American made products are becoming harder and harder to find. Made in USA challenge is a website that contains a 'master list' of companies that produce products in America. There are a wide variety of products and a few familiar brands, but a majority of the sites listed on the master list are unknown to the everyday user.
Riley and Coco is a Los Angeles based company that features L.A. based designers. While perusing around the site, I noticed that their about page features both information about their company as well as information about the designers. The designers page is particularly interesting because it explain how the city has inspired their designs and gives a small background on each of the designers. Another cool feature of Riley and Coco how each product states where it was made.
These shoes for instance were made in downtown Los Angeles by hand, they also retail for $197.00 if your interested...
Okabashi is another made in America product. Okabashi was founded in 1984 in Buford, GA. The create various forms of sandals for men, women, and children and sell their shoes in places like Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, and more.
Okabashi's slogan
There are many other products that are produced from things only made in America that are not included on the Made in USA Challenge website. A few years ago, there was a home in Bozeman that was being featured because it was remodeled and built with things only made in America....even down to the screw. Most of these companies that are producing Made in America products are also doing a lot to protect the environment and really make a difference in their community. There is a large purpose behind Made in America products, you just have to take the time to find it.
The promotions section of marketing really got me thinking of how people sell things. There are billboards, magazine ads, TV commercials, and things that come in the mail. All of these methods, along with numerous others, are somehow conveying to customers that their product or service is the one they need to have.
TV commercials for instance, beauty products that you would love if they actually worked. I usually see these products like magic hair curlers, where you can take your fresh out of the shower wet hair and pull it through this thing and it will come out dry and perfectly curled. The fact that they make the advertisement seems so simple and show "real life footage" is something that definitely makes the consumer think that the product is actually going to work, and on top of that the price is so low that it is just to good to be true. #deals4days
Another one of my favorites are the little coupons that come in the mail, (my house usually gets them from Joann Fabrics or some pizza place in Bozeman). Those things are awesome. There are so many deals, like 2 medium pizzas with two toppings and a liter of pop for only $20.00. They way that they play on the consumers senses and make the pizza appear to be affordable really make a difference to hungry people everywhere. Not only does the hunger factor play a role, so does the fact that the colors on the advertisements are so bright. The color is really the attention grabber for the product or service.
How products or services are promoted to the consumer play a key role in if the product or service will be purchased. Most of the time the deal is too goo to be true and the advertisement for the product is just... bad. However, when it comes to the promotion of food, I've never seen one that has not made me hungry.
Most people would probably assume that drugs are bad, unless your Lloyd and Harry in which case pills are good, but this form of cocaine probably isn't quite as terrible as the powder cocaine. Cocaine is an energy drink produced by Redux Beverages and comes in two different flavors: Cocaine Spicy Hot and Cocaine Mild. Apparently the company has been having issues with the FDA regarding the product name, but also because of the extreme amount of caffeine in the drink that has resulted in them being banned from countries and really only sold online.
Compares caffeine amounts to other caffeine drinks.
2.) Thirsty Cat!, Thirsty Dog!
Consumers have taken it far enough with dressing their pets and carrying them purses (Paris Hilton and Tinker Bell), but this product takes pet pampering to a whole new level. According to an article in the New York Times, bottled water for pets was being sold in two delicious flavors: Crispy Beef and Tangy Fish. Not only is this safe for pet consumption, it is also safe for human consumption...
(Also if your interested in seeing what other pet products are out there, check out this link. Mind. Blown.)
3.) Zune
The Zune is the Microsoft version of the iPod. While it was essentially the same as the iPod, it had flaws such as being too big, too thick, and too sensitive to touch. My dad actually had one of these when I was growing up and I remember taking it on field trips and everyone being like "what's that." So while it had the bonus of being not mainstream, the operating system just wasn't up to speed with Apple.
The three products listed above are just a few of the many that that are pretty terrible. By simply searching for 'product failures' you'll get a long list of the worst ones ever. Its actually pretty entertaining.
If you watch the Office, you probably know that the title of this post comes from the "Let's Get Ethical" episode of the Office. (The song is a partial remake of 'Physical' by Olivia Newton-John).
I don't think that there is another show out there that better portrays how not to act in an office. Something unethical happens in almost every episode. BUT in the ethics episode, Meredith, an employee, states that she has been sleeping with a supplier in exchange for discounted paper and coupons for steak. While sleeping with people in exchange for goods or services is basically prostitution, they (corporate) claimed that it wasn't that big of a deal and to just dismiss it. Obviously wrong.
Again, ethical dilemmas within companies seem to focus on the employees or those in charge. Ethics is defined as the "moral principles of an individual" according to dictionary.com. So it only seems fitting that companies face ethical issues based primarily on the actions of their employees.
An example of an ethical dilemma is when Volkswagen was using company funds to pay for personal expenses like prostitutes and shopping sprees for wives. Hopefully the reason why this is an unethical is pretty obvious. Then there are other corporate scandals out there like the Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme where Madoff promised returns on investments that were clearly to high and was pocketing the money. Madoff was obviously caught and the repercussions of his actions landed him in jail for 150 years.
These examples just go to show that unethical behavior can be either large (like corporate scandals), or small (like anything seen in the Office). Unethical behavior is based primarily on the moral principles of those performing the act. They know its wrong but continue because of a personal gain that is taking priority.
You can watch the "Let's Get Ethical" episode of the Office on Netflix, its season 5, episode 2. Pretty funny and definitely educational.
I recently watched Hot Rod and started thinking about the various ways that Rod and his crew had to promote the 15 bus jump to raise money for Frank's new heart. When I think of marketing, I think of magazine ads, television commercials, websites and all that good stuff. However, there are ways to promote events without going through the trouble of spending large amounts of money on big advertising.
The four P's of marketing are shown very clearly throughout the movie. The product being offered is a 15 bus jump for those in the community. While they don't ever specify where the movie takes place or where the big jump occurs, it appears to be at the fair grounds or some place similar to that where guests can easily attend. The price is also not clear on how much they charge for admission to the big jump or the stuntman movie, or for performing at private parties. What they do tell us is that Rod does reach his $50,000 goal and that he did have to give over $3,000 away for a broken projection machine. Rod and his crew promote the big jump using flyers, showing the community a homemade stuntman movie, and by performing stunt like activities at private parties. Rod even runs around in a stuntman suit with his name on the cape. And towards the end an AM radio station decides to sponsor the event and give all proceeds to Frank's new heart. This is just an example of how a decent marketing mix helped reach a goal.
