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EOC Week 9; The Story

Emporia Vodka is made with only the finest of ingredients. A blend of mainly the finest water supply of Emporia Kansas infused with wheat grown in Kansas too. Emporia is based of the principle introduced Lars Olsson Smith who created the idea of distilling the vodka more than a few times to get the right taste. Emporia is a premium smooth flavored vodka with no impurities which provide you with a relaxed drinking experience. With its roots stemming from Kansas it is the perfect American made vodka. Whether you are mixing it with a favorite cocktail or drinking it straight Emporia is sure to provide you with a drinking experience that is smoother than any other you may have tried before. The founder of Emporia Vodka has grown up in Las Vegas all his life and Emporia embraces it as its second home. Although new to the nightlife scene out here it has started to make a splash with appearances at many high end clubs such as XS, Omnia, and Hakkassan night club. Not sure how to try Emporia Vodka? Why not try it in one of our signature cocktails? Such as the Emporia express its a blend of Emporia Vodka, cranberry juice, lemon lime tonic water, crushed mint leaf, and blueberries. Or maybe you're a more simple drinker and enjoy a simple screwdriver or a vodka and soda? Or for those real experienced drinkers maybe looking to put a few back and drink a straight up shot no matter the occasion Emporia is the vodka for you. Simply put Emporia is made with only the best quality of ingredients for a experience no other vodka will offer you. At $24.99 for a bottle thats two times the size of a bottle the competition gives you you cant go wrong. Emporia Vodka only the best! 

Marketing Implementation Strategy

   “Marketing implementation the process that turns marketing strategies and plans into marketing actions in order to accomplish strategic marketing objectives.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 57) This is the make or break part for Emporia. Simply put you can have the greatest marketing strategy in the world but it all comes down to how you implement it that depends on it being successful or not. “In an increasingly connected world, people at all levels of the marketing system must work together to implement marketing strategies and plans.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 57) The Emporia brand will do this by constantly meeting with all departments to make sure we are all on the same page working towards the same goal. It starts with the CEO and goes all the way down to the distributors to even the stores we are being carried in. This is the part of the business in which team work is vital to our success and Emporia Vodka will work to make sure daily we are all on the same page. 

Distribution

   Distribution or “Place” is a huge part of getting this vodka brand out there. “Place includes company activities that make the product available to target consumers.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 53) For Emporia I think we would strictly keep this to just Kansas and Las Vegas. I think these are definitely two markets that would be a good starting point and we have roots in both places. Las Vegas is already huge in the alcohol industry so it would be a good place to start out here. I definitely think we would be held in liquor stores such as Lee’s and be carried in many grocery stores. Since we are in Vegas we could use the club scene to our advantage and get them to use some of our products even if we have to give it to them for free to start.”The issue is not whether there should be four, six, or ten Ps so much as what framework is most helpful in designing integrated marketing programs.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg.54) When identifying these 4 P’s we have covered all our bases for Emporia Vodka to get it off the ground. Each plays an important role such as distribution. 

Promotion

   Promotion is a huge element of getting a brand out there. As defined,”Promotion means activities that communicate the merits of the product and persuade target customers to buy it.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 53) A lot of this will be done through the use of social media. It is so huge now a days that we will blanket our brand across all online platforms to get the name out there to consumers. We also hope to prove to our consumers that we have a quality brand so that they will spread through word of mouth this can be a huge part of promotion also. ”Some critics think that the four Ps may omit or underemphasize certain important activities.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 54) The four P’s covers a large business aspect of Emporia Vodka. 

Pricing

It has been said that, “An effective marketing program blends all of the marketing mix elements into an integrated marketing program designed to achieve the company’s marketing objectives by delivering value to consumers.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 54) We consider that to be very true for our brand and another very important aspect of this is price. “Price is the amount of money customers must pay to obtain the product.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 53) Emporia vodka will be a very good price point and will offer a bigger serving size than other competitors at our price point as well as being a high quality product perfect for mixing with your favorite cocktail or drinking it straight up. At $24.99 for a 1.75 liter bottle which is double the normal size for that price point will definitely stand out against the competition. 

