Saint Michael's College

During the past few weeks we have all noticed all the tours going around full of high school seniors and there parents, deciding where they want to send their kid to school. Have you noticed any changes on campus during these last few weeks? I definitely have, the maintenance workers are out way more, they spread new mulch, plant new trees, lay seed to spread over low grass areas, even the food seems a little better. I understand our school needs to market itself to attract new students, and to tell you the truth, I think they do a great job. Can anyone think of anything else they have noticed differently in campus since these tours have started?

Free Six Inch Subs

Subway is trying to promote their breakfast sandwich's. The deal is that if you buy a six inch sub before 9am you get another six inch sub of your choice for free. I think this is a great idea because customers can get a breakfast sandwich and then a lunch sandwich for later on in the day. Many people are not aware of subway breakfast sandwich's and I feel this is a great way to get them out there. Who doesn't like a free sub?

Free Burrito's To Promote Earth Day

Earth day has become a hit recently due to all of the concern of the environment and a company has recognized this and jumped on a great marketing strategy. Chipotle is serving free burritos all day on earth day, April 22nd. The burritos will be served in reusable lunch bags. I find this to be a great idea. Chipotle will benefit in two ways from this. The first way benefits business because many people who have never had a Chipotle burrito before will be lining up for free food and they will definitely be coming back due to how delicious they are. The second benefit is the opinion people will have on the company, they are showing that they care with the reusable lunch bags. They are showing consumers that they want to be a part of earth day. I think the free burritos on earth day will be a hit and they will continue to do this every year on earth day.

QR codes are going to be the best marketing tool very soon

I was in Boston last night and as I was approaching a bar that my friends and I were going to I noticed that there were two lines, I figured both were to get into the bar. As I got closer I realized one line was full of people waiting to scan the QR code that was posted outside the bar. I asked a girl that was in line what the big deal was and she said if you scan the code you get a free pitcher of beer so I obviously had to do it. The bar was the most packed I have seen it so obviously QR codes can be great for nightlife marketing.

The Next Best Thing

I recently read an article on QR codes and the benefits they have on a company. I know we have been talking about this same topic in class but I still have my skepticism towards these little codes, and it seems like a lot of others do too. The article explains how QR codes are just extensions of your marketing, and that there are many other efficient ways to do what a QR code can do. Then why are they starting to blow up in the marketing world? The answer simply is that QR codes are addicting, just like Facebook and twitter. Even if someone really is not interested in a company's QR code he or she will still scan it because they are addicted to scanning it, just how Facebook, twitter, and others of our oh so technical new world are. That is what they are the next best thing in the business world.

Golf Cours's vs. Ski Resort's

This winter has been the most mild winter we've had in many years, before we were born even. Although the winter is not over yet, snowfall does not look to promising. A few years ago we had a tough, long winter and the snow kept coming. All the golf course's were struggling while all the ski resort's couldn't be happier. A friend of my family who owns a golf course was even trying to sell it because the amount of money he was losing. Now, with this "early summer like weather"
These effects have changed to the opposite. Golfer's have been golfing all winter (my father went golfing through December all the way to now). He says he can't remember since he's been alive a winter like this one of 2012. How does the owner of a golf course or ski resort deal with weather like this? Many ski resorts are shutting down while the golf industry of the northeast is booming, and many former golf course owners are shooting theirselves in the foot right now wishing they never sold their course a few years back. Weather can make it very hard to make good business decision because who knows what next years winter will bring.

YouTube Ads: Do you actually watch them?

Today I overheard on the news a reporter talking about YouTube ads. He was talking about how thousands of people are sending complaints to YouTube about how the ads that they show before watching the desired clip. He said that only 10% of the time people actually watch them. Even if the viewer is not allowed to skip the ad, he or she will most likely find something else to do in those 30 seconds. Are we just that impatient or are these ads on YouTube pointless? If no one watches them then why are companies spending all this money to get their ads on YouTube?