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Consumer behavior continues to evolve with technology.  This article proviedes nice examples of technology (see chapter 3) and information search in the consumer behavior chapter.  I was surprised by some of the findings reported in this article “More shoppers use smartphones to study, find, buy” USA Today, November 27, 2009.  Another reason we look at the data instead of our own behavior.

Some 19% of Americans will use their mobile devices for shopping this holiday season, according to a Deloitte survey. The number is twice as high for young consumers: 39% of those 18 to 29 say they’ll use their phones to find store locations, obtain coupons and sales information and research products and prices. One-quarter of all who plan to use their phones to shop say they will make purchases on the devices.

This video (below)/article (“The Accidental Hero,” BusinessWeek.com, November 5, 2009) combination tells the story of a very successful Subway promotion.  The promotion was originally the idea of a Miami franchisee who successfully launched it locally.  It was later picked up nationally and has helped Subway provide more value during hard economic times.  The video can be used as an example of sales-oriented pricing objectives or as an example of odd-even pricing.  The story also shows the value of listening to franchisees.

This article (“Fertilizers on Wheels,” The Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2009, no subscription? click here) and short video (2:39, see below) describe the marketing strategies for two different firms selling fertilizer to farmers in rural India.   The video provides an interesting addition to class because it gives students a look at rural India.  The topics covered include selling to businesses, integrated marketing communications, and distribution – all in the international context of a developing country.  I showed this video in class after lecturing from our first promotion chapter.  I asked students to think about why I thought this reflected IMC and to note the different types of Promotion they observed.  A variety of different forms of promotion (even sales promotion) are demonstrated and can be tied to the AIDA model.

“H-P Wields Its Clout to Undercut PC Rivals,” The Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2009.  This relatively short article shows how a large PC manufacturer (HP) and a large mass-merchandiser (Wal-Mart) use their power to pressure suppliers to lower costs and deliver lower prices to consumers.  Great example of the channel captain concept we bring up in the first Place chapter in our books.

“Whirlpool Cleans Up Its Delivery Act,“ The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2009.  It can be tough to find good articles about distribution and logistics – it is even my research area and the few I find are usually pretty dry.  Even though this is a short article, it’s interesting to see that even a big name company like Whirlpool can find opportunities for significant savings and improved customer service in its distribution operations.