One of my favorite channels on TV to watch is the Food Network. Usually if I’m busy doing something and I just want some background noise, I’ll just turn the TV to that station and let it play. Because I watch it so much, I am also familiar with the commercials that run on that station, and one that I absolutely love is for Nature’s Own bread. I don’t buy that brand and I don’t eat wheat bread (although I know I probably should) but that commercial is great, and I think it does a great job of appealing to a few SEMs.
The first thing about the commercial that caught my attention is the song playing in the background, obviously appealing to the SEM of sense (sound). The music is catchy in a relaxing, summer day kind of way and the lyrics are perfect for the message the company is trying to get across. The commercial starts off singing “I don’t love you much do I, just more than all the stars in the sky” which kind of made me “awww” inside (SEM of feel, but we’ll get to that later). The song perfectly matches the commercial because the commercial shows several families having fun together playing football outside, scrambling to get everything ready in the chaos of the morning or snuggling on the couch – obviously families that care and love each other very much. It’s a very picture perfect, all-American type scene which the music captures.
The next SEM is of feel. Watching the commercial made me happy because you’re watching happy families interact. There’s a little kid running around with a pasta strainer on his head, banging a metal bowl with a wooden spoon – very cute, and it made me smile. Then there’s the family that’s playing in the sprinklers. I mean, who doesn’t love playing in the sprinklers, right? Those kinds of happy, fun images elicit cheerful, caring emotions and at the very least leave the viewer with a sense of contentment. It almost makes you feel that no matter what goes wrong in the world or at work or at school, at the end of the day, your family will always be there for you and love you. That’s pretty powerful for a bread company.
The third SEM the commercial appeals to, is that the viewer can relate to it. I’m fairly certain no one wishes to be a part of a torn-up, screwed up family so watching these “ideal” families interact kind of makes the viewer think “yeah, I want my family to be like that”. The tagline at the end reading, “You give your best every day. So do we.” speaks directly to the viewer. It’s very compelling for mothers especially because which mom out there would actually think “no, I don’t think I’ll do everything I can for my kids today”? Hopefully not very many. The commercial practically screams “if you buy our bread you too can have the ideal family with the cute kids and all the quality family time in the world” but in a gentler, more subtle way. It makes the viewer want to be a part of a family like the ones shown in the commercial. Also, parents want their families to be healthy, as a general rule. Surely the happy, loving parents in the commercial would feed their families only the best, healthiest bread. Meaning anyone who gives a squat about their families would be smart and buy Nature’s Own bread. Therefore people can relate to the commercial in this second aspect.
I think this commercial does a great job of appealing to these three experiences because they were all very easy to describe. I could easily distinguish each experience in the commercial, and I think the fact that I loved this commercial – but wasn’t quite sure why – before this blog was even assigned just further proves its effectiveness. Seeing as I don’t have a family of my own and am not thinking about starting one soon, I feel like my only bias is that I am kind of a sappy, cheesy person and am a sucker for cute commercials such as this one. Still, I believe that even a rational person can watch the commercial and come away feeling good.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
blog 2: expectations, disappointment, paralysis
According to Barry Schwarz, we are faced with a future filled with expectations that are too high and constant disappointment. Pleasant surprises will soon cease to exist because the excessive choices of every product will only lead to disappointment when we realize the option we chose inevitably isn’t perfect – not to mention the possible paralysis that may occur when we are overwhelmed by the variety of products before us. To me, Mr. Schwarz’s view is a little cynical not to mention pretty extreme as well. But that’s not to say he doesn’t have any valid points. Mr. Schwarz argues that there are too many options in today’s marketplace. There is every variety you can imagine for every product you can think of. In the end, the unnecessary number of options just leads to stress. This very much affects the way in which consumers buy products.
Like we discussed in class, there are some products that are purchased frequently, almost without thought. If we buy the wrong brand or variety, it’s not that big of a deal because it’s (usually) inexpensive and soon we’ll be back at the store again to buy more. In this type of situation I don’t think the amount of choices is too overwhelming, though it may be unnecessary. I feel like consumers are affected only to the extent that it takes them a little while longer to sift through all the products to find the one they were looking for. Usually they already have an idea of what they want in that product, and there is one determining factor for the customer that separates one item from the rest. This kind of product isn’t one that I feel a consumer would either be excited or disappointed about regardless of the other products that the consumer decided not to pick because it’s not significant enough of a purchase.