Product

“Product means the goods-and-services combination the company offers to the target market.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 53) As Emporia vodka the only product we offer is simply vodka. We would eventually expand into more products such as other related alcohol products like flavored vodkas, flasks, bottle openers, etc. But for now it is essential to build a strong brand and following before expanding. It can cause a brand major problems to expand too quickly. “It holds that the four Ps concept takes the seller’s view of the market, not the buyer’s view.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 54) This is something we as a brand plan to embody to further expand our brand and to make this be known as a quality brand to our consumers. 

Target Market Strategy

“A company with limited resources might decide to serve only one or a few special segments or “market niches.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 50) Since Emporia is definitely a smaller company manufacturing a single product compared to other competitors in the space we plan to sell a 1.75 L bottle for $24.99. We are literally giving a customer double the value for half the price. This is just another strategy we will use to target our market share not only are we making a quality product but we are giving our market segment a lot of value. As a brand we understand, “A company should target segments in which it can profitably generate the greatest customer value and sustain it over time.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 49) By selling our bottles in a bigger size for a better price as well as maintaining our brand quality we will create that customer value.

SWOT Analysis

“Managing the marketing function begins with a complete analysis of the company’s situation.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 54) At Emporia we know this is an important part of building a successful brand. For us we feel the strengths of our company are the fact that we are made in the U.S. and are a small brand that doesn't manufacture tons of products. However at the same time the size of our company could prove to be a weakness later on down the road in terms of manufacture pricing and distribution. These are only internal factors there are also external factors such as: “Opportunities are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 54) I think this is very favorable for our company because the trend now a days is most people just want value. A quality product they can get and not have to break the bank which is what Emporia does. The threats to our company are definitely just the other competitors with a price point close to ours. It’s hard to stand out on a shelf next to so many other choices. 

Objectives

An objective is defined as dealing with facts without allowing personal feelings to confuse them. “The company needs to turn its mission into detailed supporting objectives for each level of management.” (Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 40) Emporia’s mission is simple and so our objectives should be too. From a business standpoint it’s easy to say we have to set sales objectives but to our brand it’s more than just having sales. Instead our objective is simply to create a brand people stand by and trust. A brand made in America that people can be proud to buy. “These goals then become the company’s current marketing objectives.” (Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 42) This all ties to the fact that at Emporia our objectives can’t be put into terms of money because we don’t seek to make tons of profits as our main objective. Our objective is to be a a reliable brand to people. 

Business Mission Statement

Emporia Vodka is a brand that people can trust. We simply seek to give customers a high quality product with the highest quality of ingredients. We don’t seek to force a product on people.” Instead the mission should focus on customers and the customer experience the company seeks to create.” (Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg.40) Thats exactly what our brand is all about we are creating an experience that goes far beyond our product we create. “Too often, mission statements are written for public relations purposes and lack specific, workable guidelines.” (Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg.41) Which is why at Emporia our mission is meant to be simple and clear. Emporia vodka simply put pure ingredients. At Emporia quality and customer experience is our one an only mission. We are a customer oriented company not a product oriented company. 

WEEK 8 EOC; Creative Content

As far as creative content wise I plan to create a 15-30 second radio ad for my vodka brand Emporia Vodka. To do this I will simply script a commercial and record/edit it in ProTools. I will most likely star in it unless I find someone who I feel has a voice that better fits my product and message I am trying to get a cross with this brand. I will also create music to go behind the commercial to definitely help set the mood for the commercial. I think this will be a unique way to separate myself from others in the classroom. I also plan to create some kind of a mock flier for the vodka. I know that fliers aren’t an often used asset these days but I think it will still be another nice addition to my creative content. I could maybe also post it somewhere and take a picture of it as if it is having some kind of presence out there in the real world. This will require me to take full creative control and creative a mock bottle, label for the bottle, color scheme, slogan, etc. I think the use of this visual aid as well as creating an audio bit will be more than enough to cover some creative content for this assignment. I definitely think it will set me apart in terms of the ideas to I doubt most people in the class will create a commercial for their brand and the flier like I said maybe a little bit of an outdated idea now in the modern world however I think it will give a nice clean view of the concept without just creating a cheap looking bottle and taking photos of it. 

