“Slack Chooses NYSE for Direct Listing”

“Slack Chooses NYSE for Direct Listing” by Corrie Driebusch and Maureen Farrell was published on April 1, 2019, in the Wall Street Journal at 6:19 p.m. The article talks about how Slack Technologies Inc. has decided upon the New York Stock Exchange to release the direct listing of its shares, with a very unorthodox public offering and being the second time that this occurs in history. The article then describes how a company makes a direct listing, stating that it places the stock on a public exchange without actually raising money or using the aid of underwriters at any point in the process. It also does not choose the price or decide who gets to buy in the night before the trading commences, also going into discussion on how these direct listings are rather rare because of how companies work to raise money at this point. It then describes how certain companies have worked through this same process, with some examples being Airbnb and Spotify, claiming that Slack is likely to have a banner year in 2019 because of how technological companies are aiming to go public as well through the traditional IPO route, as well as taking inspiration from the way that they have done things. The article ends by highlighting upon the relationship that Slack has with other companies such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Allen & Co. as advisors, and that these companies also worked with Spotify in a way that was very successful in the end, bringing them about $36 million. This kind of information is important for those who work in marketing because they have to be able to understand how the procedure of placing a direct listing is carried out and what kinds of events and actions take place right after it is done. The piece does a great job of showing how what this company is doing right now is something that countless other popular and successful companies have done in the past, and that they have managed to be very successful as a result of it, showing how most likely, this company will have the same fate and will be able to become one of the most sought-after companies on the market in today’s world.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/slack-chooses-nyse-for-direct-listing-11554147364?mod=searchresults&page=15&pos=13

McDonald’s Drives Up Sales With Promotions

McDonald’s Drives Up Sales With Promotions

The first quarter of the year has been profitable in the U.S. market for McDonald’s. In order to reach higher sales growth of 5.4% compare to analyst expectation of 3.4%, they made some changes in their menu and promotions. McDonald’s said that promotions such as free bacon, a deal to buy two items for $5 and stick-shaped doughnuts helped woo U.S. customers. Also, they have breakfast items available for all day, which is the biggest operational change in McDonald’s history. The changes in menu and promotions have increased sales, but competitions remain fierce, executive said.

Nowadays people do not want to go out to eat, and they order mostly fast food with delivery option. Because of that, McDonald’s is expanding delivery through partners including Uber Eats, Doordash, and etc. in the U.S. The result of all changes came up with the stock price getting higher, and it is up about 11% this year.

In my opinion, this article is about promotion and price. I mentioned promotion, because they have “free bacon, a deal to buy two items for $5 and stick-shaped doughnuts” promotion, which increases their sales. Also, price, McDonalds’ have “two items for $5” deal, that decreases the price of each item, but increases sales overall. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mcdonalds-says-promotions-in-the-u-s-paid-off-in-latest-quarter-11556627589

So Many Dishes Could Use a Little Bit of This

So Many Dishes Could Use a Little Bit of This

A sprinkle of furikake brings a hint of crunch and a boost of savory flavor to rice bowls, popcorn and most any other food crying out to be cranked up a notch

This article is about a rice seasoning called furikake. It is composed of sesame seeds, shredded seaweed and smoked dried fish. This seasoning makes foods tastier and more enjoyable. You just shake or sprinkle it in your food, and it adds flavor to it.

Even though this seasoning is tasty, furikake was not created to improve the flavor of food. By a pharmacist named Suekichi Yoshimaru, this seasoning was originally created to reduce malnutrition in Japan because the components (sesame and poppy seeds, seaweed, and ground fish bones) of the seasoning add calcium to the diet.

