Social Listening: Pendleton

    What's the cloth?

    Pendleton Woolen Mills is a semi-popular clothing brand that advertises western style wear and western style design. they are a company that has been around 6 generations that originated in Pendleton Oregon.  

    Why this brand interests me, is... well I was looking for inspiration, while I was walking around my house, for what to write about. With no ideas flowing into my brain I start to get weary. Out of desperation I get on my knees, look up, and cry out "LORD GIVE ME GUIDANCE!!!" After my frustration was announced, I drop my head, and my cry was quickly answered. Low and behold a dirty Pendleton shirt I bought this last summer was laying on the ground covered in dirt. Quickly, Inspiration and motivation consume me as I begin to work. (None of this is true. I choose it because I was wearing one of their shirts when I started this post)

    

    Pendleton Is a company with a limited media presence but what's commented on their media outlets lets me know that generally people think that this company is high quality and iconic.

 One brand follower and and plant enthusiast says "I'll have one of each please" @sunnyplantlover in response to a clip showing off the whole store.

@finexcookware says "Classics for sure." In response to a flannel showcase. 

   Heritage and Tradition:

    Pendleton Woolen Mills is a company that prides itself on being old school when it comes to how they craft things. They are a high quality option for western style clothing and blankets with great designs. There mission is to create quality craftmanship, and connect generations. They value community and giving back.

    Although this brand is viewed favorably among people, it's seemingly mostly among the people who can afford it.  @erkgrza777 says a bit, in fact he's not to happy at what the cost is for these outfits. Luckily for me I got my shirts on a killer sale maybe he should do the same.

Another fan @woodchuck460 comments on a promotion Pendleton did with Stanley when they released a western style mug. Its's safe to say that although Stanley's proposition is high quality wear they're not perfect. 

@oakferncrafting responds to another special release of a mug promotion that Pendleton released with there brand complimenting them on a good job with the design.

What about it:

    Pendleton Woolen Mills is a company that is trying to sell you what high quality hand crafted iconic merchandise feels like. The posts they post on Instagram make it look minimalistic and yet gives an expensive and quality vibe about it. They showcase there shops, advertise Stanley's, and coffee related products. They 100% attempt to target and appeal to any women from young to old.

Marketing:

    Pendleton Mills is a company I would say is somewhat remarkable. They don't target a broad audience, although they attempt to. But they are a premium in a niche market. A lot of people who love western wear also really like Pendleton because of there high quality and iconic designs. They stay true to who they are and don't stray far off of what they sell. They don't try to be remarkable with what they do, they just are remarkable with how they do it. The marketing challenge that the brand faces is that it's not a brand that everyone wants. Not everyone wants western wear and not everyone has lots of money to spend on clothing. If they were to attempt to sell to those outside they're niche they would be meet with either decent success (for sure in Oregon because it's "local") or relative failure. They don't do a whole lot to influence their social media presence as it seems like their brands relies on mostly word to mouth for advertisement.

    Pendleton does respond a little bit to customers mostly for customer support questions they don't really give in to the demands or wish's of customers. They do sales promotions quite often that many customers are excited about because of how pricy the brand is.

    If I was the brand manager I would probably respond and upload a bit more often then how the company itself does it overall. It just seems a bit dry on how the company interacts with it's customers. Although they do upload quality posts showcasing their product.  

What was learned:

    Something I learned from this assignment is that really niche companies don't need a very heavy social media marketing presence to be great. They just need to target the needs of a group rather than sell them a product or service that's already in plenty. There are loads of examples of business innovation that attempts to fix and appeal to the problems and beliefs of people who are different or into hobbies. What's remarkable is what's new, but I learned an example of what's remarkable is what is still being done. 

    

Marketing in the News: The Kick of Destiny

     

    Fan Duel is doing it again with the big time super bowl kick from former pro bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski in The Kick of Destiny 2. They literally say at the beginning of one of there commercials, "never do the same thing twice." This statement just adds comedic value to the campaign and give the impression that this is comedy. I decided to choose this commercial campaign because while I was watching NFL football, it stood out to me, and called to me, as it tells a story rather than straight up advertises a product. These types of commercials are rarely seen and most common around, or day of the super bowl, where audiences attention is hyper-focused, ready for action, and looking for something new.

    Fan Duel is a very popular fantasy and sports betting app that has partnered with the NFL to bring in more of audiences involvement and attention.  This article explains why the company has been hyping up a fan promotion called the Kick of Destiny 2. this promo is supposed to bring in more people to their app by letting you place a bet on whether or not Rob Gronkowski will make a super bowl kick, in which the prize award is $10,000,000 split among the fans who voted right. This campaign advertises that by giving us an introduction and the start of a story on how Gronk is going to achieve his redemption from the kick he missed last year. One of the commercials shows us Gronk walking through a desert where it looks like he isolated himself from the shame he felt from last year. He then monologues of how he's gonna be a hero again, when Carl Weathers on a flipping motorcycle drives up and gives him a ride to who knows where (probably to the marketing office). Fan Duel is not even advertising motorcycles, they didn't even say who they were or what they were advertising in the commercial yet. 

    Fan Duels Value Proposition has always have been renowned for being fun and flashy. They view themselves as a premier sports brand for betting, gambling, gaming, and fantasy sports related content.

    I believe that this company is trying to achieve as much of the audiences attention for there promotion and app as they possibly can. what they are doing is teasing the release of the final commercial on super bowl game day that will dictate whether or not the consumer has won any percent of the $10,000,000 promised. They are achieving this by hyping up Gronk's redemption and releasing as many commercials as necessary a month in advance.

    The marketing approach is pretty unique as it gives us a story rather than facts on what's to come. Some examples are Gronk's monologues of what he will be, the challenges he faces like standing up to John Cena, walking through a desert, and just flashy things like Gronk running through the drywall in the office are just a few specific examples of providing drama that entices the fans. These commercials appeals to a very niche audience. 20-40 year old men who are die hard NFL fans that will literally cry if they see there teams quarterback miss a snap because his finger got a boo-boo. 

    I think that this marketing approach is genus and encompasses the consumers attention every time. Reasons are the celebrity figures, the comeback story that's so popular in western culture, and the indirect focus on the product itself.

    Honestly something I would do is to add on to what they are already doing and make a webisode that's a little longer than the commercials themselves. But I wouldn't change anything about the commercials, they're spectacular and convince me to bet on Fan Duel.

    Something I learned from this article is how powerful story telling really is. This is literally a commercial that's meant to be comedic and it's good. When you make a story about something or someone else it doesn't matter what you are advertising or selling, people are going to associate that story with your product and if the story is high quality people will by your product or service just because the story is quality. So following that logic the product must be quality too.

    

    

Click me

    

My name is Brayden Lekkerkerker and I just started college this term. I am taking marketing as part of a business degree I am working on. I am also taking this class to expand my knowledge. I've never thought to much about how marketing affected my life even though it's always around me 24/7. I've also noticed how I can advertise and be a trend setter. 

    If there is one thing I am looking forward to in this class it has to be the creative Ideas and methods others have used to push there products to the people who didn't think they wanted them. 

    I do a lot of different things outside of school. I fish, go to the gym, and play guitar to name a few of them. Right now I've been practicing guitar and playing in the well... ice wouldn't call it snow. Anyways I'm always having a blast doing something fun.