Celebrities in Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Celebrities in Advertisements - Essay Example Hence, the celebrities have become a strong weapon of influence in the hands of advertisers as they not only help in selling the products, but also help in creating a long lasting psychological association between the product and the consumer, which ensures the future success of the brand. Celebrities In Advertisements As per the modern trends, advertising can be defined as â€Å"a paid persuasive communication that uses nonpersonal mass media –as well as other forms of interactive communication- to reach broad audiences to connect an identified sponsor with a target audience† (Wells, Burnett and Moriarty 5). From the definition, it is clear that advertisers use the advertisement to persuade people to take some action or to take a decision related to the products that are being advertised (Wells, Burnett and Moriarty 5). However, making a consumer to take a decision regarding a product is not as easy as it seems as there are hundreds of different brands selling the same kind of products. Hence, the advertisers have to use a strategy that is highly powerful and highly impacting. This is where the role of the celebrity in advertisements begins. The fact that approximately one sixth of the ads world-wide features the celebrities shows how beneficial it proves for a brand to have a celebrity feature in the advertisements (Shimp 250). Moreover, the salaries the celebrities are paid are huge. According to a report on top endorsement incomes of athletes (2007), professional golfer Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were paid $100,000,000 and $47,000,000 respectively, for the ads (Shimp 251). To endorse the brands, the advertisers use variety of celebrities from the field of television, movies, sports, athletics and even politics (Shimp 250). It is believed that celebrities have the power to influence the attitudes and behavior of the consumer towards the brands as they are respected and loved by the consumers (Shimp 250). The brands pay huge salaries to the celebrities to advertise their products as they think that celebrities can positively influence the consumer and increase the sale of their products (Shimp 250). Studies in the field of advertising have revealed that there is a positive link between the ‘famous people’ in the brand and people’s favorability towards it (Pringle 69). The chances of success of a brand increases when it features one of the likeable celebrities in its advertisement (Pringle 97). Hence, it is believed that celebrities have the power to influence the decision of the people. However, what really works behind the success of the brands featuring celebrities in their ads is the method of ‘mental association’. Psychology Behind Celebrity Advertisements It has been proved that the presence of celebrity in the brand advertisement increases the chances of its success. The explanation for the effect of celebrity advertisements on people’s behavior and thinking can be found in the psychological theory of ‘mental association.’ According to psychoanalysis theory, the principle of ‘association’ governs the mental life of human beings (Richards, Macrury and Botterill 140). The theory states that when a person has any experience, his mind creates an association between the feelings related to that experience and the elements that were involved in that experience (Richards, Macrur

Marketing to Hispanic Americans Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing to Hispanic Americans - Research Paper Example Companies and business firms that use specific Hispanic business models to target Hispanic consumer are likely to become successful in the highly volatile and competitive business world.   Marketing to Hispanics should take the aspect of ethnicity into consideration because ethnicity is important to all minorities for the purpose of identity. 67% of Hispanics suggest that ethnicity is an important element of their identity. Furthermore, 78% of them suggest that they are proud of their ethnic identity (Yahoo, n.d.). Ethnicity determines the individuality, faith, values, views on gender roles, and consumption behaviors and attitudes of the Hispanics. This makes the aspect of ethnicity even more significant in marketing to Hispanics. Drivers of ethnicity for Hispanics in America include political views, speech and dialect, reunions, family, gatherings, eating habits and preferences, and home dà ©cor. Hispanic reactions to news content are often motivated by ethnicity. For instance, ethnicity influences the choices of Hispanic Americans regarding fashion and style, beauty, finance, entertainment, food, and restaurants. The shopping content of Hispanic Americans is als o influenced by ethnicity.   Hispanic Americans may be classified into first and second generations. For both first and second generation Hispanic Americans, ethnicity is an important aspect their present and past. However, first generations Hispanics are connected with their ethnicity more strongly than second-generation Hispanics. First generation Hispanics are ethnically influenced by their Spanish shopping content, but second-generation Hispanics are not much influenced by their ethnic Spanish shopping content (Valdà ©s, 2000). Both first and second generation Hispanics are greatly influenced by how news media and marketing campaigns in the media cover them.

