Changes in the Music Industry

It is interesting how music itself changes over time, but in regards to this class I'm looking at how the music industry has changed. After the invention of Napster several years ago, the way most people look at and acquire music has changed drastically. The music has almost eliminated the musician, and it has turned into record sales. WAIT! Record sales??? That is what people said over a decade ago, but now artists have find ways to make money and be noticed. This is because of albums getting leaked to websites that allow users to download the music to their compute. It has changed the way I view music. I don't have to save up money to get a CD, I have to decide if I want to wait for the album to download to my computer.

So for smaller musicians I have noticed they have done different things to make money. Ticket and merchandise prices have gone up. I am worried that my generation, the generation of "I have to have what I want right now" will ruin how music is done. I hope that albums will still be bought and I hope that prices of concerts will not keep most people at home staring at their computer. There is a culture that comes along with concerts and live music. If people continue to stay at home and not support the artist that they are listening to, it could kill the way music is. It sucks because I find myself not actually supporting the artists that I love.

First College Purchase

Well Jon Maxwell's post reminded of something that I talked to my younger sister about over Thanksgiving break. My sister is a senior in high school and she has been looking at buying a laptop computer. For most people I would suggest a Macbook (the main reason is because I love Apple) because Apple products tend to be a better choice. Although for people who do not know about specifications like memory or hard drive, probably do not need to spend a lot on a computer. Since Apple are more expensive than PCs I suggested to get a middle of the road PC. For someone like my sister a computer with decent RAM, hard drive, and other built in features is a good choice. She was hesitant about buying a Macbook because it is almost double the cost of PCs. I told her that people buy Macbooks because of the quality and it is said that most viruses do not affect Apple computers.

She will use her computer for general internet use, word processing, and photo and music storage. Essentially she need a smart phone, which is fine. I think it is a good choice in her case to get something besides an Apple, but I would not be opposed if she bought an Apple. I just do not think it is necessary for her needs.

Shower Gel

So when it comes to buying shower gel I do not know about anybody else but for me it is not anything that is an easy process. I usually prefer to get some kind of axe shower get but as of lately I have been getting a little adventurous with my shower gel. When it comes time to buy shower get I know that it is never going to be an easy process because there are so many different types of shower get like axe, old spice, and adidas to name a few. I do have a favorite shower gel that I like to buy which is axe Dark Temptation, it smells so good and I like how I feel nice and smooth after I am done showering. But even though it is my favorite I like change and I like buying new products so sometimes I will go to the store see the Dark Temptation but not get it because I want something new just because I can. My criteria for choosing shower gel is not very exhausting at all, it is picked on how good it smells. So yes for the most part this works out for me but then sometimes it does not. Like last year I remember I bought a kind of shower gel I do not remember what it was called but I do remember that it smelled good, but after using it I would get hives. So I made sure that after I was done with that bottle never to use it again. As of late I bought this shower gel called Fever by axe and once again it was not something that I would buy again. Whenever I use it I would always feel like it was scrubbing off my first layer of skin because of whatever was in the gel. So even though I like trying new shower gels I might just continue to buy the Dark Temptation and call it a day because that is one that I know I can trust.

Starbucks vs. Dunkin' Donuts

Until just recently in my 20 year old life, I haven’t been much of a coffee drinker. Then I came to college where some people live on coffee and I figured I’d try to see if I liked it. After I figured out that coffee can actually be tasty if I added some things to it, I began drinking coffee on a daily basis. Coffee from Mocha Joe’s was what I usually went with, and now it’s more with Café Ole. But my favorite coffee is a hazelnut coffee with cream and sugar from Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s the best. Not only is this coffee good, but it’s fairly inexpensive. I can buy two coffees from Dunkin’ Donuts for less than the price of one from Starbucks. Which leads me to my next point…

It seems as though so many people are diehard fans of Starbucks coffee, like it’s the only good coffee on the earth. I’ve tried hazelnut coffee with cream and sugar at Starbucks and it made me want to sort of vomit. I will admit that I have tried the seasonal drinks from Starbucks like the pumpkin spice latte and the peppermint mocha, and I loved them both. The downside of those drinks is the cost. They’re more expensive than I’m willing to pay for usually. I did, however, purchase a peppermint mocha on Sunday for my birthday because that was the only way I could justify paying almost $5 for a small hot beverage.

