Boonjour NM4210!

This week, we had the first in-class exercises. It was good, as it somewhat enabled us to better break away from the monotony of morning classes. We were told to come out with an RMA profile, and it was indeed a hilarious session! Was absolutely flabbergasted with the creativity and humor of some of our peers, especially Swee Leng’s narration of his ‘Tai Tai’. It was also a useful session though, going through the entire process of identifying a target user for that particular product, developing a profile for that user, and eventually producing the product benefits specs for him (our homework). From here, the profile and user needs allowed us to better understand what a particular profile’s user would entail certain needs and it also exhibited how focused a RMA could be to discover user needs.

Moving on to the assignment presentation, its easy to notice see that many of our peers focused on the common markets – the corporate workers/social gadgets, while mine profile focus on the elites, the rich, for I spoofed BUTCHI to mimic the glamorous GUCCI for the profile of pricey VERTU mobile phones. However, I realized that the little or none were focusing on the rarer profiles – what about the poor/handicapped? I’m not sure if I’m just hypothesizing but I felt, from this, it’s easily identifiable that visceral and reflectivity, rather than behavioral products, stood high up in or peer’s liking and rankings. Browsing thru other past-yr assignments, it’s also interesting to note that trends do affect the way products are going. The RMA profile for Sony Ericsson K800i, a popular hit last year, featured highly in many peer’s blogs. Yet its hardly visible in this years’ presentation, whereas VERTU mobile phones have always been mentioned. Its not behaviorally remarkable but it seems to feature as a popular hit. As such, another conclusion that I draw, from observing the trends of markets in both year’s presentations is that Niche markets probably still last longer and much more prestigious.

As for four pleasure analysis, I realized that in pleasure analysis, while socio and ideo seems to be much easily understood, phsysio and psycho pleasures seems to be harder to make a distinction, with our points often mistakably intertwined. Mr. Reddy then pointed out one point that we overlooked, in that physio-pleasure deals more with the senses, the touches, the textures, while psycho-pleasure are typically drawn to the cognitive and emotional reactions. I personally that the reason why we’re adopting four pleasure analysis to RMA is that the fact that it tries to understand people and the role products play in their lives in a holistic way, helps in establishing a relation between aspects of the product and the benefits each provides., as per RMA’s analysis. Besides, the theory develops methods and metrics to measure and certify the pleasure brought about by products, which would be helpful in justifying the needs and appreciation attributes.

Lastly, I would just like to re-iterate another pointer that Mr. Reddy mentioned in class – about the focus on aiming a specific majority – a specific target – to design something that is adopted for a targeted user rather than come up with generic products for a wide diversity of target users. Consumers are seeking products that are interesting and unique, hence through RMA – designing, or rather customizing that product for that profile – is something that consumer would better appreciate and be better enticed.

It all boils down to the hidden benefits that RMA offers -having customers look for you, instead of you looking for the customers. It seems that a great deal of marketing has to do with seeking out customers to give you business, so imagine what it would be like if customers came to you instead. This is what reverse marketing is all about, and why it has the potential to be such a hot commodity. It is about providing them with a useful product or service so that they can have some respect for you and your business and may even (hopefully) look up to you as an expert in that field. That is the best way to attract a good, solid customer base of people who believe in you and what you have to offer without having to be convinced.

I personally feel that RMA, though applying to just a narrow market, if conducted correctly and effectively, chances are that you will be able to reap more benefits from this marketing stratagem than you ever thought possible.

RMA ARTEFACT: MERCEDES S-CLASS

THE ASSOCIATION: ‘ABC’s OF OUR IMAGINERY SUBJECT

Claudio BUTCHI, 53 years old, is the illustrious designer from Italy who founded the colossal fashion design company – BUTCHI.

