From Homeless to Harvard

    

 Now that the semester is over, students are taking a break and enjoying the “calm of the storm” so to speak. For myself, I am taking this opportunity to refocus, regain strength and hit the ground running. This was my first semester here at BMCC and my personal growth is indescribable. I have learned so much both inside and out of the classroom and having completed the first semester, can only imagine what the future has in store.

     As we take a break, I think it wise to not only reflect but also take time to remind ourselves why we are here. I am at BMCC because my education took second place in my life- until now. Education was never a priority in my life and in the years following high school, it's been an important piece of my life that I desired to fulfill. Moving forward I’m reminded of the struggle we all go through to make our lives complete; to make our lives worth something.

     An inspiring movie and memoir I watched recently brings this to life. This movie is From Homeless to Harvard and I recommend watching and/or reading her memoir. The movie tells the story of Liz Murray, her struggle as a young girl raised by parents who used drugs and often found herself hungry. She persevered through these struggles and ended up changing her life. It's inspiring for anyone to see, especially a student, as the theme of the movie is reiterated throughout. That theme is the struggle we all make and the hope that lies ahead.

     I give the film, Liz Murray and anyone who, in the past or present, has made a change in their life for the better, two thumbs up and five stars. As we move forward with our lives and education, movies like From Homeless to Harvard remind us that life is worthless unless we, individually, find that thing that keeps us going, keeps us fighting, and gives us strength to continue on.

Watch From Homeless to Harvard via Youtube...

RIM Co CEO Mike Lazaridis talking Playbook

WES renamed Blackberry World

      

     We kind of saw this one coming, and in an official announcement today RIM has rebranded the Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES) to BlackBerry World. A very fitting title given the history of the conference. It is definitely worldwide and the past few years we've seen our fair share of device announcements (maybe a Storm3 this year?!) and more. The conference will still hold the same breakout sessions, hands-on labs and certifications as in the past, while incorporating more from other areas of the BlackBerry platform as well. Attendees of BlackBerry World will be able to:

• Hear the most current information about the BlackBerry solution, new application partners, and roadmaps for the future
• See live demonstrations of the BlackBerry solution at work
• Get answers from BlackBerry experts to develop value-driven wireless solutions, as well as carriers and vendors who can help provide valuable wireless research information
• Meet and connect with key executives who are making the BlackBerry solution part of their business planning, and the industry leaders who are shaping the future of global wireless technology
• Get training on the BlackBerry platform, with additional opportunities for technical certification

The flagship BlackBerry conference will be entering its tenth year and will be held from May 3-5 2011 in Orlando FL. Registration opens in January. For more check out blackberry.com

BlackBerry - India - Commercial - 2010 - Love what you do

Talk about market segmentation. Blackberry Commercial in India.

Segmenting and Targeting Markets: If you're a market, watch out !

     We all have products. We use them, we wear them, and we even eat them. If you look at it in a more broad sense, our entire lives are made up of products. How does this affect us? Well, because our lives are filled with product after product, we as marketers have to work twice as hard to ensure the proper delivery to the consumer. Long away are the days of traditional business when one product and one segment were present. People have evolved, markets have shifted, and many characteristics make up a consumer.

     Let’s take Blackberry for instance. Blackberry started out with one idea: put into the hands of businessmen and businesswoman a device that could keep them connected to their clients and the office. They did just that, and then some. Their first market was undifferentiated and didn’t contain multiple segments. Now having five top selling smart phones, on the top four US carriers, Blackberry continues to expand and strengthen itself in each market.

     Let’s talk Curve. The Curve was a new breed of phone when first released and quickly, the non-business user gravitated toward it. Ironic, since now a large percentage of Curve users label themselves “personal” users. The Curve and The Storm were both developed and marketed to the younger, more leisurely customers and left The Bold for the business men and woman. Plus, with the increase in popularity of smart phones and applications such as facebook and twitter, Blackberry and other sellers are catering the services and the devices themselves to meet their needs. So RIM’S target market went from a small, general segment to a massive multi-segmented market.

