Ch. 12-Services and Nonprofit Organization Marketing

The core service of Samsung's Galaxy smartphone is connectivity:
1. To be connected and available via phone or text
2. To be connected to the internet and/or any social media, emails, games, and apps

It is an odd occurrence when you meet someone who doesn't own a cell phone, isn't it? We live in a world that is governed by technology. In my opinion, it would be very difficult to exist in the year of 2016/2017 without some sort of smart phone or mobile device. We live in the day and age of "being available" or "staying connected". Technology and staying connected has become our way of life and Samsung has certainly taken advantage to try to stay ahead of the game.

There are many supplementary services that Samsung offers to remain competitive in such a technologically advanced world. Competition is fierce in the mobile device industry because how can you offer something other than text messages, mobile minutes to talk to people, internet services, and games? These are all examples of supplementary services, yet most providers offer these services as a part of their contract (meaning you no longer have to pay "extra" for these services; they are included). A very unique supplementary service from the Samsung Galaxy line is their VR headset.

VR stands for virtual reality. Samsung is the first, and still only, phone that can be integrated with a virtual reality headset that is interactive.

Virtual reality is projected to be our future, yet we're only just beginning to breech the unknown world. Samsung has certainly taken it upon themselves to be a part of our future and if you ask me, I know they'll be around when our children are having children. Simply because of their commitment towards a future full of technological wonder, which we all know is Samsung's core goal.

Ch. 11- Developing and Managing Products

Samsung releases a new and upgraded version of it's Galaxy smartphones once a year. The Samsung Galaxy maturity stage is in between 10 to 12 months after a new Galaxy model is released. Once a new model is released, consumers are loured with the promise of "longer battery lives" and "more capacity". This is usually the start of the decline stage of a previous, "lesser equip" version from the past. Although most of the initial versions of the Samsung galaxy have been pulled from the market, they are still available for purchase through unrelated retail stores.

Ch. 8 - Segmenting and Targeting Markets

Samsung began targeting the youth market more aggressively with their recently released Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smart phone. Samsung did research on what teenagers and young adults are interested in most when purchasing (or having their parents purchase) a mobile device. Through their research, Samsung found the main driver of the purchase of mobile handsets is their ability to interact with other devices. Hence why Samsung has pioneered and introduced, the VR (virtual reality) mobile attachment that you can conveniently plug your phone into and enjoy anywhere. Although virtual reality is in its initial days, almost a public beta test phase, Samsung and many other competitive technological brands are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into expanding virtual reality into the new Play Station or X-box.

Ch. 15- Marketing Communications

Samsung employs multiple methods of paid media for their Galaxy smart phone series, such as television commercials, billboards, radio ads, etc. I believe in this case that these forms of paid media allow earned media to take route and blossom. Earned media, word of mouth or opinions via social networks, is the result of social awareness. Samsung also participates in owned media as per their website, presence on social media, and blogs. By utilizing owned media Samsung is able to create more brand awareness and optimize their search engine results, a process known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Of course, these methods of advertising are the product of the technological advances that brought us not only the internet but the world as we know it.

An oddity of a post...

My marketing professor (ironically) inspired this poem while consoling the class about impending Mr. Trump...I hope it allows you a bit of comfort:

The way is thick, it clogs our eyes
It moves the ground and aches our thighs.

The words are stuck inside our throats,
Not a sound emits: peep...squeak...or croak.

The way seems thick, we wipe our eyes
The ground barely shakes as we weed through the lies.

Is this the way that we've become?
Where we cross our "T"s and cut off our thumbs?

The path ahead is always unclear, while the road from the past is shrouded in fear.

There is no future if we look to the past,
The key is only to remember...not in memory to amass.

The fact is we've survived much worse,
And the voice of our beliefs and our children will traverse.

Ch. 10 - Product Concepts

In the world of Samsung there exists many product lines. These product lines range from TV's, LCD and LED panels, semiconductors (memory chips), cameras, and finally mobile phones. Samsung's current mobile phone product line is called the Galaxy S series which is also inclusive of the Galaxy tablet series (in competition with Apple's iPad) and the Galaxy note series (which is a mobile phone combined with a tablet). By using product lines, Samsung is able to conveniently group certain products into accessible categories. There are 18 versions of the Samsung Galaxy S smartphone alone, which overwhelms one when presented with the knowledge that there are six previous versions of the Samsung Galaxy smartphone. Some of which include the Samsung Galaxy A, Galaxy C, Galaxy E, and Galaxy J. It would be nearly impossible to catalog the amount of the above mentioned products without designating product lines. In this regard product lines are like library catalogs: designed to organize, be accessible, and convenient for those searching to differentiate between all other information (or in Samsung's case: products). 

Ch. 17 - Personal Selling and Sales Management

Samsung does not need to employ personal selling to sell their Galaxy smart phones because of the lack of variety in regards to the manufacturers of phones and the service providers of mobile service available. As per Fortune 500's list of companies, these are the top 5 cell phone providers in the country:
1. Verizon
2. AT&T
3. T-Mobile
4. Sprint Corp
5. U.S. Cellular
Of the top 5 mobile device manufacturers in the world, 3 of which are the most popular brands to buy in the US are:
1. Samsung
2. Apple
3. Microsoft
The above mentioned three manufacturer's are also the most highly available in the US market as well, attributing to their global dominance of the mobile market.
Although I believe there is no one that would claim a mobile phone is inexpensive or cheap, they are still uncommonly considered a product that requires personal selling, a case in which the seller tries to establish a relationship with the buyer to gauge what they need and how it can be achieved. Samsung accomplishes this through market research, social media presence, point-of-sale interactions, and customer reviews.
One could say that Samsung's CRM (customer relations management) is, in fact, their presence on social media as well as their customer service for already participating policy holders of their mobile plans through providers.