Just When you Think Google Controls Enough...

Just when you think Google has enough, they're granted permission to "buy and sell electricity in bulk like any other utility" by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). According to Google, they acquired this right as to gain more power for their own activities and operations. I guess it's safe to say...There is nothing Google can't do.

Don't Mess with the Boss!

Live Nation's Ticketmaster finally reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission for misleading Bruce Springsteen fans to buy more expensive tickets to his shows. The two reached an agreement in which Live Nation will refund all deceived customers the difference between the marked-up price and face value price of the tickets they bought.

Last year, it was discovered that Ticketmaster was redirecting fans to their other site TicketsNow.com because the Ticketmaster site contained "no tickets found" for Bruce. This redirected site then offered tickets to fans for two, three, and even four times the price of the original tickets. What's worse is Ticketmaster still had tickets available! They just LIED so they could GET more MONEY. Luckily the Federal Trade Commission caught on to their scheme.

Live Nation has gone on to report that there was a glitch in their system. I think that's what you call trying to save your ass.

I guess it's safe to say...You don't mess with the Boss when it comes to his fans

Case Study #1: Nike vs. Puma

When one thinks of sneakers, people instantly think of Adidas, Puma, and Nike. It has been programmed in our brains to think of these brands when we need sports shoes, running sneakers, or just cool and comfy sneaks. Where a person's loyalty lies depends solely on their experience and opinion of the brand. Personally, I'm a Nike's fan when it comes to work out sneakers. Comfy and casual sneakers are a whole other story.

As the internet has progressed over the years, people have become more computer savvy and the market for goods has shifted from the producer's hands to the consumers. To keep up with the times, Nike was the first sneaker company to create a program on their website in which customers could customize a pair of shoes of their choice. As a result, mass customization has taken flight and many companies are replacing their mass production of goods with the idea of mass customization. Today, Nike and Puma both use this marketing technique to attract customers. With NikeID and Puma's Mongolian Shoe BBQ, a customer can design the shoe of their choice based on a selection of different colors and shoe designs. So who has the better website and marketing strategy?

When one enters the Puma website, it instantly comes to the viewer's attention that Puma stays true to their color scheme of red and white and that they aim to please low-maintenance customers. When one goes onto the site, it is easy to navigate one's way because of their breakup of shoes by gender, sport, and design. For those who know exactly what they want and don't want to spend a lot of time searching for it, Puma is the way to go. As for its shoe customization, Puma has a separate site known as the Puma Mongolian Shoe BBQ. This site focuses on the spices needed to create the ultimate shoe of your choice. Unfortunately, Puma does not offer as large of a selection as Nike when it comes to the colors and shoes one can use. Puma sticks mainly to more rustic colors in order to stay true to their shoe BBQ campaign of spicing up one's shoes. As a result, the color selections are deeper, earthier colors. For some customers, these color choices may not appeal to them. As a result, they may go to the Nike site to create a shoe using a broader assortment. Also, since there are only three shoes to choose from on the Puma website, buying custom designed sneakers can be more costly than customizing a pair of Nike's.

Below: An image of the shoes I designed using the Puma Mongolian Shoe BBQ

Nike's website is the complete opposite of Puma's. When you first enter the Nike site, it gives off a very modern, high-tech vibe due to their black and silver chrome layout. As you enter their home page, the viewer instantly sees an image of Kobe Bryant playing basketball in his matching Nike sneakers and uniform. For anyone entering the site, this image instantly gives them the sense that Nike is the shoe to wear when playing sports and that Nike knows what they are talking about when it comes to shoes. When navigating on the site, it takes a bit longer to find exactly what you are looking for. This is because Nike appeals to consumers that know exactly what they want and are looking for the perfect shoe to fit that need. As a result, Nike separates each shoe based on the sport one plays or activity one does.

When using the NikeID program, it was difficult to create the shoe of my choice as quickly as I was able to with the Puma Mongolian Shoe BBQ site. Since Nike has so much more on their site, using a computer with a slow network makes viewing the site and creating a shoe nearly impossible. Since Puma's site is much simpler, I was able to create a pair of sneakers much faster and without any problems. As for Nike, I had to restart my shoe multiple times due to the server not being able to read the page fast enough or the website freezing.

Below: An image of the shoes I designed using NikeID

When it comes to sneakers, Puma is a much easier and faster site to use to create a pair of sneakers or to search for a type of shoe you may want. Nike, on the other hand, is a much more desirable site if you need a shoe for a certain sport or activity. Also, Nike is more appealing if you want to create a shoe with a wider assortment of both shoe styles and colors. Both websites work efficiently for their target markets. Puma's simple site appeals to consumers who like to find items quick and easy while Nike's modern and cutting-edge site appeals to consumers with more specific sports related needs.