Old Vs New Vehicle Models

CX5_850x400_black_mica_01
Recently my family and I have been looking into purchasing an affordable compact SUV. According to my dad, since the 2014 models are out now the 2013 models are most likely to drop in price. However, after I did some research online it is forecasted that the best time to purchase a car is during the winter when people are least likely to purchase a car therefore, causing a drop in the prices of vehicles. Regardless, we still pursued on purchasing a new vehicle. So we browsed online to see which vehicles were considered to be the top affordable compact SUV. I landed on the website the U.S. News Rankings and Reviews that listed the top 10 affordable compact SUVs of 2013. As a consumer, I personally focus more on the exterior appearance of the car before looking into the mechanical side of it. After looking through numerous vehicles, I finally set my eyes on the 2013 Mazda CX-5 which was ranked number 2 on the list. When I looked into the pros and cons of the vehicle I noticed that the engine on the 2013 model was lacking because it had a 2.0L engine which made it slightly under-powered as compared to the other compact SUV vehicles. Many consumer reviews that I have read have mentioned about the under-powered engine which made it a disadvantage. In class we learned about the use of the quality function deployment and based on the consumers wants the company will make the product accordingly. So when I looked into the 2014 model of the Mazda CX-5, I noticed that they changed their engine from a 2.0L to a 2.5L which is the standard engine on a Compact SUV. Therefore, Mazda has identified the customer’s wants and has made the adjustments onto the 2014 model. However, now that the 2014 model has came out the complaint from consumers is that the 5.8 inch touch panel screen is too small compared to other cars that has a 6-8 inch screen. I believe that the 2015 model of the Mazda CX-5 will have a larger screen panel in response to the consumers demand. As we have learned in class, as time progresses the company makes slight advancements and additions into each of the models and not all at once. First it is due to the consumers demand and second to keep the consumers wanting the most recent and updated technology. Therefore, allowing the company to generate a profit and to continue adding on to the existing product line.

Do you think companies leave out some specs or features on the product just so they can put it into the next model they come out with in order to generate profit in an existing product line?

Sources:
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Mazda_CX-5/

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-mazda-cx-5-photos-and-info-news

HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Marketing Campaigns

 

As everyone might or might not know, the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 launched in April and will be available for purchase by cell phone carriers soon. That being said, they are competing with one another head to head. Both phones are highly anticipated by the general public, and both HTC and Samsung had been doing a lot of marketing for their upcoming phones. HTC is known to have great products, but poorly executed advertising for their phones. On the other hand, Samsung is known for dumping large amounts of money to market their phones thus creating hype among people for their products. HTC recognizes their weakness and is making drastic changes to promote the HTC One.

For the launch of the HTC One, they will not only be focusing on traditional marketing. They will also be doing new media and viral marketing, and from that they will be relying on people’s positive word-of-mouth to help promote the phone. HTC is taking on the concept that Apple has in marketing their products, which is to allow customers to have a hands on experience with their products before buying it. To do so, HTC had set up 11 temporary retail stores in the malls of the United States to allow customers to go and test the phone out. In addition to that, HTC has set up “HTC Live Experience Tours” in populated tourist locations with boom box looking stands to emphasize that the HTC One speakers are Beats by Dre audio. Furthermore, HTC One will be advertising the phone in sites and apps for tech savvy people who are constantly on their phones and on the internet. But is this enough to compete with Samsung’s marketing campaign? I myself tried to get my hands on a HTC One by preordering it with T-Mobile, but it is already sold out. Does this show that HTC’s marketing campaign was a success?

Meanwhile, Samsung has set the standards high with the launching of the Galaxy S4 last month (March 2013). They have built up much hype for the S4 and people were eagerly waiting for its launch because its predecessor the Galaxy S3 was so successful. When it came time for the unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S4, they put on a theatrical show for the public that can be streamed live on YouTube. There were more than 423,000 viewers that were watching the event as Samsung showcased the long awaited phone at the New York’s Radio City Music Hall. However, after the unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S4, people thought that the phone did not live up to the hype. People thought there wasn’t a major product differentiation between the S3 and S4. That being said, do you think that consumers make their purchasing decision based on how the companies have promoted their product?

Sources:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/la-fi-tn-samsung-galaxy-s4-debuts-20130314,0,7829765.story

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/la-fi-tn-htc-viral-marketing-samsung-20130404,0,1529131.story