Marketing questions

Expectations: Answer the following question separately in paragraph form. Please include depth and clarity when answering the questions.

Topic #1 of discussion: Personal Branding and Celebrity Branding.

Following up our discussion of product branding, think of a situation where you would market yourself. You might be:

Looking for a new job
Pitching yourself for a job promotion
Promoting your business
Trying to sell a house
Trying to sell an item on Craigslist

Questions:
1. What do you think differences between personal branding and product branding, as well as the differences between personal branding and celebrity branding.
2. What can we learn from these readings? How could you brand yourself given one of situations listed above? I choose (Promoting your business).
3. Does celebrity branding influence your purchase and consumption behavior? If so, how? If not, why?

Topic #2 of discussion: Competitive Advantages through Online Promotion

According to the following article, about 77% of luxury advertisers are expected to increase their investments in online marketing in 2012: http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2012/8806/luxury-brands-boosting-online-marketing-spend#ixzz28gVdyP98
In addition, Manta’s Small Business Survey found that 78% of surveyed online small business achieved at least 25% of their new business leads via online and social channels in 2012.
Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2012/8966/9-in-10-online-small-businesses-network-online-8-in-10-gain-new-business#ixzz28gWpw1hh

Questions:
1. What do you think of the effectiveness of online marketing?
2. How could the firms use online marketing channels to gain competitive advantages?

Topic #3 of discussion: Online Distribution

Check out the following news articles listed below on Amazon’s online grocery service.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100916844
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/companies-and-industries/a-new-threat-for-big-grocery-2/

Questions:
1. What do you think of Amazon’s move to online grocery delivery? Does it give the company a competitive advantage?
2. Identify one of your favorite grocery stores. What attracts you to it? Can you think of anything the store has done to draw your patronage and stop you from buying online? Is there anything further they could do to retain your loyalty?

Topic #4 of discussion: Free offering and Pricing

A survey from MARC Research found that among a variety of holiday specials and shopping tactics, store coupons and free-shipping offers were the two incentives most used by shoppers during the fourth-quarter 2009 holiday-shopping season.

Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2010/3542/shoppers-seek-coupons-and-free-shipping-offers#ixzz28gf7i57W
In addition, read the article below on the importance of “free” in online commerce:
http://www.marketingprofs.com/short-articles/2555/the-importance-of-free#ixzz28gdt7f4u

Questions:

1. Based on these articles and other readings you may find, what do you think of the “free” offers used by online retailers or marketer?
2. Do you think the “free” offers would be more effective than coupons?