WEEK 8; Marketing Plan

We plan to market Emporia mostly over social media. Due to the fact that the world we live in now a days is blanketed by social media we should have no problem getting our brand out there to people. “Through strategic planning, the company decides what it wants to do with each business unit.” ( Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 55) This is no different within our company all of our marketing has a strategic element to it. Another way we plan to market is to use the big college men’s basketball teams at our disposal. Since we are based out of Kansas we would use the University of Kansas for marketing as well as the UNLV men’s basketball team. This would fit well with our demographic since we want to be a brand that can be affordable to college students but still desired by the older demographic also. Thats why,  “Marketing planning involves deciding on marketing strategies that will help the company attain its overall strategic objectives.” (Armstrong & Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, Pg. 55) With our strategies we will target our perfect demographic and price our bottle at $24.99 because we feel that is an affordable price that shows we are still a good quality. 

WEEK 7 EOC; The Pitch

I plan to create a vodka made with only the best of ingredients it would be 80 proof meaning the alcohol volume is 40%. My vodka will be called Emporia vodka. It draws its name from its roots in Emporia Kansas. The inspiration behind the name and concept is that it will be a U.S. made vodka made with an award winning municipal water supply which can be found in Emporia Kansas. The concept is to make a simple made vodka with literally just the ethanol and water from Emporia to create a simply made vodka with pure ingredients. Just three years ago they were awarded the cleanest municipal water supply in the U.S. I like the idea of taking this and using it in a vodka and marketing it as a top tier vodka made with only the best of ingredients. In fact in my mind the bottle would read Emporia Vodka only the best. I think the best part of the concept is the fact that it is promoting a place in the U.S. that people most likely aren’t going to be familiar with. Also I think people like the fact that its roots are in the U.S. as an American I personally like when I buy products made in the U.S. because now a days with production costs it is becoming a rarity to find products still being made here. Marketing will obviously be a huge part of this. I plan to use the traditional online marketing through social media obviously in todays world that is a huge and inexpensive way to get a brand name out there. Also I would a youtube channel to make funny videos that would attract fans to our brand. I think this is an underused marketing strategy. I plan to use the UNLV men’s basketball team to help get the name out there also. The whole concept of our vodka is that it is quality made but at a good price. We want to be able to attract all kinds of customers including college students and even the older demographic who might prefer more expensive vodka. 

Weel 4 EOC: A New App

Procrastination seems to be a huge problem for many people I know myself personally I struggle with this problem constantly. So as a solution to this problem I suggest an app that helps the user to stop with procrastination. This app would be available to both Android and iPhone users and would cost 99 cents to buy. When activating this app it would lock the user out of all other apps on their phone but still allow messaging and calls in case of emergency purposes. By doing this it would cause the user to have to focus on whatever their task was because they would have nothing else to distract their attention away from their work in theory. Of course this isn't 100% full proof as their are other things that can distract people besides their phones however I feel for the typical college student it would be some help to the problem of procrastination. It just takes one more distraction out of the equation. Now the way it would kind of work is there would be an amount of time you can select in increments of 15. So the least amount of time you wouldn't have access to all your phones feature would be for 15 mins with the most probably only being 2 hours. During this time you would receive no notifications from any of your apps whether it be social media an app game etc. The whole point is to keep maximum attention on your task at hand while minimizing the amount of distractions available to you. The best thing about this to is that apps can now be put onto computers too. So you could activate this on a laptop and it would limit your ability to access social networks online also. I feel that this is an app that could be very successful and helpful to some users. 

