Replacing the 4 Ps of Marketing with the 5 Cs

One may question the four or five Ps of the marketing mix in past learning. You may ask yourself where the customer is in this marketing mix of old. The four Cs which have replaced and are above pictured in the MBER (Mutually Beneficial Exchange Relationship Model)show the relationship between producer and consumer. Consumer needs replaces product, because in the end it is the consumer that purchases the product to satisfy their need. By stating product we overlook what marketing is really about: the customer. Secondly, it should be intuitively obvious why we replace price with cost. We see price as what someone pays for a product, but cost becomes a more encompassing word, for there are other costs to consider beside monetary ones, i.e. opportunity costs to both the producer and consumer. Moving down the list of Cs, we axe the rather inferior P word, placement, and nominate convenience to take its place. I can only look at the computer I am typing on now and see a simple justification for why convenience is a far more appropriate word compared to old fashioned: placement. The day is rapidly approaching where a place will no longer be needed to buy a product. The internet is a huge convenience tool for any customer and gives many more options to fulfill their insatiable needs. Buying such and such at a physical location is becoming more and more a thing of the past. Finally, in our endeavor to explain why the Cs are superior to the Ps of the marketing mix, we present communication. The promotions of the days of yore show only a one way road of advertising to customers. However, in this there is lacking feedback from the consumer and two way communication is neglected. For producers to better satisfy the needs of the consumer, it is of utmost importance to have a meaningful two-way relationship with one another. Information interaction between these two parties will better help contribute to the end goal of establishing competitive advantages. Consumers are supplied with products and the producers establish a competitive advantage and this cycle continues. The true end goal of LOVE is accomplished.
This modified MBER model shows the producers producing a product on the left to meet the consumer need of the customer on the right. This is the customer’s benefit. But, when societal marketing is implemented, products are made for two-fold reasons. Not only are the customers important here, but the long term benefits to society as a whole and individuals are taken into account. This includes reusable, recyclable, and environmentally friendly products. This further helps the producer establish a competitive advantage through differentiation and shows the consumer consideration and care in the fulfillment of satisfying needs. This, my reader, is the new marketing mix of the MBER model and is a cycle that needs to be more realized by companies and organizations today.

Entrepreneurship Process: Soloshot

Read the following articles on the BD Soloshot (auto disposable, single use syringe)Soloshot Article
My write up involves application to the five steps of the social entrepreneurship process pertaining to the Soloshot syringe.

An entrepreneur will firstly be able to recognize an underlying issue to help envision a solution for the problem at hand. The social problem identified is a serious one, for it concerns the health of the human population. Every year there are about 12 billion injections given. In the underdeveloped countries 50% of them are considered unsafe. In these countries, needle reuse is a large problem and leads to increase risk of communicable disease, arising from the transfer of blood borne pathogens via repetitive use of the same syringe.

Moving onto the concept development, an entrepreneur will identify great social rewards in attempts to abrogate or at least lessen the spread of disease. The social reward will be: much healthier generations for the future in these developing countries, which may in turn prove to assist economic growth because there will be a greater number of able people to engage in productive activity to support infrastructure. This leads to a new product idea: the SoloShot. This product is an auto-disposable, one-time use syringe and the primary target markets are developing countries.

Next, we take a look into the resource determination. To produce such a life saving product, there needs to be financial requirements and also human resources. Resources for this product will include the WHO(World Health Organization) and also the Expanded Programme of Immunization. These organizations gather information and have sufficient data on which parts of developing countries are most affected by disease transfer. PATH will need to align a company for mass production of the auto syringe. Path, since they are a non-profit organization, needs to help other companies produce similar syringes to help promotion of competition to lower prices of the product itself. After all, the goal of the social entrepreneur firstly is to benefit society. The financial result is secondary and as Joseph Schumpeter said, is “a symptom of victory.” As far as start-up costs are concerned, PATH needs to receive donations, or take out a bank loan for its new product endeavors. Perhaps they can receive money from the sale of the product idea to other manufacturers. Along with the prior mentioned resources, needed are human logistics for the physical delivery and demonstration of this SoloShot product in developing countries.