I'll stick with Dunkin' Donuts coffee on a regular basis and Starbucks coffee on rare occasions.

One Hair Gel to Rule Them All

I go through hair products like no one’s business. Sometimes I feel like I’ve tried every product there is to see how well it will treat my hair. I feel like if I buy a new hair product, whether it be something to straighten my hair or to hold the curl, I’ll find something that will be magical enough to fix any hair problem that I may ever run into. Well, I have yet to find that perfect product, but I have found something close to it. For almost a year now, I’ve been using Herbal Essences spray gel. I began using it when I decided to experiment with my mom’s hair products, which included this Herbal Essences spray gel. After I used it, I loved it. It does what I want to my hair, it’s easy to use, it smells ridiculously good, and the slim shape of the bottle along with its dark teal color is attractive as well.

I have become brand loyal to this specific type of hair gel. I can usually count on WalMart to have the gel. So, when I’m out of spray hair gel, I go to the aisle with all the hair products, and I know exactly what to look for: a slim, teal colored bottle amongst the other Herbal Essences products. If I don’t see the product after looking more than several times, I may become a little upset that it’s not there, but I don’t look for another hair gel product. I’d rather not risk wasting money on a product that may be less than what I expect with the Herbal Essences.

Special Possessions and their Cultural Significance...

Each semester, the International Student Association (ISA) at Anderson University hosts the International Dinner, a night when students from around the world prepare dishes from back home and share them with people from the Anderson community and surrounding areas. Not only only is there food to be shared, skits, dances, songs, poems, and fashion shows add to the cultural experience. For the fashion show, students are encouraged to wear traditional dress that is a representation of their culture. As for the preparation of food/ dishes, students make trips to stores that they have identified to carry ethnic food items. In all these instances, there are cultural principles and emblematic functions (geographic & ethnic symbolism) that are present.

In our [the class] discussion of symbolic consumer behavior, we touched on the topic of special possessions and symbolic consumer behavior and looked at some of the characteristics. Special possessions are not necessarily sold at market value, have few or no substitutes, not always used for original purpose, evoke powerful emotions, and also may be frequently personified. In instances where students have prepared dishes, or adorned traditional dress, it has been a representation of their culture and holds special meaning for them as they fulfill the emblematic, role adoption, connectedness, and/ or expressive functions.

Because these students represent a particular target market, marketers will have a greater impact by understanding the role that culture plays in influencing consumer behavior.

Word Of Mouth...

I was not extremely surprised as we discussed the topic of Word of Mouth (WoM) as having a strong influence on how consumers process information; I have often relied on WoM regarding several purchases I've made. Recently, I found myself surfing the internet on a particular online site looking to make a purchase of headphones. The current headphones had seen better days and it was time to get a new pair. I found a pair that I really liked and immediately found myself navigating to the reviews by people that had previously purchased the pair in question. As I read through the reviews, I could literally feel my hopes go down the drain. Most of the reviews had little to nothing positive to say about the product. I was disappointed as I had had high hopes for the headphones.

It's interesting as I look back on this particular episode and realize just how much WoM, in this case, eWoM had an impact on my purchase decision. I ended up looking for and purchasing another pair of headphones that had positive reviews (WoM).

A New GM

For those of you who have seen the new GM commercial, i just have to say it blew me away. I’m one of those weird people who actually enjoy commercials during the breaks of my shows. Since both of my parents (and most of my family) work for State Farm Insurance, i spent most of my time remembering Geico, All State, and Progressive commercials when I was younger just trying to make the talk around the dinner table interesting. I love seeing new commercials and campaigns whether their funny, heartfelt, or creative. However, it has been a long time since i have seen a commercial, especially a car commercial, like the newest one for GM.

