SeaWorld has faced intense criticism following the 2013 release of Blackfish, a documentary on the controversial captivity on killer whales. More recently, the company is faced with three class action lawsuits in as many weeks, causing SeaWorld to launch a marketing campaign focusing on the care of its killer whales.
Category: Chapter 6 – Segmentation; Target Marketing; Positioning; and CRM

Starbucks’ “Race Together” Campaign is Pulled Following Harsh Criticism
Starbucks is launching a new campaign that has generated much controversy. “Race Together” is meant to spur conversation about race relations in the US between baristas and consumers. Many worry that racial relations in the U.S. is too big of a topic for the company to embrace, yet CEO Howard Schultz stands firm behind his decision.

Google’s Launch of YouTube Kids has Important Implications for Advertisers and the YouTube Brand
Google is launching its YouTube Kids Android app on Monday, February 23rd. The easy-to-navigate app will show only approved content. While this may present good opportunities for advertisers to reach children, companies will have to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
The Value of a Super Bowl Ad: Smartphone Game Marketers Enter the Fray in Search of New Frontiers; While Some Familiar Brands Look towards Other Tactics
With the largest audience ever for a television event at about 114.4 million viewers (according to preliminary figures from Nielsen), this year’s Super Bowl provided marketers with a prime opportunity to promote their brands. One […]
Removing the “Veto Vote”: Considerations for Marketing to Groups
For marketers in the hospitality industry the “veto vote” can serve as a significant challenge as groups of consumers make decisions based on their fit with the needs of every group member.
Marketing where HBO’s Game of Thrones is Filmed: Tourism Ireland gets 8.6 Million Pounds Worth of Publicity for the Price of 200,000 Pounds
For both Tourism Ireland and HBO, collaboration on a Game of Thrones themed campaign represented a clear win-win scenario for both organizations.
Kohl’s Personalized Marketing Plans Driven by Big Data and Technology Show how Brick and Mortar Retailers can Borrow (and Perhaps Enhance) Strategies Used by Online Competitors
The competition between brick and mortar retailers and online retailers is well known. Online retailers such as Amazon and Zappos.com are able to offer consumers convenience, personalization, and in many cases lower costs. One of […]
For Some Marketers a Picture (or Selfie) Might be Worth More than a Thousand Words
Marketers have been, and always will be, interested in gaining a better understanding of consumers. Being able to communicate with those consumers who are most likely to find value in a specific product/service and doing […]
Apple’s New iPhone Release, and the Combination of Apple Pay and Passbook Software for Marketers Bring the Value of a Digital Wallet into Sharper Focus
(Image of the Apple Passbook with some examples of the types of items that can be stored within it, including credit and debit card data) It can be increasingly difficult for organizations to compete for […]
The Show Must Go On…
(source – Wikimedia) We love stories like this. Of course, we don’t mean we love the stress and compromise of personal information that millions of customers have had to endure in the wake of the […]