Requirement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Requirement Analysis - Essay Example These assumptions are being made for the problem tracking phase for BIA organization considering the various facts and measures collected in requirement elicitation phase. The assumptions made so far regarding the requirements collected are: This involves the operations of the business with regard to the constraints that it receives. BIA is supposed to be well aware of information its stakeholders have provided us about the organization and its financials as well. These are technical issues that are deemed to be affecting the business. Our group is supposed to value their working criteria’s and propose better solution for the problems encountered by BIA because we have selected this approach. These requirements involve the following collected data from BIA stakeholders. Through understanding of the constraints that are at hand, there is need to verify the requirements through the use problem tracking system that is viable to the business needs. All the requirements are verified on base of cross checking of their recorded illustrations. Further a details analysis is being done through their website and other case studies for exactness of collected data. Our group discussed the whole information gathered and performed analysis on the collected facts individually and then this data is merged together. All the gathered requirements are validated on the following results proposed by understanding overall working of BIA. Owing to the results gathered by detail analysis and information gathering from key stake holders the following solutions are proposed for the organization for more effective going of this

What are fundamental points of conflict between Confucianism and Essay

What are fundamental points of conflict between Confucianism and Legalism How were these ways of thought blended into the Chinese theory of empire - Essay Example These people propagated the ideas of Confucius as a philosophy in the human race. This is not only done as guidance for living up to the ideas of Confucius but also as a direction in politics and a sense of morality. Confucius strongly affected the historical make-up of East Asia, the neighbors of China, especially Japan and Korea. Considering the Chosen dynasty in Korea, the influence of Confucius took over much of what we can see. The Yi dynasty accredited for introducing the Chinese examination system during the Tang dynasty. During this critical era, Chinese people adhered to the principles of Confucianism. Legalism, the so called â€Å"school of law", rose as one of the mainstreams of Chinese philosophy though it never lasted for long. Legalism is quite different from the ideas of Confucianism. The rationale behind legalism was law, which is a main principle in legalism. Because legalism has a mistrust of human nature, which was regarded as a lazy and cowardly creature, like the view of Xunzi, the law should create order and eliminate chaos. Both the thoughts and practices of Confucianism and legalism have expanded to become a tool for the betterment of individuals. The Chinese had put much interest on both philosophies which subsequently became deep rooted into their culture. There are similarities and comparisons between the great philosophies, Confucianism and Legalism to the principal values or norms of conduct. Confucius favorable view on human nature and its optimism were more persuasive to people of during that period, although in China today there still exists a legalist society but not as severely and strict as in Qin dynasty. In the third and second century B.C.E., when rivalry among the Warring states was getting more complex and competitive, legalism had risen as a new ideology that was in opposition to Confucianism. One of Confucianism thoughts was to

Alcoholic - Homebrew Lyrics Response Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic Homebrew Lyrics Response Essay hi everybody, welcome to the wednesday meeting, yep yep. um everybody give it up for eli, first of all, whos been offthe meth for a whole month now, and his wifes getting outof jail next thursday, is that right? anyway weve got a new speakertoday so big round of applause for this young man here. its been about a week nowIm startin to get weak nowI wake up at 11:30 thats when I start getting thirsty andI dont know what it isall I know theres a bottle in the fridgewith my name on itif I want itcause Im an alcoholic and I knowyeah hi my name is Tom Im an addictcant really remember just how long I been at itIm guessin that this happened like a pattern and a problemcause my fathers a fiend andso was mum so its somethin like part of my genesbut its hard to get clean but its hard to sustainbut at the end of it I really can only answer to meand its the way it is I truly learned thatso dont give me all that. Channeling the universe crapthats a load of s**t I aint tryna to pass the blamelike its just a part of fateand I aint got a part to playcause if thats the case then I really cant escapemight as well just start the day with a glass of chardonnaylike my dad does thinking that time can never catch usfollowing my nose kinda like my bro. Haz doesbut Im scared Ill end up in a home like daz wasthat dude went mad once,but na f**k that buzzIm looking for a little morebut s**t is rawcause its just a little short walk to the liquor store,a little more to middlemoremy mind keeps