Bus 620 Managerial Marketing

This week you will understand the competitive importance of distribution and marketing channels, and describe the challenges of ecommerce and the challenging nature of marketing practices in the era of online auctions and social networks. Finally, you will be able to describe strategies for entering into the global market.

A day does not go by that we do not hear about social media. Many companies use social media to get the word out about their products and services. Oftentimes, I receive email promotions to "like" them on Facebook and be entered into a drawing for prizes. Since I do not use Facebook, I do not get to participate, however, I do think it is a good strategy. Racking up "likes" on Facebook is a great way to promote a company's services and products. This helps the company gain a good reputation. On the other hand, it could also be a way to gain a poor reputation. Social media uses can band together to protest or boycott a company due to moral issues or poor business practices.

Recently, Chik-a-fila was a topic of controversy. I did not fully follow the story, but I believe the owner made comments that he did not support gay marriage. People from both sides of the controversy took to Facebook to rant about their views on the topic. Additionally, with the help of social media, protestors staged a "kiss day" at the restaurants. This is one blow up that has happened in recent times in which a company has come into the spotlight for reasons they probably did not intend. The owner, Mr. Cathy, is a Christian man and I read somewhere that he has been teaching the same Sunday school class for decades. His view of gay marriage does not surprise me, but that is his view. My personal belief system is that we should accept one another for who they are because we accept one another, we unite and we create goodness in the world.

Twitter is another popular social media website. I do not use Twitter either, however, it can also be used to promote a company both positively and negatively. Not too many days go by that I do not hear some chatter about the Kardashians because they posted a tweet. I have also heard that Miley and Billy Cyrus have had bitter words exchanged on Twitter. These celebrities are also in business and what they post is for the whole world to see. It seems they would keep their person business quiet and promote new songs and such on Twitter. Then again, it could all be just to get our attention. I would not be surprised to hear that some Twitter wars were staged. It is another way to gain attention whether it is good or bad.