Other items, however, that require more time and thought before purchasing leave the consumer with more to lose if she feels she picked the “wrong” one among the myriad of other choices. For example, if a girl is going to her high school prom, she undoubtedly wants the “perfect” dress and most likely has an idea of what she is looking for… that is until she actually enters a store. The more dresses she tries on the more she expects to find the “perfect” dress which no longer exists in her mind’s eye. Her thoughts are so filled with the multitude of colors, cuts and styles that she doesn’t even know what she wants anymore. There is more of a chance that she will buy a dress and leave the store wondering if it was “the one”, thinking that maybe there is another dress out there that will fit her just a little bit better. This is exactly what Schwarz is talking about. He believes the more options that are available, the more likely a consumer is going to be unsatisfied with her purchase in the end.
The endless varieties make people indecisive. Before, when there were only a few choices to pick from, a person could get exactly what she wanted, or the closest thing to it, knowing that that item was, in fact, the best one for her. Now consumers spend more time researching and asking questions before making important purchases. They want to make sure they’ve done everything possible to ensure they’re making the right buy, whether it’s a new car or sending their kids to the right daycare center. The problem is, even after doing all the research and buying the product they’ve decided is the best, the consumers can’t know for sure that it is indeed so. This uncertainty affects how consumers will buy future products as well. The overwhelmingness of researching and carefully trying to find the perfect product might deter consumers from making big purchases too often. They’d rather stick with what they have, no matter how old, instead of going through the trouble of replacing it with one of a thousand similar items and attempting to figure out its newer, more complicated technology. With all businesses do to serve their customers and individualize every need, it is ironic that maybe what they really need is less, not more.
Like we discussed in class, there are some products that are purchased frequently, almost without thought. If we buy the wrong brand or variety, it’s not that big of a deal because it’s (usually) inexpensive and soon we’ll be back at the store again to buy more. In this type of situation I don’t think the amount of choices is too overwhelming, though it may be unnecessary. I feel like consumers are affected only to the extent that it takes them a little while longer to sift through all the products to find the one they were looking for. Usually they already have an idea of what they want in that product, and there is one determining factor for the customer that separates one item from the rest. This kind of product isn’t one that I feel a consumer would either be excited or disappointed about regardless of the other products that the consumer decided not to pick because it’s not significant enough of a purchase.
Other items, however, that require more time and thought before purchasing leave the consumer with more to lose if she feels she picked the “wrong” one among the myriad of other choices. For example, if a girl is going to her high school prom, she undoubtedly wants the “perfect” dress and most likely has an idea of what she is looking for… that is until she actually enters a store. The more dresses she tries on the more she expects to find the “perfect” dress which no longer exists in her mind’s eye. Her thoughts are so filled with the multitude of colors, cuts and styles that she doesn’t even know what she wants anymore. There is more of a chance that she will buy a dress and leave the store wondering if it was “the one”, thinking that maybe there is another dress out there that will fit her just a little bit better. This is exactly what Schwarz is talking about. He believes the more options that are available, the more likely a consumer is going to be unsatisfied with her purchase in the end.
The endless varieties make people indecisive. Before, when there were only a few choices to pick from, a person could get exactly what she wanted, or the closest thing to it, knowing that that item was, in fact, the best one for her. Now consumers spend more time researching and asking questions before making important purchases. They want to make sure they’ve done everything possible to ensure they’re making the right buy, whether it’s a new car or sending their kids to the right daycare center. The problem is, even after doing all the research and buying the product they’ve decided is the best, the consumers can’t know for sure that it is indeed so. This uncertainty affects how consumers will buy future products as well. The overwhelmingness of researching and carefully trying to find the perfect product might deter consumers from making big purchases too often. They’d rather stick with what they have, no matter how old, instead of going through the trouble of replacing it with one of a thousand similar items and attempting to figure out its newer, more complicated technology. With all businesses do to serve their customers and individualize every need, it is ironic that maybe what they really need is less, not more.
Monday, September 10, 2007
blog 1: 7-Eleven Gets Sophisticated.... who knew?
As a person who, for the most part, enjoys stability, I prefer to always go to the same gas station to fill up my car. Since I grew up in Austin and go to school at UT, I have my “usual” gas station by my parents’ home and the one I like best close to campus. Neither one is a 7-Eleven. I had never really given 7-Eleven a thought, usually preferring an Exxon or Diamond Shamrock (now, Valero), but reading this article has changed my mind.