Goldman Sachs / BMCC Leadership Program 2010 Final Presentation

   

  Learning should be a continual process throughout our lives. I had the opportunity this semester to be a part of the Goldman Sachs / BMCC Leadership Program and would like to share this experience. We began by being divided into teams and were given the task of creating a business proposal and presenting it at the end. I don’t believe any of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. The program kicked off and key note speakers came in to discuss a variety of topics including communication, presentation and relationship-building skills.

     My team, Innovative Solutions we appropriately named, decided to offer marketing, branding, and consulting services to clients who were small business owners. After 8 weeks, we had our final presentation. Much preparation went into this and I am happy to say, it was a solid presentation.

     The program had very little downsides and more benefits than anything I’ve ever been a part of thus far. Working in a group setting was different, but we all we able to adapt and quickly became acclimated with each other’s way of doing business. We met on a consistent basis and often times, on weekends or whenever possible. Communication was important and I can mention that my entire inbox on my Blackberry contains over 60 emails from my team. Thank you T-mobile for that data plan!

     The experience was amazing and I feel like I have grown individually both in the personal and professional sense. As marketers, we’re selling a good or service. As people, we are selling ourselves. This means that we are truly a product in and of itself and just as the products we market, investments should be made. Investing into improving your skills and character can only help never hurt you. Below are several slides from the presentation and pictures I shot of my team members.

To view slide and zoom, please click:





India wants Blackberry access: As security risk or privacy issue ?

Click on the picutre to see the Reuters article.

Hey can I see your Blackberry? Usually this means you just want to look at someone’s phone but in India, it means something completely different.  The Indian government wants access to companies using the RIM Blackberry server because of increased security risk.

Developing and Managing Products: Bringing Life to a Product

As a consumer, we see thousands of new products on a daily basis. What distinguishes these products as new products? A new product is NOT a modification of a younger model. For example, The Curve by Blackberry is a model that has modifications and newer technology but is not a new product. A new product would be, the Blackberry Torch released earlier this year.When releasing new products, we the marketer must incorporate many strategies to help the product reach the consumer. This includes functions such as Research and Development (R&D), business analysis, and testing. So many factors play a pivotal role in the success of a new product.

When Blackberry released the Torch, much of the force behind the product came from consumer, research and market analysis. Iphone and Droid had been leading the mobile technology world in touch screen devices, and Blackberry attempted to compete with the Blackberry Storm. The Storm didn’t compete as well across the touch-screen field and thus, the Torch was created.



As discussed in an earlier blog post, products go through a life cycle- very much like life itself: Birth, Life, and death. The cycle isn’t as heavy but the cycle begins with the introduction or conception. After the release it begins to grow and reaches maturity. Unfortunately in the last stage, decline, the product loses momentum and sales decrease.

If you look at statistics and market research, decline usually corresponds to a new product release or modification. How ironic. We, as the marketer, must continually be finding new strategies and tactics to keep the product in the growth and maturity stages for as long as possible. To accomplish this, a strong effort and initiative on our end must be present that gives the product enough momentum to sell. Think of it as a rocket. If you had a perfectly designed rocket, yet no fuel, no lift would occur. If that rocket had only a small amount of fuel, it wouldn’t reach the heights it could if it were to be properly fueled. Further, if you want to get to your destination, you need to make sure there is gas in the car. Otherwise, you’re broken down on the side of the I-4 outside Orlando, Florida like I was at 17 years old.

Customer Relationship Management

Business cannot be business without one thing: relationships. Relationships between manufacturers and retailers, retailers and consumers, and consumers and manufacturers. With this cycle comes CRM, or Customer Relationship Management.

Although it covers several aspects of the consumer and their purchasing behaviors, CRM seeks to identify, integrate, and implement information gathered from every customer the company has interacted with.

Let's take Blackberry for example. Blackberry is the brand that attaches itself to the devices to which Research In Motion manufacturers. Without any formal brick-and-mortar establishments, Blackberry must maintain its relationships with the customers through integrated channels.

