spend weekly on gas? Do you think that people will change their lifestyles to save money?

In her post she discusses the issues and concerns with the rising gas prices. I do believe this trends is happening as a result of our diminishing energy shortages. We as a country are panicking about what energy we will use to power our cars and homes. If this trends continues I feel people will switch over to a new source of energy because they can no loner afford it and/or do not have any other choice. 

 I think at first people will be very resistant towards change because they are afraid that they will have to cut back and things will be different. People do not like change and we can see that because our problems in society concerning oil have yet to take a turn for the better. After sometime and some dead ends I think people will change and cut back on spending. Hopefully if this does happen more time will go into research for better and more reusable energy sources so we do not have a problem like this in the future. Personally I would try to find a means of transportation with a alternative energy source, many companies have started to do this. My normal routine of using my car would change and I would be forced to cut back on traveling as much.