COMPANY
BUTCHI has evolved to be a stronghold in the fashion industry in the 21st century and is highly regarded as one of, if not, the top leading luxury brands worldwide. Authentic BUTCHI hand bags and leather goods are well-liked for their unique extravagance designs, brilliantly stitched to perfection, even to the minutest details. They are huge favorites of famed personalities from Hollywood, London and New York, which eventually fostered BUTCHI’s products as symbols of elegance, especially renowned for their high quality and wonderful style and specialized for the expert craftsmen.

RELATIONSHIPS
Highly esteemed by many, Claudio is spontaneously earmarked as a Man of Significance in the design industry. Claudio’s excellent communication skills and tactfulness, coupled with his charismatic approach in handling public relations, brought him good relationships with media and business partners alike. Highly networked, he is often found in the glamour limelight, and in the companionship of others. Happily married with Monica, they are blessed with two lovely daughters, Venise and Valerie in their twenties. The entire family adores stylish motifs and appreciates Italian modernism. Their family established domestic values that as celebrities and fashion icons, they should appear virtuous, untainted, prestigious and glamorous.

PERSONALITY
Nonchalant by nature, Claudio enjoys relaxation in tranquility. He has an Inclination toward self-indulgence, purchasing only the best quality watches, best quality apparels and the best quality fashion devices. He pays particular attention to visual details; seeks flawlessness. He has an eye for extremely rare commodities, and enjoys romancing with the finest materials. Claudio is not technology savvy; often going for aesthetics rather than functionalities in technology devices. He strongly oppose the infamous quote ‘nobody is perfect”; held strong beliefs that things can be perfect and fervently pursues perfection. Claudio desires to be different, unique, to be a class above all. He believes customization and personalization is necessary in order to reveal one’s true class.

WORK
Still actively involved in the highest management within the company, Claudio leads a celebrity designer working lifestyle of high mobility; often traveling around to innumerable conferences, media events, design exhibition and fashion shows, as well as endorsements of famed celebrities/superstars to endorse his renowned brands. He passionately ventured into other channels of jewelry design, particularly investments in the gems industry. Claudio held imperative values and principles that led to his success in the luxury goods industry. He seeks to conceptualize his ideals of prestige and luxury by in innovating his products to epitomize items of desire and social badges for class, personality and community. He has affection for unique and pleasant textures and feel, hence demanding only the utmost top-grade materials for his products in order to portray the class and weightiness of his illustrious brand. Claudio emphasize on first-rate customer service, requiring his staff to provide the best possible dedicated and immediate attention to customer’s problems.

LEISURE
Claudio leads a typical ‘high-asset delegator splurging millionaires’ lavish lifestyle; money is not an issue in his opulent lifestyle. His lifestyle is what many would term as, a ‘High-life’: With possession of the finest property/numerous yachts/horses/privileged members of high-class resorts, fine dining at the most glamorous and luxurious restaurants. He enjoys soothing classical music, often paying for the best seats in musical concerts. He plays sports just like typical affluent executives, playing tennis and golf to keep him healthy and vibrant for events and shows. Most notably, Claudio marvels at fast and furious lustrous cars, hence elucidating his passion for and identity as an avid racing-sports fanatic, particularly a Ferrari enthusiast. Claudio’s passion is driven by his heavy fascination of the power, energy, and sheer precision of a striking car. He has a bunch of swanky acquaintances who shares similar fervent passion for racing. They had even booked an entire row of the Premier Pit Grandstand, the best strategic locations where they would enjoy unrivaled views right into the pit lane in the exclusive street circuit 2008 FORMULA 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, slated to debut on 28 September 2008 on a street circuit of public roads around the Marina Bay area.