saying this is what Im living for but my liver isnt sureits 6 In the mornin were about to close the clubbut we know the owner so were there until they open upand thats why Im broke as f**k bank account Golden Duckblowing bucks on these drugs going nuts tryna sober upI woke up Friday morninglying on the floor in a one man cellhe said I punched that C**Tstablehow many lies can one man telland now Im on probationIm getting rehabilitationasking for some explanation. I saidI just like getting wastedso dont ask why Im stonedand look lady I dont knowsign my forms so I can gocause I got court at 9 tomorrowand if the judge is a b***h I could even jump of a bridgeor go get on itcause Im an alcoholic and I knowI f****n hate this placef****n hate this place more than f****n ace of bassf**k what this lady says I bet shes smoked moresmack than Ive ever drunk beerand then she asks me if I been high this week; f**k yeah! Ive been high like a pilotwhy try to deny I wont lie iv been wiredpopping E like vitamin cyou wanna read my mind like a psychicyou really wanna know why. I get highcause I like itdoes it really take a f****n Einstein to figure that outhow much more s**t can you spit out your fat mouthwho would have known youd get addicted to crackWOWwhat a f****n breakthrough everybody clap nowjust give it up for jack for giving up the crackits been a whole week since he had a huff and snaprolled his dead ex-wife in some bubble wrapfilled a duffel bag with all her husbands stuff and gapped, yeahits been a month and they got nothing backjust a lecture from some alchie and a drunken cattryna to tell me how to me live my lifebro cut the crapSobriety? what the f**k is that? Cant even spell it broi f****n hate this place like the f****n ellen showstraight upi f****n hate this place like f****n baby face,and eric claptonnah f**k this s**t i aint even finished this s**t,ya knowi wont go and get stoned with some hippie b***h with ankle bracelets English Assignment 91106 Text type: Song lyrics Title: Alcoholic – Homebrew This song really helped to picture the life of a man stuggling with alcoholism/being an alcoholic. The song explains how he ended up as an alcoholic, his struggles with day to day life trying to become sober, and the consequences of not being sober and giving into the temptation of alcohol. The writer blames his parents for the way that he has acted around alcohol, â€Å" Im guessin that this happened like a pattern and a problem cause my fathers a fiend and so was mum so its somethin like part of my genes† and â€Å" might as well just start the day with a glass of chardonnay like my dad does thinking that time can never catch us†, the writer believes that his genetics caused him to be an alcoholic, but also that his fathers habit of drinking chardonnay first thing in the morning has led him to believe it is normal. I think it is very logical for the writer to blame his parents for this, especially the fathers bad habit of drinking chardonnay in the morning, as children are meant to learn from their parents, this is what the writer has learnt from his father. This is all relevant to families all over the world, as in every culture children are influenced by their parents actions, and if their parents are heavy drinkers then its normal for their children to believe that large quanties of alcohol consumption is normal which in many cases leads to alcoholism. The writer continues to write about the struggles of trying to be sober â€Å" its been about a week now Im startin to get weak now I wake up at 11:30 thats when I start getting thirsty†, after only a week of being without alcohol, life is getting unbearable and he is starting to feel week, getting the urges to consume alcohol as soon as he wakes up in the late morning. â€Å"all I know theres a bottle in the fridge with my name on it if I want it† and â€Å"but its hard to get clean but its hard to sustain† the writer finds it hard to continue being sober when he knows that there will always be a bottle of alcohol somewhere to turn to, if he decides he wants it. I really do feel for the writer, as he has a serious problem, and is clearly struggling with day to day life trying to stay sober. The constant repitition of the line â€Å"cause Im an alcoholic and I know it† is the writer trying to justify his actions, which is common for alcoholics to do. I do sympathise and unstand the writer, as alcoholism is a disease, yet I believe he gives up too easy and gets himself into un-needed trouble which relates to the youth in New Zealand. The youth in New Zealand begin drinking alcohol at an early age, which is some cases leads to alcoholism causing many teenagers and young adults to get into trouble with the law as the writer soon explains as he finally gives into the urges of drinking alcohol â€Å" I woke up Friday morning lying on the floor in a one man cell† â€Å" and now Im on probation, Im getting rehabilitation†. This is explaining the consequences of heavy drinking, which is a common thing in New Zealand and many other countries. Heavy drinking can lead to serious consequences such as ending up in jail, on probation and rehab as the writer has mentioned. I feel like this song explains the stuggles of alcoholism, which is a huge problem in many countries and needs to be taken more seriously. Alcoholism is a disease and needs to be treated like one so that sufferers of the disease get the help they need to stop them from getting into trouble.

