Audio Francisco

Week 10 EOC: Benefits VS. Features

2012-03-12T16:01:00.001-07:00

There are many products out in our world. Some are products that you need, others are products that we want. From the business perspective, one must solve the problem of introducing the product into the consumers hands, whether they fall in the 'wants' or 'needs' category. Food, we need food to survive, obviously it will be purchased because our well being depends on it, but ice cream? We do not need that, we want that. "Product concept

The idea that consumers will favor products that offer the most quality, performance, and features and that the organization should therefore devote its energy to making continuous product improvements." Marketing: An Intro, Amrstrong/Kotler, page 10. The definition of product concept to seems very directional towards an item of 'want'. We must further improve our product if we want to continue to sell.

"Selling concept,The idea that consumers will not buy enough of the firm’s products unless it undertakes a large-scale selling and promotion effort." Marketing: An Intro, Armstrong/Kotler, page 11. Both concepts I believe go hand-in-hand. The concepts keep the emphasis on continuing to further improve our product through features, eye- catching features. In my opinion, regardless of your product, you must tie in the customers relationship to the product to something that will benefit them by using the product."Marketing myopia

The mistake of paying more attention to the specific products a company offers than to the benefits and experiences produced by these products." Marketing: An Intro. Amrstrong/Kotler, page 7.

With our ice cream, we will have to implement that feeling the emotion one gets when that delicious blend of flavors gets to you, we are selling enjoyment, not just mere ice cream.

Week 9 EOC: Three Great Mission Statements

2012-03-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Out of all the classes mission statements, I chose the following three students that I believed to have the best mission statements. Will Rowley, Javier Garcia, Rom Alon
Javier's Mission statement is clear and to the point. I think anyone can read the mission statement and clearly see who they are trying to get their product out to. It was simple, and many consumers appreciate simplicity.
Will's statement was extremely detailed. He tells you exactly what he is doing, what his goal is and how he will achieve it. He explained both oriented, and market-oriented definitions in his description, and not many other people described their mission statement quite like Will did.
Rom's mission statement worked very well with his quotes he chose to integrate. The flow of his statement matched perfectly with the quotes and he also gives the consumer a small insight on the roots of how his company is ran. People enjoy seeing companies that include everyones opinion, and I think Rom is definitely on the correct path with his mission statement. In the text, Armstrong and Kotler say, “A mission statement is a statement of the organization’s purpose—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment. A clear mission statement acts as an “invisible hand” that guides people in the organization. “Kotler, Gary Armstrong and Philip. Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation. 10. According to the text, I believe that the three students listed above demonstrate exactly what a strong business mission statement should be.

Week 8 EOC: Creative Content

2012-02-27T15:55:00.001-08:00

I will present my product with a radio ad. 30 seconds of airtime should be sufficient to present the new product (Choco-Nachos) and explain a little about it as well. I will make the product at home, and photograph it in its final form. The photograph will be the still background image for the radio ad with soothing music and a voiceover introducing the product. The voice over will be written by me, and will be recorded at my friends’ home studio. The music will be written and performed by myself as well. After the voiceover is recorded, I will upload it to YouTube and embed the video to the final project blog post. This radio ad will be simple and cost effective. It will not require as much time to build upon therefore allowing us to distribute our product faster to the consumer. "Advertising can be very costly. Although some advertising forms, such as newspaper and radio advertising, can be done on smaller budgets, other forms, such as network TV advertising, require very large budgets. " Marketing: An Introduction. Armstrong/Kotler, Page 383.

Final Project: Implementation Evaluation Control

2012-02-27T15:21:00.003-08:00

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Final Project: Price

2012-02-27T15:21:00.001-08:00

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Final Project: Promotion

2012-02-27T15:20:00.005-08:00

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Final Project: Distribution

2012-02-27T15:20:00.002-08:00

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Final Project: Product

2012-02-27T15:19:00.001-08:00

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Final Project: Target Market Strategy

2012-02-27T15:18:00.002-08:00

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Final Project: Situation or SWOT Analysis

