Week 4 Part B: Defining YOUR Target Market

I've decided to mix mental health and Disney into an idea. Disney movies create nostalgia for a lot of people, me included, and a vast majority of Disney and Pixar movies have an underlying message within the film. A lot of times, when I'm struggling a lot more than usual, I'll turn on one of my favorite Disney movies, or just any in general, and I feel a little of the pressure it lifted. This is a fictitious business proposal for this course. 

My target market for this business will be Disney fans, any age, but mainly trying to attract early to late 20s, since I am in that age range, so it'll be easier for me to understand them. People struggling with mental health issues and have a love for movies are also going to be a big contribution for my target market. Another thing I will be looking for in my target market, are those who have a thirst for travel and exploring the globe. 

Mixing all of those different elements together in order to create my specific target market, is going to increase my interest in this business and my drive to create more content dedicated to this specific niche. 

Disney holds a lot of childhood memories and have helped people out of "funks" whenever they need it. For me, Disney is more than just a theme park or movies. They teach valuable life lessons, make me feel less alone in this crazy, messed up world we live in, and make me feel like I have a purpose in this life. They have a sense of warmth wrapped inside, and if I can help people experience a little slice of "the happiest place on earth" in their little nook of life, it'll all be worth it. 

Week 4 Part A: Defining Target Markets

I chose to compare Subway VS Hungry Bear. Some of the obvious similarities between the two websites are that, the main page has the same vibe, and some photos of their popular subs at the moment. Another obvious similarity is that on their "menu" page, they both have their menu cut up into different parts; ie salads, classic sandwiches, and speciality sandwiches, just to name a few. They also both have their company logo on the top right hand of their websites. I think that some of their differences is that the Subway one feels more like a franchise website, especially when it has a tab that says "Find a Subway", whereas, the Hungry Bear one just has the singular shop, so it doesn't have that feature located on their website. I did notice that with the Hungry Bear one however, it does have a place to leave a review on the bottom of the homepage, whereas Subway doesn't have that feature on their homepage. When you first go onto the Subway website, you get hit with an ad for a deal that they are advertising at the current moment for 50% off a Footlong for the new football season. 

The crossover between the two consumers would most likely be sports fans, if they are having a big party for watch parties for the game going on. I would also assume that people who are "sandwich connoisseurs" and who aren't particularly picky with their food options, who want something just easy, simple, and fast, that will fill them up until their next meal in a few hours. 

Overall, I think that both get their product out to the audience in a good and clear way, that makes people enticed to try their product. Subway's homepage is very clean and easy to read, with the logo being in the top corner, out of the way, but you can still tell that you are on Subway's website. Whereas, with Hungry Bear, you get hit with the photo of the sandwich, and their big logo in the middle of the screen when you first open their website. I would've liked to hear about the history and the story of Subway, I think the Hungry Bear could improve on this as well. They both need to expand on their story and why they are why they are.

Week 3 Part B: Developing a Brand

I don't have my own business, and actually don't have any interest in making my own business, however, another one of my classes I am taking this semester is BUS 130: Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. One of the assignments that we are working on at the moment is to create a business plan. I decided to just combine two of the things that I love the most, Disney and travel, and create a business plan along the lines of those. 

What my business proposal is, is to travel the world and show off the different location Disney films were filmed in/based off, in order to give some context and history to the nostalgic Disney films we all grew up with during our childhood. Some of the feedback my professor gave back to me, was to make a blog for Disney fans and make it a subscription based blog, or even just a book with all the information I collect. 

At the current moment, I don't have a logo that I have developed for said business, and don't have any ideas floating for a logo. The title of the blog or the book would be along the lines of "The Happiest Blog Around", or something like that. I would have to take a greater look in to licensing and trademarks, since I don't have much knowledge on that topic, and would want to make sure that Disney hasn't trademarked anything close to my business title name. 

I would still want to keep it a bit more personal, and make it my favorite colors and my aesthetics, such as different shades of green, brown, and orange, and make it like a fall/winter aesthetic. I wouldn't want to take away from the pastel colors Disney is known for, such as pastel pink, and blue, however, I wouldn't want to compromise another big part of my personality, just for another big part of my personality. I would want all parts of me showing off in this blog or book. 

In the beginning, I would just start off with California locations, since I am low on money and have a low budget, but in the grand scheme of things, I would venture off into different states, different countries, and eventually different continents overall. Going to the different Disney Parks around the globe would also be beneficial, in order for me to compare and contrast the different parks together and see how they all correlate with one another. 

I want to emphasis again, that at the end of the day however, this is all for fun and games, since I have no real interest in starting my own business or anything of the sorts. 

Week 3 Part A

Apple Website: The first thing that pops up when you go onto the website is a memoriam for Queen Elizabeth and not any of the products or services that the company offers. This is a tough one to write down however, because of how deep of an impact the Queen's death has already changed the world in just over a day, and to see how different companies and businesses are expressing their condolences. Personally, I think that Apple did a great job of making this memoriam for the Queen, it was simple and sent their condolences, as the world mourns a 70-year monarch. Their website overall, is easy to use with the tabs on the top of the page, as to tell you what the products are and if you are having issues with a specific product, which tab to tap on. Apple's website usually has colors around, signifying that their products are colorful and offer a vast majority of colors to chose from. 

Toyota: Toyota's website is very clean and crisp. You can easily navigate the site, without much complication. There are tabs on the top that make it easy for the user to navigate the site, such as if you are looking for specific type of vehicle that Toyota offers, you can simply run your mouse over the tab and it will bring up all of the types of vehicles offered. 

