Amazon Delays Opening of Cashierless Store to Work Out Kinks

A few months ago, Amazon presented its Go concept where customers scan their phones on a kiosk as they walk in and after they leave they are charged for the items they leave with and are electronically sent a receipt. These cashierless Amazon Go stores were set to open at the end of this month in the city of Seattle however, due to technical glitches, the opening has been delayed. There has been no comment on when exactly these convenience stores will officially open. 

Amazon has reportedly been working on getting the technical glitches under control. According to sources close to the company, the store will use cameras, sensors, and algorithms to track what customers are taking when they leave. The glitch is supposedly coming from this particular system not being able to handle more than 20 people at one time.

 These glitches aren't the only difficulty the online retailer will face in their new venture. Although they are trying to capture more food sales to broaden their influence in this market, they are not exactly experienced in anticipating and handling a flow of physical customers as well as products in a space. 

It will be interesting to see how Amazon manages to execute this concept of cashierless convenience stores and what it will mean for retailers like Walmart and Kroger who are now advancing the average grocery shopping experience with online orders and store front pick up. 
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Google Is Giving Parents More Control Over Their Children

A new software introduced by Google, Family Link, is now giving parents more controls over their children’s electronics. It is currently only a beta and will be tested on all Android devices running Android N, also known as Android Nougat. This software allows parents to remotely control their children’s devices all without having to lay a single finger on the device.

The software enables parents to control certain features on the device. This is only allowed for devices of children under the age of 13. Parents have an administrative account which controls all of the other accounts. They are able to set a timer on how long their kids can play games on the device. They can also set breaks from the device and a bed time which locks the phone and makes it inaccessible. The children’s accounts are also protected, meaning anything they search up in Google Chrome, Google play, and the YouTube app. Parents are also able to locate the phone is lost with the software.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-gives-parents-greater-powers-1489594364

Google Vows More Control for Brands Over Online Ads

Move comes after major U.K. clients withdrew spots after some ads ran ahead of extremist videos on its YouTube platform

Google said it plans to give brands more control on where their ads appear online after major U.K. clients withdraw their spots because some ads ran before extremist videos on YouTube. Tensions between Google and its advertisers have increased which has led to the advertisers pulling their spending from YouTube and the Google Display Network, a network of more than 2 million websites that partner with Google to serve ads. They could not be assured that the “environment is safe, regulated to the degree necessary, and additive to their brands’ objectives.”

The British government demanded Google officials provide an explanation about how they are going to prevent ads from appearing on inappropriate content. Google answered by saying they already have software that automatically scans YouTube titles and images to determine if they are appropriate for advertising; however, these can often be misguided because of titles and nuanced content. They are further working on better ways to monitor ad placement.

This relates to marketing with branding and the people side out of the four P’s. With British companies ad’s appearing before inappropriate content, customers may think that is what the company believes in and will not want to support that company because it goes against personal ethics and values. Companies are constantly spending time working on creating a perfect brand name and image, so this situation ruins that brand name which is making British companies unhappy.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-vows-more-control-for-brands-over-online-ads-1489789855

Janelle Mendez

MKTG 3343

The Dark Side of Facebook Live

The Dark Side of Facebook Live

            Back in April 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, with the help of his team brainstormed an idea to make his social media site livelier by having those who use his website to be able to stream their own live videos. After announcing the idea, two months later “Facebook Live” was brought into action and has increased the use of social media interactors on Facebook.

 There were very many beneficial factors with this new part about Facebook, such as showing others what you are doing at the moment and keeping updated with friends and family. With the fast production of having Facebook live happen, there wasn’t enough time to consider how this factor would also have negative consequences towards others. The consequence with this is that Facebook doesn’t exactly have the right to censor the videos published since they occur quickly. “According to a tally by The Wall Street Journal, people have used Facebook Live to broadcast at least 50 acts of violence, including murder, suicides and the beating in January of a mentally disabled teenager in Chicago.”

Users use Facebook Live to show aspects of their own social lives, advertise themselves through business and products, and is a big aspect of marketing for top notch companies. It is definitely difficult for Facebook to review and control every user’s video to make sure it doesn’t contain any graphic or horrifying events. Unfortunately to this day, Facebook still doesn’t have control over that, but they are working at their very best to tear down the numbers of the dark side of Facebook Live moments.

