PROFESSOR: Come in!

BETTY: Professor Dundee? We’re ready to make our presentation.

PROFESSOR: Oh, yes. I did say one o’clock, didn’t I? Please, sit down. So, who goes first? Bruce? Or you, Betty?

BETTY: I guess I could. Bruce is always a little shy.

PROFESSOR: Not after he’s had a lager for lunch, eh Bruce? BRUCE: Heh, heh. No, Betty really should go first.

BETTY: OK. Well, I’m reporting on the effects of different marketing strategies on the cheese and oil markets. Different strategies obviously affect the sales volume differently. I looked at the sales in two countries, New Zealand and Colombia.

PROFESSOR: And what did you find, pray tell?

BETTY: {[Well, in New Zealand, the sales of both oil and cheese have declined pretty steadily (Q1).][1]} And in fact, the sales have decreased more quickly than the population. {[On the other hand, in Colombia, the volume of sales for both products has remained the same. ][2]}(Q2)

PROFESSOR: Wait, so you said sales in New Zealand have been going down?

BETTY: Correct. Suppliers have introduced two new upscale brands of each product, which are a bit expensive but very tasty. The big ad agencies are trying out a new series of ads that shift the focus from health to great taste. They think that will get sales moving up in New Zealand, where the population is less affluent and generally less health-conscious.

PROFESSOR: Brilliant. Thank you. And Bruce?

BRUCE: Uhhh… yeah. My report is about chocolate sales in Italy and Germany. The two countries’ marketers have found out that you have to market chocolate differently in each country.

PROFESSOR: For example?

BRUCE: In Italy, “Kostig”, the most expensive brand, pays shop owners to put the candy just about knee-high for an adult.

PROFESSOR: I don’t see…

BRUCE: For little kids, that’s about eye level! That bright red candy is the first one they see, so they buy it! Even better, they start telling their moms to buy it, too!

PROFESSOR: So, you mean…

BRUCE: {[Well, I mean, in Italy if you locate your product at the right location of shelves, sales do great (Q3). ][3]}They say it doesn’t matter much what brand of chocolate you’re selling. As for Germany…

PROFESSOR: “Das Land der Schokolade”.

BRUCE: Huh?

PROFESSOR: That’s German. It means “The Land of Chocolate”. Germans love the stuff, so people make a joke and call Germany that.

BRUCE: Oh… uh, right…

PROFESSOR: So, you were saying?

BRUCE: Well, like you pointed out, Germans love chocolate. But they’re thrifty.{[ For a long time, the biggest selling brand was “Schmutzig”, mostly because it was the second cheapest, but didn’t taste too bad. ][4]}(Q4)

PROFESSOR: Again brilliant! A pretty good job, both of you. Tell me, what do you plan to investigate next week?

BETTY: {[I’m especially interested in the effects of colour (Q5) on sales of products,][5]} so I’ll be looking at ads for cosmetics and cleaning products in the local market. {[You know, like the distinct orange colour of Mr. Muscle, lavatory cleaning products. ][6]}(Q6)

BRUCE: And you, Bruce?

{[I’m focusing on the effects of different containers (Q7) on sales of cookies. ][7]}{[So I’m going to look into packaging for cookies and how the materials (Q8) ][8]}{[they use will affect the image (Q9), and in turn sales.][9]} You know, most containers are paper, but some expensive cookies come in metal boxes. The shiny metal boxes catch people’s attention and the image remains in the memory longer.

PROFESSOR: Well, it sounds like you two are all set. {[But as always in this course, I urge you both to pay much more attention to the advertisement (Q10) extensions.][10]} That’s often the key. Alright, any questions for me before you go.

BRUCE: No, I think I’m all set. Thanks!

Me too. Thanks, Professor Dundee. See you later.

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