REQUISITES
Claudio prefers gadgets to be light-weight always carries his mobile phone conveniently in his hand. As he is not technically inclined, he utilizes only simple mobile phone features: sms, mms/email, calls and organizer (advanced agenda) and he wants clear feedback from keypads. However, being highly networked personnel, he has a calorific roll of contacts. Hence, he would have need of a huge capacity for contact list storage as well as information-synchronization. He does not see the need to capture images. Firstly, he is not into, and do not have time for photography, secondly, ultimately he would be photographed by the media. Though not technology savvy, Claudio do have high expectation in the design aspects of his technological needs. Despite having numerous handsets, what he desperately sought after is an aesthetical workhorse; a symbol of his supremacy.

THE 4 PLEASURES!

PHYSIO-PLEASURE

1. Touch of great quality surfaces soothes Claudio, who has an unspoken affection for unique and pleasant textures and feel. [Appreciation]
2. Feels at ease should gadgets warrant good responsiveness and gratifyingly solid depression of keypads. [Needs]
3. Claudio relishes classical music, an implicit connotation with an appreciation for top-notched, pristine sound composition. [Appreciation]
4. Being a highly-engaged celebrity designer, Claudio unwinds himself by immersing in his favorite past-time watching racing sports and posh cars, a complete relaxation and breakaway from the incessant buzz work. [Appreciation]
5. Plays slow-pace like casual tennis and golf keeps him mental state fresh, feeling hale and hearty and effervescent for media events and public appearances. [Needs]

SOCIO-PLEASURE

1. Claudio loves the glamour of his glittering lifestyle. He does not deter the publicity surrounding him, and instead takes pride and pleasure in the prestigious. eminence associated with such hype. Loves the attention and admiration in his stature as a celebrity designer. [Appreciation]
2. Enjoys being in the company of social elites and racing acquaintances, beautiful things and posh cars. [Appreciation]
3. Graciously-cultured and forthcoming outlook makes him an effective yet amicable communicator. Akin to being a successfully businessman, he is a devoted family man who cherishes kinship and enjoys a blissful relationship with his family.

PSYCHO-PLEASURE

1. Gets excited by aesthetically eye-catching commodities. Immense satisfaction comes when he uses products that could complement his superiority. [Appreciation]
2. Adornment in the media limelight and opulent lifestyle brings out his charismatic and virtuous persona, which instinctively gives him a sense of pride. [Needs]
3. Claudio feels feels comfortable with gadgets that are ‘not a hassle’ to carry around. In parallel, simple executions of phone functions that runs smoothly makes him feel a sense of fulfilment and security. [Needs]
4. 4. Claudio takes pride in his brand as an excellent brand which provides for superior customer service, and he appreciates other brands with such quality. [Appreciation]

IDEO-PLEASURE

1. He believes that uniqueness is a direct consequence of personalization. And only through such uniqueness, could elegance and stylishness emerge. [Needs]
2. Perceptions that aesthetics is a key dynamic aspect that surpasses functionality in the conceptualization of luxury designs. [Needs]
3. His discernment for aesthetic details reinforces his ideology that perfection is realizable, and in the process of doing so, standards should never be compromised.
4. Aspire to uphold and proliferate the lavish aura of his brand.
5. Philosophy that prestige and luxury naturally subsists through the concoction of the finest materials and followed up by delicate and superior craftsmanship.
6. Adores stylish motifs and appreciates Italian modernism. Their family established domestic values that as celebrities and fashion icons, they should appear virtuous, untainted, prestigious and glamorous. [Appreciation]
7. Handpicks only the premium finest masterworks, flawless to the minutest details, for he deem those as indispensable in preserving the extravagance self-image of an accomplished capitalist of a thriving business. [Needs]

