Green for profit or Green for environment

­Identify a retail brand that you believe is socially or ethically responsible.

            A retail brand that I believe is socially and ethically responsible would-be Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. This company has been around for 45 years. They started in the year 1978 and they have been growing ever since. The ice cream is now sold in different supermarkets, you can find it in amusement parks. I feel that is company is a good example of how socially and ethically responsible it is when it comes to its consumers.

How do you believe the company conducts business in a socially responsible way? Support your answer by discussing specific examples.

            I think the company Ben and Jerry’s conducts business in a socially responsible way by providing each of their consumers with some good quality ice cream and staying true to their main mission within the company. Ben and Jerry had gotten a head start in making sure their product beat out the other companies. In the year 1989 the Ben and Jerry company was the first one to be against the use of artificial growth hormones in their ice creams. “Ben and Jerry’s come out against Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone based on concern about its adverse economic impact on family farming and public confidence in the wholesome day products” (About Ben and Jerry, n.d.). The company also works alongside many different organizations. Some organizations have focused on children’s defense, they support the farmer’s aid. They also spoke out about animal cloning and how the milk from the clone cows would be harmful to the consumers. They didn’t use any GMOs in their products. Ben and Jerry had looked into making new products that were gluten free, dairy free, and so on. They wanted to create a product that shows the consumers how important they are to them.

Has the company ever been involved in any incidents in which they were accused of not conducting business in an ethical or socially responsible manner?

            One incident that Ben and Jerry were involved in was in the year 2018, the Organic Consumers Association had taken Ben and Jerry to court. They “took Ben and Jerry’s to court for deceptive labelling marketing and sales of its ice cream products. It stated that Ben and Jerry’s promoted its ice cream as “made from milk from happy cows’ supported by its Caring Dairy program” (How ethical is Ben and Jerry, 2022). This problem went to court due to the fact that the Ben and Jerry company wasn’t providing the consumers with all the information about the arrangements of the cows for the vegan ice cream that they were producing.

Do you feel the company is “green” for profit or “green” for the environment?

            I feel that the Ben and Jerry company is green for the environment. The company has taken different actions to improve the environment. The Ben and Jerry company was working on with the environment by improving on how the farming practices are run. They work alongside the farmers to ensure that the cows are being fed properly “We work with farmers to implement best practices in regenerative agriculture in order to maintain and improve soil health, lower synthetic inputs, and increase farm biodiversity. We will also focus on homegrown feed, circular and deforestation-free feed, and increasing grass in the diet our cows eat” ( Ben and Jerry’s, 2023). They also took the consumers’ complaints into consideration to help them better the company.

References

About Ben & Jerry’s. https://www.benjerry.com. (n.d.). https://www.benjerry.com/about-us?through-the-decades=tab-1980s  

Ben & Jerry’s. (2023, January 8). Our climate impact & what we’re doing to reduce it. https://www.benjerry.com. https://www.benjerry.com/values/issues-we-care-about/our-climate-impact  

How ethical is Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc..? Ethical Consumer. (2022, August 31). https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profile/ben-jerrys-homemade-inc  

Top Dog vs Underdog

When we look at the different companies, we see that there are many products being produced. Some companies have the same ideas and the business try to make it their own, but creating a new model, playing with ingredients, or even coming up with a new name. If the products are the same some products come out on top, while others are at the bottom, and they do not even get noticed as much. This could be because they are not presenting it as good as they should. Let’s take a look at Coke a cola vs Pepsi. These are two very soda brands and they both advertise themselves in different ways.

What is the brand strategy being used by the top dog? What is the brand strategy being used by the underdog?

            Out of the two brands Coca-Cola vs Pepsi the one that comes out as the top dog to me is Coca-Cola. This company is best known for its recognition. Coca-Cola has been around for over 100 years and still to this day many people choose it over Pepsi. They have kept their red and white logos. They also had very cute commercials that would drag the people in. The commercial with the polar bears during the holiday season always gets me. Also, by putting different phrases or names on the bottles it attracts people and makes them a little curious about it. This gives the consumers a more personal experience. Coca-Cola company wants to reach many different consumers instead of a particular market.

            Pepsi would be the underdog in this situation. Pepsi strategy is connected with the NFL. Pepsi came into play with the NFL when they brought up Pepsi NFL rookie of the week and the rookie of the year award. These winners were voted in by the fans. Pepsi commercials are normally upbeat, and they are usually played during the Super Bowl time. The Pepsi company logo has changed over time. Pepsi has different flavors for consumers to choose from, while some may choose the flavor one others might want to stick to the original flavor. It seems that the target market that the company wants to reach is football fans.

How can the underdog improve its strategy so that it can gain more market share and surpass the top dog?

            One way the Pepsi company can reach the top dog is to look at social media platforms. Many people are on their phones and going through these platforms. If the Pepsi company was to place ads on these social media platforms, they would get more of a younger generation, and it would help the business.

            Another way would be to change the commercials. Yes, having a catchy song like “We Will Rock You” by Queen is great, but it made me want to dance instead of buying the product. The Pepsi company could produce commercials where people are expressing their feelings a little bit more. Showing people that the people in the commercials are really enjoying Pepsi. This would make more consumers want to buy the product. If they want to keep it related to football, they should show that even though there are some good and bad parts to football its always a good time when drinking a Pepsi.

