Response to Ariana's Post

Flash Mobs

I think that flash mobs are a good marketing technique as long as they are not overused.  As Ariana stated, this technique attracts a lot of attention.  Also, it's pretty refreshing entertainment that will be circulated as people record it on their cell phones and post it to YouTube or Facebook.  However, I have a mild concern that flash mobs could be overused to the point where people begin to treat them as a nuisance, like commercials.  This would counteract the best aspect of the flash mob technique - its innovative attention-grabbing.  

Customer Service as Marketing Technique?

I stumbled upon an article from Forbes about the concept of customer service as the new marketing field.  I definitely agree with this.  With the internet and social media rapidly expanding, companies must now, more than ever, impress every single customer they provide a good or service to.  On the internet, you can easily search a particular product, read reviews about the product, and make a buying decision based on what other people are saying about the product.  Whenever I consider making a substantial purchase, I consult the  internet to properly judge if I am paying for a quality product.  Also, a company's reputation is highly dependent on both the quality of it's product/service and the company's other decisions that involve ethics or the environment.  One mistake can end up splattered all over Facebook, and suddenly a huge portion of your customer base is lost.  Marketers need to be a part of every step of the product development, because the product's own quality will help to market itself on the internet.

Link to article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2011/12/28/why-customer-service-is-the-new-marketing/