Module 7- Competitive Intelligence

 I apologize for the side way pictures. There was a very frustrated dysfunction with loading up these screenshots below.

For this analysis I am going to compare Ralph Lauren and Lacoste. 

Lacoste is one of Ralph Lauren top competitors. Both Ralph Lauren Polo and Lacoste are both some very popular brands of clothing.

Interest Over Time 

As you can see above Ralph Laurens interest over time is running quite high, especially as it gets to year 2011. Lacoste interest over time is stabilized but not as much as a high interest as Ralph.

Regional Interest

   

 (Above Pictures)
Ralph Lauren: Ralph Lauren’s regional interest is basically all over the map. It makes majority of the United States region and all of Canada.

Lacoste: Lacoste has some mild spots in the U.S. but it completely has high interest in the top half of South America.

Related Terms

As you can see above,  there are many categories under related terms of both Lacoste and Ralph Lauren. I want to focus more on RL online and Lacoste online. Ralph Lauren searching terms are quite high opposed but Lacoste has an actual online shop which is one of the advantages the designer has. 

It is evident that more online shopping is done for Lacoste products as opposed to Ralph Lauren. As long as Ralph Lauren maintains interests globally through marketing campaigns, keeping focus on their target markets, and making online visibility with goals of improvement they should be fine.

Module 7- Competitors & Vital Keywords

Module 7- Competitors & Vital Keywords

I am going to use footlocker for this Module again sense I am seeing to have a lot of fun with this company lol…the goal is to explain in a blog post that the key competitors and vital keywords are. Explain what tools and techniques you used and why.  Share screenshots of your results & explain what recommendations you might make from some of the things I find. 

Since I am not working for the footlocker company, I did a simple search through Yahoo Finance on what competitors are contending with foot locker. I felt that Yahoo Finance would provide me with the most accurate information and this is one of the tools Footlocker can use as a company to see how they’re competitors are doing in comparison to them. Here are some of the following Competitors.

• ·         Finish Line Inc.  ( Direct Competitor)
• ·         The Sports Authority Inc.
• ·         Wal-Mart Stores

Other Competitors to look out for

• •        Foot Action
• •        Dick’s Sporting Good Inc.

Vital Keyword:

Vital Keywords would be what is vital to the company obviously. That will be pertaining to the products they provide for consumers.

·         “Footlocker”

·         “Jordan Shoes”

·         “D-Rose Shoes”

·         “Nike”

·         “Cleats”

·         “Sports Apparel”

·         “Footlocker V.I.P Card”

As we can see the search for “D-Rose Shoe” automatically gives you the first link directly to footlockers website. Then as you scroll down, you see links to the Addias website (which is a product popular for foot locker). You really don’t seeing any links from Footlockers competitors. This goes to show that Footlocker vital keywords leads to exposure but at the same time can lead consumers to the Addias, direct site or Eastbay after they have received search results. Only thing I can recommend is for foot locker to keep marketing and grasping attention through their products (d-rose shoe, Jordans etc.) and keeping them as vital keywords so consumers can have them as a number one option for service.  I don’t really see any issues for this.

Landing Page Test- Module 6

What can be tested for improvement?

The first thing I would test to improve is buffering / load up time for the snow blowing movies.  I know for myself personally I always look at videos of products just to ensure that I want to make an actual investment. It frustrates me sometimes when the video does not load up correctly. Therefore, we would want to make sure quality is up to par and to make sure that the video work correctly on the page. I know sometimes this point would depend on the consumer’s computer or the type of signal the consumer is receiving, but the quality of the video should be tested. Another thing that can be tested is the snow blower selector or pretty much anything on the page that requires requests. 

What would you recommend for improvement?

I recommend improving the layout. It seems kind of dull and image states a lot about the company.  Also, at the top where it says find a store, contact us, services, view cart etc. I would darken those options like to red or black and re size the font to make it a little more visible.  I also would place the Lowe’s logo at the top since Lowe’s is a more recognized company.  The description under the picture should be larger as well. 

How would you test your recommendations?

I would just simply rearrange the layout manually just to see how everything works out and see how it would look. Also create drop down menus for the blower selector and have the blowers listed which would lessen clicks. The webpage needs to look more alive. 

Why did you pick these methods and what do you expect from the tests?

I pick these methods because image is everything. Everything needs to be able to be read clearly and the page does not need to be extremely busy.

Measuring Sponsorship- Module 6

Measuring Sponsorships

•        I am assuming Bob’s Classic kicks objective was to gain exposure by having the radio stations sponsor their launch party. I would say this is a good idea because the radio stations are the one of Detroit’s core marketing tool especially for the type of audience for Bob’s Classic kicks. The radio stations are known for supporting and sponsoring new business and small business ventures.

 

·         Bobs classic kicks event was a launch/ kickoff party type of event. They can measure how effective it was to have the radio stations there to help there event and improve their customer base. 

Here are some ways they can measure:

·         Measure the increase in market share and market penetration with social media likes, mentions, responses to invites and feedback/ reviews.

·         Ratio of new to existing customers –I recall signing up for update notifications and catalogs. They also had displays of shoes there to grasp customer exposure. They also had customer order shoes there at the launch event. With that being said they can simply measure how many people signed up for the mailing list and how many people signed up when they came to the event. They can measure how many orders they had made for shoes and keep track of profit made just from the launch party. I am pretty sure they had goals set. 

·         Percent change in perception- You can also see how this has modified by referring to social media channels and see the comments. They trace people’s reaction towards the event and how they felt about it. They can also provide survey that asks questions like do you plan on visiting bob kicks and making future purchases? Would you refer us? Gage people to add to Facebook and follow twitter for all update etc.

Effects of Sponsorships- Module 6

    Module 6

Who were the sponsors? (if you remember)

Bobs classic kicks is a new shoe store that opened this past summer down town Detroit. While I was working at Quicken Loans, They had a kick off rally on Campus Martius and they had the hip hop radio stations 107.5, 97.9, and 9.55 all sponsoring the shoe store. They had food, all kind of visitors, and the radio show was promoting the shoe store heavily! it was definitely a good time.

    Did their sponsorship of the event affect your perception of them?  If so, how?

No, I actually think it was a good idea to have local Detroit radio stations sponsor and promote the new shoe store. The radio stations and Detroit are known for sponsor events like this. For example 97.9 sponsor the “coats for kids drive”. It is a positive charitable event and it gives both businesses publicity.  The hip hop/pop music radio stations and the type of shoes bob classic kicks sale kind of target the same type of audiences (Anybody or predominately teen - young adult age groups that is interested in urban, athletic, or vintage types of clothing or shoes). Not only that, The Detroit radio station Is supporting another Detroit business, so they are doing what is best for the city. 

    What other companies would have been a good fit for sponsoring the event? why?

The Somerset collection would have been a good business do to the fact that there is a small sector of the Somerset store downtown Detroit on Woodward. Somerset is also well established so this would have been a good opportunity to help the bobs classic kicks get more interests.