The Roomba by iRobot 5 business marketing short answers help

1)The Roomba by iRobot is a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that avoids falling off of stairs, vacuums along walls and furniture, and recharges itself. Prices range from $150 – $399.

If you were to buy this product, at what price point do you feel comfortable buying it online or in a retail store?

2)Every company tries to create value for customers by offering various physical goods and/or services. More recently, customer experiences have become part of companiesâ€™ marketing offers. In retailing, experiential retailing has become important.

For instance, an Apple store is successful in offering great store atmosphere with attractive product displays, simple store design, and great customer service. Customers are able to enjoy, touch, and feel the products (e.g., iPhone, iPad, iPod) before making purchase decisions. By offering such experiences in Appleâ€™s servicescape/physical store, Apple is able to differentiate itself from its competitors.

Are there any other retailers (both offline and online) that focus on offering customer experiences? Please identify a company or brand, and discuss how it creates customer experiences (offline and online). Customersâ€™ experiences can be enhanced by different factors (e.g., store design, displays, lighting, smell, music, activities).

3)Advertising is one of the five forms of a companyâ€™s major promotion tools. Marketers often use creative ways to execute advertising messages, which catch consumersâ€™ attention. We learned in Chapter 12 that advertising appeals should be meaningful, believable, and distinctive.

For example, Budweiser promotes its brand using TV advertisements every year during the Super Bowl. In the past, Budweiser created an ad that received positive consumer responses (see the following video link):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLtjVuXOBQk (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

This TV commercial uses a horse, Hank and a dog, his friend. Through these characters, Budweiser communicates different messages. For instance: 1.) We can reach our dreams if we work hard (i.e., American dream is possible); 2.) a friend is always there to help you during difficult times; 3.) Budweiser enriches peopleâ€™s lives, etc.,â€¦ you may also have different interpretations. Overall, these messages are meaningful, believable, and distinctive.

I would like you to think about your favorite advertisement (e.g., TV commercial). Please describe this ad, tell us why you like it, and analyze it based on message strategy and message execution style.

4)In your opinion, what are companies that use sales promotion (offline and online) effectively? Based on what we learned in Chapter 13, tell us the name of the company and its sale promotion strategies.

5)What do you think is the future of traditional catalog marketing? Find examples of companies that have discontinued their printed catalog in favor of a fully online version. Has this been successful for them?