Marketing Post #5: Puma goes Social

So we all know that Puma is a well known for making sports wear like their football shoes (soccer cleats) and how they sponsored many famous footballers such as Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Gianluigi Buffon. As well, Puma is known in the USA for their suede basketball shoe. However despite all these successes in the sports wear market, Puma continues to build on their brand by extending it to include differentiated products or services in this case.

For the past week, we talked about products and branding and when my friend told me about Puma's new stratgey to increase their brand image, I cant help write about Puma! And what may this new stratgey be? Puma Social - A series of nightclubs that honors the After Hours Athlete. The object of these social clubs is to "remind us that we are all athletes, even if the only time we run is to catch a cab home.  From ping pong and foosball to darts and karaoke, PUMA Social is dedicated to after hours sports. Because we know it takes just as much effort to score a phone number as it does to score a goal." http://www.puma.com/social

Will this strategy work for Puma? Perhaps. I think that by extending the brand this way, Puma can attract more people and increase their market share. It definetly differentiates them from Nike and Adidas and also helps create a new image for Puma. As well, Puma sports wear and casual wear are also marketed through these social clubs known as "social wear". So Puma is definetly getting the double dipp in advertising their brand.

Marketing Post #4: Out with the OLD and in with the NEW

So lately there’s been a great deal of hype about the new Nintendo 3DS and how it encompasses new cool, super awesome features that makes all the legs of gamers turn into Jell-O. The 3DS will have new functions that include:

• allowing gamers to play in 3D without the need of special glasses
• 3D pictures can be taken with built-in 3D cameras
• Compatibility with Nintendo DS and DSi games

To read more about the 3DS please refer to Keith's Blog: http://blogs.ubc.ca/keithlui/

Yet I came across an ad my brother showed me about Sony’s PSP and how they are preparing to launch a new version sooner than soon! It has also been announced that this neat little gadget will include the following features:

• come in a brick form factor and will feature a 5-inch OLED display with four times the resolution of current-generation PSPs
• touch pads on both the front and the rear and dual micro analog joysticks
• Both front- and rear-facing cameras and will use a Flash-based memory card
• also offer 3G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity, (according to GameSpot)
• PlayStation 3-quality graphics

 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20029649-52.html#ixzz1DXgFaE4G

So comparing these two choices the Sony PSP seems to have more to offer and the sleek design really captures my attention because when the PSP Go was launched, I thought that the design was truly hideous and I had been swayed over to the Nintendo side. But with this sleek, bold design and flashy functions, I would have to say Sony might just have outdone themselves this time.

new sleek and thin design touch screen for easy usage

what are your thoughts? SonyPSP or N3DS?

Marketing Post #3: Gundam Mobile Models

As a child I loved watching Gundam Mobile anime series with my brother and as I grew older, I began to develop an affection toward building these models pieces. These anime/manga series Gundam Mobile Suits are extremely popular in Japan and has over the years become well known and popular amongst people across the world. Gundam Mobiles are typically machine robots that people pilot to fight during wars and this is set in the distant future.  There are many series for Gundam but my all time favourite would have to be Gundam Seed.

There aren’t a lot of marketing done for Gundam Mobiles in North America but I was first introduced by a friend who is a strong advocate for this good.  He introduced Gundam Mobiles as “not just a typical, everyday war series, but it integrates human relations and emotions”. So I tried watching a few of these series with my brother and soon both of us became more addicted to this animation to the point where the both of us can now be called an advocate.  In North America, I think that Gundams are primarily marketed through advocates like my friend, my brother and I. This shows that advocates are valuable for a company that wants to market using as little capital as possible.

But what are some factors that influence which Gundam consumers want to buy? For me, price, appearance, texture and colour is super important. Of course the editions also make an influence because based on the edition, there are different gimmicks associated with it. As well, the timing also influences when I make a purchase. For example I would not purchase a box near exam times because I know I won’t be able to focus and would also be distracted.  Here are a few pictures of the most recent Gundam I built:)