Reflecting and Learning

My favorite and most interesting topic was Insights Ethics. First, it allowed me to understand what types of privacy practices take place in today’s marketplace, as well as the role that I should take on as a future marketer in the field. I did not know about the cookies that websites attach to your computer and I also did not know about how some mannequins now have cameras to watch consumers. This helped me to be more careful on my practices as I surf the internet. I now restrict access to many websites that try to access my computer or phone and also went back and changed my settings. Furthermore, as I now enter the “real world” and will soon start working in marketing, This made me conscious of the practices that I will take once I am there. It made me realize that I will do my best to better cater to the needs of my consumers but that in order to gain their trust I must be transparent in my practices and how they learn about them.

One skill that I believe this class helped me learn was how to better work in teams. There were times where I felt like my ideas should be chosen but when I allowed the entire team to work together and create ideas as a whole, our deliverable was ten times better. For example, during our prototype creation in class, I decided to design one toy while the rest of the group worked on another. At the end of class, their end product was way better than mine. This helped me understand that we were in groups for a reason and that five brains put together can create bigger and better things than just one. Moreover, I learned to sympathize with the rest of the group and understand the responsibilities and activities each one of us had. Nicole had to work at times, Rasmus is an international student and wanted to travel during the weekends, Chizoba had a busy recruiting semester, Trey had other group projects, and I was recruiting and traveling at times. This helped to be more sympathetic of others, to better work around other people’s schedules, and to sometimes compromise. We each accomplished what we needed to do and were understanding when others had something come up. This helped us worked better as a group, to remain calm, and to work hard.

I feel like every phase of the project was useful because it helped us to have direction for the final deliverable of our project. I would say I would have liked the prototype creation time to have been longer. For the first deliverable, we had about two weeks and for our research we had almost three weeks. When it was time to create the prototype, due to meeting scheduling conflicts, we only had two days. It was hard to come up with an idea from scratch and carry it out. We each had a different ideas for where to take our project and it was somewhat difficult to agree on one. Also, I believe that we could have been more creative with our project but since there was not much direction on our final prototype we failed to think beyond creating an app. I would suggest that for future projects Professor Walls would provide examples of what has been done in the past. I feel like it would give students a better sense of what is expected without limiting their levels of innovation.

I would say that this was probably the most confusing project that I have ever done. In most of my classes I have been given more guidance on what is expected or what the task of the project was. I felt like there were several instances where I asked a question and the answer given to me left me more confused than before. Since most of the people in my group were lost, we tried to make sense of the deliverable as much as possible but were never a 100% sure. This led to low contribution because none of us knew exactly what we had to do.  I was appreciative of the group that I got to work with because it was very diverse; there were students from different nationalities that brought different experiences and knowledge to our project. Every time we worked together we learned something new from each other such as spelling words or our career paths after college.

Regardless of the confusion, working on this project was a great experience. I believe there are few classes in the business school that allow you to think that you can create anything that comes to your mind, that it is okay to mess up, and to learn from your mistakes if you do make one. This class did that for me it allowed my creative side to come out and it helped me understand that business and creativity is the innovation that will succeed in the future.

How Personal is Too Personal?

From a customer’s perspective, I personally believe that there should be a limit to the kind of information companies are able to obtain. For example,  I do not mind that based on the interest I chose to share on Facebook, I am suggested products or services that go hand in hand with my selected interests. What I do feel is a privacy breach, it’s when more personal information is used such as Facebook conversations, internet posts, or emails overall.  A couple of months ago, I added new contacts from my  job to my cellphone, a few days later my Facebook app began to suggest to add those particular  individuals as friends. In that moment I felt that my personal information was on the web, even when I chose  not to put it on the web.I believe Companies should not be able to monitor people’s lives. If people willingly chose to participate in surveys or focus groups , or if they want to look at past purchases for their particular product than that is acceptable. But individually looking at the behavior of  a consumer through their internet activity is  a breach of privacy and it makes the consumer feel threatened. Consumers feel like they are being watched 24/7 and are becoming more doubtful and less trusting to individual marketing.

