Blog 5

This week’s blog assignment asked for me gather a couple random worlds from friends and then try and create something mixing the two words I was provided. So I sent a text to my two most random friends hoping to get some interesting words to work with…

First word: BASKETBALL

A spherical object or a type of game. Jerseys. Shooting hoops. Space Jams. Game. Memory of winning $50 to a restaurant for winning the March Madness basketball bracket, Playing for the Rockets in 3^rd grade, Attending Nolan Richardson basketball camp when I was younger. Orange ball used to play a sport. When I think of basketball I also think of where the Texas Longhorns play – the drum. Tall people. The squeak squeak of shoes when players are running around on the court. My grandmother who used to play when she was younger.

Second word: BOMB

War, explosion, terrorist. Fear. Various types of alcoholic shots (Jager etc.) Hiroshima. explosive device. Politics. A black ball with a fuse sticking out of it. When I think of bomb, I think of nuclear bombs and bomb shelters. Something that the roadrunner would trick the coyote into holding in the old cartoons.

Since one of my objects is a game, or a ball used for a game, and my other object is used to destroy things it will be interesting to think up ways to combine these two ideas.

Combinations:

-       - The obvious is a bomb that is disguised as a basketball.

-       - A bomb that explodes to release a shower of basketballs.

-       - Basketball Bomb: something cruel a kid might do to another kid where they throw a Basketball at their face while yelling “basketball bomb!!!”

-       - Basketball Bomb: an alcoholic shot that is orange in color. Ingredients yet to be determined... 

-       - Basketball Bomb: A bomb you have to dribble to detonate.

-       - Bomb Basketball: New line of basketballs that are all black in color with a fuse painted on. Very trendy.

-       - A new game kind of like musical chairs, where you throw around a ball around and hope to not be the one holding it when it goes off. Similar to hot potato.

-       - A basketball player that is also a bomb expert.

-       - Bowling balls that are designed to look like bombs, basketballs, or other objects.

-       - A juggler could juggle bombs and basketballs.

-       - Pumpkins that are carved to look like basketballs and bombs.

-      -  A basketball team whose mascot is a bomb.

Of my ideas, only a few strike me as viable product or service ideas.  I think a basketball team with bombs as a mascot makes sense. I can see a city starting with a B have a sports team called the bombs. Ex: the Baltimore Bombs. I think an all black basketball with a fuse design could be an interesting design. It could be a new take on the traditional orange and black basketball. It could also be a realistic product to create bowling balls with different designs on them (such as a bowling ball that looks like a basketball or a bomb). When I picture both of my words I picture spherical objects, it seems to make sense that they could easily be translated into bowling ball designs. A bomb disguised as a basketball seems like something that would be targeted at kids, so hopefully that is not a product that will be coming out anytime soon!

Blog 4

Many products can provide an experience for the consumer. One good that can evoke a customer experience is coffee. It is a product that appeals to many of the senses. It has a pleasing aroma, taste, and feel. However, the coffee experience goes further than this. When people purchase coffee from a coffee shop, they are getting more than just the coffee. They are also paying for the coffee house experience.

When you enter a coffee shop you are often surrounded by the aroma of fresh ground coffee, ambient lighting, soothing music, and upscale surroundings. Your coffee is made for you not by servers but by “baristas”. Loaded terms such as this add to the sophisticated atmosphere many coffee houses aim to project. I am interested in getting to better understand how coffee houses sell their product/experience to customers.  Is it for the coffee shop environment that we are willing to buy a coffee at over $4 a piece? What emotions and experiences does buying coffee from a nice coffee house evoke? I would like to learn more about how a basic good such as coffee has elevated into a luxury good that evokes a range of emotions.

The customer experience surrounding coffee is interesting because depending on where you purchase your coffee your experience will be different. McDonalds and Starbucks both sell coffee, yet it almost seems they aren’t selling the same product at all. Part of the Starbucks experience is the wide offering of exotic coffees and sophisticated surroundings. It is in this environment that Starbucks creates an experience for the customers.

Many people look to coffee to begin their day. This might help us to understand the importance of a chic, luxurious atmosphere at coffee shops. People can see coffee as part of a morning ritual, and they would like to start their day right at a coffee house that can offer them a quality brew and an environment that is pleasant. Also, when they purchase a coffee from an establishment such as Starbucks, they feel like they are getting a luxury item they can feel good about. It is this customer experience that comes from getting a coffee from a coffee shop I would like to investigate further.

This subject is of interest to me because I am one of those people who is a sucker for nice coffee shops. I would like to gain deeper insights on what drives me to spend my money at places like Starbucks versus a most cost effective business, such as McDonalds. I would also like to further understand what elements lead to my experiences surrounding these coffee shops. What actually is it about Starbucks that draws me in? If I could understand what variables lead to the success of coffee houses, they could be maybe applied to another commodity to allow them to gain the same prestige and success.

If I can gather customer insights to discover what makes a coffee shop experience pleasant, I could use my findings to better meet the needs of my customers. By tapping into customer insights, we can find what the customer really wants. If we can identify which experiences are valuable to the customer, we can find ways to adapt a business plan to meet all the needs of our customers. An article by Associated Content described how important atmosphere is to Starbuck’s success. Coffee houses become a place to socialize, study, and to get a cup of java.

Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/126954/the_starbucks_culture.html?cat=31