Best Electronics: When I immediately clicked onto this website and it got brought up, it hurt my eyes, due to how much wording was on it and the colorful wording changing colors every second in the top left. There's too much going on in just the first looksee, there are no tabs on the top, you have to click on some of the words if they have a link attached, which is just a hassle to most users on a platform. Overall, it is just too much going on, and no one, especially in this generation, has that kind of energy to read all the way through. I couldn't even get to what their services are, it was just a confusing website. 

GatesNFences: For me, this website was very confusing to navigate. The font, first of all, was way too small to read, and caused me a headache when I tried reading it. There's too much going on in the homepage alone, with the tabs on the side, being excessive. Too many tabs, make it harder for consumers and users to navigate the site, and people will more likely exit out of the site faster. 

Overall, I have found out that simple, easy to use websites attract more, and it seems to be the most successful outcomes. You want to chose colors, fonts, etc. to make you website stand out more. The less you put a homepage of a website, and the simpler you make it, it more likely to have users come back and tell their friends about your services/products that you offer on your site. 

Week 2 Part B

 

1. ThreeLittleMingos

1. The Three Little Mingos is a company that sells Disney purchase, such as LoungeFly bags/wallets, apparel, and other miscellaneous items. It also sells other entertainment products, such as Bob's Burgers merchandise. The owners are a married couple, Shane and Kelly, and the three little mingos that the company name is named after, are their three children. 

2. The social media that the company uses includes FaceBook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, located on the bottom of the website. Their TikTok, they post the most frequently, whereas their FaceBook, the last time they posted was back in June of 2022. The last post that they posted on Twitter was on July 13, 2022, the last post on TikTok was 2 hours ago on September 6, 2022, and the last post on Instagram was also September 6, 2022. 

3. The way that this company uses social media is to expand their audience and get their products out there into the world and people talking. 

2. Zucker's Bagels

1. Zucker's Bagels is a bagel shop located in New York City. They sell delicious bagels and have been around for 16 years, first opening in 2006. 

2. I could only find that Zucker's uses FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram as there main social media outlets. The last time that they posted on FaceBook was in August 19, 2022, last time on Twitter was May 18, 2020, and on Instagram, the last time they posted was also August 19, 2022. They post about once a week on both FB and IG it looks like, however, it seems like it's just the same post, just different outlets. They seem to not have a big following on any social media platform as well. 

3. It seems like they don't have the biggest priority of social media presence and rarely use the different platforms to spread the word about their bagels. 

3. Patisserie Sheree

1. Patisserie Sheree is a pastry shop selling different variations of pastries to people with large sweet tooths. They are located in the UK, however, they do ship globally. 

2. They use FaceBook, Instagram, and TikTok. Their last FB post was on September 5, 2022, their last IG post was September 4, 2022, and their last TikTok was August 18, 2022. IG seems to be the social media platform that they use the most, then FB, and then TikTok. 

3. They don't have a huge following on any of their social media platforms, but it seems like the following that they do have, it is loyal to them. 

4. Sephora

1. We all are well aware of Sephora and how they sell makeup, skincare, body, and hair products to people. Sephora is a huge company with a big team behind it. 

2. Sephora has Twitter, FB, IG, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat. The last post on all platforms was September 6, 2022. They are so huge, that they have different Sephora accounts on IG depending on the country. Their IG has amassed over 21 million followers. 

3. They are one, if not, the biggest makeup, skin, and hair companies in the world, and their fans are loyal to them. I know that I am one of those people. I sign up for the emails and get their deals and the point system as well. 

5. Starbucks

1. Starbucks is one of the biggest coffee chain places globally. You can't go one block without seeing one popped up. 

2. Starbucks has Spotify, FB, IG, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter. Starbucks is unique in the sense of the other 4 businesses I just shared, because it is the first business that has Spotify. They have Spotify because they have a deal with them that every employee gets free Spotify, and the fact that they use those playlists in their stores for the music selection. Starbucks also has an IG account specifically for their partners, and one that's just their main account. They do post fairly frequently on there, with the last post being about a week ago. They post their new drink and food items, their launches, and in the middle of the seasons to help boost revenue. 

3. As a former Starbucks employee, I can say that people are dedicated to the brand and will spend an atrocious amount of money on a cup of coffee in the mornings. People will post random drink combos on TikTok and IG for people to order, and then it goes viral, making the audience want to try that specific drink that costs too much for a cup of coffee if I'm going to be honest. 

Week 2A: Communication Between Business & Consumer

I think social media does get easier to get noticed, however, I think in some ways it makes it also more difficult to get noticed. If you end up going viral or have a lot of followers already, it is easier to get noticed and have a lot a views. However, if you don't have as many followers, or haven't been able to go viral, you might have a more difficult chance of getting noticed. 

I post both negative and positive reviews on products. When I go on a business website, I look at the reviews, and I admire that people put down negative reviews, so I can read those and decide for myself if I truly want that product. I see how many negative reviews there are, and if they are talking about all the same problems as well, and if they are, I don't end up getting said product. If a business has extremely well service, I will write a positive review of the business if it had good customer service. 

Personally, if I had a business on social media, and if I received negative comments, I would take those and see if there was any solutions to those negative comments. I would take those comments and make them into something that I can use to my advantage and see how I could resolve and grow my business to become better. 

Social media can do both harm and good for a business, and throughout the past couple of years, it has become more prevalent and easier for audiences to see the behind the scenes. People want truth, and when a business lies or gets caught up in controversy, it makes the audience take a step back, do their own research, and see if the morals of so called business is something that they want to pursue and put their own hard earned money/views towards.