20501005 - Entry 14

How to Build Brand Friendship
To create a truly powerful brand, you need to establish a sense of belonging, friendship, and dependability between product and customers

Summary

Human beings are social creatures. We need interaction with one another. It's the way we're made. When we meet someone new, we tend either to be drawn to them or to be disinterested for a whole host of reasons (some of which we may not even realize). Over time, however, we develop a continually evolving stable of relationships, some of which last for a lifetime.
That human dynamic is the root of brand loyalty as well. Our "relationships" with brands aren't nearly as deep or meaningful as human relationships, but they do share some of the same characteristics. The extent to which you can create a sense of belonging, friendship, and dependability between your brand and customers is the extent to which you have a powerful brand asset.





My Opinion


Throughout this semester, prof.Lee emphasized the importance of Value creation. What is the value creation? This article tell us that we can enhance and create brand value through creating a sense of belonging, friendship, and dependability between the brand and customer. It seems to me that the value of brand is priceless. Whenever I studied about some successful cases, the cases were always related to the strong brand power. It is critical to make the brand powerful. If somebody asked you "Is Nike a better shoe than Reebok?"You might say "Sure" Can you answer the reason? How do you feel when you hear the word'Nike'?Well, I might think of "Just do it"and also if we see soccer game,we can see many players who wear nike products.This can be a consequence of adding value. Brand managers should reposition the value of brand into customers' heart by using creating those I mentioned above.





Reference: "How to build brand friendship" by Steve McKee , Business Week, May 9, 2008

20820007 Entry - 14

How Nokia Users Drive Innovation

By Jack Ewing

Through online aps such as Sports Tracker and Nokia Beta Lab, the Finnish handset giant gathers customers' ideas from around the world—virtually free

In March 2007, Nokia has introduced a new mobile phone application Sport Tracker on a company web site. Program was designed to take full advantage of the computing power in some Nokia handset models. Customer’s response was great to it more than 1 million people downloaded the program for sports that developers never dreamed of, like hot- air ballooning and motorcycle riding. Therefore users gave criticisms to develop online groups where users can share favorite routes and photos they took along the way. Sport Tracker became opportunity to Nokia experience with user- generated innovation. That’s the premise behind Nokia Beta Labs, a web site where the Finnish handset maker lets users test Smartphone software. The site became a good opportunity to them to survey and focus groups to measure reactions of customers to new product. At Nokia. Com users can share applications they created such as games and screen savers. Besides it, Nokia designers have traveled overseas (Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Accra in Ghanna) to sketch users their own dream mobiles. People were very innovative: one person’s design included a sensor to test water quality and another wanted a handset that flashed the word “Peace” that help defuse conflicts. Since Nokia launched the Beta Labs web site last year with Sport Tracker as the debut application it become a prime destination for lead users – tech savvy buyers of high- end. Nokia is benefiting from free applications such as Sport Tracker because they could capture how users are creative than just make phone calls. They are seeing that the application at amateur athletes was too narrow.

Opinion

I think Nokia is very sensitive and creative about the market where they operate. They benefited from free applications they offer for customers which bring them idea that not only great new product ideas come inside the company but there are many potential ideas inside the company. The most interesting thing is they are getting ideas and innovations free. I think reason is because Nokia is offering free services for its users to use their handsets fully which is making chance to express their feelings about new products and services just after try it. I have never heard about mobile with sensor to test water quality if Nokia can implement this kind of innovative ideas they can be first movers in this industry which will help them to deliver value more effectively by meeting customers changing needs. Therefore for company where most sales come from new products very important listening to the customers in order to prevent future risks they might face.

Reference : How Nokia Users Drive Innovation, by Jack Ewing
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/europe/special_reports/20080428europeaninn.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe+index+page_innovation+%2Bamp%3B+design

20820014 Entry- 14

The New IPhone Is Ready for Business

Apple’s iPhone was announced ready for business at an Apple technical conference in San Francisco.
The new iPhone will use a “3G,” and wireless network to transmit data about three times faster than the EDGE network it currently uses. Also it will support Microsoft’s Office software, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint; and it will have built in GPS, which allows estimating salesperson’s direction and exposing destination..
A software upgrade for the iPhone designed to make it more appealing to businesses. The software makes it possible to access Microsoft’s Exchange email over the iPhone and employs technology from Cisco to ensure that data sent between businesses and employees’ iPhones are secure. So, it requires businesses to develop their own software for the iPhone to distribute the software through Apple’s new App Store.
The business-technology leaders talked to were ambivalent about this last feature: A customers, who used Apple products were reluctant to share their internal software with Apple, which is necessary to get it into the App Store. However, Apple announced that businesses will be able to distribute soft through corporate intranets.
Details of the new service are still sketchy, so, some businesses feeling uncomfortable with employees storing corporate data on Apple’s equipment.
But Apple CEO Steve Job said that 35% of Fortune 500 companies are testing the iPhone. That’s a huge number, even if the tech departments at some of these businesses are probably just tinkering with the device
My opinion
Well, IPhone was announced ready for business. Whereas, are business companies ready for IPhone?
Apple has announced for a long time, it is producing new improved phone which makes business more comfortable, friendly and easier through its software program. I noticed this from this article to utilize or connect with IPhone corporate internal net, companies must install new service. Therefore companies are willing to connect this network?

In addition, new products and services keep consumers and launch customer loyalty but I wonder that this article says Apple consumers don’t want to store their data in this network. Probably, this is nice opportunity to Apple to get know its consumers through their network, and I don’t understand why consumers want to hide their information?

According to chapter 11 Developing new products, analyzing Iphone’s compatibility, observability , trialibility, and relative advantage I phone has high potential for sale because:
- It’s famous brand. So observability is much more noticeable than other phones. Many believe that Apple has high quality, so relative advantage is perceived it can be the best alternative, and also its GPS and own software makes it easy to try and enhance trialability

Title: IPhone is ready for business written by Ben Worthen, June13, 2008.
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/