I consider that there are other ways in which companies can use social media and internet platforms to better attract and maintain loyal consumers. Social media can be a great tool both to create a relationship with the  target market and to obtain patterns to customize sales.  If a company choses to use social media it needs to be taken as a serious commitment. Once the company lets the customers know that they will be available through that medium, customers expect to be heard and to receive a response. Being part of social media platform should be a two way communication between the costumer and the company. A lot of companies use Facebook or Twitter to advertise sales or new items that are being rolled out, but very few take the time to address any complaints or questions customers may have. This can be challenging considering the amount of comments and tweets that are written daily, but word of mouth is very powerful in today’s market place and should be taken seriously.

Consumers are very skeptical about products and about  a company’s offerings. Reviews and experiences written by other people are very strong in helping others form beliefs and even in making a purchase decision. People see other people’s opinions as true and reliable while products description can remain skeptical. Therefore, when a customer makes a negative comment about an experience or a product it is necessary for a company to have a response. For example, Southwest Airlines is efficient at staying with the customer and turning around situations that could end in negative way into a positive one. They make the customer feel like they are with them every step of the way and if there is a problem they can provide information or provide a direct solution to their problem.

Additionally, the rise of data can also be beneficial to corporations in order to create a customized shopping experience for consumers. In the past, most consumer behavior has been obtained by analyzing demographics, now, by being able to see patterns in behavior of one particular individual it allows companies to do one-to-one marketing. A perfect example is Amazon, Amazon engages in one-to one marketing that from my perspective is ethical, by using prior purchases to suggest potential products to its customers. This allows the consumer to  be aware that there are complimenting products to the ones they are purchasing or a higher variety of choices to choose from. Furthermore, it helps the company to not only offer other products in the spot but also create future products that satisfy the taste of their consumers.

Overall, I personally believe that if corporations can limit themselves to information that individuals chose to share on the internet (publicly)  or provide for them directly, it is a responsible way to do marketing. If companies continue to push the bar and obtain more and more personal information, it will only make consumers more skeptical and less willing to buy. The are other ways that companies can use social media platforms and the internet to create meaningful relationships with its consumers. Their activity and communication on social media is important because it allows individuals to feel an ongoing customer experience with the company even after they left the store or service. This can be more important than finding every little detail about the consumer. Sometimes it could be more beneficial that they know more the company into detail than for the company to know them through social media.

L'Oreal's Business Model

L’Oreal to me represents both the passion that I have for marketing and the love that I have for the beauty industry. I believe that every woman is beautiful in a unique way and beauty products enhance that already existing beauty. Searching for the need of your market segment is key and being able to meet those needs with excellent beauty products is success for a marketer. As a twenty two year old woman I had always been interested in make-up and beauty products but always believed that in order to look flawless, I had to have a personal beauty assistant. Two years ago I began to find YouTube videos in which beauty artists taught step by step how to do your make-up and hair. These artists reviewed beauty products and recommend their favorite products. I learned how to do my own make-up and hair and suddenly fell in love with the beauty world. I believe the beauty industry helps supplement that sense of security of looking good and feeling confident. And I personally believe that L’Oreal compliments their products with excellent marketing to create for their customers an excellent and fun shopping experience.

L’Oreal is the world’s largest cosmetic and beauty company. This company concentrates on hair color, skin care, sun protection, make-up, perfumes and hair care. L’Oreal’s mission is to enable all individuals to express their personalities, gain self-confidence and open up to others. They do so by offering all women and men worldwide the best of cosmetics in terms of quality, efficacy and safety. They also thrive to meet the infinite diversity of beauty need all over the world by adopting their products to new markets or developing new products for them.