2012-02-27T15:17:00.006-08:00

Our goal, like any other company, is to build a potentially successful idea into a solid profitable company. In order to succeed we first must dive in our inner workings and see exactly what is either going to make us or break us. We have to evaluate our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats. "The goal of a SWOT analysis is to match the company strengths to attractive opportunities in the environment, while eliminating or overcoming the weaknesses and minimizing the threats." Armstrong/Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, page 56.
Strengths- Our family owned company has hard working, creative individuals that drive our business. Everyones' mind is on the same page and we all work together to reach our ultimate goal. We are all one big family, and the fun working atmosphere we provide boosts morale and encourages happiness and well being.
Opportunities- A great opportunity we have already acquired, is the strong relationship we have with Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Co. Ben & Jerry have established a world renowned company that everyone recognizes for their natural delicious, unique tastes. We will explore this business partnership opportunity with them, as well as their contacts in the industry.
Weaknesses- Our weaknesses vary upon the situation, for example, starting out as a smaller family opened business we may not be able to meet high demand orders for products if sales begin boosting to the level. Our facilities and employees can only produce so much that if sales increase to the point of national multiple grocery store orders then we will have no choice but expand. Expanding is growing and that is great, however the time that it will take to assemble a new facility and hire the appropriate staff will greatly reduce even more out ability to ship our products.
Threats- Having an amazing company like Ben & Jerry's at our side definitely puts at ease. We believe with their reputation, our performance will surely continue to climb, however there are many other companies that have had similar products and are already in circulation at many grocery stores nationwide. Consumers may not pick up our product right away because of the already high number of
Similar products. This is where I believe our marketing and advertising division comes in play. As long as we can show our consumers our product in the right way, we believe we will have no problem firmly establishing ourselves with the rest of the strong competitors.

Final Project: Objectives

2012-02-27T15:17:00.001-08:00

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Final Project: Business Mission Statement

2012-02-27T15:15:00.005-08:00

A mission statement can be defined as followed, "A statement of the organization’s purpose—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment." Armstrong/Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, page R21.

This should be very simple and directly to the point. However, some companies may have a very vague statement, and do not allow the consumer to properly connect with the product, in the way it was intended to. "Few leaders actually get the point of forging a mission with real grit and meaning. [Mission statements] have largely devolved into fat-headed jargon. Almost no one can figure out what they mean." Armstrong/Kotler, Marketing: An Introduction, page 40.

Choco-Nachos Mission Statement: "We give families the opportunity to taste a delicious blend of natural flavors that everyone and anyone from all ages can enjoy. "

-This mission statement is aimed toward the families. Dinner time is family time, and our consumers are generally the families that sit down nightly for dinner together. After dinner, dessert is always on everyones mind. Our unique product is a healthy and natural alternative to traditional desserts.

Creative Presentation Idea

2012-02-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

Monday, February 27, 2012

Creative Presentation Idea

Choco-Nachos

Week 7 EOC: The Pitch

2012-02-20T16:00:00.001-08:00

Picture a basket of waffle cone, chocolate dipped chips, smothered in chocolate sauce, topped with vanilla ice cream, and a salty caramel swirl. The Choco-Nachos kit, putting it together is half the fun.

When you eat ice cream, in a waffle cone, that last few bites of that cone are simply amazing. The mixture of the flavors that you experience in that last moment is perfect. Waffle cone, with melted ice cream, and usually chocolate to line the inner wall of the waffle cone. So why not have a tasty snack that is simply that? The Choco-Nachos kit brings everything you need to make your own ‘Choco-Nachos’ at home. A quarter pound of waffle chips, already pre-dipped in chocolate, Chocolate sauce, two scoops of vanilla ice cream, and a package of salty caramel.

‘Choco-Nachos’ has partnered with long time ice cream makers, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream. Ben & Jerry’s will be releasing the kit at your local grocery, convenient, and natural foods store. A single serving kit will cost you $5.95, and the family 3 serving pack is priced at $13.95.

Whether it’s for a BBQ treat at the park, watching the big game with friends, or simply relaxing at home and putting on a nice movie, Choco-Nachos will suit any occasion.

Week 6 EOC: Me X 3

2012-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

My phone is something that is always with me. Rain or shine, this device has brought the world to every man and woman in the planet. If you need anything, anything at all, this device has your back. Information, prices, contacts, photos, videos, and music, you have it all in the palm of your hand. Once you have it, you wont want anything else.

My Bike is something I built myself from the ground up. The parts, the paint, the sweat, and the creativity is all there. It is absolutely amazing transforming an idea in your head into actual, physical reality. My bike is my main mode of transportation by choice. I choose to ride and I absolutely love it. When you ride your bike, you are in tune with your world, your environment, and i have that feeling everyday.