For those who haven’t seen it. The commercial is based around different events in American history where people have failed or fallen down. The images of the challenger shuttle, our beloved hero Popeye helplessly sinking in water, Evil Kenevil, the Dewey vs. Truman boxing match, and of course how could we forget...Animal House all falling or in despair somehow. Then the commercial cuts to the people getting up and standing ready to fight again. Evil Kenevil gets up from his crash, Dewey gets up and wins the boxing match, Popeye eats some spinach and becomes strong again, the Animal House guys choose to fight and not give up, and a rocket ship shoots successfully into space. The commercial ends with a black screen first reading the words "We All Fall Down", and then "Thank You For Helping Us Get Back Up"...GM. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr94zStsk8E

The commercial is amazing in my opinion and it combats the problem that some Americans had with the GM brand taking a hand out...because that’s not what men...or Americans do. GM confronted this head on and showed throughout our history we have had heroes and events fail, but what makes us great is our ability to rise up and become better and stronger from it. I think this heartfelt commercial will help GMs brand reputation and strength, as well as their sales down the line as many people will see them as a company trying to get back to their greatness they once had before.

Two Cents Won't Break the Bank

I get emails from about five companies telling me when they are having deals. I feel like they have been non-stop lately because of Christmas coming up. After the first couple, I have started deleting them. But, I got an awesome email from Sephora (the makeup company) last week. Sephora sent me a $15 dollar gift card. They said spend this on whatever you want; now I probably got it because I have spent so much money there in the past, but hey if they are giving me a free $15, I am going to spend it.

So, Saturday night my friends and I went down to the Castleton mall to shop. I had never been there before, but it gets so much hype I was expecting it to be so phenomenal. It did not live up to my expectations, and I think I will just stick to going to Hamilton Square which is much closer and nicer in my opinion.

Anyway, I was very motivated to use my $15 coupon. Once at Sephora I of course had to look at everything, but did not want to spend more than $15 because I didn't want to pay anything out of my own pocket. Luckily this was a small Sephora, inside a JC Penny, so it did not take that long to browse the whole store. I finally selected a product that cost $14 dollars. This was perfect because with tax I knew I would be right at $15. The woman at the checkout completed the transaction and said I owed two cents. Okay, no big deal. I paid the two cents and went on my way, but as I walked away I looked at the receipt and it said $14.98. The woman had made me pay two cents, when really I shouldn't have paid anything. At this point, my motivation was very low to go back and get my two cents, had it been two dollars I maybe would have, but I thought two cents isn't going to break the bank.

No Shopping, but How about Desserts?!

My Black Friday experience was quite different from many others. My family and I didn't go to shopping until around 7:30pm at our local mall. My cousin worked at Aeropostale in the mall earlier that day and said that the parking lot was so full that people parked their cars on the ramp off the highway exit and walked to the mall. When I heard that I was convinced that I would not go shopping that day.

However, my family went out to eat that night and after we ate we wanted some dessert so we decided to go to the mall because they have 5 or 6 good dessert choices such as Cheryl's cookies, Cinnabon, Marble Slab Creamery, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, etc. When we arrived at the mall we were surprised that the parking lot was not much fuller than a normal night at the mall. We figured that 95% of the Black Friday shoppers had already finished with their shopping for the day, so we lucked out.

The stores were surprisingly not crowded at all as we walked by them. Many shelves and racks in every store were totally wiped clean, and several employees were beginning to take down signs advertising special deals on clothing, entertainment products, and shoe stores. The only place that was crowded in the mall was the food court. I expect that all the shoppers were getting a late dinner after a full day of shopping. We ventured into two different dessert shops, and to our surprise, there were no deals or specials on any food. We assumed that since these stores were in the mall, regardless of the fact that they sell food, they would have a sale on Black Friday. I was a bit surprised, but nonetheless, we bought what we wanted and were satisfied with our purchases.