I found this article interesting because I like to cook from time to time and I like to experiment with different flavors. This product can be found in different grocery stores. They actually have different varieties or flavors, which is good for marketing because it offers different selections that consumers can choose from. This targets people who already like to cook themselves. To advertise their product, they can offer promotions such as “buy one get one ½ off” or “buy one get one free”. They can even make suggestions of foods that these seasonings are good with or they can offer and suggest different recipes. This will target and attract people who do not like to cook as much if they see good deals. Most people who do not cook probably do not have recipes of their own and do not know what to cook, and therefore, if recipes are offered or suggested then it could attract them. They can continue to be successful by coming up with new varieties that can attract more people. For example, instead of sticking to Asian flavors, they can explore other cultures and flavors.

By  Jane Black

April 25, 2019 12:16 p.m. ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/so-many-dishes-could-use-a-little-bit-of-this-11556208976

Emergency Rooms Get a Makeover for the Elderly

          The majority of emergency rooms nowadays are built and designed for more emergent and dangerous situations such as heart attacks and gunshot wounds. However, seniors tend to come into emergency rooms problems that are minor compared to a gunshot wound such as diabetes, or injuries from fall. While most ERs just treat the main problem that is presented, ERs that are designed for geriatric care also seek out the cause of the problem in hopes of eliminating the case of it ever happening again. As the population of retirement-age persons continue to increase, there becomes a growing need for geriatric specific ERs to be able to help all populations of our community. One large issue that older patients find with typical ERs is that they are chaotic and loud. In one patient's testimony, it was stated that every time she was in the ER, "she was either near somebody who was a drug overdose, a stabbing victim or a crying child, and she hated it so much that sometimes she would even leave, against medical advice." With the renovated ERs such as the one at the UC San Diego facility, they contain amenities such as "sound-absorbing walls, a lighting system that orients patients to the time of day to combat delirium and nonslip flooring to protect against falls."
          As a registered EMT myself. I can attest to the fact that elderly patients are not as comfortable with the emergency medicine environment as the younger generation are. They are more easily spooked and I am always. Older patients are more hesitant to go to the emergency room or even got in the ambulance in the first place. Because of occurrences where the patients are not comfortable with the environment, ERs could be losing lots of money on these patients. By changing the "product" to be geared more towards more than just one certain population and promoting these new changes, companies could pull in more customers and therefore get a higher profit than before without the geriatric-specific ER centers.

Fresh Deli Cuts Muscle Out Packaged Meats

 

Lunch meat makers are trying to meet shifting tastes by changing recipes and buying natural brands. 

Meat companies, such as Hormel Foods, Kraft Heinz, and Tyson, are buying smaller deli- meat brands and readjusting their recipes to meet the demand for fresher cuts. Most of these companies are using deli counters to showcase their new products as customers today are more in favor of healthier and more natural foods. Numbers are proving this trend as well, as the sale of freshly cut deli meat rose two percent over the last for years while pre-packaged meat fell eight percent. Furthermore, these meat companies are trying to change their deli-meat presentation by emphasizes more on natural ingredients and removing preservatives and hormones from their product.

This article relates to marketing principles in several different areas. The area is that these meat companies are noticing a trend in their customer base. Customers today are wanting more organic and natural foods and ingredients because they want to know what it being put into their body. Pre-packaged meat could be sitting out for days on end, something that customers are gravitating away from. Meat companies are now changing their direction on how to satisfy their customers taste based on this sentiment. From this, these companies are started to move to new product development. This is happening in two ways. First, meat companies are starting to make their products more naturally, whether it’s adding more organic ingredients or taking out other hormones. The second is the emphasizes of the deli counter. These companies want to utilize the deli counter more as they are able to showcase their products in a more presentable way. Having butchers actually cutting up different meats demonstrates to the customers that they are getting a good quality product and that they are able to see what is in the deli-meat as well. Furthermore, this shift in focusing more on natural products illustrates that these companies are adding to their values by emphasizes the organic meats, which can add to their corporate responsibility by leading into more environmentally friendly way of producing meat.