L’Oreal can be broken down into 5 main category brands

Luxury Products	Consumer Products	Professional Products	Active Cosmetics
Lancome	Garnier	L’Oreal Professionnel	Dermablend
Giorgio Armani Beauty	L’Oreal Paris	L’Oreal Technique	La Roche-Posay
Yves Saint Laurent Beaute	Maybelline NY	Kerastase	Roger&Gallet
Biothem	Softsheen-Carson	Matrix	SkinCeuticals
Kiehl’s	Essie	Mizani	Vichy
Ralph Lauren		Redken
Shu Uemura		Pureology
Cacharel		Shu Uemura Art of Hair
Helena Rubinstein
Clarisonic
Diesel
Viktor&Rolf
Maison Martin Margiela
Yue Sai
Urban Decay

The luxury product category offer customers top products and premium service in department stores, specialty stores, and power outlets.

For consumer products, L’Oreal has developed high technology products that are sold at competitive prices and distributed through mass-marketing retailing.

The professional portfolio of brands meets the requirements of hair salons and provides customers with a wide range of innovative products.

In the dermo-cosmetic category, products are sold in pharmacies and specialist retailers. This technology is supported by advice from pharmacists and dermatologists that provide product efficacy for its users.

As you can see, L’Oreal owns the most important brands in each one of their categories. Over the years they have focused on the acquisition of new brands to penetrate new markets. Through a diverse brand portfolio L’Oreal has been able to reach from the very young to the more mature and even men.

The three main segments that are most interesting to me are young women, mature women, and hair professionals.

Young Women:

This segment is composed of women between the ages of 17 to 24. L’Oreal seeks to provide affordable quality make-up, hair products, and skin care through channels of distribution such as Wal-Mart, CVS, and Walgreens. In the make-up category, L’Oreal uses brand such as Maybelline to give teens and young adults the opportunity to have quality products that are comparable to department store brands but that are more affordable and wearable on an everyday basis. In the hair products category, with brands such as Garnier, L’Oreal provides convenience for young women who might not have the disposable income to spend money on a salon makeover, but who enjoy maintaining their hair healthy and up to date with color trends.

Hair Product Professionals:

This segment is made up by professionals in the hair products category, who work in a salon or who are currently going through cosmetology school. L’Oreal’s value proposition for this segment is to help beauty professionals grow by using their professional brands to continue to educate themselves and obtain the edge that would set them apart from the rest. This proposition is supported by the numerous classes and workshops that are offered to these professionals. At beauty schools they are taught the basics but it is their own responsibility to continue to evolve and learn new trends. These interactions with the brand allow the professional to develop their skills and provide a new offering for their clients. A better understanding of the product then turns into a regular usage of L’Oreal professional products and higher consumptions for the professional’s client.

Mature Women:

This segment is composed of women ranging from 35 years of age and older. This group is going through a transition from a young phase to a more mature phase. In this transition they seek to maintain the freshness of their skin and the youthfulness of their hair. L’Oreal’s value proposition for this group is to provide skin cleansers, moisturizers, and anti-aging products with professional quality ingredients. These products give women at-home anti-aging alternatives that are affordable and accessible at any time. Likewise, with brands such as L’Oreal Paris, L’Oreal offers to maintain the healthiness of these women’s hair by bringing their shine back and improving their appearance through beautiful and lasting hair colors.

These three market segments are of interest to me because when I think about them I can see my mother and I. We are both different in age but we both value personal appearance although our needs are different due to age. It is astonishing to me the high level technology that L’Oreal has developed over the years to satisfy these needs not only over age segments but over different country markets. L’Oreal is not only a company seeking to satisfy different tastes in beauty through colors and scents, but a company who is continually innovating to create the latest technology and remain a beauty icon for the future.

Sources:

L'Oreal/Brands: http://www.lorealusa.com/_en/_us/

L'Oreal/ Mission:http://www.lorealusa.com/_en/_us/html/our-company/mission.aspx?

Who am I?

Essentials of my life 

What I can’t live without:

God- Growing up I was raised with Christian values but coming to UT has allowed me to explore my faith and grow in a closer relationship with God. My faith is an important part of my life because it directs me in times of need and also guides me in my decision making.