The Connotation Of Marketing Marketing Essay

The Connotation Of Marketing Marketing Essay Introduction Nowadays, marketing activities influence people in both the roles as suppliers of products and services and as customers. Marketing plays a great part for companies in knowing their clients, the products and services to offer, the advertising means and so forth. As for individuals, marketing is important for them to choose a particular brand of fashionable dresses and even toothpaste. But marketing is much more than selling or advertising activities. In this essay, the concept of marketing will be introduced in the beginning, and then the essay places an emphasis on the full range of connotation for marketing including marketing strategies, the consumer behavior, environmental analysis, and marketing ethics. Finally, it is concluded that marketing is a comprehensive process that involves all of the activities of managing and satisfying demand through the exchange process. Marketing is a Comprehensive Process As to the definition of marketing, most people, even some entrepreneurs, would hold that marketing mean selling or advertising, however, marketing is an activity more complex than selling or advertising. A proper definition of marketing should not only consider economy, but also includes institutions, people, and new ideas. Marketing is a process of offering products and services, pricing, promotion and distribution to meet the individual and organizational demand through exchanges (AMA, 1985). A company achieves its goals by satisfying both the domestic and foreign customers, and marketing is concerned with the activities to enlarge the market share of the company by matching the demand. This definition indicates that marketing includes not only the enterprises and individuals, but also the activities of non-profitable institutions or the marketing of a great idea or a service as well as a product. All in all, marketing involves products, services, organizations, people and ideas. Marketing Strategies According to McCarthy (1960), marketing strategies include products, pricing, promotion and place. Products or services are the basic content in the marketing process, which can be classified as goods or services and as customer or industrial. Classification is significant because it concentrates on the disparities in the characteristics of products and the different marketing implications. A reasonable pricing also counts in the process of marketing which should be profitable to the company and beneficial to the consumers. In the process of marketing, promotion is necessary to make the products, services or ideas known to the consumers. Means of promotion includes personal selling, advertising and public relations, price discounts and so forth. Distribution planning exerts a significant impact on the marketing program used by a firm, because middlemen can play a wide variety of marketing roles, the firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s marketing plan will be different if it sells its products dir ect rather than through intermediaries. Environmental Analysis Environmental influences consist of sociocultural and technological, economic and competitive as well as political and legal influences (Kotler, 2006). Individuals are easily influenced both by the trends of the whole society and by a need to comply with the rules of the different social groups to which they belong, and to improve their status in those groups. With the development of technology, consumers can receive more individually-oriented offerings, and thus their expectations are raised about the quality of the product and service. The flourish of products and services lead to brand changing or offer the consumers with the information to make more meticulous decisions. And regulation and legislation, whether they relate to the product introductions, customer rights or advertising means, also decrease the risk of decision-making. This reduces some pressure of the customer, leading to discerning and easier decisions and less risk of post-purchase disturbance. Marketing Ethics Marketing ethics are the marketerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s standards of behavior and moral values, as Homburg (2001) maintains. They are related to the decision to do what is morally right or what is morally wrong. Traditionally, the concept of business responsibility has cared about the relationship between the enterprise and consumers, the work staff, and the stockholders. The enterprise is responsible for providing the customers with high-quality product at a rational price, decent salaries and a comfortable working environment for the staff and an adequate profit level for stockholders. Contemporary marketing decisions must regularly consider the external social environment. Decisions must also account for eventual, long-run effects. Socially responsible decisions must consider future generations as well as existing society. Conclusion In conclusion, in the process of marketing, selling or advertising is essential if a company want to attain its objectives, but more emphasis must be placed on the marketing strategies, and it is also of great importance to take environmental influences into consideration, which can exert impact on consumerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s decision-making. With people concern more about the ecology and healthy ways of consumption, marketers must care about environmentally-friendly marketing despite the high-quality products and services.

