All the Super Bowl 22 Ads…

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What did you think of the Super Bowl? No, not the game — we teach marketing, we watch the ads. I find it fun to show students ads to kick off class for a couple of weeks after the big game. It is fun to ask them about strategy:

  1. Who was the target market for this ad?
  2. What was the promotion objective for this ad?
  3. How would you measure the success of this ad?

The ads get students’ attention. The questions move it from in-class entertainment to a better understanding of many key marketing concepts–and our ultimate goal engagement!

If you want, you can “Watch all the commercials from the 2022 Super Bowl.” My favorite “go-to” site over the years was the USA Today Admeter. That is now behind a pay wall – so you may or may not have access. This rating system is based on popularity — and it can kick off a discussion of whether the advertiser’s goal was to win awards or perhaps build awareness, create positioning, or get action (sales or sign-ups). If you want other people’s opinions, you can start with Fast Company’s “The 5 best Super Bowl ads of 2022 (and the worst one)” and read their critique. I love their choice for #1:

How many young people live with their parents?

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Scott Galloway, marketing professor at NYU, is one of my favorites. I like his short little videos that cover some interesting fact or trend. This week’s video shares how the percent of young people living with their parents has changed over the last 100 years. The data is interesting. This could be used in class to stimulate a discussion on what this trend might mean for marketers. The in-class activity might work best if you had students assigned to a particular industry, some ideas: a) apartment complex, b) home builder, c) pizza restaurant, and d) cell phone company. I added the last two because they are more marginally relevant and might get students to be more creative. WARNING: Scott does curse in this video – be aware of that it you plan to show it in class and have any concerns.

Amazon’s Amazing Statistics…

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Scott Galloway provides a short video where he shares some crazy statistics about Amazon. For example, did you know that within 45 minutes of an order being placed at Amazon, it is already loaded on a truck! In that video, Prof G also references a book where you can get many more details, Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door — Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy. This short video might be fun to show in class when you cover Chapter 3 (where we have a chapter opening case study of Amazon), Chapter 11 (logistics) or Chapter 12 (retailing).

Supply Chain Woes Drive Up Prices

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My students are often curious about how the pandemic has influenced marketing strategy planning. The biggest example are the supply chain problems (Chapters 10 and 11) we read or hear about all the time. Those have clear implications for consumers who cannot find that new bike, toy, or automobile they are willing but unable to purchase. What are the marketing strategy implications?

First, there are implications for retailers (Chapter 12) who lose sales when their shelves are empty (or at least not fully stocked). That costs them sales and goodwill. Second, it can lead to higher prices (Chapters 17 and 18) which contribute to inflation (Chapter 3) which are specifically addressed in this article “Supply chain woes lead to pricy outdoor recreation products.” The article gives an example of a Kelty camping chair that will jump in price from $109 to $139 because shipping costs for a container have jumped up to 10x. All told, a great example that ties together a range of concepts in the textbook and the real world. A great example to share at the end of the semester.

Inflation worries influence consumer behavior; how do companies respond?

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Several product categories have seen costs spike during the pandemic. While supply chains get plenty of well-deserved blame, there are more reasons than that.  These videos might provide an opening to discuss this topic in class. The Wall Street Journal video “The Surprising Ways Inflation is Hitting Diapers” (August 4, 2021), describes how diaper makers costs have risen – everything from raw materials to freight costs. In addition, changing demographics (fewer babies born) has the two big diaper companies raising prices to offset lower unit sales. The result has been an increase in diapers prices of 12% in the last year.

Along the same lines, coffee prices have also soared (up more than inflation over the last five years)– see another WSJ Video “Your Coffee Is Getting More Expensive. Here’s Why.” This article describes how shipping costs have contributed to those rising prices. Together, these articles can show your students how prices are influenced by demographic trends, raw material costs, and freight costs. And coffee (maybe diapers) are product categories students understand.