Headphones are just as important to me as my phone and bike. I use them on a daily basis to bring the sounds of music into myself when I am on the road. A pair of good quality headphones is all I need on a long ride. Up until recently, I have owned to same pair of headphones for about 4 years. Using them everyday at the gym, on the bike, and overall use, my headphones lasted me a very long time, and the time for some new ones has arrived. To some shopping for a pair of headphones is as easy as just grabbing them at the check out counter at walgreens, but for me, I know it will take me some time to choose the right pair that I will hopefully be a part of for the next few years.

Week 5 EOC: Social Networks and Job Hunting

2012-02-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

The marketing world has changed drastically over our lives. The world changes, people change, so it just has to be expected that the way we connect with our customers change as well. In the article in our textbook, we read about how companies are more frequently using the ‘Brand Ambassador’ to spread the word about a specific service or product. In comparison with our Facebook article, along with our textbook article, both seem to have one common point, reaching out to customers by unique means, is an increasingly popular and useful method.

“Out of 2,000 or more online applicants, Sony picked only 25 brand ambassadors. The ambassadors were given a free camera and other equipment along with lessons on how to use them. They were then encouraged to show the camera to friends, associates, and anyone else who asked”. -Kotler, Gary Armstrong and Philip. Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation. 10. Companies such as Sony, have, and will hand out a product that they want to ‘push’ for free, and allow the word of mouth to spread like wildfire. People that love a product absolutely love to talk about it. They love to tell everyone what makes this product so great and why they could use one in their life. This is exactly what companies aim for and the result will more than likely be good. This method gives the information about the product to customer that could not have found out any other way. “More companies are trying to tap Facebook Inc.'s 750-million-plus user base to find new employees, In addition to posting jobs and videos of current employees on its’ Facebook page, the company has recruiters and other

employees find user groups and join discussions.”-http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903885604576490763. Companies know that Facebook is one of the largest, if not the largest social media website. Everyone and everything is shared on Facebook and companies are slowly but surely diving more into this medium. It is a very easy and flexible way of instant communication and for the most part is free. Companies enjoy being able to publish stories of their achievements for potential employees to see and research.

For now this is where we are, a forever changing place where we will never know what to expect, but I am sure we can all expect more and more non-traditional ways of reaching out to one another.The marketing world has changed drastically over our lives. The world changes, people change, so it just has to be expected that the way we connect with our customers change as well. In the article in our textbook, we read about how companies are more frequently using the ‘Brand Ambassador’ to spread the word about a specific service or product. In comparison with our Facebook article, along with our textbook article, both seem to have one common point, reaching out to customers by unique means, is an increasingly popular and useful method.

employees find user groups and join discussions.” Companies know that Facebook is one of the largest, if not the largest social media website. Everyone and everything is shared on Facebook and companies are slowly but surely diving more into this medium. It is a very easy and flexible way of instant communication and for the most part is free. Companies enjoy being able to publish stories of their achievements for potential employees to see and research.

For now this is where we are, a forever changing place where we will never know what to expect, but I am sure we can all expect more and more non-traditional ways of reaching out to one another.

Week 4 EOC: There's An App For That

2012-01-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

Introducing, iControl.

iControl is a brand new application specifically designed for the ipad, that is revolutionizing how people mix and record on the go. Many people record and mix an immense amount of diverse media. When someone wants to go to another location, the thought of taking equipment comes to mind. If you are going to be on the go, you may want to take only the necessities. Computer, microphones, console. The iControl is a revolutionary virtual console that you can take anywhere your iPad goes.

iControl is fully integrated with AVID and performs flawlessly with Pro Tools 8 and above. It also comes with many different virtual interfaces to adapt to the preference of the user. iControl has partnered with Mackie, Yamaha, Behringer, Focusrite, and many other companies to provide the user interfaces that people are already used to mix with. Upgraded mixing consoles are also available as add-ons in the App Store. Faders, knobs and switches are fully integrated to meet the exact specification to the actual mixing console.

The iControl comes in 3 different options all with 1 free download code for the application in Apple’s App Store. The first option comes with a 4 channel mic. Interface for your iPad and sells for $79.99. The second comes with an 8 channel interface, for $104.99 and the third gives you a 12 channel interface for $129.99.

The interfaces all connect to your microphones either with a 1/4 “ or XLR connection.

