The obvious first thing that we discussed was the bowling tournament, which is Saturday. We did not get as many teams to come out and play compared to last year. This is a big problem since we will have to have more fundraisers to collect the money to make it to competition! Bichard said that she did not want to have to make anyone pay out of pocket. Which means that Saturday will be interesting and I hope that we can make money in the silent auction!
Secondary insight was the first team to present their week’s findings. They looked into the effectiveness of interactive advertisements and purchasing through mobile channels. They also discussed the importance for brand awareness for Mary Kay since they are known as “your grandma’s makeup”. They talked about how they have narrowed down their target segments to three, but they are also very similar to each other and still different at the same time. I know they are trying to figure these groups out before Thanksgiving break! Good luck team! It sounds like a very difficult task.
For our group, primary research, we discussed the things that have been said in our focus groups. At this point, we have had three focus groups and they have been very insightful. Each one of them does have a similar opinion, which means we are on the right track, but also have different things to say that stick out. Some key words they have mentioned have really sparked some thought into the teams. Two of our members went to a Mary Kay facial party and listened to what they were saying, which also helped us get into the minds of consumers. We also interviewed several IBCs and looked over their responses to get a better understand of the company and why people who for them, what does best, etc. During the week, our group split up the survey and looked over specific questions to what we thought was important to know from them. The questions I had would be best to related to presentation of the product and I gave some, from what I believe, great insights that would help with the book next semester!
The first ideation team was working on narrowing down their ideas for what the team liked. They wanted to know what they should focus on to work out the fine details. They threw out seventeen different ideas! They would say the name, a brief explanation, and then we would raise our hands if we liked the idea or not. Stephanie said she was a little worried that we could like everything, but was happy that the team was being a cutthroat and honest. I’m glad that we can all be constructive with our criticism because I believe that is a good quality for people to have. Everyone has different opinions and we can still respect them even if we do not like them.
The second ideation team decided to go a different route than the first team. Bichard pointed out that the two teams are really going in two different directions, which means that we will have AMAZING ideas for when we are planning creative. Lucky for me, that is my favorite part! This team focused on beauty products and looked into social media messages. I do believe that social media is a truly expanding medium that companies are looking for. I have spoken to several agencies and they said that they do not understand all of social media, how to manage them, etc. This team also focused on social media and what could be done with Mary Kay.
At this point, both ideation teams cannot truly come up with a specific plan because we have not done and organized all the research. Our last focus group was Thursday so we have everything, now it’s just time to interpret what everything means. That’s the hard part, in my opinion. I feel like we are gong to have so much information that we are not going to know what is important and what we need to know right away.
The bowling tournament is tomorrow! We are meeting tonight to put together the silent auction baskets at Molly’s apartment. I’m not quite sure what all we have to give away so that will be interesting. I cannot wait to see how much the Kliff signed footballs will go for! I’ll keep you posted!
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About Olivia Utley