Family-My family is very important to me, my family is composed of my dad, mom, and two sisters. I love my family and the bond we share. We maintain a good relationship in which we respect, love and support each other at all times. I have great communication with my parents and an amazing relationship with my sisters.

Culture-I was born in Ecuador but moved to the U.S as a teenager. I love my Ecuadorian culture and my Latin roots. I always enjoy eating a latin dish or attending for example, a Colombian festival. Through this, I get to learn about other nationalities, their people, their food and their music. 

Dance- Dance is my favorite hobby. I learned how to dance Salsa when I was 9 and since then have been in love with dancing. I can dance almost every Latin genre , hip hop, jazz and contemporary. In high school I was part of my high school’s dance team and in college I joined the Colombian Folkloric Ballet. Although I am not currently in a dance team, I enjoy attending Zumba classes and social dancing.

Things I care about:

School/ Carrer: I want to one day own my own business and for this reason improving myself professionally is important to me. I try to maintain high grades in my classes and also stay involved in outside organizations. I will graduate in December and hope to start my career in branding but in the long run expand to other areas of a business.

Exercise: Physical activity was not something that was encouraged in my life growing up. The first time I became physically active was when I joined dance in high school. Since then exercising has become important to me due to its benefits; a healthier body and a healthier mind. I feel more energized and often have a positive attitude when I work out. I used to also have a very weak immune system during my teenage years but with exercise my immune system has become stronger.

Fashion- I believe that the inside of a person; their views, feelings, and personalities matter the most. I also believe that your personal appearance says something about yourself. I enjoy dressing up and also keeping up with current fashion trends. I do not support materialism but instead feel like taking care of yourself can boost your confidence and also help you feel more comfortable in your own skin. It is just a matter of finding your own style!

My Digital Ecosystem

Blogs& Forums- I use blogs to stay informed about topics that are interesting to me such as fitness, beauty and entertainment. In here, I am able to find advice from normal people who do not get paid to advertise a product but rather offer sincere tips or recommend good products.

Twitter & Facebook- I used to have a Twitter account but I felt like you had to update almost every half an hour to stay active. Also I felt like people put too much of their personal lives on social media. I like to keep my private life away from social media so I chose to deactivate it. I do use Facebook but I use it mostly to stay connected with old friends and family abroad. I also use it for easier communication with group members for school projects

Web Search- Google is the main search engine that I use. I mostly use this medium to find information about topics that I might not understand or need further information on. I also use it to find shortcuts to other websites because I usually do not memorize exact addresses. When it comes to web surfing, most of the webpages that I visit during the week are school related. In the weekend, I use it for online shopping and for entertainment ( movies, music videos, etc)

My Typical Weekday 

If I had to divide my day I would divide it in three sections. In the morning is when I do my homework, my readings, I check the news, and social media. In the middle of the day I go to class and meetings. Lastly, in the afternoon, I cook and do homework, workout, and watch TV. The two periods during the day where I usually obtain the most information is in the morning and after class. My first class begins at 12:30 so I usually use my mornings to do readings for classes and to update myself on the news. Most of my information comes from local news channels and at times from the actual news websites. I usually engage in this activity early in the morning because it is  when I have the most free time and also because it is when news reporting seems to be the most professional and credible. In the afternoon, if I am free, I usually use my time to exercise, cook and watch movies and TV. I do so because my favorite shows are usually on at night and I also feel like most of my responsibilities are done for the day and tend to be more relaxed. 

The Journey of Transforming a Dream into a Career

When Maria was young she did not have a clear mind of what she wanted to do when she grew up. She loved helping people and she knew that she was going to make a big impact in this world. She did not know how or when but she had faith in herself and in her capabilities.

There were three main influences in her life, her move the U.S, her parents, and her love for people. Maria was brought to the United States at the age of 12. It was a difficult journey being removed from her friends, her family, and her native country. Although she felt like this was a big challenge, she found an opportunity which was to become a professional and the first college graduate in her family. Her parents worked very hard to provide a living for her and her two sisters. Her father went from being the owner of a successful distributing company in Mexico to driving 18 wheelers in Texas. Her mother on the other hand switched her social and comfortable life to become part time cleaning staff and part time babysitter. They both worked very hard and long hours to support and provide for their daughters.