I choose this article because it is nice to see meat companies shift their focus on the emphasizes on the meat that they make instead of packaging it. As someone who buys freshly cut meat, it does make a difference when you see the person who is cutting your meat and that you are able to see what is in it based on the ingredients. Furthermore, knowing what you are putting into your body is a testament to the company’s standards in that they care about what they are giving to their customers.

 
https://www.wsj.com/articles/fresh-deli-cuts-muscle-out-packaged-meats-11554055624

Marriott to Take On Airbnb in Booming Home-Rental Market

 

Marriott is poised to be the first major hotel company to have a U.S. home-rental platform.

Marriott International is starting a home-rental business with the intention to compete against Airbnb and other home sharing companies. Marriott is already the world’s biggest hotel operator and is now trying to create a home-rental platform. It plans to follow a pilot program in Europe in accordance with their nest global business model. In regard to the competitor, Airbnb has aggressively moving into the hotel industry with nearly 5 million accommodations globally. However, the company currently facing scrutiny from different city governments as some Airbnb locations are turning into illegal hotels. Nevertheless, Marriott executives felt that they could not pass up the opportunity to get into the home-rental business, as their pilot program in Europe consists of partnering with a London- based home-rental management to provide multiple accommodation within four countries.

The marketing principles apply to this article in three major areas besides competition. The first is that in getting into the home-rental industry, Marriott is expanding on their company objectives and goals. Having a soft launch of sorts in Europe illustrates that Marriott wants to add to their already growing global brand by providing services to those that don’t necessarily want to stay in luxury hotels. The second aspect that needs to be considered is the legal environment. As stated in the article, Airbnb has already been in trouble with cities as they are not abiding by local laws. For Marriott, they would have to factor in any local restrictions that could be imposed on them through their home-rental properties. In addition, they also have to consider that the fire and safety requirements for the homes will be different compared to the hotels as well. Another marketing principle that has been illustrated is that Marriott is expanding their target market through segmentation. In adding a home-rental platform, Marriott will have to create a new marketing plan for this certain industry that will attract people to the homes, but also not impeding their hotel business; which would create a multiple target market approach.

I chose this article because Airbnb is starting to threaten the major hotel companies. The fact that Marriott is trying to add home-rentals under their services shows the shift in people not wanting to stay in hotels to people wanting to experience their time abroad within the country themselves, best represented by people’s houses. I believe one of the reasons why Airbnb is so successful is that people get to stay in affordable homes without going through the hotel booking process. Hotel companies are starting to notice this trend and, as a result, putting stakes in the home-rental services to gain profit from potential consumers.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/marriott-to-take-on-airbnb-in-booming-home-rental-market-11556535600?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Can Zero-Waste Grocery Stores Make a Difference? 

By

Jane Black

We are always hearing about the new ways we can grocery shop now days. Amazon prime, Walmart, now Kroger are all trying to get on the online shopping and delivery band wagon. This is a huge innovation in the grocery shopping world. Now those of us who have limited time to grocery shop or physically can't have a way to get our groceries. However, I bet, no matter who you are ordering your groceries from, they still come wrapped and or packaged in plastic.

For years we have been told how important it is to recycle and I think Americans have just about gotten the hang of recycling paper down! However, in places like Europe and Canada, their citizens recycle not only paper but also plastic and aluminum. whether we like it or not, it is very important that we start taking recycling seriously. Lucky, there are some fabulous little grocery stores popping up which will not only deliver your groceries to you but they are also 100% container free.

In stores like Wally and Precycle, you are asked to bring your own containers and bags to hold and carry your groceries. This may seem a little strange at first and also like a bad idea for any business. However, this idea has taken off and found favor with millennials and the younger generations. Many of these stores offer most everything you need. they have produce and dried goods as well as beauty and health products. while these stores are still small and few in number, they have been well receive and show a growing and innovative spirit.

This article interests me because I believe we should all be interested and concerned with our planets well being. recycling is just a small step we can all take in helping this effort. This article pertains to marketing because this is a new product with a stable target market. They are starting out small but have already expanded their product to reach more people and appeal to more people by adding grocery delivery like so many mainstream grocery stores are doing now. They are in the beginning stages of product development, however, as they mature I can see this type of shopping becoming the norm.