Natalie Torres

MKTG 3343

Changing Students Minds on Eating Healthy

Changing Students Minds on Eating Healthy

            When it comes to choosing a candy bar over an apple, most students would most likely reach out to the candy bar first without hesitation. They reach for the candy bar while knowing that the apple is a more refreshing and beneficial consumption choice. Behavioral scientist, nutritionist, and school boards are trying to come up with a solution to make that scenario explained above the complete opposite.

            Since the 1970’s, the obesity rate of children has tripled in numbers. Although schools can’t take the full blame for that, they do take part in the type of meals students eat for lunch from Monday through Fridays. The best way they are able to make a change to these kids’ diet plans without making it seem like they are going on a full-on diet is by using hidden marketing skills to promote the choice of healthy eating.

            A way to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables is by bringing them into the classroom an hour before lunch as a snack. During that time, that is when students begin to start getting hungry and have no choice but to eat the healthy options if they are that desperate. Another beneficial factor is by bringing in a professional chef into the cafeteria to put in his input on healthy eating and cooking it to the point where it looks better looking than the unhealthy options. Along with that, keep track of what is being eaten and what is being thrown away. The way the food is being presented also plays a huge factor to whether it is chosen to be placed on a student’s tray. And the placement of where the vegetables and fruits in the cafeteria is presented makes a difference to whether somebody will grab it or not. If those items are placed before the entrees, there is a higher chance that it will be the first thing to attract the student’s eyes.

Natalie Torres

MKTG 3343

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-schools-can-get-children-to-eat-their-vegetables-1487944388?tesla=y

NBA Stars Declare Self Marketing

NBA Stars Declare Self Marketing

            During the NBA All-Star weekend which was hosted in New Orleans for the 2016-2017 season, an estimate of 100 NBA stars came together to discuss wanting to self-promote themselves and represent their own image when it comes to marketing and profit. The basketball league has overall control and say when it comes to merchandise, video games, player’s footage, and other image products. As a result, the association “operates a $160 million a year licensing business,” this is more than twice as much than what the athlete itself makes as an income.

            Michele Roberts, executive director, wanted to resolve this issue and made negotiations for “a new collective bargaining agreement.” Just like the NBA players are able to make their own endorsements on products, like shoes for example. Roberts wants to make sure they are getting those same rights so they can personally brand themselves in the future and possibly make a brand out of their name.

            This would affect the production of bobble heads, trading cards, jerseys, and other merchandise mainly in the difficulty of getting permission to create these items. Now they not only have to go to the league to use their NBA trademark and names but to the athlete as well so they can be able to approve the image of what is being sold.

Natalie Torres

MKTG 3343

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nba-players-declare-independence-in-marketing-anyway-1487202436

Value of Sneakers in The Resell Market

The sneaker culture was first introduced around the mid-1980s. A majority of the people in the sneaker culture buy shoes to either collect them or resell them for a higher profit. Typically, someone’s drive to want and buy a shoe, is determined by the resell price giving them more value and making them more sought after. What determines the resell value of sneakers ranges through many things like the color way, quantity, collaborations, and materials/ technology used.

Shoe resell values depend on those many factors, here are some examples. The Nike SB dunk “Pigeon” was a collaboration between Nike and the street wear brand Staple in 2005, with only 150 pairs made, making it a highly sought after the shoe. The color way of the shoe, the quantity, and collaboration of the shoe gives the shoes a high resell value in the resell market. The Yeezy line, which is a collaboration between rapper Kanye West and the sportswear brand Adidas, is highly sought after due to the quantities made of each color way released, some being more limited than others. Because the shoe utilizes Boost material and is a collaboration, it gives the shoes a high resell value ranging from $500 - $1500 (store suggested retail is $220).

There are many factors that go into the value of shoes. Color way, quantity, collaborations, and materials/ technology used play a huge role in how much the shoes are worth. This is something that current or up-and-coming companies should be paying attention to if they want the next hot shoe in the market.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-collectible-sneaker-game-a-guide-for-obsessives-and-beginners-1484849746