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Social Media has become one of the
most widely used applications on the Internet.
Blogging lets the regular person get their ideas and beliefs out to the
public.
Even on a small scale, these
writings can change an individual view.
But in the world of business, all this on the Internet means free
marketing research.
According to Candice
Choi, a writer for the Marin Independent Journal, she says that sites such as
Facebook aren’t just for goofy pictures and chatter (Choi).
Companies are using the information on these
sites to dictate what’s in stores this holiday season.
For example, Macy’s decided to carry denim
jeans in bright neon colors rather than pastels based on a social media
poll.
Wal-Mart is also letting customers
decide which toys they want discounted (Choi).
There is no concrete evidence that says these tactics will raise sales
for their companies, but the bottom line s that al this online chatter is
actually market research (Choi).
Jennifer Kasper, the head of head of digital media at Macy’s, claims
that having the customers feel like they are insiders has an affect on their
brand loyalty but also helps better tailor their products (Choi).
All of this is important to my
career as a marketer because this shows that Internet marketing is growing not
only in retail but with small businesses as well.
It will be important for me to learn how to
acquire good data and how to analyze it into something useful.
They are offering an Internet marketing class
now at San Francisco State that I plan on taking and will help me build the
skills I need to be a good marketer in the modern business format.
Source
Choi,
Candice. Facebook users guide store
direction. Marin
Independent Journal, Page A10, published 12/19/12
Casino marketers have an
interesting job of getting players to come play their games and try to win
money. This business can be very
expensive but also have high returns.
Now if they win too much, that’s going to hurt the profit of the
casino. Their marketing strategy needs
to help them recoup their expenses from their gambling business. The casino (or the house) already has an advantage
on each of their games, from which they make major profits. Many casinos’ strategy to keep profits high
and grow is to entice gamblers with compensations such as free drinks, dinning,
rooms, transportation, etc. (SOURCE).
The more someone gambles, the more expensive their compensation, which
means a bigger affect it has on the assets of the house (SOURCE). The main idea is that if the house can get
the gambler to be loyal and to return, then they will eventually make their
money back. In the new age of the
Internet, online gambling has boomed and they too have their own marketing
strategies. They offer bonuses when you
sign up for their website, or bonuses for loyalty to the site (SOURCE). The higher the bonus, the more appealing it
is to the gambler. “The more gamblers there are
patronizing their casino games and service the more profit the casino is likely
to earn” (SOURCE).
To prove that this strategy works, take a look at Native
American Casino’s. They started out as
nothing more than a restaurant, a couple blackjack tables and some slot
machines (SOURCE). By employing the
casino marketing strategy they were able to upgrade by adding a variety of card
games, thousands of slot machines, four star restaurants, and a hotel with
beautiful rooms (SOURCE). “The marketing company began by creating innovative advertising
campaigns for radio, television, and print. They also developed promotions and
rewards cards to attract and maintain the customers” (SOURCE). Just by getting more people to play at their
casino, profits rose allowing for them to expand. 