The time has now come to plan the launch and expand. PATH will have to strategically launch the SoloShot in a country with a high concentration of disease transfers via syringe. Once launched in this one location, the product will need to be measured for progress. The WHO can then monitor the % of disease spread after the SoloShot has been implemented to examine whether or not there is improvement in the developing country. If successful, the SoloShot can be marketed to the other needy countries.

The setting of goals can inspire further innovativeness in other healthcare products. PATH should start by using numerical goals. I.e. Issue two million SoloShot immunizations by such and such a date. In addition, there needs to be a proper flow of supply and distribution of the SoloShot. This is a product that can be successful, but should be continuously spread not only to developing countries, but it can find new application in developed countries in hospitals. One goal could be to have new nursing students use the syringes in clinical settings during their education. This will be safer for inexperienced students. These opportunities are most vital to the health of an ever growing, over populated world where disease spread rates are extremely high. Hopefully the future is bright for health care innovation.

Review on Bose Companion 2 Series II Multimedia Speakers

I just received these a few days ago as gift from my girlfriend and I am quite impressed by the sound offered by these speakers. One of the first features you will notice are the angle of the speakers. They sit on a backwards slant with the front aimed at your ear, giving you a much more focused sound. When played at the right volume (not blasting loud) they sound very nice with a good base built in. If you turn them up too high, the base muffles the sound quality and the speakers give a static noise. The speakers are durably built, Bose quality and have a solid feel. Another great feature are the inputs. There are dual input for these speakers so you can hook them up to multiple sources. They go for around $99 and are surely worth it.

Review on Web of Trust Mozilla Firefox Add-on

If you are a Mozilla Firefox web browser user, this is one of those add-ons that is a must. With nearly eight million downloads, it is a quick and easy way to protect yourself from visiting potentially threatening sites. Web of Trust
The add-on rates each site you go to on four specific categories:trustworthiness, vendor reliability, privacy, and child safety. The icon will be located in the navigation toolbar and will show these categories with an overall safety rating. This is a good way to steer your way clear of any unsafe sites or sites that may plant malware onto your computer. Another neat feature involves Google. When you navigate to Google to make a search, you can type in your search and all of the results will now show you the WOT rating of the linked site. The following depiction gives a better feel for what it does.
Use this add-on for Firefox and it will bring more peace of mind to you while traveling through sites. With all of the malware/spyware out there today, this app could potentially save you from stumbling into a PC threatening virus.

Review for StarDock Object Dock Desktop

Today's youth consumer does not like the conformist lifestyle, even when it comes to their own desktops on their PCs. Though I am typically a Mac guy, I have been operating on a PC for the past year or so because my older iBook died. I, like many PC users do not enjoy the native user interface that comes with all laptops and desktops. I have used various programs such as Rocket Dock to create a menu bar that is similar to Apple's Dock. The software I have found most intuitive and easy to use is StarDock's ObjectDock Plus. You can download a free version or upgrade to a more featured Plus version. Stardock Object Dock This software allows you to place all of your icons into an easy to use dock tray that can be located on the top, bottom, left, or right of the screen. There are many ways to customize it and load different types of widgets. It is a creative, organized alternative to the regular old generic desktop interface. The icons can be interchanged and moved. Folder docks can be added to organize your many documents. There are many appearance and function options available with this software and I have found it to be fun. It gets rid of the clutter and makes using a PC a more enjoyable experience. Try the free version out and see what you think.

Review on Bose Triport Headphones

I had purchased these headphones about two years ago. Surprisingly, they have held up quite well. Many other reviews pan these headphones, claiming that they break and are not of durable quality. However, I have found them to wear well. One con to this set is that the cord that comes with it is about six feet long. As far as fidelity is concerned, I'd say the sound is slightly above average. The $139 price tag is a little overpriced compared with what the competition has to offer. Highs are very good, but if there is too much low end bass in the genre of music you listen to, the headphones may be a disappointment to you. I listen to classical music and symphonies, so they are perfect for those of you who like a lighter type of music. I recommend them if you can find a discount on them somewhere. For further information on this product you can visit the Bose website at the following link: Triport Headphones

CuraSight Contacts Survey (New Products Development)

This is a survey that I have composed last April using Qualtrics web based software. Please visit the following link to take this quick one minute survey about a new product concept that I have invented: CuraSight Contacts- vision correcting contacts. Thank you.Qualtrics Survey