Week 8 EOC | Excel Graphs

I chose three questions from the survey. Then, I copied and pasted the questions into Excel; I had to "massage" the information, so that the program would properly take the information and format it into a different graphs. Because I'm using a PC, I had to press PrtScn to capture the images of the graphs. After, I opened up Paint, a program on PC's, to paste my image. Lastly, I had to crop the images and save them individually on my desktop. After that, adding the graphs into a blog post was easy; I simply uploaded the images.

Week 7 EOC | Final Project Pitch

I have not yet committed to this idea; however, I have developed an idea for a project that may potentially help the clothing brand, Urban Outfitters. Currently, I work for the company as a sales associate at the Fashion Show Mall location in Las Vegas, Nevada and I have noticed that as a store, we struggle with our Urban On log ins. Urban On is a free application for smartphones that allows customers to create social media profiles. The application has many unique benefits. For example, this application allows them to shop the store by simply opening the app; they have full access to the online store. In addition, the app notifies them of any special promotions and events. Urban On also offers other fun activities like the store’s music playlist and reward-like badges.

However, at my store location, the biggest issue we face is that our customers do not use the app and/or they do not sign in before they make their purchases. This is unfortunate because we have a lot frequent shoppers who have the potential to save a lot of money and earn rewards. They are going to be buying things anyways, so they might as well utilize the app on their phone and take advantage of the benefits. This is an extra step and customers do not take it.

I believe the real problem here is the fact that customers do not really know about Urban On. Some customers think it’s a loyalty program or a rewards system. Some extreme customers think it’s a spamming device. The reality is that Urban On is none of those; Urban On has many consumer benefits that is completely misunderstood. My project is to first, educate the sales associates and managers about Urban On and all its benefits and accessibility so they can find tactics to market the app better. As a result, I believe there will be an increase in customers downloading and utilizing the Urban On app and our store will increase our Urban On log in percentage if we demonstrate how easy the app is and all of its benefits.

Week 6 EOC | Deeper meaning of the film BIG

coming soon...

Week 6 EOC | What did you learn? From your project? From class discussion?

I was not in class during the discussion because I was sick; however, I was able to discuss the project with some of my classmates outside of class. Similarly, we ran into relatable issues and we came to significant results. For example, Marcia told me that she was surprised to find that packaging plays an important factor in developing her fragrance. Totally unrelated to me, she was focusing on a perfume for women; however, we both came to a realization that consumers, both men and women, will gravitate toward a fragrance that doesn’t only stimulate their sense of smell but also their sense of sight.

I learned that people put emphasis on different factors. Some people focused on having a fragrance that was affordable. Some people focused on availability. I learned that packaging is an important factor. Ultimately, when it comes to developing any kind of fragrance, everything has to be taken into consideration in order to have a successful product.

Fragrance Project: Analysis of the project in the Real World

My survey results were obtained from ten of my male followers on Instagram. After posting a picture on my own Instagram, asking for male volunteers to take my quick survey about fragrances, I analyzed the first ten responses. Again, I only invited men to take this survey because I wanted to obtain consumer insight among male fragrance buyers. (Side note: when it came to developing the questions for my survey, I made sure to only ask important questions that would give me valuable insight.) As a result, I was able to come to specific conclusions, rather than a generic understanding.

My first question was, “Do you believe using cologne makes you more attractive?” The results were 8/10 guys marked yes. This could mean that most men believe that physical grooming is important. In addition, it shows that appearance is factor that most men care/think about.

Another question was, “Are you more likely to purchase new cologne if your favorite celebrity/athlete endorsed the product?” The results were 6/10 guys marked yes. We live in a culture that is heavily influenced by famous people. If I were to develop a new fragrance, I would want a famous name attached to it because he/she can influence the sales of the cologne.

Another question was, “Why do you apply cologne?” Obviously, I needed to include this question to find out the reason why most men use cologne. The results are not surprising. I predicted that most men use cologne to smell good and to maintain good hygiene. Guys do not like to smell bad; at least, most guys do not like to be smelly.

One of my most important questions was, “Finish the sentence: Out of all the colognes I’ve ever owned…” This question was very important because I wanted to know if most guys brought their own fragrances or if other people bought fragrances for them. The results were 8/10 guys marked “I bought less than half of them myself”; this really surprised me because I had no idea. I was shocked to see that most fragrances are given as gifts. This information is definitely helpful because it will direct the way I market my own fragrance; it could mean the difference of including a man or woman in my advertisements.