All my attitudes about 7-Eleven were challenged when I read about everything 7-Eleven has done to cater to their consumers, to make their stores more about a high level of convenience rather than a weak attempt to sell normally cheap items at an overcharged price. I was impressed by the change the store has gone through, both technologically and strategically, all for the better good of their customers. By implementing a computer system that allows any store manager to pull up data on his store or any other 7-Eleven at any given time of the day enables him to better serve his customers by letting him prepare and stock his store with more popular items and order fewer of the less popular ones. Because of this technology, inventory doesn’t have time to stack up – the products that are in the stores are the ones the consumers want to buy. The company collects data to make sure it has exactly what its consumers, at that location, during that time of the year, on that day of the week, want. Gathering this information gives the company insight about its customers’ preferences, whether it is a certain muffin when the weather is just right or a guaranteed need for beer during a huge football weekend. 7-Eleven also uses the huge amount of data it gathers in order to predict products their consumers will want to buy in the future. This kind of attention to catering to a customer’s needs is almost unheard of (or at least it was to me) in the convenience store business. To me, customer insight doesn’t get much deeper when you can produce a product your customer does not yet know he needs, but will nevertheless buy when it is introduced to stores in the future, as 7-Eleven did with its coffee wipes.
Strategically, 7-Eleven has fought to break away from its old, truck-driver pit stop image. This image is not entirely 7-Eleven’s fault. I feel like all gas station convenience stores suffer from that stereotype. I mean, when was the last time anyone saw a high-profile celebrity or athlete photographed hanging out at a quickie mart? 7-Eleven, though, has taken huge steps to widening its demographic. The company was one of the first to introduce credit card readers at the pumps, much to the convenience of women who preferred to not leave their children unattended at a gas station. Since then, it has added other, more sophisticated items such as sushi, wine and flowers to appeal to women and, I suppose, classy men. It has done a good job doing so. As its old top sellers, gas and cigarettes, plateau in sales, products, such as the ones mentioned above, are flying off the shelves at an increasingly faster rate. Obviously, the company knows a little something about its consumers.
Reading this article has definitely changed my view of 7-Eleven. Instead of avoiding one to go to my regular gas station, maybe next time I will give 7-Eleven a try. I might even stop in and look around just to appreciate all the effort that was put into deciding which products are on the shelves. And now that I know that Austin is a testing ground for new products and ideas, it is just more incentive to be a part of the changing environment of the convenience store industry.
All my attitudes about 7-Eleven were challenged when I read about everything 7-Eleven has done to cater to their consumers, to make their stores more about a high level of convenience rather than a weak attempt to sell normally cheap items at an overcharged price. I was impressed by the change the store has gone through, both technologically and strategically, all for the better good of their customers. By implementing a computer system that allows any store manager to pull up data on his store or any other 7-Eleven at any given time of the day enables him to better serve his customers by letting him prepare and stock his store with more popular items and order fewer of the less popular ones. Because of this technology, inventory doesn’t have time to stack up – the products that are in the stores are the ones the consumers want to buy. The company collects data to make sure it has exactly what its consumers, at that location, during that time of the year, on that day of the week, want. Gathering this information gives the company insight about its customers’ preferences, whether it is a certain muffin when the weather is just right or a guaranteed need for beer during a huge football weekend. 7-Eleven also uses the huge amount of data it gathers in order to predict products their consumers will want to buy in the future. This kind of attention to catering to a customer’s needs is almost unheard of (or at least it was to me) in the convenience store business. To me, customer insight doesn’t get much deeper when you can produce a product your customer does not yet know he needs, but will nevertheless buy when it is introduced to stores in the future, as 7-Eleven did with its coffee wipes.
Strategically, 7-Eleven has fought to break away from its old, truck-driver pit stop image. This image is not entirely 7-Eleven’s fault. I feel like all gas station convenience stores suffer from that stereotype. I mean, when was the last time anyone saw a high-profile celebrity or athlete photographed hanging out at a quickie mart? 7-Eleven, though, has taken huge steps to widening its demographic. The company was one of the first to introduce credit card readers at the pumps, much to the convenience of women who preferred to not leave their children unattended at a gas station. Since then, it has added other, more sophisticated items such as sushi, wine and flowers to appeal to women and, I suppose, classy men. It has done a good job doing so. As its old top sellers, gas and cigarettes, plateau in sales, products, such as the ones mentioned above, are flying off the shelves at an increasingly faster rate. Obviously, the company knows a little something about its consumers.
Reading this article has definitely changed my view of 7-Eleven. Instead of avoiding one to go to my regular gas station, maybe next time I will give 7-Eleven a try. I might even stop in and look around just to appreciate all the effort that was put into deciding which products are on the shelves. And now that I know that Austin is a testing ground for new products and ideas, it is just more incentive to be a part of the changing environment of the convenience store industry.
Monday, September 3, 2007
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