Elliott's Blog Post #1: Four Brands

1) Sharpie
Because it is number one. I trust the brand, I know that when I buy a sharpie marker it is going to work well. It is because they only concentrate on writing tools and don't waste time trying to market other products in the stationary line. They know what they're good at and they stick to it.
(By looking at their product line you can see this http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Products/default.html)

Q1 - Sharpie's slogans are "Write out loud" and "Uncap what's inside."
It is superlative because I can't think of any other brand of marker that poses competition to it. It is the king of markers.
I believe it is important in the way that Sharpies are used throughout businesses and corporations across the globe. Sharpies are expected to work well and are the only option to most people when it comes to markers.
It is believable because it is tried and tested. We know who Sharpie is as a brand and we believe that they are the best markers around, and we believe that with a sharpie we will be able to uncap the creativity inside of us.
(As shown by the uncapped gallery http://www.sharpieuncapped.com/gallery.aspx)

Q2 - I don't think you could take out Sharpie's name and put in someone else's and have the same claim. Sharpie owes a lot of it's success to it's name. It has built it's reputation by being a name that is recognizable and dependable. To take away the name would be like starting over again.

Q3 - This varies with the sharpie commercials. In some the sharpie is the star, with the commercial concentrating on something being written with a sharpie. In others, such as the David Beckham ones, the star is definitely David Beckham. The sharpie is made to look great because even this celebrity wants one, but I still don't think it captures the limelight as intended.
(These commercials are here http://www.sharpie.com/enUS/Commercials/default.html)

2) Snapple
I don't really drink a lot of snapple, I just like it as a brand. I was won over by the television commercials and I like their style and the way they are comfortable using humor. You can see their commercials on their site here http://www.snapple.com/better-stuff.

Q1 - Snapple does have some competition. Tazo and Sobe are it's main competitors I believe. I do feel though that Tazo is aimed at an older age group who appreciate tea, Sobe is trying to become mainstream more by using celebrities as advertisement. So I think Snapple has found a nice groove in the market where it supplies for everyone else, us ordinary people who appreciate some good humor every once in a while.
It is important to tea drinkers that Snapple is using "the best stuff on earth". They expect great tea made from the finest ingredients, and that is what Snapple is advertising.
I don't know if it is 100% believable. Snapple relies a lot on humor and being quirky, so it is difficult to take everything they say seriously. Though in their commercials they do show the finest products being picked from nature, so the sense of believability is kind of there.

Q2 - I think you could probably take out the name Snapple and put in another brand like Tazo. Any company can claim that they are using the best stuff on earth to make their products. Though Snapple has built up a name for itself. People know Snapple for the mini facts inside the bottle caps and they expect that from the name.

Q3 - In the commercials, Snapple is definitely the star. It one ad it is carried through the work place as the employees are discussing it and the stuff that it is made from. A lot of the concentration goes on the "stuff", but it is the stuff that makes Snapple what it is.

3) Digiorno
I like Digiorno because they make great pizzas. I believe they are top of the frozen pizza world. When I am buying a pizza I will look at all of the offerings, sometimes lean towards going with one of the cheaper ones, but end up choosing Digiorno even though it is more expensive because I know that I will be more satisfied with the product.

Q1 - Is it superlative? Like I have said, I believe Digiorno is the best frozen pizza around. And I believe that a lot of it's success comes not from good advertising but from the fact that the quality of the product is very high, and customers remember when they had good pizza and will likely get the same one again.
Is it important? Their slogan is "It's not delivery, it's Digiorno." They pride themselves on being as good as delivery pizza but not as expensive. I believe a lot of people don't want to pay so much money for pizza but want delivery quality, so yes I believe it is important in the pizza world.
Is it believable? From experience, yes. Once you purchase it, you will have most likely not question their advertising.

Q2 - I believe that this is an ad that only Digiorno can make. You could take out their name and put in a pizza like tostinos, and people would try the pizza because of the advertising claim, but when they actually eat the pizza they will question the claim that it is as good as delivery pizza on account of tostinos pizza is not good and the epitome of frozen pizzas.

Q3 - Digiorno's commercials are very straight forward and effective. For example, http://brands.kraftfoods.com/digiorno/flash/mpgfiles/KRHU-8192.MPG.
It gets straight to the point and reveals their DSI. The pizza is the star of the commercial, and they do not rely on humor or other techniques to captivate the audience.

4) Amazon
I like Amazon.com because it is easy and efficient. If ever I want to buy something online, Amazon is where I go first. I like that their selections are large and range from electronics to books to clothes and music, and don't just specialize in one thing. I also like being able to sell products I own in an easy way without having to put too much thought into it.

Q1 - Is it superlative? There are a few competitors like overstock.com and some other specialty sites, but Amazon is still considered the best one out there, in terms of service and being able to find what you're looking for.
Is it important? It is very important for all kinds of people to be able to find what they need all in one place. It is convenient and makes our lives simpler.
Is it believable? There is very little in the way of books and music that you can't find on Amazon.com. Through people's experience it is believable that Amazon will deliver and through 'used sales' you can find it at a good price too.

Q2 - People have a lot of expectations for Amazon.com.They know what it can do and how to do it and how to get what they want and sell things successfully. To replace Amazon with another brand name would probably not work, as people's expectations would not be fulfilled as they are with Amazon.

Q3 - I rarely see commercials for Amazon.com. They are so successful that advertising seems unnecessary. They spread by word of mouth and through other websites referring people to purchase a product through them.