Market analysis of reebok

Market analysis of reebok Reebok the United Kingdom based ancestor company was founded in 1890 by J.W Foster, for one of the best reasons possible athletes wanted to run faster (www.reebok.com). Since then Reebok has evolved itself through various stages to become one of the top three market leaders in the sports shoes, fitness and apparels. The brands success is built upon its creative designing and marketing strategy. The right balance between the designing and marketing has taken Reebok to such height. McDonald, M (2000 p.5) defines marketing as process for understanding markets, for quantifying the present and future value required by the different groups of customer within these markets. Starting from its first hand made shoes to the recent innovative Easytone and ReeZig footwear Reebok proved its individuality, authenticity and its creative thinking and potential. The company was taken over by Adidas in 2006 which gave both Adidas and Reebok a strong market share to take on the common rival and the mark et leader Nike. Though the company is taken over, Reebok and Adidas are still two different brands under the group. Reebok has a strong hold in US market and sponsors for different sporting events like NFL, NBA, WNBA and NBDL. Branded as a discounted shoe manufacturer in the past, Reebok has slowly changed its face to high fashion, high comfort and premium product by raising its price in the market and incorporating new technologies for the sports and fitness category. The latest launch in their product line Easytone and the upcoming ReeZig has got more technical and design values, the technology which is actually designed by a NASA engineer(www.corporate.reebok.com) and the re-launch of its classic models reveals the companys change in focus. Reebok in the early 2000 started its marketing campaign with fusion of Sports Music and Technology featuring industries best performers of the period, from music industry Jay-Z, Daddy Yankee, 50 Cent; top athletes Allen Iverson, Donovan McNabb , Curt Schilling, Kelly Holmes, Iker Casillas and Yao Ming; screen stars Lucy Liu, John Leguizamo and Christina Ricci; and skateboarder Stevie Williams., and Thierry Henry, Alexander Ovechkin, driving ace Lewis Hamilton, MS Dohni and Nicole Vaidisova. Easytone the companys launch of the year 2009 is its one of the most successful product line. Easytone feature with first of its kind the balance pod technology, designed for womens fitness and sport. Reeboks commitment towards women fitness and sport is long lasting from its first ever exclusive footwear for women Step introduced in 1989 which fore fronts the aerobic movements, and now the Easytone forefronts toning of lower abdomen parts like the calf muscle, thigh muscle and the bum. Reeboks marketing approach for Easytone is take the gym with you (www.reebok.com) which emphasis on women who were busy with their routine life but still wanted to maintain their figure. Custom made shoes are also available by ordering and designing over the internet, which gives customers the option of variety and uniqueness. Marketing Environment Macro Environment Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. (2010) describes macro environment as a force which is more societal and affects the micro environment directly. The global footwear industry is $196.25billion in 2009 with CAGR of 3.7% from 2005 to 2009(www.marketlineinfo.com). Reeboks international operations and its presence over 55 countries with different cultural and economical background is a concern for its performance, with the present market scenario where the European and American market is facing financial crisis, Reebok has got its major customers base in these regions it faces major loss in sales, while the Asian market shows positive sign, Reeboks sales in India and china is second to Nike, but the percentage contribution towards the revenue in international currency is low. Reebok faces legal threats from its manufacturing units in South East Asia where they operate with cheap labours in unethical work conditions. In general the sporting accessories are more famous among the 16 to 24 age groups. The increase in number of unemployed and fresh graduates finding difficult to find jobs among this particular category has caused a major concern for the industry, in addition to countries like UK where the government has increased the tuition fees will be a major political and economical factor which affects the whole footwear industry. The increase in raw material cost making the situation worse, which led to low stock maintenance and irregular supply to the channel. The footwear industry is always subjected rapid changes in customer needs and the changes are more oriented toward the socio-cultural forces, Reebok adapted to those variations in socio cultural forces by combining the product with Music and sport in US market, fitness and sport in the European ma rket and sport and entertainment in Asian market. Figure 1: Macro Environment Reeboks Easytone is designed with the technology which is never been used before and sets a landmark in the sports shoe market. Easytone is designed to comfort with Moving Air Technology, while most of the other competitors do have similar technologies Reebok should really look into more innovative and sophisticated technology which will be the unique selling point in the competitive market. Micro Environment Every brand has its own unique selling point which targets the particular category of customers, in general the footwear industry customers can be categorised into Performance conscious consumers like runners, aerobics, players, athletes, and exercisers and Fashion conscious customers who buy for style and comfort. Customers buy products that has value and satisfaction among the range available in the market, Kotler, P et al.