PRODUCT BENEFIT SPECIFICATIONS

1. Should convincingly characterize ’select’ groups of people such as businessmen, artists, and politicians, to enable them to establish themselves within the domain of the aristocracy.
2. The phone design should accentuate an epitome of luxury; a super-luxurious line of mobile communications, to connote affluence, charisma, elegance and prestige.
3. More emphasis on the brand and embodiment, less significance on phone capabilities. Brand should not simply describe their products as phones, but as ‘the world’s finest Luxury Personal Communication Instruments’.
4. Phone should extrinsically exhibit superior watch-making craftmenship.
5. Phone should intrinsically parade enchantment of racing vogue and gratification.
6. As such, it should be fashioned from high-grade materials, delicate design detail, technical superiority and unsurpassed performance associated with the luxury sports car, preferably that of a Ferrari.
7. It should be a highly crafted handset of precision, balance and strength, adorned with exquisite design and craftsmanship; elegance and excellence.
8. Divulge highly-flavored Italian modernism; Marriage of tradition of craft with the technology to reinforce the image of luxury.
   9. Image-consciousness of abstemious businessmen, that embodies a character that is both flowing and elegant and slightly on the aggressive side.
9. Exemplify ultimate telecommunication sound quality.
10. The phone should be unique and in a league of its own.
11. It should be a rare commodity that is not widely available. The phone should entail customization; personalization and upgradability while yet be able to embrace communications to mature into an exquisite piece of art masterpiece.
12. Assurance of personalized sales attention and excellence in customer service.

THE IDEAL CHOICE

VERTU, Ascent Ferrari 1947
(Limited Edition, in Commemoration of Ferrari’s 60th anniversary)

ONLY 1947 HANDMADE PIECES made and sold worldwide @ a hefty sum of $25,000.

• Burnished marketing image: sold in boutiques, not in shops; trademark of prestige.
• Targets audiences of ‘elite’ statures: invited for private viewing at the company’s client suites located in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore and Hong Kong. Certainly Claudio is one of their target audience.
• Tagged as the top of the line platinum model, Vertu declares itself ‘The World’s First Luxury mobile phone’.
• The phone is encased in metals from stainless steel to platinum and faced with sapphire. Expensive, exclusive and uniquely beautiful that is tailored for the aristocracy.
• The phone has a character that is both flowing and elegant and slightly on the aggressive side. A great fusion, one that a great designer like Claudio would certainly appreciate.

• Aesthetically mouth-watering, in a uniquely F1 flavor, it boasts an engraftment of Ferrari’s iconic logo, the famed Ferrari Prancing Horse; an extravagantly yet distinctively characteristic of its class.

• It fuses a scaled down version of a brake pedal from a Ferrari F1 car, It grants an emotional gratification of wearing something that was exceptionally crafted with grace, which would subtly mean that you’re ‘driving’ the Italian stallion in a uniquely F1 flavor, definitely capable of exciting Claudio.
• The phone encompasses the philosophy of craftsmanship: painstaking detailed and splendid. Obsessively focused to a category defined by Vertu’s tradition of excellence, but strategically visionary that is truly exciting; the ideal aesthetic workhorse that Claudio yearns for.
• In terms of music and sound, Vertu phones boast the vein of fine cutting-edge n telecommunication sound quality that is especially pleasant to the ears.
• Encased in symbolic red and black Ferrari leather with black lacquer stripes running at the sides, it promises the touch and feel of a typical F1 workhorse that would certainly please Claudio’s touches.

• It presents no risk of technical obsolescence. Beneath its modish exterior, its internal technology can be upgraded without replacing its valuable outer shell. Such personalizable feature would be an appealing factor in enticing Claudio.
• There’s a size-to-proportion balance that has a calming effect, fitting perfectly in the hand, matching Claudio’s needs for a lightweight yet comfortable handset. It wears well. Its surface builds character. It can literally becomes a friend for Claudio.

• Vertu is offering the exclusive services of a personal concierge to all Vertu owners round-the-clock. Prospective owners are ferried to their first Vertu appointment in a limousine, in is quest to attend to the owner’s burgeoning desires and needs, an exact complement to Claudio’s call for excellent customer service.

A blend of Mercedes Benz ‘S Class’ with Vertu Ferrari 1947.

equates to:

World’s Finest Luxury Instruments +

A DELIGHTED TARGET AUDIENCE.