Kelly DeBenedictis Mktg Blog (MKTG 6101)

Chapter 4 of Surfing the Tsunami is all about adapting to AI. This is the first of three options to respond to AI: adapt, adopt, and adept. During this phase, it is important to embrace AI and do what you can to learn more about it. There are a plethora of articles, books, videos, and sources that provide information about the changes in AI. Adapting is learning and paying attention to AI so while going through different resources it may be helpful to take notes as you learn. It may also be helpful to post these notes to a blog so others can use this as a resource to learn more about the impact of AI just as you did.  Kelsey details the importance of consistency when adapting to AI. Especially with a topic as in-depth as AI, it is easy to get discouraged and put researching and learning on the back burner. Putting time on your calendar and setting reminders is a great way to keep it in the forefront of your mind. The more time you put into learning about AI and the progression of ...

Chapter 4 of Guerrilla Marketing details the importance of developing a plan for a marketing campaign and being prepared to commit to it. Properly positioning your product can be the deciding factor between succeeding or failing. You must fully understand the goal of your business , how your product contributes to your goal, and who your target market(s) consists of. Targeting multiple markets is a great idea to spread the reach of your product; however, you will need to determine a different aim for each market.   Having a clear picture of your position will allow you to determine the most effective marketing plan. Ask yourself these four questions:  - Does it offer a benefit that my target audience really wants? - Is it an honest-to-goodness benefit? - Does it truly separate me from my competition?  - Is it unique and/or difficult to copy?  Once you are able to clearly answer these questions and are satisfied with your responses. You are ready to write out your ma...

 Chapter 4 of Ascend Your Start-Up , poses decisions 10, 11, and 12 of your start-up journey.  Decision 10: What Distribution Channel Will You Build As a Pathway to Customers?  Determining the best way to launch your product to your customers is important. This decision will help you decide the step-by-step plan to bring your product to market. Knowing your product distribution channels will allow for you to decide on the best strategy for distribution. When deciding on your distribution channel, consider how you are going to measure success and determine if that distribution channel will aid in your financial success.  Decision 11: What is Your Pricing Strategy? Determining the perfect price for your product that matches the value that still makes you competitive is key. You want to make sure you take into account competitors as well as the supply and demand for your product. Yu points out that it is important to not just consider the cost to make the product but al...

Chapter 3 of the book Guerrilla Marketing details the sixteen guerrilla marketing secretes that will lead a company to marketing success. The sixteen secrets include: commitment, investment, consistent, confident, patient, assortment, subsequent, convenient, amazement, measurement, involvement, dependent, armament, consent, content, and augment. For these sixteen secrets to be effective, all must be implemented into a companies marketing strategy. If even one is missing, it could cause the others to be unsuccessful.  It is important to note that a company won’t see instant results from implementation of these secrets, success will happen overtime which is where the secrets , consistent and commitment , come into play. When discussing consistency, Levinson writes “Marketing will contribute to slow but steady increases for you” and “Don’t expect marketing to suddenly double your sales” (YR, p. 28). I think about growing on social media, although there are some people who “go viral”...

Just like anything in the world, some people are resistant to the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI). In Chapter 3 of Surfing The Tsunami , Professor Todd Kelsey writes about the three different perspectives one could have when it comes to AI: optimists, pessimist, and realists. Kelsey provides different questions to ask yourself to determine your stance.  Optimist This person focuses on the good and the benefits that AI can have. How much more of an impact do you think AI can have than prior technological advances? Do you think this will impact job availability in the short-term or long-term? Do you think everyone should take action such as adapting, adopting and/or becoming adept to AI? Pessimist This person focuses on the negative side of AI implementation. Do you think AI can create more jobs than they replace? What response do you think organizations and governments will have if there is a significant decrease in job availability due to AI? Do you think everyone sh...

Chapter 3 of Ascend Your Start-Up poses decisions 8 and 9: what product category are you really in? and who will be by your side, and who will leave?  When moving your product to market, you must determine what product category your product will fit into. This step is almost as important as determining the minimal viable product (MVP). Founders will need to ask themselves: Will your product be competitive in the market? What sets your product apart from others in the market? Yu wrote “… you need to understand the market, customer segmentation, competitive landscape, distribution channels, market trends, and where your solution fits in” (2021, p. 70).  When moving your product to market, it is also important to have a supportive team to back you. Learning to surround yourself with people who are experienced and will guide you in the right direction when challenges arise. There are four different types of leaders that should be leveraged to formulate a viable team: thought lead...

