teachthe4ps.com - For instructors of marketing.

Verizon continues to run ads that promote its superior 3G network.  The 3G network allows simultaneous speech and data transmission at higher speeds — it is what you need to surf the web from your phone.   We have reported on this subject in a previous blog post (the previous post now includes links to articles on the subsequent legal battle).

This is a great example of a marketer identifying a competitor’s weakness (AT&T’s 3G network has significantly less coverage than Verizon and is a source of complaints of many iPhone customers).  Of course part of the goal is to distract customers from Verizon’s own weakness — Verizon doesn’t carry the most popular smart (surf the web) phone the Apple iPhone (although its recently Droid has received some positive reviews following its recent release.   The ad below is Verizon’s latest salvo in the battle.

UPDATE 11-22:  AT&T responds to Verizon.  How well do you think it works?  Who is winning this battle?  And should AT&T be replying to Verizon?

ESPN has begun to develop locally focused websites. This WSJ.com video,”ESPN is taking over Sports Journalism Everywhere,” (0:37, The Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2009) describes a new ESPN product. So for example, ESPN Chicago has news about Chicago sports teams. This brand extension provides new competition for local newspapers and television stations. This is a nice example of market segmentation with a nontraditional product. You might ask students if they think this will be successful? How should a local newspaper respond?

This video “Exotic Car Rentals Rev Up,” (3:05 at CNN.com, September 9, 2009) describes a new business, Gotham Dream Cars, which rents high-end and exotic sports cars in New York and Miami.  It hopes to eventually go national.  The short video could prompt a discussion of targeting, product, and price.  Will the company will be successful?  What cities should Gotham Dream Cars target?

This short (2:47) video, “Doggy Day Care Beats Recession,” from CNN.com (July 23, 2009), provides a nice supplment to one of the great new videos in our books’ video package.  I really like “Targeting the Premium Dog Market:  Cashing in on ‘Doggy’ Love”  – and students can relate to it as well.  This provides a confirmation or shorter alternative and addresses issues of consumer behavior, product (service) design, and pricing.