(2009). Figure : Micro Environment Reebok Easytone is designed and marketed to the fitness loving womens segment. With the strategy of launching a new product every year with newer technology and invention, Reebok has always targeted the focus group, and so as Easytone targets the fitness loving women. Reebok has always positioned itself as customer centric, which caters the needs and requirement of the focus group, though it has the diversity in product when compared to its competitors. Because of the diversity in its products Reebok has always been in competence to different competitors in different category and product range. The main competitors are Nike, Adidas and Puma. Reebok sells through various channels, which includes the retail outlets, Reebok concept showrooms, franchisee outlets and associated sponsored sporting organisation. Marketing Mix The primary objective of an organisation is to offer a product which has a competitive edge or differential advantage over its competitors, Brassington, F., Pettitt, S. (2006). This can be achieved by marketing mix which is studied with the basic research on 4Ps. Product Product management has always been the core factor in the marketing mix, which involves the basic understanding and the requirement for launching the new product in the market and then developing it with the right marketing strategy which benefits the organisation and then manufacturing in the right way which benefits both the organisation and the society. The organisation should transfer its knowledge into product which will be a drive for growth, John A. Quelch (2006). Figure 3: BCG Matrix,( source:www.reebokeasytone.net) Reebok has the strategy of launching one core product every year, and the launch of Easytone is for the year 2009, it was the critical time to launch any new product because of the economy, hence Reebok has to come out with a very strong product and marketing strategy. The tangible attributes has to be so strong and the message was clearly sent out with Easytone with its high fashion, design and technology. The footwear is innovative and new to the market, designed in a way that it gives us the feeling of walking in the soft sandy beach and the science behind is when we walk on the sandy beach its hard to keep the balance hence we work hard to keep the balance which in turn burns the calories of calves, hamstring and the gluteus maximus muscles. Reebok has also ensured that Easytone is available across the globe and the visibility of it is more in the retail outlets, which created awareness and also a noise in the market about the new product with new technology and performance. Thou gh Reebok claims theoretically it can prove that, by using Easytone will tone the legs 26% more when compared to other sport or fitness shoes, there are still controversies about the actual performance of the product. Reebok did break the controversies with the total sales of Easytone worldwide, this proved practically the strength of marketing strategy by Reebok and the performance in the market. On the other hand with all the controversies the general image of the brand which changed over the period of time from a discounted brand to a respected brand, contributed to the overall performance, which has also bought value to the brand, Easytone has got its uniqueness and feature to rock the market. The strength of the product always lies on its core benefits, the core benefit of Easytone is fitness in the simple way, which is a necessity and hence has its value anticipation and demand. The actual product which is built upon its core benefit is its features style and quality and as an augmented product Reebok gives warranty up to three months and any after sales issue has been taken to RD department for rectification and thus by giving the customer the maximum benefit and trust in the product. The Easytone can be classified as speciality goods, where in an extensive market research was done which gives customer the maximum benefit by using the product. After the successful launch of Step in 1989 and Easytone in 2009, both products have shown its individuality and very minimum level of competition from other brands, which gives the product a cutting edge and the customers reluctance to go for any other brands. Product Life Cycle The product life cycle gives the clear picture of the stage in which the product is, the four stages are Introduction, Growth, maturity and termination. Determining the stage in which the product belongs will decide the marketing strategy to follow Kotler, P (2003). For the footwear industry the entire product life is short because of the new trends in the market, different categories in the customer base and due to wear and tear because of the regular usage. Any new product that is launched should differentiate itself from the others and should have uniqueness. Easytone launched in July 2009 with more anticipation and excitement in the market, took up the pace immediately because of the marketing activity carried out by Reebok prior to its launch, the launch was a grand one with star studded performance and celebrities form various industries took part in it. Figure 4: Easytone PLC Stage The growth stage of Easytone in terms of sales is pretty much vertical and by end of 2009 it reached the maturity phase. Reebok focused on different strategy during its various course of the stages, during the introduction stage Reeboks marketing objective was totally to build a strong brand image and expand its market share to the next level, Easytone was priced at the higher end, since its targeted to the focus group, the fitness loving women segment, during the growth phase Easytone penetrated through the focus group, where some of the customers were brand loyal to Reebok, Reebok has the strong product mix, when Easytone was in its matured stage Reebok introduced its next model the ReeZig, targeting the male segment, thus by lining up its product in the market and continuously creating the awareness targeting various categories of the customer base. Since the Easytone is targeted to the focus group, Easytone positioned well itself as a fitness wear and pioneered in its category. Later in its matured stage Reebok repositioned its product focusing not only on the busy working women category who could wear it for their work place, they also started focusing on the regular women category who does