This scenario made Maria to push herself to become the best in everything she did. In one year she learned English and was rapidly moved to regular and even AP classes. She graduated with honors in high school and was involved in the schools dance drill team, where she held a leadership role. Growing up she was always a caring and loving person. People came to her to ask her for advice and she was always willing to help and love those needed it.

When Maria graduated from high school her hardest decision was not what school she would go but instead what major she would choose. She always knew she wanted to go to college but she did not know what to major in. Maria asked herself what major fits the best with the qualities that I currently have? and what I would like to do?. She chose to become a psychology major at the University of Houston. Due to the large amount of students who had entered the university that semester, Maria did not get to take her first psychology class that semester.

Maria was never very comfortable being the center of attention, because she thought of herself as being and introvert and instead enjoyed calm situations. She wanted to help her parents financially, so she got a job through a friend as a Sales and Marketing Associate at a cell phone store. Maria was nervous at having to sell stuff to people but as time went on she became more comfortable and began to love the job. She loved the fact that people came to her with needs and she was able to help them make the best choice possible. She created lasting and trusting relationships with her clients and they cared for her.

At this point Maria learned about the Restaurant and Hotel Management program at the Hilton College in her school. It was the second best program for hospitality in the U.S and it possessed the best faculty available for this program. Maria loved traveling and different cultures, she saw herself traveling the world and having an international job. She then became convinced that she could still serve people, become a business woman, and help her clients. Maria then, for the second time in her career, changed her major now to Hotel and Restaurant Management with a minor in tourism.

In order to become part of the program Maria had to not only take classes but also work in the hospitality industry. Her job at the cellphone store had become too stressful due to the long hours and all the time it took away from her studying time. Through a friend she found out about an opening at Chick-fil-A for a position as a cashier. Maria wanted to learn more about running a restaurant or a hotel and this was a great opportunity for her. She was at first skeptical about the job, but as time passed she fell in love with the culture of the company and the people. Working as a cashier was not easy, she had to work shifts of 8 to 10 hours while standing. There were days where she would get home and her feet could no longer stand the pain. She was taking 15 credit hours while handling a job that although she loved, was very exhausting physically. 

Maria liked working at Chick-fil-A because she got to meet new people every day. Sometimes she even had customers come tell her that because of her great service their day was made. They were very flexible with her schedule which allowed her to have a good school and job balance.  Her managers cared for her, her professional growth, and her education. She did not have to work Sundays which allowed her to spend time with her family and recover from the hectic week. She felt like she had chosen the right career and had the goal of one day owning a resort of her own. But things rapidly changed for her. She had to find a new job because the second part of her undergraduate could not be completed if she did not gain experience in another area of hospitality. She was very sad about leaving her job but at the same time excited at what she would learn at her new job.

Maria then found a job as a hostess at an elegant Italian restaurant near her area. Maria’s goal was to become a waitress at the restaurant but because of her lack of experience she had to first become a hostess and then train to become a waitress. She trained for a month, but this was not what she expected. Her managers were not very understanding of her obligations at school and would sometimes have her work 30 hours per week. She was also taking 5 classes at school and this became overwhelming and stressful for her. When she began working with the restaurant they told her that there were certain days that she could not take off. Those days were all holidays ranging from Christmas to Mother’s day. Because of the elegance and because of how expensive the restaurant was, only high income clients visited the venue. The people were not very nice; instead, they were arrogant and careless about the waiters.

Maria rapidly lost interest over this career. At school she could no longer stay engaged in class because she felt like she could learn everything she was learning by working in a hotel or restaurant for 6 months. She thought about the future and the life style that she would have if she stayed in the hospitality industry. She wanted to one day be a mother and a wife and she did not feel like this lifestyle fit the desires that she had in mind for her family. She would be working for most of the special moments such as father’s day and Easter.

