EOC Week 3;My Demographics

I was born in 1981. This would make me part of the "MIllenials" that were born between 1976-2000's. According to the definition of the Millenials, its explained that we are part of an era where computers, and other technology like cell phones were being introduced to the world. As we were growing up in this generation known as gen. y, technology still is evolving by the minute. I remember being a young kid in junior high, attempting to use a computer. only thing i knew how to do on it was type up paper assignments that were due in my classes. I sometimes had the ability to be connected to the internet, thats if  the landline at home decided to work fast that day or not. Back in the mid nineties, Internet was called something else. Also, in the late nineties cell phones went from looking like the Big bulky Construction "Zack Morris" phone to being more smaller and easier to carry.

Week 3 EOC; Making Money for Good

Earlier in Fundamentals of Marketing class we watched a touching video clip about "Toms Shoes," which is a shoe company that for every purchase of a pair of shoes, they give a free pair of shoes to a needy child. While doing research on the internet, i realized there is other successful companies that do this, as a form of giving back, and marketing. One of these companies is Newman's own spaguetti sauce" because Newman's Own, when stacked up against spaghetti sauce (in this example) ofsimilar quality and price, will beat all contenders if the customer knows that his/her purchase will go to supporting a worthy cause. Why? 'Cause Newman's Own gives all profits (not just 10% of this or that) to charity"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/waylon-lewis/what-do-newmans-own-endan_b_188001.html. Another company that gives back to society is a company named "Endangered Species" in which they donate 10% of their net earnings towards endangered species research."

"SAVOR CHOCOLATE.  SAVE OUR PLANET. 

Endangered Species Chocolate offers you premium chocolate choices (quite possibly the best you’ve ever tasted) that support species, habitat and humanity.

SPECIES

10% OF OUR NET PROFITS ARE DONATED TO SPECIES AND HABITAT CONSERVATION EFFORTS.  CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT CURRENTLY BENEFIT FROM YOUR CHOCOLATE PURCHASE. "http://www.chocolatebar.com/pages.  

Another interesting fact i did not know, until further research about McDonald's, is that this Billion dollar chain is very active in the community as well. Every year McDonalds franchises in Pennsylvania change a kids life by offering a College scholarship to continue his/her education. 

"McDonald's Philadelphia Sends 15 Students to College For the past 7 years, McDonald’s franchisees in Pennsylvania, in association with Ronald McDonald House Charities, have awarded college scholarships to 15 high school seniors annually. The RMHC/African American Future Achievers Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, community service and financial need"http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_communities/inspiration.html I always find joy in hearing stories similar to these, because its for a good cause, and these companies along with many more do realize how important it is to give back to people or animals in need.

EOC Week 2; Boston Consulting Group-Video Games

Video Games have been around a long time, as well as part of our lives growing up. We have seen video game consoles evolve over time, such examples are Atari, Nintendo, SEGA, Super Nintendo2, Playstation, Playstation 2, XBox, PS3.....list goes on, and on. Prices have drastically changed as well. I remember back when i was a young kid growing up on Nintendo, and SEGA paying $10-$20 for a video game. As Video game technology has evolved, the prices have also risen to $60-$70 per game, on top of $400+ per Video game console. We are witnessing a time in our lives where people are being more conservative with their money.  I feel that there are still a few "cash cows" as The Boston Consulting group would put it. The PS3 and XBox have games such as EA Sports NFL Madden and NBA sports games, as well as Guitar Hero, and Rock Band, and Call of Duty. As long as they have games like that i feel they will stay relevant to us, as consumers."With the advent of cheap mobile app games, some people have questioned if consumers are still willing to pay $30 to $50 for a video game.Of course they are; consumers have always been willing to pay premium prices for premium content."  http://blogs.forbes.com/jessedivnich/2011/04/12/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-be-concerned-for-.I can agree with this quote from  Forbes, because i do think that people will pay premium price for premium product as long as the company caters to their loyal consumers and consistently improve or enhance their product to compete with the new trends." You really, really love the Nintendo 3DS, apparently enough to make it Nintendo's fastest selling handheld ever. Not the fastest selling games console ever, mind you, but still pretty impressive for a company with nearly a dozen mobile gaming flavors on the books since the chubby gray-on-green-screen Game Boy debuted back in 1989.

"U.S. day-one sales numbers for Nintendo 3DS were the highest of any Nintendo handheld system in our history," said Nintendo in a statement."

Read more: http://techland.time.com/2011/03/30/nintendo-3ds-a-record-breaker-wii-2-wont-do-3d/#ixzz1JYMDIFvs...That is a quote from a Nintendo exec. This is a company that has been around in the Video Game era for 20+ years. They are 1 of the original companies and have shown they are a star and a cash cow in this Industry through evolution and enhancements to their brand.

EOC Week 1; Great Customer Service

"Marketing is managing profitable customer relationships" (pg.5 ). I strongly agree with this quote. I have worked in the Hospitality business in Las Vegas for over 10 years. I am fully aware of how important it is to provide great customer service. Customer service is as simple as smiling, to opening the door, to Thanking them for visiting your business or place of employment and inviting them back. Little gestures such as good eye contact, referring to them by their name, if you know it such as Mr. Smith or Ms/Mrs Johnson. Although details may go unnoticed, a person/customer will always remember how you made them feel. I have a short story about a memorable customer service experience i had while vacationing in Newport Beach CA with my girlfriend, her brother, and a friend for my birthday. As we checked in to the hotel we were staying in, the front desk clerk warmly greeted us with a smile. As she was getting our information she started small conversation with us, and found out it was my birthday. She wished me happy birthday and proceeded to give us our room keys and a brief rundown of the hotel amenities. She walked us to the room and when she swung the door open we were greeted by a nice bottle of champagne and a few other birthday gifts. She discreetly had this done for us while we were being checked in. Needless to say we still keep in touch with her and other workers from the hotel, and when they come to Vegas we make them feel just as welcomed as they made me feel for my Birthday. This customer service experience i would say is my most memorable.

EOC Week 1;My Voice

Hello, My name is Luis Silva. Along with being an Audio Major at The Art Institute of Las Vegas, I have over 8 years experience working in the Nightclub Industry in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this ever-growing profitable business over the years. I have been blessed by getting involved in the nightclub industry at an early age and its beginning stages back in 2003, when places like LIGHT at The Bellagio, Studio 54, and TABU at The MGM, were the “hottest” Nightclubs around in this city. At that time there was maybe 6 or 7 clubs that were considered to be the “Spots.” Today in 2011 there is over 20 close to 30 clubs in Las Vegas. It seems like every Hotel has a Nightclub inside of it.  I started my Nightclub Experience as a bar back and eventually worked my way up the ranks to a Bartending position.  Being involved in this type of environment over the years has enabled me to create a strong network of friends and business relationships.