When turning an idea into a product, it’s understandable if it is not perfect the first time. Learning to persevere when challenges arise is key to managing a start-up. Using a challenge to reevaluate, learn, and grow can be the difference between succeeding or failing. Don’t be a perfectionist when it comes to the prototype. Receiving feedback and learning through others is important. People look at products and services from different perspectives so receiving feedback and making adjustments as needed based on what you hear can provide a growing point from just your one perspective.  Start with the minimal viable product (MVP). In Chapter 2 of Ascend Your Start-Up , author Helen Yu defines MVP as “… a product with only one basic set of features - just enough to capture the attention of early adopters and make your solution unique (2021, p. 60). Producing a product that has the basic purpose will allow for others to provide insight on what could make it better, how it could provid...

Unlike large corporations who have large marketing budgets to spend on every type of marketing, entrepreneurs and small businesses need to harness guerrilla marketing techniques to make the most of their limited budgets. There are plenty of marketing platforms such as websites, signs, ads in the paper or on t-shirts, commercials and so many more. Depending on the target audience and the product or service being marketed, there are different techniques that would be more beneficial for a small business to invest in. Identifying the most effective technique for a small business can be the sole cause for their success or failures.  Jay Conrad Levinson writes in the book Guerrilla Marketing “Speed and flexibility are the essence of guerrilla marketing” (p. 18). Large corporations have a chain of approvals that they must receive before they can move forward with a marketing possibility. A small business, on the other hand, has speed and flexibility on their side by being able to avoid ...

Over the past few years, the short-form video sharing platform TikTok has seen incredible growth. TikTok is a great social media platform for individuals to share their knowledge & be their authentic selves. From educational videos to mini vlogs the content that can be found on the platform is never ending. Many individuals who have “gone viral” on the app are known for their brand which is determined by the style video they post and the content included in the videos.  Amiah Taylor interviewed Gohar Khan for an article on Fortune about Khan’s successful TikTok page. On Khan’s page, @goharsguide, you will find educational “… videos instructing academically-minded students on how to do their homework faster, ace essays, improve memorization and hack multiple choice tests” (Taylor, 2022). Based on Khan’s brand, he has received sponsorships from Dell, Pearson and other large name education-focused brands. This partnership is logical because Khan’s audience could potentially benef...

In Chapter 1 of Ascend Your Start-Up , Helen Yu writes about the important questions that must be asked as business owners start their journey. She refers to this stage as starting at base camp – the “ultra-exciting stage where you turn an idea into a product” (Yu, 2021, p. 32). There are five major decisions that start-ups should consider.  Decision #1: Why are you on this journey?  This decision is an opportunity to dig into the purpose and understand the “why” behind your journey.  Decision #2: What problems are you solving? You must determine what problem you’re going to solve, what differentiates your solution from others, and how you will deliver it to others. In this decision, you want to investigate and analyze the problem and see how your solution can answer the problem.   Decision #3: What does success look like to you?  Take the time to consider what your goals are and what they mean to you and your journey. Think about the overall goal of your journe...

As the world changes and people evolve, so do effective market strategies. The first chapter of Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson compares 20 ways in which guerrilla marketing is different from traditional marketing. “Marketing becomes a circle when you have the blessed patronage of repeat and referral customers” (Levinson, 2007, p. 4). Small businesses must focus on not only gaining customers but also maintaining them. The marketing circle allows customers to invest less in marketing while profits continue to grow.  The 10th difference Levinson details the need to have a logo to represent your company. Rather than a logo, guerrilla marketing suggests “… a meme that represents their company - a visual or verbal symbol that communicates an entire idea…” (Levinson, 2007, p. 6). In today’s world, memes are always circulating and a great way to get the word out about a small business. Guerrilla marketing is targeted to a specific audience. Levinson also writes “Guerrilla mark...

The book, Surfing the Tsunami by Todd Kelsey , discusses the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on jobs. Kelsey wrote “… ultimately the goal of artificial intelligence is to explore how far computers can be taken to stimulate human intelligence, or potentially to exceed human intelligence” (2018, p. 10). A key intention of AI is to take over mundane tasks and allow humans to perform the more analytical, stimulating tasks. Kelsey mentions how AI advances in software automation have advanced from pencil and paper to calculators and spreadsheet programs (2018, p. 17). Programs such as Microsoft Excel have become such a large part of many jobs from analysis and data manipulation to planning and tracking projects.  Artificial Intelligence can be seen in both hardware and software. Robots are a great example of hardware AI. On the campus of Arizona State University, there are robots that ride around on the sidewalks and deliver food to students. Watching them maneuver around fixed st...