Marketing Case Study

Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

http://www.harrypotterhogwartsmystery.com/

Jam City, J.K. Rowling, and Warner Bros. released Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery on April 25th, 2018.

Jam City started in 2010 by MySpace cofounders Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb, and previous 20th Century Fox executive Josh Yguado. They have created some of the highest grossing and most enduring mobile social gaming franchises, such as, Cookie Jam and Panda Pop. They have also developed games for iconic entertainment brands like Harry Potter, Family Guy, and Marvel Avengers.

J.K. Rowling is a British novelist, producer, and screenwriter best known for writing the Harry Potter fantasy series which have not only won multiple awards but also sold more than 400 million copies to become the best-selling book series in history. Her mission was inspired by her mom.

Warner Bros. Studios is one of the most respected, diversified and successful motion picture and television studios in the world. They began April 4, 1923 by Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack L. Warner. Today, their library consists of more than 100,000 hours of programming with nearly 8,300 feature films and 5,000 television programs. Their vision statement is: "A History of Creativity. A Commitment to the Community."

The place where I first saw the trailer for this game was on Facebook. I was thrilled because after The Cursed Child the closest thing to Harry Potter that I had been able to enjoy was a fan made film titled Voldemort: Origins of the Heir on youtube (which was rather well made). I have played the game for a few days now and I am able to say that I enjoy it. The fact that it is mobile is a benefit, but I also enjoy the quality of the game. They have gotten the names of the spells and their uses correct, as well as the names and mannerisms of the instructors. It is also the first time that you are allowed to create a custom character and interact with the Harry Potter universe. The game isn't necessarily as interactive as I had hoped it would be but compared to the alternatives that it could have been I feel it is a win.

If I were the marketing manager, I would have advertised the crap out of this. I would have posted on every social media platform and the three biggest Harry Potter fan pages. 

Do you think the game will be successful even with the lack of advertising?

Do you think this is just another attempt for the companies to capitalize on the Harry Potter franchise and make more money?

Marketing Week 2

Topic 1: Social Listening

 The Santiam Liquor Store has the largest selection of liquor in Albany, OR with a special focus on liquor that is made here in Oregon. They will typically order items that aren't already carried if enough people are asking for them, and they have the longest hours of operation in town.
 When I researched them on social media, however, this is what I found:
    

Angelwithblueeyes1 on twitter stated that she had to call in for hours of operation

Meghan CosMo Tompkins on facebook bragged about the Strawberry moonshine being carried in the store

Sharon32s on Instagram posted a picture of a couple of guys sitting by the Kraken Rum display in the store

 They are currently in the business of selling liquor, energy drinks, sodas, mixers, tobacco products, and other miscellaneous items. You wouldn't be able to find most of this information on the web though because as of right now the only thing that really pops up when searching is the shooting incident that happened back in 2016. If I were the brand manager the first thing I would fix is that issue alone. I would create a page for each social media platform and update new products that are coming in, companies that are coming in to do taste testings, and respond to the feedback that customers would give at least once a week.

Topic 2: Marketing in the News
 Article Modern Furniture (Forbes)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2018/02/05/modern-design-no-retail-markup-furniture-maker-article-forecasts-200-million-in-2018-sales/?ss=sales-marketing#68aae2e32b38
I was interested in this article because it is a business I have not heard much about that seems to be doing well. This article discusses the growth of the company. Beginning with the brainstorming at an IHOP about a company originally called Bryght back in 2011. The founders grew Article quickly by taking control of the supply chain and selling direct at far lower prices than retailers could. This year they expect to double their sales to $200 million.
Article is the largest furniture startup attempting to re-engineer the furniture business for millennials so far by providing mid-range to high-end modern furniture for a fraction of the market cost and it took minimal outside financing in order for them to grow and be able to do so.
They aren't the only furniture startup attempting to target the millennials but they are having success by simply paying attention to what is selling versus what isn't and capitalizing on that data to know what to focus their advertising on. Specifically, the article stated: “As a manufacturer and retailer, Article has access to voluminous data about what’s selling and what isn’t, allowing it to test its products with small production volumes, and then move quickly to produce more of what's selling or to kill off or change what isn't. “You know what's in demand and what's not in demand," Baig says. "You don't end up with mountains of product that you are trying to push through to the consumer." The company's most popular item has been its Sven sofa, in Italian charm tan leather. "As soon as we put it up, we could tell we had something there,” he says. “So we promoted it more, and that amplified its popularity.”
If I were the brand manager I would primarily focus on getting the name of the company out into the media since the organization doesn't seem to have a whole lot out there currently and they seem to be an up and coming company.

Marketing Week 1

About Me

I enrolled in Principles of Marketing to learn more about what the best way to conduct business will be as an accountant. I am majoring in Accounting Technology and am looking forward to learning about consumer behavior the most. Outside of school I work at a local liquor store and am a mom to a beautiful baby girl and a step mom to a wonderful little boy. I don't get a whole lot of free time between work and school but what little bit I do get I spend with my family and I like to go to concerts for local bands/artists every now and then.

Marketing in the News

Revealed: Facebook scans what you send other people on Messenger

I chose this article because Facebook Messenger is one of the primary choices of contact that my significant other and I use. Facebook has automated systems that scan messages for community standard abuse. Private information from approximately 50 million users was somehow given to Cambridge Analytica.  Facebook is now having to do damage control for not being transparent enough about their privacy policies. Facebook is a social media platform to connect you with the people around you. This article mainly discussed crisis management, Facebook needs to put more effort into privacy protection. Facebook needs to find a way to know when something illegal, such as child exploitation, is going on without comprising the protection of user’s private information. Zuckerberg had to agree to testify in front of the House, and is having to hold a conference call to adjust privacy policies. What is unique about this is that not only is he dealing with the issue internally, he will be doing multiple kinds of external tasks to fix the situation. If I was the brand manager, I would have made a public apology with a promise to fix the issue as soon as possible, I would have called Cambridge Analytica and asked them to destroy the information they had received, and then I would have done what Zuckerberg has agreed to do. In my opinion, the approach they used was only somewhat acceptable. They do need to fix the issues and begin to be more transparent of their policies, but they could have done more. This article has taught me that even some of the most popular companies do not do everything that they should to be ethical and fair to the community.

Article link: http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-scans-send-people-messenger-app/312984/

Company link: https://www.facebook.com/