In response to Liz's Blog: Retail Vs. Wholesale

Do you think it is essentially easier to a buyer to go right to the producer, or although it may be at a higher cost, is it less of a hassle to go through retailers and wholesalers?

This may be easier for the customer to do but it also depends on the customer. If a customer wants a more direct route and they are independent in this decision it is safe to say that a customer should be able to take this action in order to make a purchase. On the other hand there are customers that don’t feel safe and secure in doing this. For those customers who want this security that option should be given. In other words both options should be given to customer’s based on their tastes, life choices, and what would be less annoying and most convient for them. Its hard to say which would be better but both avenues should be given to all customers which would make customer’s the most happy. The more choices there are the better off customer’s and business’ will feel.

Poor marketing to employees not customers by Friendly's...

At Friendly's Ice Cream Corporation to revamp their image they instated a new marketing plan to make themselves seem as though they are a reinvented and a "hipper" company. Along with this new marketing plan they also added a theme song that they play at the restaurant on every hour as well as movie theatres. Among the song being annoying and extremely out of tune the method of their marketing of the theme song doesn't seem to be serving it's purpose. For example customers know what Friendly's is and if they are going there to eat they are already there and there is no point in wasting valuable time and money marketing to someone who is already there and knows who they are. So by marketing within the restaurant it is not marketing to new customers because customers are already there and they are just annoyiing the employees who also do not need to be marketed to because they already work for the company and know what is is all about. It would make sense to only play the song a few times a day not 12-16 times a day to annoy. Also advertising on billboards, the internet, on televison commercials but not in the restaurants.

Do you think its effective marketing to market inside the restaurant while customers and employees are already there? Do you think annoying people is an effective way to market a company?