Week 3 EOC: My Demographic

My demographic is the Millennials. From reading out of the book I would say I identify with a lot of what it said. I am definitely very comfortable with technology and find that it comes very easy which is good because I am an audio student. However I would say that I don’t think I frequent the web as much as it implied in the reading. I am on social media also but I don’t find my self not being able to live without it or constantly having to check it like most millennials do. But I do use instant messaging everyday which I am sure half the people in America do by this point it’s 2016 we don’t live under rocks anymore. I agree with the fact that we are bombarded by ads and I do often seek my own research to make informed decisions about those ads before clicking on them. I really don’t agree with the last part of the passage at all to me it seemed as if it was trying to say our generation is easily influenced by technology and almost that technology controls us. I feel that doesn't apply to me at all I form my own opinions. Although smart by the obama campaign to use the strategy they did to attract millennials I definitely don’t identify with the supporters because I made my own informed decisions on the matter. Rather than buy into the website they created for him and the brand they built of uneducated millennials. I think the assessment of millennials is fair for the most part in my opinion however I think the book also suggests a little to much that we are controlled by technology and that doesn’t apply to me at all. I am my own free thinker that uses the technology to make my own informed decisions. 

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

NBA cares is a division of the National Basketball League who's mission is simply just to give back. They do this not only through money but also through starting programs for families all over the world. Since 2005 they have donated more than 270$ million dollars for charity. Spent more than 3.5 million hours of hands on service. Also have built more than 995 places for children and families to learn and play in their communities. As a former college basketball player and athlete for all my life this is something I can personally identify with I really think it is important to always give back. I like the fact that an organization such as the NBA recognizes that they are nothing without the support of fans and many of the communities they help out are the very fans who support them. I think it is amazing that the players spend their own time to donate to this cause also. These aren’t just professional athletes to a lot of children out there they are real life super heroes. As a fan of the NBA personally I feel good knowing that I support a company that goes above and beyond to give back to people. I am and will continue to be a fan of the NBA due to these contributions they make. 

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group

“Many video game executives say they remain positive about the industry, pointing to coming releases of big titles.”(WSJ.com) This quote puts into perspective exactly how the video game market works I feel. The market really can fluctuate for these video game companies depending on games being released pricing of products etc. Thats why I think when it comes to how these companies fit into the BCG they can be considered a combination of both a Cash Cow and a Star. 

The companies that manufacture the systems such as Sony, Microsoft,Nintendo, etc. can definitely be considered as Cash Cows in my opinion. These are huge corporations that are able to sustain themselves even though their growth might not be large. Now of course these companies come out with different systems every few years however as far as the market is concerned most customers stay loyal to the system they are used to whether that be the Playstation from Sony or the Xbox from Microsoft. This can limit growth for the companies because there isn't much turnover of the customers generally they will stick to the system they know with the exception of a few customers switching systems when a new one appears.

On the other side the companies that actually make these game I would consider to be Stars. These companies need a lot of money to get these games off the ground and spend months to maybe even longer than a year perfecting their products in hopes of growth from consumers. These companies have to have that growth especially the smaller ones cause they might be working on just this one game for a whole year so they need the growth to come off their one product. Also important to note that these games can be the reason for maybe a consumer to switch consoles as some games are only made for a certain system. Customers loyal to the game will usually do what they need to play it. The video game market is overall a mixture of both Cash Cows and Stars. 

Week 1: Great Customer Service EOC

“Simply put, marketing is managing profitable customer relationships.” (Marketing An Introduction, pg. 3) That statement right there really says it all customer service is a vital part of any successful business. I remember shopping at a clothing store one time I it was H&M and the day I was there shopping I was kind of in a rush and I needed an outfit for whatever it was I was doing that day. Long story short I got home and the shirt I bought did not fit at all. The tag said it was an XL but the actual shirt said it was a large on it. The following day I go back to return it and since I was in such a rush the day before I threw away the bag and the receipt of course. I get to the front of the line at the store and I am explaining why I am returning it and then they ask if I have the receipt. I say no and explain that I bought it yesterday though and I was in such a rush but the tag is still on the shirt. The cashier says I am sorry but there is nothing we can do because you do not have the receipt. As I am about to walk away the cashier right next to mine looks over and says no return the sale for him I remember ringing him up for that stuff yesterday. Sure enough I was able to get my money returned no problem. It was a good feeling to know that the employees care enough to not only help me out in this situation but remember me out of the hundreds of customers I am sure they have daily. It is a good feeling it made me as a consumer want to go back to that store again.