If you are an audiophile that is constantly in different locations, or you just want to go to a friends and record a friends drums or guitar into Pro Tools, check out iControl in the App Store or visit icontrolmixing.com.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

2012-01-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

"Millennials- also called Generation Y or the echo boomers, Born between 1977 and 2000, these children of the baby boomers number 83 million. This group includes several age cohorts: tweens (aged 9–12), teens (13–18), and young adults (19–32). With total purchasing power of more than $733 billion, the Millennials make up a huge and attractive market."-Analyzing the Marketing Environment (page 16). \

- I would definitely agree with my demographic that I am categorized in. Born in 88’, many differences can be noted within my own family that reflect my parents generation, and grand parents generation. My brother, my sister, and myself, are all attending college, where my parents and grandparents did not. We are all fully integrated with our current technology in today’s time and continue to grow with it. As technology grows, we grow with it, and our generation does not have one problem with spending their hard earned dollars on the latest and greatest.

Week 3 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

2012-01-22T23:25:00.000-08:00

In terms of the Boston Consulting Group rubric, I see the video game systems in the following way; Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3, as cash cows. iOS devices would fall under question marks. Nintendo Ds, and Sony PSP as dogs. As for the ‘star’ category, I currently do not see anything new in the video game industry that I would qualify as a star. This is all based on current findings. In The past, many companies have claimed to have the highest selling video game system. One good example is the Nintendo DS. “Nintendo Claims Best-Selling Videogame System In US History” -http://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverchiang/2011/01/04/nintendo-claims-best-selling-videogame-system-in-us-history/. I categorize the DS into the dog because, yes, in 2004 Nintendo may have sold more copies of the DS than any other system, but today the DS has taken multiple price cuts, and sales are almost non-existent compared to 2004.

Apple has revolutionized the electronics industry many times, but in terms of tapping into the video game system I believe Apple is not doing a very good job. Many companies put their hands in many different revenue streams for simply that, revenue. “Steve Jobs and Apple's Influence on Gaming Massively Overstated” -http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2011/11/04/steve-jobs-and-apples-influence-on-gaming-massively-overstated/.

As for the ‘star’ category, like I have stated above, I have not seen anything current in the industry that has provided a big enough spark to make its way in the ‘star’ category. I feel as of now, consumers are in some sort of a limbo area with games and their systems. The current line up of consoles has been in full effect for a strong 7 years, and the next generation release is just on the horizon. “Guide To the Next Generation of Video Game Consoles: Xbox 720, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Beyond!” -http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/717083/guide-to-the-next-generation-of-video-game-consoles-xbox-720-playstation-4-wii-u-and-beyond/.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

2012-01-09T15:53:00.001-08:00

“Imagine a retailer with service so good its customers wish it would take over the Internal Revenue Service or start up an airline.” –Cotler, Philip. Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corp. Chapter 1, Page1.

Every person is eventually going to purchase something at some point of their lives. We will all have horrible shopping experiences but we will also have some amazing ones. My most recent customer service came from JT, owner and operator of a small family owned bicycle shop in Henderson, NV. I am an avid cyclist and frequent the store regularly. One day when I was just casually browsing through the shop, I noticed an amazing rich, brown leather wrap on a bicycle that would be perfect for my current build project. As I examined it on the bicycle that it was on, JT approaches me and says hello. He tells me he has seen in the store on a few occasions, and buying a spare part or two. He asked if there was anything I was looking for in particular and I quickly pointed out the brown leather wrap on the bike. He tells me that this specific wrap only comes when you purchase the bicycle that it was on. It is not sold separately. The bike cost right under $2,000 and it seemed there was no way I would get that wrap. He continues talking to me and in the conversation, he finds out we share a passion for building bikes. He tells me to give him one second. JT goes to the back and reappears with the exact leather wrap I was eyeing earlier. He tells me someone had purchased another bike and wanted a different wrap so the shop ended up keeping the wrap. He handed it to me and said It was mine for $5. This kind of service is rare, and I appreciate JT for what he did. It’s the little things that count, and JT has earned a customer for life.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

2012-01-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Francisco.

As an audio professional, sound and audio have always been a major part of my life. To me audio is art. Live sound is my main priority, but pre-production sound and installation is a tremendous passion of mine. I have done many audio installations such as weddings, multi-room sound for restaurants, small business office sound, and on site audio mixing. Another large part of experience comes from full in-home theatre installation. From in-wall wiring to building custom frames for projector screens, I have done it all when it comes to custom home theatre needs. Dream Ent. is a company based in Las Vegas, and is where most of my pre-production experience comes from working side by side with the founder to set up many different sound audio systems for many different companies. Station Casinos is one of the largest clients for Dream Ent. and I personally set up multiple audio systems for every station casino. A career in live sound reinforcement would be an absolute dream come true to me. Working for a venue and being an on site live sound technician is what I am striving for hopefully one day ending up in the city of Chicago, Il.