workout everyday by launching different variants like ReeInspire, ReeFlipflop, Go Outside, Rush, Diva and also introduced custom designs, were customers can design from the various patterns available in their website and can choose the colours also. New Products are key to companys continued survival, (Lancaster, G., Reynolds P, 2005, p.108). Within the product line Reebok developed various products and introduced in different stages which enabled them to actually extent the product life cycle. Countries in Asia Pacific and Middle East are very slow in responding to new product particularly in footwear industry, where they used to wait and watch if the product is really worth and anticipate for price drop. Reebok extended its Easytones product life by launching it in t hese regions with a time gap, after proving it successful in US and the Europe market. Pricing The variants within the brand and the competition play a major role in pricing the Easytone, been branded as the discounted sales brand in the past, Reebok changed its face by changing its pricing methods, sports and fitness industry customers will always look out for the latest technology and high comfort brand were they give less importance to cost. Though they will compare with the other brands with the same features, low priced products which claim to have the innovative and most effective technology will always create a lack of confidence to the customers. According to McDonald (2000, p.352) pricing may influence the other marketing mix also. Reebok priced its Easytone in the higher end when compared to its previous fitness shoes for women like Step or Pump, in competition to the other brands with similar product features though William j. Stanton (1994 p.335) says that for a new product to take a high market penetration should price its product relatively low when compared to o ther brands. Figure 5: Easytone Pricing Strategy In the early 2010 Easytone price was dropped marginally when it reached the maturity stage, the marginal decrease in its price was effective to its secondary market like Asia pacific and Middle East markets, which is competitive to its regional players, the secondary market customers have always been wait and watch customers where the always believe in the bargain purchase, while the primary market customers are the early responders. Reducing its price was marginal, Reebok was so conscious of not falling back to its earlier brand image, also it exploit the actual market opportunities by acquiring customers out of its focus group. The pricing factor though didnt affect much of its primary market, its influenced the secondary market. With regards to market penetration Reebok had a different strategy by introducing one pound shoes in the tertiary market like Bangladesh and African countries. Easytone is also priced up when compared to the other product line because of its additional fea tures and the latest technology. When pricing internationally they adopted the polycentric pricing where the regional office decides the price, this is easily achievable because of the production unit is present in the Asian subcontinent where pricing in relative to expenses is made, which is a biggest advantage to easily price polycentrically. Easytone is made available by ordering online with a price discount, which saves the overall expenditure for the management of retail outlets and showrooms, which is passed on to the customers. Promotion Reebok started its promotional activity for Easytone even before the launch, in order to create awareness. The promotional activities were concentrated towards the technology the main features and the advantage of using the product, since the product is targeted towards the focus group, fitness loving women, most of its promotion activity featured young women with tonned legs and bum, which stimulated the customers mind. The advertisement by Reebok for Easytone created a shock among the viewers, but still its shock averts are not new, it depends on the market, the products speciality and the circumstance of social priorities, Evans M., Moutinho L. (1999, p123). Figure 6: Easytone communication strategy Reebok spent most of its money in media advertisement which created awareness amongst the focus group and also regular viewers who were also simulated to use the product. This is a major success for Easytone as it captured the core strength or the unique feature of the product fitness and beauty. Easytone targeted the creamy layer of the customer group, women between the ages 16 and 24, and their ad campaign has always been different to different product lines, when it first started it marketing campaign with Reebok Planet in 2005, then in 2006 they tie up with Thierry Hendry and Ryan Giggs for their campaign I am what I am, and further on like Pump Up, your Move, Because life is not just a spectator sport which feature Lewis Hamilton showing his fitness skills with Reebok, and now for the Easytone take the gym with you which sends out a clear message to the focus group, and the line of celebrity includes Kelly Brook in UK, Bipasha in India. Figure 7: Pounds spend for advertisement Though Easytone spent more in media advertisement, it focused on other promotional activities also, like print, out-of-home, digital and in-store executions. Reeboks spent in sales promotion is as much as it spent in media advertisement, the promotions were mainly aimed towards churn in customer and creating demand in the market, they have also launched online blogs to create a customer database and to get feedback from customers and to develop the product further according to their requirements. Though as a brand Reebok has very good promotions by sponsorship Easytone has its limitations were it could not enter in to the sports category, they have to rely more on the entertainment sector to promote the product. Easytone in Reeboks concept store was given the priority and merchandising was also primarily focused on Easytone, with all the above factors it created a pull strategy in the market. The Easytone advert in most of the places were considered unethical and also