When we as marketers develop plans to carry out objectives, we look toward the data and information from our consumer base. This data helps us formulate detailed initiatives that can be customized according to the consumer and their specific market.

Consumer's in business today, are fearful of providing information to marketers and companies due to privacy. The important thing to keep in mind, I feel is to maintain a strong relationship with our customers and keep their trust instilled in us.

Interesting enough, the data and information collected could be even more valuable to a company than just sales. Should a company go under, and close its doors, the data stored could be deemed an asset and sold to debtors.

The bottom line here is relationship building and maintenance. Without this link any effort, whether internal or external is made in vain and destructive to the overall operations of the company.

Integrated Marketing Communications- The mix of all mixes.

There is one main goal of someone in business. I wish it’s changed, but it hasn’t. The main goal of any promotion is to get someone to buy a good or service. For the marketer, this means we must use all aspects of the promotion mix and integrate our marketing efforts. It is our ultimate job to communicate and get the product to the consumer.

Companies today want to show competitive advantage and that can become difficult when the audience is not tuning in. Our job – we have many of them- is to present the message through valuable mediums and channels and effectively enable our target audience to reach a – positive- decision about our product.

Promotion is pivotal to get product information to our core target audience. Promotion is a valuable and essential part of marketing and success.  Take the book required for this course, MRKTG edition 4. This book has to include personal selling and promotion both to the consumer and retailer. The publisher, most likely, went to schools, and then targeted the professors teaching this subject. This is where personal selling comes in. Why this book? What makes this book different than another one I used last year? These questions are answered by the personal sales representative. Lastly, the core consumers- students like me pulled into buying book after book- are targeted and offered promotions to obtain the book that they – the marketer- planned from the first.”Hello”. Welcome to Marketing Integration.

Personal Blogs have made companies go from bad to good and from good to bad. Fortunately, for Blackberry, the latter has not happened and blogs such as Crackberry.com have helped Blackberry generate and maintain customers for the company. The truth is, Crackberry is a mini-Blackberry corporation. Amazing really, how this blog started and became a staple for the millions of Blackberry users and skeptics.

Blackberry, perfectly balances the communication between its manufacturer, retailer, consumer and back to manufacturer. The main reason Blackberry has remained strong through the years is this communication. Blackberry has integrated with several platforms and increased its brand because of it. With every facet of the company integrated, Blackberry really is an IMC powerhouse.

St.Jude Children's Hospital - Social Responsibility

Attention all BMCC students and others who discover this blog:

I am working with St.Jude Children's Research Hospital this holiday season and I want everyone of my classmates to know how amazing this organization and hospital is! The love and attention that the facilities and its employees provide bring a whole new meaning to Social Responsibility.

We hardly ever think of these children or others throughout our day and why would we? Life continues on for us, but some of these children struggle to just make it one more day and our donations and involvement help them survive.

It's hard to make a difference when we have so many things going on in our own personal lives. However, if we take a second and think of all that there is outside of our own lives, we can begin to appreciate the things and life we do have and then, help others who need it.

If you are interested in hearing more about St.Jude, the program I am working on, or giving please email me below. Also, research the hospital and take a tour of the website. Should you decide to give, it's a great way to know what you helped accomplish.

Thanks!

David



Product Concepts. Wait. I have an idea !

          When we think of products, we think of tangible materials in which we, the consumer, can purchase or exchange something for.  Products are in our day-to-day lives and some we even depend on for use throughout. One product that has undoubtedly become a part of this class of products is the cellular phone. Cellar phones, when first introduced, we for business men and woman and people on the go. It was not a device for the everyday American. When, in the late 90’s and 00’s, phone’s started becoming “necessity” that is when Blackberry make some important Product decisions.

          Everything is important when it comes to product. First and foremost: the product itself. The product has to be able to perform and live up to the expectation of the consumer. An expectation made, of course, by none other than the marketer. Blackberry has done a good job at this and continues to develop new products; another facet of the company. 