Maria went through a mild depression because the career that she thought she wanted no longer motivated her. She was lost and did not know what to do with her life. After serious consideration of her choices, Maria decided to look at the future and work backwards. Maria decided that her love for people had not vanished. She set a dream for herself, she would one day establish her own social entrepreneurial organization. This would not be house of charity but instead a sustainable business that would educate children and help their families out of poverty. 

For the last time she changed her major to Marketing with a minor in International Business. Maria now enjoys her classes and is grateful for the new and amazing knowledge that her faculty pours into her. She is passionate about her what she learns and her major. She does not want to start her organization right out of college, but instead wants to go into the private sector and gain business experience. By being part of the business school and by having numerous jobs and internships, Maria has developed professionally. Maria is still an introvert but she is now more confident in where she is and where she wants to get. She has learned that in order to move up and accomplish her dreams she needs to reach out, meet people and extend her network. She has an offer waiting for her after graduation this December from a fortune 500 company. Maria has an end goal and a starting point already set out but the journey in between is still waiting to be written. 

Maria's Journey Map

A World of Opportunities ( Empathy Map)

His name is Rafael; he is 28 years old born in the Dominican Republic but currently resides in Manhattan, New York. Rafael majored in Finance and graduate last year from a university in New York. He is the manager of one of the most prestigious restaurants in the city. He enjoys his job and learning how to manage people and a business.

For Rafael what counts the most is his family, friends, and the relationships he has with them. He is ambitious but in a good way. He strives to become a better person every day and believes self- improvement is something that he will be working on for the rest of his life. It is almost a never ending passion for him.

Rafael does not have many preoccupations. He is a very positive person and has a positive attitude for everything that he encounters. He believes in himself and has faith that whatever he sets his mind to, he will accomplish. If there is one thing that he occasionally worries about is the future of his brother. He lives with his mother and his 18 year old brother. He believes he has a drive to find a future for himself but he does not see the same goals in his brother’s plans. He worries about his brother’s future after his mother can no longer support him.

In the job that he currently holds he aspires to learn skills that will serve him for the rest of his life. He wants to learn how to lead people and to run a successful business. One day he wants to own his own business and gain financial freedom. He enjoys his job for now but has bigger plans for his career. On the personal side, he aspires to one day form a family, a loving and understanding family. He also wants to have the resources to provide for them and to protect them.

In the environment that he lives in, he sees a fast paced group of individuals. He sees two worlds and two cultures on an everyday basis. In the neighborhood that he lives in, he interacts with his Dominican friends and family. In his work environment, he sees a melting pot of people, all from different cultures but with one goal in mind making money and moving up. Having an exposure to so many cultures has helped him to interact well with people with different backgrounds and to be able to understand them better. In his social life, he has friends of all types; he is very friendly and enjoys meeting new people. He does not have a lot of intimate friends but those that he does are individuals that are seeking to find a better future for themselves just like he is.

Rafael is an extrovert; he enjoys being the center of attention and the life of the party. Nevertheless, he is not always like that, he sometimes enjoys having quiet moments and being by himself. When he is new to a situation he is quiet, not because he is shy, but because he likes to analyze the situation he is in. Once he feels comfortable, he tends to open up and becomes more social. Appearance is important to him not only based on the way he dresses but also the way he communicates with his body language. He enjoys dressing well for work and on an everyday basis. He does not have a favorite style but enjoys trying out new and different styles. Throughout the years he has become more confident and that shows in his non-verbal communication. He has improved his posture and has become more confident in his handshakes and eye contact.

Rafael does not have many fears; with every experience he has lived he has learned to be brave for himself and his family. The only fear he has is not being able to live the life he wants and not being able to accomplish his dreams. His major pain is seeing his mother worried and stressed out. She is a mother and a father to her two sons, so she has had to work hard to raise them well and support them.

Rafael does not measure success in the number of times he has failed or succeeded but instead, he measures what he has learned from those experiences. He believes that everything happens for a reason and that every situation in his life has served him to become the person he is today. He does not see obstacles but rather challenges that he must overcome.