Brand Attitude Change- one person CAN make an impact.

Over the years consumers have found negativity and bad opinions over brands and companies.
And it is a never ending battle for these brands to limit these reputations and try to maintain their brand integrity.  

 
1 very large battle I have found on the internet recently has been the Vodafone vs Vodafail. 

I was not aware of this Vodafail website until my MARK217 lecture last week. 

It is common knowledge to almost everyone in Australia that Vodafone is a terrible telecommunications company. The most important thing about telecommunications is reception, which they provide next to nothing. The 2nd most important attritube of a telecommunications company would be the price. And that is where Vodafone sucks people in. 
They have very competitive prices to compete with the Australian the heavyweights of Telstra and Optus, and for someone that isn’t aware of the terrible service, they think it is a great deal. 
Someone out there, was so pissed off about their deal with Vodafone that they made a website called Vodafail. This website is a place where the online community can publicly share their experiences and opinions, and ultimately, shame the Vodafone company.
http://www.vodafail.com/ 

This website has used the Vodafone colours of red white and silver to make sure that no one is confused about which company they are taking aim at. 
Although this website is not taking new complaints, there are THOUSANDS of complaints still available for viewing on the website. They are even categorised for convenience of the user. 

This website also gained some big publicity, which I can assume helped gain the page’s popularity and increased the amount of complaints rapidly. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote an article introducing the page. 
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/vodafone-customers-seething-over-dropped-calls-slow-data-20101210-18sev.html?comments=210#comments 

It doesn’t stop there.. There is also a Facebook page for Vodafail. 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Can-we-find-1-million-people-who-will-never-use-Vodafone-again/172631736104243
“Can we find 1 million people who will never use Vodafone again?” is their page. 

If I was an executive at Vodafone, and I saw this website, I would be completely disgusted and ashamed of myself for being involved in such a disgrace of a company. To have that much hate against you that people have made a website with thousands of online complaints, I am very surprised people stick with Vodafone. Because this wasnt a one off thing to one person. It would happen to almost every customer. 

Now, I found it hilarious that that a multi million, (or billion?) dollar company such as Vodafone has been treated like dirt, the same way they have been treating there customers for years. 1 person, or maybe a few, (it doesn’t matter) took on this telecommunications giant, and publicly embarrassed them over the internet with truth and facts about how bad their experience was. And I applaud that. I believe it has been a win for the little guy. This would have damaged Vodafones reputation very serverly, that it would have forced them to improve their services somewhat.  

I have personally never had any trouble with Vodafone, as I have always been aware of their negatives to know not to deal with them. But I used to be with Optus, and they could also very easily have a website like Vodafail made for them one day too. 
I believe that with today’s social media, technology and competition, this could happen to almost any brand that fails to provide adequate services… 

I wonder who’s next. 

 

The 4 stages of perception in marketing strategy

Perception establishes the meaning about a product or brand when a consumer makes initial contact. At this stage all of the senses are engaged in receiving brand marketing communication messages. In marketing there are 4 stages of perception- Exposure, Attention, Interpretation and Memory.

– Exposure
It must reach the consumer
Exposure describes what occurs when a person’s senses are initially exposed to the external stimulus of a product or brand marketing. The sensory receptors of a consumer are engaged by product or brand cues through sight, sound, smell, taste and texture. Think about walking into Subway, and you can smell the freshly baked bread, and the colours of the store, they are stimulating your senses.

– Attention
It must be attended to by the consumer
Attention occurs when the consumer pays attention to messages that are consistent with their attitudes, beliefs and needs. When a consumer cannot relate to these factors, the consumer will lose attention.

– Interpretation
It must be interpreted correctly
Interpretation occurs when a person assigns a meaning to the sensory stimulus from a product or brand marketing. Understanding is aided by expectations and familiarity. A consumer scans his memory to retrieve previous experiences with the brand or a similar brand.

– Memory
It must be stored and retrievable
The conclusion of the consumer perception process is the retention stage. This is marked by the storage of product or brand information in short-term and long-term memory. The marketer’s goal is to stimulate the consumer’s senses and gain attention in the proceeding stages that translate into consumers storing the information about the product or brand into long-term memory.
References
MARK217 Week 5 Lecture Notes, Autumn 2014 – Jennifer Algie 

Perceived Risk with Homer Simpson

Like most people, I enjoy watching The Simpsons. You can never watch too much of that show.
For the sad minority that do not know what I am talking about, The Simpsons is a genius parody of life. Comical, exaggerated, sarcastic; The Simpsons hilariously scrutinize all aspects of life. When I first learnt about perceived risk in the week 3 lecture, I immediately thought of Homer Simpson and his complete LACK of perceived risk thought. 