          Product modification is important for several reasons. One, the product may in fact not be what research and development thought and fail connecting with customers. Second, the product may be great, but one or two features and functions may be outdated, required a modification. With Blackberry, most recently, this was done with the release and modification of the trackball.

          The trackball was the one feature about Blackberry that set it apart. No other device had the trackball and a user –or non-user- knew it was a Blackberry in their possession. The problem, however, is that the trackball feature to navigate on the phone was not durable and many customers complained. After quite some time, in early 2008, Blackberry released the TrackPad and revolutionized the Blackberry once again.

 

          Research in Motion has also extended their product line to include, besides mobile devices, the new Blackberry PlayBook tablet. Many technology professionals and industry insiders anticipate the release of the tablet and see if it says what is says it can do. We’ll see now won’t we? I think it’s a great feat to release the tablet in economic uncertain times, but also, in a market that has been lead by Apple (Ipad) and Barnes and Noble (Nook) since the craze started. This release will create a new product line, and new glimpse into the future at Blackberry. Thank you, Research in Motion.

Check out actor Doua Moua in Blue Blood's on CBS 11-12-10

Actor and personal friend Doua Moua, will appear on CBS' Blue Bloods, November 12th 2010. Episode 8 of Season 1 entitled "Chinatown". Check him out and the show, it seems promising !

More on 'Blue Bloods'...

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/blue_bloods/

Sales Promotion and Personal Selling- Would You Buy Me ?

           For Blackberry, selling products has been growing more and more difficult. With consumers evolving, manufacturers like RIM, have to meet those new customers’ needs and continue to have a good relationship with current customers. Through this process, Sales Promotions and Personal Selling definitely come into play here. As costs of Advertising and Marketing rise through high-traffic channels, companies like Blackberry are turning to a more cost effective way to market: Personal Selling.

Because of today’s Blackberry customer, who is more diverse and eclectic than in previous years, new initiatives and promotions must be outfitted differently; Different sales promotions for different buyers. Several programs are effective however; Blackberry only participates in a few. One use of Blackberry’s promotion strategy is their competitor customers approach. With new devices and manufacturers emerging, the company must be on their toes- constantly. The newest devices released were the Blackberry Torch and the new Curve from the series of the same name. A visible implementation of this strategy is seen with their release of the aforementioned models. As promotions were offered for the device, at comparable prices to similar mobile carriers, competitors were on the same level as Blackberry with regards to price-point.

Rebates are another sales promotion Blackberry and Research in Motion offers. Rebates are given after the initial purchase is made and the documents for the rebate, with a valid sales receipt (proof of purchase), is submitted to the rebates department. With these offers, customers can be comforted that their purchase of the device is a good one given the company’s reputation, quality and price.



Referrals are an important selling strategy that Blackberry and other companies rely on. Word-of-mouth marketing is valuable and caused companies like Facebook, and other businesses to gain national and in Facebook’s case, worldwide acclaim. 

Since a majority of Blackberries devices are sold through third party distributors or retailers, Blackberry’s follow-up is done through these parties. When a sale is made through T-mobile for instance, Blackberry may receive the data and information of the customer and the sale itself however, T-mobile deals direct to the customer and thus removing Blackberry or Research In Motion from its involvement in following up with the customer.

Maybe-just maybe- Blackberry get more involved in the selling process. I don’t think removing retailers who “push” their devices and produces should be eliminated, but as a Blackberry owner myself, it’d be nice to share my thoughts about issues or products should I feel inclined to do so. Remove the middle man from the customer service side of things and Blackberry could strengthen its efforts when creating sales promotions and engaging in personal selling. 

Weekly Shout-Out goes to: T-Mobile

I just recently saw this advertisement for T-Mobile's My Touch 4G device. They modeled the commercial after Apple's "I'm a Mac" segments and actually did a great job. Considering Apple has a innovative and creative commercials, T-mobile will get customers and consumers to listen using this model. Shout out to T-mobile.

Check out the video....