My family was probably one of the few who went to the mall without going into any stores other than food shops, but "Black Friday" did it's job by getting us into the mall to purchase. Several other dessert suggestions were brought up before we decided on going to the mall that night. I would say that the normative influence of Black Friday pulled us in to deciding on the mall. We were curious to see the craziness and join in the fun atmosphere of the informal holiday.

My First Black Friday

I have never gone Black Friday shopping before. I've always been curious to see what it would be like after hearing crazy stories from others. This year, I stayed in Anderson for Thanksgiving so I decided to give Black Friday a shot. I decided I wasn't going to go at midnight but instead would sleep till five and then venture out. I ended going to local stores such as Old Navy, Target, Wal-Mart, Bath & Body, and Shoe Carnival.

I was not really on a mission for anything specific. I just wanted to look at what the stores had for deals and perhaps purchase some Christmas gifts if I found anything. I had no intention of spending hundreds of dollars, I merely wanted to see what it was like and the craziness I had only heard about. Well, needless to say, I think I missed most of the craziness since I went later on in the morning. However, I did see a few things. Besides the long lines, I saw people flock into Shoe Carnival right around nine o’clock when the store held a drawing for a $100 gift card. This had been advertised and obviously paid off because right before nine, the store was packed with people waiting to hear if they were chosen. Second, I was impressed with how much security was in Wal-Mart. Around every corner was a police officer or a man in a suit with an earpiece looking official. That is something I would never expect to see at a Wal-Mart. Lastly, I noticed how many people, including myself, were buying things that were not even on sale. For instance, I bought a pair of boots and a dress that were not on sale. I just happened to find them and purchase them. Black Friday is a good way to get people into the store, but once they are there, many will find things to buy even if they are not on sale.

My conclusion about Black Friday is that it is fun, but if I really want to get in on all the deals, I should probably have gone earlier to get the full Black Friday experience. This would have been especially nice for all of the doorbusters. By the time I got to most the stores, the doorbuster specials were gone. Finally, next year I should probably be more prepared and know what sales are at each store ahead of time.

Chaos!

Tis the season for chaos! I purposefully stayed away from the madness this year due to prior experiences. Individuals transform into different people around Black Friday due for the chance to buy a product at a "discounted price."

My story of Black Friday was in Walmart. I was recruited by my friends parents to wait in line for a 42' flat screen television. In total, his parents recruited 3 friends to wait in line for various "big ticket items." This alone shows the seriousness of Black Friday and how consumers plan out days in advance to get the products that they want. There was a very high level of involvement in the decision making and was carefully planned out. I arrived at 10 p.m. the night before for a product that would go on sale at 5 a.m. the next morning. Walmart was packed with consumers frantically scurrying around like squirrels trying to find nuts.

I went to the line dedicated to the television. I was thirteenth in line, and they had a total of 35 televisions. Luckily the line where I waiting was in the pillow isle. I was able to take a 2 hour nap on 4 pillows until a Walmart employee told me that I could not lay on the pillows. Many veteran consumers brought chairs and blankets with them while the rookies (me) suffered without a padded seat. The fun started when the line began to move. The story began getting very loud due to the plethora of lines all throughout the store. The chaos was due to many consumer behaviors like buying products that they may not afford any other time. The emotion of bargains and buying possibly out of your social class.

With all the chaos and time spent in line, I told myself that it wasn't worth it. I sat a cold tile floor for a television I wouldn't even get to enjoy for 20 dollars. It was a different experience that I was glad that I could see first hand... once. I can wait a few more hours or a day to do my Christmas shopping, it's just not worth it. Having a well thought out plan is the way to go for the Holiday season. Shopping within your means and looking for deals which are all around!

How a trip to the mall on Black Friday led to a slight postmodern view of masculinity (wait…what?)

