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.

Ch. 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Samsung participates in multiple forms of advertising: institutional advertising, product advertising, and pioneering advertising. It is a group effort between Samsung, the manufacturer of the product, the participating retail stores and phone providers, and marketing firms to reach the general public to educate them about the possibilities of the products being sold. Samsung themselves often participate in institutional advertising, ensuring that their company name is held in high regard and their product reputation precedes them. Participating retailers that sell cell phones and phone accessories often use product marketing to target customer specifically to come and buy their products, rather than employing a marketing strategy that will ensure their company's reputation (as Samsung does through institutional advertising.
The final and third method of advertising Samsung utilizes is pioneering advertising. The Samsung Galaxy S7 was the first mobile device released with virtual reality software that isn't cumbersome because of long wires and bulky technology that often comes as a consequence of buying the in home, non-mobile version of the virtual reality software. It is left in the hands of the marketers that Samsung hires to make the general public aware of the virtual reality function and its convenience.

Ch. 14 - Marketing Channels and Retailing

Samsung Galaxy phones are sold in a specialty stores, in regards to their retailing stores. This is because Samsung Galaxy phones are encompassed by a more narrow or specific product or type of product that can usually be purchased in retailing outlets that sell cell phones and other cell phone accessories. Samsung also participates in online retailing through participating providers of cell phone service such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verison, Sprint, and so on. Customers can purchase a phone through their mobile service provider and have it shipped to their house or customers can order online and pick it up in the store.
Due to the nature of the cell phone industry and technology, a sub culture of used goods retailers has sprouted throughout the world. It is common to sell or exchange an old technological product for a new one. Many outlets or store will allow you to trade in an old phone. They will repair them, or pay for them to be repaired, and then resell them for a lower and more affordable price by to customers. Even most mobile providers offer refurbished phones as an alternative to paying full price, which can accumulate to over $600 per phone.

Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making

In order to properly introduce their product to the world, Samsung has showerooms all over the world giving consumers an opportunity to pick the product up, use a limited version of its functions, and see all the different kinds of phones available for purchase. Although it is often necessary to set up a cell phone plan in store, that does not mean we must use a phone directly purchase from a Samsung store to have it activated and to be used. Many consumers will shop around at the Samsung store to get an idea of the phone they would like but they purchase fromi online vendors or local venders that sometimes sell used phoned for a much smaller amount of money rather than the $699.99 the Samsung store will charge you for a new phone.

Ch. 5 - Developing a Global Vision

Samsung is most certainly a multinational company. With its head quarters in South Korea, they have over 270,000 employees in over 36 countries. They are required to follow the import and export laws of each country they reside. Internationally, Samsung Galaxy phones are considered the most available and desired. Compared to the 80,000 people that work for iApple everywhere, Samsungs reach has extended way beyond that what it once was 10 years ago with a mere 70,000 employees, mainly regionally located in Korea. Without Samsung's knowledge of individual/international markets, they thrive under the satellite offices based on hiring of the local community where that may be.
Samsung is one of the only cellphone manufacturers today that don't yet apply contract manufacturing to their company standard. Samsung manufacturing factories are located in Korea, where the in house labor is still considered an underpaid job. Many phone companies like Apple and Verison outsource the manufacturing of their product overseas to reduce their production cost. These kinds of decisions can often discredit a company from moving American jobs overseas and can cost companies their customers. With Samsung's home base in Korea, although they have inquired into the possibility of out sourcing to places like India or Bangladesh, they remain the sole manufacturers of their product today.

Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Samsung will often release a new phone targeting a specific demographic.  For instance, they produced the galaxy S5 to cover many types of consumers to attract new customers and to keep the current remaining faithful. In 2014 when Samsung released their galaxy S5 smart phone, they were trying to target office workers that used their phones for business so they extended the battery life to 17 hours of talk time as opposed to iphone's 10.5 hours. They also targeted camera users as work and use of the camera were, at the time, the most common uses for smartphones. They upgraded their camera to add a clearer image and installed features such as 360 picture capabilities to entice their photographic customers and lore in new ones.
The demographic for Samsung changes yearly depending on what is currently "trending" and/or necessary for users. At this point, they claim they have a phone for people of every demographic with many different user needs. The galaxy S7 phone has the capability of being plugged into "Oculus", a virtual reality video game console. This release was specifically designed to impress the ever growing gaming community within our country.

Ch. 18- Social Media and Marketing

Social Media: 

Social Media monitoring 

Social Media Marketing is definded in "The Principles of Marketing" by Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel as: the process of identifying and assessing what is being said about a company, individual products, or brands. In 2012 when the apply iphone 5 was released, Samsung was ready and waiting for it. They used social media monitoring to keep track of all of the complaints that were spreading quickly across the country and used those reviews to improve functions like battery life, screen resolution, and audio sound quality to please the customer. Rather than monitoring their own status in the public eye's opinion, Samsung used social media monitoring to learn from the mistakes of their competitors and to hopefully come out on the top.

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Samsung: The Galaxy S7 smartphone

"Market Development"

Market development is defined by the "Principles of Marketing" by Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel as: a marketing strategy that entails attracting new customers to existing products. One of these strategies employed by Samsung is develping new features like more RAM and processing power when they upgraded from the S4 to the S5. Another added feature Samsung has begun is the offer to pay the customer's current cancellation plan to encourage them to switch to Android. This tactic has been adopted and used by many other phone companies to maintain competitiveness.

Ch. 1 - Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

A GALAXY OF POSSIBILITY

A Brief history:

From its inception as a small export business in Taegu, Korea, Samsung has grown to become one of the world's leading electronics companies, specializing in digital appliances and media, semiconductors, memory, and system integration. Today Samsung's innovative and top quality products and processes are world recognized. This timeline captures the major milestones in Samsung's history, showing how the company expanded its product lines and reach, grew its revenue and market share, and has followed its mission of making life better for consumers around the world.

On March 1, 1938, founding chairman Byung-Chull Lee started a business in Taegu, Korea, with 30,000 won.At the start, his business focused primarily on trade export, selling dried Korean fish, vegetables, and fruit to Manchuria and Beijing. In little more than a decade, Samsung-which means "three stars" in Korean-would have its own flour mills and confectionery machines, its own manufacturing and sales operations, and ultimately evolve to become the modern global corporation that still bears the same name today.