I had to include a question about packaging. The question was, “Are you likely to purchase cologne with unique bottle packaging?” I had to ask this question because after doing some research, successful colognes are successful because they look “cool”. My results supported that concept because 8/10 guys said that they are more likely to buy cologne with unique bottle packaging. This means that I need to not only develop a great scent, but I also need to develop an awesome bottle and packaging.

With the results of my survey, I concluded to develop a new fragrance that most men will enjoy. There will be some guys who absolutely hate my fragrance, but I won’t market to them. I need to come up with a marketing plan that targets women who buy cologne as gifts for the men in their lives, but at the same time, I can not alienate the men who buy cologne for themselves. Other important factors include celebrity endorsement and attractive packaging. 

Survey Results

1.     Do you believe using cologne makes you more attractive?

A.) Yes

B.) No

Results:
80% Yes
20% No

2.     Are you more likely to purchase new cologne if your favorite celebrity/athlete endorsed the product?

A.) Yes

B.) No

Results:
60% Yes
40% No

3.     Why do you apply cologne? (Choose the best answer that most relates to you)

A.) I use cologne to smell good and to maintain good hygiene

B.) I use cologne to make a good impression

C.) I use cologne because it reminds me of certain scents from the past

D.) I don’t use cologne

Results:
60% I use cologne to smell good and to maintain good hygiene
30% I use cologne to make a good impression
0% I use cologne because it reminds me of certain scents from the past
10% I don't use cologne

4.     Where are you most likely going to buy your cologne?

A.) General drug store like CVS

B.) Huge department store like Macy’s

C.) Specialty clothing store like Ralph Lauren

D.) Luxury/High-end store like Saks Fifth Avenue

Results:
30% General drug store
40% Huge department store
20% Specialty clothing store
10% Luxury/High-end store

5.     Do you prefer colognes that are strong and impactful or subtle and unexpected?

A.) Strong/impactful

B.) Subtle/unexpected

Results:
50% Strong/impactful
50% Subtle/unexpected

6.     Do you wear cologne everyday?

A.) Yes

B.) No

Results:
70% Yes
30% No

7.     How would you describe the value that cologne adds to your social life?

A.) Necessity

B.) Essential

C.) Optional

D.) No value

Results:
10% Necessity
60% Essential
30% Optional
0% No value 

8.     Finish the sentence: Out of all the colognes I’ve ever owned…

A.) I bought more than half of them myself

B.) I bought less than half of them myself (meaning – they are/were gifts from other people)

Results:
20% I bought more than half of them myself
80% I bought less than half of them myself

9.     Are you likely to purchase colognes with unique bottle packaging?

A.) Yes

B.) No

Results:
80% Yes
20% No

10.  Out of the following word choices, which one describes your ideal cologne?

A.) Sporty

B.) Outdoors

C.) Metropolitan

D.) Wisdom

Results:
50% Sporty
10% Outdoors
30% Metropolitan
10% Wisdom

Week 5 EOC | The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets

In all honesty, the article, “The Web’s New Gold Mine: Your Secrets” written by Julia Angwin, really opened my eyes. Before reading the article, I knew tracking online activity was nothing out of the norm. Of course, it happens. Practically growing up with a computer and having Internet access at a very young age, I became very familiar with technology navigation. In fact, I already knew that our online activity was always being tracked before I even knew it was a thing because whenever I type in my favorite websites into the search bar, I never have to finish typing the full web address. I can just scroll down to the first suggestion. At the time, I didn’t care because I was naïve and I always thought, “What’s the big deal? I have nothing to hide.”

However, after reading this insightful article, I realized that online tracking is a much bigger problem than I originally thought. The fact that I have nothing to hide is not the problem. The real problem is the fact that I cannot hide; I am like a sitting duck, for lack of a better analogy. My activity online is being tracked and formulated into a specific profile, so that it can be sold to different companies, whether these companies are advertisers, marketers, and any type of company that is willing to pay for my information: “The information that companies gather is anonymous, in the sense that Internet users are identified by a number assigned to their computer, not by a specific person’s name. Lotame, for instance, says it doesn’t know the name of users such as Ms. Hayes-Beaty – only their behavior and attributes, identified by code number” (Angwin).

In my opinion, I’m grateful for have read this article because now I am educated about the subject. I came to a realization that online tracking may seem harmless on the surface; however, it has the potential to become a very dangerous thing and I am definitely not okay with it.