Last week I went downtown Christmas shopping in Indy with my family on Black Friday. We were in Nordstrom, looking for a scarf for my cousin, Rachel. Now, I never shop at Nordstrom, to me it’s just a walk through area if I happen to park in the Circle Center garage to go out downtown. A quick observation without paying close attention, while we were looking for a scarf, I didn’t see a sharp contrast between the man and the woman sections of the store. Did each section have its own floor? I don’t remember. Were there even two section to begin with? Seriously though, everything from the lighting, to the colors, to the manikins, and yes even the sales associates all seemed to blend together androgynously. Anyway, we ended up in an area that had scarves and hats right next to some designer bags and whatever else. Close, by was a sunglass table, where I tried on a weird looking pair to show my bro for a laugh. Being a little over 50% confident I was in the women section quickly diminished after the sales associate said that most of the sunglasses were unisex. Right then I became perplexed and realized that my conventional wisdom of a department store and what it looks like and how its organized, is getting turned on its head.

This made me think of the obvious, as we talked about in class and read about in Chapter 13 of Consumer Diversity that since the advent of the term “metrosexual”, the spectrum of aesthetic sexual orientation between masculinity and femininity seems to be shrinking while at the same time becoming increasingly androgynous. Now for this to be true we are told that a metrosexual is androgynous by exhibiting a feminine trait of taking great care towards displaying a quality aesthetic appearance. Meaning masculinity is now partially defined with the trait of one not caring too much about his/her outwardly appearance.

Now lets look back at history, way before the term metrosexual was used. In the 16^th through the 18^th century, in the western world, men wore Powder wigs mainly as a symbol of social status. White was the most common color of powder used, giving the man an older and much wiser appearance, here by increasing his social status. That’s just one example. A skirt thirty years ago, was called a “gown”, which before the 18^th century was worn by both male and females. Just look at the kilt worn by those in Scotland. A male wearing that in the U.S. might have his masculinity questioned but in Scotland it is a formal garment for men that is also used for sporting in the highland games.

My main point is that looking at the aggregate of known history and across different cultures, minus physiology behavior, there is no real objective way to display masculinity.

Cyber Monday

Now I was not one of the millions of people who woke up early or did not sleep in order to go out and get all of the amazing deals offered on Black Friday. I however did take advantage of Cyber Monday, this being the Monday following Black Friday. The best part about it was I did not have to wake up at any ridiculous hours in order to have access to the sales at the stores I want. I woke up at my normal time and began my search from the comfort of my apartment for the items I would possibly want for Christmas. Of course I went to my favorite store's site, Finishline, and boy oh boy did they have some deals for me. As well did some other of my more popular websites, I could not believe that I had never heard of this until my Junior year in college. I have always been a fan of online shopping but this is by far the best days of the year excluding Christmas of course. I had a field day yesterday with this, in the previous years I would have been one of the many Americans waiting in line on that freezing Friday morning, but thanks to Professor Colvin, I was not. With this large increase in online shopping within the past few years I do believe in the near future that Black Friday will be nothing more than a regular shopping day.

Satisficing Decision

Ah, the busy time at the end of the semester when all the projects come due, presentations are given and final exams are just around the corner. It was amid the kind of craziness this point in the semester brings about last night that I realized I once again had a need. A group I was in was giving a presentation this morning and I realized that although I had both a suit and tux in my closet, my one pair of dress shoes were at home. At this point I had a decision to make: either drive home and get them or go buy another pair. Since I had plenty of things to do last night and I did not feel like driving to Noblesville and back I decided to just go buy another pair. My pair at home is kind of old and scuffed up anyway. Let me start by saying that I am not a big fan of shoes. Sure, they are necessary sometimes but I would much rather just go barefoot whenever possible. Since that was obviously not an option, my ideal pair of dress shoes would have a thin sole and be as close to going barefoot as possible. It turns out these don’t really exist, at least in the shelves of local stores so a satisficing decision was made. I decided to go for a pair that was good enough which translated to a pair of shoes that were cheap and fit fairly well. This is one time when I deviated from my usual philosophy of buying things that are made very well and last a very long time. However, I figured since I had a pair already, two pairs would last me quite a while. I ended up stopping at payless shoe source and found a pair that were under $30 and did not have laces which I liked since dress shoe laces always seem to want to come untied easier than any other kind of shoes. After trying on a couple pairs for the correct size I made my purchase and crossed one more item off of my to-do list for the night.