Seriously, that guy has purchased everything without any logical second thought (D’OH). He is the ultimate consumer for any product. 
And every marketer has the wish that all consumers were to think like Homer, ie they wouldn’t think at all. 

I can relate all 6 types of perceived risk back to Homer Simpson; and show how he gets in trouble for not questioning each perceived risk. 

Functional- will the product perform as expected? 
Season 20, Episode 14 – In the name of the grandfather. Homer and Grandpa Simpson buy an Irish pub in Ireland, believing that they can make a lot of money from Irish people as they are stereo typically heavy drinkers. However that backfires when it is found out that the Irish community are too busy making a living and do not drink as much as Americans thought. 

Physical- can the product hurt me or my family? 
Season 13, Episode 1- Treehouse of Horror XII. In a parody of Demon Seed, The Simpsons family buy an automated artificial intelligence upgrade for their house, “Ultrahouse”. The house develops a personality, and a love for Marge. In doing so attempting to kill Homer. They were quickly sold by the tagline of never having to do household chores again

Social- What will my peers think? 
Season 10- Episode 15- Marge Simpson in: “Screaming Yellow Honkers”. Homer sees someone driving the latest new car on the market, and immediately buys one for himself. Later finding out that he got the women’s model and his friends find it hysterical. 

Psychological- Am I doing the right thing? 
Season 5, Episode 5  – Treehouse of Horror IV. Homer misses out on donuts at work, and then trades his soul to the devil for one donut. He does not question any consequence, not even his own fate. 

Financial- Can I afford this purchase? 
Season 20, Episode 12 – No loan again, Naturally. Homer takes out another mortgage on the house to pay for a massive mardi gras party. After not being able to afford the new mortgage, the Simpsons consequently lose their house.

Time- How much time and effort is needed to make this purchase?
Season 5, Episode 16- Homer loves Flanders. Homer camps overnight in a line for tickets to a football game, only to eventually miss out on a ticket when all tickets sell out. His time and efforts are wasted as well as failing to get his product.

References 
Week 3 Lecture Slides. Decision Making Lecture, MARK217, Autumn 2014 – Dr Jennifer Algie
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Homer_Loves_Flanders – Accessed 27/3/14 
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/No_Loan_Again,_Naturally – Accessed 27/3/14 
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Marge_Simpson_in:_%22Screaming_Yellow_Honkers%22 – Accesed 27/3/14
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Treehouse_of_Horror_IV – Accessed 27/3/14 
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/In_the_Name_of_the_Grandfather – Accessed 27/3/14 
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Treehouse_of_Horror_XII – Accessed 27/3/14 

my golden ticket

It started off like any normal day,  i woke up,  checked my facebook,  thought about if and when I had work that day, had breakfast etc.

Then suddenly, before leaving to go to work it was announuced on facebook that steel panther were touring australia again in December! Usually people are given clues about announcements and when to expect them.  Not this time! I felt like I had won the lotto.

As i frantically expressed my excitement to my friends; juggling facebook messages and text messages at once, another post was made regarding VIP packages. They had me sold at the first line of text, “Meet and Greet”. 12 oclock that day I knew I was buying VIP packages to this show!

Time finally dragged itself onto 12pm and i was at work counting down the minutes. Luckily things werent too busy at work and i had a spare minute to open my phones web browser and purchase these VIP tickets. The email verification camee through, and i held in my hand my golden ticket to meeting one of my favourite bands!

Days became weeks, weeks became months, patience became limited. December rolled through and it was almost time! Not only was I seeing Steel Panther, but two other bands I really enjoy were added to the bill; Buckcherry and Fozzy. 

The day of the concert arrived, my mate Brent and I made the short trip up to Sydney to the Hordern Pavilion to see our heavy metal heroes. At 5pm we were let into the venue early along with about 50 other happy punters. We were provided free drinks and the chance to roam the merch desk without waiting in long queues. Ofcourse I had to update my 2012 tour shirt with a new 2013 tour shirt, and then joined the line to meet the band.

The 4 musicians then came out with much cheer to the small crowd and people were let through in groups, or individually to have a chat and a photo with the band. Waiting in line, overwhelmed with excitement; chatting with other fans sharing stories and jokes helped to make the time pass faster. Then our time came! I got to walk up to the guys, shake their hands, had a chat and a laugh, got my vinyl signed and a quick photo.

We were then let into the venue earlier than the general public and waited for the gig to start. The 2 support acts played flawless sets, but they could not shine any brighter than the headline act. It was their night, and they tore the roof off the Hordern.

Maybe not the best product I purchased, but definitley the best experience and the best $200 I spent in 2013.