Week 9 Idea Napkin No. 2

1) You. 
I am very driven and results oriented.  I do not put my efforts into projects and ventures that I do not feel will offer benefits and rewards to someone in return.  I have retail work experience and am a great communicator.  I like to be of service to others, so I would like to be able to help my customers find exactly what they looking for when they come into a store.  My entrepreneurial business would allow me to be of service to more people, and help more people solve an unmet need.

2.) What are you offering to customers?
I'm offering customers Iphone and Android cases with improved technology that stabilize external phone temperatures.  In doing so, customers who live in or visit hot and cold climates for leisure or for work purposes will be able to complete their day-to-day activities via cell phone hassle free.

3.) Who are you offering it to?
I am offering these thermal, insulated phone cases to smart-phone users (Iphone or Android) who live in or travel to cold or hot climates.  I know that customers living in very hot southern climates like Florida and very cold winter climates like North Carolina would be interested in and benefit greatly from this product.  I know that the young college demographic would be very interested in this product, and am fairly certain that an older, working demographic who use phones regularly for business and travel would be interested as well.  I am also hoping to add to my product line and offer thermal, insulated tablet and Ipad cases as well for these college-age and business clientele.

4.) Why do they care?
My customers value being able to use their devices outdoors and other desired locations.  For example, someone at the beach on a hot, summer day who wishes to play music on their phone should have that capability.  And someone traveling on business up north should be able to have a phone conversation outdoors without the call dropping.

5.) What are your core competencies?
My core competencies are differentiation, strong performance level, and reliability.  Currently, there are no existing products on the market similar to my phone cases.  My product performs extremely well and does what it says it will deliver: providing unlimited outdoor use of a device in extreme temperatures.  

I believe all of these elements fit well together.  I know this because I'm customers a product that I know has a demand and that satisfies an unmet need.  With my drive and results-oriented action plan, I know I would be able to deliver a high-quality product to my customers.  Also, my core competencies will allow me to provide a product that is different, has strong performance, and is reliable.

Feedback Memo:
I only received two positive comments on my previous idea napkin and no criticisms.  What I learned from these comments though was that each of the students was interested in becoming a customer.  Obviously each of the students are in the young, college-age demographic, so I included this information in the "Who are you offering it to?" category.  I also learned that one of the students lives in North Carolina and is always outdoors in the wilderness.  She said she could greatly benefit from my product, so I included this information in the "Who are you offering it to" category as well.

Week 9 Reading Reflection ch. 10

1. What stood out in the reading?
It was interesting to learn about the three different marketing philosophies.  I also found it interesting that three major factors influence ones selection of a particular marketing philosophy.

2. Confusing aspect of the reading
The "changing priorities and purchases in the family life cycle" table was a bit confusing to follow.  There were a lot of "priorities" and "major purchase" changes for each stage in one's life cycle.

3. What two questions would I ask the author?
What instances have you personally seen that prove that the consumer-driven philosophy is the most successful?  Then, if little competition exits, is it necessary to follow a consumer-driven philosophy?

4. Was the author wrong about anything?
In the Consumer Behavior section, the author discusses five types of consumers: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.  I remember reading about these types of consumers in a previous class as well.  However, I don't necessarily believe that any one person falls directly into one category during each of his/her shopping experiences.  Someone may be an early adopter in one particular product category such as personal care items yet be laggard when it comes to clothing.  The opposite can just as easily be true.  A person may be so passionate about new trends in fashion that they are the first to purchase a new hot-ticket piece of clothing.  However, this same person may be a laggard when it comes to replenishing basic personal care items like toothpaste that they opt for home remedies like lemon juice and baking soda before finally deciding to go to the store and purchasing more.  Peoples' emotions and day-to-day changes in lifestyle can also affect their buying behavior.