            The last way they could be top dogs would be to create a tagline. Even though Pepsi has a lot of them they should pick one. Picking a good tagline would help attract the consumers and make them want the product even more. It would also make the consumers excited about the brand and keep coming back to it.

Why do you believe people prefer the top dog over the underdog? What do you prefer? Why?

            I believe people prefer Coca-Cola over Pepsi. The reason why I believe this is because it has been around for a long time. It had kept its same logo, same recipe, and they even have them in glass bottles like they had back then. So, people are going to be loyal to a brand that stays true to their roots. Coca-Cola is also cheaper than Pepsi. The recipe for Pepsi the taste is very distinctive. I can usually tell which one is Coca-Cola and which one is Pepsi if it was ordered at a restaurant. The one that I prefer to drink most of the time is Coca-Cola. This has always been my go-to soda. Nowadays I don’t really drink it, but if I had to that would be it.  

Reference

The birth of a refreshing idea. The Birth of a Refreshing Idea – News & Articles. (n.d.). https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history/the-birth-of-a-refreshing-idea

Under Armour: Where Do From Here?

The Under Armour company has grown over time. Kevin Plank, who was in his grandmother’s basement had created this business. It started off small and grew into something great. Under Armour is best known for the wicking material that helps people stay cool and dry and it has a lightweight feel to it.

            When it comes to business there are certain market segments to help get a better understanding of what kind of consumer they are trying to reach. Market segments can be described as “the process of dividing the large and diverse mass market into subsets of consumers who share common needs, characteristics, or behaviors, and then targeting one or more of those segments with a distinct marketing mix” (Kardes, Cronley, Cline, 2020). In the case study Under Armour Willful Digital Moves the marketing segment would be the target market. The target market can best be described as “the segment toward which firm’s marketing efforts are directed” (Kardes, Cronley, Cline, 2020). The reason that the Under Armour marketing segment is target marketing is because in 2014 they had created a new campaign that would be targeting the women consumers. The company I came up with “I Will What I Want” campaign to help target the women. Under Armour was at 15 million because of the new consumers they were bringing in. It was known to be “the largest global women’s marketing campaign Under Armour had ever run” (Under Armour, 2016).

When we are implementing the segmentation strategies there are a few key points to factor in. One key point that would be a factor would be the consumer preferences heterogeneity. This can best be described as “the extent to which tastes and preferences differ among consumers” (Kardes, Cronley, Cline, 2020). This pretty much focuses on what the consumer wants. Another key point would be majority fallacy. This factor is known to be “Pursuing the majority segment is considered a fallacy because the largest segment, where competition tends to be most intense” (Kardes, Cronley, Cline, 2020). The third point would be the sales-cost trade-off. With this key point “trade-off recognizes that, as market segmentation increases, sales increase because a firm’s offerings align more closely to consumers’ preferences” (Kardes, Cronley, Cline, 2020). The fourth key point would be cannibalization. This key point “occurs when products offered by the same firm are so similar that they compete among themselves” (Kardes, Cronley, Cline, 2020).

The latest marketing trend that I have been seeing lately is that a lot of foods are now starting to have more gluten free options available to consumers. I know that gluten free has been around for a while, but it seems to have become more popular. In some restaurants there are foods that are gluten free, and many groceries stores have more of these products available.

Consumer Who? Consumer You!

• What kind of consumer are you? When we think about buying a product, we have to think are we buying this product because we need it or are we buying it to resell it to other people. When I think about what kind of consumer I am, I would fall under the individual consumer. An individual consumer can best be described as someone who “purchases goods and services to satisfy their own personal needs and wants or to satisfy the needs and wants of others” (Kardes, Cronley, Cline, 2020).

• What influences your buying decisions, and how? The thing that influences my buying decisions is based off of my ability to find a competitive price for the product I like. Another thing that influences my buying decisions is getting more for my money. I am always looking for the best option out there. One other thing that helps me influence my buying decisions is the reviews of the product that I am buying. I sometimes base my decision on how my people rated the product with five stars and I would read the comments and read the comments for the one who rated the product one star. Once I finish reading the comments, I would make my decision based on what I have read.   

• Which Stage actually leads to your purchasing decision? The stage that leads to my purchasing decision would be completing research on a specific product that I am looking into buying. I would look at all my options and find the best product possible for my needs and budget. While conducting my market research I look at everything. For example, when I’m looking to purchase a car I look into the different models, body types, which one is safer, and which one is more reliable.
• When Making a buying decision, how are you influenced by marketing research and marketing design? With marketing research this has a huge influence on me when it comes to buying anything. With market research I do it on pretty much everything I am buying because I want to make sure I am getting what I really need. With market design it helps provide a visual of the actual product. This can help me determine if I truly want to buy the product or not. By having the market design available it helps get a closer look at the product and if I am to test it out before buying is always a plus. This will also help me determine my decision in making the purchase a lot easier.
• Do you experience any post-purchase behavior? After buying a specific product my post-purchase behavior is usually happy. The overall experience that I usually have with the products that I purchase is usually satisfactory. Very rarely am I dissatisfied with a purchase that I buy.

Reference

Kardes, F., Cronley, M., & Cline, T. (2020). Consumer Behavior (2nd ed.). Cengage Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781305161689