caused a negati ve impact on the product, which many of the viewers considered too much. But still as a campaign Easytone had a successful period and sales through their communication strategy. Place Reeboks access to the target market is one of its successes, because of the growing awareness among the customers, right customer in right attitude should be targeted, and also knowing the potential of individual market in a global environment. Figure 8: Sales region wise(2009), source: (www.marketlineinfo.com) Knowing about the social and cultural behaviour of the local market before positioning a product is vital for planning a marketing strategy, Lancaster G., Reynolds P (2002). Reeboks decentralised operations allowed the local management team to target the local customer base. Reeboks channel structure is simple when compared to its sister company Adidas, from manufacturing unit to its different warehouses in different regions and the to its retail outlets like speciality sports retailers, online retailers, concept stores, and other retailers. Reebok retail outlets has got a better image in terms of its merchandising and product placements, because of its simple structure in reaching the end customers the logistics is also made simpler and will be faster. SWOT Strength Unique Product features Celebrities and sports stars endorsed to brand Balance pod technology Media advertisement Concentrated on focus group Manufactured in Asia Brand loyal customers and awareness Custom made shoes Prime location in retail and concept stores Only for women category Premium pricing Weakness Targets only focus group Only for women category No further development to the product Single product line Mostly relied in retail sales Premium pricing Controversial advertisement Discounted retail sales Vertically integrated brand Opportunity Developing the product Untapped markets Unisex models Focus on emerging market Wholesale market Integrated marketing campaign Threats Manufacturing units in Asia and Cambodia Competitors variants Competitors pricing Counterfeit and replicas in secondary market Manufacturing standards Decline in footwear sales Recommendation Based on the critical analysis done with SWOT, the following recommendations are suggested. Starting from the priority matrix of nine and urgency and importance level three, Reebok though having some very unique featured Easytone, variants among the product is very less when compared to the other brands in the same category, still Reebok can claim that it has custom made shoes which gives customer the variation and to their likeness, the basic product is the same, which will not change the mindset of the customer. Reebok have to develop new variants within the product line in order to satisfy all its customer needs. Reebok has very good secondary market but with regards to Easytone there is a large potential in secondary markets which they had missed out as they concentrate mainly on their low range products which put them in second to NIKE, but lose their position in terms of product like Easytone which has technical values and change the brand image from discounted brand to high st reet fashion, sports and fitness brand, which can be overcast by more ethical media averts and focusing on the fitness loving women category in these markets. The other weakness of Easytone is its vertical integration, where it does not involve any whole selling like its sister concern Adidas, this make them to rely on its retail outlets for its maximum sales where as other brands have horizontal integration which spreads their market area, Reebok should come out of its present integration and spread its market area which in turn will create more opportunity for sales and market share. In terms of new product development, like the fusion of music, sport and entertainment, Reebok should try combining sport, fitness and casual models. Easytone concentrates only on it focused group which is an advantage to maximise it sales but should also think of the other segments like the male fitness loving groups, though by its advert and promotions the product in not much relevant to male segmen ts, still using Easytone tone your leg, calf muscle and hamstring. This would have put Easytone on the wider market and increased sales. The adverts should have casted both male and female models where the male segments concentrate on the calf and hamstring, the female segments with butt. In the era where the macro elements talk more about environment and human rights and work ethics Reebok should have adopted to those factors much earlier wherein it wouldnt have faced legal and ethical threats, having manufacturing units in Asia and Pacific regions will provide them with cost effectiveness, but always have the risk of standards in manufacturing and work culture, the recent change in their work environment ethics will clear any further damage to the brand but still whatever it faced will always impact the future market. By changing the pricing strategy where it priced premium price for Easytone had a negative impact in the market, the change in pricing methods should have happened i n slow phase, rather than suddenly increasing its price because of its innovative technology and feature. Though this created a new brand image in the market customers were ready to wait for the price fall, which they have always experienced with Reebok in the past. Appendix 1 SWOT Analysis Matrix SWOT VS Urgency Importance Probability Priority (9-max, 1-min) S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ O 1 1 3 3 3 9 4 2 3 3 1 7 2 2 1 2 1 4 8 3 2 3 2 7 11 3 2 3 1 6 5 4 3 3 2 8 4 4 3 3 3 9 2 5 2 2 1 5 4 5 2 2 1 5 Wà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢O 1 1 3 3 2 8 1 2 3 3 3 9 2 2 2 2 1 5 3 1 3 3 2 8 3 3 3 3 2 8 3 4 2 2 1 5 4 6 3 3 1 7 5 1 3 2 2 7 5 3 2 2 2 6 6 5 3 3 2 8 7 6 2 2 2 6 8 4 3 3 3 9 S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚  T 1 0 3 2 3 2 2 7 5 2 2 2 2 6 11 3 3 2 1 6 11 4 2 2 2 6 8 4 3 2 2 7 6 5 3 3 2 8 7 5 3 3 2 8 Wà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å"T 1 1 3 3 2 8 4 3 2 2 2 6 6 5 3 2 2 7 4 8 2 2 2 6 Bibliography