In Response to Aislynn Sherry

I also feel that Wal-Mart has begun to reach maturity in its lifecycle, however, I think they will remain a cash-cow for years to come. Their portfolio of products literally satisfies any need for a consumer, and their ability to offer cost saving deals, across their store, will allow them to stay competitive.

If their were a global downturn, it is hard to picture Wal-Mart going under, they would quite possibly flourish if there were a recession. Shoppers, who are pathetically targeted by Monadnock Buy Local, would quickly turn their dollar to the cheap stuff, Wal-Mart. Small business would sink, and Wal-mart would swim.

They are too big to fail at this point, and as society transforms, I believe Wal-Mart will consistently change their strategies to grow their share of the customer wallet.

Branding

This week in class we spoke about branding a lot, and so I just wanted to look at something I noticed during the week.

My friend and I were talking about how it is such a great deal if you buy the Market basket turkey, in the Tupperware, since you get a free Tupperware outta the deal. Then he pointed out to me that Tupperware is actually just a company, and not the name of the product. Having the branding power to essentially place your company name on the "universal" name for a market, is extremely effective.

Think about what other company there is that makes Tupperware products? Nearly impossible, they have taken control of the market with a simple naming of the brand.

So what other markets have companies placed their name strategically, WD-40? Vaseline? There are many examples in the market today, many subtle marketing strategies that just happen to stick.